Aquaman Hype

I have been an Aquaman fan for over a decade now, and I trace my interest in the character to his appearances in the animated Justice League. Although Aquaman is still subjected to tired “talk to fish and nothing else” jokes (looking at you Family Guy) comic fans have known for a while that Aquaman is a badass. The DCEU’s take on the character might have converted some newcomers, or at the very least made them less skeptical about a Aquaman film.

Jason Momoa seemed like perfect casting to me. I know some fans were upset that the character wasn’t blonde like the comics, since his blonde hair was apparently important to his character(Atlanteans viewed the hair colour as an omen). I can understand the dismay but I am fine with that, as long as the character still retains the theme of being of two worlds: Human and Atlantean.

Momoa’s acting chops were the biggest question mark for me, and Justice League didn’t do too much to help assuage my concerns. After Momoa’s performance in that film, I am still left wondering if Momoa can successfully carry a film. Nevertheless, the film is still on track for a release late this year and the first poster was released today.

I love it but of course it’s drawn criticism. There are some valid points, like some fans still not liking the tattoos that this version of the character has. However, one critique that baffled me was a Finding Nemo comparison. Like I have discussed with my articles on IT and Stranger Things, and Dark and Stranger Things, people have a very narrow frame of reference: People compared Dark to Stranger Things simply because they both involve a missing kid.  Actually, a lot of online discussion didn’t just say the two properties had some similar elements, people argued Dark was a ripoff. If they actually bothered to watch the show they would know Dark and Stranger Things have completely different tones, time periods, characters and that their plots have no real comparison beyond the missing child. Using that logic, The Dark Knight and Leon the Professional are also really similar since they both involve a child losing parents. If we only compare creative properties based on their most basic element or plot point, then we’ll always find one thing a derivative of another.

Bridging The Divide

I recently got back in touch with a former coworker, who I was reminded of due to my newfound desire to enter the comic book industry. I knew that this coworker had previous experience attempting to pitch comics to publishers, and also had experience teaming with an artist. As I continue my writing, I have been working on getting a short story published, so that I can have a published credit before seeking an agent. Additionally, I wanted to see if writing comics, or possibly turning one of my books into a comic book, could be a way in. My friend informed me most comic book companies want art and writing submitted as a package, meaning they won’t accept writing by itself and pair writers up with an artist. Nevertheless, his info still led me to two comic book publishers who accept writing, who I will try to reach out to.

The more interesting part of the conversation actually didn’t come from our discussion of writing comics. My friend brought up the point about the Big Two comics (Marvel and DC) making less money off their comics since people don’t like the diversity revamps. As my friend saw it, the revamps were just a politically correct move. His comment also brought up an assumption that many conservatives make: That diversity and talent are mutually exclusive. It turns out he never read any of the new revamps. I told him the X-23 (successor to Wolverine) stories were good and he was surprised. I also explained that these “revamps” are not reboots that erase the original e.g. Miles Morales to Peter Parker. They are just the tales of a successor, and why does the successor have to be another straight while male instead of someone who represents an America that’s become more diverse since the original was created?

When I spoke to this coworker before, I never picked up on their thoughts about these issues. We talked about movies, comics and video games but the more political side of them never emerged. I genuinely don’t think this person is racist, like the alt-right ilk, but he does have some assumptions and thoughts in common with them. He isn’t a Trump supporter but our conversation, which went on to cover a wide range of political topics, revealed how someone who genuinely seems enlightened can still take on negative talking points e.g. liberals are hysterical.

I was actually able to get my friend to see things differently. I began to wonder if our conversation would have gone the same way if we discussed this issue online as strangers. The level of respect I had for him, and hopefully him for me, led us to really take the time to read the other’s argument (communicating via text) instead of rushing to the keyboard to snap back. Would that have happened online? I make a conscious effort to understand the point someone is making, so that I don’t respond with some trite straw-man argument. However, I have debated with many people who don’t seem to go through the same process.

Is there a chance that some of the people I’ve argued with online, who clearly didn’t understand or read the arguments I was making, would have paid closer attention to what I was saying if we knew each other? I don’t want to get too idealistic. I am sure there are still plenty of people who would be rude and stupid if you met them in person, but online communication tends to bring out the worst in people due to the anonymity or the distance it gives us. Maybe 90% of people I have argued with online would be trolls in real life too, but maybe there’s 10% who would be able to try to see where I’m coming from if we met in person or knew each other beforehand.

Just a little positivity going into the weekend.

Andrew Lincoln Leaving The Walking Dead

Originally, I thought I would write about the cancellation of Roseanne today. I still might tomorrow, but for now the below tweet shows my condensed thoughts on her show being cancelled.

Moving on from yet another racist being treated as a victim, let’s talk about The Walking Dead. I affectionately remember undertaking my first Netflix binge thanks to this show. By the time I got into it, it was already on season 1. I watched the first season and a few episodes of the second in one evening, and rushed to catch up within the next week. Aside from reminding me of a simpler time, when I had the option of spending that much time watching TV, those early moments also bring back a time when the show was stronger.

Although the second season gets a great deal of flack for all of the time spent on the farm, I definitely believe the last three seasons have given us our fair share of filler. After Mad Men and Breaking Bad ended it seemed like AMC realized they had to hold on to their remaining golden goose. From the beginning, the TV show introduced plotlines that weren’t in the comics, often stretching out scenarios (e.g. the farm setting lasting way longer in the show). I guess I didn’t notice how bad the filler was until season 6. I think I was in denial until the last episode. Knowing how the story goes in the comics always makes added plotlines seem more egregious since you are more impatient as you wait for a pivotal moment. In this case, I grew impatient as I waited for Negan’s introduction.

The season 6 finale basically featured a drawn out game of tag between Negan’s men and Rick’s group, finally culminating in Negan’s appearance. Then we get a cliffhanger for who dies, which was clearly designed to increase the ratings for the season 7 premiere. Like a sucker, I still watched season 7 but season 8 lost me as it continued to pad out the Negan storyline, in order to lengthen the show’s run. The mid-season finales didn’t help either, becoming another indication of AMC’s desire to pad the show’s air time.

All of this to say that the show lost me a while ago. Judging from the comments on this article, it appears that I am not the only one. Maybe this news turns out to be false, but multiple outlets are reporting that Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) will make his last appearance during season 9. Lincoln will appear in about half a dozen episodes before his character’s run comes to an end.

At this point, I think the show has run its course and should just end on season 9. Of course, the comics are still ongoing but they are way ahead of the show because the comic doesn’t pad its pages with filler e.g. teen love stories and death fakeouts (I’m looking at you dumpster Glenn). The Negan arc could easily have been wrapped up in half the time if the show removed the dumpster people and a heap of other unnecessary subplots.

A lot of people are arguing other characters can take over. I see a chance of that working in the comics, but I don’t see that working for the show. Aside from being a central character, Rick is also one of the most compelling and well-acted ones. Daryl Dixon has his fangirls but I don’t think he can carry the show as a main character. I don’t think any other character can. Season 9 can finish without Rick, but I can’t see a season working without him from start to finish. Maybe I’m biased since I barely care about the show anymore but the comments on the aforementioned article also show that others agree with me. I am not saying my opinion is therefore a popular one, but it at least shows that there are some people who are able to see where I am coming from.

The show was good at one point, but it seems like greed ruined it. The desire to milk the cow dry has turned one of my favourite shows into a distant memory and an example of a clash between art and business.

Deadpool 2 Review

Needless to say, this film carried a lot of hype and a lot of expectations. The first film was a profane, 4th wall-breaking breath of fresh air. Sometimes it is tough to follow up on a film like that, since part of its appeal is the novelty. Can it really be as entertaining the second time around? While I think I prefer the first film over this one, I will say that Deadpool 2 is a worthy sequel.

Deadpool follows the Merc With A Mouth as he tries to save Russell Collins a.k.a Firefirst (Julian Dennison) from time-travelling Cable. As you may be able to guess from the trailer, Cable is on the hunt for the teenaged mutant due to something that Firefist does in the future. It is tough to describe this film’s plot well without spoiling too much, since there is an important inciting incident early on that shapes Wade’s character for the rest of the film. You may have heard that Deadpool 2 has more heart than the previous one, and I have to agree.

I had some worries going into this film due to the director switch, and chatter from some friends worried about the film possibly trying to do too much with its addition of X-Force and Cable. However, I tried to cut out all the chatter from other people and go into this film with an blank slate. I will say that this film is darker than the first. While the first film undoubtedly has dark moments, such as Wade’s transformation scene, the darker moments are more prevalent in this one. That was no problem for me though. Hating on anything dark is fashionable nowadays (Wade takes a stab at the DC Universe) but darkness is fine if it fits the story. Deadpool isn’t always happy-go-lucky in the comics and I am glad to see that the creative team behind this film realize that. Deadpool 2 still does a better job balancing its serious moments and humour than most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films do. Humour is always more rewarding when it isn’t overused.

The performances are great all-around. Ryan Reynolds continues to embody Deadpool, whether in an irreverent moment or a serious one. Dennison is a newcomer to Hollywood but his previous experience in New Zealand’s film scene is evident. His character is probably the most interesting one in the film: A young mutant whose powers make him a danger to himself and those around him. Dennison’s story also brings up the theme of abuse, which actually becomes important to the plot instead of being something tacked on. Zazie Beetz got plenty of hate online since fans didn’t want a black actress playing Domino. Some of the hate came from just from the announcement of her casting, while some criticism came after the look was revealed. Sorry but I am unsympathetic to the people who complained simply about a black actress since I bet some of them belong to the same horde who vehemently defend whitewashing. The double standard in people’s reactions to whitewashing vs blackwashing annoys me to no end.

Anyways, Beetz is arguably the film’s breakout star and I think there may be a lot of new Domino fans after the film. Brolin puts in a great performance as Cable, but I almost feel like his character could have had a bit more development or screen time. The writers also did a good job of getting some humour out of Cable’s interactions with other characters, without neutering his character like the MCU films consistently do with theirs. Cable’s motivations are clear and tragic, but maybe Brolin’s performance just left me wanting a bigger role. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see where they go with the character from here. The supporting cast also returns, with Karan Soni’s Dopinder having one of the best moments in the film.

For those worried that all the members of X-Force would drag the plot down too much, let’s just say the writers did a good job of handling the characters’ screen time. Leading up to the third act, Wade Wilson is seeking a sense of purpose and belonging, or more importantly a family. Through Russell, Domino, Colossus etc. he begins to find that and evolves as a character. The main conflict arises between Deadpool and Cable since Deadpool wishes to try and save Russell, while Cable wants to kill him. This conflict is handled well throughout but there is another villain introduced just prior to the third act. For the nerds (like me) who follow the online chatter, you may already have an idea who the villain is. The villain comes across as an entity introduced just so that Colossus and the other heroes have something to fight, while Wade and Cable try to deal with Firefist. The villain’s lines are sparse, and if you don’t know his background in the comics you’re left in the dark here. Additionally the villain sports some of the weakest CGI in the film.

Speaking of CGI, the villain isn’t the only person to feature some bad work at times. Colossus and Cable’s effects, from the arm to his weapons, seemed to get the lion’s share of the budget. Meanwhile, a lot of other scenes, from car crashes and so on looked very cartoonish in comparison. The budget was nearly doubled for this film and I can’t help but think some more practical effects could have worked wonders, if possible. Then again, director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) has said CGI is faster and cheaper. However, I feel like some of the effects in the film were not worthy of a $110 million budget, regardless of how resources got divided. Then again, the budget displayed might include some costs for actors, marketing etc.

Leitch may not have balanced all of the film’s pieces as well as Tim Miller, but I will say that the John -Wick-esque choreography is a welcome addition. While Deadpool 2 might sport a weaker third act, due to a tacked-on villain, the third act also has some of the film’s best moments. Deadpool 2 manages to fit in another 80’s tribute that is actually more touching than half the moments I’ve been forced to watch in sappy rom-coms. The film can make you laugh but also provides a lot more. I’ll see it again in theatres if I can, but until then I highly recommend it. If it wasn’t for the addition of the tacked-on third act villain I could probably say I liked this film more than the original.

Venom Trailer Thoughts

Tom Hardy is one of my favourite actors, and Venom is one of my favourite comic book villains. So you might be wondering why I’m a little late giving my thoughts on the latest trailer.

Despite the lead and the character, the film never interested me much because it is a solo film on a villain (or anti-hero in this case) that works better when paired with a hero. Venom was interesting to me because of his link to Spider-Man. The symbiote (judging by the trailer I have been pronouncing it wrong or the director insisted on pronouncing it wrong) felt rejected by Spider-Man and found another host. In many adaptations, Eddie Brock has his own reasons to hate Spider-Man, creating an interesting scenario where he and the symbiote have a mutual enemy. Once Venom’s origin is stripped of his connection to Peter Parker/Spider-Man, a big part of what made the character interesting to me is gone. Therefore, the film doesn’t hold as much appeal, regardless of who plays Eddie. Although people may feel like The Joker overshadowed Batman in The Dark Knight, The Joker needed Batman as a foil in order to truly shine. The below scene is the perfect example.

The trailer itself generated some more excitement from me, after a very lacklustre teaser. I understand that teasers don’t show much but there have definitely been better teasers than whatever Venom gave us. Off the top of my head, The Raid 2 comes to mind. Great images that get our attention with only a cursory look at the plot.

So first, the plot seems somewhat generic in comparison to what we could get if Venom was simply in a Spider-Man film. Reporter goes against evil businessman… we can see where this will go. I’ve never been into car or motorcycle chases much so most of the action that this trailer focused on didn’t interest me that much. The most visually appealing scenes were actually the simplest ones, when the symbiote defends Brock against the intruders in his apartment. The big reveal at the end is a moneyshot of course, but the effects look like they need to be cleaned up. According to some articles, a full-suited Venom isn’t even in the film for that long but Tom Hardy has debunked these rumours according to IMDB trivia.

The symbiote voice is done by Hardy as well, and actually reminded me a lot of Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget. Not too much to say otherwise. I doubt I’ll check this movie out in theaters, probably save it for online. Sorry Hardy.

Deadpool 2 Trailer Reaction

 

I know I’m tardy to the party on this one. Recently, I have been trying to watch fewer trailers so that I spoil less of the movie for myself, and also avoid the inevitable YouTube black hole of trailer reaction videos. With that said, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool is one of the best castings in comic book film history and I couldn’t resist seeing some more of this film. If the first film is any indication, the trailers don’t actually spoil all of the funniest moments.

The first “trailer” we got for Deadpool was the “Wet on Wet” teaser, a glorious Bob Ross tribute that revealed very little about the plot, like a good teaser. I avoided looking up plot details but this trailer makes it clear Cable (Josh Brolin) serves a role as a villain in this film (or at least part of it), trying to capture a mutant child (Julian Dennison) who Wade wants to protect. Cable is likely trying to capture the mutant because of something he will do in the future, thus offering a moral conundrum for this film. The mutant’s character name doesn’t appear to have been revealed yet, although a shot in this trailer and a brief glimpse in the teaser makes it look like he has some sort of pyrokinetic power.

Cable’s face is less metallic than I am used to seeing from animated adaptations and the comics. However, I believe his arm is the result of a disease so it might progress during the film or over the four-film contract that Brolin signed. Brolin really only has two lines here and I guess I’m hoping the “I’m Cable” part sounds less hokey in context when watching the film. He is a great actor, judging by other performances, so I won’t worry too much. Unless he takes the Paul Giamatti mentality that he can “be as over-the-top hammy as possible” because he’s in a comic book movie. Let’s not have a repeat of the rhino in Amazing Spider Man 2. 

I have to say this trailer takes breaking the fourth wall to another level, with its irrelevant “From the Studio That Brought You 27 Dresses and The Devil Wears Prada” title. I always hated this trend in marketing films and it looks like Deadpool 2 was the right film to finally poke some fun at it. I also love the slow-motion shot, followed by Wade asking if they got that in slo-mo. Obviously this is probably just a result of editing, but it is clear that at some point Wade references slo-mo. That scene also looks like we might possibly see Deadpool’s black X-Force suit.

The shot in the trailer doesn’t make it clear if Wade actually has a black or grey suit, or if something might just be covering his regular one. Either way, we now know X-Force will officially be referenced in the film, with Wade bringing his own team together. Since Wolverine was a part of this team in the comics at one point, I wonder if we’ll see Wade poking more fun at his Aussie friend again. We can only hope.

Speaking of X-Men, looks like the studio might be able to afford more characters this time. Negasonic and Colossus are back but we also see Wade swivelling in Professor X’s chair, not to mention the return of the X-Jet. Maybe we get to see some other mutants this time.

With a co-director of John Wick in the chair for this film, I’m sure the action won’t disappoint. The bigger worry for me has been the plot, the humour and the characters. They weren’t poor the first time around, but a sequel always brings the worry that it won’t live up to the first.

Deadpool 2 gives us a lot of new talent in the X-Men universe, including Atlanta’s Zazie Beetz as Domino. Before the first pic of Domino was debuted people were already complaining about a black actress in the role, which is just more proof that people only use the “best actor regardless of race” argument when roles get whitewashed. Anyway, if her performance in Atlanta is any indication, she should be good here. We only get two short lines here and not much footage so we’ll likely just have to see the movie to judge most of the new cast members.

However, there is plenty to love with Reynolds getting the biggest share of screen time and lines and I can’t wait to see his derivative team on screen.

Brief Update

I’m back to writing for Factinate so I’ll be posting any of the published articles on this site.

Also, I am now aiming to have a rough draft of my second werewolf novel, Alive: Part II completed by May.

In terms of comics, I started reading Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye series and I’m loving it so far. Kill or Be Killed is still my favourite ongoing series and I’m looking forward to seeing how the series wraps up. I was reading Fables but the main conflict, the conflict that has defined the series since the beginning, came to an end halfway through. So apparently the second 75 issues of the series will focus on other subplots, so I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series.

However, the series was worth the discovery for the cover art alone. James Jean put together an impressive list of masterpieces.

Kristen Wiig as Cheetah

Kristen Wiig was rumoured to be in talks to play Wonder Woman villain, Cheetah, for a few days before it became official yesterday.

As expected, this led to a lot of discussion online and it appears that most of the supporters of this decision were either rabid Wiig fans or people who appealed to the “Heath Ledger” argument. When Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker many people, myself included, were very skeptical of the decision. Ledger then went on to blow most people away and deliver my favourite portrayal of The Joker.

What people need to realize is that Ledger was the exception to the rule. He is one of the very few questionable casting decisions that turned out to be a wise choice. For every Ledger Joker, we also get Jared Leto Joker (which has not aged well in my opinion).

Sorry Leto.

Another issue is that some actors or actresses are not suited for certain roles. Colin Firth is a great actor but I don’t think he’d make a good choice for Wolverine, or Jack Reacher. Wiig may have the acting chops for a serious role but that still does not mean that this is a good role for her.

I will hold out some hope for this casting since I thought Gal Gadot would fail to carry a movie as the lead. However, I am not going to jump on the bandwagon and put blind faith in this casting decision working out perfectly.

The Right is Still Triggered

Note: To anyone reading, sorry for the hiatus. Been busy sorting out a move into a new place and just got internet set up yesterday. Without further ado, back to it.

I have my moments of distraction, where I spend time in the black hole of YouTube recommendations, watching scenes from some of my favourite shows or the other random videos that pique my interest. I was watching a clip from Netflix’s The Punisher, when I came across a random right-wing comment.

“Deborah Ann Woll is so beautiful and talented. The female characters in this show are some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. No feminazi bullshit, no pandering, no SJW nonsense, just all normal, strong, believable women characters that didn’t make me feel like I was watching a show created by tumblr. I loved Karen and Madani in this show (Madani started off annoying until around episode 4 though.) This show is just so well done. There’s some cheesy writing here and there, some flat jokes, but shit, nothing is perfect. I’m stoked for season 2.”

Firstly, this comment is amusing since the 20+ other comments after it didn’t mention politics at all. No one else was mentioning “feminazis” or sjws, so who is really triggered here?

Next, this post also demonstrates how intolerance is relative. This viewer commends Karen’s character and her inclusion in the series, while also saying it isn’t “feminazi bullshit”. For some people, any scene with a female lead (if she isn’t banging the male lead) is feminazi bullshit. Any strong female character becomes a Mary Sue and part of a feminist agenda.

As an example, look at this comment on this Punisher clip. In the below scene, Billy Russo is giving a speech to potential recruits of his private military contracting firm, Anvil.

Now check out this comment from a triggered right-winger who sees two female applicants.

“This is such a bullshit scene LOL I laughed out loud there’s no less than two women in that crowd. There is not a single civilian contracted mercenary group that would ever hire women for combat. Sjw’s and stupidity may have forced the US Army to allow women into combat but civilians don’t have to and most people that own their own businesses are smart enough to know simple facts of life. Simple facts such as women are ineffective in combat and if you don’t believe that look at any stats from the US military’s physical Fitness tests. Without fail the ratio of men passing these tests to women passing these tests are ten-to-one one across-the-board. They are not built for combat there’s nothing sexist about that it’s simple fact men are Fighters they are built to be that way women are not.”

So this person is obviously harping on the fact that women typically have less upper body strength than men. He says women pass these tests at a ten-to-one ratio compared to men, and that ratio of women is approximately what we see here. Maybe (emphasis on maybe) I could understand where he was coming from if the group was mostly women, but to go on a rant because two women are in a scene?

Like I said, sjw and feminazi are relative. They are not absolutes. “Feminazi bullshit” to one person can be completely overlooked by another. The more right-wing you are, the more sensitive you will be to any minority or female inclusion.