It’s been a busy week, so I’m just now getting a chance to share my thoughts on The Good Dinosaur teaser that came out this week. And I have a lot to say for a teaser barely a minute long.
This is a tough movie to talk about due to the unusual air of mystery around it. But we finally have something to talk about, now that the movie is just several months away. But I’m sure you’re all wondering the same thing: Does it look good?
Go on…Thoughts on the First Teaser for ‘The Good Dinosaur’
I normally do Mini Reviews on this site, but I have a lot to say about Paul Feig’s latest genre experiment. I’ll do my best to keep this as short as possible, though.
Spy is an R rated action spy movie spoof starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Jude Law, and Rose Byrne. It was directed and written by Paul Feig, who is best known for Bridesmaids and The Heat, which are two other films featuring Melissa McCarthy, and the former even includes Rose Byrne.
The movie centers around Susan Cooper (McCarthy), a timid CIA analyst who has to go undercover and on the field for the first time in order to stop a nuclear arms deal in a few long chase scenes around Europe.
The trailers would have you think this is Paul Blart Female Cop — an overweight, unassuming hero facing off against overwhelming danger. But really, this movie is a raunchy action comedy akin to this year’s Kingsman: The Secret Service. Unfortunately, I don’t consider Spy to be anywhere near as funny or witty as Kingsman.
But I think I’ll be in the minority for that opinion. I also didn’t find the 21 Jumpstreet movie or its sequel to be that great, despite overwhelming praise from critics and fans alike. For the same reason, I think a lot of people will cling to Statham’s bizarre jokes and the gag scenes that earn Spy‘s R rating.
I actually found the trailer to be hilarious, and I was very much looking forward to Spy. But when I saw the movie itself, for whatever reason, the comedic timing just fell completely flat. It was nonexistent, even during scenes I had laughed out loud at during the trailer. The jokes themselves are mostly well-written, but something about the direction kept them from striking a chord with me.
There’s nothing worse than watching a comedy that you don’t find funny. When you strip away the comedy from Spy, you’re left with a boring plot that spoofs dozens of spy movies you’ve already seen before (so younger viewers will certainly find a lot to love).
Feig pulls of just one action scene that is both enjoyable and memorable. It perfectly utilizes the freedom they got with the R rating to show something interesting and novel. Every other action scene was pretty one-note, the film’s two big twists were pretty obvious (but not terribly so), and only scene actually made me cringe.
That’s the thing about Spy. It’s not a terrible movie. Most of it is pretty average, and at times, it surprises you with something entertaining. But if you’re like me, you’ll find Spy to be pretty boring and devoid of humor. If you do check this one out, I hope that’s not the case.
Grade: C.
It’s not bad enough for me to warn audiences away from this movie. Read some other reviews and watch the trailers to see if the comedy will resonate with you. If so, then you might enjoy this movie a lot. But if you’re not the least bit interested, you might find Spy to be shrug-worthy.
Spy is now playing in theaters everywhere.
I love it when Marvel creates new and interesting female characters that represent a twist in established universes. In recent years, they’ve written some incredible stories with these new superheroes (and villains).
And this year, Marvel announced an all-star team up of heroines led by She-Hulk. The core lineup consists of Dazzler, Medusa, Singularity, and Nico Minoru. Though there are plenty more Marvel favorites that will make appearances, as you can see from the cover below.
Now, I’m a big fan of Teen Titans, the D.C. storylines surrounding the younger counterparts to bigger heroes. I’m not a comic-book writer, and I don’t want to be constrained to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So I propose a killer animated TV series that puts “Teen Titans Go” to shame. I would call it, Teen Avengers.
Yeah, I know. Original.
This new lineup would have to be a shakeup of relatively new characters and new twists on older characters. I would take tremendous liberties with the source material to make it happen, but I think you’ll like the end result if you open your mind. So here’s my dream lineup without context:
Sharon Carter, Thor, Ms. Marvel, Abyss and Spider-Woman (AKA Spider-Gwen).
OK, let’s get the context started.
In order for this team to make sense, I have to walk you through the actual story I have in mind. Don’t worry, we’ll just stick with the cliff notes, though keep in mind that this would be an alternate reality in which everyone’s age would be younger than what’s established.
Let’s begin!
The series would open on Mars, and we’d be introduced to Abyss and her brother Ex Nihilo. An “Aleph” has helped them terraform Mars into a hospitable planet as their guide. They’re members of The Garden, a group of creation avatars that go to worlds and “plant seeds” to make them better worlds. Those “seeds” usually result in planets being completely wiped out, and The Garden now has Earth in its sights.
Abyss and Ex Nihilo have unique powers in the comics. Abyss has mind manipulation, while Ex Nihilo is more of a powerhouse. Their plan is to terraform Earth by wiping out its inhabitants. The image above shows you a pretty good snapshot of their motivations.
In the next scene, we see a teenage girl typing on a computer in New Jersey. She’s Kamala Khan, who will eventually become Ms. Marvel. She writes fan fiction about the Avengers and is a huge fan of this world’s Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers).
Kamala goes to a party and tries to fit in, but she has a panic attack after coming in contact with a strange boy. He follows her home and reveals that he is Alaris, an Inhuman in disguise. He tells Kamala that she’s a descendant of the Inhumans, and she passes out in shock.
She dreams of Captain Marvel, who asks her, “Who do you want to be?” Kamala replies, “I want to be you.” She awakens with strange powers and is unable to control them.
We’d then shift to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, where Sharon Carter (niece of Peggy Carter from Captain America and Agent Carter) is working. They’re flying over New Jersey, where Inhuman activity has been detected. Sharon is in her late teens at this point, so she wants to prove herself to the director, Maria Hill. So she leaves the Helicarrier alone and uses her sleuth skills to find the Inhuman without starting a fight.
Meanwhile, Abyss and Ex Nihilo have nearly arrived on Earth. Ex Nihilo tells Abyss that their plan will be to transform creatures into better creatures, starting with the most troubled. He points to a person in New Jersey who is struggling to control her powers. Abyss reluctantly agrees to pursue this, though she regards in how beautiful the planet already is.
In New Jersey, Kamala tries to go through her day, but her powers are becoming more chaotic. Finally, she accidentally causes a car accident and her fists enlarge. Everywhere Kamala goes, she makes a mess, and now police are trying to subdue her. Of course, their bullets don’t work.
Sharon Carter arrives, unarmed, and tries to calm Kamala down. It almost works, as Kamala tells Gwen her name and they connect for a second, until someone swoops in and covers Kamala in webbing.
A girl in a white costume comes in and complains she had to come here all the way from Queens. It’s Spider-Gwen, the alternate version of Spider-Man, in which Gwen Stacey is bit by a radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker.
A battle ensues, and it’s somewhat an even match. Sharon keeps trying to stop the fighting, but Kamala feels too threatened to back down. Finally, Abyss and Ex Nihilo arrive. Ex Nihilo defeats all of them easily and takes Kamala with him, despite Abyss’s please that she’s just a kid.
S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives and takes Gwen into custody, while Sharon tries to explain herself. On the Helicarrier, Sharon tries to explain to Maria Hill and the rest of command what happened, but none of them know who these strange creatures are that took Kamala. Sharon brings up the nature of Ex Nihilo’s divine powers, which convinces Maria to “make a call.”
Later, Sharon meets with Spider-Gwen, who is being held for questioning. She asks Gwen who she is and where she got her powers, but Gwen’s not interesting in sharing any origin stories. She just wants to get out of there and save Kamala, now realizing she was wrong to be so aggressive. Sharon tells them to let Gwen free so Maria and decide what to do with her, and then the entire ship quakes. Something has arrived on the hull.
They go to the top to find an Asgardian getting to her feet. It’s Thor (the female version whose identity is a secret for now). Maria Hill called her to assist with this situation. They explain that Abyss and Ex Nihilo are from The Garden, powerful creatures who wipe out worlds to make them better. Asgard rules that Midgard (Earth) is under their protection from The Garden, and Thor has been sent to solve the matter.
I could keep going, but you see where this is going, right? Abyss will ultimately betray her brother, Ex Nihilo and help Gwen, Thor, Kamala, and Sharon defeat him. Stopping The Garden ties each character together in their own S.H.I.E.L.D. sanctioned team up, which would make Sharon Carter their leader.
My reasoning behind each character’s inclusion is pretty simple. They all bring something different to the table, and they each represent core universes in Marvel pantheon, with the sad exception of Iron Man and Hulk’s worlds. But that could be remedied.
Sharon Carter represents the justice and strong leadership of Captain America, though not in name. Thor is the walking Deus Ex Machina. Spider-Woman (or Silk if we want to be liberal with the source material) is the quirky science whiz with tons of potential. Abyss is the former villain that people aren’t as familiar with, making her role dynamic over time. And Ms. Marvel is the wildcard. She represents us trying to figure this new world out that we’ve just been introduced to. She is, after all, a super fan writing fan fiction.
What do you think of my story idea? Send me your questions, comments, corrections, and suggestions!
Thanks for reading! If you like this blog, you can subscribe for weekly updates by clicking the “Subscribe” button on the right sidebar. Or just follow me on Twitter for the latest updates – @JonNegroni
There’s a good, maybe even special, movie somewhere inside of Aloha, the latest Cameron Crowe offering that wants to recapture the magic of Crowe’s early, infectious work. Unfortunately, that hidden movie is quite exactly that: hidden. And it’s beneath a final product that feels harshly edited, despite being pretty confident.
Mounds of character-building scenes are replaced with conspicuous exposition and quick bits of dialogue that are meant to be “enough” for us to keep following along in this strange romantic story about a former-military privateer helping a billionaire launch a weaponized satellite. Or something. Oh, and there’s a quirky romance.
Summer is about to kickoff, so I thought it would be fun to look back on the best films of Winter and Spring 2015. There are a few films I haven’t seen this year (yet) that may sway this list, and I’ll list them at the bottom.
I’ve made a stronger effort to watch more new movies this year, and it’s certainly paid off. For the first time in my life, I actually feel equipped to evaluate which movies are worth highlighting 6 months into the year. And we’ve gotten quite a few highlights. Starting with…
This shouldn’t surprise too many people. From its opening scene, George Miller had me hooked on his crazy, post-apocalyptic nightmare made reality.
With some of the best action scenes in years, combined with furious performances from Charlize Theron (get it?) and Tom Hardy, Mad Max: Fury Road has so far made the top of my list of must-watch films in 2015.
OK, this is certainly a departure from the #1 spot, and I’m sure many of you are rolling your eyes at the fact that I’m elevating this family friendly movie all the way to #2, but hear me out.
Paddington is a kid movie done right, amidst scores of cheap remakes and strange misfires disguised as high-level (I’m looking at you, Spongebob). Simply put, Paddington has the charm, wit, and effortless script that most movies this year have chosen to skip.
Yeah, I might get a little heat for this one. Though Tomorrowland certainly isn’t amazing overall, it happens to be one of the riskiest, gutsiest movies of the year. And a lackluster ending doesn’t do enough to eviscerate an inventive and entertaining first two acts.
I’d love to add to this list, but alas, there are just some 2015 films I haven’t had a chance to see for myself yet. Here are a few ranking high on my list of must-see:
I also want to point out my biggest disappointment of the year (so far): Chappie. Oh, what could have been.
If you something to add to this list, feel free to let me know in the comment discussions below. See you in another 6 months.
Thanks for reading! If you like this blog, you can subscribe for weekly updates by clicking the “Subscribe” button on the right sidebar. Or just follow me on Twitter for the latest updates – @JonNegroni
I’m not that big a fan of “Jonny Quest” or even Robert Rodriguez, but many of you know that The Mask of Zorro is my favorite film of all time. Knowing that Terry Rossio is working on this new project gives me hope, even if the remake has been in development limbo for nearly 20 years now.
Tomorrowland is the kind of movie you watch as a kid and love for your whole life, even though adults hated it when it came out.
It’s very imperfect, and the ending is truly atrocious and mishandled. But the good in Tomorrowland far outweighs the bad.
Specifically, this is a Brad Bird film through and through. The cinematography and grand vision behind the movie are unique and incredibly entertaining (isn’t that what a movie should be?) The action and set piece moments are beautifully shot and for once, I can say they’re inspiring.
The film’s saving grace is its superb writing, though I have to give the actors a lot of the credit here. The dialogue is good, but George Clooney, Britt Robertson, and newcomer Raffey Cassidy make it exceptional. Cassidy in particular is about to have a stellar career.
Perhaps I’m going easy on Tomorrowland due to my fondness for Brad Bird as a director and the fact that this film is wholly original (it’s no adaptation or remake). But I was honestly inspired by many moments in this film, even if they were a little uneven and went in strange directions. There’s still plenty to appreciate in this ambitious script of whimsy, and this is a film that kids shouldn’t miss.
Grade: B+.
Extra credits
Tomorrowland was directed and written by Brad Bird. It was also written by Damon Lindelof. It stars Britt Robertson as Casey Newton, George Clooney as Frank Walker, Hugh Laurie as David Nix, and Raffey Cassidy as Athena. It’s now playing in theaters everywhere.
Thanks for reading! If you like this blog, you can subscribe for weekly updates by clicking the “Subscribe” button on the right sidebar. Or just follow me on Twitter for the latest updates – @JonNegroni