Thursday, November 17, 2016

Pop Culture Guy episode 16: Doctor Strange review

Arrival

Arrival is a science-fiction thriller dealing with the arrival of UFOs around the world and the mysterious aliens that preside inside all without delving into the usual tropes in alien invasion movies. Directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Amy Adams, the main story concerns Adams's character being recruited by the US military due to her translation skills in order to interpret the writings of the aliens before other governments see them as a threat. Unlike most films dealing with aliens, Arrival doesn't rely on huge action set pieces with huge explosions, has a moderately slow pace that helps it in order to show how something like interpreting alien language can actually take a long time to do, and uses time travel in such a way that you didn't even realize until the end. This is one of those films that break away from the usual establishment that it will be forever remembered. The performances by supporting roles as played by Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker are also memorable and just as important. Over all: 97%
Top list so far:
1. Zootopia
2. Doctor Strange
3. Sully
4. Deadpool
5. Captain America: Civil War
6. Finding Dory
7. Arrival
8. Sausage Party
9. Star Trek Beyond
10. Indepence Day: Resurgence
11. The Shallows
12. The Nice Guys
13. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
14. Suicide Squad
15. Jason Bourne
16. Kung Fu Panda 3
17. The BFG
18. Ghostbusters 2016
19. Hail, Caesar!
20. X-Men: Apocalypse
21. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Deadpool Killustrated

My first miniseries that's a sequel to an earlier comic book miniseries that I already read, Deadpool Killustrated sees the Deadpool from Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe decide to kill off classic literary characters that are inspirations for the many Marvel superheroes he has killed in his own universe as well as others he has visited. He hopes that each character he kills will then erase the Marvel characters from ever existing, such as Captain Ahab for General Ross or the Three Musketeers for all the hero teams involved in Marvel. What makes this comic very memorable is the fact that Sherlock Holmes has learned of what Deadpool is doing and forms a team of literary figures to stop him. The story is fun, bloody, and exiting as we see the many ways Deadpool kills various classic characters from fiction and ending with him believing he has succeeded. With the title character's dark sense of humor, the comic delivers morbid laughs as well as showing how even the greatest of Marvel heroes are inspired by classic books like Tom Sawyer or The Little Mermaid. Over all: 100%
Top list so far:
1. Deadpool Killustrated
2. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6
3. Civil War: Choosing Sides Vol. 1 #1
4. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4
5. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3
6. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2
7. An Innocent Guy
8. Batman: The Killing Joke
9. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
10. Batman: The Long Halloween
11. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2016 Annual #1
12. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe
13. Crisis on Infinite Earths
14. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5
15. Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive
16. Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2
17. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
18. The Dark Knight Returns
19. Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War
20. Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1
21. Civil War
22. The New Mutants #98

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Doctor Strange

In its 14th film so far and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has shown no signs of ever slowing down in the near future. Doctor Strange is the cinematic debut of Marvel's powerful sorcerer supreme, as played by Benedict Cumberbatch. This film introduces real magic to the MCU, unlike before, such as Thor where the magic is really advanced technology, where we get to see Stephen Strange summon spells and travel through alternate dimensions. The comic book movie is more than just another origin story, it's an awe inspiring epic tale of a man who went from an egotistical jerk to a man who sees the universe as bigger than what he believed in. Cumberbatch is perfect in the role, playing Strange as both a broken man and someone willing to go the extremes to do what's right. Scott Derrickson, who normally does horror films, was a great choice to direct as he captures the perfect visuals that the comics are known for and offers a great mix of both drama and comedy, though a bit of the comedic moments feel forced at certain times. I felt that the main villain, played by Mads Mikkelsen, was very intimidating and frightening though still lacked a bit in what was needed from a powerful antagonist that the MCU is known for, though the appearance of Dormammu and how he was defeated helped make this problem not as big. Tilda Swinton excels in the role of the Ancient One even through the controversy of her white washed role and Chiwetel Ejiofor does a perfect job playing what would become Strange's mortal enemy. Over all: 100%
Top list so far:
1. Zootopia
2. Doctor Strange
3. Sully
4. Deadpool
5. Captain America: Civil War
6. Finding Dory
7. Sausage Party
8. Star Trek Beyond
9. Indepence Day: Resurgence
10. The Shallows
11. The Nice Guys
12. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
13. Suicide Squad
14. Jason Bourne
15. Kung Fu Panda 3
16. The BFG
17. Ghostbusters 2016
18. Hail, Caesar!
19. X-Men: Apocalypse
20. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice