What was the last movie you've seen?

[noiseredux]

I'm seriously happy you finally got to see the Avengers. This is the superhero film that all current superhero films are measured against. I'm also glad you took our advice and watched Ironman, Cap, and Thor first.

So go ahead and give us your full thoughts. No need to spoiler tag it here. I think you were the last man in America to watch the Avengers.

lulz.

You're totally right about it being the measuring stick at this point. When it started assembling the team my wife was like "so wait - is Avengers like Marvel's Justice League then?"

Fell thoughts, though... where to start? And since you said spoilers are ok, there are no spoiler tags below...

Alright well if I'm to be 100% honest, it was not my favorite of the Phase I movies I have seen. (I skipped Incredible Hulk and Ironman 2, FYI). I'm pretty sure I'd give Captain America The First Avenger that distinction. I just really, really loved that movie. And I think that outside of Phase I, I'd probably rank Guardians Of The Galaxy above this one as well. I won't get into non-MCU stuff here...

My main issue - and I can't really put my finger on it exactly - was the pacing. Or something? I don't know how to explain it but I felt like the first half of the movie I was like "yeah this is really good," but when they finally acquiesced and worked together I was like "OMG this is so good," and in fact it made everything in the movie before it feel less good to me. But I swear, reading what I just wrote sounds so much more negative than I mean it to be. There was some great stuff in the build-up... Ironman vs. Thor (vs. CapAm) fight scene for one.

There was *maybe* too much SHIELD stuff going on too? I don't know. Like don't get me wrong, Black Widow is awesome. But she and Hawkeye felt kind of tacked on to me. And I mean when I was a kid Hawkeye was one of my favorites. I was pumped he was gonna be in it. Of course he spends the first half of the movie "evil," and it feels kind of wasted to me. Shrug.

Also, Hulk confused me a bit. I am pretty sure what they were trying to convey was that yes, he actually can control himself to a degree and that he just really wanted to kill Black Widow earlier in the movie. Right? I think. But yeah that felt jarring. But he ends up being so badass. Like when he whips Loki. I also loved the line "that's the secret, I'm always angry."

But but but, the action was fantastic. Everything from Black Widow beating up dudes while tied to a chair in the beginning, to the team taking out those huge flying things in the end - it was great. But more than anything I think it felt very much like an Avengers #1 movie... it was a good set-up of the team, but I'd like to actually see a 2 hr movie where they are united for those 2 hrs.

Also, you joked about me insisting an order that folks should watch the movies? Well... I kind of now wish I had waited on Guardians since the Thanos thing would have been way more mind-blowing in the Avengers after-credits scene if I hadn't already seen that.

[CRTGAMER]

X Files "Season X"
Checked out the Bluray from the Library and watched the 1st disc. Without giving away the plot, the episode with the Lizard man is very very good! I watched it a second time enabling the comment track, itself very entertaining. That episode worth buying the 2 disc set Bluray. Better then watching on Netflix to get all the additional special features.

I always watch with anamorphic stretch enabled on my 4:3 HD CRT, but man Scully's face got long even on the cover!

[samsonlonghair]

I agree with most of what you said, Noise. Evil Hawkeye was kind of a waste. He gets a lot more screen time in Avengers 2, but other characters don't get enough. That's always the problem with ensemble casts.

Guardians of the Galaxy was my favorite Marvel movie too. I can't wait for the sequel.

Hulk is a character that (like the FF) they still haven't gotten quite right in movies. I think Ed Norton did a good job in 2008 portraying Bruce Banner as a man trying desperately to contain a monster. Still, as a movie Incredible Hulk has other problems. The producers and scriptwriters seem to be intentionally ambiguous as to whether or not Incredible Hulk is a sequel to Ang Lee's HULK. Incredible Hulk is sorta-kinda-mostly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the casting changes keep it from fitting in neatly. Ed Norton was not asked to reprise his role; I guess Mark Ruffalo was cheaper. William Hurt recently reprised his role as Thunderbolt Ross... so I guess this movie still stands as canon.

There's also an end-credit scene wherein Tony Stark talks to Thunderbolt Ross.

There's also the trouble of distribution. Marvel studios produced Incredible Hulk, but Universal retained distribution rights from an earlier contractual agreement. This is the reason we won't see any more solo Hulk films in the near future. Rumor has it he will play a big role in the next Thor movie.

Altogether Incredible Hulk is fun, problematic, and messy - not unlike a certain big green guy himself.

[Stark]

...it was not my favorite of the Phase I movies I have seen. (I skipped Incredible Hulk and Ironman 2, FYI). I'm pretty sure I'd give Captain America The First Avenger that distinction. I just really, really loved that movie.

I agree that Captain America is the best Phase I movie and I have seen Incredible Hulk (pretty ok) and Iron Man 2 (fairly terrible.) To me it felt like the story was well rounded and able to stand on it's own. I liked the WWII stuff from a comic book stand point and I felt like all of the Avengers setup stuff actually didn't get in the way of anything. All three of the Captain America movies to this point are some of my favorite Marvel movies.

[noiseredux]

To me it felt like the story was well rounded and able to stand on it's own. I liked the WWII stuff from a comic book stand point and I felt like all of the Avengers setup stuff actually didn't get in the way of anything.

yeah man, as a kid who rented the 90's Captain America movie MORE THAN ONCE it was really really awesome to see the WWII stuff and Red Skull and all that actually done right. And then I'm thinking to myself "how the heck can they tie this in to Avengers?" and the movie ends and I'm like "oh. That's how," and slow clapped.

[prfsnl_gmr]

To me it felt like the story was well rounded and able to stand on it's own. I liked the WWII stuff from a comic book stand point and I felt like all of the Avengers setup stuff actually didn't get in the way of anything.

yeah man, as a kid who rented the 90's Captain America movie MORE THAN ONCE it was really really awesome to see the WWII stuff and Red Skull and all that actually done right. And then I'm thinking to myself "how the heck can they tie this in to Avengers?" and the movie ends and I'm like "oh. That's how," and slow clapped.

If possible, watch the Agent Carter TV series. It is set in the same era, and it is so much fun. My wife an I loved it.

[Stark]

To me it felt like the story was well rounded and able to stand on it's own. I liked the WWII stuff from a comic book stand point and I felt like all of the Avengers setup stuff actually didn't get in the way of anything.

yeah man, as a kid who rented the 90's Captain America movie MORE THAN ONCE it was really really awesome to see the WWII stuff and Red Skull and all that actually done right. And then I'm thinking to myself "how the heck can they tie this in to Avengers?" and the movie ends and I'm like "oh. That's how," and slow clapped.

If possible, watch the Agent Carter TV series. It is set in the same era, and it is so much fun. My wife an I loved it.

Seconded.

[noiseredux]

yeah it's on my list - after seeing CapAm and reading it was connected I was interested. But I still need to finish DD s2 before the month is up.

[Ack]

So guys, more reasons Blade Runner 2 needs to cease to being a thing:

- Vangelis confirmed for not coming back
- Suddenly Ridley Scott isn't directing it (not that I was excited with him anyways wanting to shove it in our faces thesedays that Deckard IS a replicant!)
- A construction worker died on set recently

HOLLYWOOD is the answer I guess? Ugh.

Instead of Vangelis, Icelandic composer Johan Johansson will be handling the music. He did the soundtracks for Sicario and Prisoners. Here are some examples of his work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uEuT9Jx7OI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4ljmowphvI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hFlsR_y2t4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFsx0embntw

The new director is apparently Denis Villeneuve, who also directed Prisoners, Sicario, Enemy, and Incendies.

[MrPopo]

Thirded. It's a crying shame Agent Carter wasn't renewed for a third season.