The one that started it all. Did any of us have any idea what was happening? Maybe people older than me, who were aware of studio plans and Hollywood rumors knew; but I sure didn’t. I was just a high-schooler at the time of Iron Man‘s release. I didn’t know much about Iron Man going in, but, boy, was I obsessed when I was going out. And that little Avengers plug at the end, after the credits? Was that supposed to be serious? Continue reading
It all came down to this: the true culmination of years’ worth of fan-boy fantasies that few ever thought would work. The last movie that tried to squeeze multiple characters into its story was Spider-man 3, a movie that received terrible reviews as well as universal disgust from die-hard fans. Would this attempt at an even bigger collaboration fall flat on its face, too, unable to hold itself up under the crushing weight of the Incredible Hulk and Thor’s Hammer? A lot of people were nervous, even the world’s biggest comic book fans. They didn’t want the movie to fall apart. They didn’t want to be disappointed.
Where The Incredible Hulk has a tendency to be forgotten in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—or, at least, where it has the tendency to seem out-of-place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—last year’s blockbuster smash Guardians of the Galaxy seems equally out-of-place. And, just as is the case with The Incredible Hulk, I couldn’t support that out-of-place-ness enough.
This may just be the most controversial decision that I’ve made on this list. But, I stand by it. 100%. I think that most people put this one pretty low on the list, because they’ve forgotten it. It was overshadowed by Iron Man, which came out a few months before. It actually seems a little out-of-place, too. It was the only one released by Universal Studios. It had the only major character to be recast in the whole MCU. Continue reading
The first time I saw Thor: The Dark World, I thought that I might have seen the worst superhero movie ever made. Then, I remembered Batman and Robin and Catwoman. And then, I remembered those last couple Christopher Reeves Superman movies. Then, there was Ghost Rider, its sequel, and that new Green Lantern movie. Then, I remembered Daredevil and Elektra. Then, I realized, Thor: The Dark World wasn’t even close to the worst superhero movie ever made. It only felt that way because the only superhero movies I care about anymore, since The Dark Knight Rises decided to thoroughly disappoint me, are ones in the MCU. Continue reading
I have only ever dedicated reviews to movies that I love so far in this blog. To do a review, however short, on a movie that I don’t like is unprecedented. But, that’s the sacrifice one must make if one is to rank the MCU from bottom to top. But, the point of this countdown is to get people to read my blog, not just know that it exists. So, I’ll try to keep it short and to the point.
Remember that quote from Brian Winderbaum, which I used in my review of “The Consultant”? He said that the goal of the Marvel One-Shots were to create “a fun way to experiment with new characters and ideas, but more importantly it’s a way for us to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe and tell stories that live outside the plot of our features.” That the One-Shots are about characters is the probably the most important thing to take from this. And one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, undeniably, Agent Phil Coulson.
I plan on writing four different reviews on famous chanbara (or “samurai”) films. Initially, I wanted to save the best for last, but, after writing my review on Hiroshi Inagaki’s The Samurai Trilogy, I learned that I just couldn’t wait anymore. Were I to keep waiting, I would have to keep mentioning Seven Samurai every other line in the other reviews, and you would not have the foundational benefit of having read a review on Seven Samurai. So, I’m going to go ahead and save the best for second. Continue reading
In light of my recent review of Hiroshi Inagaki’s 3-part masterpiece, The Samurai Trilogy, I think a quick little tangent into the art of the film trilogy would be rewarding. Continue reading
In an unprecedented move, I am going to review three films at once. So, while I will technically only write four reviews on samurai film to accompany my recent essay on that genre, I will actually be reviewing six movies. The three movies that I will be reviewing today make up the masterful trilogy from director Hiroshi Inagaki and actor Toshiro Mifune called, simply, The Samurai Trilogy. This trilogy is made up of three films, Musashi Miyamoto (1954), The Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955), and The Duel at Ganryu Island (1956). The release of these films marks an important moment in the development of the samurai film and its role as not only the predominant genre of Japan, but as Japan’s most exported film-type in world cinema. Continue reading
A Slice of Cake 