Hard agree on the shaky cam. I had wished we were out of the era once Nolan settled down and John Wick exposed Taken (and Bourne, at least the first one) as fraudulent action. It’s not fun to watch a set followed by 7-10 seconds of quick cuts to then showing me the aftermath. Might as well save the stunt money & hide the action completely.
I do imagine the shaky cam fights are ways to keep the actor’s face on camera without needing 6 weeks of stunt prep for a scene.
The Mancini Test seems like enough, unless the story centers on those geopolitical themes (which Black Panther did well, Capt America Civil War did not) then even a knowing nod to CIA destabilization isnt required for me to enjoy a Latino family being the ones to stumble upon a shiny glowy weapon thingy (me being a Latino from TX, though cholos are built different)
"I would’ve loved to praise a superhero movie that worked in a villain backstory about US-trained death squads in Central America."
That's more or less the Comedian from The Watchmen except Vietnam.
But yeah, paint-by-numbers superhero films are 1) predictable in a risk-averse way from a corporate perspective and 2) digestible in an applebees's way from a consumer perspective (those that don't care or know any better will be satisfied).
Bummed to hear this because I thought the super brief glimpses into the action in the trailer felt like there was some imagination there. I guess that’s why they were brief glimpses.
It's so frustrating how few filmmakers consider how centering a story on (insert minority group) changes it. I'm reminded of all the terrible "what if generic premise, but GAY" movies I watched as a baby homo in the mid-2000s. They're still making those, although they've gotten better (Red, White & Royal Blue).
Anyway, yeah, Mancini Test, good stuff. The most "did I watch the same movie" experience I've had recently was Extraction 2 - the oner had so much CGI, digital stitching, and shaky cam, that it looked like shit. I wished it has been traditionally shot/cut.
I’m a big fan of representation (Seth Cohen was the first Jewish character who felt even remotely relatable to me and the OC premiered when I was 17) but in order to actually have staying power (especially with something based in IP) you either need a director with the generational talent of Coogler or a passion for the material. Otherwise you get something that feels like it’s serving a corporate master more blatantly.
I have enjoyed your comments on press screenings. In the late '90s when I was chief editor for a design & architecture magazine focused on the hospitality industry, I would receive screening invites to movies that--surprise!--featured such projects. So a movie that "features" or takes place mainly in a restaurant, hotel/resort, cruise ship, etc. were what I was invited to. I can't recall covering any "set design" as such. But "Big Night" and "Titanic" were great!
Hard agree on the shaky cam. I had wished we were out of the era once Nolan settled down and John Wick exposed Taken (and Bourne, at least the first one) as fraudulent action. It’s not fun to watch a set followed by 7-10 seconds of quick cuts to then showing me the aftermath. Might as well save the stunt money & hide the action completely.
I do imagine the shaky cam fights are ways to keep the actor’s face on camera without needing 6 weeks of stunt prep for a scene.
I liked it, the Latino jokes were realistic, like the father not telling his son he had a heart attack. Me and my siblings laughed hard at that one.
I did like that bit a lot. I thought most of the setup bits worked really well, but everything else after that kind of felt like Spy Kids.
Wasn't Lopez in one of those too? Spy Kids for DCEU!
The Mancini Test seems like enough, unless the story centers on those geopolitical themes (which Black Panther did well, Capt America Civil War did not) then even a knowing nod to CIA destabilization isnt required for me to enjoy a Latino family being the ones to stumble upon a shiny glowy weapon thingy (me being a Latino from TX, though cholos are built different)
"I would’ve loved to praise a superhero movie that worked in a villain backstory about US-trained death squads in Central America."
That's more or less the Comedian from The Watchmen except Vietnam.
But yeah, paint-by-numbers superhero films are 1) predictable in a risk-averse way from a corporate perspective and 2) digestible in an applebees's way from a consumer perspective (those that don't care or know any better will be satisfied).
Bummed to hear this because I thought the super brief glimpses into the action in the trailer felt like there was some imagination there. I guess that’s why they were brief glimpses.
It's so frustrating how few filmmakers consider how centering a story on (insert minority group) changes it. I'm reminded of all the terrible "what if generic premise, but GAY" movies I watched as a baby homo in the mid-2000s. They're still making those, although they've gotten better (Red, White & Royal Blue).
Anyway, yeah, Mancini Test, good stuff. The most "did I watch the same movie" experience I've had recently was Extraction 2 - the oner had so much CGI, digital stitching, and shaky cam, that it looked like shit. I wished it has been traditionally shot/cut.
I’m a big fan of representation (Seth Cohen was the first Jewish character who felt even remotely relatable to me and the OC premiered when I was 17) but in order to actually have staying power (especially with something based in IP) you either need a director with the generational talent of Coogler or a passion for the material. Otherwise you get something that feels like it’s serving a corporate master more blatantly.
I have enjoyed your comments on press screenings. In the late '90s when I was chief editor for a design & architecture magazine focused on the hospitality industry, I would receive screening invites to movies that--surprise!--featured such projects. So a movie that "features" or takes place mainly in a restaurant, hotel/resort, cruise ship, etc. were what I was invited to. I can't recall covering any "set design" as such. But "Big Night" and "Titanic" were great!