The MCU - Marvel Cinematic Universe

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

On 12/8/2022 at 8:03 PM, Jay said:

The car crash clip posted above as a Twitter embed is on youtube now, and the fiery cheetos product placement really annoys me

 

 

In the end…the speak cheetos in the episode, and they are shown a couple of times later….

 

btw the episode was fun and the cgi was film quality, the hulk looks the same as theatrical films

[Jay 37,322]

In all the commercials I've seen, I thought the Hulk looked exactly the same as he did in the movies, but She-Hulk looked awful, really budget-level CGI, fully uncanny valley going on.  I assumed the effects just weren't finished yet when they had to start cutting trailers and commercials and hoped the final product would be better

[Disco Stu 15,495]

As someone who greatly enjoyed Doctor Who in the 2000s, the quality of CG in a sci-fi TV show is definitely secondary to the storytelling for me.

[Jay 37,322]

I never said it would prevent me from enjoying the show

[Disco Stu 15,495]

[crocodile 7,990]

Watched Multiverse of Madness again last night. Think I might have been tad harsh the first time around, I enjoyed it a lot more this time. The Raimi quirkiness felt more prominent somehow. Elfman's score is really good, always helping the story. I noticed some really cool unreleased bits. Might be one og my very favourite MCU scores.

 

One thing that occured to me is that Lashana Lynch in her brief appearance makes much more of an impression as Captain Marvel than Brie. She has real on screen charisma and I would love to see that version again.

 

Karol

[GerateWohl 4,343]

1 hour ago, crocodile said:

Watched Multiverse of Madness again last night. Think I might have been tad harsh the first time around, I enjoyed it a lot more this time. The Raimi quirkiness felt more prominent somehow. Elfman's score is really good, always helping the story. I noticed some really cool unreleased bits. Might be one og my very favourite MCU scores.

 

One thing that occured to me is that Lashana Lynch in her brief appearance makes much more of an impression as Captain Marvel than Brie. She has real on screen charisma and I would love to see that version again.

 

Karol

I watched it again as well. And this time I became aware how much Evil Dead there is actually in this movie (apart from Bruce Campbells mandatory appearance). People's bodies taken over by deamons, the old evil book of black magic, the surrealistic elements how Wanda kills the other heros, Dr. Strange as kind of a Zombie to name the most obvious parallels. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,507]

2 hours ago, crocodile said:

... I would love to see that version again.

Oh, don't worry, you will, and ad nauseum, if The Mouse has its way.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I also appreciated Multiverse of Madness more on a second viewing.  The Raimi touches definitely stood out to me more throughout.  Far from perfect, but I enjoyed it.

 

She-Hulk episode 1 was also enjoyed by both my wife and I.  Funny how we were basically watching cartoon characters for most of the run-time 

[ddddeeee 245]

I appreciate Doctor Strange 2 for ditching the 'who can punch harder/who can think quicker wins the fight' trope. In Spider-Man 2, Peter 'beat' Doc Ock by quoting his aunt to him. In Spider-Man 3, Peter forgives Flint Marko. In Doctor Strange 2, Strange learns to take a back seat and instils confidence into America Chavez, who 'beats' Wanda by showing her that what she wants isn't right. It's corny but I find it pretty moving.

 

There's a lot of clunky stuff in there, but its heart is in the right place and Raimi can't not be visually dynamic. I think it's pretty fascinating in that it's about two people craving happiness and taking self-destructive measures to try and find it. The script sometimes gets in the way of that, but that core idea is very compelling to me. I like that our hero and villain take the same journey. It helps that Cumberbatch and Olsen are talented actors. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Watched the ‘I Am Groot’ shorts with my kids tonight.  They came out just last week, and to my delight this very obscure Raymond Scott piece that I posted about on this forum only a month ago was used as a needle drop for one of the shorts!  I should be a Hollywood music supervisor

 

On 14/7/2022 at 9:17 AM, Disco Stu said:

Raymond Scott (the band leader that JW's father played with who wrote "Powerhouse", "The Toy Trumpet", etc.) in later life was involved in research and experimentation with early synthesizers, which included lots of commercial jingles in the 50s and 60s.

 

 

[GerateWohl 4,343]

I had watched the Inhumans series in the meantime and was delighted to see at second watch of Dr. Strange 2, that Black Bolt was actually played by the same actor.

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

She-Hulk 1x2 - Superhuman Law

 

I like this show. A lot of people won't, that's ok.

Maslany remains to be very likeable in the role. She has such great charisma.

And a lot has been said about the CGI on She-Hulk, but I don't mind it. And I'm kinda tired of all the discussions about it. But anyway.

Ruffalo's scene was good and I'm excited to see where he's going.

I loved the moment he said 'I'm a different person than I was all those years ago, literally'. It's a small moment, but I thought it was brilliant how the writing kinda poked fun at the fact that Edward Norton was Banner first.

Spoiler

World War Hulk maybe?

Tim Roth was great. A lot of people are going to argument that he is not the same character as 14 years ago or that he's has been made funny. I don't agree. It has been 14 years for him in prison so it makes sense that he is different. And I like the whole 'namaste' element of his character now.

 

The actors who played her boss and coworker were good as well.

 

The episode was short, for a Marvel project. It has been advertised as a comedy show, so the 22 minute runtime makes sense. And I'm sure the episodes later in the series will be a bit longer.

The scene where he talked about how it was for him to be locked up, while Banner was being celebrated as a hero, while he then thought he was, was very touching. And really showed what a great actor Roth is.

 

 

There are also lot's of easter eggs, that you have to pick up on, but which are great.

When Jennifer is on a website looking for a job, there are nods to:

Spoiler

- The Celestial stuck in the ocean (From Eternals)

- And a man with metal claws fight in bar brawl (obviously a Wolverine tease/reference)

 

[Jay 37,322]

Hopefully we can find time to start watching this soon

[Jay 37,322]

Ben Kingsley to Reprise Trevor Slattery Role in Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man Series at Disney+

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

Makes sense.

[Edmilson 7,397]

This is one of the weirdest stories I've seen involving superhero movies, but...

 

Comic book artist Mike Deodato Jr. posted on Instagram a nude of himself comparing his physique with the actor who will play Namor in the Black Panther sequel. He captioned: "You can tell somebody screwed things up when a character from a movie looks in worst shape than the 60 years old artist who drew him.". Then, after fan backlash, he deleted the pic.

 

Since it's NSFW, I'll post it behind a spoiler tag, but don't worry, you don't get to see his private parts (although it's still a little creepy):

 

Spoiler

 

[Jay 37,322]

Trailer for Secret Invasion!

 

 

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

Tim Blake Nelson as his character from The Incredible Hulk, will return in Captain America: New World Order

[Jay 37,322]

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

Thunderbolts members announced:

Yelena Bolova

The Winter Soldier

Red Guardian

U.S. Agent

Ghost

Taskmaster

Val

[Jay 37,322]

Huh.  Apparently Julia Louis Dreyfus's character that's been bopping around from show to movie recruiting people, but together a whole team

 

 

 

 

also, this:

 

 

On 29/04/2022 at 6:26 PM, Max said:

‘Spider-Man’ Director Jon Watts Exits Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four’

 

 

So that's why he left the fourth Star Trek movie.  Marvel must have paid him more than Paramount was gonna for Trek!

 

Funny thing is, the Always Sunny podcast accidentally revealed this in this week's episode, though I didn't hear it until today!

[Mr. Who 919]

26 minutes ago, Jay said:

Trailer for Secret Invasion!

 

 

I’m not as up to date on marvel watching as I used to but this one I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced and it looks like a nice break from the comedies like Thor 4.
 

I wonder who will score this, maybe Christophe Beck as he seems to be the new MCU go-to guy alongside Gia.

[Jay 37,322]

Yea Secret Invasion looks more interesting than most MCU content in the past 3 years, that's for sure

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

I would indeed not be surprise if Beck composes Secret Invasion. I am also quite sure he will compose Fantastic Four now that Matt Shackman is directing after their collaboration of WandaVision.

 

Beck also did a new arrangement and recording of the 100 Years Disney Castle Logo at D23, which probably will appear in movies for the rest of the year

[Max 141]

On 10/9/2022 at 3:51 PM, Mr. Who said:

I wonder who will score this, maybe Christophe Beck as he seems to be the new MCU go-to guy alongside Gia.

Since Thomas Bezucha is one of the co-directors and Giacchino scored Bezucha’s last three films, I’ve been hoping for Giacchino (or Giacchino writing the themes and Nami Melumad writing the score)… even though Giacchino denied his involvement with the show last year:

 

One can dream!

[Luke Skywalker 1,793]

lol

[HunterTech 987]

I'm kinder to Giacchino than some others, but the last thing I want is for him to get more MCU projects (especially when he's now directing one). All the new talent for the TV series is arguably the most interesting thing these newer phases have going for them.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I'm very into the Thunderbolts lineup btw

[Jay 37,322]

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law 1x01 A Normal Amount of Rage

 

Oof, that wasn't very good, was it.  The idea on paper to start in the present and flashback to her power origin and training is fine, but it was really awkwardly paced.  The training section felt like it was all wrapped up, then they had a fight and kind of went through everything again.  Not a very compelling first episode.  I was more interested in seeing Titania bust into her active court case, but then the episode was over!

[Jay 37,322]

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law 1x02 Superhuman Law

 

Well, that was much better than the first episode!

 

I was kind of surprised it had nothing to do with Titania after the end of the last episode, but I liked the direction it went, of her running a superhuman law division; That's a fun setup for a comedy superhero show!  The first case being Blonsky was fun, Tim Roth was terrific!  I also loved seeing the Perfect Strangers guy as her dad, he's having a bit of a resurgence after being the neighbor on the US Ghosts, too!

 

I also liked how they wrote Ruffalo out for the rest of the season, it's better if Walters is on her own now.  I liked the ending where Abomination "escaped" to fight, in that fight we saw in that Shang-Chi movie

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

12 minutes ago, Jay said:

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law 1x02 Superhuman Law

 

Well, that was much better than the first episode!

 

I was kind of surprised it had nothing to do with Titania after the end of the last episode, but I liked the direction it went, of her running a superhuman law division; That's a fun setup for a comedy superhero show!  The first case being Blonsky was fun, Tim Roth was terrific!  I also loved seeing the Perfect Strangers guy as her dad, he's having a bit of a resurgence after being the neighbor on the US Ghosts, too!

 

I also liked how they wrote Ruffalo out for the rest of the season, it's better if Walters is on her own now.  I liked the ending where Abomination "escaped" to fight, in that fight we saw in that Shang-Chi movie

The first is episide is unlike the rest of the episodes. The rest are all more like Ep. 2.

Maslany is great in the role. Amd the guest appearances is are a lot of fun (especially Ep. 4)

 

And Titania does return, but it takes a while.

[Jay 37,322]

Maslany is OK.  Or rather, she does fine with what she's given, but I wouldn't say the writers have really given her a whole lot to do yet.

 

And the CGI is awful when she's in She-Hulk form.  Uncanny Valley up the wazoo.  Half the scenes she's in that form, she's just in like, a business meeting, and they should have just let Maslany be herself in all of those types of scenes.  I know it betrays the plot point that she got hired to be the Hulk, but they could still say well, when you're in public you have to be, but not in the office.

[Yavar Moradi 2,592]

Yeah I *really* wish they'd just let Maslany be Maslany more often. She's perfectly charming as a human, and she doesn't *need* to be the She-Hulk as often as they have her be. Totally agreed there. Whenever Princess Fiona CGI She-Hulk is onscreen, I'm usually just pining for Maslany to come back. And unlike Hulk, the face is a close enough match that I honestly don't understand why they couldn't just give the actress some green makeup, a new wig, and then let her act as She-Hulk herself and just use forced perspective or whatever to make her look Hulkier.

 

Yavar

[Jay 37,322]

Yeeeep

[GerateWohl 4,343]

The most obvious parallel to Ally McBeal are these ridiculous cases that she is working on. 

Weird that they didn't write in an ex-boyfriend who works in the same law firm.

Weird as well, that they managed to draw all the characters even more cartonish and taking them less serious than in Ally McBeal. I thought, that wouldn't be possible.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,507]

Eh! Bygones 

[Jay 37,322]

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law 1x03 The People vs. Emil Blonsky

 

This was a hoot!  Wong is great in all the shows and movies he's been turning up in lately, and reformed Blonsky was great with Tim Roth really killing it.  His 7 wives was a nice touch

 

The lawyer dude that got scammed by a shape-shifter was a pretty funny subplot, too, and I'm really liking the Pug character, he's great (that actor is also great on The Other Two).  The final bit with Jennifer and Megan Thee Stallion twerking was really dumb and cringy, but the random scene where some thugs try to get a sample of her blood was interesting

[Jay 37,322]

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law 1x04 Is This Not Real Magic?

 

Hehe, this was pretty fun.  The comedy was on-point, boosted by another Wong appearance as well as Madiysnn, who was a riot.  The eventual scenes with her and Wongers together were the highlight of the episode   The actual Sopranos spoilers was a really, really, really, really bad idea though; I've seen the show before, but my wife has not, we've only watched up through the third season together so far, so blatantly ruining major plot points from the final seasons for a huge critically acclaimed and popular show for cheap laughs was dirty and lame.  Boo, writers!

 

The other story about Jennifer going on dates and they all suck, except for one guy who is into her until she transforms back, was a really solid b plot.  The show is doing character development at a pretty good pace.  The ending promising a Titania return was funny, but why was Jameela Jamil credited in this episode when she didn't appear at all?  Something cut last minute?

[Jay 37,322]

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1x05 Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans

 

Well, that was certainly the weakest episode yet.  The main plot about having to defeat Titania in court was decent enough, and pretty clever to have her be humiliated by her dating life in order to win.  It was interesting that Jon Bass's character came back as a result of this, so I suppose that means he'll be fairly important to the overall story by the end of the season.

 

The B plot about her getting a new costume was cool (I liked the actor who played the designer, he was good on Flight Attendant too), but it was such an anti-climax to hold off the reveal of what he actually made for her until the next episode.  Also, the reveal that he's making Daredevil a new costume would have been SO SO SO SO SO much of a better moment if they hadn't already spoiled that Daredevil would appear in the trailer!  What were they thinking!?

[Faleel 5,340]

22 minutes ago, Jay said:

the reveal that he's making Daredevil a new costume would have been SO SO SO SO SO much of a better moment if they hadn't already spoiled that Daredevil would appear in the trailer!  What were they thinking!?

They were probably thinking some people would only watch past the first episode for Daredevil.

[Jay 37,322]

Yea probably, but it's annoying that they ruined what would have been a crazy fun reveal as a result of their greed

[Jay 37,322]

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 1x06 Just Jen

 

OK, this was now the worst episode of the show so far, yikes.  

 

The main wedding story was undercooked and just not compelling.  It would have been so much better if this was the wedding for a character that had been developed throughout the first 5 episodes and we actually cared about.  Instead she was an awful person who treated our main character like shit, and she just let her walk all over her.  WTF?  Titania showing up to fight her was comically absurd, nothing made any sense.  And I think the She-Hulk CGI is getting worse as the weeks go on?

 

The B plot about Mr Immortal was a really good, funny, and clever premise, but executed a bit poorly.  It was nice to see the slimy ex-husband from Veep in another slimy roll, and Jen's paralegal was funny the entire time, but overall a lot of this just didn't make sense.  I think part of the problem is they take what should be complicated legal cases and cover them from start to finish in about 5 minutes of screen time in each episode.  It's starting to wear thin.

 

The most compelling part of the whole episode was certainly the Intelligencia and how they are going to go after Jen's blood again, but that whole storyline is moving at a snail's pace this season.

 

The biggest flaw this show has is that for a comedy, it's often not very funny for long stretches.  This show needed more time in the writer's room before they started filming

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

The episodes are too short, I feel.

They try to do too much things in not enough time

[Jay 37,322]

I like the idea of having a light and breezy, comedic, half-hour comedy MCU show amongst all their serious stuff out there, but instead of being a low budget affair where they can make a bunch of fun episodes without needing a ton of sepcial effects, they've created this expensive monstrosity where they constantly have Jen be in She-Hulk form when she doesn't need to be, and all kinds of other things inflating the budget, which I think makes them feel like they have to make every episode be important in some way, so a lot of the light fun possibilities are lost under the weight of all that.  It's a show stuck between two worlds I guess.

[Giftheck 916]

This is just such a Ryan Reynolds way of delivering this type of announcement

 

 

[Jay 37,322]

Woah.  Never saw that coming!

 

Here it is on youtube for those who prefer it over twitter embeds

 

 

 

(it also does not have those forced subtitles)

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Just so long as I never have to watch a Deadpool movie to technically stay up-to-date on the MCU

 

Shit

https://collider.com/deadpool-3-mcu-confirmed-r-rating-filming-details-kevin-feige-interview/

[Giftheck 916]

It was stated from the off to be MCU, but I expect you will not have to see it in order to follow along with whatever the overarching plot is supposed to be in these next two Phases. Likewise, I highly doubt they'll make Hugh Jackman the MCU's Wolverine, especially since a new X-Men film is so, so far off right now.

[Jay 37,322]

Second teaser