“On Wednesdays we wear pink.”
KAREN SMITH, MEAN GIRLS (2004)
Dragon Ball Super: Broly is not the type of movie I would choose on my own. But as the mom of a teenage son with a January birthday, I found myself in the theater with my kid and four of his friends to watch my first Dragon Ball movie this afternoon.
Thanks to my younger brothers, I had some familiarity with the Dragon Ball Z animated series that was on in the 90’s and thanks to my son, I’ve seen a few episodes of the more recent Dragon Ball Super (2015-2018). So I wasn’t going into this completely blind. I knew about the Saiyans and going “Super Saiyan” and other basics such as that. I knew about Goku and Vegeta (but – whoops! – mistakenly thought they were brothers). What I didn’t know was that the Saiyan mythology is complex and full of little details that when taken out of context seem hella weird if you’re not a diehard fan of the manga and/or anime series. And I had no idea who or even what Broly is.
I’ve thought up a little project for myself. I’ve a million other things I should be doing, but I feel like I deserve a little escapism during these turbulent and troubling times. What better way to do it than with some of my favorite characters? Whether you spell superhero as one word like DC or prefer the two-word phrase “super hero” as you’ll find in Marvel, they are all heroes and they are definitely super.
I’m limiting myself to the current incarnations of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and DC Extended Universe (DCEU) to start. Some of these films I’ve already seen and some of them I’ll be watching for the first time. Some films on the list haven’t been released yet, but are already planned. I’ll probably do a bit of jumping back and forth between MCU and DCEU, but I’m going to do my best to watch the films in release order.
This post will serve as the master list and index for my reviews. New reviews will appear each Saturday, so this little project will take me well into next year. Please watch along with me if you like! Continue reading “Superhero Saturdays”
Edith Head is a legendary American costume designer and one of my personal favorite style icons. Head worked on dozens of films and won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design a record-holding eight times.
Think of an actress in an iconic dress from the 1950’s to the early 1960’s and you’re probably thinking of a an outfit styled by Edith Head.
Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday (1953)
Grace Kelly, Rear Window (1954)
Rosemary Clooney, White Christmas (1954)
Anne Baxter, The Ten Commandments (1956)
Kim Novak, Vertigo (1958)
Tippi Hedren, The Birds (1963)
Tippi Hedren, Marnie (1964)
I saw the movie first. Whoops?
Was Divergent the best movie I’ve ever seen? No. Did I love it as much as the Hunger Games? Nope. But it did intrigue me enough to make me want to wade my way through a really long-ass YA trilogy. Which a love of Hunger Games and Harry Potter novels notwithstanding, ain’t really my bag. I don’t delve into the Young Adult section of the library or bookstore that often.
[Sidebar: Unless you count the time the book world lost their collective minds and decided V.C. Andrews should be directly marketed to teens rather than making 7th graders sneak the books out of the adult section of their public library like I did as a precocious tween, because no one is ever too old for the trashy glory that is V.C. Andrews & Co., but you can in fact be too young.]
So yeah. I liked the movie. “It” girl Shailene Woodley is adorably fierce and Theo James isn’t too young to stir the fire in my old lady loins. Who doesn’t look good sporting all black and a bunch of ink? I like a strong female protagonist and Tris brings that. Plus, her mom is Ashley Judd! Kickass.
As with most things, the book is better than the movie. But I think they did a reasonably good job of adapting it. The film tones down the violence , no doubt in order to garner the coveted PG-13 rating, and the relationship between Tris and Four is given more time to play out on the page than on the screen.
I suppose there’s nothing really insightful or new I can say about the film or the book that hasn’t already been said a half-dozen times. Lots has already been written about Divergent’s attempted rape scene, which is not in the book. However, the film version of the attack on Tris by her fellow initiates is stripped of the book version’s sexual overtones and groping, so it’s really tit for tat in my mind.
What do you think? Have you seen the movie? Have you read the book? Which do you prefer? I’m tired of writing this review – time to crowd source in the comments!
Edge of Tomorrow wasn’t even on my radar until I heard a good review on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. I had pretty much written off Tom Cruise ever since the unfortunate incident with Oprah’s couch. I don’t think I’ve seen a Tom Cruise movie since Mission Impossible – and I don’t mean the most recent sequel either.
But the gang over at Pop Culture Happy Hour rarely steers me wrong and this time was no exception. Edge of Tomorrow is a great summer blockbuster. It’s got lots of action, pretty cool special effects and some humor. Everything you want in a bit of mindless hot-weather entertainment.
And Tom Cruise is very good in this movie. I might even like him again. Maybe. He handles the action and the comedy equally well. Cruise gives a good performance and I enjoyed the unexpected humor. The editing is done in such a way that you don’t get the fatigue of sitting through the same day over and over and over the way you do with Groundhog’s Day.
[Sidebar: I know people LOVE Groundhog’s Day. I’m just not one of them. That movie drives me nuts.]
I loved Emily Blunt before I saw this movie and I love her even more now. She kicks ass in this film! Really fantastic. I think this might be her first action movie (or at the least – the first I’ve seen her in) and I thought she was great. Totally badass, which is what all female action stars should be. I would love to see her in more films as a tough police detective or an international mercenary. Full metal bitch, indeed.
Will Edge of Tomorrow be remembered after this summer? Probably not. But it’s solid, entertaining fare. And if you catch it at matinée prices like I did, you’ll find it’s money well spent.
[Sidebar: I sprung for 3-D, but it’s really not necessary to enjoy the film. Save yourself a few bucks.]
An indy comedy from director Michael Tully, Ping Pong Summer focuses on Radford Miracle, a teen poised to enter high school in the fall. But first he has to make it through his family’s annual summer vacation to Ocean City, MD. The film is set in 1985. I saw it at Cinema Sundays at The Charles Theater in Baltimore. There were a couple of actual children in the audience, but other than that, I was the youngest person in the audience. And maybe that’s why I loved the movie when many of my fellow moviegoers just didn’t get it. Being a child of the 80’s myself, and a native Marylander, I was in the movie’s nostalgia sweet spot.
Rad Miracle loves two things: hip-hop and ping pong. Here’s what you need to remember about 1985: it was still weird for a white kid from Mt. Airy, MD to like hip-hop. We were still over a year away from Run–D.M.C.’s crossover Raising Hell album that would bring “Walk This Way” and “It’s Tricky” to the white suburban masses. When Rad shows up in his breaker pants, he’s the object of ridicule, not awe. Teddy, Rad’s summer vacation pal, is black, but the movie only lightly touches on race and racism.
The movie made me realize how much of a time capsule Ocean City really is. What the kids do in the film – shopping at Anthony’s, playing skeeball on the boardwalk, getting scopes pictures – are all things I do every, single summer with my own kid. At one time, I even had a white VW Cabrio. It’s true!
Most of the child actors are unknowns, but the adult cast is littered with stars: Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris, John Hannah. Even the guy selling the Slurpees is 30 Rock alum Judah Friedlander. But best of all? Susan Sarandon as a total badass fish monger and ping-pong player.
The woman does not seem to age. She still looks amazing. And she’s awesome as an eccentric in an already quirky little film. See it. You won’t be disappointed.
I love Scooby-Doo. In all his various incarnations. Even when the writing team goes way, way out there and makes the witches, zombies or aliens real, I still enjoy the adventures of the gang. So I was delighted to learn that Cartoon Network would be doing a Scooby-Doo marathon on Saturday. My son and I settled in for some Scooby viewing. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any Scooby Snacks, but we did enjoy the marathon, especially the two original movies at the very end.
For old school Hanna-Barbera fans, Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon is a real treat. In addition to the usual mystery plot, there are visual gags throughout the movie that harken back to the classic Hanna-Barbera line-up. The gang hits up a Comic-Con like event and the cosplay is in full effect.
In addition to seeing Frank, Daphne and Velma as The Herculoids, you’ll see characters from The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Space Ghost, and my personal favorite cameo – the Wonder Twins. [NB: No other heroes from Super Friends appear. I assume that’s because the Wonder Twins were created for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, while the other characters all first appeared in their respective DC Comics. Although the Wonder Twins did eventually make it into the comics after their TV debut, Hanna-Barbera probably owns the rights to their appearance.]
Scooby Doo! Stage Fright is a twist on The Phantom of the Opera, while also poking fun at the reality talent show craze. Fred and Daphne are finalists in an America’s Got Talent-type competition. But as we all know, wherever the gang goes, trouble, mayhem and mystery are still to follow.
The allusions to the Broadway Phantom are fun and plentiful. The jokes and sight gags are giggle inducing and many of Fred and Daphne’s competitors are completely over-the-top. Shaggy and Scooby find time to sample Chicago-style pizza. And the mystery never ends as phantom after phantom gets revealed.
We enjoyed both films and I certainly wouldn’t mind watching them again. I think we’ll be adding these fun Scooby films to our permanent collection soon!
The Flick Buddies theme for July is Hitchcock. Kelly chose Strangers on a Train.
I liked this movie. A lot. I watched it with my mom and she liked it, too. This is important to note because my mom will often fall asleep before a film finishes, but she stuck with this one to the end.
The story is likely familiar (even if you haven’t seen the film). Two men meet randomly on a train. One suggests they swap murders. The other thinks he must be joking. Only he’s not. Of course.
There were several moments in the film where Alfred Hitchcock‘s direction was readily apparent. I guess I’ve watched enough of his films now to recognize a few of his tricks. The man certainly knew how to work a scene.
The opening, focused on the two mans shoes, is great. All you needed to know about them you could learn from their choice of footwear.
The stalking and eventual murder was also great – lots of good build-up and suspense. Catching the reflection of the murder in the victim’s fallen glasses was a nice touch.
And my personal favorite – a sea of heads swinging back and forth to watch a tennis match, all save for one. Menacing!
Alfred Hitchcock’s daughter, Patricia Hitchcock, played the role of Barbara. It’s an odd role played in a strange way. But she brings some comic relief to the film. I particularly enjoyed her “distraction” of the police man towards the end.
I enjoyed this movie and it kept my attention throughout. I think this might be my new favorite of the bunch so far!
Exiled in Style 