Agent Carter Season 2: “The Edge of Mystery” Recap and Review

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February 25, 2016

The Recap

Agent Carter aired another two-parter this week. Starting the night off was “The Edge of Mystery.” Altogether this wasn’t a bad episode: there were some heartwarming moments between characters, an exciting ending, and a few bits of solid acting as has typified the show throughout. And, now that the season is winding up–this is episode 8 of 10–it appears that the writers of the show have finally committed to its cast of main characters and its main conflict. Better late than never but let’s go over how good what we were waiting for was.

“The Edge of Mystery” started off with a touching flashback to a phone call between Agent Carter and Jarvis. This specific phone call happened during Agent Carter’s series premiere but this time we get to see the phone call from Jarvis’s perspective where before we saw it from Agent Carter’s. This flashback is used effectively to underline the negative effect that Peggy’s presence has had on the Jarvises’ marriage. Not only inspiring jealousy from Ana Jarvis as she does in this flashback, Peggy’s continued interactions with Jarvis have also left Ana with a gunshot wound in her gut and an ambiguous prognosis regarding her likelihood of regaining consciousness. In Ana Jarvis’s hospital room we see an uncharacteristically stubble-chinned Jarvis destroy a radio with his fist, frustrated at being unable to tune into Benny Goodman.

Peggy offers to get a new radio, a change of clothes, and some toiletries for Mr. Jarvis from Howard Stark’s mansion. When she arrives there Agent Carter runs into Chief Sousa, concerned at finding blood in Stark’s driveway. Peggy explains the events of the last episode to Sousa and Sousa tells Peggy that Frost demands the uranium she attempted to steal in “The Atomic Job” in exchange for Dr. Wilkes’s safe return. Peggy hatches a plan to provide Frost with passable fakes, and it’s suggested that they contact Whitney Frost through Joseph Manfredi, Whitney Frost’s psychotic mobster boyfriend, to arrange the exchange.

Checking in on Whitney Frost and Dr. Wilkes we see that Wilkes is being forced to compare notes with Frost on the effects that Zero Matter is having on both of them. Wilkes tells Frost that all he wants is to disappear forever and Frost tells Wilkes that she hears voices calling her. She admits to fearing that she is going insane. This was a pretty good villain/mad scientist scene between Frost (Wynn Everett) and Dr. Jason Wilkes (Reggie Austin).

Agent Carter "The Edge of Mystery" — Psychotic mobster Joseph Manfredi can’t please his nonna.

Peggy and Sousa over a relatively hostile lunch at Manfredi’s restaurant are able to convince him, by way of blackmail, that he should deliver a message to Whitney Frost. The message they send is that Peggy is willing to trade the uranium for the safe return Dr. Wilkes. Frost agrees to the terms of Peggy’s arrangement.

Back in Ana Jarvis’s hospital room, the audience gets to see another touching scene between the Jarvises. Edwin promises Ana a number of things, each one more extravagant than the last until Ana wakes from her coma. The damper on the good news of Ana’s awakening is that the doctor says she’ll never be able to have children. Edwin elects to keep this news from her.

Jarvis feeling his role as righteous husband demands to come along as the driver for the prisoner exchange and the team receives design specifications from Howard Stark for a weapon that may destroy Whitney Frost. Just as they’re about to leave for the exchange, though, Thompson presents Peggy with a redacted file claiming she’s responsible for massacring civilians during the war. Peggy dismisses the file as a forgery placed there by Vernon Masters to discredit her. Thompson, sick of being played, eventually decides to switch sides and confront Masters.

The prisoner exchange doesn’t go well. Frost finds out the uranium is fake and Wilkes turns on the team, holding a shotgun to Peggy’s face and demanding the location of the real uranium–it would seem that Dr. Wilkes has also switched sides. Sousa, unable to allow Peggy to be shot in the face reveals the location of the uranium to Wilkes and Wilkes hops in a car with Frost.

At SSR’s LA branch listening in on a call that turns out to be from Whitney Frost, Jack Thompson learns that Masters has been ordered to retrieve the uranium from the SSR for Frost. Thompson catches Masters in the act but Masters uses the memory erasing device from “The Atomic Job” on Thompson. Luckily, before having his memories erased Jack had written down the rendezvous coordinates given to Masters by Frost and the team is able to track the baddies down. Jarvis leaves a package with Rosie asking her to take care of Ana while he’s gone. Included in the package are a few recipes, some of Ana’s favourite items, and Jarvis’s last will and testament.

Then it’s off to the desert to stop Whitney Frost. Unfortunately, they’re too late to prevent the nuclear detonation and the rift opens spilling Zero Matter out and sucking Dr. Wilkes in. An enraged Frost screams at the hole in space that it should be her who is taken. Luckily the team is able to close the rift with the cannon designed by Stark and after the smoke clears, it appears that Dr. Wilkes is in one piece. Before anyone can stop him, an enraged Mr. Jarvis shoots Whitney Frost in the heart. Unfortunately for Jarvis and the rest of the world at large, Whitney apparently can’t be killed by bullets and survives without a scratch. All in all, an average day at the office.

My Critique

Like I said at the beginning of this article, I thought this was a pretty good episode. It was much better than part one of last week’s two-parter, “Life of the Party,” chiefly because in “The Edge of Mystery” the actions of the characters make sense according to their personalities. “Life of the Party,” on the other hand, was basically a reunion of past characters with little to no logic behind what went on in the episode. “The Edge of Mystery,” instead has a lot of elements of a good story: betrayal, lust for power, blackmail, revenge, and love. It also worked in these elements in a logical and believable manner … for a TV show about a woman who used to date Captain America, of course.

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Iron Fist Casting: Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t

By

Nick Enquist

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February 25, 2016

Iron Fist finally has a leading man in the form of Game of Thrones alumni, Finn Jones. He will be playing the titular character in Marvel’s Netflix show as the superhero who learns a mystical form of kung fu from the ancient city K’un L’un.When he returns to New York, he finds himself a stranger to the city, and decides to fight crime with his abilities. His adventures lead him to a member of the Avengers to fighting Hydra to becoming best friends with Luke Cage. He’s a fan favorite, and Marvel has kept his casting in the dark for a while now, so it’s great to see him finally get a live action interpretation.

However, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the casting, particularly with the announcement of Finn Jones. Lots of fans have demanded Iron Fist be played by an Asian or Asian American actor, as it would help fight against the cliché “white guy enamors himself with oriental arts” stereotype. It’s true that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is heavy on white male actors, and it’s a shame that they’re only now getting to some of the more diverse characters from the Marvel universe. (Spider-Man reboot number 3 and the third Thor movie before Black Panther and Captain Marvel is and always will be total bull-crap.) However, it’s not like Iron Fist was originally Asian, and the casting department decided to white wash him. Iron Fist was always white. But, fans argue that this could have been the chance to break that mold.

The idea of having this show feature another white man play a character that we have seen a million times is growing tiresome. On the other hand, there are those who think that it’s offensive to cast an Asian actor play a martial artist, and reinforce another offensive and misleading stereotype. So, it’s hard to know what the right decision is, and it seems like no matter what, people were going to be upset (as is the age of the internet). I would have suggested something many other fans thought of, and have Iron Fist be an Asian American who learns about his heritage through his journey to K’un L’un, but still be a New Yorker. It would be a unique voice that we haven’t seen in most popular media.

That all being said Finn Jones is a decent actor, and shouldn’t be disregarded for being casted as Iron Fist. We’ll have to see how well he does, and the show could lead the way for more Asian characters like Shang Chi, or Colleen Wing. The Netflix Marvel Universe does have interesting Asian characters like Madame Gao and Nobu, and Cambodian French actress Elodie Yung is coming in to play Elektra in the upcoming season of Daredevil. It’ll be an exciting future for the Netflix Marvel Universe full of great characters with their well deserved chance to shine.

Ah man, who’s ready for a Heroes For Hire show?

Marvel could have taken a unique chance to explore a new voice, but they chose to stick with a simpler route. I think it would have been cool to see an Asian American Iron Fist, but I also think that the production company have a specific vision in mind, and we should wait to see what it is, before we make a full judgement. But, what do you guys think? Did Marvel drop the ball? Or are they going to release another awesome Netflix show like Daredevil and Jessica Jones?

Let us know in the comments below.

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‘Taboo’ Trailer: Tom Hardy Brings His Special Brand of Crazy to FX

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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February 25, 2016

Tom Hardy is bringing his special brand of crazed menace to FX with the new eight-part miniseries, Taboo. Here is a new trailer for the series, produced by Ridley Scott and his Scott Free studio:

Here is a synopsis of Taboo from comingsoon.net:

Set in 1814, Taboo follows James Keziah Delaney, a man who has been to the ends of the earth and comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long dead, he returns home to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father’s shipping empire and rebuild a life for himself. But his father’s legacy is a poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate increasingly complex territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled by conspiracy, murder, and betrayal, a dark family mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and treachery.

This looks fascinating, if for no other reason than the presence of Tm Hardy who I would watch ride in a car for an hour and a half. Hey… I did that!

Taboo will hit FX in 2017, so we have a long time to wait…

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Steven Spielberg Casts His Lead for ‘Ready Player One’

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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February 25, 2016

The Ready Player One cast is coming together as Steven Spielberg and Co. near production. Tye Sheridan has been cast as Wade, the lead of the film, according to the report in Deadline.

In Ernest Cline’s novel, Wade is the protagonist of the story, a man consumed by the treasure hunt within the confines of the expansive virtual-reality world. Sheridan, whose breakout role came in Jeff Nichols’ Mud, seems to fit the mold of Wade’s online character, Parzival. Wade’s real-world persona is a bit heftier, but that shouldn’t be an issue.

Here is a synopsis of Ready Player One from the novel:

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.

But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

Sheridan joins Olivia Cooke, playing Art3mis, and Ben Mendelsohn as the villain, Nolan Sorrento. He can also be seen playing Cyclops this summer in X-Men: Apocalypse.

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New Daredevil Season Two Trailer Reveals More About Elektra

By

Gary Moloney

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February 25, 2016

Following on from last week’s Punisher trailer, Marvel and Netflix bring another Daredevil Season 2 trailer focused on Elektra.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cn3DVV0LHY[/embedyt]

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The Muppets – It’s Time To Get Rebooted… Again

By

Chad Descoteaux

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February 25, 2016

Last September, ABC premiered an ‘Office’ style mockumentary starring one of the many pieces of my childhood that Disney has since purchased, The Muppets. It was advertised with announcements in legitimate newspapers that iconic couple Kermit and Miss Piggy had split up, leaving room for some drama between exes in the show. The “more adult” (Kermit’s words) Muppet Show was welcomed by long-time fans who wanted the Muppets to return to its adult-but-appropriate-for-everyone roots. But it was decried by critics who either thought Fozzie dating a human being was perverted (frogs and pigs are okay) or who confused The Muppet Show with Sesame Street and wondered why they would go from teaching ABCs to dating and relationships. The show went on for a few episodes and, while I loved it, thinking it was a near-perfect combination of modern and classic, the ratings weren’t that hot.

I loved the idea of putting the Muppets in a mockumentary, as I am also a big fan of The Office. I loved the different roles that the Muppets had in this new scenario that were true to their characters (Gonzo was the head writer, Sam the Eagle was the censor, Electric Mayhem was the talk show band). I loved how Miss Piggy’s role as star of the show made her the boss. In the past, Piggy has always had her temper, but now, her newfound authority status sent the other Muppets running and hiding when she was on the rampage. While some thought this was sexist, it made for some very funny moments.

"Of course, It's sexist!" — “Of course, It’s sexist!”

But then, there was Kermit. Longtime fans, even people who know their Muppets, found Kermit’s portrayal on this show to be a little cold. He was the producer of a talk show and came across as kind of a manipulative jerk in the first few episodes. Yes, he has always been “the show must go on” type and he had to get his way when Piggy (the boss) was being irrational. And Kermit’s new demeanor sort of made sense considering that he had to work with his ex. But that was the main complaint that I, someone who loved the show, had with it. I felt that Kermit’s glowing positivity in the face of persecution had been lost in this show. And I wasn’t alone. That was the main complaint that a lot of critics and reviewers had about this show. An episode where Kermit goes to a resort to relax and ends up singing ‘Rainbow Connection’ in a swamp in his backyard was a step in the right direction, but Kermit needed to loosen up.

Then, there was an article on a few websites (about ten episodes in) that Bob Kushell, the Muppets showrunner, had been replaced with Kristen Newman. Knowing very little about either of these people, I was afraid that all those people who thought Muppets shouldn’t be for adults had won. I was afraid that the same thing would happen to the Muppets that happened when Jim Henson passed away, that they would be dumbed down for kids (and no one older), like they were when they started adapting classic novels in their films. Thank goodness no one ever tried to make Gonzo an alien or stick the Muppets in ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Nope. Nope. Nope. That didn’t happen. La la la la la.

But, a few episodes into what was being touted as a “reboot”, the writing on ‘The Muppets’ is just as sharp and funny as ever. The only changes that have been made since their hiatus have made it more like a modern version of the original Muppet Show. Yes, Kermit has loosened up. And he’s gotten the bright idea to use the writers (the other Muppets) in skits on Piggy’s talk show. This has resulted in the show having sketches, something this version was lacking before, but that the original Muppet show thrived on. And you still have the modern office drama, which is like the backstage insanity of the original show. That is what the past few episodes have been leaning towards and the show is better for it.

As for the ‘adult’ aspect, much of which includes cultural satire, a recent episode featured Miss Piggy experiencing a ‘wardrobe malfunction’. Her cute little curly pig tail popped out of her dress and it caused a nationwide, Janet Jackson/Super Bowl-style controversy.

janet-jackson-wardrobe-malfunction — “Oh, Kermie!”

Kermit looks out the window. sees a group called ‘One Million Angry Parents’ (based on real-life activists One Million Moms) protesting and goes “There’s only three of them. Oh, wait. Now there’s four. Oh, wait! That’s the pizza guy.” So, yes, this “reboot” was only a mild tweaking that made the show better. It is more like the original Muppet Show while maintaining its modern ‘Office’ elements. If Kermit’s emo-phase turned you off when this show started, I would recommend you check it out, maybe by catching up on Hulu. It is one of the smarter comedies on television, even without teaching anyone their ABCs.

P.S. if you’ve never seen the segment on Fox News where they accused the Muppets of being communist because the villain in their 2011 movie was an oil tycoon, find it on You Tube. Probably the most unintentionally funny thing the Muppets have been unintentionally involved with.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9cGYRz-6sQ[/embedyt]

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R-Rated Wolverine Movie: Some Things to Consider

By

Chad Descoteaux

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February 25, 2016

Ever since Deadpool blew up the box office like Negasonic Teenage Warhead snorting gun powder, the Internet has been buzzing with other comic book properties that might get the R-rated treatment. True, no one wants to see an R-rated Spider-Man movie where he and Crusher Hogan (or Bonesaw McGraw) are strippers instead of wrestlers.

But the most pervasive online rumor at the moment is for Wolverine 3, which is rumored to be adapted from Mark Millar’s story Old Man Logan. Is an R-rated Wolverine a good idea? Would a PG-13 version of Old Man Logan seem watered down? Are fans growing tired of hearing SNIKT and watching army guys drop? Consider some thoughts.

First, Old Man Logan is a very gory comic, as expected from ‘Kick @$$’ scribe Mark Millar. But many of the main characters in that storyline are owned by Marvel Studios, not 20th Century Fox. They are from the Avengers side of things (Hulk, Red Skull, Hawkeye etc.). Could those characters be replaced in a film adaptation? Yes, much in the way Marvel Studios is doing Civil War without every character that was in the comic. And trying to use the Inhumans to replace the X-Men in the “hated and feared by the world” section of the MCU. That being said, would making an R-rated Wolverine movie and alienating younger fans (at least for the theatrical release) be best for the future of the franchise? Well, if this is Hugh Jackman’s last turn as Wolverine, it may be more of a “let’s go out with bang” kind of thing…with Deadpool’s success being icing on the cake for the studio.

It all comes down to what is best for the story. Opinions may differ on whether Old Man Logan would still be a decent story without the gore (or the scene where Logan tears apart a cow), but that is what any film in any genre is supposed to be about…story. Special effects, sex appeal, gore and anything else that may potentially attract an audience to the film in the first place is secondary to the “meat and potatoes” of the film.

The last Wolverine film showed far more blood than previous X-Men films, but it was a rare example of blood being part of the story. Wolverine lost his healing power and the blood that they showed made the point that he wasn’t healing as fast as he used to. And Wolverine 3 is rumored to have the same director. Would Old Man Logan (or the version that they come up with after replacing all the Avengers characters) still be just as good with less gore? Or are the fanboys clamoring for an R-rated Wolverine just looking for horror movie-type thrills shoehorned into a superhero movie? And speaking of horror movies…

"My mom is going to kill me!" — “My mom is going to kill me!”

You know those action figures that they sell in more “adult” toy stores, like Newbury Comics or Spencer’s, some of which are from horror movies like Freddy and Chucky? Yes, the ones from Todd MacFarlane’s company. Well, before Deadpool, those were the only places that you could see R-rated films advertised in the toy department. There were no ‘Fifty Shades of Barbie’ in mainstream department stores’ like Wal-Mart or Target. However, years before Deadpool hit movie theatres, there have been plush Deadpools (right next to plush Spidey and plush Wolverine) in Toys-R-Us and the like. And, a week before the film’s release, the Target that I frequent was pushing all of their plush Deadpools to the ends of the aisles to get the most eye-traffic.

So, an R-rated Wolverine would present a unique opportunity for the studio. Gone are the days when parents of six-year-olds complain about Jurassic Park toys because the film is PG-13. Well, gone are the days when they are taken seriously anyway. An R-rated Wolverine movie would inherently result in a unique marketing perk, as all unsold Wolverine merchandise is pushed to the front of toy stores across the country to advertise something that could never be advertised in a toy department years ago. Then again, the kids will have to actually pay money to see something else and theatre-hop, like under 17 Deadpool fans did with Zoolander 2. So, what’s the point?

What do you think? Are you looking forward to an R-rated Wolverine film? Can Old Man Logan be faithfully adapted to the big screen with many of its characters sidelined? Sound off in the comments.

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And The Oscar Goes to …(Dewey Singleton’s 2016 Academy Award Predictions)

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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February 24, 2016

Wednesday marked the end of voting for the 88th annual Academy Awards. All the campaigns that started in the middle of August have now come to a screeching halt. All that’s left is for those envelopes to be opened on the Dolby Theatre stage on Sunday. So after much digging and research, I can finally reveal my predictions for who’s going to be bringing home Oscar gold.

Best Picture

Winner – Revenant

Predicting Best Picture this year is as complicated as they come. Normally when it’s easy to see where this category is headed just based on how the critic and guild awards went, but they have been all over the place. The guilds loved Revenant (DGA), Spotlight (SAG, WGA) and The Big Short (PGA, WGA). Revenant taking home the top prize at BAFTA provided some clarity to the tight race, but you can’t discount a movie like Mad Max: Fury Road, with ten Oscar nominations and a ton of love from various guilds as well. In short we are facing a four-way race for Best Picture. It would be fascinating if the four-way race opened the door for a film like Room (with only four nominations) to pull a massive upset. An upset of this magnitude would be reminiscent of what Chariots of Fire did in 1981.

In this race, it’s important to note that Oscar ballots are filled in order of preference ( you rank your favorite with a 1 and your least favorite with the higher number.) Many Oscar voters second and third choices on their ballots will play a significant role in who ends up winning.

My thinking on this category is that The Big Short and Spotlight focus on social issues and cancel out one another. As much Mad Max: Fury Road is a favorite among film critics, no movie has ever won Best Picture and not been nominated in a writing category since 1931. Revenant is a beautiful, barbaric adventure that has a dedicated group of fans. Revenant winning Best Picture at BAFTA shows that it has momentum going into Oscar voting.

Best Director

Winner- Alejandro González Inarritu

This category often goes in line with Best Picture. However, in two of the last four years, voters have gone rogue with their directorial choice. The biggest indicator where the votes will land for Best Director is DGA Awards. The DGA has only been wrong in seven out of 68 years in predicting the Oscar winner for direction. With that in mind, it’s a safe bet that The Revenant’s Inarritu will win Sunday night in what is a tough field. He will become only the third director after John Ford and Joseph L. Mankiewicz to win back-to-back Oscars and the first to do it in 65 years. No director in the history of the Oscars has pulled off back to back Director, and Best Picture wins.

Best Actor

Winner – Leonardo Dicaprio, The Revenant

Usually, one the most competitive Oscar categories have now turned into more of a coronation. Micheal Fassbender, Matt Damon, Bryan Cranston, and Eddie Redmayne all were brilliant in their respective films. However, Leonardo Dicaprio reaches deep (at least physically) in The Revenant and is masterful. It’s the type of performance that is routinely recognized by the Academy.

Best Actress

The Winner: Brie Larson, Room

Once again this category is a competitive one. While Cate Blanchett is dazzling in Carol, Charlotte Rampling breaks our hearts in 45 years, Jennifer Lawrence is a delight in Joy, and Saoirse Ronan lights up the screen in Brooklyn, they simply aren’t on Brie Larson level this Oscar season. Brie Larson has won every major critic Award and won a BAFTA, SAG, Golden Globe, and a critics choice award. She’ll win on Sunday.

Best Supporting Actor

Winner – Sylvester Stallone, Creed

The unwritten rule when it comes to the Oscars is, rarely does someone win if they only receive one nomination. This year will be an exception as Stallone will bring home the Oscar on Sunday night. Even with a list of nominees as deep as this category has – Bale, Hardy, Rylance, and Ruffalo – Stallone’s performance was a knockout (pardon the pun). Returning to the Oscar stage after 39 years, when he was there for his work in the original Rocky, and leaving victorious will make for quite a “Rocky” moment.

Best Supporting Actress

Winner- Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

This category has come down to two actresses – Alicia Vikander from The Danish Girl and Kate Winslet from Steve Jobs. Focus Features has campaigned heavily on Vikander’s behalf, and it has paid off as she has won both the SAG and Critic’s Choice Award. Winslet has been gaining momentum with her wins at both the Golden Globes and BAFTA. What will separate these two actresses is Vikander’s involvement in Ex Machina (an Oscar-nominated film). Because of Vikander’s participation in that movie, she will garner a few more votes.

The Other Categories

The rest of these categories are one’s that you are interested in either because of an insane love of film (like yours truly), or the office has a Oscar pool. What I am going to do is put in bold who I’m predicting the winner will be on Sunday.

Animated Feature Film

Anomalisa

Boy and the World

Inside Out

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There

Cinematography

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Sicario

Costume Design

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Documentary (Feature)

Amy

Cartel Land

The Look of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom

Documentary (Short Subject)

Body Team 12

Chau, beyond the Lines

Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah

A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

Last Day of Freedom

Film Editing

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Foreign Language Film

Embrace of the Serpent

Mustang

Son of Saul

Theeb

A War

Makeup and Hairstyling

Mad Max: Fury Road

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out

the Window and Disappeared

The Revenant

Music (Original Score)

Bridge of Spies

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Music (Original Song)

“Earned It,” Fifty Shades of Grey

“Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction

“Simple Song #3,” Youth

“Til It Happens To You,” The Hunting Ground

“Writing’s On The Wall,” Spectre

Production Design

Bridge of Spies

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Short Film (Animated)

Bear Story

Prologue

Sanjay’s Super Team

We Can’t Live without Cosmos

World of Tomorrow

Sound Editing

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Sound Mixing

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Visual Effects

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Writing (Adaptive Screenplay

The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

The Martian

Room

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

Inside Out

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

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From Thor to Dr. Strange: Grounding Mystical Elements with Sci-Fi in the MCU

By

Chad Descoteaux

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February 24, 2016

Stan Lee has been called the “father of our modern mythology” by countless geeks who appreciate the man’s undeniable contribution to comic books as a medium, including the over 300 characters he’s created. And for those history nerds who are fans of ancient, religious and cultural mythology, you realize that Thor and many of his side characters were worshipped by some ancient people at some ancient time. Vikings, actually.

This was alluded to in the Thor movies, by not only having Thor’s symbol appear in the ground when the Bi-Frost takes him away, but by having Lady Sif (his wife in the ancient legends) being a pivotal character, but not his love interest. (There was no Jane Foster in Norse mythology. Home wrecker!) It is mentioned that these beings from Asgard were worshipped by humans in ancient times and Dr. Selvig shows Jane some books about these myths. But any notion of these characters being actual gods in the religious sense is explained away by Thor’s little speech in the first movie about how technology and magic are one and the same. It’s kind of like Superman: The Movie, where Superman had a crystal (something that some might associate with mysticism) that held the consciousness of his dead father, but it was just advanced technology from an alien race, a Kryptonian flash drive. Loki’s attempt to elevate himself above mere mortals is dismissed (in Thor: Dark World) as arrogance by Odin who says flat out that “we are not gods!”

Seriously, we're not! — Seriously, we’re not!

In the MCU, Asgard is another quantifiable dimension whose inhabitants were worshipped in ancient times because of their long life and advanced technology that seems like magic to us (even today). This was done, largely, to ground these elements in a reality, so Thor could hang out with characters whose origins are rooted in science (gamma radiation, bionic suits etc.) in The Avengers. So, when I heard that they were going to make a Doctor Strange movie that is connected to the Avengers universe (Stephen Strange is referenced in Captain America: Winter Soldier), I wondered “why did they bother to slant all the Thor stuff towards science when they are going to introduce a sorcerer to this whole thing?” Isn’t that like a fairy godmother showing up during Wall-E to clean up all the garbage with her magic wand?

"Bibbity Bobbity Boo!" — “Bibbity Bobbity Boo!”

Well, part of it has to do with why Thor said science and magic are “one and the same” where he comes from, instead of “our tech is so advanced”. This was further elaborated in ‘Ant-Man’ when Hank Pym warned younger Ant-Man not to shrink too much, for fear he would slip into the Quantum Realm and be lost forever. In physics, ‘quantum’ is “a discrete quantity of energy proportional in magnitude to the frequency of the radiation it represents”. Reportedly, this Quantum Realm is going to play heavily into the Doctor Strange movie, as what was a black hole to a shrinking man in a high-tech suit is something that Dr. Strange can master with his powers. And that Dr. Banner and Tony Stark can study, because radiation (not magic) is involved.

So, this is another example of Marvel grounding mythological motifs in science, even combining the two. What do you think? Do you think this is disrespectful to a character like Dr. Strange? Does it make him any less of a sorcerer or do you think it creates a richer, more believable world? Comment down below.

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There’s No X-Files Without Scully – Part 5 & 6 [Spoilers]

By

Jess Morton

-

February 24, 2016

The last two episodes of the X-Files introduced a mini Mulder and Scully. Doesn’t Agent Einstein remind viewers of Scully back when she first joined the X-Files? The pairings between the two pairs of agents put out some interesting dynamics. Episode 5 is mostly about establishing these new characters and their relationships. Scully still stands out with once again providing scientific proof.

On a brief side note, the whole ‘Muslims as terrorists’ stereotype is incredibly insulting, unoriginal, and racist. The X-Files does minute job at redeeming such an atrocity with Mulder’s, ‘power of suggestion,’ comment.

Aside from this terrible writing choice, which makes me wonder if it’s the same people behind The Oscars, Agent Einstein seriously stood out. Einstein is spiteful, fierce, and impatient – all the best qualities from Scully’s early days. Her character continues to impress long into the finale.

Now the Finale returns to the X-Files mythology introduced in Episode 1. Of course Scully is essential once again here, as she confirms the science behind the theory. Scully also has alien DNA. One great highlight from this episode that ties it all together is Scully’s one-minute narrated intro. This brings the whole series full circle, sort of. The truth is Scully starts the story again. Scully’s intro references so much more important points than Mulder’s did. Scully mentions The Syndicate, the epidemic of abductions, the scientific indications of these abductions on women, and most importantly the Cigarette Smoking Man.

Once again Scully is at top form, as Mulder is MIA for a good portion of the episode. Scully can prove the science behind the conspiracy, and especially since the new crisis is a global pandemic. The whole series really starts and ends with Dana Scully. The Finale especially articulates this with how it features Scully, and how she springs into action with Einstein. The scenes at the hospital bring all of the female characters to the forefront. For once, Fox Network isn’t overtly sexist in its display and writing of female characters. Well until it gets to the end.

This whole series feels like a set up of a re-launch of the franchise. With bringing in a new generation of agents to potentially take over the X-Files, bringing back a new mythology storyline, and the initiative to search for William Scully. The X-Files could be back, and hopefully with a new Scully.

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