The OtherArena

[jdw]

Brutal.

[Steve Yohe]

He was going to be this generation's Sidney Poitier, and rank just under Denzel Washington as a black actor. He alrighty had a list of important films to his credit. He was going to be able to play non-black type roles. He was a major star. Died with class, as he seemed to live.---Steve Yohe

[Bob Morris]

Steve's right that there was more to Bozeman than Black Panther. I know he played Jackie Robinson in 42 and he had a major role in a number of other films.

His impact on films was pretty big. So sad to hear about his passing.

[jkc31]

Steve as you may know my son is a comic book guy. While you’re looking to get rid of stuff if you have any west coast avengers or the question Comics he might be interested.

[corrado]

Wonder Woman 1984 will be released on Christmas after all, but with a twist:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/wonder-woman-1984-heading-to-hbo-max-theaters-dec-25

https://deadline.com/2020/11/wonder-woman-1984-going-in-theaters-hbo-max-on-christmas-day-1234618288/

[Steve Yohe]

Wonder Woman 1984 is getting some really bad reviews. --- Yohe

[jdw]

62% from Critics on the TomatoMeter on RottenTomatoes, and a surprising 70% from Top Critics. That's well below the 93%/90% that the first got, but far off some from of the rest of the DCU:

56%/48% Man of Steel
28%/24% Batman v Superman
26%/22% Suicide Squad
93%/90% Wonder Woman
40%/23% Justice League
65%/58% Aquaman
90%/90% Shazam
78%/73% Birds of Prey
62%/70% Wonder Woman 1984

One forgets how bas those early movies were. The ratings are overly generous to Man of Steel and likely could drop if people watched it now understanding where Snyder was headed in BvS and Justice League.

[Steve Yohe]

I would say those rating are way too high. I watched BIRDS OF PREY on HBO & it's terrible.

Remember the reception of the Nolan Batman movies & SUPERMAN RETURNS. I loved parts of that Superman film. No matter what was wrong it was on the right track & could be fixed.

So they used to make good films..... what happened? Who is there now, that wasn't back then? I feel it's the mood & feel of the films, is it our culture or the people making them. There has been enough of them to prove they don't know what they are doing. You have to look at the movies, not just not count the money. --- Steve Yohe

[jdw]

DCU never really made good movies, other than the first Wonder Woman (which has pretty clunky down the stretch). Shazam was a nice little movie, but looks great compared to the rest of the mess.

I wouldn't put much in the ratings for the movies this year. It's a down year because of the pandemic, and critics are largely happy just to watch anything.

Nolan's movies weren't DCU. They were his own movies through Warner Brothers before the DCU came into being with the Man of Steel.

[Steve Yohe]

Why is it called THE JUSTICE LEAGUE? Did they ever arrest someone & take them to court? Where's their fucking badges? Do they have judges sitting around in their headquarters to Ok search warrants? --- Yohe

[Steve Yohe]

I know that. What I'm saying is dump the DCU. They don't have a clue .... they are not Marvel.----Yohe

[Steve Yohe]

Wonder Woman 1984 is getting a 5.6 on IMDB. These super hero movies are usually around 8 when they open....before falling back to earth. It has to be really bad. This was easy money.... a no brainer ... this was a film people wanted to see. They blew it like BATMAN vs SUPERMAN. What's wrong with them.

The first one was good until the CG ending. We agree on that. Agree with all of that.

This is the era of comic book movies, they need to get the most out of it, before things change. And at some time, it will. --- Yohe

[Bob Morris]

I watched Wonder Woman 84 a couple of weeks ago. My take:

I'm fine with the story idea, examining greed and selfish desires, and the problems that come with them.

I was fine with the Maxwell Lord character. They didn't make him one-dimensional and they humanized him -- he's a guy who's desperate for respect and success, but forgets what is really important in life.

Barbara Minerva is basically the person who always seems to be down on her luck, until she gets everything she wants and doesn't want to give it up. While they still pretty close to the Cheetah character as in the comics, something about her didn't click for me.

I enjoyed the storyline of Diana getting Steve Trevor back. They didn't go too far with the gags of Steve trying to adjust to life in the 1980s.

My issue with the film is that it fell into its own traps of overindulgence, particularly when they keep pushing the idea of everyone getting their one wish in life. It got to be excessive and I was thinking at times "OK, you've made your point."

I think they had a good idea for the film, but overdid it when it came to the "be careful what you wish for" trope.

The action scenes aren't as overindulgent, but for some, there may not be enough for an action film.

Wonder Woman 1984 isn't a bad film -- it's certainly better than Justice League and Suicide Squad -- but it's not as enjoyable as the first Wonder Woman film, Aquaman or Shazam, which all did a good job of getting the point across without going overboard.

[Bob Morris]

I really enjoyed the pilot episode of Superman and Lois. It's a really nice take on Superman and Lois Lane dealing with parenthood and Superman having to figure out how to balance life as a superhero and being there for his sons.

They have a few twists on Clark Kent's life and how he adjusts, but they stay true to his character. They also did a nice job setting up the events for the future, in which he and Lois are now preparing to live life in Smallville and how that's going to work out.

I'm not sure what to make of their sons just yet, but they did lay out some interesting ideas. We'll see how they develop.

But I'm intrigued to see where they go with this. Well worth checking out the pilot on demand.

It's the same production team who launched The Flash, and the first season of that was so good. I'm excited to see if they can do the same with this Superman show.

[Steve Yohe]

I watched it & thought it was Ok. Better than the movie. I think the show will be about the two kids. Save money on CG.---Yohe