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Post by mr. excellent on Feb 8, 2021 15:34:36 GMT -5
Happy to get a trailer with new footage. Seeing Falcon use his wings as a shield is always a cool moment. When he did that in the Lagos scene of Civil War, it was one of my favorite action beats in the entire movie. He does it again at 1:13. At the 1:10 mark there's an awesome beat as well. One guy appears to be flinging a foe at Bucky like Thor and Loki when they do "get help", and Bucky just punches the guy out of the air sending him flying backward. I think I would've preferred a simple abridged set up, and then maybe just that scene over a full trailer. Kind of like when they released an abridged version of the Batroc scene for Winter Soldier.
To be honest, I'm not looking for a show whose tone is what was saw in the back of the VW Beetle in Civil War. I enjoyed that in Civil War as a moment, but I was hoping this show would feel more like the movie overall, not just that moment. The MCU has been accused of undercutting the heavier emotional moments of their stories with jokes, but the Captain America series have always balanced those moments best I've felt. The trailers are really hamming up the humor to what seems more like Ant Man levels. However, I will admit that in reading through people's comments and reactions at comicbookmovie.com I caught some of their enthusiasm for the comedy. So I'm kind of all over the place with this one now that we're getting more footage. People are comparing this to Bad Boys or Lethal Weapon, both classics in the action genre, so if they can pull it off (and who can deny their track record at this point) then I'll be happy.
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Post by mr. excellent on Feb 13, 2021 18:25:40 GMT -5
Yeah, the actor's voice sounds pretty intimidating too.
As I recall, in the Ultimate Spider-Man show Batroc received a power upgrade. If Falcon and the Winter Soldier has anything to do with preventing the government from mass producing super soldiers, I'd imagine the two title characters would run into a few test subjects. How awesome would it be for Batroc to be one of those guys? He was already a badass as a regular human, imagine what he'd be like with a little extra juice?
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Post by mr. excellent on Feb 20, 2021 23:48:08 GMT -5
screenrant.com/falcon-winter-soldier-anthony-mackie-budget-confirmed/Anthony Mackie interviews must be watched, not read. He's a very funny guy who says things he doesn't actually mean, and if your reading comprehension is as bad as mine it causes a lot of confusion on the internet. Seriously, if you've ever read the comments sections of his interviews, people just don't know when he's playing around even though it's obvious when you see him and hear his intonation. A lot of his interviews on Falcon and Winter Soldier, "on paper" make it sound like he doesn't enjoy this stuff any more. While there must be some truth to him missing being able to work with Chris Evans, it's clear that he's just hamming up being a famous actor and such. Anyway, we're getting close. Happy to hear there's 6 hours worth of content. WandaVision is around... what are we at now, 3.5, with the last three episodes closer to 1 hour a piece? Should be good. I'm still just hoping for a very bare, mostly practical stunt scene that displays the hand to hand combat. Seriously, the Captain America characters in the MCU and Daredevil on Netflix do that better than all of the other Marvel characters in live action. Let's go!
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Post by mr. excellent on Mar 7, 2021 16:25:15 GMT -5
Just under two weeks ya'll! Just caught the two Legends episodes. I mean, technically, they're for people as a jumping on point, but in the same way that I will consume "best of" videos for my favorite characters in any movie series or tv show on YouTube, I'm doing that here. I gotta say, I was expecting to be more entertained by the retelling of Bucky's story but it was Falcon's story that was really fun.
How long do you think the episodes will be? Considering this is going for a buddy cop police show vibe, I was thinking the episodes would be longer. Then again, I never watched the buddy cop shows from the 70s and 80s since they were before my time. Anyone know how long those tended to be?
Edit: Just looked up Miami Vice and Starsky and Hutch. Both of them are around 48 to 50 minutes.
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Post by brotherandbassist on Mar 16, 2021 23:25:36 GMT -5
I really hope I have time to watch this Friday, I have a zoom class all afternoon. Yuck
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Post by mr. excellent on Mar 19, 2021 22:09:32 GMT -5
I watched this right after Zack Snyder's Justice League and man am I exhausted! In a good way of course. The series was promoted off of its action, but the character moments of episode 1 were allowed time to play out and room to breathe. I loved it. Falcon has continued to get cooler and cooler with *just about* every MCU appearance, in the same way that his skills grow. In Infinity War he did things he didn't do in Civil War. He's clearly becoming a better hand to hand combatant, and the thing he does with the wings are nothing short of super human, even if he doesn't have any super powers yet. Similar to most reviews out there, I have to acknowledge that Sam Wilson was given more character development in this 43 minute episode than he was in the entirety of his MCU appearances prior. That's not a knock on how he was used before, as he was a likable supporting character those other times. I'm simply making the case that now that he is front and center, he is really someone you can get behind. Like, I really dug how savvy they made Sam, whether he's in a social situation, talking finances, tending to his tech. He's not just someone who was gifted a fancy toy from the military and then later by Tony Stark. He's someone who fully understands his equipment from an engineering perspective too. The same goes for Bucky in terms of his character development. What a fascinating character. While I don't think we'll get the same level of tortured soul and introspection we'd get from a Netflix Daredevil, this first episode certainly gives me hope. Now for some mild spoilers. I loved how we got to see Bucky's transition into civilian life. The dynamic he has with his therapist is so fun, but will later no doubt be the source of some major emotional moments. I loved seeing him go on a date by trying to bring a girl flowers. As out of touch as he is, you can see that in his day he did have some level of finesse. Especially if you're making a comparison between him and Cap, it's clear he was the "smoother operator". I was absolutely gutted for Bucky and the elderly man when they revealed Bucky was the one who killed his son. I can see how it may have been a little telegraphed, but IMO the execution was great and I was so swept up in the ride that it hit me with all the intended impact. Moving onto cameos, we gotta talk about Batroc the leaper's triumphant return. I'm a huge fan of GSP as an MMA fighter, and I was super excited to see him show up again as Batroc here. While I wanted Sam to win their encounter, I appreciated how they kept Batroc's fighting abilities consistent with his appearance in The Winter Soldier. Also, I appreciate that he didn't die, like the two and done situation we had with Crossbones. Batroc is clearly one of the most skillful fighters on the planet that isn't super powered, and I'm still holding out hope that they juice him up with a little something extra so he can further contribute to the action later in the season. GSP is not an actor and when he speaks English it shows, but I will say that when he speaks in French (his native tongue) he really sells the character. It was nice seeing Rhodey too. The reveal of John Walker Captain America didn't do a lot for me, but Sam Wilson's reaction certainly did.
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Post by mr. excellent on Mar 28, 2021 16:54:50 GMT -5
Episode 2 was good! While episode 1 was important set up and did a lot of leg work for the rest of the season, episode 2 was just a lot of fun and still appropriately dramatic. That said, I'm not the biggest fan of the way that the action is being framed. It's a little too choppy / shaky. While Civil War and Winter Soldier had a similar style, I thought the camera work and editing was much more fluid. Here, it just seems like they were a little over ambitious and didn't quite pull it off, which is weird considering this is an MCU production. I'll put the rest of my thoughts in spoiler tags. I also didn't like seeing Bucky getting handled a bit by the super powered flag smashers. It doesn't really matter that they took him by surprise and that they're also super. The new Cap and his partner Battle Star fared just as well as Bucky, and that just doesn't make sense. Bucky has been attacked by multiple assailants of equal and greater skill than the new cap, who tried to get the jump on him and he still mopped the floor with them. This was when he was still brain washed and more brutal, but in Civil War when he was in hiding and in his Bucky state of mind he still mopped the floor with the SWAT team who had much greater numbers and Cap trying to stop him.
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Post by mr. excellent on Apr 4, 2021 21:34:28 GMT -5
All in all, episode 3 was alright. It was the longest of the episodes thus far, so it gave the character interactions a lot of time to breath. There was also a good blend of action and story. I do appreciate that we're getting big action in each episode. However, I am once again put off by the way the action is being framed. The colors and picture clarity are gorgeous in 4k, but I just wish the action popped as well as it does in Winter Soldier and Civil War. It's funny, because Winter Soldier is the standard in which we compare all of the hand to hand choreography to, and yet Civil War did it just as well if not better. Black Panther was at his most badass in Civil War after all, whereas Cap and Bucky were just as good if not better than in Winter Soldier. That's just a sidebar though. Looking forward to the next episode, especially after that big appearance by the dora milaje member.
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Post by mr. excellent on Apr 9, 2021 18:05:26 GMT -5
So... episode 4 was great. Easily my favorite episode of the season so far, perhaps the best episode Marvel has put out so far (including WandaVision). The show struck the perfect balance between action and character moments. I'll admit that I'm a little annoyed, in an curmudgeonly old man kind of way, at how the internet is fanning out over Zemo. I mean, Marvel took notice and put out an hour long video of Zemo in the club. Ridiculous, but also great because Marvel is all about indulging its audience when the opportunity arises. It makes you feel as a fan that they are listening to you (even if I'm not in the group that lost their collective minds over Zemo). With episode 4 though, I think Zemo was better than ever. If Zemo was on this episode 4 level in episode 3, I'd be totally on board with the fanning out. I loved Zemo here, but also, I appreciated and am thankful for Sam Wilson as a character more than I ever have been before. Anthony Mackie was amazing in this episode. Then there's Bucky, who is finally given the respect he deserves as the Winter Soldier. We haven't mentioned the Dora Milaje, or the special locations, or the action sequences. I still think they didn't totally hit the mark on several fight scenes in this episode, but the Dora fight sequence certainly did. It was awesome. If the entire series had been on the level of this episode, this would be a contender for the best thing Marvel has ever put out, dramatically. Let's hope they finish strong with episodes 5 and 6.
Oh, and that ending? Yes.
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Post by mr. excellent on Apr 10, 2021 17:20:20 GMT -5
I take that back about the dramatics. Endgame rocked in that department, and a much as Marvel wants to say that the Netflix Marvel stuff isn't MCU, it certainly started that way. And if we're talking about drama specifically, season 1 of Jessica Jones and Daredevil Seasons 1 and 3 were on the level of episode 4 through their entire season (of the seasons mentioned). If anything, when the Netflix properties were being developed, MCU proper and their TV division hadn't been split yet. It wasn't until maybe late 2014, early 2015 when that happened, so I still consider the Netflix stuff to be MCU. Similar situation with Agents of SHIELD (initially). It blows my mind how people can say that that show isn't MCU, including the people on the show themselves. The Coulson in that show is the Coulson from Phase 1. His origin story came straight from 2012's Avengers, and both Samuel L Jackson and Jaimie Alexander showed up. I get that MCU films diverged from the shows, and they stopped sharing plot notes to the writers since just before Winter Soldier came out. However, for AoS specifically, that show debuted in September of 2013. For roughly 1 year, the connection was complete. Afterward, the effort was one sided in that the show writers had to try and keep the continuity correct with the movies, but the movies made no effort to acknowledge the shows. Marvel could no longer say, "It's all connected" in earnest, but they also couldn't say the shows were something completely separate.
I went off on a huge tangent, as I do. The point is, on the movie side of things, there has been stuff on the level and greater than episode 4 in terms of drama, and the same goes for Netflix Marvel. Agents of Shield never hit those levels of drama, but I brought them up because it was related to my claim on Netflix Marvel being MCU.
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Post by mr. excellent on Apr 17, 2021 14:22:05 GMT -5
Just saw episode 4. I know that the episode was getting hyped up from 2 or 3 episodes back, but I gotta, say, I thought it was just alright. While episode 4 is still my favorite, on the hierarchy of levels, I'd say episode 5 is on the level of episode 2. That's in no small part because of the return of Isaiah Bradley, beautifully portrayed by Carl Lumbly. Oh, and I'm not saying the return of Batroc made this episode any better or worse, but for me it was a definite plus. Just for the love of God, keep Batroc speaking in French. GSP is much less convincing in the role when he speaks in English. As long as they keep the English to French ratio the way it has been, I think we're in for a treat. Overall, I think the show is on par with Netflix's Punisher show, in terms of drama. That show was praised with the way that it handled the struggles soldiers go through when returning to civilian life and the way they are treated back home. This show is ambitious in terms of what it comments on and the topics it attempts to tackle. The overall execution of the story telling isn't groundbreaking in anyway. I don't find myself on the edge of my seat, and the mystery of what's happening next is not what brings us here. It's for that reason that the show depends more on it execution, and in that regard it's doing just fine. It's also for that reason that I'm feeling somewhat underwhelmed by it. Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie are doing a fine job in the role of their characters. Honestly, I think they're doing better than ever because they've been given the material to do so. I just don't think the rest of the show is on the level of what they're doing. Same goes for Daniel Bruhl. In a way, I'm glad this wasn't the first show out the gate, because while it's good, I don't think this is the best that Marvel has to offer. With one episode left, it's unlikely that the finale will change our minds, but a good final act would still change my overall opinion of the show. It'll be the difference between the show being average to being a solid, good show. However, even if the final episode drops the ball, the worse I can say about this show is that it's average fare (not talking production value, of course). Final notes: The fight between John Walker Cap, Falcon and Bucky was good. The Falcon's fight choreography is just so good. Bucky has definitely been neutered though, and his abilities are highly inconsistent. No way John Walker is stronger than he is with that metal arm, yet, that's the way they make it look. One second Bucky is punching through a forklift, the next he can't win a shoving contest with John Walker. I get that Walker is stronger than Bucky if you compare arm strength or leg strength, but as a whole with the vibranium arm? Come on. I mean seriously, rewatch the moment he swings wildly and destroys the forklift. It's a moment that would make Thor green with envy, yet he can't push John Walker back? Ridiculous.
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Post by mr. excellent on Apr 17, 2021 16:30:50 GMT -5
Just saw episode 4. I know that the episode was getting hyped up from 2 or 3 episodes back, but I gotta, say, I thought it was just alright. While episode 4 is still my favorite, on the hierarchy of levels, I'd say episode 5 is on the level of episode 2. That's in no small part because of the return of Isaiah Bradley, beautifully portrayed by Carl Lumbly. Oh, and I'm not saying the return of Batroc made this episode any better or worse, but for me it was a definite plus. Just for the love of God, keep Batroc speaking in French. GSP is much less convincing in the role when he speaks in English. As long as they keep the English to French ratio the way it has been, I think we're in for a treat. Overall, I think the show is on par with Netflix's Punisher show, in terms of drama. That show was praised with the way that it handled the struggles soldiers go through when returning to civilian life and the way they are treated back home. This show is ambitious in terms of what it comments on and the topics it attempts to tackle. The overall execution of the story telling isn't groundbreaking in anyway. I don't find myself on the edge of my seat, and the mystery of what's happening next is not what brings us here. It's for that reason that the show depends more on it execution, and in that regard it's doing just fine. It's also for that reason that I'm feeling somewhat underwhelmed by it. Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie are doing a fine job in the role of their characters. Honestly, I think they're doing better than ever because they've been given the material to do so. I just don't think the rest of the show is on the level of what they're doing. Same goes for Daniel Bruhl. In a way, I'm glad this wasn't the first show out the gate, because while it's good, I don't think this is the best that Marvel has to offer. With one episode left, it's unlikely that the finale will change our minds, but a good final act would still change my overall opinion of the show. It'll be the difference between the show being average to being a solid, good show. However, even if the final episode drops the ball, the worse I can say about this show is that it's average fare (not talking production value, of course). Final notes: The fight between John Walker Cap, Falcon and Bucky was good. The Falcon's fight choreography is just so good. Bucky has definitely been neutered though, and his abilities are highly inconsistent. No way John Walker is stronger than he is with that metal arm, yet, that's the way they make it look. One second Bucky is punching through a forklift, the next he can't win a shoving contest with John Walker. I get that Walker is stronger than Bucky if you compare arm strength or leg strength, but as a whole with the vibranium arm? Come on. I mean seriously, rewatch the moment he swings wildly and destroys the forklift. It's a moment that would make Thor green with envy, yet he can't push John Walker back? Ridiculous. I meant to say that I just saw episode 5.
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Post by mr. excellent on May 7, 2021 22:27:03 GMT -5
Awe man, I was hoping to talk shop with you too! Maybe we can just text or DM about it then?
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Post by mr. excellent on May 9, 2021 16:32:41 GMT -5
One of my gripes: Bucky's metal arm. I know I've touched on this several times already, but I can't say it enough: we really haven't been given that "suitcase suit" moment for Bucky's arm. At this point, I doubt we ever will. If the story had wow'd me or took me on this journey the way WandaVision did, I would've been okay with deficiencies in the fight choreography or surprises with the action. Since it didn't though, this remains a sore spot for me.
This series left me wanting to see more of Falcon and his new suit, or even the older Stark version of it. Sam is so adept at maneuvering through the air, being athletic and graceful, and just effective with that suit. He practically is superhuman when he wears it and he honestly does get better every time we see him. Prior to the show airing, the show runners teased that Infinity War was so jam packed that we didn't really get to see what Bucky could do with that metal arm. Now that season 1 has aired, we still haven't seen him do anything the other arm didn't do first. With Iron Man, there came a point where his new suit stopped doing new things and essentially became new skins, but when Infinity War came around they gave him the nano tech fixed that. It would be great for them to do that for Bucky. Especially because besides John Walker, he's the only living super soldier that's still fighting (Isaiah Bradley is retired) and his arm is what distinguishes him in battle from all the others. Maybe the arm can be activated as a magnet, giving him a level of powers like Eric Lehnsherr? Nothing too crazy, but maybe enough to steal his opponents guns or something? It's vibranium, maybe it has a function similar to T'Challa's energy projection field? Maybe it has a stun setting, like a taser?
I dunno, I'm just saying that at this point we've seen a few combat ready prosthetic arms in action in the MCU (Coulson in Agents of Shield*, Misty Knight in Luke Cage**) and since they made it a point to replace the old arm with a vibranium one, they could and should do something to make it special.
*I know the MCU doesn't consider Agents of SHIELD as MCU, but the fact remains that it started out that way. **Same with Netflix Marvel stuff.
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Post by mr. excellent on May 14, 2021 13:50:26 GMT -5
I hear what you're saying, and I agree. I wish they would've just went into the Isaiah Bradley story as that was the stuff I was most interested in this season.
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