Movie Moan 2015: Episode 6 - Porkins Lives
Tue, March 24, 2015 He does, and he's gonna get his own Star Wars spin off movie directed by Nick Meyer. So join myself and Jamie as we discuss....
Classic Movie Moan
The ever reliable Matt Thompson joins us to talk about the potential and realities of science fiction cinema's two biggest franchises. Since Disney is now firmly committed to giving us a Star Wars movie every year, we ask ourselves what kind of stories do we want, what don't we want, and, most importantly, will Star Wars ever feel as special as it used to? (9:35)
Then, Jamie and Matt indulge Phil while he casts his mind into the far future of 2017 to discuss the potential of 'Avatar 2' (assuming it actually comes out that year). Is a sequel going to work for a film with such a self contained story? Are three sequels? Will the public care? And can Star Wars and Avatar go head to head for box office in the same month, let alone the same year? (35:33)
Marveling At The Future
We stop talking about Daredevil for just one show and turn our minds towards the fantastical. Spencer Perry and myself ask a question long overdue - why don't they just reboot X-Men? (1:00:14)
And then Phil finally gets off his chest why, despite Aquaman coming to the silver screen first, Namor The Sub Mariner must be made into a film, and that film could be one of the most visually stunning ever made. (1:24:25)
Cinematic Happy Comfort Food
Phil is joined by special guest Hannah Southwell to talk about one of her top 3 favourite films, and Phil's second favourite - James Cameron's 'Aliens'. We talk about what the film means to us, why it's still a tour de force of adrenaline and atmosphere which remains unmatched to this day, and we quote dialogue from it exactly the way it's said in the movie, because that's the way you have to do it. (1:38:20)
See you in two weeks for the Box Office show.
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Reader Comments (12)
Aquaman and Namor do nothing for me. Underwater settings for stories are so limiting like 50s SF movies where everyone has to take on and put off spacesuits or didn't have transporters to beam down to planets and had to land their ship or take a shuttle. The environments are too restrictive and kill story pacing anytime you bring a non-aqua character down into them.
Great discussion about Aliens. Cameron is the master of pacing. The car chase scene in Terminater where Reese lays out the whole show mythos is a text book case of how to do exposition in an exciting cinematic way.
Thanks everyone for another wonderful installment.
Till the next one!
Count me as one who’s very excited that John Williams is returning for THE FORCE AWAKENS. I have a feeling that if he wants to/is able, he’ll score 8 and 9 as well, but if that’s not the plan, I think Giacchino would do just fine, as would Desplat (if they don't want to keep him confined just to spin-off land).
And fantastic discussion of ALIENS! You and Hannah both made the point of remembering specific line deliveries, and I’m the same way when it comes to my favorite movies; if it’s a line that sticks with me, the delivery of it is somehow burned into my mind. If I hear somebody quoting a line of dialogue from a movie, he/she had better get the delivery right!
Another great episode guys. I agree that The Force Awakens could be the last for John Williams.
Can't wait for the 2015 Box Office Summer Prediction Show! It's gonna be a great one.
Damn, now I want to go home and immediately plop my ALIENS DVD into the machine. Great discussion for one of my all-time faves.
Really enjoying the revival so far! I have to say though, I think this summer box office is gonna be super hard to predict. We all know Avengers will do well... but there is a massive margin of where it's final number could land. Mad Max? Tomorrowland? Your guess is as good as mine. The only number I'm comfortable with is Genysis. I think we all know where that's going :-)
I am one of those who prefers Salvation to T3. I used to be the other way around when Salvation first came out, but repeat viewings made me change my mind. Don't get me wrong, I don't love any of them, but Salvation is a much better looking production than T3 and it at least has an original story. It doesn't make much sense... but it's original. Whereas 3 is pretty much a repeat of 2 until the end, where the inescapability of Judgment Day brings about a new turn of events. Unfortunately, that's where the movie ends.
For a more thorough comparison and understanding of why I have reached my conclusions, I recommend you watch Oliver Harper's commentary tracks for both movies on YouTube.
Actually, I recommend Oliver Harper's videos just in general as well. His retrospectives are brilliant and you really should check out his channel. You should consider having him on as a guest some time.
Archer, I agree with you. T3 feels like a watered down version of T2 to me. Salvation wasn't all I hoped, but I much prefer it to part three. The problem is after T2, a terminator sequel would have to be completely different than the first two. It would basically be a war movie. I think Salvation went halfway on that, but at least it didn't feel like a weak remake like part three.
Phil, I'm with you on Avatar. Hold your head up high! I saw it three times in the theater and I'm down for sequels. It's Cameron for God's sakes! His name is just synonymous with quality.
Thanks for all the comments guys. Keep watching Aliens and you can't go wrong.
@Archer
I like Olly's stuff a lot; very well edited and I'm glad to see the success he's had with his episodes. He was actually a member of the old Superman Cinema forum, same as myself. It's never occurred to me to ask him on but, it's a really good idea. I will make enquiries.
Glad to hear it! :-D
A belated response: I just wanted to offer a contrarian counterpoint to your request for an X-Men reboot.
We already got that (in a way) with Days of Future Past. You act as though because you are personally satisfied with the slate-wiping to be an ending that they should move on, yet that is exactly what they're doing. X-Men: Apocalypse will be focused on Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique, but since they were all the main characters for the last two X-Men movies (even going back before Hunger Games and 12 Years a Slave for Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender, respectively). So wrapping up their stories, especially since this will probably be the last one for all of them not named McAvoy, makes a healthy amount of sense.
But beyond that they are introducing and "rebooting" Cyclops and Jean Grey, and Storm. Will they be done right this time? I don't know. It's too early to say. But it is a chance to get it right and it was done without doing a reboot, which I do think is a dirty word.
X-Men: First Class and Days of Future Past are the best two films in the entire franchise and a vast step up from what Fox was doing 15 years ago, never mind the Brett Ratner/Tom Rothman years in the middle. Why reboot when you're on an upswing? The one time it worked fully was after Batman & Robin. Since Days of Future Past is at the very least the best X-Men movie to feature Wolverine in a prominent role (and even so, he's still supporting for once), you don't wash your hands of the whole thing.
I get that you want something that looks closer to Disney's Marvel films but....I don't. Marvel scratched that itch with Iron Man, and then Thor, and then Captain America, and then Avengers. I own Avengers, but I prefer X-Men: First Class and Days of Future Past anyday.
The reason is for the same reason that you liked the series in the first place: they're thought provoking. For the characters that the filmmakers are interested in developing (Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, and Wolverine), they are far more nuanced than what we've gotten in 4 out of every 5 MCU films, including the very surface level appealing Avengers. I like Avengers still, but now that I've seen what just fan-servicing geeks is like, I think I'll stick with filmmakers trying to tell something dramatic with the material. And setting X-Men in the '70s (the decade where they came to first major success as a concept) in the shadow of the actual Civil Rights Movement and the winding down Vietnam War from the '60s gave it poignancy. And the Sentinels were more terrifying than any Hail Hydra cartoon, providing an ending with some real stakes.
You say you want a reboot because it could be the best superhero franchise on the market at the moment. Well, unless Nolan announced a fourth Batman movie we didn't hear about, I'm pretty sure they already are. Who wants to have a Marvel Studios also-ran?
*P.S. Wanting superhero movies not about saving the world (a flaw in X-films that's also in most MCU films) is a fine thing. Good thing that we had The Wolverine a few years ago, and Deadpool and Gambit coming down the pipe...
I must say Mr. Raine echoed my sentiments exactly. A future where all superhero movies become like the MCU flicks is one I dread, and I welcome any attempt at trying to inject some interesting ideas into it, or simply do something different. Even if it fails miserably, I will always appreciate the attempt more than a formulaic by-the-numbers blockbuster. I still cherish Ang Lee's Hulk higher than the Ed Norton film for just this reason, even though the Marvel one is more entertaining. I appreciate what it tried to do.
@Aldo Raine
The point is very well taken. You feel energized by the series at the moment. I just don't. If they do indeed get characters like Cyclops right this time then that may go a long way but it is hearing the filmmakers talk about how the focus is still on Magneto and Mystique that makes me roll my eyes. As I mentioned in our review of DOFP, I think those two characters in particular are played out, certainly visually.
I feel that the tone and style of the series dictates a certain set of parameters, which make the kind of specific sequences and stories that I would like to see, not possible.
I just feel, after 7 films that I want to see something different and, much to your chagrin I'm sure, I have no doubt that eventually the series will completely start over again.