#the fact that iron giant gets to interact with his hero even in a non canonical way makes me wanna cry lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

10-years-chaos-blog · 5 years

Text

There is more to this hedgehog than meets the eye, so much in fact, that I have to add it under the cut.

Professor Evi L. Robotnik...

Evi (pronounced Eve-eye) was adopted into the Robotnik family at a very young age.

Eggman was far from dumb, and knew exactly what was happening in this world. Humans were becoming extinct. He knew he would be outlived, and he certainly didn’t know how successful any attempts to making himself immortal might be, and becoming a machine himself has always either failed him or did more harm than good. He has been betrayed by his very own creations with the competency to rule his empire too many times to allow himself to be over thrown by them too early in his plans. He needed a successor, a Mobian of some sort, one that wouldn’t be noticed if they went missing but one that wasn’t as incompetent as his henchmen.

It was surprisingly easy to legally adopt a child from a tiny orphanage in a tiny town, even easier than simply kidnapping them. Plus, if anyone tries to ‘save’ him then it’ll be THEM who are kidnapping.

All of the gross and difficult parts of parenting were thrown to Orbot and Cubot, and it wasn’t until Evi was a little bit older that Eggman had actually grown rather attached to this tiny rodent living with him.

Evi was absolutely fascinated by all the machines, which at first was assumed to be just a tiny child’s attention on 'metal toys’, but after he was able to adapt a motobug to actually fly like a ladybug, things changed very quickly. He was allowed to be in the workshop more, to watch and learn, and to tinker with broken and unused parts.

Evi found an old Metal Sonic model that had been broken and left with the pile of junk parts for months, and begged to be able to have it to work on. Eggman allowed him to have it after a little bit of convincing, and secretly decided to let this be a test of his skills, to find out what it is his successor will do with the bare minimum of what Eggman leaves behind.

2 days and this Metal Sonic was already up and running again, and that was with the bare minimum. Evi was given full access to the workshop after then, and this Metal Sonic was his own to update and maintain. Evi loved his pops, and he understood he was the bad guy, but it was so fun to be a bad guy he didn’t really care. He was safe, he was loved, and his smart little mind was free to explore the world of robotics. He soon had his own Shadow Android to tinker with too. He was surely going to be a great heir to the Eggman Empire and will do all he can to make his pops proud.

Evi was helping Eggman with a generator strong enough to take an entire continent and send it flying into the air to make their own Land that they would rule over. Evi got the honour of putting the final of 3 chaos emeralds they needed into the machine. But in the excitement there was a miscalculation, and the giant battery they were using to try and store the energy for the wave couldn't hold the emeralds power and it exploded as soon as the emeralds were put into place. Since Evi was literally touching the machine when this happened he got the most damage, lots of burns, bits of shrapnel, but the heat and light permanently blinded him.

Evi was terrified. He couldn’t see, and he believed he messed up so badly, he didn't know if anyone else got hurt. What happened to the machine? The Emeralds? Evi refused to stay down for long, and was a constant struggle for Orbot and Cubot to handle, as they were in charge of helping him heal. Evi was determined to fix the machine regardless of his lacking of sight, he’ll find a way, he’ll make his pops proud of him, he won’t let him down, he was so certain that Eggman was disappointed in him for his miscalculations that he had to make it right no matter what. But he was always put back into bed to rest.

Only a few hours pass of struggling that Evi is told to stay still from his Pops, which he promptly obeys to, preparing for the lecture or scolding of some kind. Instead, he finds his vision returning to him as something is pulled over his eyes. The entire time he was supposed to be resting and getting the care he needed from the bots, Eggman was making him some glasses that bypassed his eyes entirely to allow him to see. It took the information and image in front of him and delivered it straight to his brain just like the eyes would normally do. Over time with tinkering the glasses turned into the powerful goggles he has now. Eggman taught him the importance of making mistakes, and even got to laugh with him about a few of his own mistakes he made in his younger days too, but the fact that Evi refused to let his work remain broken made him very happy, and together they planned on making it work together.

Maybe with less emeralds this time.

Actually... that Phantom Ruby might be of some use to them.

Surely

they can’t possibly

mess this up

this time

right?

(I suggest reading Fleta’s backstory if you haven’t already)

After having time to grieve, and build up the empire once again, Evi has returned to rule over the world with many iron fists. He can’t allow anyone else to think they can become the new hot shot villain of the world, they must know their place, beneath him and his empire.

The heroes on the other hand. The HEROES. They, well, they’re actually kind of fun. He’s never really, interacted with another non-robot person other than his pops before, and these heroes, although they make a mess and break his stuff, give good banter, and are always fair fighters. He’d never admit it, but he’s gotten a little soft over the years as he’s gotten to know his rival, if anyone knew any better, they’d notice how he never actually hurts anyone, or endangers the planet, and he’s actually quite protective of his rivals, not letting anyone else have a go at them. He can put on quite the show, and of course would never ever want to let his pops down, so he makes sure the Eggman Empire lives on in infamy, causing havoc and mayhem with huge elaborate plans of world domination, that when looked deeper into isn’t actually the end of the world.

He’s nowadays more just a villain for fun and to keep up appearances, and besides, if he didn’t keep having plans to foil, then he’d stop getting surprise visits from his rival, and the chance to fight and heckle them.

He is the villain of the story.

He is Professor Evi L. Robotnik.

#Evi L Robotnik #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic oc #sonic oc villain #professor evi l robotnik #robotnik

13 notes · View notes

gigsoupmusic · 5 years

Text

Jason & The Rex Goes In-Depth about New Video "Bullets Are Flying" - Exclusive Interview

Recently debuting with an activist video on gun violence, Jason & The Rex is stepping onto the scene with "Bullets Are Flying". A mixture of hip-hop, future-funk, and dream-pop combine to create a dense soundscape of vibrant horns, a melancholy piano lead, and strange-sounding synths. Jason's pensive, sometimes manic, flow washes over creating a dialogue on the gun violence issue in the US. Jason was kind enough to sit down and give GIGSoup the exclusive inside scoop on the creation and inspiration behind "Bullets Are Flying". https://youtu.be/g5DTa6cvfcs Tell us about writing the song "Bullets Are Flying"…. what emotions were you feeling at the time? Chaotic. Disoriented. There’s a scene in Dario Argento’s Suspiria where one of the characters falls into a pit of barbed wire. The more she tries to escape, the more she bleeds. It’s a mangled inner conflict. That’s kind of how I felt when I was writing “Bullets Are Flying.” I felt more and more entangled in a barbed wire mess of thoughts and emotions and political jabs and daily, present concerns. When the Parkland incident happened, I was already feeling very professionally and creatively stalled. I’m an actor by vocation. At the time, I was going for a lot of Chinatown thug types -- violent, gun-wielding, angry Asian dudes. I was getting rejected over and over again for projects that I didn’t really even believe in. I felt inauthentic as an artist. Music was supposed to be my outlet, but everything I created was stale and uninspired. And the worst part, I felt like I was failing as a citizen. I was -- and still am -- a reasonably privileged adult who has skills and a higher education. The gun crisis stripped teenagers of their adolescence, and those teenagers responded by standing up to the gun lobby and the politicians they controlled. What was I doing? Beating myself up because, after several attempts, I still couldn’t land a part as a stereotype on Iron Fist? Something snapped after Parkland. All the “thoughts and prayers” and familiar rallying cries came to a fever pitch, and I just started writing down…stuff. I was trying to express grief, to articulate my panic and anger, while also trying to provide commentary. I wanted to find an explanation. And someone to blame. A way out. Or a way forward. I wanted to crack the code on gun violence. I was also coming to terms with my guilt. My social posturing. My vanity in all of this. In trying to create this piece, was I turning the attention to myself? It wasn’t joyous or inspiring. It was a regurgitation of all the thoughts and feelings -- all the stuff -- I hadn’t processed.

The refrain of the song actually came to me much earlier, quite randomly. I like to think it’s because it’s more of a passive observation. Bullets are flying. Where? And why? While they fly, people are mourning. These are constants. Whereas, the two verses -- they’re snapshots of that gloomy winter morning when I was pacing back and forth on my bed trying to make sense of Parkland. It’s like I was trying to extricate myself from the gun culture and the epidemic it has created. But every thought would just pull me back into the mess. Barbed wire. Can’t help thinking about it. Gun violence. Mass shootings. I dream of ways to reshape gun culture. But, uh oh, gun culture has shaped giant parts of who I am. And I contribute back into gun culture. Not only do I love a bloody action thriller. I routinely express my love for John Wayne movies. I think the Punisher is a pretty cool anti-hero. In debating and discussing issues related to gun violence, we shout into our echo chambers while attacking opposing views. We display our alliances. We present ourselves on a side. Scoring our solidarity points is just as essential to gun culture as shooting the guns themselves. In writing this song, I was incredibly self-conscious. Was I just filling my notebook with solidarity points and quips from self-reflection? I offered my perspective on gun violence, while simultaneously reflecting and taking apart that perspective. I felt angry and powerful. But I also felt guilty and insignificant. Is saying something mostly an empty gesture? Probably. But not saying something is equally, if not more, disconcerting. Maybe this song is entirely descriptive of this emotional purgatory I create after a mass shooting like Parkland, where processing anything is just squirming in my barbed wire, while bullets are flying. What is your favorite lyric in the song? "I’m an actor, so I know how to weep. "

There are lots of hidden layers and meaning in the video… can you tell us what some of those are and why you chose to include them? I’m pretty fluid with my interpretation of the video. But most days, it goes something like this: Setting - The characters are in a place of purgatory. It’s that place I create when I’m trying to process gun violence. They may or may not know each other. Screens - On the screens, the characters stare at scenes involving their physical selves. Characters - I play the boy, and we designed the look to reflect someone in a prestigious position. On the TV’s, he’s probably a politician of some sort. I don’t think that’s who the boy is in real life, especially if the boy is me. But in this particular place of purgatory (maybe there are multiple rooms in purgatory), I’m presenting the politically active parts of myself. The dancer might be a whole separate character. She’s someone directly impacted by political leaders and their decisions. So in this place, we have a civic leader and someone he impacts. Seen this way, let’s say the boy is fried in the beginning. He’s lost his will. Been in purgatory too long. The dancer enters. Maybe she sees a party she’s currently attending in the real world. She pulls the boy out of his funk. They are actual human beings who can connect. When we hear about gun violence, our screens create abstracts of the event and the victims. But here in purgatory, the two have to make actual, physical contact. Their actions directly impact each other. Movement - There is a loose choreography. But, mainly, Ashley (the dancer) and I created a structure and improvised within it. Basically, there’s a struggle in the beginning. Japanese Butoh definitely informs the early interactions in the video, as the style can create a sense of shared grief. The movement becomes more playful and celebratory, which I think reflects another convoluted part of processing gun violence. After Parkland, I sunk into a pit of melancholy for probably no more than half a day and then I was out with my friends. We’d talk about mass shootings, but then we’d goof off, and the topic eventually recedes, until we’ve tuned it out completely (though temporarily). In the video, the TV screens are upfront and center in the beginning, but then the movement draws our attention to the characters themselves. There’s an ominous outro, where we intercut to the party-goers on the screens lying facedown on a roof. Lives lost to gun violence? In the purgatory place, we only have close-ups of the characters, many of which focus on the hands in spell-like gestures. The issue of gun violence does seem to have this elusive, enigmatic quality. So maybe whatever happens between these two in this purgatory has some ineffable effect in the world.

What do you hope fans gain as a result from watching/listening to your art? Mostly, I hope this keeps the conversation going. Like I said about the video, the topic always recedes, often because the screens start showing other things to us. As artists, I think we can keep things front and center. It’s funny. When I finished the video, I came across grandson’s “Thoughts and Prayers” single. For a whiff, I felt like my project would be redundant. But, of course, until it’s a non-issue, I say the more content we produce, the better. On a more practical note, I’m pledging all the royalties from this project towards organizations like March For Our Lives. So when people listen or watch, they are indirectly or directly (starting to really question my understanding of this concept) benefiting the cause. I think it allows listeners a little extra way to participate in reform measures. You had a hand in creating all of the aspects of the single… writing, producing, creating the video….. tell us about that process as an artist. How does it influence your work? It slows down the process by too much. No, but really, it allows complete ownership over the process, at least of the track itself. I’m entirely responsible for every aspect of it. Holding the work so precious does create a lot of room for self-doubt, but the fears of commitment also pushes for more experimentation. When I create tracks, it’s like I’m recording and re-mixing an exploration. Or maybe it’s like I’m a one-man jam band in my room. It certainly allows me to include weird ideas like recording the words “thoughts and prayers” and using that sample to create different drum sounds. You can’t really tell when you hear it, but I think it’s a fun little Easter Egg. As for the video, I came up with a structure, but this is where I wanted to open up the perspective. I’m kind of enjoying the thought that creating the track itself was like the boy in the video struck in purgatory alone. Then with the video, I’ve invited other perspectives, just as there’s now another person with the boy in purgatory. I’m a nerd, I know. But, yes, I think because I gave myself a clear foundation after working on the track, we were able to do a lot of exploring with the concept of the video, which then allows for its fluid interpretation. Fun fact: the video was originally supposed to involve a dancer and an agent of death battling over a remote that controls one single TV screen displaying a party. You've spoken about how you want your music to be a platform for activism….. what are some other issues you are passionate about? There are a lot. But I’m just going to list one here to emphasize how important it is. THE ENVIRONMENT. Tell us about your upcoming album….. what can fans expect to hear? It’s tentatively called Synthesizer or Variations of: An Endemic Cycle. The EP will have about 6or 7 songs that expand upon the narrative in “Bullets Are Flying.” Just as “Bullets Are Flying” is set in emotional purgatory, the other songs will be placed in their own settings. All the songs will fit into a narrative that has a circular structure. I’m designing musical themes that provide a through-line in the tracks. If you play the album and replay it, the narrative from the last track continues right into the first. You can start the album from any track, and the narrative will continue and circle back. I’m also creating visuals for each track. So if you were to edit them together in a specific and play it on loop, it might feel like one single never-ending movie no matter where you begin. Gun violence is so cyclical. You can enter into it at any point -- initial grief, debate, ennui, etc. --and it’ll eventually loop right back to where you started. How would you describe your musical sound? Musical genres are so bewildering to me. I guess I’ll say this: I’m sort of finding a hip-hop voice in other genres I love. They’re mainly psychedelic dream-pop, future funk, new wave, or even cinematic anime soundtracks. If my process were a scene, I’d like to imagine Childish Gambino getting really high and watching the news with Tame Impala, and maybe Jon Bellion barges in and blasts his new album. I don’t know that these are the sounds that come to mind if you were to listen to my work. But they’re certainly the sounds I’m after, sounds that provide a framework when I produce my music. Read the full article

#Jason&TheRex #newmusic

0 notes

jacobtmcelroy-blog · 7 years

Text

Marvel Films Ranked (1998 to 2016)

Comic book films. In my opinion, they are their own genre now. Why is this? Well, look how many are coming out in a year nowadays. A good portion of the summer blockbuster season belongs to the superhero genre alone. Over the past twenty years, there’s been a superfluous amount of Marvel films. Many of them meh, some of them good, and others flat out atrocious. So, I have compiled a list of my personal rankings on the matter. Let’s knock this out.

Also, I will be discussing spoilers at a few points, so beware.

THE ATROCIOUS TIER

43. Man-Thing (2005)

Want to know how bad Man-Thing is? The entire test audience walked out of the theater before the film was even done playing. True story. Because of this, the film was relegated to become a Sci-fi original movie instead of being released in theaters. Yikes. At least one of the film’s stars, Rachael Taylor, would go on to do much greater things in the Jessica Jones Netflix series as Trish Walker.

42. Hulk (2003)

No, that’s not an early development picture of Shrek. Ang Lee’s Hulk has a cult following who love the psychological approach he took to the film. That is cool and their opinion. However, this film harms me psychologically. From the lack of smashing things (It’s a Hulk film!), to the ludicrous plot, to the zombie dog fights, and the part where the Hulk flew on a plane to space, 2003′s Hulk is a boring mess that is not even fun for laughs.

41. Fantastic Four (2015)

What do you get when you combine a group of young, talented actors and a somewhat promising director with a studio that is desperately trying to hold the rights to their non-X-Men Marvel properties? A really, really bad movie is what. Fan4stic, as many call it, is an unorganized train wreck from the production issues down to the person who decided to film every scene in the dark The mid-2000′s films look great compared to this mess.

40. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

This movie did not even need to be a thing honestly. We got enough backstory of Wolverine in X2, and he is the main character in the first three films. Anyways, Origins is a flat out mess. Memory wiping bullets? Special effects worse than the first X-Men? (seriously look how bad his claws look) The Merc with a mouth missing his mouth?! This is just a bad movie. No wonder there were not any other Origins films like originally planned.

39. Blade: Trinity (2014)

Before being booked into a jail cell for tax evasion, Wesley Snipes and his new allies imprison the unlucky viewers of this film into a sentence of 113 minutes of pure boredom. Blade: Trinity is dull, forgettable, and takes away most of the fun the first two films had (even with Dracula as a villain!) It is hard to believe director David S. Goyer, writer of the Dark Knight Trilogy, directed this blood-reduced suckfest.

Still Pretty Bad Tier

38. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)

Ghost Rider and the sort of sequel that nobody asked for should be the real title. While Nicolas Cage gives a better, and much loonier performance here, the storytelling and execution really came up short here. Spirit of Vengeance cannot decide what it wants to be. It goes from dark and serious, zany and erratic, to mid-2000′s Nicolas Cage mode at a dizzying and confusing rate.

37. Elektra (2005)

In all honesty, Jennifer Garner isn’t a bad Elektra. Not as good as Elodie Yung’s recent version, but Garner does the best she can with the awful script. The film takes itself WAY too seriously and does not have any sort of fun. Some of the plot twists are ludicrous too. The biggest flaw of the film though is the fact it focuses more on some random girl and her dad almost more than Elektra herself.

36. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

The second modern stab at Fantastic Four was unfortunately worse than the first. While I still actually like the casting, (especially Michael Chiklis as The Thing) no one can save the film from the deranged screenwriters who turned Galactus into a giant hungry cloud. The plot and execution also leaves some to be desired. At least it is not as frustrating as the Silver Surfer NES game.

35. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

If we are ranking the worst adaptations of actual comic book story lines, then X3 would probably take the top prize. Brian Singer’s departure from this film for the snorefest better known as Superman Returns tanked both films at the same time. Here, Magneto flat out looked like an idiot after his infinitely stupid plan back-fired. Cyclops died after five minutes of screen time and somehow did as much as he did in the other films. Mystique lost her abilities... for some plot reason. Angel did pretty much nothing after being the focus character in the opening tease. X3 is just a massive disappointment.

Tier of Mediocrity

34. Ghost Rider (2007)

How do you make a badass anti-hero a lot less cool? Give him the most generic origin story in history. Ghost Rider is honestly not an awful film, it just feels like a tired retread of every other superhero origin story. Oh, but that is not the only problem with the film. Some of the humor is really oddly timed and does not hit a lot. The villain is mostly unmemorable. Sam Elliott is really good when he is on screen, but the most the writers let him do is ride a firey horse in a straight line.

33. Spider-man 3 (2007)

I am actually surprised I ranked this as high as I did. Spider-man 3 is one of my biggest movie disappointments in history. The plot is over-bloated with WAY too many characters (3 villains?!) and subplots, Uncle Ben’s death is downgraded to an accident, and every scene Emo, Cool Peter Parker is in makes my facepalm and cringe at the same time. Yeah, that piano/bar scene is absolutely painful. Venom is absolutely wasted too. If there are so many problems, why is this film not lower? There are good scenes hidden inside this waste dump of a film. The scene in the tower where Peter rips off the symbiote is good. Another is the scene after the Sandman gains his abilities and struggles to pick up the locket. The first fight with Sandman is pretty good too. Overall, Spidey 3 is a disappointing, bloated mess.

32. Fantastic Four (2005)

The Mediocre Four return! The first modern Fantastic Four movie is complicated by a lame plot where the heroes are trying to get rid of their powers rather than use them. Also, the mis-fired plot is not executed very well as the scenes feel like somewhat connected moments patched together into a finished project at times. Although, not all is bad here. While the scenes feel all over the place at times, some of them are pretty fun. I personally like the entire cast, particularly Chris Evans’ Human Torch and Michael Chiklis’ The Thing.

31. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

This film is so forgettable and mediocre I almost forgot it existed. Not much else to say. Time to move on.

30. Iron Man 3 (2013)

All I really need to ask here, is why whose brilliant idea was it to turn the Mandarin into... whatever on earth he is in the finished product?! Late 2000′s M. Night Shyamalan? Seriously. It is kind of like when they were adapting the Harry Potter movies, if the director decided to turn Voldemort into a comic relief villain with Wormtail as the true villain of the franchise. Ugh. Besides that major error, I guess there is some fun action scenes in the film and Robert Downey Jr. is as good as always.

29. DareDevil (2003)

DareDevil is my favorite Marvel hero, so this film may be higher than a lot of other people put it. The casting of this film is pretty good as I think Ben Afleck’s Matt Murdock actually is pretty good. His DareDevil is decent in comparison.Jennifer Garner’s Elektra lacks some of the edge of the original character,but she’s not bad either. The problems here begin with execution. The scenes, like Fantastic Four, feel patched together and do not flow well at several points making the film feel a bit all over the place. It almost feels like an entire story line is missing. Hmm.....

Hey, These Are Decent Tier

28. X-Men Apocalypse (2016)

Instead of making Magneto looking like a dumbass, 2016′s X-Men film forces that label on Professor X. However, the film’s main problem is that the whole world takeover plot is really forgettable. Mixed in with all of the mediocrity are some good performances and memorable scenes. A couple of these include another ingenious Quicksilver rescue and when Magneto destroys Auschwitz. Otherwise, this X-Men film feels like eating Days of Future Past two week old leftovers.

27. Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2: Filler Man. Seriously, Iron Man 2 almost feels like an anime filler episode. At the end of the film, the characters and the plot do not advance at all from where they were at the beginning of the film in the Expanded Universe. Mickey Rourke’s meh Whiplash did not really help much. However, Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and newly added Don Cheadle are all really good here. Additionally, Sam Rockwell gives a really fun performance as Justin Hammer, making him one of the better pseudo-villains of the MCU.

26. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

First off, The Amazing Spider-man is definitely not a bad film. Actually it is a pretty decent film. The film’s downfall is it feels like a complete retread of the 2002 film, and even the most talented cast cannot save that. I actually laughed last time I heard how hard Uncle Ben tried to rephrase, “With great power comes great responsibility.”. The Lizard is a decent villain, but he’s nowhere near as good as either villain from the first two Raimi films. Basically the TASM is a lower quality version of a movie that already exists. The lone big improvement I can think of is the love story and Garfield’s Spider-man.

25. Thor (2011)

Chris Hemsworth was the perfect cast as Thor, as was Tom Hiddleston as Loki. The scenes in Thor in which the two interacted were a blast to watch. However, everything else was just decent. There were some comical scenes, such as when Thor screams “Another!” and breaks the glass on the floor, but everything else in the real world did not really leave a lasting impact on me. Not a bad film, but not near Marvel’s best effort.

24. Punisher: War Zone (2008)

Some of you reading this are probably shaking your heads in disgust or absolute confusion. How on earth did this commercial and critical failure rank this high on my list? War Zone is probably one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen in the ridiculous, over-the-top action movie genre. Ray Stevenson is a good Punisher. More importantly, Dominic West’s Jigsaw along with Doug Hutchison’s Loony Bin Jim are so over the top and cartoony that they make Colin Farrell’s Bullseye look down to earth. Everything is so overly violent, completely stupid, and laughable in this film that it entertains every time I re-watch it. That is why War Zone ranks this high.

23. The Amazing Spider-man 2 (2014)

Similarly to the last entry, some may question the higher rank of TASM 2 and the fact it is higher ranked than its generally better received predecessor. TASM 2 definitely has a web of problems, but not all is bad. The chemistry of Garfield’s Peter Parker and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy is really, really believable and well done. While many others did not, I actually liked Dane Dehaan’s Harry Osbourne due to his different approach to the character. Despite these positives, tone uneveness (Jamie Foxx’s Electro for instance) and a general lack of direction at times really brings TASM down from the better film it could have been.

22. Doctor Strange (2016)

Doctor Strange is really uniquet. As one may expect of an actor of his caliber, Bennedict Cumberbatch is a really nice fit as the title character. Also, the soundtrack kicks some major ass. However, the villains of the film are really mediocre and some of the most forgettable in the MCU, which is saying a lot. A good film, but just midpack in a solid library.

21. Blade (1998)

The first of the modern Marvel films still holds up pretty well today. Well, for the most part. As I have stated before in another list, Blade’s opening scene is one of my personable favorites to any film. It is scary, gross, and sets the perfect tone for the rest of the film. Wesley Snipes was a perfect casting choice as Blade, and the rest of the casting was pretty solid as well. However, a mediocre ending, some laughably bad dialogue, and some silly concepts (vampires wearing sunscreen?!) hold Blade back form being as good as its sequel.

We’re Starting to Get Pretty Good Films Tier

20. The Punisher (2004)

I feel as if Thomas Jane’s Punisher movie is one of the more underrated gems in Marvel’s cinematic history. Jane had a really nice performance as the title hero as he captures both the vengeful vigilante and tragic hero complex of the comic book character. Many of the action scenes are tight, and the film contains several memorable scenes. (The ripping out piercings scene, for one) However, I feel like the film is almost holding back and playing it safe at points. Solid film, but definitely could have been one step greater.

19. The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Age of Ultron is a film that almost lands with a thud, sort of like the city that fell from the sky. The Avengers sequel is a good film, but feels underwhelming. The great James Spader is never given enough to do as Ultron, the plot is almost too over the top, and it feels underwhelming compared to Cap 2, which came out a year prior. However, the cast chemistry makes the film fun to watch as you can see they are having a great time making it. All of the action scenes are well done as well. Also, giving Hawkeye a personality was nice touch.

18. Blade 2 (2002)

Blade’s second adventure on the big screen took the impressive fight scenes from the first film and gave it a better story to go along with it. Adding Guilermo Del Toro to the mix helped out the cause too. While the film is far from perfect due to some questionable plot twists, Blade 2 is an enjoyable in a unique way.

17. The Wolverine (2013)

The Wolverine’s story is pretty forgettable, but wow does it have some of the best action set pieces of the X-Men franchise. The setting is super cool, maybe it is because of my Japanese culture bias, but I love the atmosphere and locations in this one. Not much else to say. An entertaining watch even if other X-Men films are better than it. It is a Hell of a lot better than Origins at least. *shudders*

16. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Wow, 2008 was a fantastic year for superhero movies. DC released The Dark Knight and Marvel had Iron Man. The Incredible Hulk got lost in the mix a bit, but the reboot of Bruce Banner’s rage monster was another thoroughly entertaining superhero film. The movie gets a little generic near the end with its giant monster CGI fight, but 2008′s Hulk is a pretty nice picture. This Hulk ALMOST makes me forget about Ang Lee’s atrocity.

15. X2: X-Men United (2003)

To many fans of the superhero genre, X2′s placement on this list may seem pretty low. Honestly, I have always felt that X2 was a bit overrated. However, that does not mean that X2 is not a great film. The story-telling is mostly tight, the characters’ motivations are realistic for the most part, and it utilizes flashbacks well. (a rare occasion) One of my grievances from the first film still remains in the sequel: Cyclops does absolutely nothing. Oh well, he gets killed in five minutes in the X3 anyway.

Exceptional Film-making Tier

14. DareDevil: Director’s Cut (2004)

Okay, now this could be borderline cheating. However, the director’s cut version of DareDevil is so much better than the theatrical cut that I had to put it on this list. The box for the Director’s Cut says the version adds a “Devilish new subplot”. I think it should just say it adds a plotline that connects everything and makes the film make a lot more sense. Matt doesn’t stay on the rooftop with Elektra, The Kingpin murders an employee of his to show how scary he can be, and the court plot receives nice depth. Coolio is actually pretty good in his role in this cut as well. This version still does not fix the asinine decision of not killing The Kingpin or erase the odd playground fight scene, but give this one a watch if you have not seen it.

13. X-Men: First Class (2011)

First Class stopped the bleeding from the last two awful X-Men films. Most importantly, it brought us Michael Fassbender’s fantastic version of Magneto. (James McAvoy’s solid Prof. X as well) The scene where Magneto forces the coin through his mother’s killer’s head is one of the best in the X-Men franchise, at least in my opinion. While First Class is a solid film, it still feels like a prologue for something to come. Also, it was “outclassed” by its sequel...

12. Ant-man (2015)

This high of a position may surprise people for Ant-man, but Ant-man is just too fun not to enjoy. Paul Rudd was a perfect cast for the title hero possessing the necessary humor and right amount of emotion to carry the role. The rest of the supporting cast of heroes is also really well cast anchored by a sterling performance by Michael Douglas. However, much like many other MCU films, the villain is just pretty meh. Just an evil bald guy with a similar suit to Ant-man.... sound similar to Iron Man at all?

11. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

If one stops and thinks about it, Cap: The First Avengers plot is pretty average and extremely safe plotwise, but the Captain’s likability factor is so high that it carries the movie’s plot through a lot of its,,, shortfalls in originality. The First Avenger takes an old-fashioned film and gives it the perfect pinch of new age style to make it about a perfect blend. Evans’ Steve Rodgers and Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter also have top tier on screen chemistry, which makes the main couple of characters even more likable.

10. X-Men (2000)

With help from 2002′s Spider-man, X-Men was the major catalyst that kicked off the modern superhero era of film. Guess what? X-Men stands up pretty well today. There is good action, fun characterization, and a couple decent twists. Guess what else though? Cyclops does not do anything here either besides be an asshole to Logan. The directors really neglected his character for some reason.

CLASSSICS Tier

9. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

After First Class dragged the X-Men films out of the pits of Hell, Days of Future Past took the franchise even deeper into its past’s glory. Get it? Past? Anyways, much of the stellar cast from the prior film return along with the best members of the original trilogy films.The end result is a film that combined the best of both time periods. Oh, and Quicksilver’s few minutes of screen time were amazing. Not much to knock here.

8. The Avengers (2012)

Thought this would be number one didn’t you? Well, some annoying plot holes and hype caused it to fall a little bit here. Those problems withstanding, The Avengers is terrific film that most comic book enthusiasts hoped for since childhood. All of the heroes finally group up and take on one of the worst baddies of all. In this case, it was Loki, by far the MCU’s best villain. Containing excellent scenes, such as the Hulk tossing Loki around in the room , and clever dialogue, The Avengers is just a pure fun film.

7. Spider-man (2002)

For a long time, this was my favorite film. Period. Nowadays, I still really love the film that kicked off my love for Marvel superheroes. Sam Raimi seems like an odd fit based on his past work looking back now, but it ended up being a solid match. To this day, Spidey is one of the better superhero origins story due to its mix of heart, humor, and fun. The Green Goblin is still one of the better Marvel movie villains. (even though I still do not understand why exactly Gobby hates Spidey so much after the halfway point of the film after accomplishing his original goal...). Even without the webshooters, Spider-man is a top tier Marvel film to this day.

6. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

After massive lead up and hype of one Marvel’s most famous story lines, Civil War delivered on most fronts. The main flaw was the plot relies on conveniences. While the villain’s plan is cool and different, it would NEVER have worked in retrospect. Besides over-critiquing, Civil War was pretty much all I wanted it to be: a battle royale between two balanced teams. (although Iron Man definitely had a strength advantage...) The airport scene, the Black Panther street chase, and the final fight are all some of the best in the MCU. Good job not letting us down here Marvel.

5. Guardians of Galaxy (2014)

The men and women behind the scenes at the MCU are geniuses. They took an almost unknown property and made it into a cultural phenomenon. GoG was a huge sleeper hit for Marvel and myself, admittedly. I did not really think much of it during the trailer phase, but after seeing the finished product, I was beyond pleased. Guardians of the Galaxy is high octane from beginning to end and is a blast to watch. I am eagerly awaiting to see the continuing adventures of Star Lord and crew this next week.

4. Deadpool (2016)

I dreaded a Deadpool movie being made. I read and read the comics during my high school years and fell in love with the character. After seeing the Ryan Reynold Origins version of the character, I was furious. Why would you sew his mouth shut?! Anyways, I was luckily wrong in my doomsday theories for a Deadpool film. In fact, it is exactly the type of Deadpool film I wanted. It had hilarious jokes and scenes, fourth wall-breaking, ultra-violence, and Ryan Reynolds’ absolutely nailed the character. Not much more I can say that has not been said.

3. Iron Man (2008)

I feel sorry for this film. It was completely overshadowed by The Dark Knight that came out a month later. What a lot of people forgot was that Iron Man was a fantastic film that broke the chain of mediocrity from Marvel the past few years before. Robert Downey Jr. revived his career even further by playing a character he was born to play. However, I believe the best part of the film was the way it combined realism of the current conflicts in the Middle East to the fantastical technology of Tony Stark. Obadiah Stone was a decent villain, even if he is sort of forgettable now because most MCU villains have been clones of his. Despite that, Iron Man is stellar.

2. Spider-man 2 (2004)

For a long time, up until The Dark Knight’s release to be more specific, Spider-man 2 was the best superhero film of all time. (in my opinion at least) However, one surpassed it in Marvel land a few years back. Spider-man 2 has all you want in a Spider-man movie. A terrific anti-villain, a well-written inner main character conflict where he has to choose between two paths, and a plot that makes sense almost the entire way through. The train scene and the reveal of the lair behind the mirror are still two of my favorite Marvel scenes to this date. Once again, not much more I can say. This movie still rocks.

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

A surprising choice to some people I bet to some people, The Winter Soldier is an almost perfect superhero film. Cap’s sequel is a fantastic film in about three genres I can think of, including spy thriller. Kind of reminds of a 60′s Bond film with A LOT better special effects. The plot of the film is modern and well thought up and avoids the common problem of being trendy with current event plot ideas. That is a bigger feat than most films of the kind can say. Besides the modern, appropriate and politically astute plot, the best parts of this film are the fight scenes. In the first Cap, he didn’t get to show off his fighting skills very much. But here, he kicks some major ass. Oh, and Black Widow does too, in what I believe to be her best movie as well. Add in Falcon for a flatout kickass trio. Overall, Cap 2 is fantastic from beginning to end and never lets up. Way to to go Marvel.

#marvel #mcu

1 note · View note

81scorp · 4 years

Text

My Little thoughts on Slice of Life

(Originally posted as an editorial on Deviantart July 30, 2015. It has not been changed from how I originally wrote it.)

In 2010 Hasbro hired animator, writer and director Lauren Faust to breathe some new life into the My Little Pony franchise which, unlike fine wine had not aged well with time. Faust, a fan of the original show put together a team and based her version on the first generation of My Little Pony but put more emphasis on humor and gave the characters more in-depth personalities. The show was successful. So successful that it became popular outside of it`s target demographic and gained a following of young and middleaged men and women who call themselves "Bronies" and "Pegasisters". Aware of their unconventinal fans, the creators of the show sometimes put in a few nods to the older audience now and then. A while ago the show turned 100 episodes. That isn`t bad, it`s a good milestone for a show. At the hundredth episode the creators usually do something extra to celebrate that the show has lasted that long. Like: have a famous guest star, have two people who have been in love witch eachother for a long time finally get married or some other big thing. The 100th episode of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic gave us a fight between the main characters and a giant "Bugbear" (a cross between a bear and a bee) and a wedding between two donkey characters, helped by several ponies that usually just stay in the background. And of these two stories the episode focused on the latter. If what the creators did earlier was nods then the things they put in this episode counts as headbanging. Wether you like or dislike this episode I feel it`s worth talking about. So here are some of my little thoughts on the 100th episode: "Slice of Life". SPOILERS are magic

Derpy

I became aware of MLP FiM relatively late so I first found out about this crosseyed mare on fan art before I saw her in the show. I thought the idea of a silly, clumsy and ditzy pony sounded fun.When I saw Derpy in "The last roundup" I felt that it wasn`t bad... but it could have been better. Even if "I just don`t know what went wrong" is a cute catchphrase I felt like they may have relied a bit too much on the whole clueless and oblivious angle. Her voice almost sounded like she was supposed to be actually mentally challenged, combine that with her being oblivious to the disaster she creates and it makes her (to me at least) feel almost Jar Jar Binksian. I do like the later part of that scene though. Like when Rainbow Dash says to Derpy: "In the name of Celestia, just sit there and do nothing!" And Derpy does so and bad things still happen. That wasn`t her fault, just crappy wood. When people called Derpy a "controversial character" and wanted to get rid of her I remember the Simpsons episode where homer voiced the new character Poochie. There wasn`t anything wrong with Poochie per se (they could have toned down his EXTREME-ness a bit). In my constructive criticism of Phantom Menace I mentioned that unlike many others I didn`t feel that Jar Jar should be removed completely, but instead have the goofiness turned down a bit. Make him more competent but still kinda fun. "But hasn`t Derpy been portrayed like she was in `The Last Roundup` in fan comics?" Yes, but her being completely oblivious works better in non-official, non-canon standalone gags. Besides, not all ideas from the fandom are great ideas. Now, about Derpy in "Slice of Life". I liked it. This is a much better and more nuanced version of her personality. Smart enough to be aware of her surroundings but still keeping her silliness, clumsiness and childish side. In "The Last Roundup" Derpy sounded the way she did because Tabitha St Germain, her voice actress, thought that Derpy was a little boy. She voices Derpy again in this episode and her voice matches her personality perfectly. She`s like most Ponies, just a little ditzy. If Derpy was a bit "I am Sam" in "The Last Roundup" then "Slice of Life" makes her more of a "Forrest Gump". And yes, I know that her name in the credits was "Muffins". I`m not calling her Derpy because of some stubborn, fact-denying, fanboy refusal. But because I`m so used to calling her by that name. But I understand why the creators officially don`t call her by that name. I`m just glad they gave the character a second chance. Doctor Whooves

I like this character, but I have to admit it`s because how he`s portrayed in the fandom. I also have to admit it was fun that they made him as close to the Doctor as they could without infringing on copyright. Turns out he was inspired to become a scientist because of a childhood trauma. Not something I was expecting but I don`t mind a little backstory. Secret agent Sweetie drops

At first this felt odd because, to me, the world of Equestria feels like a simple world that doesn`t have all that secrecy and spy stuff like in Captain America: Winter Soldier. Personally I wouldn`t have made her a secret agent but instead just an ordinary pony who had lived in a different town a few years ago, a town that had been destroyed by the Bugbear. And since that day she had been searching for the Bugbear to get revenge. But I guess I can understand why they made her a secret agent. It allowed them to call her Bonbon, the name that the fans call her, while still calling her Sweetie drops, her official name. But now that I think about it, secret agents and spy stuff doesn`t seem that farfetched. In "MMMystery on the Friendship Express" Pinkie thought that Donut Joe was a secret agent. Technically it was just her imagination, but it shows that the concept of spies and secret organisations is not as alien to the world of MLP FiM as I first thought. Let`s not forget other stuff that feels closer to our world than a kind, friendly, fantasy-esque world with talking, singing ponies. Like video games (Hearts and Hooves Day) and cities with names like Fillydelphia and Manehattan. Manehattan feels different from the rest of the world of MLP FiM and closer to our own with it`s name, modern architecture, ponies in suits wearing earpieces and New Yorkish inhabitans. So technically, it`s not the existence of secret agents in Equestria that I find odd, but rather these two things:1: Bonbon being a secret agent. 2:This line: "Every last shred of evidence of the organization's existence was destroyed. Celestia demanded complete deniability." Princess Celestia, the wise, benevolent ruler of Equestria having a Nick Fury-ish side that hides big secrets from her subjects? You`d expect something like this from something like DCAU or Avengers: Earth`s Mightest Heroes, but in a show about magic, talking ponies? It feels like someting from a fan-parody. Hard to swallow, but at least it`s funny. From what I`ve heard, Bonbon being a secret agent was based on a fan theory, that I wasn`t aware of before watching this episode, that tries to explain why her voice sounds different in some episodes.When it comes to ponies with inconsistent voices in the show, my own theories are less dramatic. I just assume that they caught a cold the other day and... they`re just a little hoarse.

*Ba-dum-tish!* Vinyl and Octavia

These two ponies are a perfect example of the Odd Couple trope. One is calm, sophisticated and into classical music and the other one is more into modern, technological, rythm-based music. In many ways polar opposites but still willing to meet eachother halfway. Am I Okay with Vinyl being mute? Yes. It kinda makes her a Harpo Marx character, and characters who speaks little to not at all can be a lot of fun. Like: Harpo Marx, Wall-E, Mr Bean and Silent Bob. Would I have been OK if Vinyl talked and wasn`t voiced by Nowhacking? Yes I would. Even if it is fun that the fandom sometimes influences the show it`s not like they control it with an iron hand.

Gummy being deep

This part... this part... While it may change our view of this gator as an empty headed reptile it technically does not go against continuity. In this episode he sat with a vacant stare like he always does, the difference is that this time we got to hear his thoughts while he was doing it. But still... this part... this part... I don`t know what is real anymore. The changeling and Steven Magnet

From what I understand Steven Magnet`s name was based on something from the fandom. Before I watched this I wasn`t aware of that and just saw it as a callback to the first episode. I felt the changeling was also a callback, sort of a way for the writer to say "You remember these episodes? I just wanted to show you that I remember them too." I liked the part when Steven cut of a piece of his moustache to give to Cranky. Besides being a callback it also showed that he had grown as a person, putting his friends happiness over his own looks. But what was the deal with the changeling? Hello? A member of a race that tried to take over your world a while ago is just sitting there in broad daylight! Sure, he`s not harming anyone, just minding his own business. But still! Celestia and Luna From what I understand this is how they have been portrayed in fanfics and fancomics. But you don`t have to have seen any of those to enjoy it. Celestia and Luna have, up to this episode, always been portrayed as royal and nigh flawless (with a few exceptions) and we`ve never seen them interact with eachother in a more natural, sisterly way. So the humor in this scene works.

I think this is a divisive episode. Some people will hate it for the same reasons that others love it. Wether you love it or hate it I think that both sides can agree that it`s full of pandering. I can see how fun it is when the show takes ideas from the fandom (and I`m not just talking about MLP here, though MLP is where we see most of it), it makes the fans feel like they`re being listened to. Personally it`s not THAT important to me that a show or comic borrows heavily from the fans, only that they sometimes listen to constructive criticism. From what I`ve learned there`s at least two versions of a beloved show or comic. There`s the official canon by the creators and the fan-canon. I can use Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi as an example. In the manga there`s a character named Ryoga Hibiki who has no sense of direction, he always gets lost on his travels. Before I read the manga I read a lot of fanfics where the writers exaggerated his "lostness" to the point of teleportation. (If he was in Japan in one minute he could end up Mexico the next, with no idea of how he got there.) Should Rumiko Takahashi have put this in her manga to lessen the difference between fan-canon and the official manga? No. The manga is fine as it is, and sometimes the fanfics tended to flanderize the characters, like I said: not all ideas from the fandom are great ideas. Not that taking ideas from the fandom is inherently wrong, or inherently right. When it comes to MLP FiM the close relationship between the creators and the fans has worked relatively well so far. A thought I have about the episode is that the ponies have a bit skewed priorities. A giant monster attacks their town and the most important thing is a wedding? I can understand Cranky and Matilda`s logic, a sort of "do something important that you`ve procrastinated long enough now that the town is being destroyed" kind of thing. But the other ponies? Oh well I guess it`s kind of a double meaning of the title: monster attacks has happened so often that they`re used to it. For them, it`s tuesday. Probably also explains why they didn`t panic over the changeling. Another thing that justifies the ponies priorities: there was very little to no destruction of buildings (sure, this is a kid`s show, but still). I guess the mane six (in some scenes at least) managed to direct the fight away from populated areas. Take notes, Goyer and Snyder, you might actually learn someting. This episode was built on a lot of ideas from the fandom. If you`re a fan who don`t keep up with the latest MLP fan-theories, memes and jokes, can you still enjoy it? I`d like to think so. It`s almost like that episode of The Simpsons when all the minor characters got a chance to be in the spotlight (except Professor Frink). Even if you don`t know about the characters and how they are usually portrayed in the fandom you can still enjoy the comedy of this episode. What did I think? Was this a great episode? I dunno. The pandering kinda works as a double edged sword. I still kinda like how it is aware of what it`s doing with that shark-jumping scene. In my opinion the greatest episode is still "Twilights Kingdom". Not just because of the Dragonball Z action but also because of the high stakes, Discord`s character development, Celestia, Luna and Cadence making themselves vulnerable by giving their magic to Twilight who later grows into her role as a princess. Plus: We got a scene where all the three princesses together sang a song to Twilight about how one day she`d get her chance to shine. Was Slice of Life good? Objectively? It feels more funny than good, at least it has humor for the casual viewers who aren`t familiar with the world. Since it is hard for me to be completely objective I can`t really say if this episode is objectively good or not. The only thing I can say with complete certainty and honesty is if I liked it or not. So, did I like "Slice of life"? Yes. Vinyl and Octavia`s musical collaboration was pretty sweet, and sorry for sounding like a Derpy fanboy, but some of my favourite parts were the ones with Dr Whooves and Derpy. I liked that they gave a second chance to a pony that got of to a rocky start. I`d be lying if I said that I didn`t squee on the inside when she hugged Dr Whooves. Keep calm and trot on.

#mlp #fim #my little pony #friendship is magic #editorial #81scorp

1 note · View note