g.man wrote:

So. Doctor Strange was really good fun. Contrived plot, lifted to great heights by winning performances from the leads, and Sam Raimi going full Sam Raimi, which you can inject into my eyes any day of the week. 

Spoiler:

I loved how they subverted the whole "no-one's ever really gone" meme with the Illuminati, but I was disappointed with how they resolved Wanda's character at the end.

All in all though, a big daft Sam Raimi rollercoaster of funtimes. Two thumbs up from me.

I felt the plots problems were all related to issues outside of the film - what had been set up before and how things needed to be left. Essentially something outside of Raimis control really. What I did really enjoy though as despite that the film kept the roller coaster interesting all the way to the end.

The Boys remains strong, wonderful, violent and asking all the right questions. Political as all hell, very self aware and a lovely palette cleanser on a friday morning. Loving it. 

Watch Sad Wanda with Blimperclamp Clingfilmlad and I liked it a whole lot too. 

Ms Marvel is wonderful. I like the main character a bunch and think is a very fun time show for me.

g.man wrote:

Yeah, agree with that. Despite being hamstrung by the usual MCU bollocks, I though Raimi got the absolute best out of it.

Aye there was some quality Raimi moments (Bruce!) - not an MCU film for the little kids, so parent be warned to preview and check it out before showing it to your littler ones, as it goes a lot further than any of the MCU films have done so far with regards showing death/gore.

Good pacing throughout as well I thought - solid 20/30 min segment beats so it didn’t flag and rattled along.

When it started with a warning, when the other episodes did not, I thought it would be a tougher watch than it was.

I still can’t get over that first episode of this season. It was like 10 minutes in!!

I’ve had to stop watching it for the night but I’m about halfway through Dr Strange. The opening octopus monster was textured so weirdly that it made it look a bit like a rubbery old movie monster and I’m not sure if it was intentional. Effing great though.

I just watched Doc Strange 2, and just beforehand I was watching a couple of the What If? episodes (Covid isolation = watching some stuff Mrs Poprock has no interest in).

Is it just me seeing patterns, or did quite a few things from What If? show up in the movie?

The gf hates all horror and picked up on the vibe in this early doors. “I don’t think the camera needed to linger on a burnt corpse.”

No it didn’t. But it did anyway

I’ve watched it all now. Thought it was really solid. They went a bit more out there than usual and old Cumberbund always does a good job. Still a cookie cutter marvel movie at its heart. Bit too much of the flashy lights coming out of people’s hands special effect. I’d like them to try one of these things with nothing but practical effects just for the lols. Lost art I imagine.

It had a little touch of the Antmans. Where I’d like to see the movie if they’d gone absolutely wild with some of the ideas. The music fight thing was a good idea.

Not happy with that Reed Richards either. A bit of a douche.

Anyhoo. Sat down watch Shang Chi. 
Everyone is speaking what I presume is Chinese, and the only subtitles on my rip are Czechoslovakian.
FML.
Back to the drawing board.

Apparently there's a new Predator film coming out (crystal ball says it'll be shit, but I'll still watch it), which sent me down the rabbit hole, and there's a whole heap of super hero stuff on the horizon.

Take a deep breath...

Films
2022
DC League of Super Pets
Black Adam
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Batgirl
Secret Invasion

2023
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse
The Flash
The Marvels
Madame Web
Blue Beetle
Deadpool 3
Black Canary

2024
Fantastic Four

TBD
Armor Wars
Static Shock
Blade
Zatanna
Ironheart
Wonder Woman 3
Superman
Captain America 4

TV
2022
I am Groot
The Sandman
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

2023
Echo

TBD
Green Lantern
Silk
Wakanda

Misc.
2022
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

I'm going to have to get my arse in gear. I haven't watched Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, Wonder Woman 84, or Spider-Man: Far from Home (never mind No Way Home) yet. There's going to be some sofas with very deep butt grooves.

I can't see the public appeal holding to 2024, at least not sustaining the levels of prior years.
I feel there is already a shift happening with films like Top Gun and Minions being super popular.

Smart studios will be looking at what they can start doing that is distinctly not super heros (can't compete with Marvel anyway). With GoT and LotR coming out next month maybe there will be a fantasy revival.

LivDiv wrote:

I can't see the public appeal holding to 2024, at least not sustaining the levels of prior years.
I feel there is already a shift happening with films like Top Gun and Minions being super popular.

Smart studios will be looking at what they can start doing that is distinctly not super heros (can't compete with Marvel anyway). With GoT and LotR coming out next month maybe there will be a fantasy revival.

Dune as well

LivDiv wrote:

I can't see the public appeal holding to 2024, at least not sustaining the levels of prior years. I feel there is already a shift happening with films like Top Gun and Minions being super popular. Smart studios will be looking at what they can start doing that is distinctly not super heros (can't compete with Marvel anyway). With GoT and LotR coming out next month maybe there will be a fantasy revival.

How would Top Gun and Minions not have been super popular in any year of the MCU? The Despicable Me films absolutely rake in cash. 2 made just under a billion and 3 just over a billion. The previous standalone Minions film made over a billion.

If you were going to make an argument for something that's a bit different, 2 video game based films have done pretty well this year in Sonic 2 and Uncharted.