Joe Russo gained enough cache with "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" that he's been able to pump out generic streaming action flicks unimpeded ever since. Not to be needlessly negative, but I've seen "The Gray Man" and I don't remember a single thing that happened in "The Gray Man." Russo has also penned two "Extraction" movies, which shot to the top of Netflix's most-watched charts but similarly felt as if they came and went without making all that much of an impression. All of which isn't too egregious, but Joe is also ready to welcome an AI-driven garbage future in which our films are produced entirely by machines.
In other words, I'm far from the biggest Joe Russo fan. But that doesn't mean I can't give the man his due when it comes to his Marvel work. Alongside his brother, Anthony, Joe is responsible for some of the...
In other words, I'm far from the biggest Joe Russo fan. But that doesn't mean I can't give the man his due when it comes to his Marvel work. Alongside his brother, Anthony, Joe is responsible for some of the...
- 3/9/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
"Avengers: Infinity War" remains a monumental piece of blockbuster filmmaking. It's the first half of a two-part culmination of a decade's worth of world- and franchise-building -- one that brought together dozens of heroes for the kind of crossover event you could previously only find in comic books. The movie also ended with one of the events that came to define pop culture in 2018: The Blip, wherein half of the universe disappeared from existence.
That moment not only made "Avengers: Endgame" an instant must-watch for every person on the planet with a pulse but also created a big concern for the head of Marvel Studios. In the book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige recounts how he was worried The Blip would forever ruin the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"I was wary of it becoming like the Battle of New York,...
That moment not only made "Avengers: Endgame" an instant must-watch for every person on the planet with a pulse but also created a big concern for the head of Marvel Studios. In the book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige recounts how he was worried The Blip would forever ruin the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"I was wary of it becoming like the Battle of New York,...
- 2/12/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
These days it's strange to think of Marvel struggling to outdo DC at the box office. But believe it or not, there was a time when the latter was the undisputed champ of superhero filmmaking. Director Richard Donner kicked off that winning streak with 1978's "Superman," the film that provided the blueprint for the modern blockbuster. Next, Tim Burton solidified DC's box office prowess with 1989's "Batman" — a film that made a heck of a lot of money at the box office and established the principles of modern blockbuster marketing.
Meanwhile, Marvel had this comparatively abject filmography to offer: 1986's "Howard the Duck," 1989's "The Punisher," and the direct-to-video "Captain America" in 1990. By the time DC and Warner Bros.' "Batman Forever" hit in 1995 and made $336 million globally (an impressive number for the time) it seemed DC would rule the superhero blockbuster space for a long time to come.
Of course,...
Meanwhile, Marvel had this comparatively abject filmography to offer: 1986's "Howard the Duck," 1989's "The Punisher," and the direct-to-video "Captain America" in 1990. By the time DC and Warner Bros.' "Batman Forever" hit in 1995 and made $336 million globally (an impressive number for the time) it seemed DC would rule the superhero blockbuster space for a long time to come.
Of course,...
- 2/4/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
At the beginning of William Shatner's 1989 film "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-a is on shore leave, taking a much-needed breather while their ship undergoes extensive repairs and improvements. Scotty (James Doohan) and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) are overseeing the repairs back on the ship. Chekhov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) are hiking together in Yosemite while Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Captain Kirk (Shatner), and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) set up their own camp nearby. This must not be a very long shore leave, otherwise I assume these people would all be at home visiting their families and not hanging out with their co-workers.
At night, McCoy, Kirk, and Spock gather around a campfire, cook beans, and enjoy marshmallows. Everything is comfortably low-tech. Kirk and McCoy attempt to introduce Spock to the Earth tradition of singing songs around the campfire, teaching him the lyrics to "Row,...
At night, McCoy, Kirk, and Spock gather around a campfire, cook beans, and enjoy marshmallows. Everything is comfortably low-tech. Kirk and McCoy attempt to introduce Spock to the Earth tradition of singing songs around the campfire, teaching him the lyrics to "Row,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the great franchise experiment of modern times. It is an expanding universe telling different stories in a large movie continuity, converging in crossover events like the comic books that inspire them, with dozens of characters across dozens of movies.
Before the MCU became the creatively bankrupt and commercially unviable husk it is today, it dominated the pop culture conversation. Today, it is easy to forget that a decade ago it was unthinkable for a movie about a talking raccoon and a giant tree to be a huge commercial hit, but somehow we got a whole trilogy starring them.
That success climaxed in "Avengers: Infinity War," an unprecedented cinematic crossover that brought dozens of heroes together in a single movie, and then (briefly) killed half of them. Though these deaths were meant to be arbitrary, a throw of the cosmic dice, there was a bit of...
Before the MCU became the creatively bankrupt and commercially unviable husk it is today, it dominated the pop culture conversation. Today, it is easy to forget that a decade ago it was unthinkable for a movie about a talking raccoon and a giant tree to be a huge commercial hit, but somehow we got a whole trilogy starring them.
That success climaxed in "Avengers: Infinity War," an unprecedented cinematic crossover that brought dozens of heroes together in a single movie, and then (briefly) killed half of them. Though these deaths were meant to be arbitrary, a throw of the cosmic dice, there was a bit of...
- 1/29/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Welcome to 2024! This, our first column of the new year, follows Oppenheimer, and Lots of Late Gift Ideas”>our December 2023 piece by offering more 2023 releases that deserve your time and attention.
Spielberg: The First Ten Years by Laurent Bouzereau (Insight Editions) and Steven Spielberg: All the Films by Olivier Bousquet, Arnaud Devillard, and Nicolas Schaller (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)
I am not sure what Steven Spielberg obsessives like myself did to earn two lengthy, photo-backed, hardcover career appreciations, but I’m not complaining. Steven Spielberg: All the Films runs for nearly 500 pages and covers literally everything, from the director’s contributions to Rod Serling’s Night Gallery to The Fabelmans. Along the way are some unique insights, surprising facts (Leonardo DiCaprio was approached to play Tintin?), and the inclusion of some of his 1980s television work. And Spielberg: The First Ten Years is just as engaging, and even more in-depth.
Spielberg: The First Ten Years by Laurent Bouzereau (Insight Editions) and Steven Spielberg: All the Films by Olivier Bousquet, Arnaud Devillard, and Nicolas Schaller (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)
I am not sure what Steven Spielberg obsessives like myself did to earn two lengthy, photo-backed, hardcover career appreciations, but I’m not complaining. Steven Spielberg: All the Films runs for nearly 500 pages and covers literally everything, from the director’s contributions to Rod Serling’s Night Gallery to The Fabelmans. Along the way are some unique insights, surprising facts (Leonardo DiCaprio was approached to play Tintin?), and the inclusion of some of his 1980s television work. And Spielberg: The First Ten Years is just as engaging, and even more in-depth.
- 1/2/2024
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
Shane Black's 2013 film "Iron Man 3" (or "Iron Man Three" as it is titled on-screen) is handily one of the best films in the long-running and now-pretty-much-dead Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is a clever, witty film that forces Tony Stark to solve a mystery and face off against bad guys without a fully functioning Iron Man suit. It displayed how capable Stark was as a wise human being as opposed to a mere superhuman. The end of the trilogy also brought the "Iron Man" story to an effective conclusion. We'll simply have to ignore that Iron Man appeared in other films after it.
Additionally, Black invented a clever twist with the film's villain. In the original Iron Man comics, the hero frequently faced off against a nemesis called the Mandarin, a racist Fu-Manchu-like caricature — armed with ten magical rings — born of pulp cliches of the 1960s. "Iron Man 3...
Additionally, Black invented a clever twist with the film's villain. In the original Iron Man comics, the hero frequently faced off against a nemesis called the Mandarin, a racist Fu-Manchu-like caricature — armed with ten magical rings — born of pulp cliches of the 1960s. "Iron Man 3...
- 1/1/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Several notable actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have talked to fitness and health magazines about their workout regimens. Karen Gillan had to do a lot of lifting and fight training to play Nebula. Dave Bautista, who plays Drax the Destroyer, noted that "superhero fit" is rather different from "wrestler fit." Want to get fit like Chris Evans when he plays Captain America? Men's Health Magazine has a whole routine devoted to his body.
Comic book superheroes, since the birth of the medium, have typically represented idealized human physiques, usually fetishizing large muscles and athletic frames. Men typically all have broad shoulders and washboard abs, while women are all lithe and busty, infamously contorting their near-nude bodies in unusual ways. It's easy to see why the trend persists: young comic book fans likely enjoy projecting themselves into the most widely celebrated body types, while also ogling attractive imaginary people. Is...
Comic book superheroes, since the birth of the medium, have typically represented idealized human physiques, usually fetishizing large muscles and athletic frames. Men typically all have broad shoulders and washboard abs, while women are all lithe and busty, infamously contorting their near-nude bodies in unusual ways. It's easy to see why the trend persists: young comic book fans likely enjoy projecting themselves into the most widely celebrated body types, while also ogling attractive imaginary people. Is...
- 12/24/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Superhero movies had entered something of a transitional period in 2007. Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" run had reached an unplanned end with the tepidly received "Spider-Man 3," leaving Sony facing the daunting prospect of rebooting a franchise that still had plenty of box office juice (the third installment racked up the webslinger's highest worldwide gross to date). Bryan Singer whiffed badly on the hugely expensive "Superman Returns," forcing Warner Bros. to pin its DC Comics hopes almost exclusively on Christopher Nolan's forthcoming sequel to "Batman Begins" (which was a modest commercial success). 20th Century Fox's "Fantastic Four" grossed just enough to merit a sequel, while the future of the "X-Men" franchise rested solely on the yoked shoulders of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
And then there was Marvel Studios, which, after watching their most popular characters make billions for other companies, yearned to control the narrative destinies of the characters they hadn't sold off.
And then there was Marvel Studios, which, after watching their most popular characters make billions for other companies, yearned to control the narrative destinies of the characters they hadn't sold off.
- 12/17/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Jon Favreau's "Iron Man" and Louis Leterrier's "The Incredible Hulk" (both 2008) in many important ways weren't yet part of the then-nascent Marvel Cinematic Universe when they were first made. Favreau put in a post-credits stinger with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury more as a wink to fans than as an announcement that larger film projects were afoot. Additionally, Downey's cameo in "Incredible" was treated equally casually, with the actors reportedly improvising their dialogue. It would only be until after Disney purchased the Marvel library in 2009 that plans for an MCU would be put into place in earnest. In many ways, then, it would be Favreau's "Iron Man 2" in 2010 that launched the MCU properly and put plans for an "Avengers" feature film into motion.
Of course, constructing a Marvel Cinematic Universe from the ground up required a new kind of filmmaking. Individual features now had to be...
Of course, constructing a Marvel Cinematic Universe from the ground up required a new kind of filmmaking. Individual features now had to be...
- 12/12/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
I am an old man. I'm not particularly old for, like, the Earth as Craig Robinson might say, but I'm just about entering my grandpa era in terms of the online culture. My time writing about movies online began in the mid-'90s while I was still in high school and that gave me a front row seat to the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe empire, so I remember that era very well.
When that first MCU end credits scene hit in "Iron Man," it was a mind-blower for many reasons. We'd never seen anything like that in blockbuster filmmaking. The shared universe idea is commonplace now, but back then the idea that Marvel could be building up to an "Avengers" crossover movie was so exciting.
However, for readers of movie rumors, that reveal was ... well, it was spoiled for them by the website I wrote for, Ain't It Cool News.
When that first MCU end credits scene hit in "Iron Man," it was a mind-blower for many reasons. We'd never seen anything like that in blockbuster filmmaking. The shared universe idea is commonplace now, but back then the idea that Marvel could be building up to an "Avengers" crossover movie was so exciting.
However, for readers of movie rumors, that reveal was ... well, it was spoiled for them by the website I wrote for, Ain't It Cool News.
- 11/30/2023
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
To remind readers, outside of Batman and Superman, superhero characters were once often considered to be bad bets at the box office. Many film execs assumed that audiences were too small to make a superhero movie profitable, and the special effects needed to realize a superhero character were going to be too extensive to do cheaply. It wouldn't be until film VFX technology had sufficiently advanced that certain filmmakers would give mainstream Marvel superheroes a try. 2000 saw the release of Bryan Singer's "X-Men," a steel-glinting superhero flick that developed its own aesthetic instead of cleaving to the colorful costumes of the comic book page. 2002 saw the release of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man," a limp and unengaging drama, but one with first-rate Spider-Man visuals that still look impressive to this day. It looked like a trend was starting.
That trend seemingly hit two speedbumps in 2003, however, with the release...
That trend seemingly hit two speedbumps in 2003, however, with the release...
- 11/25/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
If you keep up with superhero movies, you probably know how Marvel Studios started as an underdog and became a behemoth. The omnipresent Cinematic Universe all started with 2008's "Iron Man," which was far from a guaranteed hit; the title character was a B-list comic star at best, and comeback vehicles (like this was for Robert Downey Jr.) can be anything but.
According to the recent behind-the-scenes book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, even the film's writers didn't initially know if it would work. Their concerns went back to the source material. The most famous "Iron Man" comic was and is "Demon in a Bottle", about Tony Stark succumbing to and then beating alcoholism.
During the Bronze Age of Comics (the 1970s), superhero stories gestured to social relevance. "The Reign of Marvel Studios" says that writers weren't keen on such a premise being a blockbuster hit,...
According to the recent behind-the-scenes book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, even the film's writers didn't initially know if it would work. Their concerns went back to the source material. The most famous "Iron Man" comic was and is "Demon in a Bottle", about Tony Stark succumbing to and then beating alcoholism.
During the Bronze Age of Comics (the 1970s), superhero stories gestured to social relevance. "The Reign of Marvel Studios" says that writers weren't keen on such a premise being a blockbuster hit,...
- 11/23/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
In this week’s episode of The Discourse, your host Mike DeAngelo and Playlist Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez, jump on the mic to talk with Joanna Robinson, one of the writers on the new book “MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios” co-written by Dave Gonzales and, Gavin Edwards.
Read More: ‘The Marvels’ Box Office Flops At $47 Million, Marvel’s Lowest Grossing Opening Film Ever
Given everything that’s happened/happening to Marvel this year, this fall and this weekend—the flop of “The Marvels,” the studio’s lowest-grossing opening ever and their first major failure in, well, forever—the book and the conversation, is timely.
Continue reading ‘MCU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios’: Author Joanna Robinson Talks All Things Marvel & Her New Book As The Company Wobbles at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘The Marvels’ Box Office Flops At $47 Million, Marvel’s Lowest Grossing Opening Film Ever
Given everything that’s happened/happening to Marvel this year, this fall and this weekend—the flop of “The Marvels,” the studio’s lowest-grossing opening ever and their first major failure in, well, forever—the book and the conversation, is timely.
Continue reading ‘MCU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios’: Author Joanna Robinson Talks All Things Marvel & Her New Book As The Company Wobbles at The Playlist.
- 11/14/2023
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Comic book fans in the late 1990s likely recall the ambitious plan by Artisan Entertainment, a then-rising indie film studio, to make a long series of mid-budget films based on Marvel superheroes. Avi Arad, then the CEO of Marvel Entertainment, had overseen a deal that would allow Artisan to make movies with Black Panther, Thor, Deadpool, Ant-Man, Iron Fist, and Morbius, as well as Power Pack, Longshot, and an irreverent dark comedy about Mort the Dead Teenager. The deal was finalized in 2000. In 2003, however, Artisan was acquired by Lionsgate, effectively ending what would have been the ambitiously planned early-2000s mid-budget version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Despite how successful Disney's MCU would become a decade later, Marvel was once considered a non-viable source of film revenue. Indeed, while comic book sales were up across the board in the 1990s, Marvel was struggling to make their characters more visible in the marketplace.
Despite how successful Disney's MCU would become a decade later, Marvel was once considered a non-viable source of film revenue. Indeed, while comic book sales were up across the board in the 1990s, Marvel was struggling to make their characters more visible in the marketplace.
- 11/6/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
As questions swirl over whether superhero fatigue is real, a new new podcast is hitting the airwaves that tackles the 21st century’s favorite movie genre as well as the studio primarily responsible for its ascendance.
With Great Power: The Rise of Superhero Cinema is a four-part podcast that hails from the Wall Street Journal and editor Ben Fritz, the longtime entertainment reporter who wrote the prescient Hollywood tome The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies.
And just like his book, the podcast promises to be a business story as well as a Hollywood story, filled with drama, outsized egos, heroes, villains and billions of dollars.
Fritz, who hosts and reported the podcast, talked to a deep bench of people, ranging from Avi Arad, former Marvel general counsel John Turitzin, and former Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel to former Sony Pictures movie chief Amy Pascal, former DC Entertainment...
With Great Power: The Rise of Superhero Cinema is a four-part podcast that hails from the Wall Street Journal and editor Ben Fritz, the longtime entertainment reporter who wrote the prescient Hollywood tome The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies.
And just like his book, the podcast promises to be a business story as well as a Hollywood story, filled with drama, outsized egos, heroes, villains and billions of dollars.
Fritz, who hosts and reported the podcast, talked to a deep bench of people, ranging from Avi Arad, former Marvel general counsel John Turitzin, and former Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel to former Sony Pictures movie chief Amy Pascal, former DC Entertainment...
- 6/28/2023
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film "Moulin Rouge" can be described in a lot of ways: romantic, tragic, and spectacular are certainly words that apply to the final piece of the filmmaker's Red Curtain Trilogy. It can also be classified as a jukebox musical, historical fiction, and (probably in more than a few cases) a sexual awakening. But to put it more simply, the movie is a mash-up.
This description works on many levels. Musically, it takes multiple popular songs from Nirvana, Madonna, The Beatles, Dolly Parton, and Elton John, then blends them into medleys and remixes to fit the narrative of the story. The soundtrack as a whole also blends these hit songs with original music that has become just as memorable over the past few decades since the feature film's debut.
Thematically, Luhrmann took inspiration from many corners of the entertainment world. During the writing process, he borrowed from extravagant movie musicals,...
This description works on many levels. Musically, it takes multiple popular songs from Nirvana, Madonna, The Beatles, Dolly Parton, and Elton John, then blends them into medleys and remixes to fit the narrative of the story. The soundtrack as a whole also blends these hit songs with original music that has become just as memorable over the past few decades since the feature film's debut.
Thematically, Luhrmann took inspiration from many corners of the entertainment world. During the writing process, he borrowed from extravagant movie musicals,...
- 2/1/2023
- by Ben F. Silverio
- Slash Film
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Looking for good books about the movies to read? We've got a bumper selection of recommendations right here...
A confession. I actually started writing this article in 2013, and the reason you've only reading it now is that I've made sure I've read every book on this list, save for one or two where I've marked otherwise. As such, what you're getting is a very personal list of recommendations. Each of these books has at least something to it that I think is of interest to someone wanting to learn more about film - or just enjoy stories of movie making.
I've tended to avoid picture books, with one exception, as these ones I've chosen are all intended to be chock-full of words, to relax with at the end of a long day. Which is what I did. There are one or two notable omissions, as I'm still...
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Looking for good books about the movies to read? We've got a bumper selection of recommendations right here...
A confession. I actually started writing this article in 2013, and the reason you've only reading it now is that I've made sure I've read every book on this list, save for one or two where I've marked otherwise. As such, what you're getting is a very personal list of recommendations. Each of these books has at least something to it that I think is of interest to someone wanting to learn more about film - or just enjoy stories of movie making.
I've tended to avoid picture books, with one exception, as these ones I've chosen are all intended to be chock-full of words, to relax with at the end of a long day. Which is what I did. There are one or two notable omissions, as I'm still...
- 12/10/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
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