It Follows

So I'm realizing a trend with the horror movies I'm watching. They're very much Indie films more than they are horror films. They're very artsy with their style and execution, and while they no doubt have a creepy vibe to them, they are not your stereotypical jump scare movies. They rely more on building suspense and making my mind wonder about what I need to avoid to never be haunted like this in my real life. In the Witch, it was pretty easy, just don't live by the woods where a witch might live. But the haunting in this movie has a little bit bigger of a price to pay.

It Follows is a story centered around a young girl named Jaime (or Jay) (played by Maika Monroe). Not gonna lie, you don't really learn a whole lot about Jay. She's a girl in college, she has a core group of friends, and at the start of the film she's seeing a new guy that seems promising.

But things go sideways quickly when Jay and her new boyfriend Hugh (played by Jake Weary) have sex. Hugh then reveals that he has passed along a curse to her. Jay now has a ghost or a monster slowly walking towards her. Hugh tells her to keep running away from "it" and try and "pass it along" as soon as she can. He also tells her that if it touches her, she will die so she needs to keep moving.

What follows is Jay's subsequent haunting by "it" and her deciding what she's going to do about this thing following her. Does she find someone to have sex with to pass it along? Is there anyway to stop it?

So I'll talk about the things I liked first. Above all, this movie knows how to do suspense right. This is a very artsy film and the way the cinematography contributes to the suspense of finding "it" onscreen or not is absolutely masterful.

If you read my review of The Witch, you know I am a wimp when it comes to jump scares but I do have a desire to expand my horror movie horizons. Two things I enjoy in a good horror movie is 1) the story, and 2) the use of supernatural or just plain horror elements to create a creepy atmosphere. It Follows does that creepy atmosphere incredibly well. You will be spending the majority of the movie watching the background, looking for "it". And lot of times you will see it. More times, you'll see it and the characters won't. And the only people that can see it are those who have had it passed to them. The movie is pretty deliberate when it shows "it" and when it doesn't and it gives you that hair raising feeling on the back of your neck. It's really well done.

And that tension was built in the film pretty damn well. The music is minimal and it doesn't rely on loud and quick jolts in the music to startle you. The whole movie relies on you being very observant of whats going on in the film. I mean you're just looking for random people walking towards the characters, walking at a very slow methodical pace towards the main characters and it's eerie. It is very well done.

 The movie also has a somewhat (though somewhat inconsistent) 80's vibe. It's done in the music and some of the cinematography in order to produce that nostalgic feeling from old 80's horror movies. I've given it some thought and though it feels a little contrived, I think I like it.

But the 80's vibe and the eerie tension building does give way to something that I both enjoyed, but also didn't like so much.

Because of the way that the tension gets built up, and the way it's kind of paying homage to old horror movies, there are a lot of moments where I was yelling at the screen for the characters to not do something that normal people wouldn't do. Part of this is due to how vague the rules of "it" are left. Sometimes it relies on physical space, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it can be hurt but sometimes it can't. But I think on one hand it really works because it's providing a perspective that brings the audience in a figurative glass case where we can yell at the screen all we want but the characters will never hear us. Looking at it that way, that is a really interesting way to chill your audience.

However, there are moments that don't make a whole lot of sense and the characters are harkening back to the characters of the 80's who were kind of dumb and would walk into situations just to get that scare or chilling murder. Like I said, I'm kind of torn on it. On one hand, I like the way it builds tensions, but on the other hand it really diminishes the characters. And unfortunately these characters need some work.

As I'm writing this, I'm trying to think up the names of as many characters as I can think of. The most I can think of are Jay (because she's the main character), and two of the guys she has sex with in this movie, Hugh or Jeff and Greg. The only reason I know those two is because I was yelling at the screen for how dumb these characters are.

But Jay has a whole posy that follows her around including her sister, another friend, and a guy who clear has the hots for Jay (played by Keir Gilchrist). I could list off their names but I don't really know if it's worth it. And that was the biggest issue I had with the film. The characters in this movie are not only dumb, but they have little to no personality and their dialogue is horribly written. I don't necessarily think they're bad actors, I just think they had a dog shit script for a movie that put all it's creative thought into how to make a slowly methodical walking ghost be scary.

Part of this is due to the independent stylistic decisions made for the film. I feel weird because these independent horror films are really right up my alley, but this one kind of bugged me. I really liked the cinematography, but the dialogue seemed a little more artsy than I'd prefer. It didn't seem consistent with the 80's homage that it was trying to execute and I felt like I was watching all the boring music sequences from Drive where Ryan Gosling is just staring out into nothingness while artsy music plays in the background.

Again, it feels weird to say that because I'm so not for your stereotypical horror movie cliches and actually have been preferring the indie films. The weird part about it is that I feel like there could have been more. I could have used more smart use of "it" and I would have been cool with the movie toning up the scary moments. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean jump scares. I just think "it" could have been used a little better. A lot of the movie is creating a sense of anxiety that anybody walking around in the background could be "it" and it cranks up the anxiety you might have. So a good portion of the film is that in between time and if you're gonna have that in between time I think the movie could have beefed up the dialogue a little bit, done some more with the characters, and dialed down the staring into nothingness indie tone.

A part of me feels like this movie was originally meant to be a short film and then it got expanded into 100 minutes. But I feel like if the characters were better, I would have wanted to see more or I'd be interested in a sequel. But as it stands, I really disliked the ending. I'm glad I checked it out and I do appreciate the tension and scares that I got on this good ol Hallows eve, but I don't know if I would put this on the top of my list of favorite horror films.

At the end of the day, It Follows is a fun indie film that utilizes suspense, tension, and some well placed scares very well to create a unique look at the horror genre. The movie falters a little bit with its underdeveloped characters, stiff dialogue, and underwhelming ending, but I think it's surprisingly good despite being a heavy handed metaphor about sexually transmitted diseases.

I think I would recommend it, but I do think there are better films out there.

But what did you think? Any more recommendations on scary films that don't rely on jump scares? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your requests via Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading and Happy Halloween!

Daredevil Season 3

It might be a little dramatic to say that I had given up on the Marvel Netflix shows, but there was a sense of apathy that I was starting to develop pretty much after I finished the Defenders. The shows just weren't grabbing me the same way they used to. I got bored of Jessica Jones Season 2 after the first episode, I started The Punisher but never really finished it, the second season of Luke Cage came and went with no fan fare whatever, and I don't even need to really say anything about Iron Fist as I lost interest in that show probably after the second episode. But even at its lowest points, Daredevil was always consistently entertaining. While my new found apathy set my expectations low, watching the third season of Daredevil never seemed like it wasn't an option, and from the first episode I jumped right back on this train that had been started back in 2015.

Season 3 starts not long after the events of The Defenders. If you didn't watch The Defenders, essentially, Matt Murdock/Daredevil (played by Charlie Cox) finds himself broken and in a weakened state where it has become incredibly hard for him to continue as Daredevil. This is increasingly difficult for Matt who decides from this event that he's going to reject his normal life as Matt Murdock, be the Daredevil exclusively.

He heals and is headquartered out of the bottom of the church where he grew up and his new side kick of sorts is a nun by the name of Maggie (played by Joanne Whalley). She plays an incredibly important role as she is a nun with an attitude who gives Matt all the shit he deserves for how mopey he becomes, but I'll talk about that later.

Meanwhile, Foggy Nelson (played by Elden Henson) and Karen Page (played by Deborah Ann Woll) are finding success and happiness in their lives. Karen is a crack reporter at the Daily Bulletin and Foggy is a successful lawyer. However, the absence of their friend has made them feel as though they're missing something in their lives.

First and foremost, I do have to complain a little bit on how much this beginning is dependent on you having seen The Defenders and yet how much it doesn't rely on that at all. Electra, who was a big part of season 2 and The Defenders is never mentioned outside of the first episode and to be honest, I totally forgot the circumstances that put Matt in that situation in the first place. Not all of that is the show runners fault and I mean I knew that he survived in order to start this season up, but it is a little bit of a jarring beginning for those who really liked the other seasons of Daredevil but didn't watch The Defenders.

But the more important aspect of the introduction back into this world is how they reintroduce and start up the story of Wilson Fisk (played by Vincent D'nofrio). Fisk has been in prison but he realizes that the best way to help his fiance Vanessa (played by Ayelet Zurer) is to cooperate with the federal government and he starts to provide information that leads to the arrest of huge crime syndicates.

The agent in charge of this information exchange is Agent Ray Nadeem (played by Jay Ali). I'll talk more about him in depth, but he is a complicated agent in the FBI who wants to make a name for himself. He starts the information exchange and in return for his cooperation, Nadeem provides Fisk a house arrest incarceration situation. This sets off the conflict for the season as the people of Hell's Kitchen are not only angry but also scared of what Fisk potentially has planned. Most of all, Karen, Foggy, and Matt are all wary of this and start fearing for their lives.

The main conflict is Matt rebuilding himself and trying to take Fisk down once again. Foggy and Karen have similar motivations, but as he always has been, Fisk is very resourceful and always seems as though he is 5 steps ahead of the good guys. Once again, Matt is plagued with the question of if the legal system can't stop Fisk, maybe he just needs to be eliminated.

 So the thing that used to be really interesting about these Marvel Netflix shows were their underlying themes. They're written very intelligently and Daredevil is no different. However, while Jessica Jones and Luke Cage delved into societal themes of gender and race, Daredevil was always the quintessential comic book series with some minor themes on the legal system.

The things I liked about the season as a whole was how personal it was for Matt and how it developed his personal struggle as he has now been a vigilante figure for quite a long time. I liked how at times the show got a lot more abstract that it has in the past. Matt has conversations with figments of his imagination or Fisk imagines the troubled childhood of one of the FBI agents guarding him named Ben Poindexter (played by Wilson Bethel).

I'm not sure if this is a sign of premium TV or if its just gratuitous (it might depend on the viewer), but Daredevil continues a trend that has been seen in a lot of TV shows where every conversation seems to have a long lecture or story about someone's childhood or something. There are moments where the conversations don't totally feel real, but I think the feeling of premium monologe television kind of blinds us to the unrealistic exchanges some of these characters have.

But bottom line, I think the real strengths of the show come with the characters and I think the best way to explain the show is to go through the main characters and give my pros and cons in them because they drive the show. A lot happens and I can't go into every single detail so the character progression is easier honestly more pertinent.

So I really, REALLY enjoy Charlie Cox in this season. He continues to own the character and make him someone we really care about. Especially with how personal and broken Matt Murdoch is in this season, it's satisfying seeing his progression.

One tertiary critique of this season is that they kind of arbitrarily weaken Matt depending on the circumstances. He perpetually looks like he's injured, or not at his peak but then other times he's "releasing the devil" and goes harder than he's gone before. For the most part his arc is comprehensive but I think one thing I would change is maybe bring the episode count down to 8 or 10 episodes for a more concise arc. His progression at times can seem sloppy and there were episodes where I wasn't sure where he was at mentally or physically. Sometimes the physical impediment from the events of The Defenders affected him and at other times it didn't.

Something I do have to note is the way they handled the perpetual question that has to be asked with these connected universes, where is the other Defenders or why can't Matt let other people like him deal with Fisk? That is a legitimate question in this season. Like I've said, I've been a little bit out of the loop Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist since The Defenders, but why doesn't Matt call them for help? But I've come to the conclusion that it makes sense why he wouldn't. Based on dialogue from The Defenders that I remembered, Matt was the kind of person that didn't want to be on a team and he wouldn't call for help. He wouldn't rely on other to fix a problem that he believed is his problem alone. It is kind of fun to think about the outcome if Fisk came up against Luke Cage or Jessica Jones, but I do like the individual narrative this season was trying to accomplish. While it was kind of backed into a corner of directly following a team up, Matt Murdock's narrative feels all his own.

One slight draw back coincides with the fact that Daredevil was always the quintessential comic book show opposed to Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. However, the downside of that is that the show uses a lot tropes we've seen before, especially in Matt's progression as a character.

The hero at his lowest, the demonizing of the hero through the media, the hero deciding between those he cares about and keeping them safe, these are all tropes that are in this season. And the slightly worse thing is, a lot of these tropes have been done in previous seasons of Daredevil, especially season 1.

Now to be fair, these tropes worked really well in season 1. There is something to be said about if it isn't broke don't fix it. And it's not all the same, especially in the character of  Ben Poindexter, there are a lot of new things. You know how I mentioned that things get really abstract, some of the best scenes of drama for Matt come when he's debating with his inner demons in the form of Wilson Fisk.

  However, the question of whether or not Matt should resort to killing Fisk to eliminate the problems he runs across is not a new concept. That was an essential part of the first season.

The second season had it's problems and it felt fractured but at least it tried to do something different with these characters. I definitely want to see more seasons of Daredevil, but I want to see something more like Season 2 without it being a prequel for The Punisher series or being a trailer for The Defenders.

Again, this season is able to do a lot of what the first season did and made it feel new, while also adding really good extra characters and new circumstances, but I do think there could have been some more done to make this season stand out from season 1.

The supporting characters once again are Karen Page and Foggy Nelson.

Both these characters have their ups and downs and they're similar ups and downs that they've had in previous seasons.

On one hand, Karen Page continues to be a developed character with a troubled past who just wants to be a good person. And yet there are moments where they delve into her past (a past we are already aware of) alluding to a larger purpose for her, and it doesn't totally pay off. I do think her character is written well and Deborah Ann Woll is a good actor that it makes it okay, but after some reflection, I lost track of what exactly her arc was in the season. She takes a back seat to Matt (like everyone besides the villains kind of do) and she's probably the weakest written. This is compared to a pretty high bar, but I feel like they could have connected more or pulled back the strings that didn't end up paying out.

And then there's Foggy.

Foggy is a really well written character who on paper probably shouldn't work. He's traditionally been the side kick or the comic relief. They actually develop him and his relationship with his former rival Marci (played by Amy Rutberg), a relationship that originally felt like a gag, into sometime I actually cared a lot about.

His character is really fleshed out and I like him a lot... but Elden Hanson is really not a good actor at all.

This isn't new. His performance has always been kind of hammy and not very well delivered, but for me, it's always been okay throughout and this season continues that streak. While I have moments where I sigh and recognize that he's not that great of an actor, I still really appreciate his character and I like him a lot. I don't want bad things to happen to him and I relate to his struggles. I think that's mainly contributory to the way he's written, so again, it's kind of a mixed bag. I think Foggy is probably the opposite of Karen. Karen is well acted but not well written, while Foggy is badly acted but really well written. Together they create a really good support system for Matt, whether he accepts it or not.

The last good character worth mentioning is Sister Maggie. I don't really want to get into spoilers but she does have a pretty important role throughout the season. I loved the dynamic she had with Matt as she nurses him back to health.

My issues aren't really with her, its more with the structure of the season and story arcs that include her. There are certain aspects of the show that don't feel like they would matter as these characters are being hunted down by Fisk. There is a point in the show where she is talking to Karen and she brings up this narrative about her past. It's important because this is a character we've come to know, but I don't know if it was intentional but Karen kind of gives her a look of, "That's cool and all but I could be killed by Fisk at any point here, can we figure this out later?"

I like the use of her character throughout, but I prefer her early on.

Another really great addition to the cast was the character of Agent Ray Nadeem. Now I am a little conflicted with his character. I like him, but there a couple moments throughout the series where the conventional wisdom of what a real life person would do doesn't exactly match up with what this character does. This is kind of a theme with the FBI as a whole in this series and there does need to be a pretty generous suspension of disbelief to get through some of the events that occur.

Now I think they manage to make this character work at times by really delving into his background, his family and financial situation, and overall his personal ambition. He is a complex character some of the times, the risks and choices he makes do make sense. But there were a couple of moments where I was yelling at the screen for him or the FBI to take certain action that would only make sense in that situation.

Something I liked about him was that he was set up like the whole show could have been portrayed from his perspective and it would have been really interesting. The show brings you into the full picture because the show is centered on Daredevil, but I would be all for a cut of this season just from the perspective of this complex character and I think it would be really interesting. The audience knowing the real answers for the most part kind of diminishes this character and his personal drama can be kind of gratuitous and annoying at times. But I think at the end of it all, I liked his character quite a bit.

And then there's Wilson Fisk.

Once again, Vincent D'Nofrio brings a powerhouse performance as the complicated but ruthless Kingpin and ultimate rival to Daredevil. I understand why Season 2 of Daredevil is often considered not as good because it didn't have nearly enough of Wilson Fisk.

I talked at length about the fact that a lot of the same tropes are hit in this season as they were in season 1 and that does include Wilson Fisk once again. It doesn't go into total depth into his family the way the first season did, but he's still manipulating people, blackmailing others, and those he can't blackmail, he ruthlessly murders. There is a sense of terror and total control when he's on screen and I swear, D'Nofrio deserves an Emmy for this performance because he is so good.

He's still very complicated in this season, but he promotes himself more as just a force of nature. Now, the downside of this is that there are some points where you need a pretty big helping of suspension of disbelief because the reach of Wilson Fisk is pretty insane. There were some moments that took me out of it a little bit because there are some far fetched moments, but overall, it kind of worked towards Fisks force of nature atmosphere and it worked to create a sense of hopelessness throughout.

And this season continues that run of creating villains leaps and bounds better than any of the movie villains (save Thanos). That run continues with Ben Poindexter.

So Dex is a brutal character. It does not take long for him to develop his absurd level of creepiness and he as well is a force of nature not to be trifled with. Now if you're a fan of Daredevil or have any basic knowledge of the comic book, you'll recognize who this character is, IMMEDIATELY.

But I've been keeping spoilers out of this so I guess I'll hold off on that and let you figure out who it is on your own because the reality is, Dex is not that flat out that character... yet...

It is figured out very quickly that Dex is a sociopath and he becomes very creepy, very fast. I thought that the progression of his character from unstable but law abiding FBI agent to a weapon of Fisk is very well done.

 There's an origin story of him from a very young age and it's very reminiscent of the origin story of Wilson Fisk in season 1. I think they're able to utilize his specific skill of heightened accuracy very well throughout the season and you wouldn't think that that accuracy is creepy, but it really is.

One thing I will mention is that I think I would have liked more interaction between Dex and Matt/Daredevil. There are a couple of moments where they speak directly to one another, but there isn't as much of a set up rivalry between those two as much as there could be. I think this is due to the fact that Fisk is supposed to be the intellectual rival and they didn't want to take away from that battle of the minds. I think I would have preferred to see more interaction between these two. Maybe in the future, but for how much of a physical rivalry these two had, I would have wanted to see more.

So I recognize that there are a lot of characters and a lot of plot threads to come together. I think that's probably why this show continues the 13 episode format that we've seen in all the other seasons of Daredevil and the other superhero shows on Netflix. I think if there was one thing I'd change, it would be reducing that number of episodes to 10. I think 8 might not be enough (as evident from The Defenders), but 13 sometimes feels a little long. I remember this was a complaint I had of Luke Cage and I think it would fix a lot of issues.

The last thing I'll mention is that the fight sequences of this season continues to be absolutely incredible. They might have jumped the shark a little bit early on because the scene where Matt goes to the prison and the subsequent fight that occurs there is just off the wall amazing.

These shows have become infamous for their hallway fights and this season is no different. When the fight started I couldn't help but laugh because I said to myself, Time for the Hallway fight. What followed a fight that I'm pretty sure was one continuous shot and the choreography was incredibly raw. Seriously, that might be a fight scene that I will go back and watch just for fun.

The thing I like about this show is the balance it keeps between really compelling story telling and acting and raw nail biting action. It doesn't feel gratuitous nor does it overshadow the plot. I think it's used very masterfully to progress the story.

 Overall, after a little bit of reflection, I do think there are some flaws with the 3rd Season of Daredevil. I do feel as though it treads a little bit on ground that we've already covered and some of the arcs are a little sloppy or don't culminate as well as they should.

However, there are a lot of things that really work for this show and there are a lot of really great additions or new things they bring to the franchise. The action, acting, and story is phenomenal and it epitomizes the feeling one gets when they feel the need to binge watch a show. I continuously felt a feeling of excitement while watching this show and I honestly haven't felt that way about a Marvel Netflix show for a while.

There's a lot of change happening with Disney and Marvel. Disney is pulling Marvel movies from Netflix because they will be starting their own streaming service next year. Furthermore, they have started cancelling some of these Defenders characters like Iron Fist and Luke Cage. Now I don't think anybody was surprised by Iron Fist, but you'd think I'd be more surprised and shook by Luke Cage being cancelled. However, that surprise wasn't there. Like I mentioned at the front, I have developed a sense of apathy towards these shows until now. Honestly, since The Defenders, I haven't really cared about this group of characters that much.

The future looks a little bleak. Nobody really knows how well The Defenders did but I will say that I think the quality of The Defenders and Daredevil is night and day. I loved the first season of Jessica Jones but the second season didn't catch my interest at all. I loved the first half of Luke Cage but the second season came and went and I was just apathetic towards any suggestion of watching it. And like I said, nobody was surprised when Iron Fist got cancelled.

But I think this season was just a boost of energy that I think I needed for my interest in these shows. This has made me want to go back and finish The Punisher, it has made me want to go and watch the second season of Luke Cage and maybe give Jessica Jones a second chance. But like I said, the future looks bleak.

Even if Disney doesn't want to move these characters over to their streaming service because it would be too dark, I don't think they're going to put any energy in properties on a competing streaming service, especially if those characters aren't popular anymore.

I REALLY hope they do a fourth season of Daredevil. The ending does suggest a fourth season is coming, but I'm skeptical. Both Jessica Jones and The Punisher have been renewed for a second season but I am worried that this could all be for nothing. Again, a month ago I was pretty apathetic to that, and now I'm actually kind of worried for that sad outcome because this was such a good season of television. I definitely recommend it.

But have you seen Daredevil Season 3? Where's your enthusiasm level for these Marvel properties at? Do you want to see more characters show up on Netflix in this darker format? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your thoughts for films and TV shows I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!

The Witch

I love getting recommendations. I've been trying to increase my exposure to horror movies, especially in this Halloween season. I don't like jump scares but I do like the creepy uneasy vibe that I get from movies like The Shining or Get Out. I was talking with my friend about these kinds of movies and he recommended The Witch (or The VVitch I guess). While I'm probably going to try and continue this trend of horror movies past Halloween, I thought I'd get a couple of horror films in before the end of the month. The Witch was a phenomenal choice for my particular horror tastes.

From the beginning, The Witch is described as a New England Folktale. It takes place in the 1630s and centers on a family that has come to the wilderness of North America from England and has been exiled from the plantation they were living on. So they go out into the middle of the woods and start a new life for themselves.

After some time of living on their own, some tragic circumstances start happening and the family starts to suspect that they're being haunted by a witch in the woods outside their land. The result is a really creepy period piece that I dug almost all the way through.

The main character of the story is the oldest daughter Thomasin (played by Anya Taylor-Joy). The head of the family is her father William (played by Ralph Ineson) with her mother Katherine (played by Kate Dickie). Thomasin has a younger brother named Caleb (played by Harvey Scrimshaw) and a pair of younger twins.

The catalyst to this misfortune and haunting comes when the family's infant son Samuel disappears literally from under Thomasin's nose and this adds an element of both family turmoil and tension, but also a sense of the unknown as the story leaves it a little ambiguous what or who is actually the root cause of this haunting.

I feel like I'm going to gush over this movie a little bit so I'll talk about the things I didn't like first.

So this is the epitome of a period piece because they literally talk in old English. I'm not gonna say I absolutely hated it because it was unique and it added to the realism of the period and it made me have to pay attention, but I could see it get a little bit confusing, especially when some big reveals come out, the Old English can hinder the story a little bit. I didn't watch the movie with subtitles but a part of me actually thinks that might help.

Another thing that wasn't so much an issue for me for the most part but might be for others is the fact that this is less a scary movie than it is a Indie movie with some horror elements to it. This is perfect for me because I enjoy the story of horror movies more than being scared. I was for sure scared in this movie, but in comparison with other horror movies and the mainstream horror audience, I get the feeling it's pretty tame.

The last thing is that there are a couple moments where things are a little slow. Because I'm on edge at all times during horror films I was wired throughout, but if you're more accustomed to horror films and a drab slow period piece isn't going to keep you interested, this movie might put you to sleep at moments or might be boring.

I'm more projecting at this point because I really enjoyed this film but I get the feeling that others might have a different view of it.

Now those are all the things that the movie has against it, I want to talk about the points that I really liked in this movie.

Like I said, I enjoy horror movies more for their stories rather than the scares. If you throw in a supernatural element or mysterious plot points that contribute to a creepy atmosphere to a really good story, you have me hooked. That's why this movie was really up my alley.

The performances from everyone in this cast was great. Like I said, the Old English could potentially be distracting for people, but I think it works because these actors don't let it hurt their performance. They work it phenomenally and once you get used to it it does add to the period piece environment that movie is going for.

The scary parts of the film, and there are a lot of them, don't rely on jump scares but instead rely on building the tension and just creating an eerie and uneasy environment. But furthermore, it's able to take the naturally scary parts of frontier living and combines it with a supernatural force haunting this family. Anya Taylor-Joy does a really good job in this film because she's able to be both a "scream queen" as the typical victim throughout the film, but she also conveys a lot of drama with being the black sheep of this family.

I heard in another review that this movie is essentially The Shining set in the 1600s and I couldn't agree more with that sentiment. I think that's why I liked it, because it accomplishes a lot of the same goals and atmosphere similar to potentially my favorite horror movie of all time.

Overall, The Witch is a really solid supernatural horror period piece that doesn't rely on a whole lot of jump scares to accomplish its goal. Instead it relies on good story telling, and developing a tension filled creepy atmosphere.

If you're like me and you like horror movies with a creepy atmosphere and don't like jumpscares, I highly recommend this film. If you're a more mainstream horror movie consumer, I still recommend you check this one out, but that does go with the disclaimer that it might not be exactly what you think it's gonna be. I still believe you'll get a lot out of the film, but maybe not exactly what you went in expecting.

But those are my thoughts on The Witch. What did you think? Comment and Discuss below! Also, if you're aware of other really good horror movies that don't rely on jump scares, feel free to share your recommendations in the comment section or on Twitter @MovieSymposium. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Goodfellas

So I had a lot to stuff to do the other night. I was studying for a test, I was reading for grad school, I had some other stuff on my To Do list and of course, I turn on the TV very briefly and I see that Good Fellas is starting. At that point, I knew my night was shot and I was hooked. I thought it was finally time to see this classic and see what my thoughts on it would be.

Now this movie came out in 1990, almost 30 years ago. There are elements about this movie that have made it somewhat timeless, but I do think there are some elements that don't hold up as well for this film. I will for sure make note of those things, but I will note why this has become such a culturally significant film. I think I come in from an interesting perspective because being a fan of film but having waited so long to see this movie, I can recognize what elements this movie gave birth to and how it inspired a lot of films that have come out in the close to 30 years since the films release.

Goodfellas is based on the true story of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta). Henry narrates the majority of the film from his early childhood initiation into the Italian Crime family of Paulie Cicero (played by Paul Sorvino). He states that from an early age he was seduced by the life of being a gangster and he gets brought on as an enforcer for Paulie's crime family.

The movie chronicles the rise from rags to riches for Henry as he meet other gangsters like Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) and higher ranking gangsters like Jimmy Conway (played by Robert De Nero). It also shows the relationship he builds with his wife Karen (played by Lorraine Bracco) and how that toxic relationship forms him and his choices through this dangerous and illegal lifestyle.

If you've seen The Wolf of Wallstreet, you'll recognize that the format and progression of the story that Martin Scorsese developed first with this film. There's not so much a central conflict that drives the whole movie as much as its a chronicle of a morally compromised individual. But where Wolf of Wallstreet seemed to almost glorify that lifestyle, Goodfellas points out that all of this comes with a cost.

The other aspect of the film that was interesting was how they humanized these really horrible individuals. I know that Robert De Niro is a horrible person in this film, but he sells it when there is pain in his face when his goals are not met or someone close to him is lost. Joe Pesci is an asshole who indiscriminately murders in this film, and yet you still understand his goals of progressing in the family because this is the more important thing to him and that's very human emotions and interactions.

Furthermore it notes that crime is not without emotions and criminals are human and don't always think rationally. After a huge heist, people are going to spend money, they can't help it, even though it could hurt their chances of getting away with it. This is something very prevalent in the film and it's fascinating to watch.

De Niro and Pesci actually take a back seat to Liotta which was not what I was expecting when I was going into this film. They still give great performances and the writing for their character is exceptional but I understand now why Liotta became a household name after this film. I've never been a huge fan of him and he hasn't made the best choices since, but I get why this propelled him very quickly from obscurity to celebrity fame.

I think Liotta shines the most in his relationship with his wife Karen. From the get go, if you're a normal healthy person, you will recognize that this relationship is doomed from the get go and it's toxic. But at the same time there is some emotional moments between the two that you see the chemistry.

On top of that, it helps the audience understand the culture in these Italian Crime Families. Karen gets a couple of narration throughout along with Henry and she provides a fellow outsider experience into this culture that I don't think a lot of people understand.

Now a lot of it seems like hyperbole for dramatic effect, but at the same time there is a human element to the movie that feels very genuine, especially considering the fact that this is based on a true story. But more importantly, this movie feels like it could be set in any time period and still give off a classic timelessness feel to it that it's able to convey.

There are certain scenes that I knew were classic scenes having not a whole lot of context of the movie going into it. The film is shot beautifully and the narrative flows pretty well.

I couldn't help but compare it to The Wolf of Wallstreet because the first person narrative, fourth wall break, and chronology story telling of Goodfellas no doubt inspired The Wolf of Wallstreet years later. I think Goodfellas is leaps and bounds better than The Wolf of Wallstreet but it's fun seeing them in reverse order and seeing where all that inspiration came from.

However, some of the same issues I had with The Wolf of Wallstreet were also inspired by this film. First is that it's a little long for my taste. It starts from when Henry was a kid in the 60s all the way through the 80s and a lot happens in a very loose chronology fashion. While Goodfellas didn't feel 3 hours the way The Wolf of Wallstreet did, I think it could condense in places to be more streamlined.

Again, Goodfellas did the morally compromised character arc better, but it still makes it difficult relate to a character who is just hardwired differently where human life means little to nothing to them. These are small issues as I think Goodfellas addresses these different approaches uniquely and a lot better than The Wolf of Wallstreet, but that doesn't mean they're totally absent.

The last thing worth mentioning isn't even a bad thing on this movie, it's the cultural impact this movie had. This movie feels timeless, I couldn't believe it came out in the 90s because it feels like it could have been made in the 70s or 80s and it has that classic feel that makes it feel older than it actually is.

But the cultural impact set off a series of movies just trying to recreate the impact this movie clearly had. Some of it was good with shows like the Sopranos, some of it wasn't because it didn't understand the messages this movie had. It wasn't just a crime movie, it was a story about people. Albeit morally compromised people, but it was about a culture of violence and toxic relationships within that culture.

Since then, crime movies have been done to death and none of them have that classic feel that Goodfellas have. A good example is a movie like American Gangster, the Denzel Washington vehicle that came out in 2007.

Don't get me wrong, I like this movie. I think it's a good one and you should check it out if you haven't seen it yet. But I know for a fact that American Gangster isn't going to have the same effect on the crime film genre the way Goodfellas did. Goodfellas is up there with The Godfather in just the way it portrays crime. I don't like reaffirming what people have said in the past because everyone likes a hot take, but all the praise for this movie is totally warranted.

I think we should encourage movies like American Gangster because I think it was telling an interesting story but there are so many movies like it trying to be The Godfather, trying to be Goodfellas that more than likely they're not going to reach that level as hard as they try. And more recently, you get movies that are just trying to capitalize on the tropes and things that worked in those movies and they don't understand what made them great. (See: Gotti).

My point is that is something unique about Goodfellas that makes it a movie worth celebrating. Is it going to go down as one of my favorite movies of all time? No I don't think so mainly in being the OG for a lot of tropes that have been used over and over again I'm almost annoyed by some of it, but I will recognize a really well made movie when I see one and if you waited far too long to see Goodfellas like I did, do yourself a favor and go check it out now.

But have you seen Goodfellas? What did you think? What's your favorite part? Does it hold up almost 30 years later? Comment an Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Get Out

So this has been a movie I've wanted to check out for a while. If you know me, I'm a wimp when it comes to anything even remotely horror so while I wanted to see this movie pretty badly, I didn't see it in theaters. I think it's movies like this, Gerald's Game, and some of the movies I want to check out on Netflix and Redbox that will make me more adventurous and check these films out earlier. That's the hope at least.

Get Out is the directorial debut of Jordan Peele. It follows the story of Chris (played by Daniel Kaluuya) as he prepares for a weekend with this girlfriend Rose (played by Allison Williams) to go out to the suburbs and meet her parents for the first time.

This interplay between Chris and Rose and eventually Chris and Rose's family is part of why this story is so unique. It's hitting on a lot of the stresses and questions that come up in an interracial couple and how the dynamic is just different in an already stressful situation of meeting the parents.

Bradley Whiteford and Catherine Keener play Rose's parents. They are wealthy people and of course the interactions between them and Chris as well as Chris's interaction with Rose's brother (played by Caleb Landry Jones) and other neighbors and family friends are really hyperbolized and played for awkward and comedic effect, but it also is an example of how well done the script is for this movie. I'll discuss that more later.

As the weekend progresses, Chris starts to notice weird things happening with the family, especially with the black hired help of the family.

There's not a whole lot else I can say because a lot of the movie is dependent on not knowing the secret, but the important thing to note is that things go beyond the standard racial awkwardness of a black man coming into an environment of white people.

Going back to the script, something I noticed halfway through the film is that every conversation is deliberate and sets up conflict between characters. That dialogue creates suspense and tension that Peele is able to craft masterfully. The dialogue is supposed to make it racially tense, it's supposed to put you on the edge of your seat, even when there's not any kind of horror or psychological elements going on. When you get to that stuff the movie gets really good, but honestly, this could just be a movie about an interracial couple going to meet the white parents and I think Peele could make it interesting. It's not racially charged for no reason either. I think that's something people might try and say, but even when the racial tensions are exaggerated, they're purposeful. I wasn't interested in giving this movie an Oscar just for the sake of giving them an Oscar because it's "an important film", but having watched it, it's very deserving of the Best Original Screenplay because it's written so well.

Again, I won't talk too in depth in order to not spoil the film (I'm thinking about potentially doing a spoilers review but I haven't decided yet). The point is that once the "horror" or suspense elements come in, the movie continues to up the ante and be better with every shot.

Get Out is similar to Gerald's Game where it's not so much a horror film as it is a suspenseful, psychological movie. Gerald's Game supplemented it with drama, Get Out supplements it with a science fiction that I found really interesting. After watching this, it makes total sense that Peele was tapped for the remake of The Twilight Zone and maybe it'll convince me for CBS All Access... probably not, but more importantly, I want to see more from Jordan Peele.

I'll make the comment everyone else in the world has already made, it's great to see an actor who has been making his career mainly a comedic one with Key and Peele and then make the switch over to horror science fiction and do it so seamlessly. I just rented A Quiet Place and I imagine it's a similar transition for John Krasinski. But in the case of Get Out, I am really looking forward to future projects from Jordan Peele, whether it be The Twilight Zone, Get Out 2, or hopefully a totally new original script.

 A couple of other stand out things about the movie besides the script that I've been raving out is the performances. Everyone gives a really great performance. I think if I had to choose one that stood out the most, it'd be Catherine Keener, but Bradley Whitford was also exceptional. The relationship Daniel Kaluuya's character builds with everyone is really great in it's own way. His relationship with Rose is fantastic and there is actual chemistry there, the stand off relationship with her family is off putting and great. The relationship he has with his buddy Rod (played by Lil Rel Howry) who is the stereotypical black person watching a horror movie is really great. Overall, there's not a lot to complain about when it comes to Get Out. I'll be interested to see what the effect of this movie is in the future. I think it's very timely for racial tensions that we're experiencing in our day and age, but I get the feeling that it will be relatable 10 to 20 years from now for both its commentary on race but also its use of science fiction elements and storytelling.

I think if anything was lacking in the film, it was that I wanted to see more. I don't know if that's really a bad thing but there was one point, kind of near the end where I was waiting for more of the science fiction horror elements of it and instead it went to the climax of the film. It works and all, but I think this would be a movie that I'd be really interested in seeing more of. I'd also be very content with this being a one off and Jordan Peele expanding his original thought on new stories, but I'd also be super fascinated to see more of this world. I don't know for sure, but the movie left me wanting a little more than what I got which is a pretty lame con of the film, but that's a good thing right? We want our movies keeping us wanting more.

I think so of the reason this movie was so hyped up was for two reasons. One, I think it came out at a time of racial tension and we look for mediums like this to try and analyze and comprehend things like subtle racism. I think the movie does a good job at utilizing that platform to have a discussion about that.

But the movie also felt unique and from a fresh voice and perspective. It doesn't feel like your run of the mill horror film, it feels like it's trying to say something. I get the feeling it will stand the test of time be a pretty important movie in the future, but again, I think we need to look at it in a couple of years and see if its timely to a point in history where we were focused on race relations, or if its timeless. We'll see.

But those are my thoughts on Get Out. I know I'm late to the party but I'm actually pretty glad that not a whole lot was spoiled for me. What did you think? Did you like it? Does this movie hold up a year later? Do you think it'll hold up in 5 or 10 years? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Gerald's Game

So I've been on another Stephen King kick and I've made it my goal to watch a few more horror movies this November than I usually do. Tis the season am I right? I was hesitant about Gerald's Game for two reasons, first being that it was marketed as a horror movie and I was expecting jump scares. Secondly, there are some elements about this movie that you could probably project happening, especially with a movie about a woman being handcuffed to a bed and her struggle to free herself.

But I've been trying to push myself to watch more "horror" or scary films because I do like the psychological and science fiction elements out of certain horror films. I find these elements especially in Stephen King novels because the man just seems to be really good at it.

Gerald's Game follows a middle aged couple named Jessie and Gerald (played by Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood respectively). From the get go, you can see their relationship is on the fritz and they want to spice up their marriage. So they go to a secluded lake house and in no time at all they're ready to start their new sexual experiences that Gerald begins with a pair of handcuffs, firmly restraining both Jessie's hands to the bed post.

There is some interactions in between that are important to the story so I won't spoil it, but bottom line is, Gerald ends up having a heart attack and dying right on top of the still restrained Jessie. What follows is a psychological battle that Jessie has with herself on what she needs to do to survive, get help, and ultimately escape her predicament.

Eventually through stress, fear, and isolation, she starts to question what is real and starts seeing things that manifest out of her psyche and problem solving processing.

This was probably the most interesting part of the movie because the setting is so intimate and reserved to that one room for the majority of the film that a lot of the strength needs to be in the dialogue and the way they flesh out that time she's just by herself. Other movies supplement that with flashbacks that make the whole story, and while there are flashbacks in this movie that allude to Jessie's past experiences, their not random and it all goes back to her condition, on the bed, handcuffed, and slowly headed towards death. It is a fascinatingly produced and written movie with a great small cast. Gugino probably gives the performance of her life time in this film and I am always a fan of Bruce Greenwood.

The stakes, though relatively low to other movies out there, could never be higher for this woman who we get to know very personally and the course of 48-ish hours are engrossing from the beginning. They do a really good job at letting us get to know her and it makes the thrill of her struggle even more intriguing.

The movie is incredibly cerebral and it's messes with your emotions, mind, and thrills. I think if you're looking for a horror movie, you might be pretty disappointed with this one, but that's really not the genre. It's more a movie that's going to mess with your head and also be a bit of a drama.

Now here's the downsides of it. This movie is a little bit slow at times. Remember, a lot of the film is her talking to herself, or the carnations of her mind and when she calms down a little and she's not outwardly freaking out, there are a few really quiet moments that I felt were a little slow. To be fair, the movie is relatively streamlined for the majority of it and the movie never feels too long for a long time. There are certain plot points that the movie teases at for maybe a moment too long. But I think that is all forgiven when you take into account how well written this story is, and how well it's executed through the performances and the plot progression. Again, this is not a straight up horror flick, it's a little more psychological and focused on the drama. I think, especially if you're a fan of Stephen King, this is a gritty, real feeling story that is a fascinating character study. It might not be for everyone and if you're squeemish, some stuff in the movie might off set you, but overall, I'd recommend it to anybody who needs a short contained story on Netflix.

But those are my thoughts on Gerald's Game. Have you seen it? What did you think about it? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for movies I should watch in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!

James Gunn's Suicide Squad 2/ DC's new direction

I rarely do posts reacting to individual pieces of news anymore. I used to respond to everything from trailers to casting news but that changed when news became not only more frequent to the point of unsustainability, but increasingly unreliable in a variable environment. Remember when Joss Whedon was directing Batgirl? Remember when New Mutants was supposed to come out in April 2018?

I'm deciding to give my thoughts on the news that James Gunn is probably going to write and potentially direct Suicide Squad 2 not only because it's an interesting development for a movie that I had absolutely no interest in, but I think it's a good launch pad for talking about the future of the DC cinematic universe that I've wanted to talk about for a year now. I originally wanted to write a follow up to my spoilers review of Justice League ranting about the direction of the DCEU and where it could go from Justice League, but like I mentioned in that review, that's incredibly difficult in a world where it's unclear if it's even going to continue. 

A lot has changed though and while I'm still very unsure on where this DC cinematic universe is going, there have been some developments that have changed my outlook completely and changed what films I'm actually looking forward to, and where DC could go. 

But first and foremost, I want to talk about James Gunn. 

I think my perception of Gunn has been shaped by a bias I have for DC over Marvel. When the first Suicide Squad came out, I defended it way more than I should have. I believed that Suicide Squad was judged unfairly while hitting a lot of the same notes that Gunn and his film were widely praised for while Suicide Squad was widely mocked. 

I stand by some of those thoughts still and think the Guardians of the Galaxy films are a tad overrated, but in comparison, Guardians has its flaws but maintains its charm, while Suicide Squad's flaws only seem to get worse every time I watch it. 

The main point though is that I don't think I've been fair to Gunn. I think he's only shown his talent for writing and directly and on top of that only seems to be a solid human being who has seen the errors in previous mindsets and comments he's made in the past. 

I think it was a mistake for Disney to drop Gunn and not emphasis the importance of redemption which I think Gunn has really tried to do. I've seen the tweets he wrote and they're disgusting. Unequivocally, I think that they were unacceptable. But the Gunn of today isn't the Gunn who made those comments. He didn't pretend it didn't happen, he doesn't blame anybody but himself, and he's worked to be a better person. I agree that we shouldn't accept comments like that, but I also think we should be encouraging people to take steps like the ones Gunn has taken and I think Disney made a mistake. 

So I was pleasantly surprised on the level of savage intelligence on the part of Warner Brothers to snatch up Gunn to potentially take the helm on a property that seems right up his alley. 

But the more I hear about it, the more I become excited for a movie that before this news I couldn't have cared less about. I didn't really need a Suicide Squad 2 and I saw it as a distraction from other films that could make the DC cinematic universe watchable. But not only is Gunn being brought on but they've stated that it'll seem more like a remake rather than a direct sequel actually makes me really excited for the film. 

I think Gunn will probably utilized what worked for the previous film like Margot Robbie and Will Smith, but I could see him delving into the material and bringing up a rich, more developed cast of characters to make this movie actually a lot of fun. 

Now, my excitement and support for this movie comes with a couple of caveats. 

1. I do not want Suicide Squad 2 to just be Guardians of the Galaxy but with DC characters. While the two teams are similar, they are not the same. If Gunn comes out with a film that just feels like the same thing, I'm going to be disappointed because I don't want the DC universe to be Marvelized. I want this universe to be different and fun, but not the campy Marvel version of the DC universe that we got at the end of Justice League. 

2. I want DC and Warner Brothers to let Gunn make the movie he wants to and get the hell out of his way. David Ayer is a good director, but Suicide Squad was not the movie he made. If Gunn wants to make Joker the villain, make him the GD villain. Learn from your mistakes DC, you have a great opportunity here, don't waste it. 

Honorary #3 - Put Dave Bautista in it. This is not necessary and I'm not even sure it's possible, but he said today that he would want to sign up for this movie and it would be an extra savage move... I'm thinking King Shark...

But the fact that I'm suddenly actually excited and care about the results of Suicide Squad 2 indicates the state the DC cinematic universe has really been for recently. I hope I've indicated that this is a good move, and I will talk about some other good things that DC has been doing with this change in direction, but this rant will also point out the parts that have drastically changed my outlook on this cinematic universe and where I hope they make changes. 

But the good things first. 

1. DC seems confident about the movies that are unavoidably in the pipeline

Do Aquaman and Shazam look like they're going to be the best superhero movies of the year? Absolutely not. I'll talk about this later, but I'm about 50/50 if either one of those movies are going to be at all good. But for the time being, DC seems like they're confident in them. This might change when it comes closer to their release, but the fact that I haven't heard about James Wan being handcuffed by studio interference, or Shazam going through massive re-shoots (yet) is encouraging.

And I think everyone has an uncharacteristic blind faith that the Wonder Woman sequel is going to be good so I'm not worried about that.

I'll talk about the approach DC has been taking and how they've been very quiet about the exact direction they're taking their franchise, but for the time being they're putting their money behind Aquaman, Shazam and Wonder Woman when it comes to the established universe. I remain skeptical of any movie that was announced prior to, or even after Justice League, even Suicide Squad 2, but DC doesn't seem as frantic as they used to be. At least not totally, and that feeds into the second positive.

2. It doesn't feel like DC is just trying to chase Marvel's tail anymore 

It doesn't feel anymore like DC is chasing Marvel's tail anymore. I can't say they're not still just throwing things at the wall to see if it sticks and I'll talk about the lack of direction DC seems to have right now, but the stuff that they're serious about is seeming to float to the top and while they don't have a concrete way forward, they seem to be focusing on making good movies, not just going through the motions, or making the movies they think are necessary to make their own cinematic universe. While I can be critical of the way we view superhero movies today versus 2008 at the start of the MCU, I do think that DC needs to step up the quality of their movies and they at least seem like they're taking steps to do that.

The most recent news these days being the Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie and this news about James Gunn, at least gives the perception that they are interested in making good movies. The news report about Gunn being hired is that he seems to have the reigns with Suicide Squad, to use whatever characters he wants, and will take the movie in the direction it needs to go in order to be a good movie, not a franchise installment... for now...

I'm going to talk more about the pros and cons coming out of this Joker movie, but one thing I will mention about is that it does fill me with at least a little bit of confidence to listen to stories about this incarnation.

Just by reputation, Joaquin Phoenix doesn't seem to take on projects that he doesn't feel will expand his career, and it's been reported that he's been opposed to franchise contracts in the past so I can only hope that they're going to leave it all on the court with this movie and make the best film they can.

And what's more, this movie seems to be breaking ground on something totally new.

3. Some of it feels like they're expanding their horizons and trying something that has never been done before. 

The screen test from this movie looks good, all the footage shows a movie that could end up being really solid, and the best part is, if it all works, you will probably start seeing the doors opening for other characters to get this one off treatment and take a unique approach to the super hero world.

Now, one offs or unrelated to a larger franchise superhero films are not new, but they are by no means trendy right now. This Joker movie could break DC from this expectation of building a larger universe and just focus on good movies and interesting stories and if that's the case, I'd really be interested in that...

Now... all of this is under the assumption that these upcoming movies are going to be good, and that segues great into how my view of this movie universe has really turned negative. I used to be a huge DC fan, defending these movies to the death and assuring my friends that they're leading up to something. The reality is these days, I'm really not that sure and here are some reasons why.

Negatives

1. All of this is speculation

While the trailers for Aquaman and Shazam have been fun, there is nothing about those trailers that assures me that those movies are going to be good. They look fun, I'm going to see them, but I've seen good trailers before that led to bad movies, and even if these trailers were really good (which they're not, they're okay), I would still be skeptical because of the track record DC has had in the past.

DC is in a really tough position because I really think that they needed Justice League to propel them forward into two movies that fans want to see, but needed a little bit more enthusiasm for. I only know a handful of people who love Aquaman or Shazam so much that they would wait outside at midnight to see that movie opening day (I know that barely happens these days but I'm trying to make a point). Instead of these movies riding off a wave of Justice League, they have to get the hype going again for a franchise that has been struggling.

Right now, the only movie that has warranted true excitement and no skepticism has been Wonder Woman 2. That's because Patty Jenkins provided evidence on why we should be excited for all of this.

The truth is, we dont' know if Jame's Gunn's Suicide Squad is going to be good. It could be horrible. Even this Joker movie kind of smells of DC not really listening to the needs to fans and just doing what they think is profitable. As many screen tests and cool production videos you can find for this Joker movie, this is still a movie that nobody asked for and I'm still skeptical on. I can be intrigued, but it has given me no real reason to believe that it is going to be good. The truth is, I'm not going to be optimistic DC future until I watch both Aquaman and Shazam and conclude that they are good and on the right track.

DC has been very good in the past about gas lighting us into believing that things are okay but the truth is, the skepticism of DC's movies goes right back to square one if Aquaman is not a good movie. 

2. While they don't seem like they're chasing Marvel's tail, the franchise seems very aimless at the moment. 

So this point, I have to give DC some credit because in the case that they want to reboot the franchise if they were so disappointed with Justice League, they couldn't come out right and say that without undermining the productions they have already invested money into. Aquaman was pretty much in the can when Justice League premiered, Shazam was just about to start. And then there's the problem of Wonder Woman being such a fan favorite and it would be like leaving money on the table if they didn't let Patty Jenkins do another sequel.

But whether or not they're rebooting or not, the whole cinematic universe seems aimless. There are like 3-5 Joker movies coming out and while they've trashed some of the random movie ideas that never really had any traction to begin with (Batgirl), there doesn't seem to be a deliberate direction with the franchise anywhere in sight. All I see is the studio continuing to throw everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, it just they've seen what sticks but it doesn't really have the connective tissue that is expected of a large franchise like this. And none of those ideas that have "stuck" don't seem to be connected to what was alluded to in previous movies.

Remember when Steppenwolf alluded to Darkseid? Remember Batman's weird nightmare set in an alternative universe where Superman is evil? Remember when Lex Luthor met with Deathstroke and said they should make a "league of our own" leading to what I can only assume was supposed to be a remake of the Gina Davis and Tom Hanks vehicle about a female baseball team but this time with the villains?

None of those ideas seem to be anywhere in production and it makes you just wonder what the point of the last few movies have been if we're just going to focus on a Suicide Squad that might be a soft reboot with totally new characters.

It's clear that DC thought that what they were working with wasn't working and that's why there is serious doubt that we'll see any of those seeds followed through with in any future movie, and while it's sometimes good to not know where a franchise is going, DC just doesn't inspire me with the confidence that they're telling good stories.

Remember this presentation? When Marvel joked around with us that they were making Captain America Serpent Society and it ended up being the announcement for Civil War? It shows a distinct difference between DC and Marvel's approach. This announcement meant something because it gave us a picture of what the larger narrative is going to be like. Fans knew what Civil War was, they knew what Ragnarok was, and they knew what Infinity War was. Now, I know for a fact that none of those movies followed the source material to the point where you could get a copy of the Civil War comics and know what the plot of that movie was. But at least they confirmed to fans that they knew what they were doing and they cared about the stories that fans have been caring about for years.

And the sad thing is, DC had a moment where they followed in Marvel's footsteps in a good way.

Remember when Harry Lennix got on stage during Comic-Con in 2013 and he read the passage from the Dark Knight Returns and they said that that was going to be the inspiration for the next movie? That got people really excited! It was awesome! It didn't matter that the movie was not going to follow the narrative of that particular comic, it got people excited.

What comic was Suicide Squad based on? I mean what specific narrative? Was there a specific narrative that Justice League was built off of? I'm not saying that that is necessary because it's not. But something Marvel has done really well is have the stories driven by the creators or fans of these comics. It gave us at least a hint at what was to come and gave people the opportunity to speculate on what could happen.

But right now the whole cinematic universe seems aimless. Maybe this is because they're regrouping to come back with some awesome future plans to revive the franchise, maybe they're just rebooting and waiting for a time that isn't going to undercut the upcoming movies to announce it, or maybe they're just going to make whatever movie comes to mind and say be damned to all kind of continuity. This has been a constant with DC, where they don't seem to have  a clear direction. And without that clear direction people don't get excited, it just makes us angry.

3. Cast departures and throwing out the things that worked does not build enthusiasm. 

Imagine a world where both Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr left their roles as Captain America and Iron Man after the first Avengers movie. I imagine the franchise would still continue and you could still make a successful franchise, but there would be a big hole left in the franchise that I don't think a character we've only seen on television could fill. Imagine if they dropped Captian America because they were going to bring Jessica Jones in and focus more on her. You'd be confused and a little skeptical that Marvel was heading in the right direction.

Now officially, Affleck and Cavill have not said that they aren't going to be in any future DC movie moving forward but there have been plenty of reports making me believe that the two are moving onto bigger and better things and to me that is a shame.

These two essentially started this universe and how do you continue a franchise when those two main characters who started it are not going to have a place in that future?

Am I interested in a Supergirl movie? Yes, I actually would really like that. I enjoyed episodes of the CW show and I wouldn't mind seeing it on the big screen but I think, especially in the case of Superman, that relationship could be something really great to be explore.

But what's more is that both these actors are very talented people. Ben Affleck is an Oscar award winning writer and director, Henry Cavill is a big name from a lot of movies but more recently his role in Mission Impossible Fallout. Furthermore, they are actually the good parts of this franchise but they've been horribly written.

Yes, Batman v Superman was hot garbage but countless times over people have said that they want to see the smiley and optimistic Superman we caught a glimpse of at the end of Justice League. An old grizzled Batman is one that we haven't seen before and there are a lot of stories you could do with that in single movies. Why would you let these two go?

To be fair, some of this might be negotiations that are out of Warner Brother and DC's control. But it's hard to get excited about a franchise that seems to be drifting and not recognizing the clear potential of people like these two guys.

So what's the overall on DC right now for me? I don't know.

There's a lot of good things that DC has lined up. But then again that's all based on speculation. They have the talent and the direction that could lead to really great movies and a unique take on a genre that has been going on for a while, but some of that talent is leaving and there is still a sense of studio control in a lot of these films.

At the moment, the best thing happening to DC is this Fox/Disney buyout deal. The X-men movies are being given trailers but then are pushed back, giving the impression that that is a sinking ship and the only profitable thing is Deadpool.

For a brief moment, DC doesn't look like they're the studio that has the least clue what they're doing with their superhero franchises. But this will not last long.

I imagine I will probably do a follow up to this once Aquaman and Shazam have come out but with the way things have been going, I would imagine that the environment could be 100% different by that point so we will see. I hope you enjoyed this somewhat coherent rant and if you have your own thoughts please send me my way either in the comments or on Twitter. My Twitter handle is @MovieSymposium and I love feedback and continuing the conversation. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

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