#Marvel Cinematic Universe in China | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jsbmarketresearch01 · 1 year

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China Lifts Ban on Marvel Movies After 3 Years Two of them to Get Released in February

China is known to ban not just Marvel movies but social media platforms (YouTube and WhatsApp) from the United States for unknown reasons. While the ban was not outrightly official in China over Marvel movies, none of the residents could see a release in cinema halls these films for the last three years. But in a surprise move, the ban on Marvel movies will be lifted from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, as they are set to release on 7 February and 17 February, respectively.

The theatrical release of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania occurs on the same date even in the United States and the United Kingdom. Disney has been a leading entertainment provider in China. But the last Marvel movie that was released in the country was Avengers End Game 2019. It went on to earn USD 632 million. However, the next 3 years saw a downturn for any earnings by Disney in China through Marvel movies, accumulating losses of millions due to the ban. Other movies such as Ant-Man and the Wasp and Black Panther grossed $121 million and $105 million in China.

The CFA (China Film Administration) is a part of the government and authorized to either accept or reject the release of foreign films. However, the government led by Xi Jinping can ban foreign movies if they want to. For instance, as the Winnie the Pooh character resembles Xi Jinping as per several memes, the character is banned in China. Though China banned certain Marvel movies from screening in its nation, no particular reason was given for the move, apart from the assumption of rivalry between the US and China.

However, experts think that the representation of LGBTQ+ characters, not being that sensitive towards Asians in their movies, symbols of US patriotism such as the Statue of Liberty, and more importantly, the hiring of Chloé Zhao (who has been criticized in China openly), as the director of the movie Eternals. But with the ban on Marvel movies lifted in China, Disney will regain its status of being the second-largest market in the world for theatre shows.

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#Marvel #Cinematic Universe #China #Ban #Movies #Heroes #Action #Big Screen #Avengers #JSBMarketResearch #Swotanalysis #Marketresearchreports #Marketresearch

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itsmoonknight · 2 years

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Chinese authorities asked Sony to remove The Statue of Liberty from SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME if they wanted to release the film in China. The film was never released in China.

Chinese authorities asked Sony to remove The Statue of Liberty from ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ if they wanted to release the film in China. The film was never released in China. submitted by /u/NitroCoop [link] [comments] via Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe https://ift.tt/LNrK9WY

#Marvel #mcu #Chinese authorities asked Sony to remove The Statue of Liberty from ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ if they wanted to release the film in China.#Marvel Studios and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

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foralleternityidiot · 7 months

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Do you ever think about the queer media of the distant future that you won’t be alive to consume?

Like imagine all the reboots that will be made 50, 100, + years from now.

They’ll probably remake the entire marvel cinematic universe or star wars or lord of the rings but canonically gay this time and we won’t be around to see it. There’s gonna be actually queer Disney movies. Netflix’s successor will host full length 16 episode QL kdramas. China will finally release Immortality or even remake The Untamed with more than just subtext.

And I won’t get to watch any of it.

I’m sad.

#I like to ponder mortality salience before bed #I don’t even like marvel movies and I’m mad I won’t be able to watch them when they are finally allowed to be gay #queer media #marvel cinematic universe #Star Wars #lord of the rings #disney #the untamed #kdrama #bl series #ql series #asian lgbtq dramas #lgbtq media

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literary-potato · 3 months

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Ok friends I’ve been doing this thing where I’m aiming to watch 52 new movies in a year (not TV or YouTube or anything like that because I’m trying to improve my attention span) and I need suggestions

Stipulations:

* I don’t really like horror. Tense thrillers and spooky elements are ok, horror not so much.

* No porn. Some nudity and mature handling of adult subject matter are totally fine. Very occasional non graphic sex scenes are ok. No porn.

* No documentaries because documentaries are stupid.

* I’m aiming for movies I’ve never seen before or have seen so little (i.e. once or twice, and not in the last decade) that they’re basically new to me

* Stand-alone films only**. No franchises, reboots, sequels, cinematic universes, etc.

**Exceptions to rule 3: I WILL make exceptions to this but I’m not doing anything Marvel/Disney/DCU/etc. Exceptions have to be films that are worth seeing or artistically/culturally noteworthy in their own right, films that were intended for a mass audience I’m not part of (e.g. movies that were huge in China or India but most white Americans aren’t familiar with), and can be seen & understood with little to no knowledge of its prequels/tie-ins/etc. So like, Aliens or Terminator 2 might make the list because they’re generally regarded as classics. Or the new Godzilla Minus One because it’s getting extremely good reviews, I don’t plan on becoming an expert on Godzilla Lore to watch it, and it’s in a language other than English (so there’s at least an element that sets it apart from the vast majority of films that are marketed to me as an American in 2024).

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thecreaturecodex · 9 months

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May I ask what reference materials you have at your disposal?

This list includes only books about monsters that I own and have used for the Codex at some point. It does not include books I've gotten from libraries (I have access to an excellent university library and one of the best public library systems in the country), nor does it include RPG books or books about science and nature. We'd be here all day, and this list already took like 90 minutes to collate.

A Field Guide to the Little People—Arrowsmiths and Moore Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials; Barlowe’s Guide to Fantasy—Barlowe The Dictionary of Demons—Belanger Monsters in Print—Benedict Ghosts Monsters and Demons of India—Bhairav and Khonna The Mwindo Epic—Biebuyck and Mateene, ed. The Beast of Boggy Creek; Momo—Blackburn Bigfoot: Life and Times of a Legend—Buhs The Hidden—Christopher and Austin The Unexplained!—Clark Ghostland; The Unidentified—Dickey Prehistoric Monster Mash; Dinosaur Memories II—Debus After Man; The New Dinosaurs; Man After Man—Dixon Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology—Eberhart Welsh Monsters and Mythical Beasts—Ellis The Book of Yokai; Pandemonium and Parade—Foster Encounters With Flying Humanoids—Gerhard The Leprechaun’s Kingdom—Haining Meeting With Monsters—Hlioberg and Aegisson Dragons—Hogarth and Cleary Monster Atlas Volume 1—Hyland and Kay The Field Guide to Extraterrestrials—Hyughe Bestiarium Greenlandica—Kreutzmann Evil in Our Midst—Jones The Natural History of Unicorns—Lavers Legends of the Fire Spirits—Lebling Travels to the Otherworld and Fantastic Realms—Lecouteaux and Lecouteaux Cowboys and Saurians 1 and 2—Lemay Medieval Monsters—Lindquist and Mittman The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures—Matthews and Matthews The Night Parade of 100 Demons; The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits; The Book of the Hakutaku; The Fox’s Wedding—Meyer Hunting Monsters—Naish Cryptozoologicon Volume 1—Naish, Koseman and Conway Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology—Newton The United States of Cryptids—Ocker Chasing American Monsters—Ofutt Iberian Monsters—Prado The Creatures of Philippine Mythology—Ramos A Wizard’s Bestiary—Ravenheart Giants, Monsters and Dragons; Spirits, Faeries, Leprechauns and Goblins—Rose The Encyclopedia of Monsters—Rovin Bad UFOs—Schaeffer JaPandemonium Illustrated—Sekien, translated by Yoda and Alt Dragons: A Natural History; A Manifestation of Monsters; The Beasts that Hide from Man; Flying Toads and Snakes with Wings; Extraordinary Animals Revisited; Mirabilis; A Menagerie of Marvels; The UneXplained—Shuker Dangerous Spirits—Smallman Myths and Legends of the Australian Aboriginies—Smith Monsters of the Gevaudan—Smith A Chinese Bestiary—Strassberg Mummies Cannibals and Vampires—Sugg The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters—Weinstock, ed. Mythical Creatures of the USA and Canada—Wyman The World of Kong—Weta Workshop Mystery Animals of China—Xu

Appearing on this list does not necessarily constitute a recommendation. Carol Rose's books, for example, has a lot of gaps and are responsible for a number of myths and misconceptions that have circulated around the internet. And A Wizard's Bestiary by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is more worthwhile as a curiosity than as reference material.

There are a lot of internet sources, of course, but I'm linking my top choices. If you're not already aware of A Book of Creatures and Yokai.com, you need to be.

#long post #housekeeping #mythology #folklore #monster books #cryptozoology

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denimbex1986 · 8 months

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'...Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic, Oppenheimer is now close to kissing its $1 billion mark at the box office, outpacing his timeless masterpiece Inception and becoming the third-highest-grossing flick from the prolific director.

Oppenheimer surpasses Inception, tops third-grossing movie

Christopher Nolan’s historical drama Oppenheimer has now crossed another remarkable box office milestone with $850 million in global ticket sales. With more than six weeks in theaters, the Cillian Murphy opus has now surpassed Leonardo DiCaprio’s action sci-fi Inception to become the third most-earned movie by him. It now proudly stands behind the Batman movies, Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, both of which managed to make $1 billion. Following Interstellar reining the 4th with $ 677 million. Oppenheimer has already beaten its domestic profit of Inception by $292 million.

Oppenheimer, the director’s highest-grossing movie of all time, starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, lifted its prominence in overseas markets, gaining $542.7 in 59 countries, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, India, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. Similarly, the movie alone made $310.2 million in North America after grossing over $7542.7 million during Labor Day weekend.

Being an R-rated movie that predominantly talks about intricate and complex concerns in a less flashy setting of laboratories, offices, and political meetings, it has now become the most collected movie, solely owing to the craftsmanship of cinematic wizard Nolan along with intricating performance from Cillian Murphy. Towards, moving to 50 days of release, will probably reach the $900 million mark sometime in the next week, following the successful target of $1 billion.

Oppenheimer nabs remarkable IMAX success globally

Nolan’s IMAX creation, Oppenheimer, has now earned $170 globally alone in Imax screenings. Raking in the fifth highest-grossing IMAX release in Hollywood, including $2 billion from major blockbusters like Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In China, Oppenheimer has collected $30.8 million alone for IMAX screens.

The Oppenheimer now stands as the third richest movie, alongside the $1 billion glow of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Following Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” with $845 million and Vin Diesel’s Fast X with $704 million, leading the fifth position.

Additionally, from the R-rated section, Oppenheimer became Universal’s first highest-grossing R-rated film with $300 million as well as the biggest R-rated film, surpassing action flick, John Wick: Chapter 4 ($187). Thus it was a huge feat from the American Prometheus to tackle all the summer smashes and secure its spot at the top.'

#Oppenheimer #John Wick Chapter 4 #Inception #IMAX #Christopher Nolan #Greta Gerwig #The Super Mario Bros Movie #Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 #Fast X #Avatar #Avatar: The Way of Water #Avengers: Endgame #Star Wars: The Last Jedi #Barbie #The Dark Knight #The Dark Knight Rises #Interstellar #Cillian Murphy #Leonardo DiCaprio

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callmebrycelee · 9 months

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MY MAN CRUSH MONDAY IS…SIMU LIU

FULL NAME: Simu Liu

DATE OF BIRTH: April 19, 1989

PLACE OF BIRTH: Harbin, Heilongjiang, China

AGE: 34

SIGN: Aries

BEST KNOWN FOR: Portraying Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Currently, Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

HEIGHT: 5 feet and 11 inches tall

#mcm #mcm 2023 #man crush #man crush monday #man crush mondays #simu liu #shang chi #marvel cinematic universe #shang chi and the legend of the ten rings #brown eyes #chinese #aries #barbie #barbie 2023 #greta gerwig

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atrealtoothless · 1 year

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youtube

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♬♬ HOOKED ON A FEELING ♬♬

The aforementioned promotional material mainly highlights the promotion of an insurance company known as “Manulife Philippines” and the upcoming Marvel film entitled “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Manulife is an insurance and investment company that is committed to aiding individuals in their decisions for the essential parts of life. Offering people health, life, travel, and mortgage protection insurance. Additionally, this company has numerous branches in countries such as Canada (Main branch), The United States, Europe, Cambodia, Mainland China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and the Philippines.

With that, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is preparing to release its 32nd film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in the Philippines on May 3, 2023. As the previous films (GOTG Vol. 1 & Vol. 2) symbolically discuss our relationships with our mother and father, respectively, this third installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise focuses on “the self” and how we come to terms with self-acceptance. It also focuses on Rocket Racoon as the main protagonist of the film as he is the one who has a lot of “issues” to deal with out of the other characters. The film is set to be the last Marvel film directed and written by James Gunn because he is currently the newly appointed head CEO of DC Studios, which has been the rival company of Marvel Studios since their first conceptions as comic mediums in the 1930s.

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Since this advertisement promotes the company and the movie, it is apparent that this video is intended for individuals who seek some form of insurance for their life and entertainment value with the Guardians’ family. As previously stated, the company of Manulife offers health, life, travel, and mortgage protection insurance and investment opportunities. Moreover, the film aspects of the ad are also targeted at the long-time fans of this particular franchise who would love to see how the story of the Guardians of the Galaxy closes out the trilogy and the artistic direction James Gunn has to offer with this third installment. Although the promotional material offers no physical product, it still manages to promote aspects that lead to having future life assurance and present life entertainment value, which are both deemed good to the people who have seen the ad online or on television. It is also necessarily good for the audience because once they see what is being advertised, they are given the opportunity to live a secure life with Manulife and a break or sense of calmness in watching the film in theaters, as the world can often be cruel, complicated, and fast-paced.

By observation, deduction, and research, the advertisement above has no forms of media manipulation present within the created/edited video. It merely captured the attention of viewers through simple editing and wordplay factors. The ad cuts together both aspects of Manulife and some clips/scenes from the trailers of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to encapsulate the promotion of the film and the company. Seen in the following sentences are the forms of wordplay that the advert utilized. Additionally, the parentheses contain the words that relate to the company, and the last two sentences directly relate to the company and the film, respectively.

“We can’t shoot blasters (but we can help you hit your health goals).”

“We don’t have superhuman powers (but we have the human touch).”

“The galaxy has its guardians (we’re ready to be yours).”

“Manulife, guarding your health starts today.”

“Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in cinemas, May 3.”

Overall, I personally think that this particular commercial ad is a great example of what promotional material should be. As it effectively highlights and promotes the said company and film by combining and relating the significant yet positive qualities of the Guardians characters and Manulife in this 30-second advertisement.

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References: Insurance Canada. (n.d.). Manulife. https://www.manulife.ca/personal/insurance.html

Manulife | About Us. (n.d.). Manulife Global. https://www.manulife.com/en/about/index.html

Manulife Philippines. (2023, April 28). Guard your health [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntyvHe9WAzg

Manulife Products & Services Philippines. (n.d.). Manulife Global. https://www.manulife.com/en/products/philippines.html Rotten Tomatoes [@RottenTomatoes]. (2023, May 4). "I think of Vol. 1 as being about the mother. Vol. 2 is about the father. And Vol. 3 is about the self." James Gunn breaks down the emotional undertones of each of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. #GotGVol3 [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/RottenTomatoes/status/1653874344693727233

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#guardians of the galaxy #manulife #blog #james gunn #marvel #marvelcinematicuniverse #Youtube

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whatsthecraicwith · 2 years

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What's the Craic with...Thor Love and Thunder?

I saw Thor Love and Thunder and I have some opinions

I, like many online, was excited by the clip of Natalie Portman, Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson taking audience questions prior to a screening of the movie. The clip in question featured a fan asking "How gay is [the film]?" to which Natalie Portman (who was put on the spot by director, Taika Waititi) replied, "So gay!"

I can confirm - it is not in fact "so gay."

If that is what the trio deem "so gay" I can only wonder what they would describe actual gay things like a pride parade, Ru Paul's Drag race, or Louis Spence for example.

So lets talk about the "super gay" moments of the film - and yes, 'moments' is the appropriate term to describe them.

The first moment might not even have been a moment at all.

We are introduced to Heimdall's child who, when we find out is named "Astrid." We are then informed he has since changed his name to "Axl" which is followed by mild confusion and pushback from Thor as the pair jostle back and forth between "Astrid" and "Axl" with a joke peppered in about the name being inspired by a "cool rockstar" - Axl Rose. It's never addressed at all if this is merely a name change or a change brought on by Axl possibly being transgender (given that his former name, Astrid, is typically a feminine name). I guess we'll never know because the film does absolutely nothing to elaborate on this storyline. I can't help but feel Marvel wasted an opportunity to increase representation in the cinematic universe by introduce it's first transgender hero, especially if the cast and crew are going to market the film as a "super gay" film.

Moving on we have a very easy-to-cut side scene between Valkyrie and Korg whilst they and the two Thor's are on their way to the Shadow Realm to defeat Gorr the God Slayer. In the scene, a comment is made by Korg about the death of Valkyrie's girlfriend. You know, the girlfriend who was cut out of Thor: Ragnarok?

Later in the scene, Korg provides a glimpse into the customs and composition of his species - Kronans. Korg reveals that Kronans, an all-male species, mate by holding hands over a lava-pool with another Kronan.

Whilst the representation in this scene, threadbare as it was, was nice to see I couldn't help but notice how easy it would be for the scene to be cut out (which it presumably has been) in homophobic countries where Marvel makes a large chunk of it's profits from - e.g. China.

The only other "representation" comes in the form of Valkyrie kissing a woman on the hand and then a gay(?) joke about Thor and Valkyrie both being on "Team Jane."

I'm not sure what I expected really. It's a Disney-owned, Marvel movie after-all.

I don't know what's worse: the fact that some people are calling this the "gayest" Marvel movie; or the fact that there might actually be some truth to that statement.

#thor love and thunder #thor #marvel #lgbtq #queerbaiting

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fortressofserenity · 1 year

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Alienation

I feel when it comes to geeky fandoms, when it comes to Western geeky fandoms at that there’s a tendency to alienate those who’d like to see more black or brown represented. As what somebody said, the actual reason why white geeks flock to East Asian media a lot is because they approximate light skin to whiteness and also possibly seeing them as model minorities.

Even though in countries like China, the Han Chinese constitute a majority of the people living there. This would explain why they readily see anime characters as white, even if they’re not intended to be seen as such. In anime itself, save for anime that don’t do this often (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures for instance), sometimes the blond character is intended to be a white Westerner. Sometimes with a prominent nose bridge.

Sort of like how many US cartoonists default to bright yellow skin and monolids for East Asians, I have seen DC’s Cassandra Cain be portrayed with really yellow skin in some comics and images. It’s not that East Asian characters can’t or don’t have monolids at all, but this bright yellow skin tone is just as irritating as making all the white characters blond.

Even then, I feel there’s a tendency to other nonwhite, nonwestern people in ways they wouldn’t be in their respective communities and homelands. This othering can take the form of gross stereotyping, such as big genitals for black men even if not all of them do. This tells me that even if they knew black people, they’d still see them as other, something else.

That is a form of racism, which extends to how some people compare blacks and black characters to nonhuman primates. This is a form of dehumanisation, if because they’re literally seen as nonhuman. Watch out Snowbarries if Caitlin Snow becomes a werewolf on the Flash, that’s the karma you get for dehumanising Iris West a lot.

I guess this constant dehumanisation of black characters would be enough to alienate black geeks, not to mention the tendency to overprioritise white characters would be enough to make people drop out of geeky fandoms. To be fair, there are people who do make fanart out of the newly brown Namor since he’s portrayed by the very brown and indigenous Tenoch Huerta in the new Marvel movie.

But even then it’s been met with some resistance, saying this Namor isn’t Namor but somebody else. Even though this Namor wouldn’t just be the Namor many more people will know if, but also this generation’s Namor and the indigenous kid’s Namor as they don’t see themselves in the media that much. While original characters like Firebird and Dani Moonstar could work, they’re too obscure to penetrate the public imagination.

Not to mention Dani Moonstar’s been met with racial slurs, things that didn’t happen to her much in the comics. Surely, that’s in the movies but even then X-Men’s attempts at portraying nonwhite characters has been met with suspicion. That’s for a magazine series that tries to portray mutants as a stand-in for ethnic minorities, even if not all nonwhite and nonwestern people feel this way.

I suspect if the DC Cinematic Universe ever portrays Felicity Smoak as an Indian woman, as played by somebody like Kareena Kapoor, it would be met with hostility not just from racist fanboys but also racist Olicity fangirls. The Felicity Smoak they knew on television has been replaced by a brown woman, but it’s telling they identify too much with this Felicity that once Felicity becomes Indian they’ll reject her real badly.

They see her as the fake Felicity Smoak, sort of like how some people see Supergirl’s James Olsen as. Except that Felicity Smoak is a character that many fangirls see themselves as, so by racebending her DC’s taking away the Felicity they knew. Even though there’s always Chloe Sullivan, who has the traits Arrowverse Felicity would come to have (as she wasn’t like this in the comics).

Even then, this kind of racism is enough to alienate nonwhite, nonwestern geeks a lot if white, western geeks continue to act this way.

#james olsen #supergirl #arrowverse #dc comics #the flash #iris west #x-men #dani moonstar #namor #marvel cinematic universe #marvel #marvel comics #felicity smoak #racism #racism in fandom

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thenightling · 2 years

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Review of Werewolf by Night

I just saw the Marvel / Disney+ “Special” Werewolf by Night. It was very good. I liked it. I will pick apart some things, particularly about Disney / Marvel policies, but know that in general I did love this Special (as they called it).

Most of it was shot in black and white and it has very good atmosphere and ambiance. It does feel like an old Universal or even Hammer (though those were usually in color) monster movie.

It is good to see the MCU (Marvel cinematic Universe) finally tap into its Gothic properties. This was the first time I had seen the character of Jack Russell (Yes, that’s really his name but they never say the last name in the special) in something other than animation. It was also good to see a depiction of Man-Thing that wasn’t in a low budget schlock film that technically counted as a Syfy Original movie.

I wish Marvel would use its supernatural / Gothic properties more than just around the Halloween season. As someone who loves Gothic Horror this is what turned me off of Marvel in recent years, the way they downplay their supernatural and Gothic properties in favor of scifi. Even the director of Doctor Strange (Who is supposed to be the Sorcerer Supreme) patted himself on the back about how everything in the movie could be explained with theoretical physics. If you want real elemental magick you have to hunt down the animated Doctor Strange movie from 2007, actually titled Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme. You may notice that was before Disney purchased Marvel. It was after Disney purchased Marvel that they started to heavily downplay the supernatural content. This was both to appeal to the Chinese market (who don’t like Western depictions of the supernatural) and to differentiate Marvel from Disney proper. Disney would have the magick while Marvel would be (as they intended) superheroes only.

I feel that if this had been just twenty or so minutes longer it could have been released theatrically however Disney is still obsessed with getting that coveted Chinese market and China will not allow “Western depictions” of the afterlife. i.e. Ghosts and things they consider occult (Though they allow the Fantastic Beasts franchise through...) The Chinese market has hindered supernatural horror here in the US for years. It’s why so few movies with supernatural content have large budgets. Most are made on a shoe string budget so that it doesn’t matter if it’s released in China or not to earn a substantial profit. It’s also why films like the Child’s play reboot went with an evil / malfunctioning AI instead of a possessed doll. Same with the movie M3gan.

Don’t let them trick you into thinking modern horror audiences don’t like supernatural content, or think it’s silly, or not scary. No. That’s not the reason. Real horror fans still love the supernatural. There’s nothing quite as scary as the unknown. And evil artificial intelligences have been done to death since the 60s.

The cynic in me feels that the gimmick of making it look like it was made in the 1930s had a secondary purpose of showing blood that was not red- and thus bypassing regulations that would have gotten the “special” an MA TV rating (The TV equivalent of an R rating).

When I was a teenager I loved Marvel’s horror properties. Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf by Night, Legion of Monsters, etc.. But by the twenty teens it was as if Marvel was shying away from the supernatural, even in their comic books. The only good vampire story they did in years was Avengers: Vampire Wars in 2019. And that was barely promoted. Most people didn’t even know the story arc happened.

The plot of werewolf by Night is Ulysses Bloodstone has just passed away, the Patriarch of the Bloodstone family and a secret cult of monster hunters. You can tell right away from the dialogue that these aren’t like Doctor Abraham Van Helsing trying to protect the world from evil. No. These are paranoid and self-righteous fanatics with a blood lust, looking for the freedom to kill anything they deem non-human. The only one that might be different from the rest of this sect is Elsa Bloodstone.

In the comics of the 2000s Elsa felt like a little bit of a knock-off of Buffy The Vampire Slayer but I think enough time has passed and they made enough tweaks to the character that this version stood on her own without anyone thinking of Buffy. Unfortunately now there might be comparisons to Syfy’s Van (Vanessa) Helsing. One day I’d love to see a woman vampire hunter in the style of Peter Cushing’s Dr. Van Helsing. An older woman at least in her fifties, and perhaps dressed like a Victorian era man instead of in tight leather, as female vampire hunters have been forced into in pop culture since the 90s.

This gathering of monster hunters had a competition in mind, hosted by Ulysses widow (Elsa’s stepmother). They are allowed to kill each other in the process. The contest is to find and kill a monster, which they have attached the bloodstone amulet. The amulet grants near-immortality to its wearer, as well as enhanced strength and stamina and can weaken supernatural entities. “Monsters” (beings of the supernatural) cannot touch the bloodstone without being hurt.

A man is there who appears to be after the prize. This is Jack (Werewolf by Night). He’s actually there to rescue Man-Thing. If you’re not familiar with Man-Thing, he’s pretty much Marvel’s version of Swamp Thing only mute and his touch can burn and kill you if you are afraid. If you are not afraid his touch will not harm you. In this story Man-Thing answers to his previous human name of “Ted” much like how sometimes Swamp Thing answers to Alec.

Trivia: The creator of Man-Thing was roommates with the creator of Swamp Thing so it’s unclear which came up with the idea first.

Elsa learns the important lesson that not all monsters are evil as she helps Jack and later both Jack and Ted help her. Needless to say the other hunters (and her stepmother) end up dead and Elsa inherits The Bloodstone amulet.

My one big complaint was something that I thought as clever at first. They made the body of Ulysses Bloodstone look like the literary Frankenstein Monster as illustrated by Marvel comics own “Monster of Frankenstein.” In the teaser I almost thought it would be the Frankenstein Monster, who used to be portrayed as intelligent and articulate in Marvel comics and went by the name Adam... until they started to let people who never read Mary Shelley’s original novel write the character... Then he was portrayed as simple-minded like in some cliché horror movies.

The reason Ulysses resembling the literary Frankenstein bothers me is this homage indicates that Marvel has no intention of ever using their version of Adam Frankenstein with the literary look. And that’s a shame. They had one of the best versions of the Frankenstein Monster. He was even good in the kid friendly game Superhero Squad Online.

This felt almost like a TV pilot so I hope Werewolf by Night or Elsa Bloodstone end up with their own TV series as a result. The story appeared to be set in the 1930s. It would be nice if Marvel actually allowed some of its characters to be immortal. In the original Wolfman movies, Larry Talbot was immortal. DC doesn’t shy away from its supernatural properties or immortal characters. (See Lucifer, Doom Patrol, The Sandman, and Dead Boy Detectives).

They also implied that usually Jack only changes form during the full moon like in The Wolf-Man, which is ironic because when someone wanted to do a Werewolf by Night movie in the 90s, Stan Lee cynically suggested that they use any werewolf, that they didn’t need to waste money by using Marvel’s. Stan Lee had implied that Jack was so under-developed that there was nothing special to him. I don’t think Stan Lee was that fond of the Marvel horror properties even though Tomb of Dracula is considered a classic now.

Back when I was reading Werewolf by Night comics Jack was changing whenever emotional or he could shift at will, a bit like The Hulk. I guess someone didn’t want any “confusion.” I hate idiot proofing. Idiot Proofing is the impolite term for when Hollywood over-simplifies things because they underestimate the audience’s ability to follow the story.

I would like to see Marvel brave enough to use characters like these in the “Off season” that is to say outside of just around Halloween. It would show that they have faith in the property as being able to stand on its own and not just as a Halloween gimmick. I had forgotten how much I had loved Marvel’s Gothic properties and there certainly was good ambiance with this, even if it was a bit predictable. But sometimes predictable is good. There’s an entire generation that doesn’t know these tropes and never watched the classic monster movies so this could be a gateway for them to get into traditional Gothic Horror.

#Marvel #Werewolf by Night #Disney+#Jack Russell #Man-Thing

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starfata · 2 years

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Clearly my absurd amount of research into what English language songs Shen Yuan of @blondejaneblonde's Grand unified theory of Shen Qingqiu could know wasn't enough for me.

I decided to look up what works of fiction he could have plausibly known about.

Howl's Moving Castle (and other Ghibli, but that was the important one to me DVD release only)

Shakespeare (esp Hamlet)

Count of Monte Christo (anime adaption Gonzo was fairly popular in China)

Dragon Ball (Z)

Downton Abbey (apparently the show kicked off demand for English butler's among the well to do, as well as other British status symbols)

Game of Thrones (later seasons were very Censored, but he obviously didn't see those)

Ranma 1/2- Probably a bit before his time

Naruto- mentioned in fic

Harry Potter- movies were very popular, can't find info on the books

Detective Conan- Also a bit before his time

How to Train Your Dragon- definitely the first, possibly the second movie as well

Sailor Moon

One Piece

Marvel Cinematic Universe up to Captain America: The Winter Soldier/Guardians of the Galaxy

And Doraemon, which is the only one on this list I have only vaguely heard of. The others I have at least a vague idea of the plot.

There's also the Disney classics- presumably Disney wouldn't have opened a resort in Shanghai if the movies did badly there.

I should probably write a fic if I'm going to keep doing research like this ...

#Grand unified theory of Shen Qingqiu #Writing reference #Svsss #Scum villain #Shen yuan #shen qingqiu #fanfiction lists #List

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dweemeister · 2 years

Photo

NOTE: Because moviegoing carries risks at this time, please remember to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by your local, regional, and national health officials. This review contains significant spoilers.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

As with many business and industries worldwide, movie theaters have struggled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Theaters that do not play the mainstream superhero or action/adventure movies have suffered most of all. Select commentators, noting unruly behavior from individuals, increasing ticket and concession prices, the inconvenience of having to go see a movie, and touting their at-home television setups might celebrate the potential death of the theatrical experience. I do not understand that celebratory mood and criticisms towards practices not entirely in a theater’s control, and firmly believe that not everyone has a state-of-the-art television and sound system at home.

To the relief of North American arthouse theaters this last spring came Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s (collectively, “The Daniels”) Everything Everywhere All At Once – a genre-bender of stark originality, forcing its way into American cinematic history through its sheer absurdity and offbeat depiction of a modern Chinese-American family. Just as multiverses/parallel universes are forming a small trend in Hollywood, EEAAO torches any cinematic rulebooks to present a dizzying tale of intergenerational trauma, daughter-mother bonds, the what-ifs of life, and how one responds to confusing, terrifying times.

Entertainment your whole family can enjoy!

In Simi Valley, California, Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) runs a laundry with her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan). The Wangs, who live in the residence attached to the laundromat, are under audit from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and things look grim. Compounding their difficulties are Waymond’s attempts to hand Evelyn his divorce notice; daughter Joy’s (Stephanie Hsu) efforts to have her mother accept her girlfriend, Becky (Tallie Medel); and the recent arrival of Joy’s sickly father, Gong Gong (“grandfather” in Cantonese; the veteran James Hong), from China. Just before their scheduled appointment with IRS Agent Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis, having the time of her life), Waymond’s body is taken over by “Alpha Waymond”, from the “Alpha Universe/Alphaverse”. In the Alphaverse, people have the ability to jump between different parallel universes. He comes to (presumably) our universe to warn Evelyn that the multiverse – the entire collection of parallel universes – is under threat. Evelyn will have to be the one to save all of existence.

Elsewhere, Jenny Slate has a memorable few minutes as a dog mom, Harry Shum Jr. is a memorable chef, and an uncredited Randy Newman lends his voice in an unusual cameo. Andy and Brian Le of the YouTube channel Martial Club appear as two memorable fellows who get their asses kicked.

With a film as structurally messy (by design) as EEAAO, heavy exposition and/or rewatches might be necessary to fully grasp all that the Daniels are attempting. In his collaboration with the Daniels, editor Paul Rogers (2019’s The Death of Dick Long) has a task unenviable: to tie together the film’s numerous parallel universes into a coherent whole. In addition to that, Rogers needs to ensure that his editing flourishes do not overpower the emotional scenes that serve as the movie’s thematic and humanistic lynchpins. From a purely technical standpoint, Rogers’ propulsive editing is enthralling work, suitable for a martial arts picture (a genre that EEAAO pulls heavily from). But when the most heartfelt moments arrive, that same editing makes it difficult to separate EEAAO’s absurd humor from the unspoken marital strife between the Wang parents and the nihilistic depression that is consuming their daughter. Perhaps modern viewers – including yours truly – have been too conditioned to expect a Marvel-esque quip to interrupt moments of reflection and sadness. Too often I was unable to reign in my expectations of such a comedic interruption, inadvertently pulling myself out of the movie’s best emotional statements. In part, Rogers’ editing and the Daniels’ story structure are at fault here.

Yet whatever concerns I have about the above pale in comparison to the film’s kinetic thrills, wonderful performances (dramatic, comedic, and martial), and thematic ambition.

To differentiate some of their parallel universes, the Daniels take inspiration from the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Ratatouille (2007), and Wong Kar-wai’s movies (most notably 2000’s In the Mood for Love) to support the ideas pertaining to that universe. These are not throwaway moments solely to allow film buffs to point forward in a darkened theater, exclaiming their recognition of that reference. For the Wong-influenced universe, that universe’s Evelyn and Waymond are suffused with the loneliness that Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung’s characters must have felt during In the Mood for Love. The long-held and forbidden romantic feelings, moody lighting, and minimal body movement are all reminiscent of Wong’s work, and serve as a striking contrast to the zanier universes that Evelyn jumps between.

Those zanier universes are a riot of craftwork. Take Jobu Tupaki’s universe with the “everything bagel”, for example. The batty costume design from Shirley Kurata (2006’s Alpha Dog) is at its most audacious here, as she crafts all-white cultist robes to emphasize the unnaturalness of this Jobu-led world. Those outlandish costumes draw inspiration from Eiko Ishioka’s work on Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). And this is just one universe. Kurata’s eye-popping designs – especially whenever Stephanie Hsu is on-screen as Jobu Tupaki (Kurata is on record saying Jobu enjoys wearing things that Evelyn would disapprove of) – range from Western dress attire, wuxia garments, casualwear, and more. The extravagant colors, the thrillingly incongruent attire, and some clever color-coding (see: what Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh are wearing in the hot dog universe and the prime universe) allow Kurata’s work to be as impactful as any other body of costume design work in a film for quite some time.

Being well-dressed is one thing, so an actor best deliver a performance that honors all the stupendous work behind the camera. As Evelyn, Michelle Yeoh steps into a role unrecognizable to all her roles preceding this. Michelle Yeoh the Hong Kong cinema-based action star is a known commodity, and some of the iconography of her early career is apparent in this movie. But what about her comedic timing? And can she play a working-class Asian-American mother, harried by a financial audit, stretched thin by her family and business’ disparate needs? Yeoh answers those questions with a resounding performance, in an American movie that recognizes her versatility and makes full use of it. Her ability to physically react to an unsavory idea or unwanted news carries across her body, face, and posture. I am unsure if it is a career-best performance (I have not seen much from her earlier career, only clips). Yet, as Evelyn, this is a hallmark turn for the Malaysian actress, bound to reshape her legacy – without constraining her – among Western audiences.

Opposite Yeoh in one of his first acting roles in a Hollywood movie in thirty years is Ke Huy Quan. Best known as Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Data from The Goonies (1985), Quan quit acting in his early adulthood when he realized roles for actors of Asian descent in Hollywood were few. Going back and forth between Asia and America, he found work in film production, mostly as an action choreographer on films such as X-Men (2000) and Wong Kar-wai’s 2046 (2004). Inspired by Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Quan decided to see if there might be, in these changing times, a chance to act in Hollywood again. Quan’s Waymond is the moral center of EEAAO and, like Yeoh, Quan’s performance rings with echoes of his career. The comedic timing that endeared him to ‘80s children (and afterward) remains; his adult turn as an action choreographer presents itself in a visually stunning fight sequence early on. Ultimately, as Quan (in all of the universes) reminds Yeoh and the audience, kindness is never for naught. Quan is tremendous here, sealing a successful comeback.

As Joy, Stephanie Hsu – more than any other actor and role in EEAAO – needs to be evaluated in relation to others. This is not a criticism of Hsu’s sterling performance, but an acknowledgement that Joy’s characterization is highly dependent on two separate, but highly related factors: the relationship with her mother and the duality of being Asian-American. The former is the result of intergenerational trauma due to harmful lessons passing from her grandfather to her mother; the latter might not seem to be of much concern in EEAAO, but it is present from the opening seconds to the film’s end. Though some might take issue with how structurally fractured EEAAO is, it reflects the split identities of a hyphenated existence. As someone of Chinese descent, Joy’s grasp of Chinese language and culture is imperfect (as yours truly relates to, as a Vietnamese-American), and her queerness is antithetical to her mother’s traditional mindset. As an American-born and American-raised child of first-generation immigrants, there are suggestions that she feels like a perpetual foreigner in her home country – rejected for her sexual orientation, otherized for her heritage. She cannot center herself or connect with her family in a world of distraction and discord.

Jobu, in reaction to her otherness and the constant violence in the multiverse, creates a means that can destroy all existence. This is the result of Jobu’s depressive nihilism; analogous to this is Joy’s depression, her suicidal ideations (she commits suicide in the rock universe, interestingly the only universe we see without organic life). So what does it matter, Jobu and Joy both posit, if everything comes to a violent end? If you have read this far and have seen the film, you know that EEAAO does not condone that mindset. The Daniels – through Waymond and eventually Evelyn – argue that only through genuinely connecting with others can conflict end. “I’m tired. I don’t want to hurt anymore,” says Joy to her mother in a despairing moment. “And for some reason when I’m with you, it just hurts the both of us… Just let me go!” Evelyn, in spite of all the lifelong disappointments in her daughter, could easily acquiesce to Joy’s request. But she doesn’t. No matter how short or long a time they have together, she will be there – in that universe and all the others. Life, however banal and disappointing, is valuable.

At a time when arthouse and independent cinemas are still struggling two-and-a-half years into a pandemic, with older audiences more likely to stay away from cinemas, Everything Everywhere All At Once proved a much-needed shot in the arm. The film’s thrilling originality, word-of-mouth, and expertly-targeted marketing from studio A24 earned it a longevity now rarely seen for a film of its budget. Even on this write-up’s publication, the film continues to enjoy a healthy theatrical run that began in the spring. And despite its heavily Asian-American cast, EEAAO mostly sidestepped the discourse of being a “novelty” or a representational phenomenon that Crazy Rich Asians faced not too long ago. Contemporary discourse aside, Everything Everywhere All At Once is a milestone in that all-too-modest, but growing, tradition of an Asian-American film canon.

The 2020s, for American cinema and the world at-large, have been disorienting and disorderly. Beneath the adrenaline of Everything Everywhere All At Once lie quieter moments that attempt to make sense of the film’s confusion, frantic editing, and anarchic genre-bending. Amid all this film has to offer, this is a family drama at its center. In those moments especially does it truly reflect its title, set to a tempo of alternating travails and triumphs resonant and familiar.

My rating: 8.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#Everything Everywhere All At Once #The Daniels #Daniel Kwan #Daniel Scheinert #Michelle Yeoh #Stephanie Hsu #Ke Huy Quan #James Hong #Jamie Lee Curtis #Tallie Medel #Jenny Slate #Harry Shum Jr.#Paul Rogers #Shirley Kurata #Kelsi Ephraim #My Movie Odyssey

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