A Reel Review: DUMBO

In the last few years, Disney has had moderate success in adapting their classic animated films into live-action; from CINDERELLA (2015), THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016), and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)…among others. Their 1941 DUMBO is probably the most difficult to bring into live-action, a task that strange-and-unusual director Tim Burton seems well-suited for. 

Max Medici (Danny DeVito), the owner and ringmaster of a struggling circus, enlists Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), and his two children (Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins), to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughing stock. Holt’s children discover that the elephant, named Dumbo, can fly, which draws the attention of tycoon V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) and his trapeze artist girl Colette (Eva Green), who makes an offer to Max to buy out his circus and make them stars in his own amusement park. 

The original DUMBO is the trickiest to being into live-action for two reasons. First, the film is only 64 minutes long, which makes it the shortest of Disney’s live-action features. And second, the notion of a flying elephant is a tough sell in a live-action setting, in which realism is expected despite any elements of fantasy. Tim Burton, who already has two remakes of children’s stories under his belt, beefs up the film by making it character-heavy, with all of them having a card to play in the game. Max is trying to save his circus, Holt is back from the war with an injury which makes it impossible to take up his old job as a cowboy, the kids just want to reunite Dumbo with his mother, while Vandevere just wants to get rich. Everything they want relies on poor Dumbo, who is struggling to learn to fly while being heartbroken after being torn from his mom. 

With all these characters and their stories, Dumbo himself doesn’t get lost, but where DUMBO goes splat is that the many humans aren’t sketched out past further than page one. Everyone is thinly drawn with a few lines to express where they’re coming from, and then its on to the action. It’s hard to care about anyone or what they want. 

Burton has put together a film that is a hybrid of realism and fantasy, but the tone is all over the place. One second its drama, the next action, the next child-like wonder and comedy. The transitions do not work very well, and with characters so weak its easy to see where things are going. 

But where DUMBO falls in the telling, it soars in the visuals. Dumbo himself is wonderfully realized and has more personality than any human character. Burton shows us the elephant’s perspective in ways that are very effective, and the closeups of his eyes gives him a soul. The flying sequences are a thrill, with the first flight he takes worthy of applause. The circus itself looks amazing and is a lovely throwback to the glory days of big-top productions. DUMBO also has several clever winks and nods to the animated film, and plot points which seem silly in the cartoon are given new, realistic versions that work very well. Danny Elfman’s score is the same-old, same-old stuff he does for every Tim Burton movie. 

Acting is atrocious. Danny DeVito is okay, but his character is all over the place in personality and he doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. The kids are awful and feel like they’re reading lines at a 3^rdgrade play. Michael Keaton turns in the worst performance of his career; acting like a hammy cartoon with a side of cheese. It’s laughable in all the bad ways. Colin Farrell and Eva Green are the few that escape relatively unscathed, with Farrell doing a passable Kentucky twang and Green a sexy French accent. 

The finale of course has the usual Tim Burton chaos of everyone running all over place with shit falling out of the sky and everything going haywire. In the end, which wraps up nice and tight, everyone gets their due, but it lacks the emotional punch that it was going for. DUMBO does have its moments; the flying elephant works on a believable level and functions as a character, but everything around him from clumsy editing to stock characters keeps this flight from really taking off. 

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it 

A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Best Scenes from THE GODFATHER

This month marks the 47^thanniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s THE GODFATHER. Often regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, THE GODFATHER covered a decade in the life of the Corleone crime family in New York starting in 1945. It is an Oscar winner, a cultural milestone, a launching pad for the careers of some of our finest actors, and iconic in its imagery and storytelling. 

To mark this occasion, this Blogger has taken on the challenge of picking and ranking the best scenes from Coppola’s masterpiece. This was no easy task, as the 177-minute film is packed with towering performances and scenes that have become the basis of modern filmmaking. Criteria is everything when assembling a list like this, and the factors in play here are (1) technical achievement, (2) performances, and (3) importance to the overall film. 

So take a cannoli and drink more wine than you used to…

10. Don’t ask me about my business – The closing scene to a film is just as important as the opening. In this closer, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), has become his father by taking over the family crime business and recognized as Don by his peers. He has accomplished this by wiping out his enemies and his traitor brother-in-law. When confronted by his wife Kay (Diane Keaton) over the latter, he lies to her. It shows the great lengths that Michael will take to protect his family and empire, draws the line between business and personal (a recurring theme), and the closing shot of Kay and Michael in separate rooms, or separate worlds…speaks volumes. And it all ends with the door to Michael’s world being closed to Kay. 

9. It’s strictly business – An attempt has been made on their father’s life, and the brothers meet to discuss what’s next. For his whole life Michael has kept away from the family business, but as he sits in his father’s study, the boy becomes a man and crosses over to the dark side before our eyes. The camera pushes in slowly as he reveals his idea to right the wrongs that have been done to his family and justifies it by sticking to business. The scene is pivotal for Michael and the entire film, as their lives will never be the same after this meeting, and it is a stark contrast to the birthday scene in PART II in which Michael tells his brothers he is leaving the family for military service. 

8. Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes – Luca Brasi is sent undercover to a rival family and is discovered. The news of his death comes by way of a “Sicilian Message”, in which a dead fish is sent to the Corleone family wrapped in his bullet-proof vest. It’s a simple scene with a quote that has become timeless, and it establishes how things are done in this world. 

7. I never wanted this for you – This quiet and brilliant scene between Michael and his father, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), is an emotional moment between father and son. Vito expresses his regret that Michael has to deal with the turmoil, stress, and dangers of being the head of the family, and reveals that he always had bigger and better things in mind for him. The scene is the essence of Vito and Michael and reveals the origin of the famous puppet-strings logo. 

6. Louie’s Restaurant in the Bronx – Michael meets with rival boss “the Turk” Sollozzo and corrupt police captain McCluskey under the pretense of a call-a-truce meeting. Little do his rivals know that the Corleone’s have planted a gun in the bathroom for Michael to come out blasting and settle things once and for all. Perfectly staged and acted, the tension is ramped up by a passing train and Pacino’s performance…which shows his internal struggle with what he is about to do, and for a moment we think he’s not going to go through with it. 

5. Leave the gun, take the cannoli – After the attempt on Don Corleone’s life, the first thing on the list is to whack the bodyguard who didn’t show up for work that day. Paulie the soon-to-be-ex bodyguard is shot within sight of the Statue of Liberty, and the famous line is given by Clemenza (Richard S. Castellano). It’s not the most pivotal scene in the film, but again, it shows how business is done, and the staging of the scene is perfect. 

4. The horse’s head – The Don sends his lawyer and consigliere to Hollywood to convince producer Jack Woltz (played by John Marley) to let the Don’s godson have the lead role in a new war picture. When Woltz refuses, he wakes up the next morning to find the head of his prize stallion in his bed with him. It’s gruesome, shocking, and has a perfect buildup of silence with the theme playing in the distance. This is brought to life with gentle editing and Marley’s performance…which was genuine because the actor had no idea he would be sharing a bed with a decapitated horse. Well played, Mr. Coppola. 

3. They shot Sonny on the causeway – Santino “Sonny” Corleone (James Caan), was the first-born of Vito and the heir-apparent to the head of the family. His brutal and bloody death at a toll booth comes by way of what seems like 10 billion gunshots, and Caan’s performance sells it. This was a technical achievement because of the amount of squibs (blood packs) which had to be exploded at the right times, and to this day much of America can’t stop at a highway toll booth without thinking of this scene. Thank the maker for E-ZPass.

2. I do renounce him – The Corleone family had always drawn a fine line between business and family, and this climactic scene shows us that line. As Michael stands at an altar, taking vows to renounce Satan as godfather to his niece, his plan to murder all of his rivals and enemies is taking place. The scene cuts back and forth from the church to the brutal killings with precision timing, and the far-away look in Al Pacino’s eye tells us that his thoughts are elsewhere while the holy water is being poured. This scene scared the hell out of this Blogger as a wee-lad. 

1. I believe in America – The opening scene is just as important as the closing. This now famous scene, in which a friend of Vito’s makes a request of revenge, establishes the world of THE GODFATHER and immediately defines immigration to America in the 1940’s. Filmed with minimal lighting and quiet dialogue, everything that THE GODFATHER is about is in this opener; family, business, murder, loyalty, and most of all…power. It is here we get our first look at Marlon Brando as the Don; a look that is now seared into our minds as one of the greatest in all of cinema. 

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This December, THE GODFATHER PART II celebrates its 45^thanniversary. Reel Speak will mark the occasion with the Top 10 Scenes from PART II. 

A Reel Review: US

In 2018, writer and director Jordan Peele gave the horror genre the shot in the arm it needed with his genre-bending GET OUT, which not only provided scares and chills but also served as a statement on race-relations and class distinctions. Here in 2019, Peele is back with US, which is cut from the same cloth as GET OUT…but with a whole new stitching. 

Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), and her children Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and Jason (Evan Alex), arrive at their summer home to be tormented by their doppelgangers.

To say much more of the plot would be a sin, for US is put together of many twists and turns and slow revelations towards the mystery of the creepy and deadly doppelgangers. Where they came from and what they are up to is closely tied to an incident Adelaide had in her past, and Peele sprinkles clues and hints throughout the film to inch us closer to the revelation. Every little thing in the film has meaning, which turns a simple home-invasion horror film into a thinking-man’s horror flick; scary yet intricate. 

Similar to GET OUT, Peele is playing with larger themes of society, with class distinction, specifically the have’s and the have-nots. Early in the film Gabe is jealous of their friends (played by Elizabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker), and this serves as a loose metaphor to the doppelgangers and where they came from. It’s much more subtle than how GET OUT presented itself, and it works smoothly and efficiently and the when the larger picture sinks in there’s a lot to be impressed by. 

Equally impressive are the scares. The doppelgangers, with the exception of one, communicate in animalistic sounds and are chilling to the bone. The scares are effective, and the creepy atmosphere keeps everything feeling unhinged. Winks and nods to classic horror films are sprinkled here and there without being intrusive, although there are some horror-film cliches that can’t be avoided; such as characters fist-fighting their way through the film and a fresh surprise just when everything seems settled. 

Acting is superb. The primary cast has the task of playing two different parts, and all perform well with Lupita Nyong’o excelling above all. A lot of credit must be given to the younger performers; Shahadi Wright and Evan Alex have a lot of physical work to do and are both excellent. 

Just when we think we have US all figured out, the last few minutes deliver a whopper of a mind-bending twist which flips the entire film upside-down. It works so well that US immediately demands a re-watch so everything can be seen in a new, and correct light. Jordan Peele has crafted a masterpiece of horror that brings the scares and stimulates our thinking.  It winds up as one of those films that sticks in our minds, and the more we think about it, the more revelations we find. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it 

A Reel Opinion: The Top 10 Best Films of Steven Spielberg

He has been called one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. They call him The Beard (a play on The Bard), and anyone who was a kid in the 1980’s will call him the architect of their childhoods. His films play with childhood dreams, family drama, and the history of the world. His name is Steven Spielberg; Oscar-winner, Hollywood giant, and silver screen legend. 

In the last few weeks Spielberg’s name has been mentioned a lot in news circles and internet chatter. Not because of a new film, but from his stance on the role of streaming services in today’s cinema (read more on that HERE). The debate, rage, and support of Spielberg has led to discussions and re-examinations of his films, which has inspired this Blogger, who as a wee-lad grew up with The Beard’s movies, to compile a list of his Top 10 Best. 

This is what happens…

10. LINCOLN (2012)

Instead of trying to sum up the entire life of President Abraham Lincoln, Spielberg instead focused on one of the man’s best achievements; the abolition of slavery in the United States and the end of the Civil War. The film is loaded with the politics of the time, but it sustains an identity as a character-piece, thanks to a gentle touch by Spielberg and a towering performance from Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln. 

9. INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)

The second adventure for Spielberg’s new hero, Indiana Jones, was actually a prequel to his first film. There is a turn late in the film which establishes the Dr. Jones that we know and love for good, and the circumstances of that turn (releasing enslaved children) are as powerful as we can ask for. Spielberg made this during a dark period of his life and it shows, as this adventure is dark, spooky, and darn near hard to watch. As the second film in the franchise it didn’t repeat itself and gave elemental players Harrison Ford and composer John Williams opportunities to give some of their best performances. 

8. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

Spielberg’s alien-visitation and abduction story played with the mythos of UFO’s, but also served as a family story with a mystery to unwrap. The special effects work and set-pieces are dazzling, and once again John Williams delivered one of his most memorable scores. How good is it? Even a mundane task like air-traffic control is made exciting. 

7. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)

Indy’s third adventure on the big screen was a search for the Holy Grail on the surface, but the real grail he was searching for was the father he never knew. It was an added element to Indiana Jones that improved the character greatly, and finally gave us a way to see something of ourselves in him. Harrison Ford is matched perfectly with Sean Connery, and the father-son dynamic makes LAST CRUSADE the perfect Father’s Day movie. 

6. JURASSIC PARK (1993)

Thanks to some dazzling brand-new special effects called CGI, and a few thrilling sequences, Spielberg captured the imagination of the entire world with JURASSIC PARK as he brought dinosaurs back to life to roar, stomp, and chomp on the big screen. Quotable, iconic, has earned a permanent spot in pop culture, and also features another fantastic score from John Williams. 

5. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)

Where his CLOSE ENCOUNTERS showed us aliens that were causing chaos and messing up families, E.T. showed us how gentle and friendly an alien can be. Told through the eyes of a child, E.T. was a tearjerker and perhaps Spielberg’s most emotional work. E.T. the alien is wonderfully brought to life, and John Williams score cannot be listened to today without the tears welling up. 

4. SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)

This Oscar-winning, towering work of art was Spielberg’s second film of 1993, and was a far cry from the whimsy of his box office-crashing dinosaur adventure. A Holocaust story which focused on Jews being civil rights victims, SCHINDLER’S LIST is one of those films which is masterfully crafted, but so moving and powerful that it can only be watched every 10 years or so. 

3. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

One of the greatest war films ever made. It recreates the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach in jaw-dropping form, and the human story which follows brings our boots to the ground with some of the best characters to ever form a platoon. The cast is perhaps the best ensemble The Beard has ever had, and with John Williams epic Hymn to the Fallen, the films stands as a lasting tribute to all veterans of war. 

2. JAWS (1975)

Iconic, funny, tragic, and classic in every way. Spielberg’s first smash was dependent on a mechanical shark that never worked, and it turned into something that fed on character moments. The action is spectacular, John Williams’ score is seared into our minds, and the characters of Quint, Chief, and Hooper had the opposites-attract dynamic which is now the basis of all filmmaking. As the grandfather of all modern blockbusters, JAWS has ushered in today’s generation of filmmakers. 

1. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

Spielberg’s best buddy George Lucas may have created the hat-wearing, whip-slinging archeologist Indiana Jones, but it was Spielberg who crafted a timeless adventure. Partly inspired by James Bond, Indy trotted the world as an obtainer of rare antiquities while loving women, battling evil, dodging bullets and arrows, and even staring at the power of the divine. Harrison Ford went from Han Solo to Indy in a year, and instantly became one of cinema’s biggest stars. John Williams’ score was once again one of the most recognizable themes of all time, and the script became a source of endless quotes. Spielberg, and cinema, loves adventure, and perhaps no other film defines that word as perfectly as RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. 

REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 FILMS OF STEVEN SPIELBERG

1. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
2. JAWS
3. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN
4. SCHINDLER'S LIST
5. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
6. JURASSIC PARK
7. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
8. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
9. INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
10. LINCOLN 

A Reel 20: THE MATRIX

“You take the blue pill, the story ends…”

This month marks the 20^thanniversary of THE MATRIX. 

Often regarded as one of the most influential and best sci-fi films of all time, THE MATRIX was written and directed by the filmmaking team of the Wachowski siblings. It explored a dystopian future where humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulation of reality called The Matrix, created by artificial beings, and a young hacker named Neo learns the truth and joins a rebellion against the machines. 

The film was conceived as a special-effects driven adventure which would present action scenes as they had never been seen before, while exploring deep philosophical and religious ideas. It was an investment gamble for Warner Bros. at the time; a gamble that they took only after the Wachowski’s hired underground comic book artists to draw up a 600-page, shot-by-shot- storyboard of the entire film. 

The complexities of THE MATRIX had to be understood by the entire cast. The Wachowski’s required their actors, which included Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving, to read French philosopher Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation. The cast was also required to undergo rigourous training in hand-to-hand combat and “wire-fu”, which had them fighting in mid-air suspended by wires; inspired by Hong Kong action cinema. 

Much of the action was inspired by Japanese animation and martial arts films, and THE MATRIX introduced the world to “bullet time”, in which a shot would progress in slow motion while the cameras move through the scene at normal speed. It was a leap forward for CGI which was in its infancy at the time. The film’s score was composed by Don Davis, and the soundtrack featured music from acts such as Rammstein, Rage Against the Machine (see what they did there?), Rob Zombie, and Marilyn Manson.

The results were dazzling and fascinated audiences. THE MATRIX was a box office smash and finished as the fifth highest-grossing film of 1999 and the highest grossing R-rated film of the year. It won four Academy Awards; Best Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, and Visual Effects. In 2012 it was added to the National Film Registry for preservation. The film would spawn two sequels and a host of other projects ranging from comic books, videos games, and short films. And today, the film has a lasting presence on social media with its many memes. 

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Two decades since its arrival, THE MATRIX today stands as one of the most significant entries into pop-culture since STAR WARS. It is infinitely quotable and its philosophical ideas elevate it from a standard shoot-em-up with explosions to upper-level, thinking-man’s science fiction. The film spoke to a younger generation in such a way that many actually began to believe (and maybe they still do), that we really are living in a false reality. Twenty years ago the film was being talked about everywhere, and its constant presence on today’s social media speaks to its longevity. Outside of its cultural impact, THE MATRIX revolutionized visual effects in the CGI era and in practical stunts; influences that still can be seen in today’s action films, and its long-form storytelling across multiple films makes it a forerunner to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But perhaps it’s lasting legacy is the scene where Neo is faced with the decision to stay in his comfortable little world or to take a risk and venture into the unknown; a hard decision that we all have to make in our lives…with guidance found in THE MATRIX. 

“You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”

A Reel Review: CAPTAIN MARVEL

In 2018, Marvel Studios assembled their mightiest heroes in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR to take on their most formidable villain. Those heroes lost that fight, and their failure led to the extermination of half of the population of Earth and the universe. It was a decimating, cliffhanger of an ending that the ten-year series had never done before…but like any great classic tragedy, it ended with a glimmer of hope. Say hello to CAPTAIN MARVEL. 

In the year 1995, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), is a member of the galaxy-hopping Starforce. Having been infused with superhuman powers, she and her friend and mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), lead the ongoing war against the shape-shifting Skrulls. During a mission, Danvers is stranded on Earth, where the Kree are searching for a device to help them in their war. She teams up with young SHIELD agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), to stop the Skrulls and uncover secrets of her own past. 

CAPTAIN MARVEL is a film that serves many purposes. It’s an origin tale for Danvers, a family story, a galactic adventure, and as an entry into the Marvel series of films, it sets up events yet to come and fills in the blanks in-between films. This is 1995, which is over 50 years since Captain America disappeared and 13 years before Iron Man forged his armor. The time-setting allows the directing team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck a lot of freedom to explore, and the ties that CAPTAIN MARVEL has to the larger picture are executed very well; the film serves as the missing puzzle piece to the larger picture that we didn’t know we were missing. 

On its own, CAPTAIN MARVEL functions splendidly. Danver’s origin tale is told in a non-traditional way. When we first meet her, she already has her powers, and her past, which she does not remember, is seen in glimpses as she has vague dreams and has her mind tapped into by the Skrulls. There’s some jarring and confusing exposition in the early goings, but by mid-film it all makes sense. For an origin story, CAPTAIN MARVEL is very unique in its telling. 

Once the action starts there’s great fun to be had. The action ranges from intergalactic battles, old-school car and train chases, hand-to-hand combat, and aerial dogfighting; all staged and executed very well. The film lacks a big-wow moment that most Marvel films have, but overall the fun and energy is sustained. Characters are fleshed out nicely and stand out amongst the massive amounts of CGI. The visual effects range from OK to great; many green-screen effects are obvious, but the de-aging process done on Samuel L. Jackson is simply breathtaking. 

Brie Larson is wonderful as Carol Danvers; playing a balance of strong yet self-doubting effortlessly. Jude Law and Samuel L. Jackson are good as always. Ben Mendelsohn pops in as a SHIELD agent and does some amazing work, and Annette Benning plays a few different parts very well. Clark Gregg returns as Agent Phil Coulson and is a joy to see, and also gets the de-aging treatment which is again, stunning. The film also has a few cameos from familiar faces from Marvel’s past films and all are treated and acted perfectly. The heart of the film belongs to 11-year-old Akira Akbar (playing as a five-year-old), whose scenes with Larson have great chemistry. 

CAPTAIN MARVEL has a handful of twists and turns offering a ton of surprises; just when we think we have it all figured out, the movie changes and never gets predictable. It wraps up leaving Carol Danvers as one of Marvel’s most special heroes, and one that we will be looking forward to seeing again very soon. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it

A Reel Preview: Everything You Need to Know About CAPTAIN MARVEL

It has been over seven months since we’ve had a film from the prolific Marvel Studios, but that drought ends this week when their CAPTAIN MARVEL lands in theatres. In this Reel Preview, here is everything you need to know about this highly anticipated film. 

What is this all about? – CAPTAIN MARVEL is the 21^stentry in Marvel’s series of superhero films, which began way back in 2008 with IRON MAN. This adventure takes back to the 1990’s and introduces us to Carol Danvers, a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who becomes one of the galaxy’s mightiest heroes just as Earth is caught in a conflict between two alien worlds. 

Who is in front of the camera? – Carol Danvers is played by Brie Larson, who won an Oscar for Best Actress for ROOM in 2015. Her other notable roles include KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017), and SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010). She is joined by familiar faces to the Marvel universe, with returning characters played by Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Djimon Hounsou (Korath), Lee Pace (Ronan the Accuser), and Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson). Newcomers to the series include Annette Benning, Jude Law, and Ben Mendelsohn (ROUGE ONE). 

Who is behind the camera? – CAPTAIN MARVEL is helmed by the directing team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who are known for the short documentary HALF NELSON (2006), and the feature films SUGAR (2008) and MISSISSIPPI GRIND (2015). 

Random Facts – The directing team of Boden and Fleck were originally considered for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014) * Returning characters Korath and Ronan made their debuts in the Marvel series with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY * Agent Coulson made his debut in the series with IRON MAN in 2008, as did Nick Fury * This is Marvel Studio’s first female-led superhero film, and the  release date coincides with International Women’s Day *  The existence of CAPTAIN MARVEL was teased at the end of AVENGERS: ENDGAME, just before Nick Fury and half of the world’s population was turned to ash * This is the first time de-aging technology will be used on actors for an entire film * This is the first Marvel Studios film to be released after the death of Stan Lee, who filmed a cameo * 

What to expect? – Starting with the directing team, there isn’t much to go on with Boden and Fleck as they have never helmed a project of this size before. But their resume is solid, and Marvel has a reputation for finding unknowns and guiding them to success. The cast is impressive; Larson has certainly proven her chops and it’s always good to see familiar Marvel characters come back. The setting of the 1990’s is fascinating, as the film takes place before the events of IRON MAN and after CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER…which means there is a lot of new territory to explore. But the question that everyone is asking is how CAPTAIN MARVEL plays into the events of AVENGERS: ENDGAME from last year, which ended on one of the best cliffhangers we’ve ever seen in cinema. Her role in Marvel’s grand canvas has yet to be revealed, but it’s clear that she has some great importance. That alone is worth getting excited for.

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CAPTAIN MARVEL arrives on Earth March 8^th, with limited showings on March 7^th. 

Reel Facts & Opinions: Spielberg v. Netflix

The 91^stOscars may be long over (read Reel Speak’s recap HERE), but the smoke still hasn’t cleared; fresh smoke that has come from famed director Steven Spielberg fanning the flames of the war between streaming services and movie theatres. The 72-year-old, Oscar-winning filmmaker of SCHINDLER’S LIST, and mega-hits such as JAWS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, has recently made it clear that he plans to speak in favor of rule changes that would exclude films produced by streaming companies from being considered for Academy Awards. Spielberg, who represents the Director’s Branch of the Academy, will propose the rule changes at the upcoming Academy Governors’ Board Meeting, and seems to be a direct response to the Netflix-produced film ROMA, which in this year’s Oscars earned 10 nominations with three wins. Spielberg’s proposal is rooted in the idea that films made by and for a home-streaming service are not really “films” if they don’t play in a theatre, and should not be considered for Oscars, but for TV Emmy’s. 

Is he right? Is he wrong? The debate is endless, but the younger generation, in their haste to defend things that their generation created, has jumped to a lot of conclusions without facts or thought. This Blogger’s aim is to clear up some of the smoke by tackling the most common fallacies. 

Netflix is being treated unfairly 

Yes and no. Netflix really isn’t that different from all the other Hollywood studios out there making movies, and they should be treated just like Disney or Warner Bros. For a film to be considered for Best Picture, the requirements are simple; be at least 40 minutes long, run in movie theatres in Los Angeles for at least one week, and it must not be broadcast in a non-theatre format (like streaming or TV) before its theatrical run. All the other studios play by these rules, so why should Netflix, or any other streaming service like Amazon or Hulu be treated differently? They shouldn’t. The rules apply to all. Last year Netflix played along and gave ROMA a theatrical run, and it nearly paid off at the Oscars. Spielberg wants to change that eligibility, but he really doesn’t need to because it works. Netflix played nice, as did Amazon Studios in 2016 when their MANCHESTER BY THE SEA got a theatrical run and nearly won Best Picture. 

It’s all about money

Of course it is. Hollywood cares about art but they care about dollars more. You can’t stay in business if you don’t do business, and movie theatres are a primary source of income. Netflix’s model of releasing most of their films exclusively on streaming has been a threat to the theatre experience, and perhaps Spielberg’s assault on home streaming has a lot to do with that. But here’s where Netflix really ruffles feathers; Netflix does not license its movies to theatres, and instead rents the theatre space which means they get to keep all the ticket sales to themselves. Theatres don’t get a cut, and that is a problem. That’s an indication that Netflix doesn’t want to play the game the way everyone else does, and they come off as the new guy at work who wants to do everything different. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that the older generation, and Hollywood doesn’t like how Netflix operates. 

Netflix movies aren’t really movies

From an art perspective, this isn’t true. Television and home streaming companies are more than capable of making a movie and making good ones. But guess what, if it’s made-for-TV, then it’s made for TV. It doesn’t mean that its worse, it just means its different. Home services such as HBO have been making quality films for years without anyone banging the drum for Oscars, and it’s only because Netflix is cool and hip and popular that it is now. This Blogger’s take is to leave the Academy rules just the way they are, and its up to Netflix if they want to attend the party or stay at home.