On Second Thought | the m0vie blog

New Escapist Video! On Why Chris Evans Returning to the MCU Would Be a Bad Idea…

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Darren

So, as I have mentioned before, I am launching a new video series as a companion piece to In the Frame at The Escapist. The video will typically launch with the Monday article, and be released on the magazine’s YouTube channel the following week. This is kinda cool, because we’re helping relaunch the magazine’s film channel – so if you can throw a subscription our way, it would mean a lot.

This week, with rumours that Chris Evans might be returning to the role of Steve Rogers, I took a look at why this would be a bad thing for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has the opportunity to push ahead and evolve in a way that the comics never have been.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: captain america, chris evans, continuity, evolution, in the frame, marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, mcu, progress, steve rogers | 1 Comment »

New Escapist Column! On How “Jurassic Park” Increasingly Feels Like a Warning About Itself…

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. For no reason other than because I watched it this week, I took a look at Jurassic Park and how it feels strangely prophetic.

Jurassic Park is many things: a cautionary tale about science run amok, about mankind’s hubris, about dads. However, watched decades later, it stands out as a cautionary tale about the kind of movie that it is. Jurassic Park is one of the best blockbusters ever made, but it was also a game-changer. It seemed to herald a revolution in computer-generated imagery that fundamentally altered the blockbuster landscape. In that sense, the film’s anxiety about the unforeseen consequences of these sorts of innovations, and of bringing the past to life again, have aged very well.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: blockbusters, Computer-generated imagery, jurassic park, jurassic world, steven spielberg | 1 Comment »

New Escapist Column! On Why Chris Evans Returning to the MCU Would Be a Bad Idea…

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. Last week, there were rumours that Chris Evans might be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following his departure in Avengers: Endgame.

This is interesting, because it potentially undermines one of the more interesting facets of the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward. Comic books are largely shaped and defined by nostalgia, with beloved characters filling familiar roles in perpetuity, with any major change to the status quo eventually rolling back to the default. In contrast, a cinematic universe operates by different constraints: actors move on, age out and even die. This would force a long-form shared universe to evolve in a way that comics haven’t had to. This is a good thing, as evolution is necessary.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: actors, aging, avengers: endgame, Comics, escapist, hollywood, in the frame, intellectual property, marvel, mcu, Movies, shared universe, the escapist | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! On How “Star Wars” Killing the Adult-Skewing Christmas Blockbuster….

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Darren

This is a slightly older one, one that was prepared for both Christmas and for the fifth anniversary of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. I looked at one of the film’s most understated and under-explored legacies: the way in which the arrival of The Force Awakens killed one of the few spaces in the calendar where the adult-skewing blockbuster could thrive and prosper.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: christmas, in the frame, star wars, the force awakens | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On Power Without Responsibility in the MCU…

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With WandaVision launching this weekend and with reports that Chris Evans would be returning to the role of Steve Rogers, it seemed like a good time to take a look back at Captain America: Civil War as the point at which the MCU embraced the idea of power without responsibility.

Superhero stories are often about power and responsibility. However, one of the most striking aspects of the MCU has been its recurring embrace of the idea that power should come without any responsibility. Civil War is supposed to be a story about consequences, but instead becomes a story about characters desperately evading consequences, and asking the audience to cheer for them as they do. There’s something hollow and empty in that, and it’s arguably a rot at the root of the MCU.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: captain america, captain america: civil war, Civil War, consequences, continuity, in the frame, the escapist | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! “Outside the Wire – Review in 3 Minutes”

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Darren

I’m thrilled to be launching 3-Minute Reviews on Escapist Movies. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be joining a set of contributors in adding these reviews to the channel. For the moment, I’m honoured to contribute a three-minute feature film review to the channel, discussing Outside the Wire.

Filed under: Movies, On Second Thought | Tagged: 3mr, anthony mackie, film, Movie, outside the wire, review, terminator 2, the escapist, three minute review | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On How “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” Cast Daniel Craig as a Bond Girl…

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Darren

I published a new piece at The Escapist this evening. Because The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is now on American Netflix, it seemed like a good time to take a look back at David Fincher’s underrated adaptation.

Daniel Craig has always had a challenging relationship with his most iconic role, that of super-suave super-spy James Bond. Many of his roles play off that tension, juxtaposing Craig with the audience’s expectations of him. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is no exception, essentially casting Craig in the role of the Bond Girl to Lisbeth Salander. Craig is repeatedly presented as vulnerable and distressed, often requiring rescuing and often existing as an extension of the women around him. It’s a clever, self-aware piece of casting.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: Bond girl, daniel craig, escapist, james bond, Lisbeth Salander, masculinity, the escapist, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, vulnerability | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! On “Die Hard” as a Christmas Movie…

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Darren

It’s not the 8th of January yet, so it still seems like an appropriate time for Christmas movie discussion. As such, I took a look at one of the great film debates of our time: whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbna21uxl9w

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: christmas, die hard, escapist, holly mcclane, japan, john mcclane, Movies, pop culture, the escapist | Leave a comment »

New Podcast! The Escapist Movie Podcast – “Wonder Woman 1984 is Anything But a Wonder”

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Darren

The Escapist have launched a movie podcast, and I was thrilled to join Jack Packard for our first episode of the year. Because we’re easing ourselves back in, we really only focus on one movie this week. We go in-depth on the divisive Wonder Woman 1984.

You can listen to the episode here, back episodes of the podcast here, click the link below or even listen directly.

Filed under: On Second Thought, Podcasts! | Tagged: gal gadot, patty jenkins, richard donner, wonder woman, wonder woman 1984 | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On the “Karate Kid” Franchise as an Exploration of Hollywood’s Complicated History with the Martial Arts…

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. The new season of Cobra Kai launched on Netflix today, so it seemed like a good excuse to take a look back at the Karate Kid franchise.

The Karate Kid franchise is often overlooked in discussions of the American action movie, particular the American martial arts movie. However, the films offer a fascinating snapshot of the tension that existed within Hollywood around martial arts during the seventies and into the eighties. The genre was largely imported from East Asia, however it was quickly reworked and reinvented as an American genre. Indeed, one of the recurring tensions within the Karate Kid franchise is the idea of appropriation – of who karate “belongs” to and what happens when others try to take it.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.