Let's all go to the movies~

[Mongrel]

The talk about Reagan's limitless crimes and sheer, unbridled racism on the politics board reminds me that there's a new movie coming out shortly about Fred Hampton's assassination ("Judas and the Black Messiah") that I'm really eager to see.

Apparently is it's being billed as a mass-market picture, fully funded by WB, yet features not a single decent white character - every white person in the film is either evil, or complicit, a deliberate artistic choice to leave white viewers with no "I'd be like that one good guy" character to comfort themselves with.

I also can't wait to watch the howls of discomfort from people who probably won't even watch it, because, you know, that sort of thing makes them uncomfortable.

[Thad]

Vanity Fair: Justice League: The Shocking, Exhilarating, Heartbreaking True Story of #TheSnyderCut (CW: suicide)

This is one of those cases where the story behind the movie is a lot more compelling than the movie itself. (I mean, I expect. I haven't seen the Snyder Cut yet, but...I saw Snyder's previous efforts and I have certain expectations.)

I don't like Snyder's approach to the DC superheroes and I don't like his politics, but by all accounts he's a friendly, likable guy (contrast with Joss Whedon, whose politics I broadly agree with and who's made a lot of entertainment I've really enjoyed but who, it is increasingly clear, is an absolutely wretched human being). There are reasons I'm wary of the Snyder Cut (its mere existence rewards the demands of an extremely toxic segment of fandom), but I can appreciate Snyder getting to make the movie he wanted to make, and his fans (the non-terrible ones) getting to see the movie they wanted to see.

I think I've made it clear over the years that, as invested as I am in superheroes, I realize they're just superheroes, and they don't matter as much as the creative people behind them. And that I've got a real fascination with distinctive weirdos, from Steve Ditko to Ken Penders. So I may not like Zack Snyder's creative vision, but I can still think, y'know, good for him for getting a chance at realizing that vision.

[KingRoyal]

It seems that Warner Bros is already working on a new Superman reboot, this one potentially written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which is promising. The headlines have been emphasizing J.J. Abrams's name, but it's just being produced by Bad Robot. Also, it may or may not be a reboot and also still set in the DCEU, for whatever that's worth. Aquaman and Wonder Woman seemed only marginally related to what Snyder was doing.

The cynic in me suspects that Warner already tastes blood in the water from the Snyder Cut, where $70 million was dumped into this film for a streaming platform that's barely beating out NBC's platform. If destroying HBO is what it takes to get a decent Superman movie, well, I'm prepared to make that sacrifice.

[Mothra]

Just want to note that this thread started with casting news about the original Justice League. We've come home.

[Thad]

Just want to note that this thread started with casting news about the original Justice League. We've come home.

And I'll add that casting was something Snyder was pretty good at. It's not Cavill's fault he wasn't a good Superman; it's not even Affleck's fault he wasn't a good Batman. Gadot and Momoa were both good choices (even if I don't feel great about Gadot's politics). And I'll still go to bat for Eisenberg as Luthor; he was the only person in Batman v Superman who was having any fun. Jeremy Irons as Alfred and JK Simmons as Gordon? Both great choices! I wish we got to see more of them!

Can't say much about Ezra Miller or Ray Fisher; they didn't get to do much, at least not in the theatrical cut. But I respect the hell out of Fisher for standing up to Joss Whedon and the entire DC/Warner machine for protecting him. Other people are speaking out about Whedon's decades of abusive behavior because Fisher was willing to risk his career to do it.

All that to say? I'd be happy to see Henry Cavill and Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne and Jesse Eisenberg stay on for a non-Snyder movie.

also

Coates, meanwhile, is a celebrated writer and journalist who penned the book Between the World and Me and currently writes Marvel's monthly Black Panther and Captain America comics.

"Monthly"? Way to rub salt in that wound, IGN; I've been waiting a year for the next issue of BP.

[Thad]

The Snyder Cut is getting better reviews than I expected. It's...apparently not a complete train wreck? Consensus seems to be something like "look, it's still a Zack Snyder movie, and no it absolutely does not need to be four hours long, but it's better than the Whedon version," with the final verdict ranging from "but still not very good" to "and actually very good."

I mean, I was probably always going to watch it? I'm trapped in my house and my state just legalized recreational cannabis. What the hell else am I going to do with my time?

The answer is taxes. I need to do my taxes. And go through a bunch of my shit and move. Even in the age of social distancing, "have an edible and spend four hours watching Zack Snyder's Justice League" is pretty far down my to-do list. But y'know, I was already morbidly fascinated with the whole project, and the generally-positive reception adds one more unexpected plot twist.

[KingRoyal]

The answer is taxes. I need to do my taxes. And go through a bunch of my shit and move. Even in the age of social distancing, "have an edible and spend four hours watching Zack Snyder's Justice League" is pretty far down my to-do list.

Getting high and watching Batman v. Superman was always my plan but every time I was high I kept thinking "There's about 20 other things I'd rather be doing"

[beatbandito]

Please don't get high enough for a four hour movie. That's dangerous.

[Thad]

The answer is taxes. I need to do my taxes. And go through a bunch of my shit and move. Even in the age of social distancing, "have an edible and spend four hours watching Zack Snyder's Justice League" is pretty far down my to-do list.

Getting high and watching Batman v. Superman was always my plan but every time I was high I kept thinking "There's about 20 other things I'd rather be doing"

I watched the Rifftrax of that one. It...was still pretty painful.

Please don't get high enough for a four hour movie. That's dangerous.

Man, I got no tolerance. I ate one chocolate square last Friday and I was down for the weekend.

[Blossom]

yeah don't want to overdose on weed

[Brantly B.]

Literally the only thing I think can make BvS watchable is getting drunk with friends and then ignoring the movie altogether. Getting high would only heighten the anxiety/"how the fuck long has it been?" factor.

[Thad]

But it *does* pass the "unintentional hilarity" test for stoned ironic viewing.

[Thad]

Since tax day got pushed back a month, I was gonna say "Hell, maybe this is the weekend," but nah, I should still probably do taxes. The deadline for filing has been pushed back, but the deadline for making charitable contributions you can claim credit for* is still April 15, so I should probably at least get a rough outline of how much I owe and how much I can claim.

Meanwhile, I got my copy of Alex Winter's Zappa documentary I've been meaning to watch, but I just realized, shit, if I wait a couple months I can have my dad over to watch it with me. Huh. That's...maybe the first concrete thought I've had about spending some time with my family indoors and without masks on.

* this is an Arizona thing but it might be worth looking into whether your state offers any similar incentives

[Blossom]

Four years and seventy million dollars to make the snyder cut, and it releases in 4:3



fucking stunner

[Mongrel]

“When I made the film originally, it was part of a five-part trilogy,” Snyder told Vanity Fair. His new version of Justice League, which debuted on HBO Max today, is as actually the middle section of that intended story arc, preceded by Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. “There were two more episodes of the Justice League to be shot.”

[KingRoyal]

So I think Justice League might actually be Snyder's best film. It's still overstuffed with a bunch of hooks for movies that will never be and it's overall look still relies on a heavily desaturated palette and some times it can be difficult to see what's going on. And everyone is still pretty grim (Batman in particular is very dark). But overall, it's not a miserable journey like Man of Steel or BvS, and there's no insane leaps of character and logic like the Martha scene. It's fun.

I don't think it would have ever made it to the theater at a full 4 hours. The scenes setting up other movies would probably be excised, but I think Snyder would have kept tone and look consistent with reshoots and edits.

Of course, one of the things that bothered me about previous Snyder movies is still there, which is the overt Christian symbology. This is basically an adaptation of Paul founding the Christian church but Paul is Batman and he gets to team up with Jesus, Superman, to beat back Satan who is being commanded by a different Satan.

[Destynova]

Rumor is we will be getting the Shark Song.

Edit:How long have I been here? I still can't get the code right

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiedtKegoqw&t=1s

[Mongrel]

Rumor is we will be getting the Shark Song.

Edit:How long have I been here? I still can't get the code right

For some reason it added the time signature. Just needed to trim the &t=1s off.

[nosimpleway]

Rumor is we will be getting the Shark Song.

doot-doo doo-doot doo-doo

[Mongrel]

Rumor is we will be getting the Shark Song.

doot-doo doo-doot doo-doo

Seriously. I was like "there's... another shark song?"

Well, I guess there's always the Jaws theme. Okay. Three songs?

EDIT: Oh wait, there's also



...uh oh, I'm getting that rabbithole feeling...