By George Robbins
One of the most prominent film franchises over the past few years have been the ones related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU. The MCU is a vast, expansive shared universe that gives us a good look at the lives and trials that a large number of Marvel Comic book heroes live through. Many prominent heroes have made themselves a part of the MCU over the years and we have tons of spin-off media to add to that. When Disney obtained Marvel, a blank check was essentially given to the MCU directors to make the incredible films that they should be capable of making. This made the quality of every MCU film incredible even really by the standards that have been set in today’s world in VFX.
Like previously stated, the MCU is vast and contains a lot of different characters through which we experience a lot of different story arcs. The movies are unique and due to the work put into them by Marvel Studios, the movies end up turning out great. This process of film making can be a bit upended though by the countless deals in place that allow the films the possibility of being made. One of the most important of those deals is the one that Disney has in place with Sony so that they could have One of the most important Marvel characters appear in their film, Spider-Man. Sony has had the rights to the IP for a very long time now and they have no plans to give that up any time soon.
‘Spider-Man‘ was one of the most important movies of its time period because it was considered one of the more modern day hero movies. It was the movie that lit the flame under fans that allowed the Marvel Studios films to do so well. Not to take away from the achievements of those films, but ‘Spider-Man’ could easily be seen as the movie/character that helped start the trend. While the MCU continued on, the Spider-Man IP stagnated after a failed reboot of the character until he was needed as an essential character for a storyline. The Civil War storyline in the comics was a very important moment in Marvel Comics history and Spider-Man had a part to play in it. This meant that Disney had to make a deal with Sony for the use of their IP in the MCU films.
Although Sony may have allowed them to use the character, they still have the rights to the character and any characters related to him. This isn’t an issue as it allows for the creation of other films related to Spider-Man, but they aren’t really tied to the MCU, at least not yet. The hope of Sony is to have more of their character IP’s to become a part of the MCU as well. They are trying to continue the trend of making Spider-Man related movies with their upcoming film ‘Morbius‘ as well as the sequel to their first ‘Venom’ film. Now they have Olivia Wilde coming in to be the director of some new Spider-Man related film. What people are hoping will happen from this is that she will be working on some new live-action film that focuses on the character Spider-Woman.
By George Robbins
DC is a comic book company that has been around for many years and it has cemented its place in society as a whole. Just like Marvel Comics, DC has become iconic in pop culture and it has been a part of it ever since the “Golden Age of Comics.” This era in history was one that saw comic books at the height of their popularity as they were first releasing to the public. The countless heroes and villains that we see in modern media today are taken from that period of time and will continue to as time goes on. DC have managed to go far with their properties, but not as far as Marvel has because of how well done the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, is.
The MCU is the current standard for what hero movies should look like and just comic book movies in general. It is due to the MCU that Warner Bros. started up their own shared universe, but for DC characters. Warner wanted to do something more with the DC properties that they owned, and so they allowed the usage of their properties for a number of films that portrayed a limited number of characters. They decided to change the individual standalone films into a shared universe that those characters could populate together. Although they were successful, it was a success that was met with a lot of mixed criticism.
So far, few DC films have actually been liked by a large demographic and most are met with mixed criticism that doesn’t bode well for future films. Much of the mixed criticism comes from the fact that there are constant reshoots for those films, even when it is already finished because the studio wanted something different. This studio interference is what a lot of people blame for the reason their movies end up not doing as well as they originally anticipated. With some of their upcoming DCEU entries being looked forward to, many are hoping that those films end up being what they hoped for and more. People do want the franchise to succeed, but it can’t do so if there are going to be issues moving forward.
One of the films in the DCEU that people are looking forward to is the upcoming movie ‘The Flash.’ The story of the movie will be that it is an adaptation of the Flashpoint comic book storyline. From what we have heard, there will be a few twists thrown in, so it won’t be exactly what people would expect from that storyline. For a better understanding of how perhaps the movie will turn out, the public want to see something from the movie so they have the best idea as to what they should expect for a full release. Fans will get the chance to do just that as, apparently, there will be some footage for the movie shown this weekend at DC FanDome. This event is one that will be entirely virtual and it gives the perfect chance for DC fans everywhere to see the footage.
By George Robbins
Many studios are happy now more than they have been over the past couple of months because they can get back to work. For the most part, Hollywood has been shut down since the start of the pandemic and it has resulted in many films being postponed. With productions postponed, there was no telling just when they would be able to start productions back up again. Now that the situation with the virus has become a bit more manageable, studios have been coming up with plans for getting back to work. Before then, the only work that could be done on movies was VFX and post-production work because those things could be done at home. Thus we now have the opportunity to see how they will continue their work now that they have a better chance at doing so.
Before the pandemic began, many movies were in the midst of production and some of them were just about to get started as well. All of those productions had to be put on hiatus for a couple of months with many only just about to resume filming. New rules have been put in place since the initial filming began for all of those films, so now it will be a bit more difficult to maneuver the sets. These rules are in accordance with the new safety guidelines that have been put in place as a way to prevent the production crews from contracting the virus somehow. So now, with these rules in place, crews need to change the way that they film their movies.
Among the methods of following the new rules and trying to make things easier, shooting on location has changed for some films. On top of this, sets are built as a replacement for the locations that were originally going to be used. This is what ended up happening to the upcoming movie ‘The Batman.’ This movie is going to be a standalone live-action film that will not be a part of the DCEU according to the studio so we are looking at a film meant to be original. They had started working on the film in England, but due to the coronavirus, they’ve had to follow the aforementioned changes in location. This means that they will be shooting on a sound-stage instead of the open air.
Many people are looking forward to seeing this film, but no one knows how to feel about the movie not being filmed on location anymore. however, these fears should be alleviated by the fact that they are trying to put together set pieces that emulate the original environment. They have been getting this all set up again so that they could resume filming as soon as possible. This seems to be relatively soon now because the movie is now scheduled to resume its filming in September just like the upcoming ‘Mission: Impossible 7.’ They are trying to make sure that they can still make their October 2021 release date that they have planned so that no further delays mess around with the film.
By George Robbins
Back in the 70’s and 80’s, Hollywood produced a large number of films that caught the attention of people the world-over. These movies are classics that we still hear about and see today and they mostly still hold up. The reason for why they all still hold up is because at that time there were no CGI effects going into movies, so everything was done with practical effects. These practical effects were a perfected art form at the time and they made every movie seem like it was actually taking place in real life. No matter the genre, practical effects dominated the industry and are still widely regarded today because of the real life aesthetic. These aesthetics are not noticeable the way CGI is, even today, and during the 70’s and 80’s horror films had the most effects.
Horror movies of the 70’s and 80’s were quite different from the horror movies that we see today and seemed more surreal in how real they looked. These movies still hold up today, despite what the footage looks like, because they were made in a way that made them last through the test of time. This lasting effect that is seen throughout the movies makes it possible for people to go back to those films and not feel out of place. Meaning that nothing on screen will feel like it is out of place like films with CGI would. Among those horror movies were legends in the industry that would stand the test of time and be considered some of the best films of their time. One of the films that is mentioned the most is ‘The Exorcist.’
‘The Exorcist’ is a film that was made in 1973 as a supernatural horror film which was based upon the novel of the same name. The movie was directed by William Friedkin who is well known for his work during the 70’s in the “New Hollywood” movement. His films all pushed the boundaries and he did his best to make his films masterpieces that would last through the years. ‘The Exorcist’ is most definitely one of those films and no matter when you watch it, the film will always hold up. The story of the movie follows two priests as they try to exorcise a demon from a young girl in order to save her life. The movie got Friedkin nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director, which was unprecedented for a horror movie. This just goes to show how well done the movie was and that it can still hold up today.
In the modern day, Hollywood is trying to do their best to bring back classic films of the past in a more modern way. This gives them an excuse to remake old films and then charge people to go and see the films. Those movies eventually turn out to just not be as good as the originals, even with updated technology added to them. Hollywood is nonetheless trying to do this yet again with a reboot for ‘The Exorcist.’ Their plans as of now for the project are to try and work on the film as soon as possible because they plan on releasing the film some time in 2021. This release date means we will see the movie sooner rather than later, so all we can do now is hope the film doesn’t end up as a disappointment because it is kind of hard to reboot a classic masterpiece.
By George Robbins
Now that theaters are beginning to reopen in at least some parts of the world, they are doing all they can to adjust to the new rules. Theaters have now been given specified guidelines that they must follow in order to even be allowed to open up individually again. However, this does not mean that every theater will actually be allowed to open even if they do meet the guideline standards. Many theaters are still trying to open, but local governments still believe them to be a huge health hazard since so many people will be sitting together in an enclosed space for hours at a time. Even if theaters end up being only half capacity, they are still enclosed spaces with a lot of people in them and half capacity is just the standard.
Depending on the number of screens and seats a theater has, the amount of people who will be allowed to enter may vary per movie theater. That aside, movie theater owners are still trying to figure out exactly what it is that they will be showing people when they open. The point of even going to a movie theater is just to see new films as they release, so of course this is their “product.” New content is kind of hard to come by these days, so many theaters have resorted to showing older films, or in some cases, movies that were in theaters when the pandemic began may make a comeback. However, there may just be a couple of movies that we will be seeing soon in theaters that could turn this whole situation around, at least that’s what theater owners are hoping for.
One of the biggest movies on people’s minds right now is the newest Christopher Nolan movie, ‘Tenet.’ The mystery surrounding the movie has catapulted the film onto just about every movie-goers must watch list. This movie has been marketed and hyped up ever since the pandemic just began and Nolan believes it may be the film that ends up saving theaters because it will create a huge drive for people to want to go to the movies. This is something that Warner Bros. has been attempting to do for a while now and within the next couple of weeks it will release domestically and internationally. Wherever theaters will be opened up, the movie will get a chance to be shown to the public. There is another even longer awaited film that should be releasing soon as well, ‘The New Mutants.’
‘The New Mutants‘ is a film that shows a group of young mutants trying to survive some kind of dangerous situation set in the universe of the X-Men. This is an exciting moment for a lot of people because the film has been in the works for a very long time and due to the acquisition of the film’s rights by Disney, it was delayed. When the pandemic first began, the movie was only a couple weeks away from a theatrical release. People want this film to be a success because it could possibly be seen as an entry point for the X-Men in the MCU. If the film doesn’t do well, then it will just be seen as a standalone film, but after all this time, some are hoping it works out. Advanced ticket purchases for the film actually became available today and we will see the film having its official theatrical release on August 28th.
By George Robbins
Movie theaters have been doing their best as of late to reopen their doors to the public and make some kind of revenue again. Their being closed has left many theater owners without any kind of income while still having to pay for the properties all on their own. Maintenance without new income is difficult, especially for those owners who were not prepared for such a scenario. This is going to result in the closure of many independent theaters and it will change how some places work moving forward. Although some companies are moving ahead with their openings, the pandemic itself is still a very real threat that could be even more problematic for theaters as time rolls on.
Theaters have started doing the best they could under the new guidelines in place that are there to prevent more people from getting sick. This will be important from this point on as more businesses open up, but there is still going to be a risk involved with the reopening of the movie theaters. Even with limited capacity, theaters are still an enclosed space where many people sit down for a couple of hours at a time. This makes the possibility of people getting sick much more plausible and it is a cause of concern for some. Even wide-open public places like parks and amusement parks have been complained about by the concerned public because of the risk that they pose to everyone. This is another reason why opening theaters isn’t exactly being seen as a great idea.
Big theater companies have been pushing off the reopening of their doors for awhile at this point so that they could try and reopen as many theaters as they can simultaneously. This has presented a big problem for these companies as of late because not every place is allowing them to open their doors back up to the public. They wanted to open up as many theaters as possible so that they would be able to show movies all over the place which gives them more opportunity to make revenue. By only opening a few theaters, they give themselves limited theatrical runs due to contracts with studios. The more theaters they show the movies in, the more money they will end up making as a result.
Now that theaters are opening, they are trying to pressure states into allowing the opening of theater doors so that they have more of a chance at bringing in revenue. One of the states that theater owners are trying to pressure is the State of New Jersey because they would not allow the reopening of theaters due to the potential health hazard. They tried doing this by putting up a lawsuit against the state for allowing other public venues to open, but not theaters. New Jersey isn’t the only state that isn’t allowing them to open as the State of New York is doing the exact same thing for the same health concerns. New Jersey has since ruled against theater owners who have claimed that shutting down theaters infringe on their right to free speech. It is easy to see that this is not a good reason to hold up in court and why they were denied the right to reopen just yet. There is no telling just when they will reopen in New Jersey, but for now we know it will be awhile.
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