SC: “I actually have heard of the Scree (extraterrestrial race opposing the main character in the movie) from playing a game on my phone.” LE: “And then of course there is North Scree and South Scree.”
You know, like North Korea and South Korea? Okay, trust me, my jokes get better as we do more episodes. You gotta start somewhere, right? I mean do you think Quentin Tarantino was always a brilliant if controversial director and producer? There was time when he didn’t know a subplot from an ascot. But look at him now.
Anyhow, we released the first episode of our “The Movie Review Show” on March 16, 2019. It was Stephen’s idea for us to don our Wal-Mart ware for the 1st episode to show viewers we’re just a couple of regular working stiffs who happen to really, really love and watch a lot of movies.
In retrospect, I think my introduction of the show’s format, although fine and accurate as far as it goes, is incomplete. I explain that Stephen and I go to our local movie theater, Red Wing Cinema 8, watch a newly-released movie and then review it. That’s all true except that we have two additional segments after the review: 1) Stephen’s Recommendations and my Lee’s Jokes of the Week. So I will suggest we add that to the show’s introduction so new viewers will know immediately that we’re more than a straight movie review show.
Like Life in general, the show is a work in progress. You try to do things one way and if it seems to be working, you keep doing it that way. If it doesn’t work, then you try a different method. It’s like a giant labortory: experiment, analyze and act accordingly.
Back to our first review: After explaining format of our show, including our ratings system (10-kernel of popcorn rating system with one kernel being the worst and ten kernels the best), we showed the movie’s trailer and then launched into our review. Neither of us knew a ton about the Captain Marvel character (yeah, yeah, maybe we should have done some research before seeing and reviewing the movie) so in a way that was good. We went into it with a fresh perspective. I commented that I had some reservations about Captain Marvel being a woman because, you know, to me ‘captain’ conjures up the image of a man but I said after seeing the new version the character that I had no problem with a female Captain Marvel.
In essence, she’s one kick-ass, super-powerful, take-no-prisoners superhero who happens to be female. Guys, if you like strong women, this is the new superhero for you!
The film’s opening was fantastic: the Marvel logo and a homage to Stan Lee got things rolling. We commented on the grunge-centric soundtrack: we loved it, especially No Doubt’s “Just A Girl” and Kurt Cobain’s “Come As You Are”! For me, music is an essential element in life and although a killer soundtrack isn’t required for all movies, if it’s appropriate and blends in with the on-screen action, it definitely enhances the movie experience.
The appearance of a Blockbuster Video store is a sure-fire sign that the movie takes place in the 90’s. To be more precise, it takes place in 1995. The time period is important as the movie symbolizes the spirit of mid-90s when anti-establishment rock songs, especially feminist anthems and girl power tunes were extremely popular and reflective of that era. That’s to say, the 1995 backdrop serves a narrative purpose that goes beyond simply allowing Captain Marvel to take children of the ’90s on a jaunt down memory lane or have Carol wear a Nine Inch Nails T-shirt. It was sort of nostalgic trip for me. My wife Amy, may she RIP, and I used to live in a Burnsville townhouse located about a mile from a Blockbuster store although that was in the early 2000’s. Ah yes, the good old days, sort of.
We agreed the movie didn’t feel like a typical superhero for the first 45 minutes or so. It felt more like sci-fi as most of the action takes place in outer space. And I point out even after the action switches to Earth there are Star Wars-ish sequences like when they buzz through the canyon in the high-tech aircraft and barely avoid sure death numerous times much like Han Solo and Chewbacca in the asteroids belt.
We were also impressed with the f/x, in particular the capitol city of Scree and the various spaceships. It was impressive and distinctive, not carbon copies of Star Trek or Star Wars franchises.
I point out the appropriateness off the Scrolls, the primary enemy of Captain Marvel and SHIELD boss Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) being shapeshifters. Beginning in the 90’s, terrorists are at or near the top of the “bad guys” list and of course part of their MO is to pretend to be God-fearing American citizens and then secretly plan and launch terror attacks. So Muslim fantatics are essentially shapeshifters.
And now for the big moment, our scores:
It was not Oscar material but definitely worth seeing for several reasons: stellar f/x, rockin’ soundtrack, topnotch cinematography, solid plot and excellent acting. My primary issue was the implausible (even for a superhero movie) ending. Stephen’s primary issue was the role of the cat that ends up possessing an extremely important artifact.
Here is a link to the episode: https://youtu.be/0Vn2AHrpi3Y
And there you go, ladies and gentlemen, the countdown is complete! Now I will go forward in time and catch up with all of our reviews (we’re up to 14 episodes with #15 fast approaching!). And as we say at the end of every episode, “We’ll be watching…for you.”