The Incredibles 2

[slikmar]

Bird's directing of the Mission Impossible 4 saved that series to me. I liked 5 a little better, but 4 was so much better then 1-3. Tomorrowland wasn't horrid, just wasn't good. Never read Ayn Rand, so can't comment on that part.

[csyphrett]

12 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said:

Brad Bird has staked a claim to being America's greatest living animator on just three features (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille). This has a chance of being a really good movie.

 

That said, Bird's live-action work's reputation has me a bit concerned. Reviews and commentary scared me off Tomorrowland and its shoutouts to Ayn Rand.

Tomorrowland didn't have any shoutouts to Ayn Rand. It would have been improved if they hadn't used a framing device to explain they were going to send people out to try to boost up society and improve things.

CES 

[Bazza]

For what it is worth, I enjoyed Tomorrowland. It has an optimistic utopian outlook which I find rare in Hollywood. 

[Armory]

8 hours ago, csyphrett said:

Tomorrowland didn't have any shoutouts to Ayn Rand. 

 

Several critics thought so.  Bird himself has stated he's not even libertarian, let alone a follower of Ayn Rand (those two things aren't synonymous, btw).  But then I've noticed that many critics of Ayn Rand have no real idea what she was talking about in the first place.

[Starlord]

Currently at a whopping 97% on RT.

[Michael Hopcroft]

I'm trying to see if my schedule permits me to buy advance tickets. I want to see this sooner rather than later, though that might mean being in the auditorium with a lot of children.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Rotten Tomatoes isn't what it used to be.  Its pretty obvious that Marvel at least buys reviews and has significant influence on what the site says.

[Lord Liaden]

No, it isn't.

[Starlord]

27 minutes ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Rotten Tomatoes isn't what it used to be.  Its pretty obvious that Marvel at least buys reviews and has significant influence on what the site says.

 

Not sure what it used to be other than a count of thumbs up or thumbs down votes from critics.  IMO you would be silly if you ever based your movie decision-making solely off a website like that.

 

Now it's at 96% BTW.  

[Christopher R Taylor]

Rotten Tomatoes used to be a pretty good site for getting a pretty objective feel for movies by various sources.  But they've demonstrated the willingness to be shaped by corporate interests as to what gets to be posted and what does not for a film.

[Old Man]

This film did not suck.  It is one of the two best Fantastic Four films ever made.  Once again, a thought-provoking villain.

[BoloOfEarth]

Took the whole family to see it yesterday.  We all really enjoyed it a lot.  My eldest daughter (age 25) said it was worth the 14-year wait. 

 

Be forewarned if you have a problem with strobe-type flashing lights, as they happen a couple times during the movie

 

I thought it very fitting to see on Father's Day (which coincided with my birthday this year).  Bob taking care of the kids was well done, IMO not getting too cliched or too slapstick, while putting enough of a "superhero problems" spin on things to make it good.

 

Once again, they did a great job of balancing multiple main characters, giving each a chance to shine (including Frozone).  Pixar did another excellent job depicting a family, admittedly not perfect, but showing family members still love and care about one another.  Sibling rivarly and spouses not seeing eye-to-eye on everything, but still working together when it counts. 

 

Maybe a touch too much emphasis on Jack-Jack at times, but some of that stuff was LOL material.  (I won't spoil which bits).  And Edna remains a real treasure.

 

All in all, an excellent movie (at least IMO).

[Old Man]

I'm going to go ahead and kick off the Jack-Jack powers discussion here.  Statting him out should probably go in the Champions thread.

 

1. Goblin Form (Multiform)
2. Spontaneous Combustion (Damage Shield)
3. Laser Eyes (Energy Blast, spreadable, variable color)
4. Phasing (Desolid)
5. Jello Form (Desolid)
6. Sneeze (Superleap)
7. Levitation (Flight)
8. Growth (Growth, plus Strength for broken versions of Hero where Growth does not give Strength)
9. Teleport (including Extra-Dimensional and Usable Against Others variations--Variable Advantage?)
10. Doppleganger (Shapeshift)
11. Telekinesis (Telekinesis)
12. Electricity Field (Damage Shield?)
13. Metal Form (Density Increase?)
14. Duplication (Duplication)

 

...so far.  I can't get up to 17 like Mr. Parr said; am I missing some?

 

[Old Man]

Largest animated film opening in history; 8th largest film opening in general

 

 

[wcw43921]

Saw the movie--?Loved? the movie--?--but there was one thing I couldn't figure out. How did Bob and Helen not know that Jack-Jack had powers? I could see them being too far away to see what was going on with him during Syndrome's escape at the end of the first movie--but surely Dick Rickard would have briefed them on what Kari told him about Jack-Jack. Wouldn't he?

 

Of course, I'm not that quick on the uptake myself.  I should have figured who the mastermind was.  Evelyn Deavor=Evil Endeavor.  It was so blazing obvious.

 

I liked everyone's theme song at the end, except I thought they could have done a better theme for Mr. Incredible.  I'm hoping though, for a scene like this in the next movie--

 

DASH: "Hey, can I have a theme song?  I can make a really great theme song!"

               "I'm!  The Dash!  The Fastest Kid Alive!"

               "I'm!  The Dash!  I Take Out The Bad Guys!"

               "I'm!  The Dash!  I'm Always Fightin' Crime!"

               "I'm!  The Dash!  I'm Always There In Time!"

               "I'm!  The Dash!------"

 

VIOLET (Ears Plugged): "Mom, make him stop!"

 

Anyway--Fourteen Years.  And by Siegel and Shuster, it was worth the wait.  I just hope we don't have to wait another fourteen years for Incredibles 3.

[Old Man]

2 hours ago, wcw43921 said:

???

 

Anyway--Fourteen Years.  And by Siegel and Shuster, it was worth the wait.  I just hope we don't have to wait another fourteen years for Incredibles 3.

 

SLJ is 69 years of age.  Craig T Nelson is 74.  Another fourteen years is pushing it.

[Vondy]

On 4/15/2018 at 8:57 AM, Armory said:

 

But then I've noticed that many critics of Ayn Rand have no real idea what she was talking about in the first place.

 

Bizarre and cynical misreadings and mischaracterizations of writer's whose work disagrees, even slightly, with the worldview of contemporary ideologues (irrespective of stripe) has become de rigueur over the past two decades. The method is: twist, distort, exaggerate, and cherry-pick to destroy a writer and their work. I  much prefer accurate, balanced, and nuanced criticism. Ergo, actually discuss and engage the ideas. For the record, I am not a fan of Ayn Rand and have some philosophical and ethical objections to her strident and often inflexible "objectivism." She largely leaves me cold. But, most of the criticisms I've read of her, especially those delivered by progressives (including some board members here) are histrionic nonsense. 

[Vondy]

If its half as good as the original it will be twice as good as most Marvel films.

 

Looking forward to this one.

[wcw43921]

On 6/18/2018 at 3:51 PM, Old Man said:

I'm going to go ahead and kick off the Jack-Jack powers discussion here.  Statting him out should probably go in the Champions thread.

 

 

  Hide contents

 

1. Goblin Form (Multiform)
2. Spontaneous Combustion (Damage Shield)
3. Laser Eyes (Energy Blast, spreadable, variable color)
4. Phasing (Desolid)
5. Jello Form (Desolid)
6. Sneeze (Superleap)
7. Levitation (Flight)
8. Growth (Growth, plus Strength for broken versions of Hero where Growth does not give Strength)
9. Teleport (including Extra-Dimensional and Usable Against Others variations--Variable Advantage?)
10. Doppleganger (Shapeshift)
11. Telekinesis (Telekinesis)
12. Electricity Field (Damage Shield?)
13. Metal Form (Density Increase?)
14. Duplication (Duplication)

 

...so far.  I can't get up to 17 like Mr. Parr said; am I missing some?
 

 

 

 

Article At Cnet Listing Jack-Jack's Powers

 

Still doesn't explain how Bob and Helen don't know about his powers.  Isn't that important?

[BoloOfEarth]

On 6/18/2018 at 4:51 PM, Old Man said:

I'm going to go ahead and kick off the Jack-Jack powers discussion here.  Statting him out should probably go in the Champions thread.

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

1. Goblin Form (Multiform)
2. Spontaneous Combustion (Damage Shield)
3. Laser Eyes (Energy Blast, spreadable, variable color)
4. Phasing (Desolid)
5. Jello Form (Desolid)
6. Sneeze (Superleap)
7. Levitation (Flight)
8. Growth (Growth, plus Strength for broken versions of Hero where Growth does not give Strength)
9. Teleport (including Extra-Dimensional and Usable Against Others variations--Variable Advantage?)
10. Doppleganger (Shapeshift)
11. Telekinesis (Telekinesis)
12. Electricity Field (Damage Shield?)
13. Metal Form (Density Increase?)
14. Duplication (Duplication)

 

...so far.  I can't get up to 17 like Mr. Parr said; am I missing some?
 

 

 

 

Like many babies, he has Life Support (no need to sleep), Activation 12-, Only when parents are asleep. 

 

And he knows how to use a remote control better than Dash. 

[Christopher R Taylor]

I'm going to echo others that Jak-Jak is the analog of Franklin Richards in the Fantastic Four, so he can do pretty much anything but has no control over his powers because he's too young.  Which makes him both amusing and dangerous.

[Matt the Bruins]

Yeah, I recall back in the 70s and 80s Fantastic Four stories repeatedly involved villains beating some or all of the team only to have their assess handed to them by Franklin.

[RDU Neil]

The movie was slightly less emotional impact for me, in that it never felt as high stakes as the first one. There was no scene to equal the "talk" Elastigirl gives the kids on the beach from the first movie. "You know those Saturday morning cartoons where the bad guys go easy on them because they are kids?"  Nods from the kids. "This isn't like that. These men will KILL you."  (to paraphrase)   That scene is one of the best parent child moments in any movie, any time, the utter truth without fear, competence and trust in their ability to handle the harsh realities of the world, etc. It is one of my favorite moments in cinema.

 

That being said, the clever use of powers (Elastigirl and her electro-cycle "It's torquey!" was pure genius.) and the well done, but not over done superhuman battle on the boat were outstanding, and the general sense of "realness" of the family characters and dynamic carried the emotional weight of the film, as it should. 

 

You see the villain coming about ten seconds into the movie, but that is never the big reveal. Instead, the movie asks the hard questions about the co-existence of "normals" and "supers" just like the first one does, and yet doesn't preach.

 

All in all, a truly excellent film, if not quite up to "Parr" with the first.

 

Edit: (Ooops, just realized someone else already made that joke.)

 

[Lawnmower Boy]

On 6/18/2018 at 2:18 AM, Old Man said:

This film did not suck.  It is one of the two best Fantastic Four films ever made.  Once again, a thought-provoking villain.

So right up there with Fan4stic, you're saying?

Gosh, I loved the part where the actress in the Kate Mara wig stopped the giant-hole-inna-sky from sucking everything into the bad place. It was even better than when boomerang-adjacent guy, girl-with-bat and guy-who-shoots-things stopped the giant-hole-inna sky!

 

[slikmar]

Got around to seeing it yesterday. Very much enjoyed it. If they get the rights to FF, they should absolutely try to get Bird and his team to do a reboot.

Anyone else catch that Brad's eldest son is now dating Violet? Michael Bird voiced Tony.