Episode 98: Are We Getting Superhero Fatigue?

Have you ever watched a movie and fallen in love with it, while the guy on the couch next to you thinks it's just OK? What separates us out like that? Why does Luke love Tarantino, while Gomer thinks him a coked up 17 year-old? Why does Wes Anderson do nothing for Luke, but the Cohen Brothers get his gears grooving? This conversation revolves around Spider-Man: Homecoming and the Marvel Cinematic Universe but broadens into a much more important discussion on the appeal of filmmaking as such.

Support Catching Foxes

Links:

• The Mona Lisa – what’s the big deal? | Understanding Paintings — A desultory conversation with my cousin led us to the subject of art. He said, “What’s the big deal in the Mona Lisa? Why would anyone pay tons of money for it?” Well, I did manage to give him a prosaic answer, which didn’t convince me either. I must admit that the actual painting, at first look, is quite unimpressive; not because of the quality of the work but because it does not stand up to its perceived image of magnificence. The “Oh my God!” effect is missing. At first glance, it looks like all the other paintings in the Louvre, all wonderfully painted by great masters.
• HISHE Reviews: Spider-Man Homecoming — Published on Jul 13, 2017 HISHE Reviews Spider-Man Homecoming. There are spoilers here! Beware of your viewing and comment scrolling. Discuss the movie HERE: https://moviechat.org/tt2250912/Spide... Watch More HISHEs: https://bit.ly/HISHEPlaylist Subscribe to HISHE: https://bit.ly/HISHEsubscribe
• What is so good about Quentin Tarantino movies? - Quora — There are so many things that you can go on listing! Here are some that I can think of right now! Unique Style: He has his trademark style of smart witty dialogues. Nobody ever speaks anything you would expect them to in his movies! His dialogue seems to come from a reservoir within the writer, pouring onto the page and leaking over to the screen with ease. Another aspect that makes Tarantino’s films unique is their placement in an almost alternate reality. Tarantino’s movies all take place on Earth, but in a Tarantino vision of the world. His characters all speak in a crossbreed of magnificent prose and speedy vulgarity. Characterization: He gives so much importance to characterization that they stay etched in viewers’ memory for a long long time. Who can forget Mr.Jules Winnfield of Pulp Fiction or Dr.King Schultz of Django Unchained? My favorite is Colonel Hans Landa from Inglrious Basterds. Aside from the way they look and talk, his characters are also written with such description that their actions, their movement sets them apart. Some of his characters are twists on stereotypical genre types, while others are brand new creations. Pop Culture: I’m not sure if any other director makes use of pop culture like QT does! And he does it with great effect! Music: Music plays a key role in every Tarantino movie. He has a wonderful choice of soundtracks for his movies!
• 10 Signs You Have Superhero-Movie Fatigue - Rolling Stone — Article from June 1, 2016... We've just about hit the halfway mark for 2016, and already Deadpool, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse have taken cineplexes by storm. August will see the much-hyped Suicide Squad premiere (at which point Jared Leto will presumably quit tormenting his former costars) and November brings Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton in the mystical Doctor Strange. Audiences can then look forward to new films featuring Wolverine, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Thor, and the Justice League in 2017, along with a soon-to-be-announced Marvel film from Fox. "A lot" is a relative term —and "too much" is a highly subjective distinction. But with every new cycle of deafening promotion, "there sure are a lot of superhero movies, and it's getting to be too much" inches closer to objective, uncontroversial truth.
• Kevin Smith Responds To Superhero Fatigue In Hollywood — "Look who you're asking. Look how I'm dressed, are you serious? You got me for five minutes and you're going to ask that question? No, they need to make more dude. I don't care if they're quote unquote bad or something, the more you see the better it is. Like, make it as, as ubiquitous as the western was in the fifties I say, because what's better than little morality tales. Some of them are going to be wonderful, some may be not as wonderful, but let em make them all. There's no such thing as too many of these things."
• KEVIN FEIGE Responds To 'Superhero Fatigue' — "People have been asking me that for 15 years," Feige elaborated. "In 2001, 2002, 2003 there were two Marvel movies, three Marvel movies, and I still believe the same thing, which is as long as the ones that we can control are as good as they can be, that's all that I care about. I think we've been doing pretty well. I'm very confident in the films we've announced that we have coming forward that they're going to be surprising and different and unique. I've said a lot: I don't believe in the comic book genre. I don't believe in the superhero genre. I believe that each of our films can be very different." Feige also responded to comments from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder that called Marvel's films "flavors of the week," saying "Those are all very different movies. They all happen to be based on Marvel characters and Marvel comics, but from a genre and a cinematic perspective, they're all very unique. Civil War may as well be a different genre from Age of Ultron."
• How Andy Serkis Became the King of Post-Human Acting - Rolling Stone — On a London stage in 1992, a young Andy Serkis thought he was reaching the limits of actorly transformation. Playing Dogboy, "a bizarre, potentially quite violent street kid who thinks he's a dog," he'd strip naked each night, barking and biting, "much to my parents' shame."