Episode 62

28 Replies to “Episode 62”

1. NOOOOO! Can I ignore this week’s question and pretend that it will never ever happen?! Whyyyy? Okay they should reboot it, but not within this decade.

   Spider-Man -.- Andrew Garfield’s Parker never blends into the background. Nope. I will say nothing more.
   I’m keeping Andrew Garfield. Also Emma Stone’s smile at the end.

   I honestly wish Marc Webb would have made a romcom with Garfield and Stone instead. These two were actually cuter than JGL and Zooey Deschanel, and (500) Days is such a smart and relevant romcom, which is rarer than cool nerds, and they had such great chemistry. Gahh.
   I think Summer’s character is meant to be a concept, and not that dimensional. Jenny Beckman, the “bitch” who the film is sort of dedicated to, said that she felt like Tom too.

   1. I’m actually hopeful that we’ll see Stone and Garfield do something else outside of the Spider-Man films, so mark me down for that as well. I’m also looking forward to whatever Marc Webb might do in between films as well!

      There’s a podcast discussion with the writer where he actually explains that Summer is a hybrid of a few different women he’s know, and not just a personification of Jenny Beckman (aka “Bitch.”) So nice catch.

2. Putting THIS IS NOT A FILM on any list other than “All-time insults towards the human race” is madness. Maaaaaaaaaaadness.

   1. Matt, you especially need to weigh in with your thoughts on the feedback question.

   2. I am baffled by this reaction. Cannot tell if serious.

   3. He’s probably serious.

3. I’d like to say that they killed off villains in nearly every comicbook movie (dating back to Tim Burton’s Batman) because it’s an action movie cliche to have the villain die some spectacular death (that said, I didn’t mind the Green Goblin’s death in the first Spider-Man, since that was a direct reference to the comics).

   As for the future of Batman:
   If they make a Justice League movie with Christian Bale returning to the role, I’m all for it. However, I do not want Warner Bros to “do a Spider-Man” and reboot the franchise while the current series is still fresh in our heads. WB owns the rights, so there’s no rush to make another one. Let Batman rest for a decade or two and the fans will be grateful for it.

   1. You’re right, it’s an action movie cliche – but it goes against the comic book cliche to have the villain suffer a great injury, but not have their body recovered. I blame Burton for this phenomenon, and I’m happy to see it ending.

4. Regarding 500 Days of Summer: I always side with Summer in this film. As much as I adore JGL and you can’t help but like his optimism as this character, it’s impossible to not see how he is constantly misreading the situation and not listening to her.

   Regarding the mixed messages of the film–I can see how Alex thinks the ending betrays Summer as a character (having her suddenly get married does seem like a betrayal). However, going with your discussion about the contradictory messages of the beginning of the film (with the title cards, etc.) I can’t help but wonder if this lack of clarity is really the point: that we can totally mean something (whether it’s “I love you” or “I don’t ever want to get married”) up until we suddenly have a reason not to mean it anymore. He misreads her, certainly, but as humans we all misread (or change suddenly) ourselves. She may have meant wholeheartedly what she told him during the film, but her situation changed, and suddenly she feels differently. We can all misread each other and ourselves–or change our minds, like Summer.

   1. we can totally mean something…up until we suddenly have a reason not to mean it anymore…

      Very well put. Saying in seventeen words what it took me seventeen sentences to express.

5. Okay, future of Batman. There WILL be a new Batman on screen within seven years, either in his own film, or in a Justice League movie that will then open the door to new stand-alone Batman films. Warner Bros got it good when they hired Nolan, and they also knew when they had him he would bring a specific vision to his own films. I don’t see them doing this again with Batman. It’s far more likely that they’ll take the more executive-driven route that Marvel has, where the wants of the studio dictate the artistic direction. Whatever comes next, I don’t see it being as amazingly unique as Nolan’s take on the character and Gotham city.

   1. Well said sir. Listen to Episode 63 for my thoughts.

6. Very interesting discussion on 500 Days of Summer. I love that film deeply – it’s not just a “movie for guys” – and I had never thought of that it might have some kind of misogynic perspective to it. Interesting points though, but it doesn’t take away any of my love for that film.

   I loved to hear your positive take on Spidey. I liked it as well. I listened to /Filmcast today picking it to small pieces, critizicing all sorts of small things. Well, if you try to find faults you will. The question is if you’ll be any happier by it? I was happy listening to you guys.

   As of the question: Reboots are inevitable and undertandable. Superheroes are equal to Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood – a part of our cultural heritage. More about that in my upcoming Spidey-review later this week.

   1. Yeah, I heard that discussion too – they aren’t the only ones to have had it either. I think sometimes we get so hung up picking apart the details that we don’t think about something on a whole.

      I think what made the (500) discussion one of my favorite bits in the run of this show is that it sounds like both Alex and I came away from it with our perspectives slightly altered. I know I’ll take some of Alex’s points with me when I watch it next, and I think I’ve given her enough to mull over when she watches it again.

      Kinda cool when a podcast discussion can do that, isn’t it?

7. For Batman, I’m in line with Corey Atad’s comment about the Justice League approach taking over. I expect we’ll see another reboot of Batman at some point in the future, but it won’t be for at least another decade. He’ll still be making plenty of appearances, though.

   Fascinating discussion on 500 Days of Summer. Alex was an excellent guest, and I love the perspective she brought to that divisive film. I’ve only watched it once, and I enjoyed Webb’s direction and the actors. Now that I’ve read and heard a lot more about others’ reactions, I wonder how that would affect my feelings about the movie.

   On a side note, I really like The Other Side and the way you focus on just a few movies that connect to the main review. That’s a great new segment!

   1. I love that (500) is a personal film that elicits so many different reactions in people…reactions that change as time passes and our perspective changes. Heck, even when I read the review I wrote on it at the time, I think to myself “Shit, I have so much more to say on this now”.

      Glad you like “The Other Side” – I wasn’t too sure how it would be received as a segment.

8. “She has the brass to eat a cheeseburger for breakfast.” Ah, isn’t that what all us idiot guys want in a girl?

   Really enjoyed the “500 Days of Summer” discussion. Makes me want to revisit it right away. And I have always meant to see “Danny Deckchair” but haven’t. It is going to the top of the Netflix queue immediately. So thank you.

   As for Batman I have three words: Billy.Dee.Williams. Billy Dee Williams should play Batman. THAT would be a unique direction. I know this is impossible and no one else wants this to happen, but I still submit the nomination.

   1. I don’t know man – I’ve seen a lot of knuckleheads around town on Friday nights that seem to just want arm candy. If you’re a guy with half a brain though, I think you would want a Lois Lane/Gwen Stacey type.

      Glad you liked the (500)/DECKCHAIR converstaion. Getting deeper into these older movies and sparking listeners to watch/rewatch them is exactly what I wanted to do with the segment!

9. I want a CATWOMAN movie. A GOOD one. Starring Zoe Saldana. Written/directed by someone who doesn’t suck and isn’t sexist. IS THIS SO MUCH TO ASK?! (Yes, apparently, it is.)

   PS Glad people liked our (500) DAYS OF SUMMER discussion and aren’t completely dismissing my opinions on the film. Thanks for listening!

   1. If anyone dismissed your opinion, I’d revoke their listenership (wait, can I do that?).

      Thanks again for being a stellar guest. As always, you brought the goods.

10. I agree with you on Spider-man Ryan. What made that film work was Garfield’s interactions with Stone and other characters as Peter Parker. He was charming and I found him very likeable. The interactions felt very natural – particularly the early cute/awkward conversations between Gwen and Peter. I didn’t love the film, but I did really like Garfield’s Peter Parker.

    Andrew and I don’t always agree! Recently we disagreed on Moonrise Kingdom 😉

    1. The best couples are the ones that don’t always agree on their movies!

       I really do hope we get to see Stone and Garfield in something a little less fantastical, but that might have to wait a little while. One can always hope though.

       PS – Your thoughts on the feedback question?

11. First up thanks Alex, I’m not the only person who loves Haywire, it is my favourite movie of the year so far (other than The Artist that we didn’t get until January this year) so is probably nailed on for a place in my top ten on the year. Sadly I have to disagree with you on 500 Days of Summer. I didn’t see the film the way you feared people would, I thought Tom was an idiot and although I didn’t side with Summer, I completely understood where she was coming from. To put this in prospective, I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and think he is a talented actor but don‘t like Zooey Deschanel, I find her limited and unbelievable as an actress.

    What to do with Batman? This is something I have written about a few times. First things first leave it longer than they did with Spider-Man. My idea, film Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, complete with Batman kicking Superman’s ass!

    1. Thanks for listening Andy! I miss getting your input around these parts. Don’t be a stranger and I’ll likewise try to pipe up on FG more often, yes?

    2. I do still listen, I haven’t missed an episode. I just tend to download from itunes and by the time I listen its too late at least for the listener feedback section.

    3. I hear ya. Still leave a note after you do listen – I’m always anxious to hear people’s thoughts on episodes on the whole…things they like and things they don’t. Helps me know that people are listening too!

12. Thanks for giving some love to Haywire. I love that flick. Gina Carano is very sexy, and I would gladly wear the dress in that relationship. As for Amazing Spider Man. I liked it but I thought Sam Raimi loved those characters more than Webb did. That orignal trilogy did captured the tone of the orignal comics more accurately than the new one. I liked Garfield and Stone very much and I like their characters were different from Maguire and Dunst, but I never really felt that their characters were that into eachother. I’ll stop ranting for now

    Really good show.

    1. Thanks for the comment Vern – can’t tell ya how much I love getting notes on older episodes!

       I hear what you’re saying regarding Raimi’s love for the characters in comparison to Webb, but I believe that came through further after two and three times out. Lets see the affection Webb can give the characters after another film or two (if he gets there!).

       I think I’m gonna have to get you on an episode in the new year.

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