E;R Reviews the Korra Comics

Does this mean I don’t have to read the comics anymore?

Quick Thoughts on “Aladdin (2019)”

DO NOT, under any circumstances, watch Disney’s live-action remake of the 1992 animated Aladdin.

If you cherish the original, re-watch it and skip this latest travesty of a remake.

If a friend invites you to watch the new one, even just to make fun of it, don’t do it: it’s not worth it.

If you’ve never seen the original, give it a watch. At the very least, you’ll be paying tribute to two of the late great talents to grace the world of the Disney animation, as exemplified by the film’s best musical number. Not even Will Smith and corporate synergy combined could replicate the genius of Robin Williams, nor do the revamped musical numbers (not to mention the new songs) do justice to the brilliance of Howard Ashmann’s lyricism.

There’s so much more I could say. Perhaps I will. Just know that Disney is already on strike two with its second terrible remake (the first being Tim Burton’s Dumbo from March). I still hold out hope for the Lion King remake, if only because director Jon Favreau’s previous Disney remake The Jungle Book is the only remake so far able to justify its existence as a genuine and, I’d argue, successful reinterpretation of the source material. Perhaps spearheading the massively successful Marvel Cinematic Universe with the first film of the franchise (Iron Man) granted him certain freedoms that wouldn’t even be granted to an outsider like Guy Ritchie.

Who knows. All I’m saying is: if you have to go to the cinemas, there so many better options (John Wick 3: Parabellum, Booksmart, Brightburn, Long Shot, take your pick). Or just stay home and watch the original Aladdin again.

The Oscar-winning “Spider-Verse” aka the Academy Awards Stink But We Knew That

Disclaimer: Written in a rushed and delirious state while I’m bedridden and have no choice but to write something. ANYTHING.

Does anyone actually watch the Academy Awards anymore?

The program itself has always been kind of boring, but that’s what the host was for. However, thanks to today’s rampant political correctness, not only did Kevin Hart back out of hosting the show, but no one stepped up to take his place. (After the disaster that was the Golden Globes, that was probably a good thing.)

The political correctness bled into the actual nominations, accumulating in Black Panther getting nominated for Best Picture, the first superhero film to do so. Let’s just call it an “affirmative nomination” and leave it at that. (I do like Black Panther, though, and it’s not the worst movie to have been nominated this year. No, that honor goes to Vice.)

“Inclusivity” and “representation” were two of the flavors of the month, and indeed some wonderful films and performances received well-deserved recognition. Roma easily stole Best Directing, Best Cinematography, and Best Foreign Film. Others simply made no sense. BlacKkKlansman was a solid film, but nowhere near Oscar-worthy. As far as I’m concerned, BlacKkKlansman took up space that could have been given to any number of films that came out this year.

Contrary to popular belief, 2018 was actually quite a good year for cinema, with a wide variety of genres and topics to choose from. By focusing so heavily on “inclusivity” and “representation,” the Academy ironically shut out some of the best films to be released. Where was the love for Mission: Impossible: Fallout, the best pure Hollywood flick of the year and the best action movie since Mad Max: Fury Road? (And Fury Road got plenty of nominations in 2015!) Could they not have spared a single Best Actress nomination for Toni Collette in Hereditary, the only horror film to actually live up to its genre? Surely First Man could’ve gotten something for Best Editing–especially over Bohemian Rhapsody and fucking Vice–and Best Score over the bland Mary Poppins Returns. (I was happy, however, to see it win Best Visual Effects over Avengers: Infinity War and Solo: A Star Wars Story.)

Which brings me to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Did it deserve it’s Best Animated Feature win? Absolutely, and so much more.

Fourteen years ago, The Incredibles won Best Animated Feature, but also got a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, proving (at the time) that the Academy could recognize quality writing whether it came from an animated film or not. These days, however, they brushed off the air-tight screenwriting of Spider-Verse so that old man Spike Lee could finally get an Oscar. I guarantee that nothing in Lee’s script matches the utter genius of the following lines (which correspond to the single most iconic moment of the entire film):

So simple. So inspiring. So cinematic.

If you ask me, I’d say the Academy simply didn’t know what to make of Spidey-Verse other than that it was animated. It was much easier for them to recognize the standard fare of Black Panther than to appreciate just how thoroughly Spidey-Verse captured the Zeitgeist. While both Black Panther and Spider-Man are awesome and symbolic heroes, I’d say Spider-Man is the more appealing of the two by the very nature of his character.

I’ll be very blunt about this: to be Black Panther, you have to be black. (And of royal lineage, and rich, and yada yada…) Sounds very inclusive, right?

To be Spider-Man? You could literally be anyone, be it a Afro-Latino kid from Brooklyn, a middle-aged white man, a teenaged white girl, Nicolas Cage, a goddamn talking pig voiced by John Mulaney, etc. All it requires is that you wear the mask and–pardon the pun–do the right thing, no matter what the cost. (Oh, and a leap of faith, of course.)

It’s this universal quality of Spider-Man that makes him/her/it such an inspiration. It’s precisely that universal quality that the Academy, stupidly, passed up in favor of “representation” of certain groups and races of people rather than celebrating the content of their individual characters.

But there’s hope. While Black Panther‘s success symbolizes a victory for the old guard, Spidey-Verse represents a symbol for the next generation. Almost everyone I know who’s seen it–granted they’re on average below the age of fifty–has fallen head over heels for it. The animation style definitely plays into it, but there’s so much more. I personally have never seen a more sincere and positive community than the Spidey-Verse fandom, their outpouring of fan art, cosplays, Spidersonas and more continuing to spread the good word of Spider-Man and what he stands for. That positivity continues to boil over now that it won the Oscar (including one particular fan art, which I sadly cannot locate to save my life, depicting Miles Morales sharing his Oscar victory with his late Uncle Aaron).

Maybe it’s for the best that the Academy simply could not recognize the full accomplish of Spidey-Verse. That said, it was awesome to see producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller vindicated after The LEGO Movie was snubbed four years ago. I’ll gladly take any small victory as they come.

P.S. Not to discredit myself, but did I mention that I absolutely loved Green Book, the winner for Best Picture? A safe choice for the Academy, for sure, but a welcome one. Any director who can make Green Book after years of giving us this, this, and this is a winner in my book.

P.P.S. Happy birthday, George Harrison. R.I.P.

Quick Impressions of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best animated film of the year (possibly of the decade), the best superhero film of a year saturated with superheroes, and the best Spider-Man film we’ve gotten in fourteen years. It’s funny, it’s courageous, it’s heartbreaking, it’s exhilarating, it’s inspiring. Basically, it’s Spider-Man, as if the filmmakers were able to infuse every single frame with the essence of Spider-Man and an intuitive understanding of why he continues to be an endearing icon to true believers everywhere. It’s nothing short of a miracle.

Perhaps this should come as no surprise considering the talent involved. I don’t know about anyone else, but as soon as I heard that Phil Lord and Chris Miller would be heavily involved in the film’s development and production, I knew it would be a winner. After all, this is the genius duo that gave the world, among other things, The LEGO Movie. What superhero would be best suited to their uniquely off-the-wall sensibilities than Spider-Man? (Certainly not Han Solo, at least as far as Kathleen Kennedy was concerned.)

No, this is not, strictly speaking, a Lord & Miller joint—that should’ve been Solo—but their influence is everywhere in Spider-Verse; under their tutelage, their amazing team of artists do some spellbinding work, creating a cinematic experience of a comic book brought to life (much the same way Edgar Wright did with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but to an extreme that could only have been accomplished with animation). Of the three directors, only Peter Ramsey seems to have had even one previous directing credit with Rise of the Guardians (granting him a brief reunion with that film’s star Chris Pine). Together with Bob Persichetti (a veteran story artist for various projects) and Rodney Rothman (a veteran comedy writer who also co-wrote the script with Lord), they keep the film zipping along without ever losing sight of the emotional through-line of the story. It’s an incredible balancing act, and the results speak for themselves.

So much so that there’s little I can add to the appraisal of the film’s animation style that hasn’t been repeated ad nauseam, especially this late into the game. The one thing I wish to reiterate here is the film’s intuitive use of timing—one of the more often overlooked principles of animation—and when to animate the action on ones (one pose every frame per second) and when to animate on twos (one pose every two frames per second) and when to mix the two in the same shot. (This probably won’t matter to anyone but the most fanatical animation enthusiasts, but damn it, it matters.) Just compare the precise timing of Spider-Verse to something like Ralph Breaks the Internet (animated all on ones, like most CG animated films) and you’ll begin to understand how alternating between both frame rates allows for a greater variety of expression for the characters. (The best traditionally animated films knew how to take great advantage of this, so it gives this animator great joy to see that the art hasn’t been completely lost.)

Finally, there’s the amazing cast. Again, what else can I say? Everyone fits their role perfectly, everyone gets their moment to shine, and no one outstays their welcome. (Which is incredible to contemplate for a movie that features Nicolas Cage as a noir detective version of Spider-Man who talks like Humphrey Bogart. Then again, this is the same movie where one of the most gut-wrenching lines is delivered by a cartoon pig.)

What else? The score by Daniel Pemberton is thoroughly brilliant. The soundtrack is amazing, too. So is the Christmas album.

I’m realizing now this may be the single most positive post on this entire blog. I think I’d like to keep it that way and save the more exploratory stuff for the next post. As far as I’m concerned, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a masterpiece, and this won’t be the only piece I write on it. There’s a lot to unpack here and I have no idea where to start.

How about a comparison piece, in which Spider-Verse gets examined alongside a certain other major franchise film that came out at about the same time last Christmas?

Next Week: More Spider-Verse, & The Avatar [Retrospective] Returns

 

The Game Plan for 2019

I know it’s a little late, but Happy New Year to all of you wonderful folks. I can’t believe you actually stuck around to check on me and this blog, but I’m incredibly grateful all the same. Among other things, you gave me the boost I needed to keep this blog going with your discussions amongst each other and your concern for my well-being. The only way I can possibly show my gratitude is by seeing this thing to the end. Thank you, guys! 🙂

Now onto the matter at hand.

First of all, I won’t be jumping right back into the Avatar/Korra Retrospective. Instead, for this weekend, I’ll be writing a brief piece on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, much akin to my previous posts titled “Quick Impressions” done on Zootopia and Star Wars: the Force Awakens.

The following weekend, the Retrospective will resume where it left off with Avatar (episodes nine to eleven: “The Waterbending Scroll,” “Jet,” and “The Great Divide”).

The weekend after will be on… How about Incredibles 2?

And then after that, more Retrospective on Korra (“The Aftermath,” “When Extremes Meet,” “Out of the Past,” and “Turning the Tides”).

To simplify:
– Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Jan 12)

– Avatar Retro (Jan 19)

– Incredibles 2, maybe (Jan 26)

– Korra Retro (Feb 2)

– Undetermined Animated Media (Feb 9)

– Avatar Retro (Feb 16)

– Undetermined Animated Media (Feb 23)

– And so on and so forth…

We’ll see how well this schedule works out. The most obvious drawback is that the Retrospective will take much longer to complete. On the other hand, I’ll get to write about something other than Avatar or Korra to prevent the same kind of burnout that occurred the first few times I attempted this Retrospective, while simultaneously providing an obvious path away from Avatar/Korra once it’s all said and done.

I’m pretty optimistic about this, but what do you guys think?

P.S. I feel like an old man for asking, but what is Discord, and how do I use it?

P.P.S. The Spider-Verse post will contain spoilers, spoilers, and spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, what are you waiting for? If you have seen it, see it again with all your friends!

Marshall Turner Will Return

Took me long enough, right?

Next Podcast Post Will Be About…

…the uncanny similarities between The Legend of Korra (seasons one and two) and the two most recent Star Wars films (The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi).

    

This can’t be a coincidence. If happened to both the spin-off of a cult favorite Nickelodeon animated series and to the continuations of the biggest franchise in film history, then it must be symptomatic of whatever is going on in Hollywood and in the culture at large. But what is? I’ll delve into that in the next podcast episode.

So I’ve Started a Podcast…

 

Long story short: after struggling to continue the Avatar/Korra retrospective and failing for the second time, I figured that, in order to go forward, a radical change in my process was necessary. The solution: switch from writing about it to talking about it in audio format. The switch would also give me a chance to finally talk about animation in general, something I’d been promising to do in blog form, but which may work better this way.

I haven’t worked out all the bugs yet, and will listen to any and all feedback on how to improve as I go along. Still, I have a feeling this may just be the change I needed moving forward with this endeavor, which, as of last Friday I believe, marks the sixth year anniversary of this blog. Can you believe it?

Apologies to you all for yet another unannounced hiatus (that really has to stop now), and thank you all who stuck around for your patience once again. Let’s see where we go from here!

Reached a Dead End, Taking a Detour

For the past two weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out what to write about the next few episodes of Avatar: the Last Airbender on my playlist, and failing miserably. Have I reached the limits of what I can say about this show?

Yes and no. In fact, I want to take a conscientious break from the episode retrospectives for a while to do a one-off piece on something that continues to perplex me, and which I’ve found very little written up on. Just how is it that Avatar became so popular and so critically acclaimed in its heyday, and yet seemed to leave such an insignificant mark on the animation landscape as a whole? Inversely, what did its spiritual successors, namely Adventure Time, do so right that made them the most influential cartoons in the last decade that the show’s actual successor The Legend of Korra did not? Was there something intrinsically flawed about Avatar that prevented it from having a more lasting influence? How much is M. Night Shyamalan’s travesty of an adaptation really to blame for Avatar‘s lack of mainstream acceptance? Is Avatar simply the Elvis Presley to Adventure Time‘s Beatles, the Pixies to Adventure Time‘s Nirvana*? Were creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko too self-consciously revolutionary for their own good (an impression reinforced by numerous interviews in which the two postulate that Avatar was intended as an antidote to the sitcom model that dominated the television animation circles that worked in, from King of the Hill to Family Guy)? Or was Avatar always destined for cult status no matter what?

I have no idea. But I’d like to do a post exploring a few theories of my own. I’m letting you all know because: 1) I’ve already been shitty for not updating in the past couple of weeks; and 2) I’m sure some folks have theories of their own–or maybe even some disagreements–and would want to throw in their two cents.

This will be my focus for the next couple of weeks, and then the retrospectives will continue like normal. For now, though, what exactly is your take on what I’ve dubbed “the Avatar Problem?”

*It’s generally acknowledged by everyone, including Kurt Cobain, that Nirvana adapted the soft/loud dynamicity of the Pixies, substituting the absurdity, the humor, and “hipper-than-thou” attitude with a more basic, more accessible, and more emotional approach (though no less melodic). Between Avatar and Adventure Time, the same kind of trade-off occurs, but almost in reverse: the expansive world building fantasy aspect is retained, but instead of the strict adherence of Avatar to a specific worldview and art style (i.e. Asian- and anime-inspired), the rules, style, and worldview of Adventure Time are borderline random, yet the show is smart enough to make this a key source of its humor and excitement, and the writing, the characters and performances are strong enough to make it entertaining. 

Announcement: Next Retrospective Delayed Until Wednesday

I should’ve known better than expect to do much viewing and reviewing during Independence Day weekend and Tuesday. But the festivities are over with now, so I can get back to writing. Hopefully you all had a good Fourth of July as well.