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So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #120: Super(ish)girl!

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #120: Super(ish)girl!

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

This past weekend, I was able to take the wifey out and about to catch a flick at the cinemaplexatorium. We chose to check out Supergirl. Having absolutely adored James Gunn’s Superman, I personally walked in with expectations of a fun romp with a good dose of heart. I knew the film itself was heavily inspired by “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, but alas, I’ve never read it. My knowledge of Kara Zor-El honestly was best pulled from the DC Animated Universe — which I know means not much in context. So, I’d like to say I sat down and plunked on my 3D glasses with as open a mind as you could get before the requisite ten minutes of commercials and ten minutes of trailers I’ve likely already seen on YouTube. 

I’m going to go ahead now and make clear: this will be as SPOILER-FREE a review as I can make… so long as you saw the end of Superman, and the trailer to this movie.

Supergirl effectively picks up where we left off at the end of her cousin’s flick. She’s picked up Krypto, and has headed off for a week(ish) of red-sun-dampening debauchery in celebration of her 23rd birthday. Hilarity, life lessons, and action sequences ensue. 

It’s time for a compliment sandwich, kiddos. Hope you’re hungry.

Overall? Supergirl is a fun romp. Milly Alcock is infinitely watchable as Kara Zor-El. Be it a drunken stupor, heroic posturing, or whatever comes between, Alcock’s cock-sure take on the character is purposefully diametrically opposed to ole’ cousin Kal. Because of this, we get a hefty dose of whatever the polar opposite of dork is for all 90-some minutes of the flick. Same as Superman, all other casting choices that the house that Gunn built are all scene-chewingly glorious choices. From Matthias Schoenaerts’ evil(ist) big bad Krem to, yes, Jason Mamoa’s Lobo… everyone plays their parts perfectly — no matter the heavy makeup, prosthetics, or both. Equally impressive is the downright dreary landscapes and sets of the movie, keeping in mind how bright and shiny Superman happened to be. If Gunn gave us a truly gleaming Metropolis first, this movie certainly makes bold choices to show us every grimy cesspool the galaxy has to offer on Kara’s sobriety-free solstice. If I can double back to Lobo though? Credit where it’s due. This was a part Mamoa clearly was born to play — so much so that even a line in, any fleeting memory of his Arthur Curry is fragged like a bastich, I tells ya. While Lobo never appeared in the original source material… it’s practically a given in James Gunn’s DCU (thus far), the Easter eggs and fan-service are always abound.  Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #120: Super(ish)girl!” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 119: Unseen Hot Takes… Empire Records

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 119: Unseen Hot Takes… Empire Records

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

Happy Rex Manning Day… whatever the hell that means.

Once again, I am back to cover a movie I’ve been brutally chastised for not seeing during my formative years. I’ll note though: thus far this series only covered movies in the 80’s (Top Gun, Caddyshack, and Labyrinth, to date). So I guess we’re now allowing for flicks in the 90s too. Fine by me. 

Empire Records is one of those movies I guess everyone around my age (perhaps a few years older) seems to have a special place in their heart for. Or, perhaps it’s just on April 8th, my social media feed is CHOKED with “Happy Rex Manning Day!” posts, and I’ve long felt on the outside of apparently a massive inside joke. Well, I aim to rectify that feeling by giving this mid-nineties needle-dropper a spin.

Without further adieu… Here’s my hot takes in media res. That’s right: I’m writing these as they come to me, so you can enjoy my journey. Groovy, right? Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 119: Unseen Hot Takes… Empire Records” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #114: Unseen Hot Takes… Labyrinth

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #114: Unseen Hot Takes… Labyrinth

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

Warning: the following article is about a piece of old pop culture that I have only recently absorbed for the first time. As such, much of this article will find you asking yourself “Wait. Seriously? He’s never seen Labyrinth before now?”, and I’m making it clear from the get go.

I literally watched Labyrinth for the first time, ever, a few days ago.

What troubles many about this fact is that my beautiful, talented, witty, charming, trivia-strong, Chuck Taylor obsessed wife often cites this among her favorite movies of all time. So how is it then after… roughly 9,200 days together I have never indulged the mother of my children the common courtesy of hunkering down to consume Jim Henson’s beloved romp featuring David Bowie and his astounding… prowess…

I could make a lengthy list to attempt to defend myself, but I largely imagine doing so wouldn’t exactly get me off the hook with Kathy or anyone else who consider it essential pop culture of the 80’s.

One last warning: I admit freely that I am not much into fantasy stuff. I’m super finicky about it for reasons unbeknownst even to me. And I was clear to my better half that I would hold no punches back on these hot takes. Same as I did for Top Gun and Caddyshack… I booted up the flick, hit play, and fired off my opinion in media res. That way, everyone can enjoy some hot mic moments that don’t get rose colored glasses in post. If after this articles post you don’t see me writing for subsequent weeks thereafter? SEND HEL—

ACT ONE Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #114: Unseen Hot Takes… Labyrinth” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #112: Style over Substances

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #112: Style over Substances

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

In the pantheon of pop culture, there exist pieces where polish is the point. Where it’s less about telling a cool story as much as it’s about telling a story in a cool way. For the cultured, these works are always less than and that’s never felt like sound judgement to me. You see in this fabrication of a Frasier-esque patron of the cinematic arts, I’m building from the legion of examples available: a critic who would psahw a Shaw Brothers flick, but stand in reverence for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Don’t get me wrong, mind you. Ang Lee’s love letter to the films that he enjoyed in his youth is very much a masterpiece. It deserves all the accos it laded. But to kneel before it is to miss the virtues of the falderal you’re failing to flock to!

Alliteration aside, my simpler point is this: sometimes style over substance works wonders. 

Rather than start small and work my way up? Let’s start at the zenith of this notion: Quentin Tarantino. When left to his own devices, the man’s work is about cool before anything else. His first big picture: Reservoir Dogs. On paper? It’s as safe as a saltine. A bank robbery goes wrong, and the surviving crooks attempt to figure out where things went wrong. There’s no big twist — we find out “Mr. Orange” is an undercover cop thirty minutes in. It’s not all that shocking when we find out. But it doesn’t matter because this dog is trés cool from the jump. With matching black suits and skinny ties, color-coded cover names, and an airtight soundtrack of some of the absolute best bangers of the 70’s, the movie gracefully wags its tail for 99 minutes and saunters out as one of the coolest capers on celluloid. Follow this with Pulp Fiction? It’s the same simple crime, with 100% more Uma Thurman’s bare feet. Skip around to Kill Bill, and the pattern is intact. Tarantino knows cool (even if he’s clearly a consummate dweeb) and his films continue to be considered a masterclass of crafted dialogue, sensual cinematography, and unmatched needle drops. Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man #112: Style over Substances” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 97: Thunderbolts* Was Awesome**!

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 97: Thunderbolts* Was Awesome**!

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

When one looks over Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they might be apt to be a bit snarky, no? The fifth phase of the longest, largest, most computer generated multi-dimensional universe of interlocking features included:

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania aka Kang? Never heard of him.
  • Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 aka Rocket’s Backstory aka Adam Warlock never was a threat aka James Gunn left for DC
  • The Marvels aka No one saw it, no one cared. Sad? Then why didn’t you see it?!
  • Deadpool & Wolverine aka Technically part of Phase 5 if you squint. Marvel counts it because it made $1.338B
  • Captain America: Brave New World aka If you saw the trailer, you saw the movie, sorry!
  • And… Thunderbolts*

To call this batch of flicks a bit hit or miss would be a very kind gesture — depending largely on your personal preferences. And if you wanted to also include the streaming-only companion series within this phase as well? Well, your snark-o-meter might bury the needle.

For what it’s worth, I personally think we ended up with more wins than losses, and thanks largely to Thunderbolts*, Phase 5 essentially sticks the landing. We are in a brave new world, but it’s much darker for numerous reasons. Because of this, the movie itself buttoned up way more than you might think.

Spoiler alert! From here on out, I’ll be discussing plenty of the comings and goings of Phase 5 — heavy on the recently released ‘Bolts flick. If you don’t want to be spoiled? I suggest you read this article I wrote . It has literally nothing to do with Marvel, and it keeps you here on Pop Culture Squad! OK. Digression over. Let’s discuss. Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 97: Thunderbolts* Was Awesome**!” →

Brainiac On Banjo: Birds of a Feather (Hey, Kids! It’s Spoiler-Free!)

Brainiac On Banjo: Birds of a Feather (Hey, Kids! It’s Spoiler-Free!)

Posted on by Mike Gold

“Oh, she said we are penguins on the ice. We’re not meant to fly, but god knows we can try. And I see a hope that’s in her eyes — oh,  can you see the love in mine?” From Penguins, written by Ed Sheeran.

Watch much television lately? If you subscribe to the correct overpriced streaming service, you have the opportunity to catch the latest pre-James Gunn DC Comics spectacular, The Penguin, featuring the classic Batman villain of the same waddle. The entire eight episode story is up there right now.

If IMDB is to be believed, this series has been very well received. Of course some knee-jerk haters lurk in the shadows of internet camouflage bitching about perceived insult. That’s what they do instead of wasting time having sex.

I am among those who thought the series was brilliant; one of the best gangster stories ever filmed. To those who dislike the differences between the comics and this movie, I ask two questions: 1) which comics version of The Penguin are you referring to, and 2) what works in a comics story with long continuity tentacles often cannot work in a movie or teevee series. If you’re pissed off that they shortened Oswald Cobblepot’s name or gave him a much more interesting mother, you’re missing the forest for the trees.

But let’s look at the backstory — the one in “real” life. Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: Birds of a Feather (Hey, Kids! It’s Spoiler-Free!)” →

Brainiac On Banjo: Reviewing The Blank Screen

Brainiac On Banjo: Reviewing The Blank Screen

Posted on by Mike Gold

I wish my life was non-stop Hollywood movie show, a fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes. Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain… and celluloid heroes never really die.” From CelluloId Heroes, written by Ray Davies.

There are times when you read a movie review that is so shallow and bitchy that you think the critic didn’t see the flick, or they pushed their ChatGPT button and went back to sleep. This has been particularly true of late with respect to “superhero” movies, and especially true since cultural dogmatists like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola started to complain about how these movies are pushing down the box office of their latest self-indulgent claptrap.

When it comes to not watching a movie, evidently a lot of people have been of similar mind when it comes to Joker: Folie à Deux, which opened to a weekend box office of less than half of its predecessor. That 2019 Joker earned over a billion dollars, eleven Oscar nominations, and an Oscar win for the guy who played the lead. This one attracted a lot of bad and mediocre reviews, which have little impact on opening weekend receipts. Of course the internet reviews have been offensively bitchy, just like the vast majority of all social media comments. The sainted New York Times suggests it will have a hard time recouping its $200,000,000 budget (that’s in round numbers). Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: Reviewing The Blank Screen” →

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 92: Maximum Effort

So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 92: Maximum Effort

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

The following is a spoiler-filled “review” of Deadpool & Wolverine, the likely last chapter in the merc with a mouth’s cinematic career. If you’ve not seen the flick and you’re still going to read this? Shame on you. Go send Ryan Reynolds $5. He needs it.

(Hey kids! It’s Deadpool here. I’m gonna go ahead and leave my comments on this article because Marc Needs-His-Middle-Name-To-Sound-Important needs his ass slapped more than a few times in this piece of shit. Hey, Pop Culture Squad! Can I swear this much? Anyways. Fishface says this is spoiler-filled, but honestly he just mansplains the backstory for way too long, and gets boxed into a corner if he doesn’t reveal a few plot points towards the end.) Continue reading “So Long and Thank For The Fish, Man 92: Maximum Effort” →

Ranking Movies Between Laundry and Taxes #001: A 95th Oscar Primer

Ranking Movies Between Laundry and Taxes #001: A 95th Oscar Primer

Posted on by Matthew Santiago

So the 95th Academy Awards are quickly approaching, a time when we all wait for Oscar Claus to come down our chimneys and grant us our myriad of movie wishes. We all pray Oscar Claus will give us that pony or that laptop or, I don’t know, a nomination for any woman director, but it’s safer to just expect a pile of plain, predictable, and very white men’s socks.

But who cares, right? That’s the question we ask ourselves each year. The celebrities wearing their shiny gems and gowns will again trade some more shiny things amongst themselves, and we will watch while eating our Hot Cheetos in one hand and Googling in the other where to stream My Year of Dicks. Who cares, indeed?

Okay well, this is embarrassing, but I do care. Part of me still believes in Oscar Claus and knows that, if you wait long enough and you’ve been really good, you might just get a Best Picture win for Parasite. Mostly, I just fricking love the movies. I love watching them, celebrating them, analyzing them, and having healthy debates about them far, far away from the Twitter mosh pit. I’m the guy that says you really should watch The Revenant, and, yes, you’re supposed to feel like a pulverized lemon by the end. I’m the guy that recites Nicole Kidman’s AMC monologue at parties. Yep… that’s me. Sorry about that.

Like I said, I love movies. I don’t love movie politics. I don’t care whether or not a movie won at SAG or BAFTA or ESPN and what that statistically says about its chances this coming Sunday. I just care about good movies being watched by more people. So, I’m not going to list my Oscars predictions for each category at stake, as many journalists might. I’m instead going to highlight the 2022 movies I watched and suggest the ones you should watch. Continue reading “Ranking Movies Between Laundry and Taxes #001: A 95th Oscar Primer” →

Brainiac On Banjo: Tiny Heroes Vs Tiny Minds

Brainiac On Banjo: Tiny Heroes Vs Tiny Minds

Posted on by Mike Gold

Now Fatherland, Fatherland, show us the sign your children have waited to see. The morning will come when the world is mine; tomorrow belongs to me. “Tomorrow Belongs To Me,” written by John Kander for the play “Cabaret.”

I loathe going to movies alone. If the flick is great, I wanna talk about it. If the flick sucks, I wanna commiserate with a friend. Most movies are somewhere in between, and if I picked the right companion the after-movie discussion can be better than the viewing experience itself. In seeing Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, I was joined by my dear friend Martha Thomases, of DC and Marvel fame. We’ve enjoyed some great movies together, although some would be defined by critics as shitty.

Is a movie shitty even if you had a good time? Well, perhaps by consensus, but that should not humble your experience retroactively. Portal-to-portal, going out to the movies these days is an expensive proposition: the old phrase “coming soon to a theater near you” is obsolete because the vast majority of humanity no longer lives near a movie theater (Martha is a lucky exception). So when you add up all of your expenses, assuming you are willing to pay the going theater rate for a quarter’s worth of pop corn, seeing any movie in the theater is likely to cost the better part of a mortgage payment. Of course, those few surviving movie palaces of yesteryear are now showing live theater and kinda-live concerts, so we’ve got to shoehorn ourselves into little boxes made of ticky-tacky and endure twenty minutes of commercials before we get to the trailers.

But it’s a choice we, as the paying audience, choose to make. Not so much the movie critics. They have to see damn near everything, and I sympathize. They’ve been subjected to so many flickering images it’s a wonder they’re not all epileptics. Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: Tiny Heroes Vs Tiny Minds” →