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Marvel Cinematic Universe & DC Extended Universe

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

By Nguyen

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It’s Nicolas Cage!!!

We have seen the bronze age of superhero movies such as Tim Burton’s Batman and Richard Donner’s  Superman (also the non-release/cancellation of Tim Burton’s The death of superman 😉 ).

We also have seen the silver age of superhero movies such as Stephen Norrington Guillermo del Toro David S. Goyer’s Blade Trilogy, Bryan Singer’s X-men and Sam Rami’s Spiderman’s trilogy. Unfortunately, we also saw Tim Story’s Fantastic Four and Ang Lee’s Hulk.

hqdefaultAt this moment, we are living in a golden age of superhero movies where heroes/heroines that we grew up reading are now on the big screen! I still remember getting free Marvel comic books (e.g., Spider-man) and toys, every time I go to McDonald’s in the 90s. In addition, getting my Spiderman and Dr. Otto Octavius toys taken away from me by my Kindergarten teacher.

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is one of the most innovative spectacles in today’s cinema. The interconnectedness among different movie franchises (e.g., Ironman and Thor) as well as the eagerness among comic fans and movie fans waiting for Marvel-Disney studio to announce a new superhero movie (that isn’t popular among the general population).

The general movie going audience would probably name a few superheroes such as Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, and Spiderman.

I remember when a B-list superhero aka Jon Favreau’s Ironman (2008) was released. It blew my mind with the combination of character development, story plot, and CGI! Both audience and critics love it! As a result, $140 million-budgeted film grossed $585 million worldwide! (However, Ironman 2 was “mediocre” at best in terms of story plot and villains).

The Avengers,Super Hero GroupMarvel/Disney Studio came out with a bang, after the first Ironman movie with B-list (e.g., Captain America, Hulk), even C-list (e.g., Thor) and D-list (e.g., Ant-man, Dr. Strange) superhero characters.

If I tell you 10 years ago, that Captain America’s Trilogy (includes: The First Avenger (2011), Winter Soldier (2014), and Civil War (2016)) was up-to-par or (some say) better than Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, you will be laughing your pants off!

 

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Not only, did Captain America movies were great, but other movies such as James Gunn’s The Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) which includes a talking raccoon and a giant freaking tree character name Groot! You won’t believe me if I told you 5 years ago…James Gunn who directed a few porn-parody youtube videos will direct a Marvel/Disney’s Space Opera!

16906663_1169x1559Another few examples were Kenneth Branagh’s Thor (2011) which make sense since Kenneth Branagh is known to act in Shakespearean plays as a flawed protagonist (e.g., hubris/pride), Peyton Reed’s Ant-man (2015) (say what?! a “Bring it on” director?), and Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange (2016) (why is a director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister making a “scary” Doctor Strange movie?). With some questionable director choices and risk by the Marvel/Disney studio, the movies were still a huge success!

Overall, MCU did well with the characters they have (MCU do not have the rights for X-men (FOX Studio), Fantastic four (FOX Studio), and Deadpool (FOX Studio)) and they stay true to the comic books. I believe they were successful because for each movie the studio use different types of movie genre. For instance, Captain America’s The Winter Soldier (2014) was a political thriller, Ant-man (2015) was a heist movie, and Doctor Strange (2016) was fantasy/magic and just plain strange.

The MCU films’ cinematography was great and not messy in terms of action sequences (I’m talking to you Michael Bay – Transformers!) and the films were most enjoyable and funny. MCU films use to have a problem developing good (and badass) villains, except for Loki. However, everything has changed when Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther (2018), Jon Watts and Enrique Segoviano’s Spider-man: Homecoming (2017) (Sony and Disney studio collaboration), Taika Waititi’s  Thor’s Ragnarok (2017) as well as Russo brothers’ Avengers: Infinity War (2018) was released in theatres. The one thing I love about Disney Marvel Studio is that they learned from their mistakes (e.g., villains, director choices, action sequences).

For example, in Thor’s Ragnarok (2017) took away the typical story tropes and made Thor a funny and lovable character. Essentially, this movie didn’t take it too seriously unlike Thor: The Dark World (2013). Another example is Spider-man: Homecoming (2017) where Disney Marvel studio introduce a new villain instead of rehashing old villains (I’m looking at you Marc Webb’s Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014)). Also, we haven’t seen a lot of high-school Peter Parker, finally Spiderman is played by a young actor, Tom Hiddleston … I kid, Tom Holland! Lastly, this new Spiderman movie has an 80s John Hughes feel to it, who doesn’t like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)?!

Here is my ranking for the newest villains in terms of great back-story, motivation, and badassery:

1) Thanos – Josh Brolin (Philosophy: Utilitarian consequentialism vs. Deontology)

2) Killmonger – Michael B. Jordan (Basketball legend Michael Jordan’s son … joking :P)

3) The Vulture – Michael Keaton (Didn’t expect the twist huh?)

4) Hela  – Cate Blanchett (Who doesn’t like an Overpowered Gothic Viking villain with a sassy attitude?)

marvels-the-defendersAnother note: Netflix’s tv shows such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage were great! The storyline and villains were impeccable! Iron Fist is okay, it’s not the greatest tv show ever and not the worst. These shows are also connected to the MCU as well (e.g., news headline about the Battle of New York). However, I feel the MCU/ Marvel Disney studio don’t want no part of the Netflix shows. Wing really loves Jessica Jones more than any other Defenders (and I agree).

Now onto DC Extended Universe (DCEU)! After the successful Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy something happened… Joss Whedon’s The Avengers (2012) with a budget of 220 million USD made 1.52 billion dollars! As a result, Warner Brother Studio was trying to scrap something together by the name of “Man of Steel (2013)” directed by Zack Synder. In my opinion, Man of Steel was a good superhero movie, however, there were moments of lapse such as Superman’s motivation and intention. I think having two dads with different ideologies/principles could cause some confusion for the audience. Also, the tone of the movie seems like it’s for Batman, instead of the light-hearted Superman which we use to love from the comic books. In my opinion, the “dark” tone does not equate to “realism”.

RP15161-Wonder-Woman-ShieldPatty Jenkins’ Wonder woman (2017) was great in comparison to other DCEU movies. I would rate it very similar to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). To be honest, the third act was very Michael Bay-like. However, it was still entertaining and kickass. I love the Wonder woman theme score, the Cello gave me goosebumps!

After Zack Synder’s Batman vs. Superman (2016), and Justice League (2017) and David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016) released in theaters the reviews were mixed. The DCEU  just can’t seem to catch a break. The latest news about The Flash solo film losing both writer/director Seth Grahame-Smith as well as his replacement Dope director Rick Famuyiwa due to “creative differences.” The project is currently without a director. DCEU needs a Kevin Feige-like person in charge of the direction!

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Fingers-cross that Aquaman (2018) directed by James Wan (who directed the incredible horror movies such as Conjuring and Insidious as well as Furious 7) as well as David Sandberg’s Shazam! (2019) kills it in the box office as well as critic ratings!

By the way, I can’t wait for Peyton Reed’s Antman and the Wasp (2018) and Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck’s Captain Marvel (2019)!

Please feel free to comment on your opinions about the MCU as well as the DCEU. 

Lost tales of longing

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

Fingers curled. Eyes blurred.

Teardrops splash the photo in hand.

A beautiful photo. Our photo.

Each tear holding a story of its own.

Stories of joy, of sorrow, of longing.

The longing to see you. To smell you. To touch you.

My soul dives into a state of melancholy.

And in the joyful bitterness, I find myself with you once again.

Wing

 

Bottling smells: Has anyone thought of doing this as well?

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

Wing here.

I am very sensitive to smell. Whether it is a ‘good’ smell or a ‘bad’ smell, scents can leave a very deep impression on me.

Depending on the combination of smell, location, and moment, scents can help me to recall memories tucked waaaay down deep in the corner of my mind, where I never knew it existed.

Also, let’s take a moment of silence for Bing Bong because losing him in the Memory Dump was incredibly sad. (Please watch this excellent movie if you haven’t already!)

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Bing Bong!

But, what if we can find a way to resurrect those lost memories? I got this idea while watching the latter few films of the Harry Potter fantasy series whereby wizards/witches use tears as a way to revisit specific memories (Read more about the fantastical pensieve here)

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Instead of using tears, wouldn’t it be cool if we had the capability of bottling scent as a way of remembering things?

When I first landed in Brazil, the half-open street and sewerage system really reminded me of 1990s Hong Kong. Now, as you probably already might be thinking, it absolutely does not smell good. However, when I smelled the scent, I was transported back to a memory of a 13-year old me playing on a plastic play structure in the middle of concrete jungle Hong Kong.

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Frank Downe’s picture of Hong Kong in the 1990s! How times have changed!

Whenever I open my vanilla-shea butter hand lotion gifted to me from an ex-boyfriend, I am reminded of neatly lined stone houses and high-reaching palm trees from my time studying in an international programme in ancient Olympia.

And weirdly enough, the smell of my friend’s slightly stale kitchen makes me feel entirely at home. I don’t know why.

The list can honestly go on.

Although these most of my memory-inducing scents are often not pleasant by any means, there’s nothing like resurfacing a memory (or a chain reaction of memories) that keeps you grounded in your roots and who you are.

Certainly, sometimes, these memories are melancholic and overwhelming. But memory makes us. And it is literally unreplicable. Words can only do so much.

So, with that said. Does anyone else experience the same thing? Or want the same thing?

 

Brazil Tip # 1: Smartphones

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

Tip # 1: Feel free to bring your smartphone, but just be smart about it.

Wing here.

Right before I arrived in Brazil, my Portuguese teacher told me a horrifying story that had left me convinced that I should not bring my cell phone (or any precious belongings for that matter) to Brazil. She told me that there was once a passenger who was scrolling and playing on his cell phone on the bus in the middle of the day. When the bus stopped at a street light, the shiny cell phone caught the attention of a man loitering near the bus. What followed was that the man proceeded to pry open the window of the bus in order to grab the cellphone out of the hands of the passenger.

That story stuck with me for a long time and I ended up spending my first two months in Brazil using a 2013 Samsung S2 that I had resurrected, right before my trip, from the depths of my closet in my mom’s home in Toronto.

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Although I was peace knowing that I would not shed a tear upon its loss, the cell phone itself was a disaster. The cell phone kept on freezing and the GPS function was horrible. It could never locate its location despite my efforts to stay still and it had horrible reception. It was so old that I could not install even the simplest applications on it.

It wasn’t until I was completely stranded in Botafogo, in the middle of the night, and with no money, that I realized I needed to use a phone that could support Uber or other apps that could keep me safe.

Yes, and now you might be thinking: Why were you out in the middle of the night with no money? Well, that’s the transportation system for you and will be a story for another time. But long story short, I decided to take the bus home right after my Bible study because the bus stopped right outside my house. However, due to the fact that it was a holiday weekend, the bus did not come despite an hour’s wait. Of course, if I knew that, I would not have taken the bus. By the time I decided to take the Metro, the Metro was closed on account of the holidays. As a result, I was stranded with only my crappy cellphone and a transit card. In the end, I was lucky enough to find a taxi driver that let me pay him after I got home. Talk about trust (and God’s grace!), right?

Anyways, luckily, I had also brought the smartphone I use in Canada with me and I have been using it here since.

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Although my Portuguese teacher had the best intentions to warn me of what could potentially happen, I don’t know if I would give the same advice. Smartphones are indispensable in Rio de Janeiro. As the streets often wind here and there when you least expect it, you WILL need a phone and a strong GPS function to get you through.

Also! In Rio de Janeiro, buses do not display the name of the next stop and bus drivers are not accustomed to calling out the name of the stop. Therefore, a smartphone with a GPS function is a must for foreigners and tourists who wish to use Rio’s bus system.

Now, you might be thinking: What if my phone gets stolen? Isn’t Rio de Janeiro DANGEROUS? 

Well, here’s the thing. Everybody, and I mean everybody, has a smartphone here in Rio. People walk up and down the streets with them in hand, often times not giving a care to their surroundings. In fact, when I arrived, most people had a cell phone that was even newer and more advanced than my Canadian smartphone. Even most favela residents have smartphones! It’s really not as developing a country as most people think.

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See, someone playing on their phone!

However, with that said, thefts do happen. In fact, they happen a lot. It happens at parties, in heavily packed tourists attractions, at night, and sometimes, when you least expect it. However, it is safe to say that most of the thefts happen when you are visibly careless with your phone. If you leave your wallet or phone hanging out visibly in your pocket, you are marking yourself as an open target. However, if you are aware of your surroundings and of the belongings on your body, you will be just fine.

As such, don’t worry too much about looking at your phone in public. It’s really okay and actually, can be much needed sometimes!

Life Update + A new series: Brazil Tips

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

It’s been nearly 1 year since we’ve posted anything — apologies!

Nguyen has been great with producing content, but has not been great at publishing it!! Babe, be confident and do it!

Since we last wrote, Nguyen successfully defended his Master’s degree and (by the grace of God), found a wonderful job at our university. As for myself, I successfully defended my comprehensive exams and am now living in Brazil for the next few months.

For me, Brazil is a paradise of all sorts. The food, the people, and the sights are amazing. There is nothing like it. From food stands to traditional dishes of black beans on rice, Brazil is heaven for food lovers.

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A typical ‘kilo’ or ‘self-service’ restaurant!

The people are equally amazing, full of fun but also kindness and patience. I have had so many troubles with communicating in Portuguese and people have gone to extreme lengths to help me understand.

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At Cristo Redentor, the view is astounding!!!

Lastly, Brazil is an urban wonder while simultaneously being a vast country of green. Rio de Janeiro, in particular, is incredible. If you ever get the chance to see the city from above, from hiking up landmarks such as the Cristo Redentor, mini-mountains such as Pão de Açucar, and forts like Forte Duque de Caixa, you will see that the city is built upon and around hills. It’s quite astounding!

However, life here has not been without its troubles. I have gotten so confused because of so many unwritten cultural rules and practices. Navigating life solely in a different language has been so difficult and at times, humiliating. Trying to meet people and attend talks has been hard. I don’t understand a lot of the times and the words just don’t come out as fluidly as they do in English. Sharing a long-distance relationship has been hard, if not excruciating at times, and it compounds on the loneliness sometimes.

Despite this, I’ve learned a lot about myself and also perhaps, about my humble roots. This experience has given me an understanding of how difficult it must have been for my parents to carve a new life in a completely foreign land with different values and customs. I’ve become more grateful lately I think. Haha.

Anyways, for the next little bit, I will be writing about my life lessons here in a series entitled “Brazil Tips”. Hopefully, you can learn a lot from them.

Abraços! (Hugs!)

To my childhood church friends…

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

In many ways, I see myself as a coward for not being able to step up and express my frustrations to you all.

For fear of stigma or judgement, I’ve long felt constrained to express my thoughts. However, I owe it to myself to express how I feel.

Prior to writing this letter, I’ve searched myself so many times and have wondered what my motives were. In many ways, I found myself steeped in many of the same errors I identified to be present in you all. In doing so, I wondered if I was really so qualified to write this.  I really am not. In many ways, I also struggle to escape the allures and anxieties of our neoliberal society and current world. However, I am trying, and I implore you all to do the same.

No matter the distance, church is home. It always has been. In this home, I consider you all to be my family. I love you all and you’ve done more for me than I could ever repay.

Our friendship has been foundational to my spiritual and emotional growth in every possible way: It was through you all that I met Jesus for the first time. It was through you all that I learned the power of prayer. It was through you all that I had true friends for the first time.

Our friendship together were true miracles because, for a long time, I really struggled to make true and authentic friends. It was also through you all that I was able to learn about the radical love of Christ. The wonderfully selfless love that put Christ on the Cross.

…

So, what happened to that?

When did we, in our efforts to find work, settle down, get married, and branch out become apathetic to the needs and the hardships of our world? When did we stop being radical?

The level of apathy amongst us is so disappointing and the level of engagement even more so.

War, rape, famine, poverty, drug use, wage inequality, gender discrimination, racism, colonialism and inequity at every level is the everyday reality for many, not our comfortable middle-class lives.

Our comfort is our privilege and yet, in many ways, has been our demise.

It’s made us blind to the radical love we should we showing. It’s made us forget the urgency.

I understand that many of us fights fires and save lives on a daily basis. I sincerely thank you for that. However, what of living out the Gospel truth in radical ways?

I’m not telling you to move to a war zone. I’m not telling you to give away your house. I’m not telling you to donate your entire income. However, at the very least, start reading the damn news and start praying about it. Get to know our world and understand why Jesus is broken over it. Get involved with your community and lobby for change. Go to rallies and raise your voice at protests. If you’re too busy, stay tuned to politics on social media at the very least. Social media is not just a fad or a game. It’s an important platform that allows grassroots organizations to speak their minds and for us to support them.

The Acts 2 fellowship was an extremely God-oriented community. It was a beautiful community and it was a radical community.

It is disappointing that we look nothing like that.

Instead, many at the Church are following the trajectories of today’s millennials and are rather, impeding important and progressive ideas from being put onto the table. It’s ridiculous and wrong to think that social justice mobilization is only for activists. It should be a mindset that we uphold every single day. It should be a thirst we have every single day. It should fuel our prayers to God every single day.  This is, at the very least, what it means to be ‘radical’.

I acknowledge that I struggle with this. I struggle with this a lot. Ashamedly, there are many times I want to just appreciate the luxuries of my middle-class life. My daily schedule involves reading 10 hours a day. Tangibly, I do very little to serve my community.

However, I’m really trying my best every day to be proactive about the issues that affect our world. I’m trying my best to think reflexively about my privileges every moment I can. I’m trying my best to trust God, to pray incessantly, and to love everyone in my community

Friends, I’m writing this letter because it hurt me so much to see your apathetic responses to a brother-in-Christ in mourning. I understand that he was not a particularly close friend. However, Christ’s blood covers all awkwardness, bad blood, and distance. Rather, Christ’s love moves us to care and honestly, your responses were pathetic.

If you cannot undertake a single act of compassion and reconciliation, how will God entrust you with a task of much more substance?

Friends, I am asking you to step up to care for this world and to care for your community and not just the people you want to care for.

If you decide this is not for you, then I am sad to say that we cannot be friends.

Canada is not the best country

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

By: Nguyen

I have written a lot about our neighbour from the south, but now lets be real! Canada isn’t the best country in the world, we are just mediocre.  Yes, we are “better off” than the U.S, but why do we need to compare to them? Why don’t we compare ourselves to Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Austria? Read More