The Skrull War Machine
Original Title: Fixing the Finale - Incredibles 2
The Genius of Jingle All the Way
MacGuffin is a word that comes up regularly in film criticism, yet I’m not sure its being used correctly. So join me on an incredibly pedantic exploration of what the term means, where it came from, when its meaning changed, and what we can do about it.
The Marvel Phase Four Announcement at San Diego Comic Con was...a lot. We got information about eleven new shows and movies some of which we didn't even know existed before the panel. And yet, many people had concerns about the announcement and what it meant for Phase Four I believe if you take a closer look at some of those concerns, you discover that there is more to be excited about from Phase Four than meets the eye.
Far From Home. It was fun and once it became the Mysterio show, it was a real treat. However, the movie featured a plot device that was so dumb, it made a lot of the film difficult to take seriously. So what if that plot device was replaced with something that was not only easier to understand but meant more to the characters and the audience?
Hobbs and Shaw. It sure was an action movie. And while I enjoyed parts of it, I found one aspect of Hobbs and Shaw specifically disappointing. I believe Hobbs and Shaw is a lousy buddy cop movie. However, I believe are two characters in the Fast and Furious series that would have made an excellent pair of buddy cops. So I'm going to go over some of my issues with Hobbs and Shaw, give you my pitch for a replacement, and talk you though how I think that character would have improved the movie.
M. Night Shyamalan's Glass had the potential to be something really special and in my opinion, for a myriad of reasons, it was a colossal disappointment. And while I don't think there is one small change that can address all of my issues with Glass, I do believe there was a tiny choice that could have been made to the third act and that choice could have recontextualized the ending and given Glass something interesting to say about the genre.
Marvel/Netflix's The Defenders is one of the biggest missed opportunities in superhero tv/movies. A team up show that was somehow less than the sum of its parts. So I would like to present an alternative. A Defenders Rewrite. In this video, we focus on episodes 1 and 2 named Raising Hell and Hard Times. We look at the ordinary world, how things have changed, and how our heroes are going to solve the big problem in the future.
It’s Part 2 of the Defenders Rewrite. This video covers Episode 3, Can I Get a Witness? After Luke’s mysterious night out, the other heroes start working together to figure out what happened to Luke Cage and who is behind the events that are rocking New York City.
It’s Part 3 of the Defenders Rewrite. This video covers Episode 4, Rock the House. Like explains what happened on the night of his attack and the rest of the team comes up with a plan to stop The Wrecker.
Joker really was something. There was a lot to like about it. The performances, the score, and the production design were all excellent. It was risky and cool and I am glad it exists. However, I had one big issue with Joker's story. One that other movies of the same vein were able to address by adding one character. So in this video, I see if you can add one of those characters to Joker to address some of my issues and tell a more compelling story.
It’s Part 4 of the Defenders Rewrite! This video covers Episode 5, Walk This Way. After a crushing defeat, the group retreats and comes up with a plan to move forward.
A while ago, I went ahead and put together a scene from my Ant-Man and The Wasp sequel pitch. And now that Ant-Man and The Wasp 2 is officially on the schedule, I decided to release the scene, so you can see what we could have.
It’s Part 5 of the Defenders Rewrite! This video covers Episode 6, Wreck Shop. Jessica Jones tells the story of The Wrecker and the team comes up with a plan to stop him.
Thor: The Dark World is the prime example of a meh Marvel movie. While it is technically...fine, a lot of elements feel dull, chief among them being the film’s villain, Malekith. So in this video, I take a shot at giving Malekith an opportunity to do something interesting and using that change to give another character a more meaningful end.
It’s Part 6 of the Defenders Rewrite! This video covers Episode 7, Down with the King. Matt goes to rescue Jessica from jail while Danny and Luke execute their plan to stop the Wrecking Crew.
I am a humongous X-Men fan. I love the shows, comics, movies, and games. I mean, as I write this description, I am reading the new X-Force 4 by Benjamin Percy. And, even thought it was fine, I found Dark Phoenix incredibly disappointing. And I don't think this movie could necessarily be "fixed" since there are so many fundamental problems with these movie. So instead of changing the entire movie, I am going to simply ask a question. One that I thought about as I left the theater. And then I'm going to see if that answer could improve the movie.
The time has come! Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker is less than a week from being released! And a bunch of us YouTubers were brought together by Mauricio from Browntable to each create a video about something that we believe defines Star Wars. As much as I love Grand Moff Tarkin, I have become obsessed with The Mandalorian so in this video, I look at how The Mandalorian uses storytelling methods to create a thrilling fight scene.
Original Title: Redeeming Selene - Fixing Dark Phoenix As a humongous X-Men fan, I found Dark Phoenix incredibly disappointing. And I don't think this movie could necessarily be "fixed" since there are so many fundamental problems with these movie. So instead of changing the entire movie, I asked one question. Why wasn't Jessica Chastain's villain Vuk actually different X-Men character known as Emma Frost. But Emma isn't the kind of character that would kill Jean to take the Space Force. So, in the second part of this series, I take a look at what the finale of Dark Phoenix could have looked like if another Hellfire Club member took over.
2019 was a year about finality. The end of so many franchises and sagas and whatnot. But looking back, there was something else that many of the big 2019 blockbusters had in common. 2019 was the year they became self aware. Ill explain what I mean while making a ton of jokes at Glass' expense in this exciting first Nando v Movies video of 2020. Also, this video features an extended outro where I thank all of you for the love you've given in 2019.
It’s Part 7 of the Defenders Rewrite! The final part! This video covers Episode 8, Let's Stay Together.
A Close Reading of Macavity or The Weirdest Thing About Cats Cats was a great and terrible miracle. It should not exist and yet, it does. It exists so much. And forget about the CGI and the acting and the wedding rings. When you dig into the actual music, it doesn't make much sense. So in this video, I'm going to take a close look at what I believe is the dumbest song in Cats, Macavity, and explain what its dumbness says about the musical and the art form more generally.
The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy (Episode 7, 8, and 9) made a lot of mistakes but when it comes to missed opportunities, none feel quite a obvious as not giving Chewbacca something significant to do. So in this video we look at what could have come from a meeting between Kylo Ren and everyone's favorite walking carpet.
In Defense of the DCEU - The Early Years
In Defense of the DCEU: Part Three - The Lost Kingdom