Well, I finally got caught up on this series. (I’ll try not to spoil it for anyone!)
It’s just not the same with my geeky stuff buddy here. She had already warned me of the plot twist in episode 2 and was quite shocked I hadn’t seen it yet. Don’t have the amount of time on my hands that she had, apparently. That housekeeping out of the way, here we go! I love that the Marvel Studios title card has had different music for each episode. It’s made it unique and kind of fits the feel of the episode. Marvel did that with the end credits for “Moon Knight.” I know… Ms. Marvel is unique. Kamala’s desire to be different in her world and be like her hero Captain Marvel is plastered all over. In her room, in her locker, the wallpaper on her phone, and even her clothes! We can see the struggle between the American culture where she was born and raised and her parents’ Pakistani culture. It kind of had “Bend it Like Beckham” vibes and that is amazing because “Bend it Like Beckham” is one of my favorite movies. This show has the hero’s journey with the refusal deeply ingrained in the first episode. I feel that it’s because of Kamala’s struggle between her American and Pakistani halves. She wants to be the good daughter but yet, she wants to be badass like her hero. Her best friends Nakia & Bruno (if he had his way… they’d be more and you can feel that in several moments sprinkled throughout the show) … one grounds her (sort of) to her Muslim faith and her Pakistani roots while the other encourages her love of Captain Marvel and helps her with her Cosplay for the very first AvengerCon. I will say that the first episode gave me “Turning Red” vibes to a point in the tone. It was great build up for the rest of the series, which eventually leaves Jersey City, New Jersey and travels to Pakistan, a place Kamala has never been but is there with her mother because her grandma (Nani) has said they should come. Kamala’s American-ness gets the group (an aunt, two cousins, Kamala, and her mother) relegated to the patio at a restaurant because Kamala has worn jeans. Her cousins take her through the city and eventually leave her to explore on her own. She runs into someone from the group known as the Red Dagger. During a battle, Kamala is sent back in time to Pakistan and the partition. I suppose I would know more about this event if I had taken more World History classes in college. If you didn’t know 15 August 1947 is when then British India was divided into India and Pakistan. To go even further… Pakistan is a divided a bit more. It’s been divided into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. If you want to read more click here. And back in 1947 is where the episode ends. I haven’t read the Ms. Marvel comics but kudos to Marvel for creating this character. It’s about time. Even more praise for Marvel Studios for choosing this character to unpack in a TV series. I don’t think an origin movie would have done Kamala Kahn’s story any justice. If you haven’t watched it yet because you weren’t sure about the character or the story… I urge you to give it a try. If you’re waiting for all of the episodes to drop… it looks like 13 July is the date. So far, only 6 episodes are listed on IMDB. Of course, true to Disney+/Marvel Studios fashion, there’s a season 1. Will we get another season? We’ll see!
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So, I took my daughter to see the first part of the epic wrap up to a story that started ten years ago with Iron Man. For us, this was a tradition... I took her out of school early but let me back up just a little bit here. I was in the Army for those of you that didn't know (or read that over in the short bio over on the sidebar). Back in 2008, I knew I was going to be deployed but we weren't sure if it was to Iraq or Afghanistan. We had a pretty good idea but with the military, nothing is ever certain. So, I made the conscious decision to do something fun and memorable with my daughter before I spent weeks away preparing for deployment. I figured I like comic books and Iron Man was about the best you can get (at the time) for comic book movies (Sorry Stan, I can't put comic and book together... maybe when spell check catches up). It was a great adventure and Iron Man, in my opinion for effects, got better with each appearance in a movie. I did a repeat with every Marvel movie that came out while she was in elementary and middle school. I think we only missed Thor 2 & 3, GotG 1 & 2, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man. My kid and I have a history with the franchise. So, why wouldn't we go see the newest installment? Next year... well that will be different. Next year will be our last MCU film together before she goes off to college. (I'm not crying, you're crying. Stupid ninja cutting onions behind me...) I'll tell you right now... if you're a casual MCU watcher... catch up, fast. I hadn't finished GotG 2 or Thor 3 and there were major spoilers. Some fan theories were busted but one big one was confirmed! Red Skull is not Thanos but he does play a part and that is all I will say about that. It was a great theatrical presentation. Very vivid color. You cheer, you laugh, you gasp, and yes, you may shed a tear (and that was in the first 10 minutes) as you watch the story unfold on the screen. So much thought went into each section of the script to keep it all flowing... I'm impressed. As a writer myself, I know how hard it is to keep the continuity for a few characters let alone twenty-nine! Mind you, that is not counting the rest of the minor characters. IMDB states there were ninety-eight souls listed in the cast list. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you go. However, if you have a younger child that doesn't grasp the concept of "movie death" leave them home. (We had a child in the theatre, about 5 or so that cried, loudly, when his favorite character "died" on screen. I will tell you, it disrupted the moment.) If you're a Game of Thrones fan ... Peter Dinklage plays a larger-than-life role. To keep this truly spoiler free ... Avengers: Infinity War definitely earned its $630 million. What do they have in store for fans May 2019? I was one of a fair amount of folks sitting in a dark theatre at my local cineplex waiting on the new Wonder Woman movie last night. As has become Hollywood tradition, theatres pre-release new releases the day before their actual release date. It's seems a bit... counterproductive in terms of opening weekend numbers. But with this movie, I feel these "preview" showings were important since Warner Bros. didn't invest as much in the way of marketing as they did Suicide Squad. Were they worried they'd have another Catwoman on their hands? Well, they shouldn't have fretted about that.
The story line is great, however a bit problematic with setting it in WWI. A friend of mine pointed that out. If Diana was still in London for WWII would she really have let Hitler happen? I'm thinking that's a big fat no. Over look that for a moment. The pacing was great. (There wasn't a really good time to exit the theatre for more snacks or other business.) The costuming was outstanding (my daughter wants her own set of Wonder Woman armor to cosplay). The effects, locations and overall quality of the film were much better than anyone could have asked for. Gal Gadot is a badass. Not just because she plays my childhood hero and owned the role in ways that Hollywood never thought Lynda Carter could back in the day. (Lynda Carter was a badass too, don't get me wrong.) She served two years, as required, in the Israel Defense Force with a role as combat trainer. She taught gymnastics and calisthenics. Add that to the self defense that the military is taught and we have a badass. The themes are obvious: Good vs. Evil, Ancient God vs. Humanity, Love vs. Hate, and the loss of innocence. The film really was about Diana's coming of age if you will. We're introduced to the adult version and a memory from the past whisks us back to her childhood. We learn how Diana was raised, how much she doesn't know about the world outside Themyscira and that the Queen is over protective by not allowing Diana to train with the other Amazons. When Steve Trevor crashes his way to the island everything Diana knows is challenged but she still believes in good people and bad people. So she leaves to go fight the war with her wayward pilot. There's love, explosions, gunfire and lots of girl power. I won't give away any other details of the film but I will tell you... go see it! You won't be sorry! (Wonder Woman will be the DC movie-verse's saving grace!) |
AuthorCollege graduate, Army vet, single mom, Husky mom, Movie lover, writer Archives
August 2022
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