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Some Thoughts on INCREDIBLES 2 (2018)

Some Thoughts on INCREDIBLES 2 (2018)

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of heading to the theater and seeing Incredibles 2, big and loud in a Dolby Cinema.

Here are my thoughts on Pixar’s latest flick.

  • Initially, I was really concerned about Brad Bird and company returning to the world of The Incredibles, as the original is one of my all time favorite films – near perfect (IMO), and the idea of touching what was with a sequel felt like an unnecessary risk.  That said, the movie absolutely sings, and builds wonderfully upon the original, with great additional depth to the universe.
  • That said: Incredibles 2 is flawed in that its message is far muddier than the originals, opting to make some points while producing an enthusiastic superhero romp, as opposed to driving one idea home.
  • Between The Iron Giant (Anti-Gun), The Incredibles (You should do what makes you special), Ratatouille (Anyone can be special), Tomorrowland (People should strive to do great things), and this film, you get a very interesting look at the political and sociological leanings of Brad Bird.
  • The action sequences in this film are absolutely stellar. Bird is just stellar at setting a sense of scale, continuity, pace and intensity in his work, and Incredibles 2 is no different.
  • Who would’ve thought that, even with the Jack-Jack Attack short, the idea of Jack-Jack having powers would still be so damned delightful and wonderful in action?
  • For working with upgraded models from 2004, the animation in Incredibles 2 is stellar. There’s a moment early in the film where Mr. Incredible is fighting the Underminer underground (picking up RIGHT where the first left off) where the frame feels exactly like a golden-age comic book.
  • Speaking of throwback design, the architectural design of the Incredibles new home, added with things like Elastigirl’s new bike, and a really cool hover train, are just the retro-futuristic design elements needed to scratch my personal aesthetic itch.
  • The score by Michael Giacchino is just as good as, if not better than, the up-beat jazzy original. Simply fantastic.
  • I really enjoyed the new Supers, including the Portal-inspired Void.
  • The villain is…hmm, somewhat obvious? But still enjoyable never-the-less.
  • Goddamn do I enjoy hearing Bob Odenkirk do voice work.
  • The pre-film short, Bao, is an incredibly touching story about parenthood. Or just about a cute dumpling. You pick.

Incredibles 2 is in theaters now.

CREED II Trailer Hits the Web

The original Creed is a modern day miracle, a true lighting-in-a-bottle scenario.

This looks good…but lightning doesn’t strike twice. We’ll see how it is this Thanksgiving.

AMC Theatres Unveils Their MoviePass Killer: AMC STUBS A-LIST

AMC Theaters PR:

AMC TheatresÂŽ (NYSE:AMC) is excited to announce that beginning Tuesday, June 26 the Company is adding a new tier to its AMC Stubs rewards program: AMC Stubs A-List, which rewards guests with up to three movies per week, along with all the benefits of AMC Stubs Premiere, all for just $19.95 (plus tax) per month. Through AMC Stubs A-List, members can enjoy any available showtime*, any AMC location, any format — including IMAX at AMC, Dolby Cinema at AMC, RealD 3D, Prime at AMC and BigD. AMC Stubs A-List can be used at the spur of the moment or also can make planning ahead days or weeks in advance possible, as securing tickets is made easy via reservations capabilities on the AMCTheatres.com web site, or on the AMC Theatres smartphone app.

Let’s hit the key points here:

  • AMC Stubs A-List, a new VIP tier of AMC’s popular AMC Stubs loyalty program, will offer guests the very best of AMC up to 3 times per week including multiple movies per day and repeat visits to already seen movies with the sustainable price of $19.95 per month (plus tax)
  • Can be used at all AMC, AMC Dine-in and AMC Classic theatres in the United States
  • Includes all of AMC’s premium offerings including IMAX, Dolby Cinema, RealD 3D, Prime and BigD
  • AMC Stubs A-List members can book tickets online in advance, and at AMC Theatres with reserved seating specific seats can be booked as well
  • Includes all the benefits of AMC Stubs Premiere, with VIP service levels at AMC’s theatres, no online ticketing fees, and significant food and beverage savings… with the normal $15 Premiere annual fee being waived
  • No waiting after enrollment and no special credit card to be carried, AMC Stubs A-List is web and smartphone based

As someone who almost exclusively goes to an AMC theater with his MoviePass, this is incredibly tempting, especially with the ability to book in advance, pick seats AND go to premium screenings.

I may make the jump. What say you, MoviePass Fans?

THE MAXX Returns in BATMAN/THE MAXX: ARKHAM DREAMS

Paste:

Sam Kieth might best be known today as the co-creator of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman alongside Mike Dringenberg, but ‘90s comic readers know him as the mad mastermind behind The Maxx, his creator-owned original series about a seeming homeless man who becomes a hulking purple hero in an alternate world known as “The Outback.” The Maxx ran for 35 issues, received early script contribution from Alan Moore and William Massner-Loebs and even made the leap to MTV’s animation program.

Kieth took a hiatus from comics in the latter half of that decade, before returning with a number of Wildstorm series, contributions to Marvel’s Wolverine and Arkham Asylum: Madness, an original graphic novel written and drawn by Kieth that hit the New York Times bestseller list. Now, Paste can exclusively share that Kieth is returning to two of his most popular ventures with Batman/The Maxx: Arkham Dreams, a five-issue mini-series kicking off in September from IDW Publishing and DC Comics, with alternate covers from Jim Lee.

I never thought we’d see new The Maxx comics from Sam Keith. This is incredibly exciting for the ’90’s indie comic fans, or those who remember the stunning MTV series.