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‘THUNDERBOLTS*’ Asterisks The Future of this Flailing Franchise

There was a time when Marvel movies were actually kind of fun. They weren’t always particularly good, sure, and they leaned heavily on a tried-and-true formula — to the point where you could watch one trailer and predict every algorithmic story beat, crocodile tear moment, and ironic quip that would tumble out over the next two hours. But despite that heavy-handed template, they still managed to be a good time most of the time: actually playing at inspiring heroics rather than just paying lip service to the idea, wringing out a handful of genuine laughs (largely thanks to some truly terrific casting), and occasionally conjuring up an impressive set piece or two. Thunderbolts* doesn’t manage any of that. It’s both humorless and weightless, unable to decide if it wants to be taken seriously or not. The character work is thin, the drama feels half-hearted, and the whole movie hovers awkwardly between grim and goofy without ever committing to either. Read More

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Better Late than Never, ‘BLACK WIDOW’ Gives MCU’s Preeminent Shero a Fitting Sendoff 

The second to last of the original Avengers to get her own standalone bow (with Hawkeye’s very own miniseries hitting Disney+ late 2021), Black Widow has been long overdue her turn in the spotlight for some time now. If we weren’t living in an aggressively patriarchal society, it might seem strange that it took so long to get Scarlett Johansson, who has led the charts for most bankable actress alive for many years, her own feature film. But then again it seems that Hollywood suits only recently learned the lesson that the masses would turn out for superhero movies that starred people other than white men and so thus Black Widow was bankrolled into existence, 11 years after her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Read More

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Out in Theaters: ‘THOR: RAGNAROK’

Candy-colored Thor: Ragnarok is a retro, dimension-hopping hoot. Rambunctious, joyous and just plain fun to watch, Ragnarok is shellacked with vintage Taika Waititi style, the critical darling director behind such rollicking Rotten Tomatoes-adored comedy-adventures as Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows and Boy retaining his idiomatic filmmaking tactics even under the watchful eye of notoriously handsy Marvel producers. The best of the Thor films (and this coming from someone who actually admits to enjoying the previous two), Ragnarok employs Taika’s signature witty, irreverent approach to comedy and his knack for building genuine camaraderie among squirelly outcasts to craft the funniest blockbuster of the year, one that doubles as a hell of an odd-couple intergalactic road trip, even if it still barely breaks the lather-rinse-repeat nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe mold.  Read More