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HooperCast Movie Hour #185 (LIVE): The Hate U Give, Breaking Bad Walking Dead Films (11-9-2018)

7:00 - Rick Grimes character leaves “The Walking Dead” to continue adventures in multiple tv movies

17:18 - “Venom” movie success keeps Spider-Man away from Disney? Doubt it

22:00 - Disney has already made back the $4billion they invested in Lucasfilm deal.

26:00 - AMC to make “Breaking Bad” movie, by series creator Vince GIlligan.

42:00 - “The Hate U Give” Review

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Full audio episode on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic, PocketCasts, CastBox, Breaker, and Anchor FM

"Venom" Will Have Zero Effect on the Spider-Man IP

This week, ScreenRant reported that "Venom's box office success lessens the possibility that Sony will return the rights to Spider-Man and related characters to Marvel".

The rationale is of course Venom's box office numbers, making the studio more than $500 million at the worldwide box office, according to the article. It includes some words from Jeff Bock, who is the senior box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations, whatever that is. He says "(Sony) took a calculated risk with Venom, and it's now going to be a series...It seems Disney needs Sony's Spider-Man more than Sony needs Disney...If they consistently make films audiences want to see, Disney will have to buy Sony to get Spider-Man back."

I just want to interject a lot of "ifs" here.

1. "IF" They "consistently make films audiences want to see"

Well there's the problem: Sony doesn't do that. Whether it's the Ghostbusters reboot, The Dark Tower film, the atrocious Emoji Movie, or hell, the two Amazing Spider-Man films, Sony has proven time and again that they are not consistent at making films audiences want to see. Even if the marketing tricks opening-weekenders into getting to the theaters, those people don't go back a second time, and they warn their more cautious and intelligent peers to stay away.

2. "IF" we're referring to Venom as a calculated risk

You say calculated risk, I say idiotic ignorant dumb luck. I don't believe Sony to be clever or risk-takers. I believe them to be incompetent. This is just my opinion. Again, just take another look at my above examples. They don't understand their audience. They think people will go see a movie just because it features an all-female cast, or things they recognize from their mobile devices, or superheroes they saw another actor portray 5 years prior. They love money. I would say they don't care about story, but it's simpler than that. They're not aware, apparently, that they lack story or character. They don't know to correct that, because they don't know it's missing, Don't give them too much credit.

3. "IF" Disney needs Sony's Spider-Man more than Sony needs Disney

Disney needs nothing. Disney is doing juuuuuuust fine currently. I don't "need" Clif Bars. I can survive without them, and in fact, lose out on no nutritional value as a result of not eating them. But, I like them, I choose to buy them and consume them. Disney doesn't NEED the Spider-Man IP beyond the current deal with Sony to share him. The Venom movie's success can't even be attributed to the Spider-Man character. THE MOVIE DIDN'T FEATURE SPIDER-MAN. Dustin and I(mostly Dustin) repeatedly complained about this. They made a film featuring a character the Spider-Man is a very important, crucial piece of, and they opted to not feature Spider-Man. They did this either because they couldn't include him under the terms of the deal with Marvel, or because they were too chickenshit (but also smart) to recast Spider-Man and risk confusing audiences by having two Peter Parkers, one for their universe (because that went so well) and one for the MCU (the incredible Tom Holland). To their fortune, the movie made its money, now naturally they want to make more films. But this attitude of "HELL YEAH whatcha think about THAT, Disney?" is premature and misguided. Congratulations, you released ONE hit film. Call back when it's 22. Oh, and also, the film didn't have Spider-Man, so don't think for a second that Sony has any additional leverage when it comes to whoring out that character. These topics are completely disconnected.

4. "IF" Disney has to buy Sony to get Spider-Man back

Then they fucking will. Seriously. I'm calling it. They will, no matter what Sony does. And Sony will take what Sony is offered. Because Sony is weak, pitiful, and ultimately powerless to negotiate too high a price for the Spider-Man IP. I'm sure many disagree, but Sony knows it doesn't have the right stuff to make Spider-Man work. That's why they partnered with Disney in the first place for theMCU webhead. They knew the brand needed rejuvenation, and that they couldn't handle it. Let's not forget, Disney has ALREADY earned back the $4 billion it paid George Lucas for Lucasfilm. They just shelled out billions for Fox, don't think they're shy about absorbing Sony. I guarantee the only reason they haven't is because the lawyers are having to draft a detailed agreement in which Disney only needs to own Spider-Man and can omit all the shitty and useless properties Sony owns.

What do you think? shoot me a comment below, or at hoopercast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 251-333-8732

Sequel News: The Good, The Bad, & the WHYYYYY

Just a slight add-on on to my above pun, this really is my "dollars" series. My hard-earned dollars. I have precious little of them to spend on movies. What I have usually ends up going to Disney via Marvel and their ridonkulous films.

"Marvel's a corporate machine churning out recognizable properties" you might say. Yep, and they're infusing them with great characters and fresh directors. So let's not get into Marvel's brand reach tonight. There's a few other franchises gearing up to give us more in the next couple of years. Recognizable? Quite. Necessary? Fucking NOT quite.

My level of acceptance for each film varies on the scale. Let's count down from Least Repulsed By and work our way up.

1. Toy Story 4

According to CinemaBlend, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen both have reported having difficulty recording their final scenes of dialogue for the upcoming sequel to 2010's incredible Toy Story 3. It's a tearjerker, they say. It's going to be really emotional.

That much is obvious. Toy Story 3 had a depth of emotion and character that I have yet to see from most films. That's also why I'm hesitant to let this film take me for another journey.

Toy Story 3 is one of my favorite films ever. Period. Literally "end of story". Or so I thought. Both Andy and the toys completed their character arcs. Three complete stories, three parts of one larger story, everything in its place, loose ends tied up, feelings tapped into, tears shed, heart full.

"But guys, what about Bo Peep?"
"SHHHHHH shut the fuck up please dude, they'll hear!"
"DID SOMEBODY SAY MONEY- i mean- SEQUELLLLLLLL???

Aaaaaaand kerplop, here we are. We're all the way through a large chunk of production on this movie, which is apparently supposed to be about Woody searching for Bo Peep, who was absent from the last film because honestly there was no room for her character in that plot. But it's suggested that she was sold, donated, or thrown away between the second and third movies, which visibly saddens Woody. (It does make sense that even after the great ending of Toy Story 3, Woody would still be preoccupied with her whereabouts.)

I never thought I'd be so opposed to the production and release of a Toy Story movie, or ANY Pixar movie, at that. I wanted my characters where I left them, my toys where I left them. It's really just as simple as this: It is a perfect trilogy, the characters matured with their audience, and we all moved ahead when it was over. It was beautiful. And now someone is taking a victory lap for more of my money, and ruining a perfect story arc.

Potentially. I also know well enough to believe Hanks and Allen when they say something will be good. I love those guys, I love these characters, and of course I'll be in theaters to see this film, 100%. But I also know that actors will say a lot of things to hype a film up. Sadly, it seems marketing is becoming more and more a part of their jobs. It used to be just an endless press junket, answering soul-sucking buzz questions over and over again for like 12 weeks. But we've been in viral marketing ever since Cloverfield, at the very latest. Now we have puff pieces about "oh this will make you cry". Yeah, well, we'll see, okay? If anyone can pull off a 4th movie, topping their perfect 1, 2, and 3, it's Pixar and Toy Story. But I'm very skeptical.

Toy Story 4 will be out sometime in summer 2019.

2. Bad Boys 3

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Bad Boys 3, I think it's being called Bad Boys For Life, is officially happening. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith both posted photos and video on their Instagram and Twitter pages yesterday and today, confirming as much. 

I'm less excited for this than Toy Story 4, but not by much. I liked the first two films. They were action-packed, sensationalistic entertainment, pure escapism cinema, a whole lot of fun from the charismatic Smith and Lawrence. This is actually a film I've been saying should happen for a long time now.

But now that it's here, I'm not impressed. It's been 15 years since Bad Boys 2, and since 3 is coming out in summer 2020, it will have been 17 years since we last saw these characters. Smith and Lawrence will be in their mid-50s. And here's the haymaker: Michael Bay is not directing.

Now, I don't disagree that 50 year old men can and have had successful comebacks in action films lately. I believe Will Smith in the role, even now. And you may think Bay's absence will elevate the film's much needed maturity level. Probably. Who knows what these detectives are up to in 2020? This could be fun and I'm open to it. But I've been hurt before. I'm still waiting on Wayne's World 3. 

3. Frozen 2

Comicbook.com reports that Disney has moved the release date for Frozen 2 UP a week, from November 27th to November 22nd, 2019. Next year.

I didn't even know the shit was coming. I thought I was being effed with. I am, but not by pranksters. By Disney.

Frozen is a terrible film. My thoughts on it are well established. It's just a cookie cutter stencil box of a movie that's designed to appeal to young girls. The story makes ZERO SENSE, JESUS JUST READ THE SCRIPT AND YOU'LL SEE, the songs are okay, and the characters are one-dimensional. It's horribly transparent to me that this is a bad film that most people claim to enjoy. I don't understand it, I can't stand it, and I was at peace with this until I realized that this shit will continue to be a part of my life for another 5 years to come. I'm not allowed to tell my 4 year old daughter that I hate her favorite movie. 2nd favorite, really, she's likes Moana more than this, thank God. 

Kristen Bell says she was very involved in the early story process here, and that there's a lot of very personal character beats for Anna that were sourced from her own life, so that's potentially interesting from a character standpoint. But seriously, guys, I need a huge improvement here or I might just have to North Korea this shit from my household. 

4. Gladiator 2

YUP. Once again, comicbook.com reports that Gladiator 2 is happening, God help us. We don't know when because Ridley Scott, who is thankfully involved here, is too busy with movies to know when he can get around to making it, which I can only hope is a delay tactic because he too is not excited about this.

The story is apparently supposed to star Lucius, the little boy that Maximus rescues during the film, who is related to the defeated Commodus. 

The reason I hate this more than the other three sequels, yes even more than Frozen 2, is because at least the other 3 films FEATURE THE ORIGINAL FUCKING CHARACTERS. Who actually wants to see a movie, 20+ years later, starring the kid from the last one?? I came for Russell Crowe, not you, you stupid kid. I'd rather watch fatter, deader Triple Maxximus' corpse fight high blood pressure than to watch this new character fight whatever the heck he's fighting. This is a shameless cash grab. This is "Remember Gladiator? Remember how much you liked it? Good, well, here's a shiny NEW MOVIE that features none of the things you liked about the previous film, which was released in theaters before 9/11 even happened." Yeah.

Do you agree with me on any of these upcoming potential crushing disappointments? Let me know!

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Or just don't worry about getting an Oscar

Today, CinemaBlend posted an article by Sean O'Connell titled "Why Disney Not Pushing Avengers: Infinity War For The Oscars Is A Huge Mistake". 

In it, O'Connell states that, in his opinion, Disney's decision to campaign for Avengers: Infinity War's consideration in merely the Best Visual Effects category, while also campaigning Black Panther for a number of categories (including not only Best Sound Mixing, Film Editing, Cinematography, but also the "big" categories like Best Actor,  Best DIRECTOR, AND BBBB-BEST PICTURE??) is a 'slap in the face" to Infinity War.  Sorry, run-on sentence.

O'Connell (I'm calling him OC from now on, I'm sick of typing his name already, it's so hard) goes on to theorize that Disney might be attempting to avoid competing against themselves with the two movies and suggests that Black Panther might indeed have a better shot at awards because it's a more progressive film and the Academy loves that kinda shit. Big surprise.

I just want to briefly comment here. I love both films. They're really good. I have to be honest, I like Infinity War a lot more. It's a culmination of multiple character arcs, storylines, team-ups, etc. I think the writing is great, the action sequences are mind-blowing, and the actors' performances are top-notch. I can see OC's point. It's a higher bar to achieve, and still Anthony and Joe Russo reached it.

Incredible films that happen to feature a comic book main character (Christopher Nolan's gripping crime thriller The Dark Knight, James Mangold's deeply moving Logan) have had brief encounters with the Oscars, but have never really been taken seriously as legitimate vehicles for truth in storytelling. Hollywood likes to go on and on about being inclusive, encouraging diversity, and exploring all avenues of telling a good story. But they're not about to hand artistic validation to movies based on colored-image books for kids. I know. It's stupid.

That's why I don't watch the Oscars. Not just for the snubbing of superhero movies, which by all accounts, have been killing it with the maturity of their stories, but for the general snobbery, in my opinion, which should be obvious, this is my blog page, after all, it's gonna be my opinion, BUT YES, the general snobbery towards any film that doesn't fit this idiotic high standard (sort of) of "art". If it's not about a minority overcoming adversity, a bad person getting their comeuppance (sp??), or a weird throwback to forms of storytelling that the general public in 2018 does not care about (LaLa Land, The Artist), then they are not interested in inviting it to the club. Don't get me wrong, films matching those categories can be good films. Just not simply by virtue of meeting that criteria. Tell me a good story, dammit. Show me a character I can believe in. Give them obstacles. Let them grow and overcome those obstacles to make their dreams come true, like they deserve to. Or go the other way but make me feel something anyway. Why does it matter if that character is Nelson Mandela or a fucking mutant with metal claws who longs for a purpose?

This probably seems like it has nothing to do with the article I mentioned earlier. "Yikes, Conner, I was just wondering what you thought of Infinity War getting no Oscar love, not this weird diatribe about discriminatory criteria for storytelling against certain types of source material". I know, kind stranger, I know. I just need you to understand my feelings on this issue.

The only reason I watch the Oscars, if I do, is to score points with my wife, who has a theater background, and both of us having worked in live television, we can appreciate commentating on a live broadcast. But that's honestly it. I know, she's a lucky woman to have a stud like me willing to watch a tv show with her. I'm a real knight in shining sweatpants.

I don't care if Infinity War gets nominated for any awards. Or if Black Panther wins them all. It wouldn't mean much to me if Black Panther swept the Oscars because I'm cynical (and jaded) enough to forever suspect that their accolades were awarded not on the film's merits (which are AMPLE, it's a great film) but rather on the Academy and Hollywood doing what they do best (rivaled only by politicians): Pandering to their audience. Every once in a while, Hollywood pulls its head out of it's apple-boxed ass and remembers that the general public pays their meal ticket and they have to go mingle and keep us happy. So they nominate, wax poetic about, and pretend to care about the same movies you like. Softballing awards to Black Panther won't make them cool. It will just further expose the charade.

For the record, OC is right, still. Comic book films deserve to be recognized for their achievements. They're among the best films made today, not just among blockbusters like Transformers or Star Wars, but among smaller human dramas like Wind River or Ingrid Goes West. But if it's between being handed a participation trophy because they feel like they have to, and seeing a comic book film win Best Picture after 30 damn years of amazing comic book movies, I'll go with the 3 decades of injustice because at least then, I'll know they really mean it.

Oh and, alternatively, one could argue that the reason Disney is backing Black Panther over Infinity War is because they have a lot of faith in Avengers 4, their true cinematic opus, and they don't want to press their luck with two years in a row of "I know, I know, it's a comic book movie, but we think it's our best yet".

HooperCast #173 Mission Impossible: Fallout, Moviepass, James Gunn Updates, OSCAR Shenanigans

2:40 - Moviepass is now offering subscribers 3 movies per month for $10. Is this still a good deal and can they sustain it?

22:44 - James Gunn is in high demand in the wake of his firing by Disney

33:40 - The Oscars have added a “Best Popular Film” category to the awards ceremony to appease and draw in AVERAGE PEOPLE…..Is this pandering? Is it desperate? The answer is yes, yes it is.

58:10 - Mission Impossible Warm-Up Round: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

1:16:10 - Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

1:38:10 - Mission Impossible: Fallout

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HooperCast #172 James Gunn, AntMan & The Wasp, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom

2:20 - The Firing of James Gunn

24:20 - Ant-Man & The Wasp (theatrical)

40:20 - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (theatrical)

1:01:00 - Green Lantern (personal Blu-Ray copy)

1:09:00 - Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (theatrical)

1:10:00 - Unfriended: The Dark Web (theatrical)

Full audio episode on iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic, PocketCasts, CastBox, Breaker, and Anchor FM.

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