The Rise of DC and the Benefit to Marvel

The Rise of DC and the Benefit to Marvel 

In recent weeks DC has been on the ascendency when it comes to the movie news coming out. Man of Steel, like it or hate it (review will come later), has made over 630 million dollars, and is the first movie for the larger DC universe. At San Diego Comic Con, with thunderous applause, the team of the Man of Steel announced that the next Superman film will be a Superman Batman team-up movie, in 2015, a Flash Film in 2016, and a Justice League Film in 2017. 

As someone who is a huge DC fan. This is welcome news to someone who was raised on the Justice League, Superman, and Batman cartoons from the 90’s. I have a few hesitations but I think if DC puts faith in their characters and have the film be put in competent hands. It will be a glorious era to be a geek for Marvel and DC fans alike. 

Before I continue let me say that I love the Marvel movies. All the lead-up films were incredible, (with the exception of Iron Man 2 it was okay,) and the Avengers Midnight premiere has the distinct honor of being I and my Girlfriends first date. When I say that I am a DC fan, people give me strange looks and say the only half decent characters are Batman. Worse yet, I say I am a Superman fan, and they think I’m smoking something. Can we fans just like what we like and not make fandom a competition it is pure subjective opinion anyways. 

The thing about the Marvel films are, I was not raised on those characters the same way I was raised on Superman and Batman. What I know of Captain America is vastly film related. My Marvel fandom growing up was Spiderman and the X-Men (a-la non Marvel Studios Films). 

The thing about America is, we have a thing here called Capitalism, and it promotes competition among rival companies to put out the best product for the consumer. After Marvel was bought out by Disney, Disney made some key decisions that has brought forth the ascendency of the Marvel universe to the big screen. 

The creation of Marvel Studios was critical, the prior model was that Marvel would license their characters out to different studios and the studio executives would take over. Its still the case for 3 prominent franchises. 

1. X-Men (Fox) 
2. The Fantastic Four (Fox) 
3. Spiderman (Sony) 

Now that most of the Marvel Universe is consolidated into on studio. Disney has wisely allowed Marvel itself by and large have complete creative control over their properties. The corporate head honchos have stayed out of the creative side and has only concerned itself with the marketing side. DC, while being a WB property, does not have a DC Studios, and it clearly shows. The Nolan Batman Films were great, Man of Steel was wonderful, but we have floppers like the Green Lantern, Catwoman, and Superman Returns, and thats just the 2000’s. Marvel wisely let someone like Joss Whedon make the films, a man with a known track record in Film and Comic Books and it paid off. DC gives their films to filmmakers who do not know comic books very well and it shows. 

Marvel has made tremendous films, but they are starting to show some cracks in Phase 2 as my more Marvel geek friends have told me with Iron Man 3. If Superman Batman is as good as I hope it is, the Flash film races to greatness (ba da cha), and the Justice League film is truly epic. Then Marvel will only have to step up their game and make the Avengers even better. 

LucasFilms MickeyFilms and the Future of the Star Wars Films

So my previous post on how to watch the Star Wars Films, might give the impression that this is a Star Wars Blog. Every post has somehow tied back to the Star Wars franchise. I promise you that is not the case. However, there has been cataclysmic shift in cinematic news caused by one man George Lucas, to hand over his life’s work, Star Wars, to the Kings of beating dead horses, the Walt Disney Company. 

Whereas this is not a political blog, I will say one thing thats slightly political about my personal beliefs. I am a capitalist, I believe that if you work hard, treat others fairly, and play by the rules, and make a bajillion dollars, you are entitled to that bajillion dollars. 

One thing I have always admired about George Lucas, is that he is one of the few living examples of being a self made man in Hollywood. He has worked tirelessly throughout his career to make sure that the movies that he made were his movies. There were no studio corporate overlords dictating how a movie by George Lucas should be made. The top creative force at Lucasfilms was George Lucas and no one else. George had a billion dollar idea and he walked away a wealthier man for it. I have no qualms with George Lucas as a creator, he made the movies that he wanted to make and though we gripe and complain about the poor quality of the Prequels. 

THEY ARE HIS MOVIES HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WELL PLEASES WITH THEM! 

ADD MOMENT: I love geek culture I really do, but sometimes the fans are some of the most insufferable people. If you do not like a film, do not watch them, plain and simple. There are good movies, and there are bad movies, and there are good movies some find bad, and bad movies some find good. You like what you like, but you do not have to belittle others for liking something you do not. There is more to life than movies, and if your life is so defined by something that is fictional, that you cannot function without it. Then your life is sad, get off this blog and go outside. Movies are meant to entertain and to be an escape from the cynicism in life. I do not want cynicism from the real world in my movies. George Lucas did not violate your child hood, the movies you love still exist, but there is a sizable silent majority that enjoys the prequels for what they are, and your comments on the internet belittle the actual victims of the things you claim George Lucas for doing!

Sorry, soap box moment, ahem, moving on; in any event Star Wars helped George Lucas make Lucasfilms one of the most successful independent movie companies of all time, and his contributions to the film industry are to numerable to count. 

So my initial reaction to George selling his company to the Walt Disney Company was one of sorrow. Lucasfilms was to become nothing more then another cog in the marketing leviathan that is the Walt Disney Company. A Company that has not had an original idea since Pirates of the Caribbean, and if all else fails, make another Princess movie. 

However, as I looked at their recent acquisitions over the last 7-8 years, from Pixar to Marvel, I saw a glimmer of hope. Disney completely acquired Pixar in 2006, and the quaility of their movies have not declined at all (Cars 2 is the only point of contention.) Upon the purchasing of Marvel, Disney created Marvel Studios, and we got the AVENGERS! Disney seems to be great owners of companies but not managers of companies themselves. 2015 is the year Disney takes over the world. 

Avengers 2 (Marvel) 

2 Pixar Films 

Star Wars Episode 7 

Pirates 5 

Of all those films, what is the one you are least excited for? More than likely Pirates 5, and that is the only property that is a traditionally Disney film. Disney is a marketing machine. If they give complete creative autonomy to their subsidiaries and only get involved for marketing and distribution reasons, we have a winner on our hands. 

The current team for Star Wars is great. JJ Abrams in my mind is the most worthy successor to the films George Lucas and Steven Spielberg became legends for making. An earlier post I explained how JJ Abrams made an excellent Star Wars film, with the cast of Star Trek. He is the best and safest choice for who should direct Star Wars. 

Kathleen Kennedy, legendary producer and filmmaker is heading Lucasfilms and providing JJ with everything he needs to create Episode VII. 

Michael Arndt is fleshing out the story created by George Lucas, if you do not know who Michael Arndt he is the writer of Toy Story 3. Arguably one of the most human stories I have ever seen, and it was about TOYS!

John Williams, one of the greatest composers since Beethoven, the composer of all 6 existing Star Wars films just signed on for 7-9. No matter what you think about the Prequels, it is universally acclaimed that the greatest aspect of the Prequels was John Williams Score. 

Disney is doing everything right so far. I pray it only gets better from here. May the force be with us all. 

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How do you watch the Star Wars Films?

Star Wars is a franchise that few can rival. Star Trek thinks it can, but it often has to be saved by Star Wars in order to survive. The two trilogies of Star Wars Films, the original trilogy, Episode IV, V, and VI, released in 1977, 1980, and 1983 respectively, and the Prequel trilogy Episodes I, II, and III, released in 1999, 2002 and 2005 respectively, are unique films in that they were made in reverse order. George Lucas created an extraordinary space opera, that pioneered in storytelling, special effects, and revolutionized movies as we know them. 

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, while part of the public consciousness today, should not overlook the importance of the bombshell revelation during the fight between Vader and Luke. 

“No, I am your father?” 

Darth Vader, the pinnacle of evil in the galaxy, the man everyone wanted to see dead, became a multifaceted character that left audiences the audiences conflicted just as our hero Luke was. How could he be Luke’s Father? How could someone so good and pure like Luke come from an evil monster such as Vader? To the Pre-Prequel Audience it did not make sense. The Prequel trilogy took the mystery of the fall of Anakin Skywalker and made the Star Wars Saga, not Luke’s story, but the story of the Rise, the Fall, and ultimately the redemption of Anakin Skywalker. At least for the First 6 now that 7-8-9 has been green lighted. 

I am not a prequel hater, I love the prequels, and Revenge of the Sith is my favorite Star Wars Film. Yes there are flaws, cough Hayden Christensen cough, sorry something in my throat, but I do feel as if the Star Wars saga flows into one cohesive story. The question all fans must ask is, how do you watch the 6 films to make the most of the story. 1-6, 4-6:1-3 etc... 

The official Murphy Brothers blog to watching the Star Wars films can be classified as such. 

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope 

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 

Episode I: The Phantom Menace 

Episode II: Attack of the Clones 

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 

The reasons can be described as such. Episode IV is the perfect introduction to the Star Wars universe. Taking the archetypes of good and evil, and exploring the conflicts between the Rebel alliance and the Galactic Empire. It is the opening act to the entirety of the saga and the one that all newcomers to Star Wars should watch first.

Episode V takes our established heroes and explore the intricacies of their personalities into a much deeper level than Episode IV could have. The stakes are higher for our characters, and the conflicts left lasting influence for the Skywalker clan and the galaxy as a whole. Then comes the emotional ending to Empire. 

“No I am your father.” 

If you start the Star Wars Saga fresh for the first time, having Episode IV and V being the first two films that you watch. The shock, at least cinematically, of Vader’s revelation is new, and it is entirely unexpected. You are left wondering how it could be possible and you wish to find out. 

Therefore to have your questions of the fall of Darth Vader, upon finishing Empire Strikes Back, go back and treat the Prequel trilogy as one six hour long flashback.

There are many story elements I felt in the Star Wars Prequel that I felt were shoehorned in to tie them into the original trilogy. C3PO being created by Anakin Skywalker, and having his memory wiped makes the Star Wars galaxy seem incredibly small. One of my major complaints of the Prequel Trilogy is, if Bail Organa is the adoptive father of Leia, then we should have had more of an exploration of his character. 

Secondly, through treating the Prequels as a flashback instead of one part of a continuous story, you can come to terms with whom Darth Vader is in the context of the original trilogy. While I do love the Phantom Menace, the threat in that story, The Republic vs. The Trade Federation, I do not think is large enough if you do not grasp that is one cog leading to the threat in the old trilogy of the Rebellion vs. the Empire. 

You close off the Star Wars Saga by resuming the old trilogy with the Final Chapter, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Upon hearing the Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker, discover how he fell to the evil Darth Vader, see what happened to the Jedi order, and then conclude as to how the 6-Episode saga has its happy ending. The Story of the first 6 Episodes of Star Wars is the rise, the fall, and the redemption of Anakin Skywalker. 

If you had asked me this time last year, should they continue the Star Wars saga with 7-8-9. I would have said absolutely not. The 2 trilogy saga is perfection in the opening and closing of the Star Wars universe. The Star Wars universe can continue through the spectacular cartoon series that is the Clone Wars and the myriad of novels, games, and comic books in the Expanded Universe (EU). 

However nearly a year ago, George Lucas sold his company Lucasfilms LTD, to the Walt Disney Company for 4 Billion dollars and announced the release of Star Wars Episode 7, another trilogy, and a whole host of spinoff films. My reaction... 

“No!!!!! No!!!! That’s not true!!!! That’s impossible!!!!” 

After a couple of weeks of grieving and moaning, I came to the realization, that Disney is an excellent owner of companies. If the Marvel Movies are any indicator Star Wars will be just fine. Star Wars is the foundation of my geekdom, and the thought of Lucasfilms releasing dozens of Star Wars films in the next 10-20 years, is truly incredible. 

So while the increase in the number of Star Wars films, episodes and otherwise, will increase exponentially. Those episodes solely focusing on Anakin Skywalker shall in my mind be 

4-5-1-2-3-6 

But we at Murphy Brothers Goes to the Movies cannot wait for 7-8-9. 

Follow us on twitter @TheMoviesWithUs 

Who we are.

My name is Cody Murphy, my brother is William Murphy. We are two brothers, we love movies, and we think we have great things to say about movies. Hope you enjoy this blog.

Star Trek: A New Cast Strikes Back

n light of the new Star Trek Movie coming out, and the recent developments of Trek show-runner J.J. Abrams. I thought I spend a little time reviewing the first of the relaunched Trek Franchise. 

I have been a Star Trek Fan as long as I can remember, my father raised my on episodes of Star Trek The Next Generations, albeit it my fandom is minor in comparison to some of the more “eclectic” Trekkies out there. I will just admit it, I am a Star Wars man, always have been, always will be. So it gives me great pleasure to illustrate what I believe to the truth of the Abrams feasting of Lens Flares. Star Trek XI, or more simply Star Trek, is a mash up of Star Wars Ep. 4 and 5, with Star Trek characters, that is a roaring good time. 

Star Trek has always been at its core, a view of what humanity could be. An allegory of ourselves through the lens of a possible futuristic outcome where humanity has solved many of its basic problems. Technology has solved mankind’s need for survival, and we spend our days in the furthering of enlightenment. The Federation is an ultimate socialist utopia the benevolently administers justice, and peacefully acquires further enlightenment by exploring space, the final frontier. 

While I cry bull cheese of that actually happening, (future reviews of Star Wars Ep 3 will illustrate why), the ideas of Trek are nonetheless powerful. Star Trek, is and will always will be at its Television best, a philosophical discussion of who we are and whom we could be. It was the first show in which an interracial kiss was shown to a national audience, the character of Pavel Chekov provided a means to explore American/Russian relations at the height of the Cold War. Sulu, and Lt. Uhura presented a world where minorities and whites could coexist. These tackling of philosophical issues were the primary focus of Trek, mainly because the Television Series’s did not have the money to pull what Abrams was able to do, which was to make Star Trek fun. 

Abrams Trek, exists in a parallel universe to the one in which the 1960’s and all subsequent series reside. I for one found it a brilliant move because after 700+ episodes and 10 prior films, maintaining continuity would require a supercomputer only seen on the Starship Enterprise. The writers brilliantly used time travel as a mechanism, to acknowledge what has come before, provide legitimacy for the new universe with the inclusion of the great Leonard Nimoy. but launch the original characters into uncharted territories. Watching Star Trek there was legitimate fear that some of the beloved characters were going to die because this universe was not tied to the others. 

Without delving to the semantics of the movie. My thesis for this review remains that JJ Abrams made a top notch Star Wars movie starring the Star Trek original cast. 

Farm boy (Kirk/Luke) with Daddy issues is meant for greater things than Iowa/Tattoine. 

Diabolical Warlord has a weapon with enough firepower to destroy an entire planet. 

Planet actually explodes. 

Farm boy, while marooned on the Ice Planet Delta Vega/Hoth gets attacked by a strange creature, and receives instruction by an older gentleman of the previous generation, Nimoy’s Spock/Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

Huge space battle, threat alleviated, and farm boy achieves his destiny. 

The story telling of the new Star Trek reinvigorates the franchise by using critical plot points of Ep 4 and Ep 5 of Star Wars. Every previous Star Trek film, the villain had some philosophical squabble with the beliefs of the Enterprise, and by extension, the Federation and Rodenberry’s ideal of what the future can hold. Nero is a fairly simple minded villain, revenge for the destruction of Romulus in the original series timeline. A lot of passionate Trekkies bemoaned the simplistic nature of the movie; however I believe it to be necessary to reintroduce the world of Star Trek in a way that will be appealing to current audiences. The most important part of this movie is to introduce the characters, how they interact with one another, and throw lots of money at the CG to appease an audience was was raised in the CG love fest of George Lucas, James Cameron and Michael Bay. This movie was a retelling of the origins of Trek, the philosophy can come later, and I for one believe that Abrams did a fantastic job bringing back the franchise from the dead. I have full faith he will do the same for Star Wars.