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Mr March

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  1. Mr March
    EDIT: Whoops, looks like I did know, I'd just forgotten. It's right in my Macross Galaxy profile on the M3, LOL!
  2. Mr March
    This is interesting news. As surprising as it was to myself and most others, Affleck as Batman was actually one of the better aspects of an otherwise bad film. This could be a good thing. If people are interpreting Affleck's reactions in interviews and rumors from the set correctly, there is the thought that he's STRONGLY motivated to do right by the character. This may be what he's been planning for a while.
  3. Mr March
    I think an opening crawl would be fine, even for a movie going for a different style and setting a different tone than the more mythic trilogy films of the series. The opening crawl is a good bookend for any Star Wars story. Though I certainly won't belittle the filmmakers if they decide to do something else. Whatever works the best for the film is ultimately more important than my unhealthy nerd tendencies to demand strict adherence to form. As for critics complaining about female leads, I never thought I'd hear myself say this but thank gawd for millennials. I'm actually thankful millennials have replaced my embarassing generation as the primary pop culture demographic, as they won't tolerate sexism anymore. You will never find a more irrational hive of insecure scum and emotional villainy as generation X "men" (more like ex-men) complaining "their" pop culture is giving way to racial minorities, gays and women
  4. Mr March
    That is awesome! Figures the VF-31 ladder would be inspired by some similar feature in real life. But knowing this doesn't make the design any less clever or impressive.
  5. Mr March
    In the official continuity, there are the 4 x high speed 178 cm electro magnetic rail cannons on the SDF-1 Macross. We obviously see them every time we see the Macross, but they were shown "firing" only once, in SDF Macross Episode 27. Images attached. I'd say that depending upon your interpretation of both the official and unofficial Macross trivia, many of the OverTechnology weapons are functionally performing as rail guns, despite their more conventional firing systems ENHANCED by OverTechnology. The 78 mm high-speed automatic cannons of the MBR-04-Mk X Destroid Defender have an officially published muzzle velocity of 3,300 m/s, which is damned close to the 3,500 m/s achieved by current, real world rail guns. And some of the unofficial numbers published for the valkyrie gun pods describe those weapons firing faster than basic rail guns, like the YF-19/VF-19 Excalibur's GU-15 gun pod unofficial published muzzle velocity of 4,000 m/s. Some might dismiss those unofficial numbers, but one has to figure these guns need to keep pace with the speeds of the advanced valkyries, which - by the time of the Macross Plus-era - are flying at speeds and thrust-to-weight ratios FAR beyond the fastest jets we have today. Even a VF-1 Valkyire is flying so fast it's probably all but effectively immune to any cannon firing at a conventional muzzle velocity.
  6. Mr March
    Thanks!
  7. Mr March
    The VF-31 has an awesome cockpit ladder! I know this is a silly mecha geek thing to notice, but its amazing. Single forward hinge – with a collapsing side and rungs, all moved by a single piston – mounted upon the underside of the left leading edge extension of the forward nose. It's such a small detail, but it's so thoughtfully designed. It's shown in the scene where Hayate is on deck looking at Mirage's VF-31 Siegfried.
  8. Mr March
    seti88 I was just speculating at that point. And maybe some hope too, lol. It would be rather fun to see, but it appears Hayate is going to have the variable fighter shown in the opening credits rather than the VF-31A. But I can still hope we'll see more of the A-type. RedWolf I noticed that as well. Clearly the designers were taking influences from as far back as SDF Macross again. Those legs are certainly more influenced by the New Macross/Battle Class that the previous Quater Class ships we've seen. Azrael Yeah, I've been messaged by folks telling me it's unlikely, since the valkyrie shown in the opening credits will be the defacto hero mecha. Still, it was a pleasant fiction while it lasted
  9. Mr March
    I'd be onboard for another round. This film was an unexpectedly good and shockingly funny sci-fi action romp that I enjoyed way more than I thought I would. Worth a shot at another.
  10. Mr March
    These are awesome! Thank you for posting the clean versions too. Would you happen to have a link to even larger versions? I always like to plan ahead, to use these images for display at higher resolutions years later.
  11. Mr March
    So Martin wrote 5 books many have called the anti-LotR for its genre redefining qualities and audiences enthusiastically watched through 5 seasons of a critically acclaimed TV series adaptation of Game of Thrones just to get to the a point in both stories where we have a Hobbit facing off against a Dragon Joking aside, this of course looks brilliant! I'm still fully on board with this series. I've enjoyed every season. I think at this point even if the ending of all this is a big disappointment, I wouldn't even care. This series is filled with so many strong characters, so many stellar scenes, so much clever dialog, so many memorable images that I often return to it just for the sheer pleasure of the filmmaking craft, acting and writing on display. I'll be as disappointed as anyone else by a weak finale, but I think this show has made a mark on me that I won't forget for the rest of my life. It's been one helluva ride and I hope it continues.
  12. Mr March
    Was nice to see a VF-31A Siegfried. Could that possibly be what Hayate will pilot? As a way to visually distinguish his mecha from the VF-31's piloted by the other characters? I got a laugh out of Hayate using the bras d'honneur behind Mirage's back. I never expected to see something like that in a Macross anime. But then again, it's likely a gestural curiosity to Japanese culture and doesn't carry any kind of obscene weight like it does to European cultures. I think the Macross Elysian is a Macross Quarter type ship, even inspite of some rather extensive differences. Aside from most of the points previously discussed about similarities/differences, the Walkure and Delta Squadron forces sure seem to act like - and are uniformed like - an SMS style para-military group outside the New United Nations Spacy forces. Some of them even mention a dislike for the military, just like the SMS personnel did in Macross Frontier. So it would make sense that the ship is a Quarter-style vessel being run by an unconventional military group. They certainly recruit in an unconventional way, for both Walkure personnel and Delta Quadron personnel
  13. Mr March
    Great pic and awesome size (file size, I mean, lol)!
  14. Mr March
    I am on board. For sure. It has enough to grab my interest and looks different in all the right ways. Also really great to see yet another female lead, though I suppose that could also be trend-casting too. But Felicity Jones is fairly dependable, so I'm hopefully this is a good choice. The dialogue is certainly fun; "I rebel". Love it I have to say, it is bizarre to see a Star Wars film story that is not a trilogy, saga-like tale. This is definitely playing with the established Star Wars format. I suppose to some, that might feel like a bad thing. Star Wars mythic format is something that I suspect most film fans and Star Wars fans feel is inseparable from what makes Star Wars what it is. I can see some fans looking at this trailer and being disappointed because it feels like just another movie, without that feeling. On the flip side, this is a welcome change as well. One of the best things about Star Wars is how larger, full, vibrant and lived-in that universe feels. Star Wars side-stories has been an itch I've wanted scratched for a very, VERY long time. The old Expanded Universe often provided exactly that to fans, with varying degrees of quality. I'm thrilled to see that we are getting those kinds of movies in the Star Wars world. While we are sure to see more than a fair share of duds, like all big franchises we will see a few brillaint gems pulled from the rubble, often in places where we least expected them (Guardians of the Galaxy). I hope they let the imagination of some of these filmmakers run wild.
  15. Mr March
    That was a great short. Loved the action, the animation style is really eye-catching and the insight into the Widowmakers character was deliciously wicked. An excellent video all around.
  16. Mr March
    Golden Arms You're in Toronto? Well, you're a long way from home. Yeah, this snow kinda came out of nowhere, especially this winter where it's been almost completely without snow at all. Which is a rather alarming occurence I’m not sure if I have much more insightful to say about Batman v Superman. But I suppose I can talk about what I liked and what I didn’t like. As a piece of visual entertainment I liked almost everything about Batman v Superman, as I do with almost every Zack Snyder film. Snyder is a strong visual artist and his skills are once again put to good use for BvS. Not only can Snyder really compose good dramatic shots and compelling framing, but his action is also fun to watch. I found many of the battle sequences very engaging and I love how Snyder takes advantage of Kal-El’s super human speed. Batman was also a blast to see in this movie, as he moved with a grace and speed that we’ve not yet seen from Batman in any film to date. Particularly the Batman costume seemed to have a lot more pliability to it, allowing Affleck and the stuntmen to really move more freely. Speaking of costumes, I loved this version of Batman’s garb. I really like the grey colors and the less pronounced ear design of the cowl. It almost felt more SWAT-like and the suit design really seemed more natural to wear, while still being distinctly Batman! I’m also a big fan of the Man of Steel outfit as well. I feel this version – in addition to Cavil’s insane physique – really makes Superman feel imposing and the texture promotes this sense of invulnerability. I love what they’ve done for Wonder Woman’s costume; a more muted, but no less impressive outfit and somehow complimented Gal Gadot’s frame without being fan service. Performances were strong across the board, despite the script sometimes failing the roles. Ben Affleck’s Batman, despite all the pre-release resentment at his casting, delivered an interesting take on the character I really enjoyed, despite some bad dialogue or questionable choices made on the plot level. Everyone else was solid and again, Wonder Woman was a clear stand out. One of those times where you look at a character and wish you were watching her film instead of the mediocrity you’re stuck viewing. I wasn’t really sure what Eisenberg was doing with Lex Luthor and he felt at odds with the film. On a script level, Luthor’s plan came across as really stupid; creating one super-being to kill another, yet having no way to control said being (which wastes no time attempting to murder Lex, who survives only thanks to Superman’s intervention). Speaking of which, I think Superman was treated like garbage in this movie, both in-universe and from the director/writers themselves. The racist and xenophobic themes surrounding Superman as an alien were certainly overt, but there was also this ugly, macho hatred directed at Superman on an almost primal level. As if Superman’s very existence threatens human self-determination and agency (specifically MALE self-determination). It’s like the film was trying to prove violence as a virtue and that it only takes “a good man turned cruel” to re-establish human/male dominance against this alien. Felt like the filmmakers had an intense dislike for the very idea of Superman. “If there’s even a 1% chance he’s bad, then we have to kill him” as it’s written for Batman; spoken like a true radical fundamentalist. Which is sad because Superman has a solid character arc; he struggles to remain a good man in a bad world. But when facing his death at the hands of Batman, Superman’s plea to rescue his mother is the same goodness that ultimately saves his life. But then of course we have to contend with lack of logic from the Batman arc. Somehow knowing Superman’s mother has the same name as his own is supposed to be enough to stop the path of Batman’s nearly religious-level hatred for Superman? That came across as incredibly disingenuous and really silly. Although I did appreciate that Batman’s ultimate dramatic peak does justify the retelling of Batman’s origin story at the beginning of the film. I just wish the moment was more human-driven and less plot-driven. I hated most of the hero cameo's setting up the other DC heroes, especially the "dream" sequence with the Flash. They were just painfully obstrusive and obnoxious, especially in contrast to how well Wonder Woman was handled. One last thing about which I really felt disappointed was Doomsday. The battles were fun, but the mundane visualization for him was just lame. The comic book version of Doomsday actually has a rather interesting and distinct character design. In the BvS film, it feels like the heroes are fighting a cave troll from Lord of the Rings. kajnrig My read on the criticisms from the podcasts I heard and the film blogs I read is pretty solid. I have had some folks come back and claim that it is the characterizations of Batman and Superman with which they have a problem even more than the violence or any limitations of comic book stories. Which is fair, but that opens up a whole other can of worms about self-censorship, creative rights and the fact that these characters have always been reinvented, with few at this point resembling anything like their silver age counterparts. I also think it's important to remember that creativity is distinct from quality. The whole idea behind creativity is to try, even if we don't yet know how to do so perfectly. We don't have the luxury of being creative ONLY IF IT'S GOOD. We have to take creativity as is, try to work it and hopefully refine it into something of quality. Just because Zack Snyder's film failed, doesn't mean all of it's ideas or it's depictions have no merit by default. I believe BvS had plenty of potential, mostly wasted via poor execution.
  17. Mr March
    Just saw it late last night. I'm going to forego an in-depth review for right now because I wanted to really counter one of the more problematic criticisms I've seen about the film from my regular film blogs and podcasts. For now, I can say it was simply an average super hero film, not much better than Man of Steel. I liked Affleck's Batman, appreciated Iron's Alfred, still really like Cavil's Superman, always enjoy Amy Adam's Lane, loved Gadot's Wonder Woman, and enjoyed the action. Everything else (plot, script, dialog, editing) was pretty much a disappointment. I’ve read a lot of objections to the killing in this film. The idea that Superman and Batman don’t kill. Well, I think most know what I think of the status quo and how it can piss off and die. I found Batman v Superman challenging viewing in one, small regard; the audience had to face the reality of super heroes running around committing acts of violence against criminals and each other. The idea that all this comic book violence would never lead to anyone ever dying is one of the things I have always harshly criticized about depictions of violence in North American pop culture for kids. Particularly comic books or entertainment aimed at children, like cartoons. Violence is so often shown without consequence. Bullets without blood. Harm without pain and suffering. These sheltered depictions of “family friendly fighting" or G-Rated violence infantilize youth and teach of a false world without a human cost for inflicting harm upon others. In fact, I did and still do criticize the Nolan Batman films for the lack of blood in the battles and the problematic nature of sanitized violence. An objection I’ve read and heard from others, so I'm a little bewildered to hear those same folks now on the opposite side of those objections for Batman v Superman. To quote Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne; "Seems a little hypocritical, don't you think?" Now, I’m not saying that the violence in BvS had anything to say or that it was even acknowledged during the action. But that mortal violence is present and that so many critics reacted poorly toward those real consequences when performed by comic book characters says an awful lot about people's poor opinion of comic books. Apparently, some believe comic book characters can be enjoyed only as long as they remain pure or infantilized; should ever they be forced to face the realities of violence or depicted as real humans who may kill to survive, that’s somehow strongly objectionable. We then have a situation where comic books aren’t permitted to be adult. Comic book characters and films are not allowed to deal with these human moral realities and as long as they remain in arrested development, they can never be accepted as a sophisticated, adult and legitimate art form. Now, before I'm laughed at, yes, I realize Batman v Superman is a poor example upon which to state my case. With the exception of showing the consequences of violence (physical, if not moral), this movie is anything but sophisticated, mature or legitimate. Zack Snyder's films never have - and likely never will - help legitimize comic books or broaden social acceptance as an art form. But maybe it can help us see comic book heroes as real human beings that are not excluded from the same moral struggles we all are. That makes them more relevant, more relatable and more human.
  18. Mr March
    Lovely work! The little details look good.
  19. Mr March
    This sounds like a terrible idea. What was selling me on this film was the fact that it looked like it was going for something very different than the other super hero films. An attempt to make a splash doing a kind of story we've not yet seen in this genre. Why are they now second-guessing themselves to such a ridiculous degree? Very disappointing.
  20. Mr March
    Damn, I always hate that. Nothing worse than wasted potential.
  21. Mr March
    I'd actually be okay with something like that, with the right script and in the hands of the right director. A properly written character piece about McGregor as Obi Wan could be one of the most engaging stories they could tell about the original cast. And most important of all, we've learned that the prequels are something to be avoided and a good way to tell these stories is away from hyperlinking all the past/present characters together as possible. Now if Hollywood can just learn that same lesson, we might have a film here
  22. Mr March
    Yeah, this sounds awful. I'm so glad I stopped at the third film. But at least reading the violently negative reviews of each dreadful sequel is more "entertainment" than the actual movies
  23. Mr March
    Been looking for this for a while. Thanks for sharing!
  24. Mr March
    This is one time that being obsessed with the 1980s lead to an entertaining movie in all the right ways. This was a highly amusing, outrageous and eye-opening documentary about how some of these movies got made and tells a lot about the absurd business side of film production at that time, especially the personality of the fellas that made these schlocky films. Despite the end result, it says a lot about what takes to make product and get it out there. The movie is legitimately inspiring in a weird way.
  25. Mr March
    "Even for a guy like me, that's cold"
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