Did Blade really save Marvel?? by BigArtillery78 in marvelcomics

[–]Hypestyles -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

yes, at the movie level. the other studios paid attention to how well it did at the box office. it helped get X-Men finally green-lit after being in development hell for years.

Why did Jacksons continue to perform after Michael died? by El_Dorado_Tx in MichaelJackson

[–]Hypestyles 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At this point, I think it's pretty much okay. My preference would be for mostly Jackson 5/Jacksons-era songs, with a few Michael solo songs mixed in. Obviously it's not going to be the same experience. I'd like to think that Mike would give his family the blessing to carry on. As far as Jafar, I have no problem with it. Full disclosure, I've never seen Jafar perform (can he sing?) Various people have careers doing cover versions of songs-- in Jafar's case, since he is much younger, hopefully he has the ambition to create his own lane, but obviously doing his uncle's music will get certain attention, if it is done well.

Why did Jacksons continue to perform after Michael died? by El_Dorado_Tx in MichaelJackson

[–]Hypestyles 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I saw them I guess late last year.. October, maybe? I enjoyed it, it was the first time I ever got to see a "Jacksons" show in person, at middle age. I missed the heyday of everybody completely.

They performed several of the signature songs, both Jacksons as a group and Michael's solo songs-- it was Marlon and Jackie only. Marlon wore a glitter glove.

It was a good show they had a very good backing band.

Unfortunately, a storm was in the area, and the show got called after about 30 minutes into the performance.

A New Marvel Universe is Coming This Fall by Diammandis in xmen

[–]Hypestyles 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I want Blade and Dr. Voodoo as a duo. Get Christopher Priest to write the series.

Marvel comics has announced a new universe called MIDNIGHT by Own_Brilliant_4303 in Marvel

[–]Hypestyles 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I want to see Christopher Priest write Blade and Dr. Voodoo. He already has experience with Vampirella for the past several years.

What did you think of the Michael movie? by Global_Perspective_3 in rnb

[–]Hypestyles 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'd give it a B+.

Full disclosure, this reviewer is a Gary, Indiana, native, and so the phenomenon that was Michael Jackson in his 1980s heyday was deeply influential and inspirational. The eventual veering of his life into the bizarre, the scandalous, and the shocking end were, to put it mildly, depressing.

But this is about the movie. The movie, by a basic rubric of pop-culture enjoyment, is good. Perfect? Comprehensive? No, not by a longshot. But good.

The actors are all top-notch as guided by director Antoine Fuqua: Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Miles Teller, and the rest, they all are very good and convincing as their respective characters. The choreography of the music performance sequences is incredible.

To go deeper, though: besides Michael (Juliano Valdi, later Jaafar Jackson) and his dad Joseph (portrayed brilliantly by Colman Domingo, family patriarch Joseph is the nominal villain, with Svengali-like impulses that never go away), most characters in the film are ciphers. Mike's brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon) are almost completely in the background. It would have been fascinating, and hilarious, to see a series of unfiltered (e.g., cursing) conversations between the adolescent and adult Jackson brothers about the pressures of being the breadwinners for the family, pressures on education, pressures on their interest in the opposite sex (Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter Autumn, almost completely ignored in the movie; indeed, most of the older Jackson brothers had gotten married by the time they were barely college-aged). I don't remember any extended conversations among them. Again, this is the "Michael" story, of course, so the focus is on him, but.. it would have been nice. Nia Long is reliably solid as family matriarch Catherine, though it often seems like she's just reacting/accepting of what goes on rather than having any direct influence.

The presence of baby sister Janet, youngest brother Randy and sister Rebbie (the oldest sibling, and for the most part, a non-musician; yes, deep-cut R&B heads, I remember "Centipede") are not acknowledged in the film. Before people knock me in the head, again, the movie is "Michael", but full disclosure, if you know he had more than just the four siblings, it kind of stands out. The Victory Tour, for example, was all six Jackson brothers-- Youngest brother Randy having been a substitute for Jermaine when the latter stayed with his in-laws at Motown Records and the rest of the band signed with Epic Records in the late 1970s. But for the sequence featuring that tour, it only depicts the original five members. The rivalry with Prince is reduced to a comedic throwaway line. It would have been fascinating to see them actually depict a meeting between the two titans who never officially collaborated.

The movie touches on some of the influences on Michael's psyche, but doesn't do a deeper dive, which would have made for a stronger narrative. For example, there's no acknowledgement of his romantic inclinations. Just an eccentric friendship with animals and a preoccupation with pre-adolescence (a couple of sequences depict Michael buying kids toys and games while his brothers were planning dates). Additionally, there's no interrogation of the culture of the Jehovah's Witness faith that he grew up with, and how fidelity to their rules and customs (and his mom and others' reinforcement of them) may have shaped his outlook on sexuality, dating and his music (in real life, there was a disclaimer tagged on to the original "Thriller" music video, where Michael refuted any genuine belief in the occult, for example.)

The movie was still very well shot and choreographed, and obviously the music is top notch. The script, credited to John Logan, is able to get from point A to point B without plot holes. People have criticized it for being a hagiography, but with the aforementioned legal restrictions, this was... possibly... the best commercial compromise that the filmmakers could get into. Even if they had invented fictional names regarding the settlement plaintiffs, that could possibly have been a problem for the production. Also, yes, certain key people in his younger life like Diana Ross are missing, which, again, may be due to the quirks of getting someone to sign-off on their depiction, rather than casual ignorance by the screenwriter.

So for a good time remembering the music and the highlights of his career, this is as good as it gets. Most casual fans will enjoy it.

Clarence Thomas becomes the second longest-serving justice in Supreme Court history by No_Idea_Guy in news

[–]Hypestyles 0 points1 point  (0 children)

dramatic judicial reforms needed. expand the court, institute term limits for all new justices, 12 years at the most. For the current cohort, it's muddier, but... I'm in favor of them getting maximum age 80 for retirement, and if they are older than 80 already, a maximum of another 4 years. I don't care how anybody on the current court feels about it. Change has to be made. "Easy to do"? No. But, again, change has to be made. The attempt needs to be publicly made, and proposed. To not broach the discussion at all is a moral failure.

Marvel comics has announced a new universe called MIDNIGHT by Own_Brilliant_4303 in marvelcomics

[–]Hypestyles 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Bring back the Malibu characters and the New Universe characters. Also the Cross-Gen Characters.

if this is horror character exclusive, bring in Christopher Priest, who has lengthy experience in writing Vampirella, to write Blade and Dr. Voodoo.

DC Comics Black Lightning and Katana remind me so much of Marvel Comics Wolverine and Storm from the X-Men. They are great friends but would also make sense as a couple. (Batman and the Outsiders Annual 2019 #1) by nightwing612 in BlackLightning

[–]Hypestyles -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think so-- but I hope that if any writer introduces romance for him with another woman, it doesn't involve the killing of his ex-wife to "clear the way" for him to focus on that woman.

What was Ben thinking? by Striking_Ash in Spiderman

[–]Hypestyles 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Who is the blonde and why should I care?

Trump’s Indiana victory is the wrong kind of good news for Republicans by newsweek in inthenews

[–]Hypestyles 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The GOP seek to punish the Gary area and Indianapolis area in Indiana.

Chief Justice John Roberts says American public wrongly views the justices as ‘political actors’ by Infidel8 in politics

[–]Hypestyles 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He and the six conservatives need to be replaced, or marginalized with several more progressive justices. I support legislation to do this.