Lady's Choice: Favorite Animated Movies (Part 2)

Guess who's taking over!

 If you're not familiar, I'm a huge animated movie fan. If Brian's at work or gone, I am usually watching a animated movie. (He really should watch more of them in my opinion). As always I try to stick to movies that I haven't talked about them before. If you see one that you'd like me to do a full review ASAP, just let me know in the comments. Also if you missed Part 1, please go back and read about those five picks. So let's continue with five more of my favorite animated movies.

101 Dalmatians (1961)
If you read Part 1, then you know that I am a huge dog fan. 101 Dalmatians is probably one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. It's also our puppy's favorite movie, loves the Twilight Bark. Pongo sets out to find his "pet"/owner Roger and himself mates. He ends up finding Anita and her dalmatian Perdita. They have 15 puppies that Cruella De Vil wants to add to her other puppies to make a dog skin coat. When the humans can't help the puppies, it's up to Pongo and Perdita to save 99 puppies and themselves from Cruella and her henchmen while traveling across England. The animation for this movie is wonderful and has its own artistic style.

The Croods (2013)
I saw this movie on a whim on Netflix, and I loved it. The Croods is a story of family and about change. The Croods are a family of cavemen that have survived so far off of fear; however, after an earthquake destroys their cave, they must learn a new set of rules in order to make it in the new world. Grug (father and leader of the Croods), voiced by Nicholas Cage, has the hardest time adjusting. His daughter Eep on the other hand, voiced by Emma Stone, has no problems adjusting to not only the new way of life but also to the "smarter" Guy, voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Of course, Grug isn't happy but, in the end, learns to change in order to save his family from certain doom.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
I absolutely love what I have seen of Hayao Miyazaki's movies. The story telling is top notch. I'm always invested in the stories. The animation is always beautiful. Plus, they're the kind of movies that I can watch over and over again and never get bored. Nausicaä is no exception. Nausicaä centers around Princess Nausicaä (yes she is the princess of the Valley of the Wind), who lives in world that has been poisoned and humans live in scattered all across the world. Nausicaä lives in her peaceful valley but is also welcome in the Toxi Jungle, where the Ohm (giant, ancient looking trilobite) reign supreme. One night an aircraft from the kingdom of Tolmekia crashes in the valley and has aboard the Giant Warrior. It's up to Nausicaä to try and stop all out war from consuming the valley, the Ohm, and her people.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

In the era of CG models, Disney returned to more traditional animation with Princess and the Frog. This story of an independent, hard-working girl turned frog is one of my favorite. Tiana is also one of my favorite Disney princesses. The soundtrack is amazing with songs that feel like you'd actually hear them in New Orleans. Tiana is a young woman that has grown up on the words of her departed father, to work hard for what she wants. Prince Naveen, on the other hand, has never had to work a day in his life and is looking for a girl with money to marry in order to continue his party lifestyle. When both end up as frogs, they have to work together in order to get what they need, not what they want. Along the way, they team up with a horn-playing gator and a bayou firefly against the Shadow Man and his allies. It's a fun filled time for the whole family.

Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Last but not least on Part 2 of my list is Rise of the Guardians. Rise of the Guardians came out around Christmas time and was marketed as such; however, if I had to tag a holiday on to this movie it would actually be Easter, since that is the major holiday that happens during the movie. Jack Frost is known as a prankster and jokester when he is chosen to be a new Guardian. The Guardians (Nicholas St. North/Santa Clause, Sandman/Sandy, E. Aster Bunnymund/the Easter Bunny, and Tooth/the Toothfairy) are attacked by Pitch Black, aka the Boogeyman. They have to protect the world's children from the nightmares and fear that Pitch creates. While their powers disappear, it's up to Jack Frost to prove himself not only to the world but also to himself.

So what are some of your favorite animated movies? Let us down in the comments down below. 

Lady's Choice: Favorite Animated Movies (Part 1)

Guess who's taking over!

I have always loved animation, though I suck at drawing. From Disney to anime, animated movies have been a big part of my life, and they don't get talked about enough  So, I thought I'd share some of them with you from time to time. These are in no particular order and are from no particular studio or time period. However, if I have talked about it recently in another post then I'll wait to talk about it again, particularly if I just did a long review of it. If you want a full review of a movie that I mention, just let me know in the comments. Hope you enjoy five of my favorite animated movies. 

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

I am a huge Disney fan and a huge dog person. Plus my first dog was a Cocker Spaniel similar to Lady, and Brian's and my puppy right now looks like Tramp but smaller. So it makes a lot of sense that Lady and the Tramp is one of my favorite animated movies. Lady is the pet of Jim Dear and Darling (they call each other this so she think that those are her owners' names) and lives in a well off neighborhood. Tramp on the other paw lives on the streets without any owners or family. When Lady's family has a baby and goes away for awhile, she ends up on the streets with Tramp their to try and protect her from the harshness of the streets and from ending up in the pound. Which way of life will come out on top: collar or no collar?

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Based on a book series by the same name, How to Train Your Dragon starts off like any viking-tale, fighting dragons. However, Hiccup is different from other dragons. He is more brains than muscle. Through his inventions, he brings down a rare and powerful Night Fury. However, he can't bring himself to kill the dragon, who he names Toothless and tries to help him fly again. From there, adventure awaits the two unlikely of friends. Not to mention the CG is fantastic. It's more than just a story about a boy and his dragon, though. It's about being comfortable with who you are, even if that's the complete opposite of everyone else in the village. In the end, you might just be what the world or at least your village needs. 

Rango (2011)

Imagine Johnny Depp as a chameleon who wants to be a good actor. Sound kind of funny? That's because it is. I saw this movie in theaters with my family, and it had everyone laughing almost the entire time. Rango get stranded in the Mojave Desert and stumbles on the town of Dirt, inhabited by various desert animals. Rango becomes the sheriff of Dirt, which is literally drying up from lack of water. Hilarity ensues as Rango and his posse have to find the water before the town dries up. Looking for funny watch? Try this animated adventure. 

Happy Feet (2006)

Penguins are adorable, and the creators of Happy Feet have used that to create this awesome little flick. The penguins in Happy Feet live life with song, from making it through the long, cold winter to finding love. Mumble causes a stir when he is born because he can't sing. Instead, Mumble dances like non-other. As he grows up, he is an outcast and later blamed for the lack of fish. His adventures to find out what happened to the fish lead him from a group of small penguins to having humans around the world watching him. The visuals are beautiful, and the movie is filled with great sounding remixes of songs make for a great soundtrack. Whether you take away the environment message or to just be yourself, Happy Feet is a real treat for the whole family.  

Peter Pan (1953)

Last on the list for this week but certainly not the least is the 1953 classic Peter Pan. This Disney classic is about a boy named Peter who lives in Neverland and never grows up. Tinkerbell is his trusty companion fairy, though she has been known to be very jealous. He takes Wendy and her brothers to live there, so she can be a mother to him and the Lost Boys. It's not all fun and games. Neverland is filled with crocodiles and other wildlife, natives, mermaids, and, most dangerous of all, a group of pirates led by Captain Hook. Peter Pan shows the joy of being child but also the need to grow up and be with family. It's beautifully drawn and has quite a few memorable seen including a game of follow the leader and flying to Neverland, second start to the right and straight on til morning.

So what are some of your favorite animated movies? Let me know in the comments down below.

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Lady's Choice: 11 More Movies to Look Forward to in 2015

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We are halfway done with 2015, and this year has been the year of movies for me. I have seen a lot this year (almost 1 a day between new ones, old ones that I hadn't see yet, and re-watches), but there are still a lot that I am looking forward to. Now, when I first put this list together I had a lot of the same movies that I put on the first list I made back at the beginning of the year. So I decided that if it was on that list, it couldn't be on this list. Also, it has to come out after July 4th, even if Brian posts this way in after that. Here we go with 11 more awesome looking movies that are coming out in 2015:

Trainwreck (July 17, 2015)

I am not a fan of most chick flicks. I also have not seen Bridesmaids, though I really like Knocked Up. In fact, when I first saw the posters for this movie, I just shook my head. Then the trailers started coming out, and I found myself laughing. Trainwreck stars Amy Schumer as Amy, a girl who has taken her father's advice that monogamy is not possible, and Bill Hader, as the sports doctor Aaron Connors. Amy is assigned to interview Dr. Connors, who becomes taken with her. Of course, hilarity ensues. I'm not expecting Oscar material, but I am looking forward to a good time.

Straight Outta Compton (August 14, 2015)

This one really surprised me. I had no clue they were making a movie about this until about a month ago when I saw the first trailer. I recognize Dr. Dre and Ice  Cube but do not the whole story. Perhaps that is what peeked my interest so much. It looks like it is going to be well acted and well written. Of course, this is based on just seeing the two different trailers. It stars O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Neil Brown Jr as DJ Yella, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren, and Paul Giamatti as Jerry Heller as their manager.  

Sinister 2 (August 21, 2015)

The first Sinister scared the crap out of me. We walked out of the theater, and I kept double checking all the shadows real quick cause I thought I was seeing things. Needless to say, I was excited when I heard that they were making a sequel and a little nervous at the same time. The first was so good that I don't want a bad sequel to spoil the Sinister name. This one picks up after the first one with a young mother and her twin sons moving into a rural house where Bughuul resides. Bughuul of course tries to get one of the sons to murder his family. I find it funny that James Ransone, who also started in the first movie, is actually billed as Deputy So-And-So, a nickname given to him in Sinister. The poster to the left was released not too long ago and give me a lot of hope for this horror sequel.

Hotel Transylvania 2 (September 25, 2015)

When I found out about this sequel and talked to a colleague about how I couldn't believe it got a sequel, she told me that the first one was actually pretty good. So, Brian and I rented Hotel Transylvania, and it was pretty good. It was fun despite staring Adam Sandler as Dracula. With all of the cast returning, I am looking forward to this kid friendly Halloween-time release. Dracula is now a grandfather and has to face the fact that his grandson, who's mother is vampire and his father is human, might not have inherited any vampire. To make things more stressful for Dracula, his father Vlad arrives at the hotel for a family visit.
 

The Martian  (October 2, 2015)

This year seems to be the year for a lot of big budget sci-fi movies from Jurassic World  to Ex-Machina. And that is not a bad thing. I have always been a fan of sci-fi movies. Matt Damon stars as Astronaut Mark Watney who is believed to be dead after a storm on Mars and the rest of the time leaves. This leads to his fight for survival and trying to make contact, which a rescue mission will take four years or more. This movie reminds me of the Alien franchise in that it appears to have a confining set. It probably is also important to mention that Ridley Scott, who directed Alien, is the director.

Pan (October 9, 2015)

Disney has done and plans to continue a string of live action versions of their animated classics, which I happen to really like. While this is a retelling, live action version of Peter Pan, this is a Warner Bros production with Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard, Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily, Gerrett Hedlund as Hook, and Levi Miller as Peter Pan. This also isn't just a retelling  of what we know of Peter Pan running around with Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys. Instead, this is about Peter before he became a legend when is just a orphan who gets taken to Neverland for adventure. It has a good looking cast and great visuals.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (October 23, 2015)

I didn't see any of these movies until Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones came out on DVD. However, I am a fan found footage movies with one of my favorites being Quarantine. While I haven't seen Paranormal Activity 4, I have liked all the others in the series. They have released the first trailer for this movie, and it looks good. A family moves into a new home in Palo Alto, California, and they find the types of Katie and Kristi from the previous movies being taught supernatural abilities. In these tapes, one of the girls notice the brothers presence despite the time difference. There is also a camera that can see paranormal phenomenons. This is also supposed to the final in the series, which is produced by Blumhouse Productions.

The Last Witch Hunter (October 23, 2015)
I have recently developed more of a liking of Vin Diesel as an actor. This is probably because Brian and I watched all of the Fast Furious series before seeing Furious 7. Vin Diesel is an immortal witch hunter named Kaulder who has to protect humanity from the New York City covens and their plague. Rose Leslie plays Chloe, a female witch that teams up with Victor, and Julie Engelbrecht as the Witch Queen. It also has Elijah Wood in it. Again the visuals of the trailer were a big draw for me. 

Spectre (November 6, 2015)
Brian's already talked about the newest bond movie in his Most Anticipated of 2015. Again, this is a case of liking the actor the more a series progresses. Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond (and no I haven't seen all the Bond movies).The talk of this being Craig's last Bond movie makes me a bit sad if it is true. What grabbed my attention second after Daniel Craig is that part of the movie takes place in Mexico during the Day of Dead celebrations. The plot also shows just how complex James Bond is a character and how MI6 stays alive when political forces want to shut it down.

The Good Dinosaur (November 25, 2015)

Now this is a movie that I have already mentioned on Lady's Choice when I listed my favorite dinosaur movies. Arlo the Apatosaurus (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) lives in a world that was never hit by asteroid that wiped out all the dinosaurs. Arlos ends up loosing his father in an acident and  falls into the river. He wakes up far from home. He has to make a long journey home and along the way finds a cave boy that he names Spot (voiced by Jack Bright). I am so looking forward to Pixar's next film. I haven't seen a bad Pixar movie yet (I believe that the only one I haven't seen is Cars 2).

In the Heart of the Sea (December 11, 2015)
First off, the release date is not March. It got moved back to December after the poster to the left was made available. I think they're going for the "prestige" release date since it appears to be a movie that would probably get Oscar attention. This movie is based of the book (same title) by Nathaniel Philbrick and stars Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase, the First Mate, and Benjamin Walker as Captain George Pollar, Jr. It is being directed by Ron Howard. Set in 1820, the Essex, a whaling ship, is sunk when it is rammed by a very large bull sperm whale. This story was the basis for Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.


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Lady's Choice: Favorite Pixar Movies!

Guess who's taking over!

I promise that eventually I will get away from lists. I'm looking at doing my own "From the Vault" or "Date Night" articles for the blog, but for now, I keep wanting to do lists. June has seen the release of Disney/Pixar's newest movie: Inside Out. For the most part Pixar has put out a movie every year, and while not all of them have been smash hits, they all have been solid movies. Because of that, I had a really hard time limiting myself to just 5 movies.

I decided to go with movies with Pixar as the studios and only including feature lengths. I also decided against putting The Incredibles (2004) on this list. My decision was mainly because it has already been highlighted as part of my of my superhero movie list. Even with this decision, I still had a really hard time limiting it to not all of them. So here's my top 5 Pixar movies in release date order.

Toy Story (1995)

Pixar's first movie put it front and center for children's movies from 1995 through today. They used the state of the art CG for the day, amazing audiences. It also left many children with the question of what their toys did while they were away or even lost. It also had a great message: it's not about what you think you are but what you mean to those around you. This is seen with Buzz thinking that he is the real Buzz Lightyear and goes through a crisis of both identity and purpose when he finds out that he actually is a toy. Woody shows him that while he might not be a real sheriff (space ranger for Buzz) but loves being Andy's toy and bringing joy to Andy. The voice acting with leading actors Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear is superb. The soundtrack is great. Everyone know "You've Got a Friend in Me." And to this day, most kids have seen this ground breaking Pixar classic.


Finding Nemo (2003)
Pixar took audiences on a wild, Australian ride with Finding Nemo. Again, audiences were amazed with the CG. The attention to detail was amazing. From studying how the fish actually move to how the currents affect the reef and other wildlife, Pixar took their time to get everything not only right but natural looking. I don't remember Toy Story in theaters, but I remember being in awe when Finding Nemo's opening scenes started playing. I was lost in the underwater world, and, thanks to a great script, still to this day quote this movie (Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming). Audiences loved the character Dory so much so that Pixar will have Finding Dory coming out in June 2016. I think this movie is also why children know clown fish as Nemos.


WALL - E (2008)
From underwater to outer space, once again Pixar upped the game by taking its audiences to the future and made us root for a little robot named Wall-E. Again, Pixar's attention to detail is evident in the CG, from the garbage filled, abandoned Earth to Wall-E and Eve dancing in space. Some adults railed against the environmentalist message from this movie, but I think it is a good message. It is also a love story. Wall-E and Eve are from different worlds essentially. Even though they are both robots made by human beings, they have different directives and end up loving each other all the same. And all of this was done with much less dialogue then other movies as Wall-E and Eve don't have very big vocabulary, and the humans are somewhat of side characters.


Up (2009)

Somewhat back down to Earth, Up is still a high flying adventure about a husband trying to live how his wife had dreamed of living. First, I'm going to state the obvious: The first like 8 minutes of this movie is better than Twilight. With that out of the way, Pixar has proven once again to be able to focus on what matters in the story, in this case it is the variety of characters and their interactions. Carl looses the love of his life Ellie and feels like she never got to go on the adventure that she wanted. So, when push comes to shove, he set sail for Paradise Falls with Russell (a stowaway). Along the way, they meet Dug the Dog, Kevin the Bird, and Carl's childhood hero Carles Muntz, and Carl learns what really mattered to Ellie and what matters now to him. Like Finding Nemo, this movie is still quoted among my friends and loved by many.


Brave (2012)
Brave is a very underrated Pixar/Disney movie. Merida herself, while the favorite of a friend, is an underrated princess. Today, many love Frozen because Ana saves Elsa and herself, it doesn't end in a wedding, etc. This leave me confused because Merida did it first. She is trying to get out of her parents arranging a marriage and wants to choose her own fate. In fact, Merida has mad bow skills, and the movie doesn't end with any love interest for her at all. Her fate, and that of her people, rests on her shoulders the entire movie. Maybe Brave wasn't as well received because she is so different or some other reason that I am not seeing; however, Merida is one of my favorite princess and well as the star of one of my favorite Pixar movies. Can I also point out that her hair was a nightmare to animate? Props to Pixar for giving her those beautiful, long, red curls. I also love that she is Scottish and has her own distinct look from the rest of Disney's princess line-up.

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Lady's Choice: E3 Reaction

Guess who's taking over!

Well, I have mixed reactions about this year's E3 gaming conference. I will admit that I did not watch all of the conference. I mainly watched the "Big 3" of gaming: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. I was also able to catch the Bethesda and the Square Enix keynotes with bits and pieces of others.  This was all thanks to E3 being live streamed on Twitch. I am a huge fan of Twitch. I love watching live streams of my favorite YouTube gamers, just ask Brian. So, I didn't have to wait for the tweets or news posts. I just watched the Twitch live stream on my phone/tablet.

Now, I'm not a "hardcore gamer." I don't own a PS4 or XBox One. I do own a PS3, a Nintendo 3DS, and a Nintendo Wii U. So many of what I'm looking forward to will probably not be everyone's cup of tea. Also I was disappointed with the lack of certain titles from I also am not going to to into huge detail just to not make this really, really long. I'm gonna pick the ones that I am really excited about for one reason or another. So let's see what's on my "Must Play" list of E3 2015.

Arkham Knight (June 2015)

I am actually writing this on the day of Arkham Knight's release date. Now this game was not announced at E3 2015, but it was featured during Sony's keynote. This game makes me cry for not having a PS4 yet. Between the amazing graphics and Rocksteady's return to the Batman: Arkham series, this game looks like it is making use of all the new generation of consoles has to offer. While I am not liking how most publishers have been handling most DLC lately, I loved the look of the Harley Quinn DLC available for those that pre-ordered Arkham Knight. After watching several people live stream it at midnight and several YouTube videos of the first part, I can't wait until I upgrade and am able to play this.


Fallout 4 (November 2015)
I have played a bit of this franchise through friends' copies, but have never been huge into them. The more I researched this game series after Bethesda's keynote I have come to regret not playing them sooner. I'm looking forward the customization options of both the player and the world. The graphics are great looking. I like the Fallout Shelter app game that was also announced and released right away. I will have to do some more research and probably rent the games before I'm shouting in joy, but this game certainly has my attention. I'm just hoping the dog is forced to die. (I'm the kind of person that cries more about the dog dying in movies like John Wick.)

Kingdom Hearts 3 (No Official Release Date)
Oh this game, I feel like we have been waiting for this one forever! Again this is a series that I have never owned but have played the first two through friends owning them. I love the combination of Disney and combat with this videogame series. What was disappointing for me was the lack of info on this upcoming release. This was a theme with Square Enix's keynote. They had lots of announcing of games but not a lot of info. Almost all of them, including Kingdom Hearts 3, looks beautiful but have no release date. This is gonna have to a wait and see kind of title.

Star Wars: Battlefront (November 2015)
I am a huge Star Wars fan. I have played a lot of the games, seen all the movies, know a good amount of the now non-cannon extended storyline, and am dreaming of the new movie. I have memories of sitting with my cousin playing Star Wars on his system in our great-grandparents' kitchen. He had brought it over specifically to show it to me. I have even played the Lego games. This game looks fantastic. The detail that is in this game from the characters to the ships to the terrain just blows my mind away (which is true for most of the games on this list actually). Another game that makes me want a PS4 so badly. I gladly look forward to the day that I can immerse myself into that galaxy far, far away.

Dishonored 2 (2016)
Yet again, I have become excited about a game series that I have never played. Luckily, this is the second Dishonored game. As with most of the big games announced at E3 this year, this game looks amazing. This game has you make a choice that forces you to be one character or another without being able to switch, with each character having different abilities as well. This game, set 15 years after the first, has a historical/steampunk feel to it that I like. One of the big things that gaming companies have right with game is that this announcement makes me want to go back and play the first one before the sequel comes out next year.


Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2016)

For me, I was surprised by Nintendo. First, I loved their digital event with the Muppets. It was different, risky, and, in the end, the most interesting presentation of this year's E3. On the other hand, there were not as many announcements that got me excited as there have been in the past years. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is one of those games. I love both series. When I first bought my 3DS, two games that I put on my want list were from these two series. What seems most interesting to me is just how these two very different kinds of games are going to work together. Are there going to be stickers? How will combat work exactly? How will all of the characters interact not only with their counterparts but with others? So looking forward to this Nintendo release next year.

Rise of the Tomb Raider (November 2015)

I'm sounding like a broken record in saying this, but this game looks great. I loved renting and playing the previous Tomb Raider game. This game looks like it took the good of the last one and expanded upon that, including making Lara Croft into more of a believable character. The detail and work that they showed going into this game is astounding. The entire time I kept thinking back to the first games and how far they have come. Sadly, this game is being released the same day as Fallout 4 and the same month as Star Wars: Battlefront. So far, that seems to be the creators biggest mistake.


Hyrule Warriors for 3DS (2016)
Now, I was a bit confused at first when this game was announced. Nintendo has released previous titles on both handheld and console, but they announced that ahead of time. I think this is a response to the popularity of Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U. I got Brian the Wii U game for his birthday I believe; however, we haven't opened it to play it yet. The inclusion of more characters and a different storyline intrigue me enough to pay closer attention. In the end, I can't wait for this game next year. If nothing else, I'll finally get to play Hyrule Warriors!


Yoshi's Woolly World (October 2015)

Last game is also a Nintendo game. Being previously announced and known about for a while, Yoshi's Woolly World is coming out later this month in other parts of the world, but the US will have to wait a bit longer. I love that Nintendo is playing with different textures with some of their games. Kirby has done clay and yarn already. Yoshi has been one of my favorite Mario characters since I was younger, and I jumped at the last Yoshi game. This one looks so playful and bright, not to mention just pure fun. It kind of intrigues me based on the fact that I do crochet a bit. Also, while there will probably not being very many available, I love the different colored Yoshi amiibos made from yarn.

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Throwback Thursday: 5 Things that I Want to See in The Spectacular Spider-Man

In which I revisit old articles from Filmquisition and Unreality.

Never mind Batman.  Never mind Iron Man.  Never even mind Captain freaking America himself.  Spider-Man is always going to be the hero that I return to time and time again, regardless of how many times his movies let me down and how drastically he pales against Marvel’s proper Avengers lineup.

 

Spider-Man has always been my superhero: the one that I unquestionably turn to when looking for a good time.  Despite being ahead of the comic book curve at the time of its release, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man always seemed to miss the point of the character.  And despite its innumerable flaws, Marc Webb’s short-lived Amazing Spider-Man movies at least got nearer to the heart of the franchise than any of the previous three movies.  But with Marvel’s newly cemented relationship with Sony, the companies have the chance of giving audiences what they’ve been waiting decades for: a proper Spider-Man outing on the big screen.

While I do have complete faith in Marvel’s unerring cinematic quality, there are a few things that I desperately want them to include in the new movie.  And while, yes, I could go on about a few narrowly-drawn gripes – like wanting Spider-Man to shoot organic webbing or a checklist of in-universe references that I want them to hit – there are a few big things that are at the top of my wish list, ranging from unlikely to near certainties.

J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson – Say what you will about Raimi’s roughshod take on the franchise, but J.K. Simmons’ portrayal of libelous news paper mogul J. Jonah Jameson was absolutely perfect.  He was comically over-the-top, yet unquestionably realistic.  He was infuriating, yet oddly endearing.  He was exceedingly expressive, yet still managed to look like a real person.

He hit all the proper notes of the character and was absolutely the best-realized aspect of that entire trilogy.  Simmons was so perfectly suited for the role that The Amazing Spider-Man reboot didn’t even try to recreate him.  The most that we ever got of Jameson were a few Baily Bugle ads and some e-mail exchanges with Peter Parker.

I know that it’d be a stretch to bring Simmons back for the role in the upcoming Spectacular Spider-Man.  Coming off of a well-earned Oscar, his asking price is probably a Hell of a lot higher than Marvel’s willing to dish out for a fairly bit part.  Given the uphill battle that they already face with franchise fatigue, Marvel would be loath to remind audiences of the previous (and still pretty recent) takes on the character.  Plus, there’d be more than a few movie-goers who’d probably be confused if this was supposed to be the same universe as the first three movies (the same Jameson, the same Parker).  Despite these (and other) issues, however, Simmons is too perfect for the role to at least not warrant a second look.

Clark Gregg as Principle Coulson – When it comes to Spider-Man, Disney’s Ultimate Spider-Man tv show pretty much gets everything right.  Sure, I prefer my Spidey to be a solo act.  Sure, some of the (thankfully minor) recurring villains end up being a bit dull (the Trapster being the prime example).  But when it comes to the character, the story and the world around him, the series is the perfect template for what a big screen version of the franchise should look like. 

One of the strangest – yet most oddly satisfying – decisions made with the show was to include S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson Midtown High’s acting principle (all the better to keep an eye on Parker and his teenage team of superheroes).  It made perfect sense for S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep an ear to the ground when dealing with not only superheroes, but teenaged ones at that.  Coulson – ever S.H.I.E.L.D.’s PR guy – was the perfect candidate for the job (basically doing a more full time version of what he did with the various Avengers in Marvel’s Phase 1).

Now, I don’t expect this to be a particularly realistic course of action with Coulson now being the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but this version of Spider-Man is supposed to have been around for a while.  His movie won’t actually be an origin story (we’ve had enough of those already) and he’s actually scheduled to appear in a Marvel movie before The Spectacular Spider-Man.  He could have easily been assigned to Midtown High to keep a watchful eye on the newly created Spider-Man before his supposed death (to be referenced in dialog or flashback).  It would be a clever touch – keeping in the peculiarities of the character – that would be rife with cinematic potential.

Gwen Stacy as Peter’s love interest – Despite being Spider-Man’s longest-lasting love interest (going so far as to actually marry him in the comics), I’ve never especially cared for Mary Jane Watson.  She just never had much of a personality beyond being pretty.

Marvel’s tried to countermand that shortcoming already.  Ultimate Spider-Man has her as an ambitious journalist trying to get a job at the Daily Bugle (essentially taking over that side of Parker’s day-to-day life).  And while that mostly works, the character was never as interesting as Gwen Stacy: a character that always had a lot more going for her and a lot more in common with Peter than any of his other love interests over the years.

 

While arguments can certainly be made for Betty Brant (who really hasn’t shown up in the movies yet) and Felicia Harding (who doubles as the superheroine Black Cat), Gwen Stacy still seems like the best option available to the franchise.  Helped out by Emma Stone, she was the best part about The Amazing Spider-Man movies (in the same way that J. K. Simmons was for the first Spider-Man films).  She’s a likable character with a lot of personality, that audiences are already at least somewhat familiar with and comes with her own iconic narrative built into the character (“The Night Gwen Stacy Died”).

Asa Butterfield as Peter Parker – When it came to the new Spider-Man, Marvel’s had a few very specific ideas for the character.  While a lot of fans were hoping for Miles Morales (the black Spider-Man from the Marvel’s Ultimate imprint), Marvel’s on record that it’s going to be Peter Parker behind the mask.  And while both of Sony’s versions of the character were on the older side (both circling closer to college than High School), the plan is to keep Spider-Man young: in the neighborhood of fifteen years old.

This naturally puts a lot of restrictions on the actors that they have to choose from for the role.  You need somebody good enough to headline their own movie and yet young enough to actually look the part of a high school freshman.  A lot of names that were initially thrown out were a bit tweeny for my tastes, though, particularly Logan Lermann from Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Dylan O’Brien from Teen Wolf.  In recent weeks, however, the roster of possible Spider-Men has broadened to include Asa Butterfield, who I feel is ideal for the role.

Not only is Butterfield a good fit for the part physically (his age and physique are consistent with what Marvel wants out of the character), but he’s a legitimately good actor in his own right.  He’s already headed up movies like Hugo and Ender’s Game with the competence of far more seasoned actors and there’s no reason why he couldn’t do the same for Spider-Man.  He’s the ablest choice of those allegedly being looked into for the role, would be a pretty cheap acquisition for Marvel and could convincingly age with the character over any number of solo and crossover movies. 

Vincent D’Onofrio as the Kingpin – Marvel did damn near everything right with their Daredevil series on Netflix, none more so than casting veteran character actor Vincent D’Onofrio as its principle villain: Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin.  He added a considerable deal of nuance to a character that could have just been a large guy with a villainous smirk in a suit (ala Clark Duncan) and was instantly the most memorable and endearing aspect of the entire series.

Despite traditionally trading punches with Daredevil, the Kingpin has often been as much of a Spider-Man villain, and it’s really no wonder why.  Both Daredevil and Spider-Man are based in New York.  Both are understandably keen on fighting crime, and the Kingpin is on the top of the pecking order: the man through which virtually all crime in the city flows. 

Growing up on the 90’s Spider-Man cartoon, I knew the Kingpin as the man responsible for creating Scorpion, forming the Sinister Six, funding Alistaire Smythe and frequently hiring iconic Spidey thugs like Rhino and the Shocker.  If there’s one thing that I want to see in The Spectacular Spider-Man, it’s D’Onofrio’s Kingpin as the man pulling the strings: creating, hiring or otherwise assembling Spider-Man’s menagerie of villains to crush the wall-crawler from day one.

D’Onofrio would lend just as much credibility to the second Spider-Man reboot in recent memory as he did to the small-screen reboot of Daredevil.  It would considerably raise his character’s already illustrious profile and create further interest in the rampantly successful Netflix series that he debuted in.  It could also open the doors to more small-screen tie-ins, like cinematic team ups with Daredevil, Skye and Mockingbird or squaring off against villains like Crusher Creel.  Besides, Marvel’s proven that it pays to have forward-thinking plots play out with a high-end villains pulling the strings from the shadows.

So what would you like to see in the upcoming Spectacular Spider-Man movie?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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