A Quiet Place (5 Stars)

When I last reviewed this film I said that it's best viewed on a large screen in a dark cinema. I still consider that to be true, but today I watched it on a relatively small screen, probably 32", with my son, and I still enjoyed it. The key to enjoying the film is that the room should be pitch black, and there should be absolute silence.

The Earth has been invaded by aggressive creatures, presumably flesh eaters. "A Quiet Place" follows the story of just one family that's living in a house in the woods. They're by themselves, isolated from the rest of the world, struggling to survive. The creatures are blind, but they have very sensitive hearing. They can move fast, so anyone who makes a noise is dead. Anyone who talks is dead, so the family communicates by sign language.

The film takes place on the 472nd and 473rd days of the invasion. A second film, "A Quiet Place 2", will be released next month. Judging by the trailer it will be a prequel, beginning on the first day of the invasion. That will make the film a lot louder.

Success Rate:  + 18.1

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Spider-Man: Far From Home (5 Stars)

The first 23 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are referred to collectively as the Infinity Saga. The six infinity stones are shown repeatedly in the films, though their significance isn't always clear to the uninitiated. What I mean to say is, those who have read the comics written by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin in the late 1980's and early 1990's know what the stones are supposed to be, but then they have to work out if they're something different in the films. Those who haven't read the comics can only scratch their heads in confusion.

We see the first stone, the Space Stone, in "Captain America" (the fifth MCU film). Starting in "The Avengers" (the sixth film) we see Thanos beginning to gather the stones to give himself great power. In the comics the united power of the stones makes him a God, but in the films they merely combine to become a super-weapon. He succeeds in gathering all the stones and using his weapon in "Infinity War" (the 19th film). The Avengers use the weapon against him in "Avengers Endgame" (the 22nd film).

Now we have "Spider-Man Far From Home" as a sort of epilogue. Thanos is dead and the stones have been scattered throughout the universe. Now we see the aftermath of the "Blip", as people have come to call it.

50% of the Earth's population disappeared, probably in 2018. The exact year of the disappearance is unclear, but what we know is that five years later, probably 2023, they returned without having aged. This causes more confusion in school than anywhere else. Children who were the same age are now five years older than one another. Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, is one of those affected. It's 21 years since he was born, but he's still 16. This leads to ethical problems. Is he allowed to drink alcohol or isn't he?

Fortunately for Peter, the girl he loves also blipped, so she's still the same age as him. In the film (and in school) she's only referred to as MJ. That was the nickname of Peter's girlfriend and future wife in the comics, Mary Jane Watson. The film's producers have stated that in the MCU Spider-Man films MJ's nickname stands for Michelle Jones, but until that's verified in the films themselves I choose not to believe it.

MJ is cute, in a girl-next-door-ish sort of way.

The actress Zendaya Coleman was actually 22 when the film was made, but she looks like a 16-year-old in the film.

Tom Holland, who plays Peter Parker, is also 22. Let's hope they keep their young looks so they can make another few films together.

The super-villain in this film is Mysterio. He was one of Spider-Man's oldest and most deadly enemies. Incidentally, Sam Raimi wanted to cast Bruce Campbell as Mysterio if he'd been allowed to direct "Spider-Man 4".

He looks remarkably similar to the way Steve Ditko drew him in the comics. That's not something we can take for granted. The Marvel films get almost every costume wrong.

This is a better film than "Spider-Man Homecoming", though not up to the level of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. Where will the Spider-Man franchise go from here? We need continuity. We don't want a reboot and yet another Spider-Man any time in the next few years.

Success Rate:  + 5.1

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Avengers: Endgame (5 Stars)

Stan Lee didn't create the character Thanos. He was created by the writer/artist Jim Starlin in 1973, when Stan had already given up most of his writing activities at Marvel. Nevertheless, Stan Lee laid the foundation for the Marvel Universe, and he created the Avengers and most of the other heroes in the film. His contribution to comics and modern culture overall can't be underestimated.

The Blu-ray disc of "Avengers Endgame" that I watched today has a short tribute to Stan Lee. It's not a full tribute, it's just a review of his cameo appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

These words, spoken by director James Gunn, express my thoughts precisely:

"My hero. The greatest man alive".

Stan Lee has passed away since this photo was taken, and the world is a poorer place without him. However, for me he still lives on in his writing. In the course of writing my Marvel Years posts I read his comics regularly. I'm up to mid 1971, close to the end of his regular writing. Other less capable writers stepped into his footsteps. Some of Marvel's writers were good, some were average, some were poor, but even Marvel's best writers weren't Stan Lee. He had a spark of genius that others could only dream of.

The most touching part of the tribute is when Robert Downey Jr kneels before Stan Lee and kisses his hand. That wasn't an empty affectation, it's a sign that he truly loved him. As do I.

Asking whether there will ever be another Stan Lee is like asking if there will be another William Shakespeare. It's not impossible, but it's highly unlikely.

On an unrelated matter, I've been running into the limitations of Google's Blogger (Blogspot). I add labels to posts to list the actors who appear in a film. Not every actor, just the ones that I consider to be the major actors. That's five or six actors per film, on average, but the last two Avengers films, "Infinity War" and "Endgame", have an overwhelming ensemble of big actors. Blogger limits me to a maximum of 20 labels per post, so I've been forced to omit some of the actors. Originally I omitted the actors who play smaller parts. Now I've decided to do the opposite. I've omitted the labels for the actors who play the biggest roles, because people know they're in the film anyway. The actors that I have omitted from the labels are:

Chris Evans (Captain America)
Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
Mark Ruffalo (Hulk)
Robert Downey Jr (Iron man)
Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow)
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)

Nuff said!

Success Rate:  + 5.8

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1917 (5 Stars)

I don't often watch war films. War is a topic that doesn't interest me. On the contrary, it repulses me. I go to the cinema to immerse myself in fantasy worlds. War is something that's too realistic, something that took place in western Europe in the 20th Century and still happens in other parts of the world today. I only make an exception and watch war films if they're made by one of my favourite directors. Films like "Inglourious Basterds". Maybe that's not a real war film, because it tells a fantasy story in the context of a real war.

Normally I would have given "1917" a miss. I decided to see it in the cinema today for two reasons:

1. It's been nominated for the Best Film at the 2020 Academy Awards, and I've been told it has a good chance of winning.

2. I've read that the film has outstanding cinematography.

So I went to the cinema, I watched the film, and I enjoyed it greatly. You already know that from the title of this post. My rating says everything.

The film takes place in France in 1917. I've heard differing claims on whether the story is true, fictional or partially true. It doesn't really matter. Two young soldiers are told to deliver a message to the Devonshire Regiment. The Germans have withdrawn, and the regiment is planning to press their advantage and pursue them. Army intelligence has been received that it's a trap; the Germans have withdrawn to lure the British army into an ambush. If the Devonshire Regiment attacks it's expected that all 1600 men will be slaughtered.

The film is shot in a pseudo-single take, i.e. not a genuine single take like "Victoria", but a film like "Birdman" with a minimal number of long takes that have been carefully edited to give the appearance of a single take. I expect that the director's commentary on the Blu-ray release will tell us exactly how many takes were necessary.

The film shows the two young men running across deserted wastelands, encountering German stragglers and scattered British soldiers. It's a delight to watch. Whether or not "1917" wins the Best Film award, it definitely deserves to win the award for Best Cinematography. Most of all, I enjoyed the passive scenes where the young soldiers were running. The fight scenes were exciting, but less pleasant to me. Slightly less pleasant. I've still given the film my top rating.

The film is successful and will probably remain in the cinema for another few weeks. Please go to see it, even if you're someone like me who doesn't like war films.

Avengers: Infinity War (5 Stars)

"The hardest choices require the strongest wills".

Success Rate:  + 4.5

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Marvel Years 11.08 - August 1971

Fantastic Four #113

Title: The Power of the Over-Mind!

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema

Fantastic Four: Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm

Villain: Over-Mind

Regulars: Agatha Harkness, Franklin Richards, Alicia Masters

Guests: Bruce Banner (Hulk)

The Thing was left dead after his battle with the Hulk. Seemingly. Reed Richards remembers that the Thing's heartbeat can never be heard through his rock skin, so he carries him back to the Baxter Building, gives him an electric jolt, and he's back to normal. Even the mean personality that he's had since his transformation in Fantastic Four #107 is gone. It's not explicitly stated, but we can assume that his ability to change back to Ben Grimm at will has also gone.

Bruce Banner staggers away, remembering his battle with the Thing. This is inconsistent with his other stories. Usually he can't remember what he did as the Hulk.

The Watcher comes to the Baxter Building and warns them about the coming of the Over-Mind.

The mayor of New York orders the Fantastic Four to disband. They grudgingly obey.

The mayor is under the control of the Over-Mind. He's not named in the comic, but his face looks like John Lindsay, who was the mayor of New York from 1966 to 1973. I wonder if Stan Lee asked permission when he used real life characters in important roles.

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Amazing Spider-Man #99

Title: A Day in the Life of.....

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Gil Kane

Villain: prisoners

Regulars: Gwen Stacy, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson

Peter Parker is considering proposing marriage to Gwen Stacy, so he needs to earn money. He finally stands up to J. Jonah Jameson and demands a job.

Frame this page. Call it "The Defeat of J. Jonah Jameson". Look at how happy Joe Robertson is. He's never seen anything like it in his life.

Spider-Man breaks up a riot in the local prison. On his way home he's stopped by Johnny Carson, who offers him an appearance on live television. It would have been nice to earn some money, but the police break up the show. They say they have a warrant for Spider-Man's arrest.

In many ways this is a low key issue. It doesn't have any super-villains, but it's a great story. It's Stan Lee at his best.

The 100th issue of Amazing Spider-Man is announced for next month. Since Spider-Man first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15, this is really his 100th issue.

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Thor #191

Title: And so, to die!

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Buscema

Villain: Karnilla, Loki, Durok

Regulars: Odin, Sif, Balder, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg

Loki is wearing the Odinring and rules Asgard. He orders Odin to go to sleep, and he obeys.

Thor fights with Loki, but while he wears the Odinring he has the full power of Odin. With the help of Karnilla Loki creates a powerful creature called Durok. He send Durok to wreak havoc on Earth. This is a ploy to lure Thor away from Asgard.

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Captain America and the Falcon #140

Title: In the Grip of Gargoyle!

Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita

Villain: Grey Gargoyle

Regulars: Sharon Carter, Sgt. Muldoon, Leila Taylor

Guests: Nick Fury

Captain America battles the Grey Gargoyle. When the Falcon arrives, the Grey Gargoyle flees.

Captain America returns to the police precinct, while the Falcon begins a search for the Grey Gargoyle.

Of course I remember the exact issues. The Grey Gargoyle battled Thor in Journey Into Mystery #107 and #113. He battled Iron Man in Tales Of Suspense #95 and #96.

A few pages later Stan Lee gives a partial answer to the question himself, but he gets it wrong. There's no such comic as Thor #107.

Steve Rogers looks for the Falcon. He asks Leila about him, and she's not very helpful.

Black people can be just as racist as white. I know some people might say "The whites started it". That's true, but there's no excuse for racism.

The Grey Gargoyle has turned the Falcon into stone, not by touching him but by using the original fluid that turned him into the Grey Gargoyle. Now he's looking for something called Element X (TM), an element so unstable that one drop would destroy the whole planet Earth. What does the Grey Gargoyle want to do with something like that? If he destroys the Earth, where can he spend his stolen money?

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The Avengers #91

Title: Take one giant step backward!

Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Sal Buscema

Avengers: Vision, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Goliath, Yellowjacket, Wasp

Villain: Ronan the Accuser, Sentry 459

Guests: Captain Marvel, Rick Jones

Yellowjacket has devolved into a brute, but he has vestiges of humanity that prevent him killing the Wasp.

The Vision and Scarlet Witch are trapped side by side. The Scarlet Witch attempts to kiss the Vision. This is the first sign of romance between them.

Quicksilver frees them, and the battle commences. Then Ronan is summoned back to the Kree Galaxy, because the Skrulls are attacking. Without his assistance the Sentry is destroyed.

Yellowjacket reverts to his normal human form.

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The Incredible Hulk #142

Title: They shoot Hulks, don't they?

Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe

Villain: Enchantress, Valkyrie

Regulars: General Ross, Major Talbot

The Hulk swims to Liberty Island and falls asleep on top of the Tower of Liberty. General Ross pleads with him to come down, but he doesn't apply force for fear of damaging the statue.

A rich couple, Reginald and Malicia Parrington, want to help the Hulk, so they arrange a fundraising party to buy him a small island.The Enchantress, who we last saw in Avengers #84, casts a spell to give their daughter Samantha Parrington the power and appearance of the Valkyrie. We saw the Enchantress using this power herself in Avengers #83.

As a young woman Samantha Parrington believed in women's liberation. As the Valkyrie she has the power to bring it about by force.

She uses the same slogan as the Enchantress in Avenges #83: "Up against the wall, male chauvinist pig!" I like her.

It doesn't last long, unfortunately, but I like this scene in which Valkyrie drags the unconscious Hulk by his hair.

When the Hulk wakes up, the battle resumes. Valkyrie's human spirit prevents her committing murder, so the Enchantress takes her power away.

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Sub-Mariner #40

Title: Under the name of ritual...

Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Gene Colan

Villain: Turalla

Guests: Spider-Man

This story continues from Daredevil #77.

Spider-Man and Namor are carried to another world by the mysterious woman, who says that her name is Princess Tuvia. She takes them to an underwater kingdom called the Black Sea, a people to whom the Atlanteans are indebted because of injustices centuries ago. Tuvia is forced to marry a usurper called Turalla, unless she can find a champion to defeat him. Namor is her choice, but under the rules of combat he may be aided by someone else.

Together Namor and Spider-Man defeat him. Then Turalla cheats. He uses mind blasts, which are forbidden in this ritual fight. The mind blasts immediately knock Namor and Spider-Man unconscious. Then Turalla himself is knocked unconscious by a more powerful mind blast from an old man sitting in Boston.

What? This is a major case of deus ex machina. Gerry Conway should be ashamed of himself.

Sam Rosen should also be ashamed for writing a plural with an apostrophe.

Princess Tuvia returns Namor and Spider-Man to Manhattan. Without a spaceship. Just by waving her hands. So why did she use a spaceship to fetch Namor?

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Daredevil #79

Title: "Murder!" cries the Man-Bull!

Writer: Gerry Conway, Gary Friedrich
Artist: Gene Colan

Villain: Man-Bull

Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page

Guests: Stan Lee, Joan Lee

Daredevil fights and defeats the Man-Bull.

Foggy Nelson is being blackmailed by someone called Mr. Kline.

Karen Page returns to New York. She goes to Foggy's apartment to ask where Matt is.

In the streets, Daredevil bumps into this wonderful couple: Stan Lee and his wife Joan. They've just had a disappointing evening at the theatre. Now Stan is in a hurry to get home and write Spider-Man. Daredevil recognises Stan immediately and calls him Fearless Leader. Nuff said!

George Alec and Diana meet their friend Gardner Fox.

This is better than the recent Daredevil issues, despite having a bland, generic villain.

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Iron Man #40

Title: Night Walk!

Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: George Tuska

Villain: White Dragon

Regulars: Kevin O'Brian, Marianne Rodgers

Guests: Nick Fury

Tony Stark is confused and doesn't understand what's been happening to him over the last five days. Kevin O'Brian tries to calm him. He cancels his upcoming speech at the United Nations. This angers  White Dragon, because he wanted Tony Stark to present a faulty new weapon at the UN, which would explode and kill thousands.

To make up for this, he plans to detonate a nuclear device underwater. Iron Man fights and defeats White Dragon and his organisation.

Artie Simek has slipped up. Polluted is spelt with two L's.

This is yet another poor story from Gerry Conway. I don't know how Stan Lee puts up with him.

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Astonishing Tales #7

Title: Deluge!

Writer: Roy Thomas
Artist: Herb Trimpe

Villain: Damon

Ka-Zar fights against Damon, but can't defeat him. A girl in Ka-Zar's tribe finds Lelania's lifeless body. She allows the body to absorb her life force, and Lelania lives once more.

Damon and Lelania leave the Earth in their space ship.

Despite the credits on the splash page, I don't believe that Roy Thomas wrote this story. It's Gerry Conway's style.

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Title: And if I be called traitor!

Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Gene Colan

Guests: Black Panther

Doctor Doom fights and defeats the Black Panther in order to get Wakanda's Vibranium for himself. Interestingly, he has respect for the Black Panther as a fellow king. As Doctor Doom's excavator nears the Vibranium, an earthquake shakes the country. Doctor Doom considers it wise to leave and return at a later date.

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Other comics published this month:

Conan the Barbarian #8 (Roy Thomas, Barry Smith)
Millie the Model #191 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Our Love Story #12 (Stan Lee, Stan Goldberg)
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #90 (Al Kurzrok, Dick Ayers)
Rawhide Kid #90 (Larry Lieber, John Tartaglione)
Monsters on the Prowl #12 (Stan Lee, Manfred Sommer)