Captain America: Brave New World (what to expect)
Scorecard, Robinson & Rudd, ICYMI 50th Pod Episode
🎂 We had a birthday this past week!
Happy Belated Birthday to our Sweet Friend
Greg (02/08), fav movie: Children of Men 🎂
We know today is a national holiday of love, but there is arguably a bigger event this weekend than love. Who else has Sunday, February 16th, blocked off for The White Lotus Season 3 premiere?!
We don’t know how the weather has been in your neck of the woods, but it has been disrespectfully frigid for those in Colorado, so half the crew is more than stoked to be vicariously experiencing Thailand in a few days. Don’t know what we’re talking about? If you start today, you can binge The White Lotus seasons 1 and 2 on MAX and be caught up by Friday!
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: Captain America: Brave New World
Watchlist Worthy: Robinson & Rudd… WE FINALLY HAVE A TRAILER!
ICYMI: Our 50th podcast episode!
This week’s movie - Captain America: Brave New World
Letterboxd Description:
The future favors the brave.
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, Sam finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Best Watched With
People who die on the Ed-Norton-is-the-real-Bruce-Banner hill.
End credit thoughts
Captain America: Brave New World picks up some time after Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) passes on his Vibranium Shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to take his stead. We don’t suggest going into this one without seeing or being at least familiar with the other MCU movies. The story is everywhere, so going in without knowing anything could get confusing.
President Thaddeus Ross has been recast and played by Harrison Ford, and we love to see Ford still at it, bringing his talent to projects at the ripe age of 82. It’s hard to hate a self-interested politician when it’s played by someone as respectable as Ford—who does the role justice after the passing of William Hurt (rest in peace). Mackie meets expectations as the New Captain America—we know we love him, and we root for him, but it’s hard to feel for him in this one.
And this isn’t a knock on Mackie’s acting but more of a shot at the writing. Danny Ramirez, as Joaquin Torres, Captain America’s right-hand man, brings comedic relief and adds to the action. Some of the comedy lands, but most of it feels forced and heavy-handed. Comedy for levity is expected in Marvel movies, but Captain America: Brave New World writing focuses too much on landing jokes and doing too much, which makes it difficult to care for most of the characters due to the lack of character development.
There were five writers on this movie, and the project experienced delays and reshoots. All of these can be seen on the screen. We love where the story takes us: Ross moving from secretary of state to the president, seeing what a world without Steve Rogers looks like, the inner battle of Sam Wilson believing if he’s worthy or not, and the introduction of Red Hulk. This all makes for a good story, but as the movie goes on, it starts to fall apart and go everywhere quickly. It gives too many-cooks-in-the-kitchen vibes.
The action was not bad, but with a budget of $180 million, we expected stunning visuals, stellar stunt work, and consistency in quality throughout the film. Overall, it was a mediocre watch—it wasn’t Madam Web, but it was far from what we know Marvel can deliver.
You can wait till streaming for this one.
P.S.
If you do choose to see this on the big screen, wait until the very end for an end-credit scene.
Watch the trailer here
Friendship (2024) Directed by Andrew DeYoung
This movie has been on my watch list and was a Watchlist Worthy feature back in October 2024, but this past week, WE GOT A TRAILER! After watching it, I realized we are getting cinema gold that far surpasses “Laters on the Menjay” and sloppy steaks (I mean that as high praise to all involved parties).
Tim Robinson is a problematic white dude on screen, and Paul Rudd is an unproblematic white dude off of it. So I cannot wait for these two to clash in this Suburban tale of adult friendship that escalates and goes off the rails into unhinged territory.
In theaters May 9th.
-Jp :)
Letterboxd Description:
Men shouldn’t have friends.
Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, but Craig’s attempts to make an adult male friend threaten to ruin both of their lives.
Also Directed by Andrew DeYoung:
Would It Kill You to Laugh? (2022)
Rachel (2019)
ICYMI: 2025 Oscar Nominations w/ New Mexico Drew, Eric, & Josh #050
🎧 Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
New Mexico Drew is back on the pod!! Him, Eric, and Josh engage in discussion about the 2025 Oscar nominations. They cover a variety of categories, discussing snubs, predictions, and the merits of notable films and performances, including 'A Complete Unknown', 'Dune: Part Two', and 'Sing Sing'. The conversation also touches on the ethical considerations of using AI in film production, particularly in relation to Adrian Brody's performance in 'The Brutalist'.
As the hosts debate their favorites and defend their choices, they provide a comprehensive analysis of the year's standout movies and performances, making this episode a must-listen.
Tune in next week for | The Monkey
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