Harvey Parker

Marvel are currently on their longest streak of consistent quality since 2019 between Endgame and Far From Home. And if Brand New Day is good, that's 3 in a row. It only took 6 years. Can't expect to win them all. Little has changed in my opinion of this. I will say their chemistry could be a little better. It's not bad at all, and I'd say it improves as it goes on, but sometimes it can be better. I was having a crisis about whether or not I liked The Thing's CGI and similarly, it differs. I grew to appreciate Pedro as Reed more in this. It's an interesting take on a character with such high intelligence. Much more anxious and emotional take, considering the downsides, rather than Stark for example who's quite arrogant and witty caus he's the smartest. Also I feel this is a tad bit short. So much was cut and you can tell from the trailers, and that could have fleshed the family out more. And the ending hit me more than I was expecting. And my marathon ends there. Perhaps I'll do it again, but it will be way after Secret Wars. Maybe Avengers 7. I'll do a little retrospective after Brand New Day.

Red Guardian got on a wheaties box and Marty Mouser didn't. coincidence? I think NOT! Not much has changed regarding my thoughts on The New Avengers. In terms of the negative, I noticed the dialogue is slightly ropey sometimes. Bucky really feels like he's there for the fuck of it and it's rather frustrating. I hope the director manages to balance a group of heroes better in the new X-Men as it is done well here but again, it's mostly Yelena and Bob. But it's still the MCU movie with arguably the most profound and emotional message and it's presented very well. Also, it has a nice colour to it. Like, if someone showed me a clip I'd know it's this movie, which I don't know if I can say about the other MCU movies. Also, very nitpicky, but why the fuck just Walker keep the taco shield? And we can build this dream together, standing strong forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.

Mickey Rourke vs Bryan Danielson? Or better yet, Andre Phontes. What a fucking masterpiece. Holy shit. And I'm not just saying this as a die-hard fan of professional wrestling. What a beautifully tragic tale of a man so passionate but so self destructive, addicted to the ring and the connection he has to the fans to such a degree that everything else doesn't matter. Using wrestling almost as a safety net because his connection to pro-wrestling will never be severed, without realising the toll it takes on him, both physically and mentally. It's so well written. Truly an exploration with tons of depth that I just loved sinking my teeth into. First off I want to discuss what it was like for me to watch it, because I'm actually a wrestler. I made my debut a month ago so I'm no professional, but I have a certain amount of understanding. And the way this film presents the world of pro-wrestling is so accurate. The way the wrestlers talk to each other, the phrases they use like 'heat' and 'heel'. The respect they all have, the way they plan a match. Tanning, hair dying, working out. All things I've seen and know wrestlers do. Even the story itself is quite similar to real life in the way that wrestlers past their prime destroy their bodies in an attempt to hold on to their true love. Ric Flair has had so many retirement matches. Hell the only thing that wasn't accurate was that Randy moves way better than most his age. Looking at you Jericho. 'The Wrestler' is Randy 'The Ram' Robinson. A legend in the world of pro-wrestling, who puts everything on the line for it until he almost dies from wrestling a hardcore match. Denied the thing he loves most, he's torn between rebuilding the life lost by wrestling, or return to the ring where he may lose his life. Played beautifully by Mickey Rourke, Robin (who's gimmick/ character name is Randy) is such a likeable guy who just can't let go of what he truly loves. It's saddening to see the lengths he goes to keep up, from drug taking. from even the way Mickey carry's himself to display the wear and tear of being slammed and hit for 20+ years. And when he finds out he can't, heartbreaking. Then you find out the personal difficulties of the ring, with his daughter. Their relationship was so tragic and it's so heartwarming to see him try and recover their lost connection, dancing in an abandoned hall that represents their love for each other which has been left and unkept. Only for him to dissapoint once again, because he was denied by Cassidy. It's like his connection with the fans was the only one he believed in, and the ring was all that mattered, so he shut everything away. When you mess up in life, there are consequences and you will hear that. But messing up in the ring, the fans won't notice and will still cheer. His relationship with Cassidy was so cute and quite mirroring in terms of her also struggling because of her line of work and how that affects her personally. But he wasn't willing to part with the industry that never gave up on him, but was truly failing him. When he climbs the top rope and sees the empty curtain, but she did wait, she just couldn't bear to see him do this to himself. But all he thinks is that he's doing what he loves. He tried his hardest, but he never was Robin. He, was, Randy. And Randy wanted to fly. Who knows if he went too close to the sun. Masterpiece. Could gush about it for hours. Even the little details like the signing scene, the scene in the shop when he starts to get into the groove of his new life, when he played nintendo, the in ring action itself being amazing, the way it's shot making it feel so real, the ending. Loved it loved it loved it.