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Arts
Friday, April 19, 2019 — 5
In the run-up to “Avengers: Endgame,” I’m running down every movie and
TV show the MCU has ever put out and ranking them based on how well they
tell their stories with the means available to them. This is part three of a four
part series.
22. “Marvel’s Luke Cage”: Season one (2016)
As with many Marvel projects on both TV and on film, what makes the
first season of “Luke Cage” work more than anything else is the casting.
Mike Colter is electric in the title role, so unbelievably charismatic in every
scene that you couldn’t take your eyes off him if you wanted to. He’s more
than matched by his villains, played just as magnificently by Mahershala Ali
and Alfre Woodard. Seriously uneven narrative aside, the worst part of the
season might just be that no amount of time with these characters would be
enough.
21. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”: Season three (2015-2016)
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” truly comes into its own in its third season,
with Brett Dalton completing his transformation from a “big, brave brick of
meat” into one of the most deliciously evil villains the MCU has yet offered.
Meanwhile, Ian De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge prove themselves
to be the show’s hidden weapons — not just charming, but capable of
wringing more emotion out of a single glance than some onscreen couples
can with entire scenes.
20. “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017)
“Ragnarok”’s greatest weakness is that it’s a sequel to “The Dark World,”
and thus must spend its entire first act cleaning up that film’s mess before
Taika Waititi can get around to telling his own story. There’s a notable shift
the moment the story gets to Sakaar, and from there, Waititi is free to realize
his heavy metal-inspired dreams for all to see. I may not love this as much
as others, but there’s no denying how
special it is to watch the God of Thunder
finally get his due in his third solo film.
19. “Captain America: The First
Avenger” (2011)
“The First Avenger” is a delight: an
old-fashioned, pulpy, cheesy delight.
From the moment he first steps foot
on screen, Steve Rogers is everything a
superhero should be — brave, noble and
selfless — and that’s before he’s turned
into a beefcake. The film functions in
much the same way; it’s a big-hearted ode to classic superhero movies, one
that reminds everyone watching that they don’t need a star-spangled shield
to be a hero.
18. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017)
Whatever the flaws of the landmark Sony/Marvel effort, director
Jon Watts absolutely nails the most important parts of “Spider-Man:
Homecoming” — namely, Spider-Man here feels more human than any
interpretation of the character since “Spider-Man 2.” Much of this is due
to the casting of Tom Holland in the title role but just as superb is Michael
Keaton as the Vulture, grounding the yet another larger-than-life story of the
film in some semblance of humanist reality.
17. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)
People dislike “Iron Man 2.” People are ambivalent about “The Incredible
Hulk.” But people hate “Age of Ultron,” and I just don’t get it. It would have
been so easy for Joss Whedon to let his characters stagnate in their second
team-up flick, but instead, he gives them arcs that admirably walk the line of
self-containment and feeding into conflicts to come. The action will always
be a big draw for these movies, but “Age of Ultron” also understands that
just as important are the moments where the movie slows down to give the
Avengers time to grow.
16. “Captain Marvel” (2019)
As if proving my point about “Age of Ultron,” the MCU’s most recent big
screen outing is at its worst during its action scenes, which all-too-often come
down to people just shooting beams at each other. Thankfully, much more
plentiful are the scenes focused on the characters and their relationships.
Captain Marvel is an immediately relatable potential leader for the next
generation of Marvel movies, the supporting cast is one of Marvel’s best and
Brie Larson’s performance is nothing short of incandescent.
15. “Iron Man 3” (2013)
Like “Ultron,” “Iron Man 3” achieved near “Last Jedi”-levels of vitriol
from some corners of the fanbase, and like “Ultron,” I think it’s a gem. The
title is almost misleading, as “Iron Man 3” is much more interested in Tony
Stark outside of the suit than it is in him as Iron Man. Most of the movie is
therefore spent with Tony running around without his armor, struggling to
cope with his PTSD in the wake of “The Avengers.” It’s a startlingly real story
to foist upon one of the MCU’s bigger personalities, but under the direction
of Shane Black, there’s an intelligent sheen to the whole thing that makes it
irresistible.
14. “Marvel’s Luke Cage”: Season two (2018)
The biggest problem with the first season of “Luke Cage” was that,
after all the grounded examination of privilege and the politics of Harlem,
the main antagonist was another guy in a supersuit. The second season
rectifies this, electing Alfre Woodard’s Mariah Dillard for the role of the lead
villain and setting the stage for a gripping season where the line between
what’s right and wrong becomes more blurred than anyone would like. Her
showstopping monologue in the ninth episode should have netted her an
Emmy.
13. “Marvel’s The Punisher”: Season one (2017)
“The Punisher” would always face a tricky release, as releasing a series
centered on a gun-toting mass murderer at a time of great turmoil of
America’s relationship with gun violence is just a bad idea. There’s no glory
to the story of Frank Castle, though. There’s not a moment the show asks us
to actively root for him to shoot a place up in his quest for revenge. Instead,
“The Punisher” takes a look at PTSD and the soldiers afflicted with it and in
doing so becomes a mature, surprisingly affecting look at soldiers’ issues in
modern day America.
12. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”: Season four (2016-2017)
The fourth season of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” opens with Ghost Rider
himself rolling up to a gang of white nationalists in a flaming Dodge Charger
and crushing a man’s skull with his bare hands, and it somehow only gets
better from there. By all accounts, the run of twenty-two excellent episodes
that followed – split into three intensely character-focused arcs that kept
the pacing lightning quick in seeming
defiance of TV norms – should have
changed the way broadcast television
operated, and the fact that it didn’t is part
of the reason why traditional TV is going
the way of Edward Norton’s MCU career.
Next week, with “Endgame” upon us,
the MCU’s film arm blasts them out of
the park like nobody’s business while the
cream of the TV crop make their case for
why they should have a shot at the top of
the list.
A Marvel Cinematic Universe ranking, part three
FILM NOTEBOOK
JEREMIAH VANDERHELM
Daily Arts Writer
When “Killing Eve” premiered a year ago, it felt like
both a peculiarity and a given. Obviously a show like
this — an intense, stylish drama dealing in espionage
and assassins and grisly crimes — could spring from
the
brilliant
mind of Phoebe
Waller-Bridge,
whose “Fleabag”
is
one
of
the
most
inventive,
challenging shows
of the 21st century.
Strange as it
was,
something
about it worked.
The
show
has
found itself an adoring cabal of fans, a perfect coalition
of Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”) believers ready for
her career resurgence, Jodie Comer (“Doctor Foster”)
devotees awaiting her time in the spotlight and, of
course, lovers of exquisite womenswear. So with the
premiere of Season 2 of “Killing Eve,” which now airs
both on AMC and BBC America, everyone will be very
pleased to know that Oh is back, Comer is back and the
womenswear is back (it’s still quite exquisite).
In the first season, we met Eve (Oh), an MI5 agent
re-assigned to a secret passion project to hunt down
a mysterious assassin. That assassin would be the
glamorous Villanelle (Comer), who is, frankly, quite
flattered that someone has decided to pay so much
attention to her. But whatever thrill she derives
from being the subject of this investigation doesn’t
distract from what Villanelle does best: killing people
in rather gruesome, alarming ways. When we last
left Eve and Villanelle, they had caught each other
at last in Villanelle’s Parisian apartment and both
confessed to their deep infatuation with the other. An
uneasy armistice of sorts is achieved — until Eve stabs
Villanelle in the stomach and the elusive assassin flees
again. What a quirky, gory way to end a quirky, gory
season.
The second season begins not more than a minute
afterward. Villanelle, nursing an ugly wound, tosses
herself in front of a cab to get to the hospital. A dazed Eve
makes her way back to London (along the way she has
to ditch the bloody
knife before she
goes
through
airport security)
where
different
problems
await
her: Her marriage
to
the
sweet,
disgruntled
Niko
(Owen
McDonnell,
“Single-Handed”)
is on the verge of collapse and she is newly unemployed.
Oh gets to do her best work when Eve is spiraling,
and there’s a remarkable, gripping scene in the season
premiere in which a rattled Eve is doing nothing
more than sit in a bathtub, picking at her still bloody
fingernails. She doesn’t get much time to wallow
though. Soon enough, her boss Carolyn (Fiona Shaw,
“Harry Potter”) has rehired her (this is TV, everyone
is promptly rehired after being fired) and they’re back
to investigating the brewing mystery of Villanelle’s
employer. The stab wound hasn’t kept Villanelle down
either; she’s quickly back to scheming and manipulating
(and a little bit of killing too).
The scheming and manipulating, of course, is at the
heart of “Killing Eve.” At surface-level, the show is a
kind of mindless, stylish caper. But really, it’s so much
more: a meditation on the female psyche, a study in
power and vulnerability, an open question about what a
woman can or should do to get ahead. And hey, if we get
some coats and blouses along the way, what’s the harm
in that?
TV REVIEW
Rejoice, for ‘Killing Eve’
has finally returned to us
The sun was setting on a
gorgeous spring day in Ann
Arbor. Students milled around
outside Hill Auditorium, where
A$AP Ferg would be performing
shortly. I was occupied in the
Panera bathroom, mixing a
noxious concoction of tropical
vodka, peppermint schnapps,
Mountain Dew and Sprite in a
plastic bottle. After my brew
was prepared, my friends and
I sat on a concrete ledge on
the side of Hill Auditorium,
passing the bottle back and
forth among us. A$AP Ferg
was due to take the stage any
minute.
We entered into a dismal
scene. The crowd was spread
out throughout the auditorium,
the
energy
lackluster.
The
liquor
was
an
insufficient
bulwark against the lameness
of the situation. Soon, A$AP
Ferg
came
on
stage
and,
sensing
the
vibe,
almost
immediately called everyone to
rush the front against the futile
objections of the staff. Good
move — but not quite enough.
It felt like the concert never
really got going. One reason is
that most people there were
clearly not huge A$AP Ferg
fans. This is normal — most
concertgoers don’t know every
song that is performed, and it’s
common for non-fans to attend
a concert. However, Ferg’s
discography
is
particularly
lopsided towards a few massive
hits, so most people in the
crowd only knew him from
“Plain Jane,” “Work (Remix),”
“Shabba” and “New Level.”
The real, unsolvable problem
was the choice of venue —
Hill
Auditorium
is
packed
with
traditional
auditorium
seating, meaning the energy
of A$AP Ferg’s music can’t
really charge up the crowd
since, if you move more than
a foot in any direction, you’ll
trip over a row of chairs. It is
an auditorium designed for
ensemble performances and
lectures, not for hip hop or
any other type of concert that
invokes an active audience. I
think this arrangement also led
to a lot of pent-up aggressive
energy in certain members of
the crowd, most noticeably
the guy in front of me wearing
a Knicks jersey (with what I
believe was his own last name
printed on the back) who kept
trying to fight people. Outdoor
concerts in the spring are fun;
maybe MUSIC Matters, having
done outdoors concerts for the
day portion, should consider
that for future events.
While I think by and large
he did his best, I do have one
complaint with Ferg’s set. In
the middle of it, Ferg played
“First Day Out” by Tee Grizzley
and “I Don’t Fuck With You” by
Big Sean. While I understand
the Detroit homage, it seems
a little strange to play other
people’s songs that you aren’t
involved with at all during your
set. If all people wanted to hear
was a set of Tee Grizzley songs
played over the aux, I would
have done it for much cheaper.
I respect and appreciate that
he continued to pretend we
were a good crowd throughout,
as many artists would have
made
their
disappointment
known. It’s a testament to his
showmanship that he was able
to keep up a fairly convincing
facade the whole time, his stage
presence likeable and serious.
At the end, when he thanked us
for being a great crowd, I saw
some people laugh and shake
their heads.
When the lights were turned
on at the end, a quick glance
around left me questioning
the heavy use of the n-word
throughout the concert by the
audience during the refrain of
“Plain Jane” given the obvious
demographic tilt. After the
show I walked to Fleetwood
Diner and got a patty melt and
fries. It was good. It left me
hoping A$AP Ferg’s impression
of Ann Arbor wasn’t limited
to the narrow scope of Hill
Auditorium.
A$AP Ferg tried his very
best at SpringFest 2019
CONCERT REVIEW
JONAH MENDELSON
Daily Arts Writer
While I understand the Detroit homage, it seems a little
strange to just play other people’s songs that you aren’t
involved with at all during your set.
BBC AMERICA
MAITREYI ANANTHARAMAN
Daily Arts Writer
Killing Eve
Season 2 premiere
BBC America & AMC
Sundays @ 8 p.m.
In the run-up to “Avengers: Endgame,” I’m running down every movie and
TV show the MCU has ever put out and ranking them based on how well
they tell their stories with the means available to them.