Reel Corner - January 2019

The Grinch

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The Future is Female!
Captain Marvel: the Galaxy’s Newest and Most Powerful Star


When Captain Marvel hits theaters in March it will be the 21st entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the first to star a female superhero. Over the past decade, MCU has assembled a diverse lineup of female heroes, from witches and warriors to widows and wasps. But never before has a woman headlined her own story until Captain Marvel (a part Kree, part-human pilot) made her comic’s debut in 1968.

Film fans know her only as the mysterious person in the last Avengers: Infinity War, and she’ll appear in the still untitled Avengers 4, presumably to help beat Thanos.

Multiple heroes have held the moniker over the years, but Carol Danvers is easily the most beloved Captain Marvel, thanks to her unparalleled abilities and penchant for sarcasm. She’s strong, of course, but she can also fly and shoot energy blasts from her hands. In the comics, Carol Danvers took the name Ms. Marvel after a violent explosion gave her powers and spliced her DNA with the original Captain Marvel—the Kree alien Mar-Vell. Over the years, Ms. Marvel has been written as both a feminist pioneer and problematic damsel in distress, but in 2012, she assumed the captain title for good in a comic series. Carol grappled with both her Kree perfectionism and her human flaws, and it was that quest for identity that brought the story to the attention of filmmakers.

“This is not a superhero that is perfect, or over worldly, or has some godlike connection,” said Anna Boden, the film’s female co-director. “What makes her special is just how human she is. She’s funny, but doesn’t tell jokes, and she can be headstrong and reckless and doesn’t always make perfect decisions for herself. But at her core, she has so much heart and so much humanity.”

The role requires emotional heavy lifting, but there is physical lifting, too. Brie Larson, who stars in Captain Marvel, started training nine months before filming. “I was an introvert with asthma before the movie,” she said with a laugh. “I really thought I was the worst choice for an action movie. I didn’t know I had a little Keanu Reeves in me! Who knew?”

Perhaps most importantly, the film is an opportunity to tell a blockbuster story about a woman who is funny, smart, powerful, flawed, and undeniably human. “When we were brainstorming ideas for what the story would be, I had the cover on the wall, this little girl Captain Marvel, flying with her hands out and a huge smile on her face,” Boden said. “And we were like: We want to make little girls feel like that.”

Captain Marvel  |  PG 13
Brie Larson, Gemma Chan, Jude Law, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
In theaters March 2019

Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) becomes one of the universe’s most powerful superheroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

References: www.dailydot.com, www.imbd.com, www.ew.com

ReelCorner DonneHeadshot0318Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts­—especially films—she travels to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters—Coligny, Park Plaza and Northridge theaters. To support her habit of frequent movie going Donne is a retired executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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