The current awards season has been pretty friendly to the superhero movie genre, with films like Black Panther and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse both receiving numerous accolades towards the end of the year. Now, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) have honored these two superhero films with some honors.
LAFCA honored Hannah Beachler for Best Production Design for Black Panther. Bringing Wakanda to life on the big screen was no easy feat, but Beachler and the rest of the design team found a way to translate Wakanda perfectly onscreen while also fitting it within the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The runner-up for Best Production Design was Fiona Crombie for The Favourite.
LAFCA also honored Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for Best Animation. Interestingly enough, the runner-up for this category was another superhero animated film, Incredibles 2.
Both Black Panther and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse continue to receive critical acclaim and notoriety towards the end of the year. For one, both exhibit some remarkable craftsmanship but it cannot be stressed enough how the cultural impact of having characters such as King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) as the lead of their respective films is so important and bodes well for the further diversification of the superhero genre.
Here is the synopsis for Black Panther:
After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king — and as Black Panther — gets tested when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people.
Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis, John Kani, Florence Kasumba and Sterling K. Brown.
Black Panther is now available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD.
Here is the synopsis for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse:
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind “The Lego Movie” and “21 Jump Street,” bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.
Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, & Rodney Rothman from a script written by Phil Lord, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse features the voice talents of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Jake Johnson, Liev Schreiber, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, and Lily Tomlin.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will be released in theaters on December 14, 2018.
Source: LAFCA
What We Learned About ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ At CCXP
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios shared some brand new information on their highly-anticipated sequel, Spider-Man: Far From Home. The film, which is the follow-up to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming marks the return of Tom Holland as Peter Parker following the release of Avengers: Endgame and will also feature the cinematic debut of Mysterio, who is portrayed by Academy Award-nominee Jake Gyllenhaal.
Here are some of the things we have learned about Spider-Man: Far From Home following its presentation at the 2018 Comic Con Experience (CCXP) in Brazil. Click “Next” to find out.
1. Peter Parker & Michelle Will Be Involved Romantically
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, we saw Peter crushing on Liz Allan (Laura Harrier), who has since moved away from Queens, New York with her mother following the fallout of her father Adrian Toomes’ (Michael Keaton) crimes as the Vulture. With Liz now out of the picture, we have Michelle Jones (Zendaya) also known as “MJ” that Peter has his eyes on. In Homecoming, Michelle seemed to tow the line between cold and friendly to Peter, with hints that she was romantically interested in him the whole time.
Now, it looks like Peter and Michelle have since grown closer with one another following the events of Homecoming. Perhaps their romantic connection will play a significant role in Peter’s motivations in Far From Home.
2. Aunt May Supports Her Nephew As Spider-Man In Far From Home
Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) found out about her beloved nephew Peter’s secret at the end of Homecoming. Now that she’s aware that he continues his hero work as our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, she is also fully-supportive of him despite the fact that he continues to put himself in danger.
3. Happy Hogan & Aunt May Share A Romantic Affair
This one comes as a bit of a surprise. Based off of information from CCXP, it appears that Aunt May is romantically involved with none other than Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). This certainly won’t be awkward for Peter.
4. Spider-Man & Mysterio Start Are Brought Together By Nick Fury
The narrative for Far From Home will begin with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) bringing Spider-Man and Quentin Blake/Mysterio together for a mission in which they must hunt down the Elementals. Mysterio has some knowledge about the Elementals and wants to defeat them to make the world safer.
The unlikely duo has been described to have a “brothers in arms” dynamic. What could possibly go wrong?
5. Spider-Man & Mysterio’s Relationship Is The Central Focus
During the presentation at CCXP, Gyllenhaal revealed that Far From Home will be a unique Spider-Man film due to the relationship between the beloved hero and Mysterio:
“The central point of the film is the relationship of Peter with Mysterio, which is a completely new dynamic. Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man. There’s no one more professional than him.”
Seeing Holland and Gyllenhaal acting alongside eachother will certainly be a highlight.