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My 3 Strikes Against The Defenders

This morning, as I was sipping on my coffee, I started skimming through The Defenders again on Netflix.  I binged watched all 8 episodes on Friday and did my audio review on Sunday.  But after re-watching a few episodes I started remembering things I forgot to mention in my review.  I still thought it was great, but there are certain things that bug me.  So I guess you can call this an epilogue to Sunday's review, but here are a few things that just didn't sit right with me:

STRIKE 1)  I stated this on my audio podcast, but I think it's worth repeating.  I hate Danny Rand.  Iron Fist is one of my favorite Marvel characters, but the portrayal of Danny Rand in this Netflix universe is not the one I enjoy reading.  He's a whiny little bitch who takes himself way to serious.  Danny in the comics loves to crack jokes, often with his best friend; Luke Cage.  The Finn Jones and Michael Coulter conversations where, I think, Danny's best scenes.  Which is why I don't want a Luke Cage and Iron Fist season 2; I just want Heroes for Hire.

Now, we can say that this is all still "origin" stuff, which is why Danny isn't the IF we know from the comics, but what the hell is up with his iron fist impotence?  In the Iron Fist series Danny couldn't harness his Chi because he wasn't focused.  I thought we solved that problem?  Danny couldn't call on his glowing hand when he was being tackled by Hand goons in the board room, but he had it working just seconds later when Luke showed up.  What's the difference aside from it being an obvious plot convenience? 

I think I've already expressed my feelings on Danny later on in the season when the team discovers what The Hand wants him for. He becomes irrational, and makes me hate him more.  By the end of the season it looks like he may take over as the new Guardian of Hell's Kitchen.  I just hope it's a better direction for the character.

STRIKE 2) While there is no doubting Sigorney Weaver is a great actress, her character of Alexandra started out interesting, but she wasn't really that menacing to me.  I mean, we learned that she's lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.  And yes, she seems to be the leader of The Hand, with hundreds of soldiers at her disposal.  But I have to ask  "why?"  Aside from just being a bitch who wants to keep on living, what was her power?  Madam Gao and the rest of the Fingers seem to have some power and skill.  When did Alexandra use an ability that would make we, the audience, really fear her?  After a while I was kind of relieved when Elektra killed her and took her place.  I think Elektra's journey was far more interesting than an immortal business woman who bosses people around just because she's the meanest one.

STRIKE 3)  Throughout the series we know The Hand wanted Danny.  He was to open a door at the bottom of Midland Circle Financial that allegedly another Iron Fist closed(I'm hoping for Orson Randall).  There were several mentions by the Fingers that they really wanted to "go back home" or back to K'un-L'un.   This made me believe the door was a passage to(still missing) K'un-L'un.  

But when the door opens we see that it's bones of Shao Lao, the dragon that gave Danny his powers, or at least a dragon like Shao Lao.  The Hand begins taking the bones to make more "substance." That's it?  They kept talking about how all of New York is in peril if Danny opens that door.  So once they had mined all the bones then New York would, I'm guessing, collapse from a weak structure?  The build up of this "terrible thing" made it seem like some dark power was underneath New York.  But it was just dragon bones. 

 I just think the payoff was a bit week.  So the Fingers continue to be immortal and a pain in the ass.  Stick made it seem like an atomic bomb would go off.  But actually, an old Chinese lady just gets to live a few more lifetimes.   Am I missing something?  Did I just not get what the place really was?  If I am wrong, someone please tell me.

Dayspring Discussions: The Defenders Season 1 Review

Hi, I'm "one of those people" Who Signed Up For MoviePass

Hi, my name is Shawn and I'm one of these people who signed for MoviePass at $9.99 a month.  Since I live in a "full house" these days it's better sometimes for me to blog rather than podcast, and being that it's a Wednesday night and my house has 5 people(and 1 dog) in it, I thought it'd be best to share my thoughts on this MoviePass deal via the written word.  I'm not going to look up and reference anything so don't try and crosscheck my facts because I'm probably wrong.  All of this will be off the top of my head.

Yesterday, while spending the day at Six Flags with my family, my Facebook was getting links and messages in regards to MoviePass lowering their price to $9.99 per month.  MoviePass has been around for a few years.  I've heard the basis of it, and thought it was a little overpriced.  For a sum amount of money you can see one movie every day, but you can only see a movie one time.  Example:  If I see Spider-Man and I really liked it, I can not use my MoviePass to go back the next day(or any day) to see Spider-Man again.  To me, the other big drawback is it's not "every" theater in the U.S. so chances are my closest theater won't accept MoviePass.  However, one of the biggest theater chains in America, AMC, does accept MoviePass, and they are pissed.

They feel that by MoviePass lowering their prices astronomically it is a bad business plan that is doomed to fail, thereby hurting AMC's public image by being associated with MoviePass.  From what I hear, MoviePass has to reimburse the theater for every ticket they sell, which will be way more than they'll get from memberships.  

So in theory this all sounds like a bad business move right?  Does anyone remember how Netflix started making money?  They would ship you a dvd(sometimes 2-at-a-time) and then once you've watched it you ship it back.  At minimum, from getting a dvd to getting another one would take maybe 3 days.  So let's just say you got 2 per week, or 8 movies a month, but you only paid $7 for the subscription when it started.  Sounds like they would go out of business right?  How many days did you sit on your dvds, saying you were going to watch them only to keep them for weeks or months?  MoviePass is banking on the same concept! 

The average person goes to a movie maybe once or twice a month. Now, let's just say you go to the movie.  You wants snacks right?  Most movie theaters make their money off of popcorn and candy(which is why it's so expensive).  That's money the theater gets every time you use your MoviePass.  Also, most people don't like to go to the movies alone, so you want to bring a friend, and they don't have MoviePass.  Well that's one full price ticket the theater gets, thanks to MoviePass.

For those who know me know I love movies(see this blog for reference).  I try to see 2 new movies a week(whether in theater or on dvd).  But I also spend a lot of time with my daughter.  Add a job and the usual "normal stuff" and my only free time is 9pm-12am after my daughter goes to sleep and before I go to bed.  I don't want to pay evening prices!  Sure, I can go on Tuesdays to my closest theater when it's only $5-all-day, but some Tuesdays I just don't feel like going. MoviePass now allows me to go when I have free time, and for cheaper than the cheapest days. Another limitation is MoviePass will not work for 3D films.  To that I say, "who still wants to see 3D movies, aside from maybe 1 or 2 a year?"

For the big movies(like Star Wars or Avengers) my wife and I buy our tickets weeks in advance, which MoviePass does not allow you to do.  So every few months I plan on spending full price to go see the big films, but the other 90% of films my wife doesn't want to see I can go on my own for a good price.

Now, AMC I heard is trying to sue MoviePass or even get out of their contract with them.  This news has made waves and MoviePass may be gone in a few months.  And if it is, guess I'll just go back to renting movies from the public library.  No worries.  Like Netflix, MoviePass is banking on the laziness of the American people who say they're going to watch that dvd and send it back, or those people who plan on using that gym membership they haven't gone to in months.  Also, how many more subscriptions has MoviePass gotten in the last few days that it didn't have last week; millions?  Maybe AMC better calm down and think about how this might actually help declining ticket sales. I can also see that once so many people have MoviePass they raise the membership fee(Netflix did).  For me, my cut off is $20 (4 x $5 movies a month)

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