October sure was a fascinating month for movies. Not only did we see the release of Todd Phillip’s Joker, a long-awaited sequel in Zombieland: Double Tap, and the stateside release of Palme D’Or winner Parasite, we’ve had plenty of movie-related controversies break the month apart. The first few weeks were reserved entirely around worries of Joker’s influence, while the last few weeks have seen a nonstop debate on whether or not we can call Marvel movies ‘cinema’.
Certainly, this was the perfect month to unveil a new segment on Cinematic Doctrine called Monthly Movie News. In it, my cohost Daniel and I take a look at some movie-related news we found interesting, entertaining, and worthwhile.
Be sure to scroll up and press that play button to hear our candid thoughts on the aftermath of the #1 Rated R movie Joker, Martin Scorsese’s comments on the MCU (and whether or not he would consider producing a Neil Breen movie!), speculation regarding Kevin Feige’s promotion over Marvel TV and Comics, and a few other choice stories that caught our interest in this debut episode of Monthly Movie News!
Below are a few highlights from the month:
Joker
Todd Phillips and Warner Bros. struck gold with Joker despite it becoming this years most controversial film. Easily considered a low-budget film with a measly cost of $55 million, this latest DC outing has earned a whopping $852 million as of the writing this article.
Soft produced on the newly created label ‘DC Black’ – a subdivision of DC related Comic Book movies – Joker paves the way for what Todd Phillips hopes will become a reliable series of low-budget actor-driven films with great directors. If the box office has anything to say about it, it’s likely we’ll see another crack at this DC Black sometime soon, although it’s anyone’s guess whether Warner Bros. decides people liked Joker because it was “dark and gritty”, or because, you know, it had a great performance, great score, great directing, etc. etc.
Our hope is to see more movies like this, although we’re not quite sure what’s next on Warner Bros. plate. Even so, it’s made for a fascinating discussion, especially as we delve into whether or not we feel the film is ‘irresponsible’.
Martin Scorsese on the MCU
Following his interview with Empire Magazine, Martin Scorsese – director of critically acclaimed films Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, both of which heavily influenced Todd Phillips and Scott Silver as they wrote the script for Joker – revealed that he tried to watch the MCU movies at one point but couldn’t.
He then goes on to say, “Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks.” Closing with, “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being,”
Social media was aflame with discussion about whether or not Martin Scorsese’s comments were appropriate, either in his apparent discredit of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or whether or not it mattered if Marvel had the same artistic merit as an art-house film considering the abundant box office numbers they bring in each release.
Even so, Daniel and I approach the debate with a bit of nuance, distilling the comments we’ve seen heavily expressed on Twitter and Facebook, even going so far as to target the real question here: What is art?
Kevin Feige Oversees Marvel TV & Comics
An industry change that is equal parts expected and surprising, Kevin Feige has officially climbed the highest rung of the Marvel ladder, overseeing the entirety of Marvel’s creative ventures. Reported by Deadline, Feige will now conduct not only Marvel’s film division, but TV and Comic divisions as well.
This continues a long streak of huge developments for Feige and Disney as a whole. We’ve heard plenty about Disney+’s offerings starting in November, as well as the immense financial success behind film juggernauts Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Fears of social interest waning in the wake of Phase Three seem to be a thing of the past as Disney gears up to enter an entirely new vision for what’s looking to be a chaotic new Phase in the Marvel universe, and Daniel and I take a look at what we speculate may be some interesting developments as well as cautiously take apart what it means for Kevin Feige to have such immense creative control.
Monthly Movie News is a podcast/article released at the end of every month and contains a discussion of the month’s most interesting, funniest, or ground-breaking movie-related news.
Consider supporting Cinematic Doctrine on Patreon! As a bonus, you’ll gain access to a once-a-month movie poll where you decide a movie we discuss on the podcast, as well as early unedited episodes of the podcast!!
Daniel Braindead is a Producer and Cohost of Cinematic Doctrine. Combining his BA of Biblical Studies, brief study in Journalism, and an overdose of film trivia and film history, Daniel brings clarity and comedy to every episode of the Cinematic Doctrine podcast! His prowess for cultural understanding and biblical application always brings something new to the table.
Cinematic Doctrine is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and other major podcast apps.
Cinematic Doctrine 