#and honestly? Mike's best moments as a character are ALL tied to him embracing his care and love for Will + his friends

[emblazons]

The post I made was about Will x Imitation Game!Alan Turing yes—

—but don't think it's lost on me that the conversation I pulled (where Joan tells Alan she doesn't want him to be normal/what makes him different is what makes him great) is Alan talking to the woman he said he would marry even knowing he was gay—aka the conformity he (temporarily) agreed to because to do so would make him an outcast /hurt her more....just like someone else we know.

#...if you thought you could escape me comparing Alan's nearly marrying Joan despite knowing he liked men to Mike....lol #Mike is sitting in direct parallel to so many more aspects of Turing than even WILL if we look at the film version #and honestly? Mike's best moments as a character are ALL tied to him embracing his care and love for Will + his friends #something that gets aggressively stunted the more he tries to conform....and date Eleven #of course....you didn't hear that from me LOL #byler #gay mike wheeler #mike wheeler #my st commentary #stranger things

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #238 - Men in Black 3

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: Yes, #159.

Format: Blu-ray

1) For some reason it took ten years between the second and third films in this series, after five years between one and two. At this rate we’ll see Men in Black 4 in 2032.

2) The escape from Lunar Max is actually a very well done opening to the film.

It does well to re-establish this world which audiences haven’t seen in ten years. The sense of humor, the eccentricities, all of it. But more than that you get a sense for how dangerous Boris the Animal is.

3) Jemaine Clement as Boris the Animal

(source)

There are two absolutely incredibly performances this film gives us and the first of them is Jemaine Clement as the villainous Boris. Holy crap, Clement is just amazing in the part. Nearly unrecognizable under Rick Baker’s masterful makeup, Clement embraces the prosthetics and otherworldly nature of the character to make Boris something truly special. Every scene he’s in Clement just commands. It’s hard to top Edgar the Bug from the first film but honestly I think Clement’s Boris is my favorite villain in the entire film. He is uniquely memorable and totally fun to watch.

4) I love that, even after 15 years on the job, J still has fun with the neurloizer.

5) The first scene of the film does well to re-establish the dynamic between J and K. We never really got to see them as seasoned partners in the first two films but now they’ve been on the job for ten-fifteen years depending on how you count. This shows in the as-always strong chemistry between Smith and Jones, making for a unique facet of the film.

6) Zed may be dead, but that doesn’t mean Rip Torn isn’t in this movie. Did you see him?

7) Emma Thompson as O is a welcome and fitting addition to the world. A remarkably talented actress, it feels like O has been here the entire time and I love it.

8)

J [to K]: “How did you get to be like you?”

Unlike Men in Black II, which I felt introduced a number of interesting ideas but didn’t develop any of them well enough to be interesting. This film on the other hand puts a considerable focus on the question of how K ended up where he is. It’s a very personal story and we can tell the stakes are higher because of how K acts. He loses it on Wu, he gets really upset by K standards, which shows the audience something is up. That’s important moving forward.

9) The Chinese restaurant shootout is a very classic Men in Black action scene. Fun alien surprises, a bit of the gross out factor, good action, solid laughs, everything you’d want from this film in one scene.

10) The conflict between J and Tommy Lee Jones K, however brief it may feel, is incredibly rich and interesting. It sets up the relationship with J and Josh Brolin K very well.

11) The changes brought on by Boris’ time travel are fun to see. The fact that the woman who lives in K’s apartment is the waitress from the second film, a different guard at the door, and a random but appreciated Will Arnett cameo. The added detail of those who have experienced a disruption in the time stream craving chocolate milk is a fun element also.

12) I love how J is able to recall super specific details about K when he’s proving he didn’t imagine him. It speaks greatly to their relationship.

13) We never FULLY get an explanation for why J can remember K but no one else can. I think it’s because J saw what K did at the very end or something, but it’s never really fully explained. And even if that is the reason, why can Jeffrey Price remember it?

14) Time Jump.

Visually speaking, this scene is the crown jewel of the entire film. The way time moves and changes around J as he falls is unique in the time travel genre and incredibly fun to watch.

15) I love, J.

J [after getting pulled over by cops in the 60s for being a black guy driving a nice car]: “Just because you see a black man driving in a nice car DOES NOT MEAN IT’S STOLEN! [Beat] I stole this one, but not because I’m BLACK!”

16) Josh Brolin as Young K.

Brolin is tied with Jemaine Clement as the best damn part of the whole movie. Because holy freaking shit, his Tommy Lee Jones is kickass. It’s beyond freaky how believable Brolin is as a young Tommy Lee Jones, but what makes his role as K so good is that it’s not JUST an impression. Brolin is giving a performance which matches Jones’ while also making it his own. He’s playing a younger K, a K who is a bit happier. This K is the same character that Tommy Lee Jones plays but a different version of him, a line which Brolin wakes with finesse and perfection. His chemistry with Smith matches Jones’ and he just has a fun time on screen. I freaking love Brolin in this film.

17) I’m surprised it took them three movies to make this joke.

J: “Yeah, I was an agent for three years before I learned all models are aliens.”

18) Bill Hader as Andy Warhol/Agent W.

Hader’s cameo is one of the best gags in the entire film. He has probably five minutes of screen time but it’s Bill Hader and he totally steals the scene. The entire concept that Andy Warhol is an agent of MIB who is just bullshitting his art is such a unique idea that it’s hard not to laugh at the scene that follows.

19) Michael Stuhlbarg as Griffin.

Stuhlbarg is one of the finest character actors in modern day cinema, having appeared in such critically acclaimed films as Lincoln, Hitchcock, Steve Jobs, Miles Ahead, and most recently The Shape of Water. His work in Men in Black 3 is no less up to snuff as his performance/character adds a unique level of intelligence and wisdom to the film. Griffin is a hopeful, soft spoken, gentle creature who helps give the film an extra layer of sympathy and emotion. I think while we have absolutely stellar performances in Brolin and Clement, it’s Stuhlbarg’s Griffin who helps elevate the story as well.

20)

Young K [to J]: “Ask me any question. Anything you want.”

I love that. It gets to the heart of their relationship, a connection they didn’t have before, and further illustrates the difference between Brolin’s K and Jones’ K. It’s a great moment.

21) Griffin showing J & Young K the game.

There is one unique detail in this scene which I think helps make it so smooth and that’s the lighting. Anyone who sees the game Griffin is watching is lit in sunlight, but when J steps back he’s in darkness even though Griffin is still lit. It helps keeps the sense of place and action, anchoring it in physicality and reality.

Beyond the technique of the scene, Griffin’s entire philosophy on how miracles work adds a nice level of philosophy to the film which helps differentiate it from previous Men in Black movies.

22) The cycle chase is a great action set piece while the cycles themselves are a great addition to the franchise’s gadget canon.

23)

Boris [to his 1969 counterpart]: “You pathetic waste of Boglodite flesh!”

The scene with 1969 Boris and 2012 Boris just shouting at each other/shitting on each other is a unique and fun way to show the character’s self loathing. It helps you understand him a bit more.

24) I used this line in a paper I wrote for an AP English paper my junior year of high school.

Griffin: “But where there is death there will always be death.”

My teacher wrote something along the lines of, “I don’t think you should be using a Men in Black quote in this paper,” to which I ask: why not? I still got an A and it fit. Check your genre basis, public education system.

25) I ship K & O (OK? KO?). That is all.

26) Hey look! It’s Luke Cage!

The twist that comes about from Mike Colter as the Colonel makes the character extra important, but the fact that five and a half years later I know who Mike Colter is gives the scene an extra bit of rewatch value.

27) The Cape Canaveral climax.

The climax of the film plays with the idea of the two Boris-s in a fun way. The entire thing is well paced, well choreographed, and notably intelligent (especially in the way J uses time travel to his advantage). All in all, it’s just really fun to watch.

28) The truth about the Colonel.

This moment retcons a little bit of the first movie, of the relationship between J and K. But it packs a considerable amount of emotional punch to it, answering the question of, “What happened to K?” in a meaningful way. It’s remarkably sad, giving the film an extra layer of heart and emotion which makes me tear up a bit now for personal reasons. I love it.

29) It’s nice to see 2012 K with a little more heart to him, that he’s come out of this time travel adventure for the better and his relationship with J is strong.

30) The ending gag of the film does well to match the intelligence and organic nature of the marble gag from the first movie without feeling forced.

I really like Men in Black 3. There’s a chance it’s my favorite of the the trilogy (although objectively I think the first is the best). It moves past the problems of the first film to deliver an emotionally interesting, high stakes story. Jones & Smith’s chemistry is top notch but they’re joined by INCREDIBLE new additions to the film such as Jemaine Clement, Josh Brolin, and Emma Thompson. I definitely recommend this film, it’s a lot of fun and I think the most underrated of the trilogy.

#Men in Black #Men in Black 3 #Will Smith #Tommy Lee Jones #Josh Brolin #Jemaine Clement #Emma Thompson #Rip Torn #Alice Eve #Bill Hader #Michael Stuhlbarg #Mike Colter #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Movie #Film #GIF