Marvel Movie Minute • Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Minute One Hundred Five: From Father & Son to Scientists ThreeJoining us to close out his week with us as we talk about Thor, Odin, and the Scientists Three is Will Freeland, host of the Hype Is My Superpower podcast!In the one hundred-fifth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Again, that look from Odin as he talks with Thor. There’s a lot Anthony Hopkins gives us to talk about as we read what he’s thinking as Thor says he hopes to make him proud one day.
• That beautiful moment between them though as he says he’s already made him proud? So good.
• Then Thor’s off to bug Heimdall about his new girlfriend.
• Apparently without an Observatory, Heimdall just stands here now. Interestingly, and perhaps intentionally, this looks much more like how Heimdall was stationed in the comics.
• Thor asks Heimdall if he can see Jane and Heimdall scoffs. Haven’t you heard about this guy’s eyes, Thor?
• This conversation is shot in an interesting way where you never see their mouths. Were they writing and rewriting this dialogue right up until the end?
• It’s a nice, fluid bit of camerawork though that leads us out into space off the end of the broken rainbow bridge.
• That’s a picture wrap on Heimdall! Well, at least his appearance. We’ll still hear him in the next minute.

We’re getting ready to wrap things up and Will Freeland helps us with it. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute One Hundred Four: From ‘How Is He?’ to ‘A Lot to Learn’Joining us to discuss missing mortals and fathers & sons is Will Freeland from Hype Is My Superpower.In the one hundred-fourth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Sif and Frigga have a bonding conversation about Thor and how mopey he is. We don’t see them talk. Just hear them talk while Thor walks alone through a mighty Asgardian hall toward his father. Because of that, it’s easy to confuse who asks how he is and who answers.
• It’s interesting that Frigga asks Sif about Thor, but then again, it makes sense. She’s one of his best friends. Romantic possibilities aside, they do share a bond so it works.
• What do we think about Sif’s response? Well, it makes sense that she recognizes him missing Midgard, but her comment about Jane is kinda funny. Sure, he misses her, but to call her out for being a mortal is odd.
• Yes, Jane is a mortal, but Sif almost makes it sound a bit dirty. Like she’s embarrassed he’s made that choice.
• Regardless, that’s all we get from them and it’s a picture wrap on Jaimie Alexander and Rene Russo in the movie!
• Thor ends up with Odin, who solemnly looks out over Asgard from a balcony in profile. The double profile shot is in interesting one, and certainly something we’ll see similarly next week.
• Thor and Odin talk about being king and being a father. Odin says Thor will be a wise king and Thor’s reply is that there will never be a wiser king than him. But hasn’t Odin shown himself to be a fairly terrible father?
• Odin’s reaction, though, is a look that can be read a few ways. Does he recognize that he’s made a lot of unwise decisions in his life?
• Still, Thor also says there will never be a better father. Really? After everything we’ve seen?
• At the very least, at least Thor recognizes he’s got a lot more to learn.
• And that’s a picture wrap on Anthony Hopkins as Odin!

Frigga and Sif talk. Thor and Odin talk. And we talk with will Freeland. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute One Hundred Three: From A Quiet Asgard to a Quiet QueenJoining us to say goodbye to the Warriors Three is Will Freeland from the Hype Is My Superpower podcast.In the one hundred-third minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• We’re back to Asgard but the streets seem empty now. Is everyone feasting? It feels a bit like an early model to showcase what they could do. Then again, the empty streets fit the music.
• In the dining hall, we see Asgardians happily eating. Then we cut in to see Volstagg telling a tale of fighting the Destroyer while Fandral gives him grief. But why didn’t we see this table in the wide shot? It’s a bit odd the way these cut together.
• Regardless, Volstagg’s tale is fun. Interesting and unfortunate that we don’t get to spend much time hearing it as his dialogue is a bit buried under Patrick Doyle’s melancholic theme. It makes sense – we’re here with Thor who is mourning. It’s just a bummer that this is the last we see of the Warriors Three in this movie.
• Thor walks off, sad and lonely. Sif notices. Have we had enough of her pining in this film? It feels like there could’ve been a bit more.
• Thor briefly holds his mother’s hand as they comfort each other before he walks off. We like this beat. Makes us really want more of Rene Russo.
• Sif rises and meets Frigga as the two watch Thor walk off. It’s a sad moment and Sif acknowledges Frigga’s loss of Loki.
• It’s interesting that Frigga says nothing but puts her hand on Sif’s shoulder. It’s very comforting, particularly as this small gesture from a queen toward one of her subjects can be seen as such a monumental moment.
• As mentioned above, this is picture wrap for Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano, and Josh Dallas as Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral. It’s a shame they won’t get much to do in the next two Thor films.

It’s a moment of goodbyes and finding comfort with Will Freeland. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute One Hundred Two: From The Mourning Scientists Three to The Shrouded Underside of AsgardJoining us to discuss the broken connection between Asgard and Midgard is Will Freeland from the Hype Is My Superpower podcast.In the one hundred-second minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• It’s a low shot looking at the back of the scientists three for almost this full minute. What a calm, melancholic way to end this chapter and connection. We tip our hats to Mr. Branagh!
• Darcy does some great fidgeting with her hair and hat and face before heading back to the Pinzgauer.
• And by the way, it’s a little odd at first seeing them walk away toward seeming empty desert until you realize, oh, duh – the Pinzgauer’s just over there.
• Erik gives Jane a look that says he gets it, but smartly doesn’t say anything.
• We cut to a dutch slightly overhead angle of Jane and her face just seems... a bit off. Something about her incredibly long lashes and the way the angle makes her eyebrows jut up. Still, it’s Natalie Portman and she’s ever so beautiful.
• So Jane walks away too. Patrick Doyle’s music stirs the emotions and tugs at the heartstrings here. So beautiful! Why wasn’t he asked to do more in the MCU?
• The camera slowly floats up into the sky and lo and behold! — We’re suddenly moving through the cosmos and are looking at the cloud-covered bottom of Asgard.
• It makes it seem almost like they could jump up and hit their heads on it but we get it – it’s cinematic shortcuts to really connect these two locations. We like it.
• It’s a surprisingly quiet, peaceful, melancholic minute as Jane, Darcy, and Erik acknowledge that they may never see their space friend again.

It’s a sad minute! Will Freeland mourns with us and the Scientists Three today. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute One Hundred One: From Two Brothers’ Fall to One Erik’s BackJoining us to discuss Loki’s last minute in the movie proper is Will Freeland from the Hype Is My Superpower podcast.In the one hundred-first minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Heimdall’s Observatory collapses in pieces and gets sucked into space by... what is it? Is the Bifrost energy creating some sort of vortex? It’s even pulling in some distant nebulae.
• Loki’s fall is terrific. He’s got a wailing scream that just seems the sort of scream you’d wail if falling to possible doom.
• So Thor grabs the end of Gungnir, which Loki’s holding, thereby keeping him from falling. But what was his plan from there? To fall into space together then maybe summon Mjølnir to bring them home?
• Good thing their father, Odin the Allfather, woke up just in time to catch Thor by the ankle!
• How did he get here so quickly?
• Loki pitches to his dad that he could’ve done it and been the victor. Odin’s response leaves us plenty to talk about. Perhaps get the boys up on the bridge before this talk?
• Loki’s face goes dark and he drops into the void of space. Again, where? How is this vortex thing working? And why? And just because he’s Asgardian, does that mean he can breathe out there as well?
• Thor says his only words here, and it’s to call out to his brother. Interesting that Loki never interacts with him in this scene.
• And that’s a picture wrap (sort of) for Tom Hiddleston as Loki! Okay, so he’s coming back in the post-credits scene, but that’s kinda its own thing, right?
• What’s up with the mysterious back of a man who looks very much like Erik back on Midgard? We’ll find out in tomorrow’s minute!

It’s the tragic death of Loki. Or is it? Will Freeland’s here for the conversation. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute One Hundred: From Thor’s Decision to the Destruction of the HiminbjorgJoining us to discuss Thor’s sacrifice and the end of Heimdall’s Observatory is Dr. Arnold Blumberg, publisher, author, educator, pop culture & comics historian, and friendly neighborhood zombie expert.In the one hundredth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Loki’s reaction to Thor’s decision to destroy the bridge is fantastic, like he really didn’t believe Thor would act.
• To that end, it’s interesting that Loki was the only person who had thought about using the Bifrost this way. Perhaps it’s that thinking outside the box that Loki did that inspired Thor to make the decision he makes?
• Part of this is Thor making the heroic sacrifice. Does that make the most sense here? Is there a selfish element here? Doesn’t Bifrost connect all the Realms and by severing it, Thor’s disconnecting all of them from each other for some woman he just met a few days ago?
• So the consequence is that this will affect them from getting to all nine realms, but there’s also a read that all nine realms – or at least Jotunheim and Asgard – could be destroyed by this explosive use of Bifrost. So maybe Thor is asking Jane to forgive him while doing it as a way to save her and everyone else.
• As the Observatory breaks down and falls, the Bifrost blast continues shooting out into space. Is it hitting other planets as it shakes around?
• Why does Odin’s eye open after that first hammer strike on the bridge?
• Loki’s leap toward Thor with Gungnir works well, and it’s great how it’s timed with the explosion to blow them both back.
• The smashing of the rainbow bridge is so well designed. Everything about it looks perfect.
• The explosion looks and sounds great. We get a great shot of it on the edge of Asgard and how this looks, even if we don’t really understand the floating island in space.

It’s an explosive minute and Dr. Blumberg joins us to discuss it all. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Ninety-Nine: From Dozens of Lokis to One Last TauntJoining us to discuss Loki’s magic, Thor’s plan, and the slow destruction of the Bifrost is Dr. Arnold Blumberg, publisher, author, educator, pop culture & comics historian, and friendly neighborhood zombie expert.In the ninety-ninth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• It’s so cool seeing so many Lokis here.
• Equally cool is having Thor bring the lightning to destroy them all, leaving just the one Loki. And Branagh’s use of the god’s eye view shot here is perfect.
• The sound effects are so perfect for the bridge. (Really through the entire film.)
• We revel in how great everyone works so well in this scene fully creating such a full, rich world for us because we actually buy into it all.
• Is there some element that bringing Kenneth Branagh on to direct this gives us so much of that coming from his stage background?
• We also really love having heroes that aren’t simply trying to kill their enemies. Putting the hammer on Loki’s chest is a perfect way to stop Loki.
• It’s interesting how slippery they make the bridge look now. It feels very dangerous how it sucks Thor toward it.
• With the debris getting sucked in from the nearby architecture, it seems a bit that this use of Bifrost could perhaps destroy Asgard as well. It’s even sucking in nearby nebulae.
• It’s great how Loki continues needling Thor with his words here. But it’s also all that he’s left with.
• The Mighty Thor finally gets referenced!
• Could Thor actually find a way inside to break the ice structure?

It’s close to the end of the battle between our hero and his brother, and Dr. Blumberg’s here for it. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Ninety-Eight: From An Aerial Assault to A Low BlowJoining us to discuss the fighty-fighty fight is Dr. Arnold Blumberg, publisher, author, educator, pop culture & comics historian, and friendly neighborhood zombie expert.In the ninety-eighth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• We debate the power of fights in these types of movies. Is there more they could do?
• Thor and Loki leaping at each other has a Big Trouble in Little China vibe.
• In context of all these fights, this one lands a bit in the middle. Not the best, not the worst.
• We walk through a few shots just to better understand what’s happening.
• Because Loki wields Gungnir during this fight, does that give him the fighting power he needs to match against Thor? Otherwise, why doesn’t he use more of his cunning style of fighting? Spinning on a spear? That doesn’t seem like Loki.
• It just seems like such a physical fight for Loki.
• But he is pouring all of his rage from a lifetime against Thor.
• And Thor does say he won’t fight his brother, so perhaps he’s also holding back a bit.
• How low a blow is it for Loki to bring Jane into it?

Thor blasts Loki through the wall of the Observatory.

• Loki falls off the edge, grabbing on at the last minute. He begs Thor to help him. Thor does, and Loki disappears. Turns out, this was all Loki’s magic to trick his brother.
• This is a perfect example of how we expect Loki to fight. It makes more sense than the other type of fighting.
• Thor falls for his brother’s trick and gets stabbed for it.
• So great seeing all the Lokis appear. What an expression of ego! Makes so much sense for him.
• Does Thor knocking them both through the wall start the Observatory to break down and potentially destroy Asgard as well?

It’s the required MCU fighty fight and Dr. Arnold Blumberg’s here for it. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Ninety-Seven: From Thor’s Defense to Loki’s TauntingJoining us to discuss all the fraternal drama is Dr. Arnold Blumberg, publisher, author, educator, pop culture & comics historian, and friendly neighborhood zombie expert.In the ninety-seventh minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• Loki wants to be heir to the throne. How strong of a plan is this though?
• Would his plan have worked if Thor hadn’t shown up? Why is he still following through with his plan now that Thor’s shown up to stop him?
• And what did he say to Frigga before he left for the Observatory?
• As we pointed out before, it’s largely because he’s operating from a point of emotion, not intellect.
• Loki fights so differently here. Instead of throwing knives and using cunning, he’s facing off with Thor like Thor’s counterpart. Was that a mistake?
• We pine for more great Marvel villains like this.
• Loki’s argument provides some great metaphors that apply to issues today.
• It’s interesting to look at the perspective on genocide. Thor had started a war earlier and killed plenty of Jotuns. Loki is doing the same in a different way. So it’s interesting to see how Thor’s changed through this conversation.
• Loki’s threat to go after Jane feels a little off here. But there is an aspect to it that implies Loki is just saying things to get Thor to stop preventing the Bifrost from destroying Jotunheim.
• Thor doesn’t want to fight, so what does he think of Loki taking two swipes at him with Gungnir?
• So much really goes back to the conversation Odin had with the two brothers when they were kids.
• Was it just through his Destroyer-cam that Loki knows about Jane?

It’s the big, bad, battle of words before the battle of brawn commences, and Dr. Arnold Blumberg joins us for it all. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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Minute Ninety-Six: From a Frozen Yggdrasil to Loki’s ReasoningJoining us to talk about Loki’s plan and the faceoff with Thor is Dr. Arnold Blumberg.In the ninety-sixth minute of Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor...

• We try to figure out what Loki is using to freeze the Bifrost Yggdrasil-shaped energy in Heimdall’s Observatory.
• It looks like he may be conjuring the Casket of Ancient Winters to appear right at the top of the ignition switch, causing it to freeze. Regardless, it’s difficult to figure out.
• We also debate what Loki’s plan actually was.
• There certainly is an element of Loki operating from an emotional place more than an intellectual place here.
• It’s interesting that Loki chooses to use the Bifrost this way. We discuss the nature of it being used as a weapon.
• There is a bit of a frustrating element with Bifrost being used as a massive super-laser like in Star Wars.
• But are we at a point where trying to figure out the space physics is a moot point?
• We discuss a bit about Loki’s plan about winning versus fighting and how there is an element – particularly with a warrior culture – that his method of killing the Jotuns actually makes a lot more sense than constant war.
• There are elements that remind us of Game of Thrones and also the use of drone technology.
• The lighting here is fantastic.
• The shot on Midgard does nice work to emphasize how Loki’s actions are affecting all the realms.
• That being said, what does it mean that all the realms can see this? Is there an element of danger for them all?
• It’s a bit disappointing we don’t see more Jotun beasts running from the Bifrost beam on Jotunheim.
• It’s interesting that Loki can continue using Gungnir, particularly in this way. We assume it’s because it goes with the king role rather than with Odin like in the comics.

Loki and Thor begin facing off as Jotunheim slowly gets blown up, and Dr. Blumberg’s here for it. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!Film Sundries

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