#nolan is a huge whedon fan

[theliterateape]

I Like to Watch | Zack Snyder’s Justice League

by Don Hall

Mythology is fun.

As a kid I loved reading Edith Hamilton’s book on the Greek gods and the myths. Hercules, Perseus, Apollo, and Hera—this fell completely in line with my love for superhero comics. The strangely petty human traits of envy, greed, and lust combined with the power to level cities make for some great storytelling.

Zeus was basically Harvey Weinstein in the retroactive revision we’re mired in today. If Harvey could’ve changed into a golden animal and boned unsuspecting ladies looking for careers in Hollywood I’m pretty certain he would. The gods and demi-gods of the Greeks dealt with daddy issues, mommy issues, bad relationships, and fighting. Lots of fighting. Sometimes for the good of humanity but more often for the glory of winning.

Zach Snyder is in the business of tackling myths and reframing them with a style all his own. His career has become its own myth.

From Dawn of the Dead (not so much a reboot of Romero's zombie mythology but a philosophical reimagining of the genre that arguably jumpstarted The Hollywood fascination with it), 300 (a borderline homoerotic take on the myth of the Greek underdog), and Watchmen (a ridiculously ambitious attempt to put one of the most iconic takedowns on the potential fascism of the superhero legend machine ever written) to his nearly single-handed hack at answering the Marvel juggernaut with Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snyder is in the artistic business of subverting and re-envisioning the mythologies we embrace without even seeing them as such.

Snyder's style is operatic. It is on a grand scale even in the most mundane moments. The guy loves slow motion like Scorcese loves mobsters and Italian food. When you're tackling big themes with larger than life stories, the epic nature of his vision makes sense and has alienated a good number of audience members. With such excess, there are bound to be missteps but I'd argue that his massive take on these characters he molds from common understanding and popular nomenclature elevates them to god-like stature.

Fans of Moore's Watchmen have much to complain about Snyder's adaptation. The titular graphic novel is almost impossible to put in any other form than the one Moore intended and yet, Snyder jumped in feet-first and created a living, breathing representation of most, if not all, of the source material's intent. Whether you dig on it or not, it's hard to avoid acknowledging that the first five minutes of Watchmen is a mini-masterpiece of style, storytelling, and epic tragedy wrapped up in a music video.

Despite a host of critical backlash for his one fully original take, Sucker Punch is an amazing thing to see. More a commentary on video game enthusiasm with its lust for hot animated chicks and over-the-top violence that a celebration of cleavage and guns, the film is crazily entertaining. For those who hated the ending, he told you in the title what his plan was all along.

The first movie I saw in the theaters that tried to take a superhero mythology and treat it seriously (for the most part) was Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie. Never as big a fan of the DC characters as I have been of Marvel, it was still extraordinary to see a character I had only really known in pages to be so fully realized. Then came Burton's Batman movies. The superhero film was still an anomaly but steam was gaining. Things changed with Bryan Singer's X-Men in 2000, then Raimi's Spiderman, and those of us who grew up with our pulpy versions of Athena, Hermes, and Hades were rewarded with Nolan's Batman Begins. A far cry from the tongue-in-cheek camp of the 1966 TV Batman, Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne was a serious character and his tale over three films is a tragic commentary filled with the kind of death and betrayal and triumph befitting the grand narrative he deserved.

I loved Singer's Superman Returns in 2006 because it was such a love letter to the 1978 film (down to the opening credits) but by then, the MCU was taking over the world.

Snyder's first of what turns out to be an epic storyline involving perhaps seven or eight movies was Man of Steel. It was fun and, while I had my issues with the broodiness of Kal El, the odd take on Jonathan Kent, and a redheaded Lois Lane, I had no issue with Superman snapping Zod's neck. Darker and more tragic than any other version of the Kryptonian, it was still super entertaining.

Then came Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. By 2016, Marvel had codified their formula of serious characters wrestling with serious issues of power and responsibility peppered with lots of good humor and bright colors. Snyder's desaturated pallete and angst-filled demi-gods was not the obvious road to financial competition.

I'll confess, I hated it. BvS felt half-rendered. Lex Luthor was kind of superficial and played as a kind of Joker. The whole Bruce Wayne wants to kill Superman thing felt undeveloped and the "Martha" moment was just stupid.

When Joss Whedon's version of Snyder's Justice League came out in 2017, I was primed for it to be a turd and I wasn't surprised. So much of it didn't work on any level. I dismissed it as DC trying and failing miserably and was comforted by the coming of Thanos.

Following Thanos and the time heist was COVID. Suddenly, we were internationally sidelined and the movie theater industry caved in. Streaming services started popping up like knock-off smartphones and Hollywood was reeling, doing anything and everything to find a way back. Since Whedon's disastrous helming of Snyder's third act, fans online had been demanding to #ReleasetheSnyderCut but no one was ever really taking them seriously until all movie production was shut down for a year.

The stage was set to remedy a mistake (or at least make some bucks on a do-over of a huge box office failure). Snyder had left the production in part because of the suicide of his daughter and in part due to the constant artistic fights over executives looking for the quippy fun of the MCU but he still had all the original footage. Add to that the broiling accusations that Joss Whedon was "abusive" during the reshoots, the path seemed destined. For an additional $70 million and complete control, Snyder delivered a four hour mega-movie streamed on HBOMax.

Of course, I was going to watch the thing as soon as I could.

The Whedon version opens with an homage to the now dead Superman (including the much maligned digitally erased mustache on Henry Cavill). The SynderCut opens with the death of Superman and the agony of his death scream as it travels across the planet. It's a simple change but exemplifies the very different visions of how this thing is gonna play out.

Snyder doesn't want us to be OK with the power of these beings unleashed. He wants us to feel the damage and pain of death. He wants the results of violence to be as real as he can. When Marvel's Steve Rogers kicks a thug across the room and the thug hits a wall, he crumples and it is effectively over. When Batman does the same thing, we see the broken bones (often in slow motion) and the blood smear on the wall as the thug slides to the ground.

The longer SnyderCut is bloated in some places (like the extended Celtic choir singing Aquaman off to sea or the extended narrations by Wonder Woman which sound slightly like someone trying to explain the plot to Siri). On the other hand, the scene with Barry Allen saving Iris West is both endearing and extraordinary, giving insight to the power of the Flash as well as some essential character-building in contrast to Whedon's comic foil version.

One thing I noticed in this variant is that Zach wants the audience to experience the sequence of every moment as the characters do. An example comes when Diana Prince goes to the crypt to see the very plot she belabors over later. The sequence is simple. She gets a torch and goes down. Most directors which jump cut to the torch. Snyder gives us five beats as she grabs the timber, wraps cloth around the end, soaks it with kerosene, pulls out a box of matches, and lights the torch. Then she goes down the dark passageway.

The gigantic, lush diversity of Snyder’s vision of the DC superhero universe—from the long shots of the sea life in the world of Atlantis to the ancient structures and equipment of Themyscira— is almost painterly. Snyder isn't taking our time; he's taking his time. We are rewarded our patience with a far better backstory for the villain, a beautifully rendered historic battle thwarting Darkseid's initial invasion (including a fucking Green Lantern), and answers to a score of questions set up in both previous films.

Whedon's Bruce Wayne was more Ben Affleck; Snyder's is full-on Frank Miller Batman, the smartest, most brutal fucker in the room. Cyborg, instead of Whedon's sidelined non-character, is now a Frankenstein's monster, grappling with the trade-off between acceptance and enormous power. Wonder Woman is now more in line with the Patty Jenkins version and instead of being told about the loss of Superman, we are forced to live with the anguish of both his mother and Lois Lane in quiet moments of incredible grief.

To be fair to Whedon (something few are willing to do as he is now being castigated not for racism or sexism but for being mean to people) having him come in to throw in some levity and Marvel-esque color to Snyder's Wagnerian pomposity is like hiring Huey Lewis to lighten up Pink Floyd's The Wall or getting Douglas Adams to rewrite Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

I loved Snyder's self-indulgent, mythologic DC universe.

So much so that I then re-watched Man of Steel and then watched the director's version of BvS (which Snyder added approximately 32 minutes). The second film is far better at three hours and Eisenberg's Lex Luthor now makes sense. Then I watched Zach Snyder's Justice League a second time.

After nineteen hours of Snyder's re-imagining of these DC heroes and villains, I saw details that, upon first viewing, are ignored or dismissed, but after seeing them in order and complete, are suddenly consistent and relevant. Like Nolan or Fincher, Snyder defies anyone to eliminate even one piece of his narrative no matter how long. With all the pieces, this is an epic story and the pieces left at the extended epilogue play into a grander narrative we will never see.

Or maybe we will. Who knows these days?

[ranger-report]

Opinion: DC and Marvel’s Multiverses Are Crucial To The Future of Superhero Film

Alright, buckle up kids, this is going to be a long one. Get some soda and some popcorn, or some green tea and avocado toast.

Back in the long-distant year of 1989, a little film called Batman released into theaters and became the film of the Summer. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson as Batman and the Joker respectively, it was a cinematic triumph that heralded a new wave of superhero films taking their source material seriously. Followed up in 1992 by Batman Returns, a sequel which increased the fantastic elements but was criticized for its darker tones, Batman’s role in movies was cemented in place by continued success. Of course, Keaton and Burton would leave to be replaced by Val Kilmer as Batman with Joel Schumacher directing for 1995′s Batman Forever, with George Clooney stepping into the cape and cowl for 1997′s Batman and Robin, a wild disaster of a film which nearly destroyed Batman’s chances in movies. But then, in 2005, Christopher Nolan brought a gritty realism to the caped crusader in Batman Begins, and continued this successful experiment with 2008′s Best Film Of The Year, The Dark Knight, and 2012′s The Dark Knight Rises (which was....fine). By this time the DCEU was beginning to get started, so a new Batman was cast for Zack Synder’s 2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and this role went to Ben Affleck. He reprised the role in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad and Joss Whedon’s Justice League, but bowed out of the opportunity to write and direct his own solo Bat-flick. So director Matt Reeves was tapped to direct a new Batman film starring a controversial choice of Robert Pattinson as Batman. With all of this, the question of the past 30-odd years is: which is your favorite Batman? Which one was the best? And how do these films fit into an increasingly convoluted canon in which a film series is rebooted every ten years or so?

What if the answer is: they’re all great and they all fit into canon?

Now, before we think too hard about that, let’s take a look at Spider-Man’s cinematic installments, which is almost more convoluted and in a more compressed amount of time. Beginning with 2002′s Spider-Man directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire, the amazing wall-crawler enjoyed a fantastic amount of success on the big screen, followed up by one of the best superhero films of all time, 2004′s Spider-Man 2. But Spider-Man 3 in 2007 took all of that goodwill and smashed it into the ground with a failure almost as bad as Batman and Robin a decade earlier. Plans for a Spider-Man 4 were scrapped, and eventually in 2012 director Mark Webb and star Andrew Garfield would bring a brand new Spidey to life with The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014. Both films were lively and energetic, but criticized for trying to stuff too much into their films -- especially the second one. Sony Pictures was attempting to ramp up a cinematic universe much like Marvel Films was doing at the time, but it was too much too fast. 2017 brought another reboot of the moviefilm version of Spidey, this time directed by Jon Watts and starring Tom Holland, with Spider-Man: Homecoming, this time under Marvel Film’s banner (thanks to backdoor dealing), and another cinematic triumph in 2019′s Spider-Man: Far From Home. But, unlike Batman, Spider-Man’s dealings behind the scenes are nearly as convoluted as his series. Sony Pictures owned the rights to make Spider-Man flicks for years, until Marvel managed to make a ludicrous offer after Amazing 2 failed to catch on the way producers hoped. So Spidey came to the MCU under a joint production, which is how we got Homecoming and Far From Home, but also maintained a different universe with the Amazing films, and then 2018′s Venom, and a little animated motion picture also in 2018 by the name of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.

Class, this is where I would like to direct your attention to the origin of the extraordinary events we are discussing today. Or is it the origin?

Into The Spider-Verse successfully proved that not only is the idea of multiple universes all connecting on screen a good idea, it’s an Oscar winning idea. Spider-Verse is hands down the best animated superhero film ever, and one of the best superhero films period. But here we must take note of certain ideas. The film provided much setup for a world where young Miles Morales begins to emerge with spider powers, but then Spider-Man is killed right in front of him before he can learn how to use them. Enter a Spider-Man from a slightly different parallel dimension, who not only turns Miles around, but find himself inspired to realign his own life. Spider-people abound through the film, all of them having equal weight and the possibility of spawning their own franchise without having to worry about impacting the canon of other universes. This is something comic books have done for literal decades, but Spider-Verse did it with such care and devotion that it won Best Animated Picture and became a mainstream smash hit. Marvel and Sony both sit up at attention; could this work with the major mainstream films they’ve been producing? So the experiment begins: we have a teaser trailer for Morbius, based on a vampiric Spider-Man villain, which features a cameo from the Vulture character first seen in Homecoming. And after dropping hints that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man could cross over with Tom Hardy’s Venom, Jamie Foxx recently posted about being cast as Electro -- a role he played in Amazing Spider-Man 2 -- for the third Tom Holland Spidey flick. Pictures went up on his Instragram seeming to confirm that not only was this the same Electro, but that all three previous Spider-Men -- Maguire, Garfield, and Holland -- would team up for the film. Multiple universes collide, a live action Spider-Verse, where everyone is crossing over with each other. Now, this lines up perfectly with Marvel’s MCU plans, as Doctor Strange has established in his film that multiple universes exist, and his announced sequel is even titled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It’s here. It’s happening. Every Spider-Man film is canon, they’ve all happened, and we don’t need to worry about which of them make sense or belong. They all make sense.

But just before this announcement, a month or so ago DC let slip that their plans for an upcoming Flash movie are taking cues from the Flashpoint comic books, in which Barry Allen goes back in time and accidentally creates a brand new timeline that he has to correct. Michael Keaton has even been cast as Bruce Wayne, the same Bruce Wayne that he played 30-odd years ago, a casting choice many fans have been clamoring for for years. On top of that, once word was put out that Keaton’s role would be similar to Samuel L. Jackson’s role as Nick Fury in the MCU, Ben Affleck was reported to be joining the picture as Batman also, a team-up no one saw coming. Even Christian Bale is being courted to join the universe-spanning flick, but reportedly only if director Christopher Nolan gives his blessing. Multiple Batmen teaming up together in a Flash movie to combat crime? Of course I’ve already bought tickets. Batman is the biggest box-office draw outside of The Avengers. And this concept opens up plenty of opportunities for DC, who’ve done Elseworlds stories in the comic for years. Joker with Joaquin Phoenix proved that DC films not directly tied to the DCEU can and will do well on their own; The Batman with Pattinson will no doubt further confirm that. But now Batman Returns is once again a viable film mixed into a comic book cocktail of wonder and excitement? And what’s wonderful is that this isn’t DC’s first big attempt at this. Slowly and surely, The CW’s Arrowverse TV shows -- Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow -- have been doing multiverse crossovers for years, building up to 2019′s mega-event Crisis on Infinite Earths, which saw Brandon Routh reprise his role as Superman from 2006′s Superman Returns, which itself is a sequel to Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Superman II. And for one wonderful scene, TV’s Flash, Grant Gustin, got to interact with the DCEU’s Flash, Ezra Miller, confirming that these TV and film universes are indeed one big cocktail of parallel lives and dimensions that all interconnect while still being separate. Hell, we even saw Burt Ward, Robin from the 1966 Batman show, alive and well an in his own little world. Batman ‘66 is part of the wider DC Multiverse! How crazy is that? And we even got a small tease that Batman ‘89 is part of all of this as well, when we got to see reporter Alexander Knox look up to the Batsignal in the sky as Danny Elfman’s iconic score played. In one fell swoop, in as few as a casual couple of cameos, DC made all of their live-action properties canon in the multiverse, meaning no matter which version you like the best, they all work together and work from a franchising and audience standpoint. The 1978 Superman and the 1989 Batman both existed in worlds that ran sidecar to 2019′s Joker and 2011′s Green Lantern. It’s wild, unprecedented in cinematic history, and wonderful for fans of all ages.

Why is this the future of superhero flicks, though? It ought to be simple: no matter what movies come out, no matter how wild or crazy or outside “canon” they seem to be, they all can work and they all can coexist without having to confuse fans. Many people were feeling the reboot fatigue as early as 2012′s Amazing Spider-Man, and while there was a huge tone shift between Batman Returns and Batman Forever, the Bat-films were considered all part of the same line until Batman Begins started all the way over. Now we have Batman 89 and Returns in one world, Forever and Batman and Robin in another (which was already a fan theory, mind you). Sequels that don’t line up with their predecessors can just be shunted into a hidden multiverse timeline and left alone without the convoluted explanation of having to “ignore” certain sequels. Superman III & IV were ignored when Superman Returns chose to connect only to the first and second films, but now we can say that they definitely happened....just somewhere else. There is now a freedom of ideas and creation that can once again occur when making big-budget films based on superheroes. No longer do creative minds need to be restrained to the canon and timeline and overarching plots defined by studios years in advance; “creative differences” don’t need to drive frustrated directors away from characters or stories they truly love. Possibly -- just possibly -- good ideas can become the gold standard once again for comic book films, not just ten-year plans for how to get Captain America from scrawny Marine to Mjolnir-wielding badass. Remember when filmmakers decided to make Joker the same person who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents? Or when they decided to give Spider-Man the ability to shoot webs from his body instead of technology? That certainly wouldn’t fly these days; studio mandates would require adherence to previously established guidelines, or at least what has been seen in the comic. What if now we could get a three-episode limited series on HBO Max of Gotham By Gaslight? Or a big-budget adaptation of Marvel’s 1602? Simply trying to wedge old comic book storylines into existing Cinematic Universes no longer need be a thing! We could get some of the wildest interpretations of superheroes this side of Superman: Red Son. At least, that’s the hope, anyway.

When comic books can step away from canon for just a few minutes, worlds open up and expand. An entire multiverse of ideas can become a feast of entertainment for many. And when there’s already so many beautiful, well-told stories set in alternate universes as comic book precedent, so too can there be beautiful, well-told stories set in alternate universes for film. And the best part? Now they all matter. And I think that’s the future.

[angelsinvestigations]

buffydarla replied to your photoset “TM!ROOT // ILLYRIA PARALLELS I guess if you’re going to be typecast...”

Your tags~~ my mind is blown

RIGHT? I did the math a while ago just to see which character had the longest run and whatnot and i couldn’t believe it when i saw it. The similarities are amazing. 

[taraljc]

my thing about Batgirl

(Reposting from mah Facebook, because reasons. Also, for clarity, I'm a 44 year old nerd girl who started reading comics when she was 11 or so.)

OK, so, possibly after drinking a statistically significant amount of coffee that I likely shouldn't ought to have done right before catching up on social media, I have now consolidated and cleaned up what was an open letter to Warner Bros but came across more as a bitter and angry rant about something I care a lot about, but the rest of you may not really understand or even care about. So here's what's been on my mind for quite a while now.

I've never been as incandescently happy as I was in this exact moment I learnt a certain womanising hack who has coasted on an outdated reputation for way too long is never going to get the chance to destroy one of my all time favourite female characters in the entire history of comics. I feel as if need to commemorate this with pie of some kind.

(sweet potato pecan pie with bourbon whipped cream is the frontrunner at this time, assuming I can find $$$ to go grocery shopping for the ingredients except the bourbon because you know me. I always have bourbon.)

In case you haven't guessed this is gonna be about Barbara Gordon.

It amazes me how no-one has ever thought to adapt the EPIC storyarc by Ostrander & Yale about how a former vigilante became one of if not THE most power and influential non-superpowered women in the entire DCU after literally being thrown away like trash.

(Google the quote "Cripple the bitch." Trust me, it will make you understand where I'm coming from with a lot of this.)

Oh yeah, and not only did she do so using all the skills she already had before she put on a cape and kicked some ass as one of a dozen minor figures in the Gotham vigilante scene, but she created and ran one of the best covert teams in history.

(If you do not know who the Birds of Prey are, that's OK. An origin film would solve that problem for you.)

OH OH OH and not only was she running the Birds, but she was simultaneously acting as the Field Co-ordinator that turned her original vigilante found family into a much more efficient, effective, and powerful crime-fighting force not just in Gotham but the entire DCU.

All while transitioning to life with a disability. Did I mentioned she'd been shot through the spine solely to torture her uncle/father in one of the most mysoginist comics stories of the past 50 years? Sorry. I probably buried the lede a bit, there.

What really matters is, we're talking about a woman who used her research and cyber security skills honed by her day job as a research librarian and went up against Amanda Waller and came out on top.

If someone who claims to love comics as much as that guy who did that male power fantasy TV show about hot chicks back in the 90s can't figure out why Barbara Gordon as Oracle would have relevance or appeal, well...

What can I say. Maybe it's time to actually hire a writer who can deliver a solid script that doesn't reduce 50 years of history (the balance of which was spent not as Batgirl, but as Oracle) to a casualty of the feud between Bats and the Joker?

So you know, if anybody's looking for a list of creatives that as both a comics fan and a film fanatic whom I believe would be more than up to the challenge, I am ready to write a six part series on @TheMarySue any time. Y'all know where to find me.

I think what a lot of people don't realise that when you take a character like Barbara Gordon who trained hard in isolation, with no teachers or mentors, because she chose to join the fight because she knew she could make a difference, only to be under-used, under-valued, written off as collateral damage, and ultimately expected to fade away into the woodwork...

...there is an incredibly compelling story just sitting there waiting to be explored about how someone with that drive, those skills, that passion for justice who flat out refuses to let the world write her off. She takes the world by the balls and shows them there's still work to be done, and that you don't need to wear a cape and a mask to do it.

And THAT to me, ever since I was 15 years old, reading Ostrander & Yale's Suicide Squad while my other friends were off going to malls or Depeche Mode concerts or whatevs, was what made me a hardcore fan of Barbara Gordon. Not Batgirl. ORACLE. And THAT story of Barbara Gordon becoming Oracle is the story that I want to see told in theatres, to the masses, so they can see what I first saw in a former sidekick who turned into a massive powerhouse in the DCU not by force, but by using her intelect.

I've never got why people don't understand how HUGE it was to see a character who'd been literally thrown away like garbage, be reinvented as a character so much more important and integral to the future of comics, not to mention A++ representation of a hero with a disability.

If no-one can turn that incredibly compelling story into a 120 page screenplay, then it's time to stop looking to the same 4 white guys (like for reals I am not kidding) to write comics adaptations for the big screen, and cast a wider net.

What I'm saying is, I think after the last 2 decades we've seen all there really is to see in terms of range from The Usual Suspects (David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan, Zak Penn, and the aforementioned womanising hack Joss Whedon) that have stayed at the top of studios speed-dial for far too long..

Time to spin that rolodex and give The Wachowski Sisters, Zack Stentz & Ash Miller, Allan Heinberg, Jennifer Lee, or Ava DuVernay a crack at nailing just the right tone and story for a big-budget feature Batgirl.

Look, I know It's easy to play armchair producer when it's not my $$$. But as a fan, Warner Bros. ain't getting a single CENT of my money if they don't take the lessons they learnt from critical & commercial success of Wonder Woman and apply same 1st class treatment to Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #320

Top Ten Things the MCU Did Right

Blimey, we’re nearly there, aren’t we? Avengers: Infinity War actually opens THIS WEEK which means I might have even seen it by the time my next Top Ten goes out next weekend.

OH MY STARS AND GARTERS.

(Sorry, that guy’s not in the MCU yet is he? Okay, how about…)

SWEET CHRISTMAS.

(I guess he’s not in the films, but the Netflix shows are allegedly canon, so it counts, it counts!)

Anyway, before everyone dies horrible deaths at Thanos’ hands this week, I wanted to celebrate Marvel’s tremendous success here. I’m not a film expert, but I just don’t think this has really been done before; not on this scale, not with this many moving parts. Ten years, nineteen films and counting, a couple of dozen principle performers, multiple directors and writers, one overall storyarc that bleeds in and out of different individual stories… it’s a remarkable, unprecedented achievement. No wonder everyone else wants a bite of the cherry, even though nobody has been successful (and, as a big DC fan, it pains me somewhat to admit that).

The MCU is a minor movie miracle and we should all be supremely grateful that it’s around, still going strong, and hopefully will be for at least another ten years. And here, for the record, are my top ten reasons why it’s been successful; what Kevin Feige and his collaborators have done right.

Read it and weep, denizens of Universal’s Dark Universe.

They walked before they could run: I believe, initially, only three or four films were announced: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Although they started out with the intention of a shared universe, they also started small: four more-or-less origin stories focused on individual characters. There was an ambition to do Avengers, an intent, sure; but they didn’t take it for granted. They didn’t block out dozens of future release dates. By focusing on getting the first batch of films right, as individual films, it created a solid bedrock on which to build the rest of the universe.

They kept it grounded: The first batch of films were mostly set on Earth with threats that weren’t entirely world-ending. Nothing was a huge, huge deal until the Avengers happened. Eschewing the stylised world of, say, the Burton/Schumacher Batman films, the heroes of the MCU lived in the “real world”, and faced more “realistic” antagonists. This grounded the more fantastical elements; nothing was too wild or wacky. There were no talking trees, no alternate dimensions, no magic; even Asgard was presented more as a European royal kingdom in space, rather than metaphysical deities. They took their time to let viewers embrace the world, before cranking up the comic book aesthetic.

The films varied in tone and genre: This has become more apparent as the MCU has evolved, for good reason; whilst the first batch – coming out at a rate of only one or two a year – were content to be variations on origin stories, subsequent films have really tried to vary the style to avoid repetition or franchise stagnation. Even in just the Captain America films, we have a World War II movie, a 70s-style conspiracy thriller, and a globe-spanning epic action movie-cum-war film. Thor always leaned towards comedy, before fully embracing the crazy with Ragnarok; the Guardians of the Galaxy films are both action comedies, and Ant-Man is probably more comedy than action. Black Panther is practically a Bond movie. Meanwhile, the Avengers movies themselves have been content to play potentially world-ending threats relatively straight, and certainly the marketing for Infinity War has suggestions of epic tragedy. This means, even as we get three films a year, they never feel like sequels or retreads. Doctor Strange was the closest we’ve gotten in recent years to a “Phase One” style of movie, and even that was visually trippy enough to stand on its own.

Using S.H.I.E.L.D. as a bridge was a masterstroke: Represented initially by Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D. served an important plot function by being the connective tissue between films; he’d go from talking to, say, Tony Stark to uncovering Thor’s hammer in the space of the same end-credit sequence. “You think you’re the only superhero in the world?” has become an iconic scene. S.H.I.E.L.D. allowed Marvel to create independent heroes in their own stand-alone stories, but similarly build a framework across the entire franchise, seeding the Avengers before the film was even a certainty.

…and destroying that bridge was an even bigger masterstroke: by the time of The Winter Soldier, we thought we knew what to expect from a Marvel movie. S.H.I.E.L.D. probably played the biggest role we’d seen at that point; Cap was working directly for them now, and they’d just saved the world in The Avengers. But by pulling the rug on the audience and the organisation – by having them infiltrated by HYDRA and then forcibly disbanded by Cap and Black Widow – it upended the apple cart. We didn’t know where they’d go from here. True, not many main characters were dying in the films, but there was now a sense that all bets were off; if they could, effectively, kill off S.H.I.E.L.D., then who knows what else they’d do? Destroy Asgard? Reveal Wakanda to the world? It also helped establish a new MCU, where they needed the Avengers, which in turn lead to a world which required the Avengers to be compliant to the UN. These decisions were made gradually, building upon past decisions, but each was a stepping stone to a more coherent and connected MCU.

They kept it light: pre-MCU – and even during their early years, really – the most successful superhero franchise was Batman, and the most successful iteration thereof was Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. The po-faced seriousness of that, coupled with the rather morose tone of the DCU at large at that point, allowed the MCU to set itself apart with a focus on optimism, friendship, and wit. True, Bale’s Batman had the odd one-liner, but all of the characters in the MCU were funny, even straight-laced ones like Steve Rogers or Nick Fury. The colourful setting and witty repartee became a hallmark of the franchise, and a refinement of the style can be seen in increasingly sophisticated ways: Civil War is really a tragedy of misguided good intentions and conflicted emotions, yet still finds room for terrific moments of comedy, whereas Ragnarok is essentially a comedy that still gives us mass slaughter, major defeats for our heroes, corrupted patriarchs, and the destruction of an entire homeland. From the trailers for Infinity War, this style looks set to continue, with T’Challa and Okoye bantering about Starbucks before (I assume) literally everyone is murdered.  

They learnt how to fly: sure, the opening films were grounded; yeah, they mostly focused on Earthbound heroes; fine, the majority of characters were either powerless or had a low-key skillset recognisable as advanced tools or peak athleticism (as opposed to a Loki skillset, which is basically great hair plus bitchy put-downs). However, as the MCU grew and became more successful, they smartly took risks, but also broadened their horizons. Guardians not only took us farther into space than was hinted at in Thor; it also gave us a talking raccoon and a living tree, multiple primary-hued aliens, a space station inside a giant head, and Peter Serafinowicz calling the good guys “A-holes”. Let’s not forget, too, that this was a full-on space opera with multiple planets, creatures, and ships, starring characters way outside the mainstream, that ended with a dance-off. Since then, the scope of the MCU has only widened, with Ant-Man giving us the Quantum Realm, Doctor Strange taking us on far-out journeys across the astral plane, and Black Panther even possibly showing us a version of the afterlife. Panther’s treatment of worldwide black history, slavery, and racism in America is also further proof of a maturing, confident, and intelligent forward momentum for the MCU.

They caught Spider-Man: seriously, however they managed it, whoever we need to thank – Disney, Marvel, Sony – bringing Spider-Man into the MCU is one of the best things to have happened. It instantly gives the character a new hook, and an identity closer to the comics: a youngster pretending to be an adult superhero, in a world where there are adult superheroes to look up to. But the scene in Civil War between Tony and Peter really epitomises all of the great ideals not just of those two characters, or the film, or the wider MCU – even though it does – but the ideals of superheroes as a fictional concept. “If you can do the things that I can do, and bad stuff happens, and you don’t do anything, then it happens because of you.” Spider-Man is utterly crucial to that film, to Tony’s arc, to the wider MCU, because he represents – in a very Superman-ish fashion, and far more Superman-ish than Superman himself has been allowed to be in movies recently – the inherent goodness of a certain breed of superhero. Having this young, vibrant, intelligent presence going forward is a tremendous achievement.

They let directors off the leash: the first few Marvels had great directors, for sure – Branagh, Favreau, Whedon – but there was a sense of sticking, more or less, to the “house style”. When Edgar Wright left Ant-Man, it was assumed his flamboyant tendancies did not fit with the tone of he MCU. But, weirdly enough, ever since then, directors have been allowed to be themselves. It seems possible for auteurs to exist within the Marvel framework, and the universe is better for it. The Guardians films are resolutely James Gunn, Black Panther is very much the vision of Ryan Coogler, and Thor: Ragnarok could not be more Taika Waititi if it was actually set in New Zealand. These more personal approaches to iconic characters have resulted in better movies, and a better franchise overall, as it allows films to shine individually and for the overall filmscape to feel less homogenous.

They cast it very, very, very well: in my opinion, above all else, the single most consistently excellent thing across the MCU is how right the casting is. RDJ is Tony Stark, in so many ways, and his casting really set the tone. Hemsworth brings so much to Thor; sure, he can play the rich royal demanding horses and drink, the self-centred swaggerer, but he brought a humour that wasn’t necessarily there on the page, and gave Thor the richness and depth he deserved. Scarlett Johannsen, Paul Rudd, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland… I could go on. Mark Ruffalo is so great as Banner you forget he was a recasting operation (ditto Don Cheadle). But far and away the best is Chris Evans. Getting Cap right was difficult, and Evans did seem like a strange choice: he played the jock-tastic Johnny Storm to a tee in Fantastic Four, but could he add the gravitas necessary for Cap? Could he make this straight-arrow guy a charismatic leader and screen presence? Yes. Yes he could. He is, in my opinion, the most perfect piece of superhero casting since Christopher Reeve, and embodies the character at least as well. He’s practically Captain America off camera, too. And he’s just one of literally dozens of well-cast roles in the series.

So there you are. My reasons why I think the MCU has been the success it is. This is my patented formula, so if any other studios want a shared universe, you’ll have to pay me. My price is a four-pack of Guinness and a Blu-ray of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

[wazafam]

Director Zack Snyder gave his contemporary, Christopher Nolan, a private IMAX screening of Justice League’s 4-hour cut. This weekend sees the Netflix release of Snyder’s Army of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead’s (2004) spiritual sequel. Following the latter’s revitalization of the horror/zombie genre, Snyder made a name for himself bringing comics to life—from his adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300 to Watchmen, the director’s signature style and visuals being comparable to moving panels.

Nolan, who famously resurrected big-screen Batman with The Dark Knight trilogy, hand-picked Snyder to do the same for Warner Bros’ Superman reboot in 2010. After the success of Man of Steel (2013), Snyder was anointed as the visionary who would spearhead the DC Extended Universe. However, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) was hampered by studio interference and critically panned. Snyder’s “darker” version of its follow-up, Justice League, never made its way to theaters. Following a family tragedy, Snyder was forced to depart as director, and Joss Whedon stepped in to reshoot the project to be more Marvel-esque. Thanks to overwhelming fan support, the Snyder Cut of Justice League was recently released on HBO Max. Snyder’s Justice League is now universally hailed as superior to its theatrical counterpart—something Nolan advised Snyder never to watch.

Related: Zack Snyder's 2021 Movies Prove He's Better Without Studio Intervention

In an interview with The Telegraph, Snyder alluded to his friendship with Nolan; in particular, their relationship as coworkers, creatives, and contemporaries. Late last year, Nolan invited Snyder over to watch Tenet, and then, a few weeks ago, Snyder showed Nolan his 4-hour cut of Justice League – accompanied by a 15-minute interval – at a private IMAX screening. Read what Snyder said about that experience below:

Chris has been involved in this thing since Man of Steel, so I think it was as cathartic for him to see it as anybody,” said Snyder. “We had a long conversation afterwards about how it feels in its four-hour format in the theatre, and he said he thought it had regained its epic sensibility – that mythological aspect that I thought was inherent to the story I was telling all along. Now, I haven’t seen the other version” – the 2017 Whedon Cut – “but there is apparently a way to wring the mythological aspects of it. But for me, that’s the single thread that when you pull it out, the whole thing unravels. So we were both very glad to see it stitched back in.

Snyder’s Justice League represents the culmination of a story that began in Man of Steel and redemption for the DCEU. It contains and fleshes out more characters than its theatrical version and teases what the Snyder-Verse would’ve become, from Knightmare future to Martian Manhunter, had WB not abandoned it. Despite viral campaigns to #RestoreTheSynderVerse, it appears the studio has to intention of doing so. On top of that, Snyder appears to be at peace walking away from his time with WB’s DC Universe. Nolan’s long partnership with WB, which has handled the domestic and international distribution of all his movies since Insomnia (2002), has become similarly strained following the studio’s decision to release their entire 2021 slate on HBO Max the same day as theaters.

Nolan's Tenet was slated to be WB's major summer tentpole in 2020 before its release was derailed by the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, it premiered exclusively in theaters last September in the hopes that it would revive the theatrical experience, something of which Nolan—who films large portions of his films specifically for IMAX—is a huge proponent. Unfortunately, Tenet struggled at the box office, illustrating the risks of releasing expensive theatrical releases and influencing WB's HBO Max decision. Now, it doesn’t seem like Nolan or Snyder will be working with WB any time soon. Aside from its “epic sensibility,” one can only wonder what else the pair discussed while watching Snyder's Justice League.

More: Justice League: Christopher Nolan's Snyder Cut Credit Explained

Source: The Telegraph

Zack Snyder Gave Christopher Nolan a Private Snyder Cut IMAX Screening from https://ift.tt/3f8XPYX

[aion-rsa]

Injustice Beat Zack Snyder’s Justice League to the Punch

https://ift.tt/3vFSoXl

The release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a moment that belongs to the fans who petitioned for years to not just see a more definitive version of 2017’s Justice League but director Zack Snyder‘s complete vision for a Justice League film.

While the discourse over the quality of that vision will wage on, our own critic suggests that Snyder doesn’t quite achieve his goals for a Justice League film much less the idea of a live-action Justice League film so good that it somehow becomes hard to imagine that idea ever being done better. Perhaps some of those shortcomings can be attributed to the unique nature of his cut’s development and release, but there’s still a feeling that Snyder is chasing something he may not have the chance to catch.

What’s remarkable about his pursuit, though, is that in a strange way, we may have already seen an earlier and better version of many of Snyder’s ideas in NetherRealm Studios’ Injustice series, an incredible DC fighting game franchise that features epic superhero storytelling worthy of the big screen.

The idea that a fighting game series could surpass two cuts of a live-action Justice League film will probably sound like an exaggeration to some. Yet, the most shocking thing about the Injustice series isn’t the quality of the games, it’s the way that they superbly handled so many of the exact ideas that Snyder tried to emphasize in his three DCEU movies.

Injustice Shows a Batman/Superman Conflict Done Well

In spite of his better efforts, Zack Snyder struggles to effectively showcase a Batman/Superman conflict that is compelling for reasons beyond the prestige and power of the characters. Snyder’s Batman vs. Superman fights often come across as little more than a couple of alpha males posturing over the idea that the town just ain’t big enough for the two of them.

Injustice takes a different approach. By focusing on the idea that Batman and Superman are separated by their abilities to live with tragedy (especially after the death of Lois Lane), and their radically different philosophies regarding how to use their powers, Injustice forges a far more complicated relationship between DC’s two giants.

The Batman and Superman of Injustice 2 see different paths to similar goals. They don’t want to battle each other to prove who is best, and their inevitable battle is treated as the tragic results of all other options failing.

Injustice Effectively Portrays a Morally Ambiguous Superman

While Snyder’s portrayal of Batman tends to draw more heat, his take on Superman has been the subject of debate. He seems to be more interested in showing Superman as a figure who struggles to repress his godlike powers rather than as a beacon of hope for humanity. As a result, Snyder’s Superman more often comes across as a particularly large wrecking ball with a sour disposition. It’s not inherently wrong to portray a more morally ambiguous Superman; Snyder’s films just haven’t handled that approach especially well. 

The Injustice series features a far more interesting take on the Man of Steel. The Superman we find in Injustice still believes in being a hero, but a series of tragic events convince him that the best thing he can do for Earth is to be its unflinching mighty protector.

It’s a believable enough evolution of Superman’s mythology that becomes much darker once you see the tyrannical methods Superman is willing to employ in the name of “protection” and “justice.” He still believes himself to be a hero through it all, and the true tragedy is how we still very much want him to be that hero even as we question how far gone he is…and how far we’d go to preserve the idea of him we’ve crafted in our minds.

Injustice Balances a Huge Roster of DC Characters and Their Motivations

Both versions of the Justice League film have their ups and downs, but one problem each shares is a struggle to effectively manage the various team members and showcase them in ways that feel like they’re both getting their own stories and contributing to the larger plot. Snyder’s version is largely superior in that pursuit, but his four-hour epic still sees major characters disappear for long stretches of time and sometimes feel frustratingly interchangeable.

Injustice 2 is far from perfect when it comes to balancing all of its characters, but the game generally does a better job of managing its many heroes than Snyder’s superhero films. In a game that includes everyone from Batman and Superman to Swamp Thing and Blue Beetle, nearly every hero, villain, and major DC character is given a moment to shine as well a role in the greater narrative at play. Even when Injustice 2 becomes almost too much to keep up with, it usually finds a way to pull us back in by leaning into primary characters and storylines.

Injustice’s Villains Feel Like Properly Developed Characters

Despite Snyder’s attempts to improve Justice League’s villains, the film’s big bads — Steppenwolf and Darkseid at the forefront — rarely rise above simply being big and bad. They’re appropriate enough threats given the power levels of the heroes they’re up against, but they add little to the narrative beyond being the centerpiece for the inevitable big battle. They rarely rise above that “charging bull” description Alfred uses at one point.

This is one area where the Injustice series feels like the clearly better version of what Snyder is trying to accomplish. The first game sees The Joker and Lex Luthor (among others) mastermind a convincing plot designed to destroy the Justice League from within, while the second game employs Brainiac as the biggest new villain in a game certainly not lacking in them. The latter example is closer to the kind of bad guys that Snyder employs, but in Brainiac, we get a galactic level threat whose motivations are tied to the consequences of the hero’s actions and whose own actions genuinely left us wondering what would remain of the world that was left behind.

Injustice Successfully Sells the Theme of Unity Better Than the Justice League Films

Both cuts of Justice League film really try to sell the importance of these heroes coming together. The problem is that idea rarely goes beyond the “Megazord” philosophy which states that the only way to beat Rita Repula’s engorged creation is to join forces for the ultimate show of strength. There are few attempts to really emphasize the value and complexity of coming together, and what little efforts are made are drowned out by the spectacle.

The Injustice series handles the heroes ultimate coming together a little more effectively by showing us how the pursuit of unity is a constant battle. Even when Superman and Batman put their philosophical differences aside for a time to battle an exterior threat, there’s the lingering implication that the only thing that keeps them together is a threat that has the chance to destroy the world before they can play out their own conflict.

Read more

Movies

Why Zack Snyder’s Justice League Isn’t Canon

By Joseph Baxter

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Justice League: How Christopher Nolan Helped Prevent Zack Snyder from Seeing the Whedon Cut

By David Crow

Justice League treats the idea of uniting together as little more than another example of the “getting the band together” trope. In Injustice, we see how such alliances are constantly tested and how our heroes must continuously battle threats from the inside and out to remain truly united.

Injustice’s Dark Tone Is Complemented by Effective Moments of Levity

Snyder’s DCEU superhero films aren’t devoid of humor, but so much of the humor of those films feels like the result of a realization that there hasn’t been a joke in a while so someone better put one in there. We’ve seen what happens when someone tries too hard to turn a superhero film into a comedy, but that general lack of levity in Snyder’s recent efforts means that heavy moments sometimes don’t land as well as they should because there is so little to measure them against.

The Injustice games, meanwhile, are about as dark as DC storytelling can get. They deal with death, grief, corruption, and the loss of hope. Yet, they still find room for little moments of humor or lighthearted observations that aren’t just genuinely funny but feel appropriate for their characters and the situation.

When Robin says to Batman, “So you won’t kill, but you’re fine with traumatic brain injuries,” in Injustice 2, it’s both a great joke and a sly way of showing Robin feels that Batman is being a bit hypocritical by not seeing Superman’s point of view. There are too few instances of that kind of humor in the Snyder films.

Justice League’s Fights Effectively Help Tell a Story

If the Injustice games were little more than a tournament fighter-style title, they would likely still be respected for their rosters, customization options, and mostly solid mechanics. Of course, the Injustice games go a step further by telling truly epic story.

What’s really impressive are the ways that the game splices those tournament fighter matches into the narrative. It’s not always perfect (how many times do you have to beat up Bane?), but the way that the games utilize those fights as the culmination of major plot points helps sell the importance of the narrative moments as well as what is at stake during what would otherwise be fairly standard single-player fighting game matches.

By comparison, Snyder sometimes struggles to really sell the story during large action sequences just as one of his weak points as a filmmaker is finding the “action” and intrigue in extended dialogue sequences. Action and storytelling in those films sometimes feel like separate blocks rather than two ideas that should flow together. 

Injustice Builds Off and Improves What Came Before

DC films do not need to be like MCU films to succeed, but the lack of a cohesive DCEU structure has certainly hurt previous DC films and Snyder’s work in particular. While Snyder tries to tie Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman, and Justice League together, there are very few instances where those movies truly benefit from their association with each other. 

Injustice is an example of how the DCEU could have utilized more unified storytelling in its own way. By balancing sometimes maddening multiverse shenanigans, Injustice 2 picks up the best threads that its predecessor left dangling while also honoring that game’s story as a standalone experience that doesn’t demand a “next chapter” to work.

At the same time, Injustice 2 could easily be enjoyed as a standalone experience but works best when you’ve taken the time to familiarize yourself with the larger stories in play. It’s the kind of serialized storytelling that Snyder tries to utilize from time to time but ultimately falls short of properly mastering.

The Injustice Series Utilizes the Best of Video Games and Filmmaking

While Snyder has stated that some of his works are inspired by video games (he even said at one point that he would reward himself for making progress on Man of Steel by playing Call of Duty which…certainly fits), that comparison is more often brought up as a criticism by those trying to categorize his works as all style and no substance.

That’s a criticism that often undermines the fantastic storytelling of so many video games, but it becomes a bit more valid when you consider that Snyder’s real problem may be that he struggles to find that balance between spectacle and story that the best AAA games often achieve.

Again, you can’t say that Injustice is perfect in this pursuit, but there is something undeniably impressive about how it combines the best of game design with what we typically call “Hollywood filmmaking.” One minute, you’re customizing your gear and learning new combos in Injustice 2, and the next sees you swept off your feet by stunning cinematic sequences that advance the story through strong dialogue, exceptional cinematic design, and incredible visuals.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Snyder has succeeded in the past in terms of utilizing more video-game-like visuals and design concepts, but with his DC superhero films, he often struggles to blend film and video games in the ways that have come to define the Injustice series.

The post Injustice Beat Zack Snyder’s Justice League to the Punch appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[radicallymisandrist]

Justice League opinion

Can SOMEOME explain to me whyyyyy they didnt play the man of steel theme??!!! LIKE WHY?! It's just so beautiful and inspiring and it's HIS THEME.

I dont know if it's just me but I feel like they change Clark. He just doesnt... look like him. And that final scene... So old typical superman.... I feel like whedon changed basically EVERYTHING zack had changed from the old version of superman to the manofsteel version. Seriously. I hope Zack come back and bring us back our real justice league.

Yes, i like the film. But.. I just LIKE, I feel it like a parody xd so many jokes and laughs and WHERE WERE THE LAST 3 FILMS? Like, whedon, while you were changing the snyder version did you EVEN THINK ABOUT THE LAST FILMS and that they should have been.. Mmm... CONNECTED ? The character development should have continued??? I miss all that darkness and deepness that man of steel, bvs and wonder woman had. That subtle but deep feeling of hope for all the movie that the other had...

I am dissapointed. He changed every character (except Diana, she was the most similar to the other films and she stay in her deepness and justice mode I LOVE HER). I WANTED ME TO LOVE THIS MOVIE. Seriously. I thought "it is impossible that the fact that joss whedon edits the movie changes the dc world so much or that the movie deserves those bad rates and critics". But you know? It deserves it and GOD I HATE TO SAY IT. I'm a huge dc fan but the reality it' s YES i like the movie but not like a dc movie or a superheroe movie but like a action comedy movie. Not my deep and insightful dc world of dark knight or man of steel or batman v superman or ww. YES. MoS and BvS have a few fails but they have that incredible thing, those incredible characters, that beautiful feeling of hope... And it gets on my nerves that whedon took all that things away and we dont have the snyder version.

I just hope that the next movie is snyder style. I want my cute and shy and brave and awkard clark again. A flash more... Nothatmarvel, and less sexist scenes.

I feel like I want to delete this film of my mind. Seriously, that WAS NOT MY SUPERMAN. (yes, i repeat it again but I CANT STAND HOW JOSS WHEDON CHANGED MY CLARK!)

I need to re watch christopher nolan, snyder and perkins versions... Like urgently 🙄

[whoisthebestprince]

Why Marvel movies work and DC movies don’t.

While I love the lore and mythology of both Marvel and DC comic book universes. There is obviously several reasons why Marvel’s cinematic universe gets more praise and respect than DC’s. I have been there since the beginning and after years of reading in between the lines and a 2013 interview with Kevin Fiege, I can give a few credible reason why Marvels films work and DC’s doesn’t.

 Marvel looks for big talent not just big names. One of the first things that stood out to me in this interview is how Feige mentions that a lot of the marvel roster are actors and actresses who weren’t previously big house names. Some may argue that people like Robert Downey Jr was big name. Then I would like to remind you Downey’s career was in much turmoil before Iron Man (2008). Kevin Feige notes that in this interview as well. On the other side, you have DC Warner Bros who generally cast actors that have had well established careers and some are even big name celebrities. Ben Affleck, Will Smith, Jared Leto and at one time they were even seeking out Tom Hardy. Clearly DC has their head in a different place when it comes to casting. This unfortunately leads to the “too many cooks in the kitchen” dilemma. Big name actors like these come with big demands and some may even want creative control in the movie. Ben Affleck and Will Smith are especially known for this. This In effect can terribly jeopardize the quality of the film. For example in last year’s Suicide Squad. Giving more screen time to Deadshot than Joker, ignoring the fact that Joker is clearly the more interesting and established villain. One of the major criticisms of the film.

 Marvel trust their directors - In this interview Feige notes that there have been times where a director brings up an idea and Feige thinks maybe it’s a stupid idea. When it comes time for post-production it turns out it was a great idea after all. Kevin Feige revealed a helpful strategy in the MCU. He said he is mostly involved in post and pre-production. While Feige sets the foundation and gives the director the tools they need. He allows the director to deliver the on the promises and plans they made during the actual shooting and production of the film. This in turns creates a positive relationship between the director and the studio. Allowing him to her to bring their own vision to life while still meeting studio demands. In contrast, DC is known for being reactionary. Whether its them completely scrapping David Ayers original cut in Suicide Squad (2016) or Ben Affleck coming out this week saying he might back track on the next planned Batman film. This was apparently due to issues with the script. Overall, there seems to be a huge lack in order and organization in the production of DC’s films.

 There are checks and balances- You know what is better than having a strong visionary tell a movie? Having a talented visionary and a talented studio tell the movie. Ultimately there needs to be a balance to everything. When it comes to these big budget films that have up to thousands of people working on them. You need an efficient system in place to make a movie a success. Giving a director too much responsibility is perhaps what caused Chris Nolan to be completely burnt out by his third Batman film. Sometimes the director runs out of creativity during production, sometimes directors come up with bad ideas that need to be shut down. In 2012’s Avengers director Joss Whedon originally wanted the wasp to be in the movie. Marvel axed the idea and we get one of the best superhero movies ever made. Of course we don’t know how different the movie would have been. But Marvel has made it clear that they maintain a certain amount of supervision over their universe. Which is perhaps why director Edgar Wright ended up leaving Ant-Man (2015). Edgar had a vision he wanted to stick with. Marvel clearly was not on the same page. The end result however, was that we still ended up getting a fantastic movie.

 They have a Kevin Feige- To give one man all of the credit for a cinematic empire that the MCU is. Could be considered just bandwagon and unreasonable. But there is no doubt that without Kevin Feige it would be hard to say there would be a MCU. Feige is a well-seasoned and experienced film producer. He has been on the set of superhero films since the first X-men film (2000). Long before the inception of the MCU. He saw what works and saw what doesn’t. This is the perfect person to lead a multi-billion dollar studio. Unfortunately the DC studio culture is different. At Warner Brothers it seems to be a environment where it is every man for themselves. There you have so many talented people biting and scratching to try to lead the next big superhero film. Which does not lead to the consistency needed. It does not create a positive and creative atmosphere. And it does not lead to well made films which leads to disappointed fans like myself. I know that the DC comic properties have has some of the most brilliant stories I have ever read. It is utterly heartbreaking to lose hope for the DC franchise.

[alexfryerproductions]

My Top 10 Favourite films of 2017

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FILMS SELECTED ON THIS LIST ARE OF UK RELEASE DATES. 

Since I won’t be able to see another new release before the end of the year, I thought it would be best to get my list of favourite films out of the way before I depart for France for the Christmas holidays with no internet connection to accompany me. 

This year has seen quite a wide variety of memorable and outstanding films through blockbusters to independent works. While these films have entertained us, they have also provided quite thoughtful commentaries on the world we live in currently, whether it is on the treatment of women (Wonder Woman) or Trump’s America (The Florida Project) or the treatment of race (Get Out). Some well-known directors on this list have produced what could be their best works yet, to the point where they may have outdone themselves, while some rising directors have shown great development in their own craft. 

Without further ado, let’s commence with the list. But before we get down to the top 10, here are some brief statements of honourable mentions and my most disappointing film of this year. 

Honourable mentions 

Thor Ragnarok (Directed by Taika Waititi)  

Yet again, the Marvel Cinematic Film has delivered not only the best Thor film, but the best directed of this series. Having seen Hunt for the Wilderpeople from the same director, I was excited. Filled with style, colour, joy, eye popping visuals and hilarity from beginning to end, this is probably the most fun I’ve had in the cinema this year. 

La La Land (Directed by Damien Chazelle) 

Self confessedly, I am not a fan of musicals but given my love Chazelle’s Whiplash, I went to see what the huge fuss was about. Watching the film felt like staring at Edward Hopper paintings (which they are evidently inspired by) crossed with a stage play. On top of that, Chazelle inserts what he crafted from Whiplash while also incorporating techniques from other musicals to create a piece that’s a loving tribute to an otherwise forgotten genre. 

My one dishonourable mention (or most disappointing film of this year)

Justice League (Directed by Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon) 

Make no mistake, after seeing Wonder Woman, I really wanted to enjoy this film. Unfortunately though, this is just filled with an endless stream of problems. It is bland, dull, directionless and doesn’t even know what do with any of its characters. I would have put Alien Covenant here, but compared to this, that film had more ambitious film-making and desire to tell a story (even if it did fall short on the latter). 

And now for my top 10...

10.) Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Directed by Rian Johnson) 

While I did enjoy the previous recent instalments of the Star Wars series, this is the latest I was most surprised by. The film is full of twists and unpredictability, which, quite frankly, we have not seen since Empire Strikes Back nearly 40 years ago. With a compelling set of characters, nostalgia that is occasional and playful, a loving tribute to our princess (Carrie Fisher), plenty of new and weird elements never seen previously and a thought provoking narrative, Rian Johnson delivers a great Star Wars film that expands the vastness of the beloved universe and is not afraid to take risks along the way.    

9.) A Ghost Story (Directed by David Lowery) 

For those who have not seen the film, don’t let the title fool you, this is not your average ghost story (no pun intended) nor a frightening horror film in anyway. It is however in one word: beautiful. It has the visual melody of a Andrei Tarkovsky picture accompanied by the apocalyptic mood of a Godfrey Reggio film and the surrealism of David Lynch. Lowery composes moving images that all make for a poignant film. It is upsetting, strange and truly a bold piece of work. However one interprets this wondrous picture, the message delivered by the of end of this film is very powerful. Be warned: this film is not for the faint of hearts. 

8.) Logan Lucky (Directed by Steven Soderbergh)

In a another piece of confession, I have not witnessed any of the works of Steven Soderbergh prior to this film. But having heard nothing but praise and being fascinated by his rise as director, I went in with great anticipation and boy did I have a great time. Truthfully, I haven’t laughed this much at a comedy in quite a while. Whether it is the hilarious delivery from actors, the tension at play during heist scenes or Soderbergh’s independent applications, Logan Lucky is a tremendously different and clever breed of a crime caper and practically the feel-good film of the year. 

7.) Wonder Woman (Directed by Patty Jenkins)

Given my huge disappointment with how DC films were being handled, I was very apprehensive in seeing this. However, after the first half an hour, all I could do was just breath a huge sigh of relief because of Jenkins fantastic direction with this superhero outing. Is it formulaic? Like all superhero films, yes it is. But this has more heart, substance, style, great film-making and a thoughtful message above all else. The film reminded me of Richard Donner’s Superman films in their charm, tone, sense of fun and wonder and Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy in their maturity and grittiness. Wonder Woman is ultimately a sight to behold. 

6.) Logan (Directed by James Mangold) 

This is probably the film to signal the beginning of the end for the superhero genre itself. Even though I have enjoyed quite a few outings this year, I have been starting to feel a sense of fatigue for the genre, which will inevitably come to an end sometime, much like how the western did decades ago. The X-Men series had its highs and lows but has, nevertheless, persevered. Thanks to Mangold’s film-making and his blending of the western, science fiction and neo-noir and the gut-wrenching performances from both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, this is not only the best X-Men film but the best comic book film since The Dark Knight.  

5.) War for the Planet of the Apes (Directed by Matt Reeves) 

It’s very rare for a final film in a trilogy to accomplish a task that provides a worthy conclusion. Thankfully, War for the Planet of the Apes, proves to be one of those rare occasions. Matt Reeves constructs a piece that not only stands well on its own but also provides a spectacular end to the story of our main ape, Caesar, and does so in a emotionally satisfying manner. On top of that, Reeves expertly blends spectacle with, character, narrative, jaw-dropping visuals and emotion to provide a blockbuster that will be remembered in years to come. 

4.) The Florida Project (Directed by Sean Baker) 

While I have not seen Baker’s previous works, I was completely blown away by The Florida Project. It is impossible to determine how much of this film was improvised (like other independent works of the past) or how much of the film was written, which makes it all the more a fascinating watch. Taking cues from Jim Jarmusch, Vittorio De Sica and David Lynch, it mixes the harsh realist settings with the colourful visual tone of the story. This is independent film-making at its most visually gorgeous. 

3.) Baby Driver (Directed by Edgar Wright)

Even though one actor in this cast has lost my respect given the recent horrifying scandal going on in Hollywood right now, it doesn’t take away my enjoyment and love for Baby Driver. Edgar Wright is at his best as he crafts a spectacular piece of guilty pleasure with truly masterful film-making. Wright directs a film, which is practically ridiculous for the right reasons. All that ridiculousness serves the edge-of-your-seat action, characters and narrative, which is why Baby Driver is one of the most creative action movies I have seen in recent memory.

2.) Blade Runner 2049 (Directed by Denis Villeneuve) 

When I first heard that they were making a sequel to one of my favourite films of all time, I was terrified...but Villeneuve has done the impossible and has made a worthy sequel that may even be cinematically better than the original Blade Runner. At first, I was not sure how to digest it, but then the more I thought about it, the more I loved it. The film wastes no time with nostalgia (although there are a few tidbits here and there) and tells a story in a way that is visually gratifying, and answers questions left from the first film while also leaving some new ones. Villeneuve makes every image in the film matter as he transports us into this authentic, apocalyptic, yet beautiful world Ridley Scott envisioned. 

1.) Dunkirk (Directed by Christopher Nolan)

Truthfully, I am a huge suck-up when it comes Christopher Nolan. Nevertheless, (having seen it on 70mm IMAX) I just wasn’t prepared for the cinematic experience of Dunkirk through its grand-scale film-making. This was the most intense experience I have ever had in a cinema given its manipulation of both sound and images (thus giving it a feeling of virtual reality).This is the film where Nolan shows his true mastery in the art of film-making, whether it is through the script, genre-bending narrative, editing, practical effects, sound, score and so on. Nolan channels the ambition of David Lean, the precision of Steven Spielberg, the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock, and the craftsmanship of Stanley Kubrick. Dunkirk is a breathtaking masterpiece that is not to be missed. 

[thedeadshotnetwork]

The real Justice League is on The CW For decades, Hollywood studios stockpiled excuses for why they couldn't make live-action movies or TV shows based on Marvel and DC Comics' most popular characters. Even when millions of readers each month were following the adventures of the X-Men, the Teen Titans, and the Fantastic Four, those fans still heard that the comic book audience was too "niche," and that even the most cutting-edge special effects weren't advanced enough to make superhero action on-screen look as dynamic as it did on the page. Also, weren't all those colorful costumes ... well, silly? Anyone who's paid attention to the box office results over the past decade knows that Hollywood's hardly scared of superheroes any more. If anything, we're overstocked on caped crime-fighters and sneering super-villains. Between Marvel's Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy series, Fox's X-Men and Deadpool franchises, and DC/Warner Brothers' various iterations of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, scarcely a season passes without some kind of comics-derived property earning upwards of 10 figures worldwide. But the movies haven't exactly embraced superheroes, per se. DC/Warners' trouble-plagued new Justice League film is a case in point. The picture is sure to make a ton of money (if less than the studio had hoped ); and yet as with every other Superman or Batman project overseen by director Zack Snyder, there's something almost apologetic about it. It takes the integral elements of superheroes — the powers, the high-tech gear, the tragic origin stories — and amplifies them to the point that they become distracting. Judging by his Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice , Snyder is preoccupied with the mid-1980s period in DC history sometimes known as "the grim 'n' gritty era," when writers and artists tried to appeal to a more mature audience by making heroes like Batman more violent and brooding. All of Snyder's DC films — Justice League included — seem more concerned with the repercussions of actions than with the actions themselves. They answer the question, "What if superheroes walked among us?" with the decidedly dispiriting, "They'd probably suffer crippling PTSD." Snyder's not solely responsible for Justice League . Due to personal tragedy, he handed reshoots (and rewrites) off to Joss Whedon, the TV-trained writer-director-producer who's moved from the cult success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly to the billion-dollar-grossing Marvel blockbusters The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron . Whedon's known for his wry sense of humor and his admiration for heroes who sacrifice happiness and relationships to do what they think is right. It's hard to know exactly which parts of Justice League bear Whedon's signature and which are pure Snyder. But in telling the story of how Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and the Flash come together to fight an alien invader (and, in the process, revive the not-as-dead-as-he-seems Superman), Justice League plays up the characters' more eccentric personality traits for comic effect, while throwing in a lot of chatter about how important it is for someone with special gifts to lead an inspiring life. But like so many superhero films in the years since the first X-Men became a surprise hit in 2000, Justice League struggles to justify the obvious expense that went into making it. While the first massively popular wave of superhero team comics in the 1960s mixed "a group of powerful friends band together to save the world" stories with smaller-scaled adventures, on the big screen everything skews huge — from the bulky costumes to the overwrought plots. Aside from refreshingly lower-key exceptions like Logan and Ant-Man (and to some extent Wonder Woman ), these pictures are brassy and beefy ... bordering on a parody of what movie producers think superhero fans enjoy. Looking for an alternative? This week, The CW is continuing what's become an annual tradition, telling a story that stretches across its four superhero shows: Supergirl , Arrow , The Flash , and DC's Legends of Tomorrow . Because each of these series features roughly a handful of costumed crusaders regularly patrolling the streets, skies, and timeline, any given episode of this "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover could have a dozen or more DC heroes working together. In a way, it's a more faithful Justice League adaptation than Justice League . What's remarkable about the development of the "Arrowverse" is that it had such an unassuming beginning. When Arrow launched on The CW in the fall of 2012, it was a fairly down-to-Earth action-adventure show, about a brooding young millionaire gradually taking on the mantle of his city's protector. Nothing was overly flamboyant: not the outfit Oliver Queen wore at night as "the Arrow," not his enemies, not the kinds of weapons he used to stop criminals, and not his sidekicks. For flashiness, turn to The Flash . Spun off from Arrow , The CW's second show quickly became an exercise in how much old-fashioned whiz-bang super-heroics TV audiences could take. Embracing the characters' kooky comic-book roots — and taking advantage of advances in budget-priced special effects — the show pitted the super-speedster against psychic gorillas and sneering crooks with freeze-rays. It surrounded him with a support team who developed powers of their own. Most importantly, The Flash was (and is) a hit. By the time The Flash finished its first season, Arrow had moved more in its sister show's direction, with supporting players suiting up and becoming more actively involved in the missions. Before long, "the Arrow" had become "Green Arrow" (just like in the comics), and was working both with and against more super-powered characters — including the Atom, who's currently shrinking and growing every week on the shamelessly fantastical time-travel series Legends of Tomorrow . As for Supergirl , from episode one it's been unafraid to throw crazy-looking aliens and deep-cut DC characters and concepts into its mix. The Arrowverse is hardly a seamless operation. All four of its shows have gone through stretches where the storytelling has become needlessly convoluted and dour, making the same mistake that the movies often do: mistaking "heaviness" for "sophistication." It's also been hard for fans to ignore the various behind-the-scenes problems these series have been dealing with, whether its cast members abruptly dropping out over creative differences, or — far more seriously — core writer-producer Andrew Kreisberg recently being suspended due to sexual harassment accusations. But after two consecutive seasons of putting its title character through hell, The Flash 's writers have made a clear effort to lighten up this season, returning to the light-hearted adventures — and offbeat characters, like DC fan-favorite Elongated Man — that made it so popular in the first place. Meanwhile, very stealthily over the past two years, Legends of Tomorrow has become The CW's most reliably entertaining and thrilling superhero series, with an "anything goes" approach that compares well to past science-fiction ensemble shows like Star Trek and Firefly . It's nowhere close to being a TV classic like those two, but it passes the time agreeably. Ultimately, that's what makes the Arrowverse a truer comic book adaptation than any of the recent DC movies. There's nothing wrong with the ambition of those pictures, per se. Christopher Nolan's Batman films are impressively expensive-looking and effectively grapple with grand themes. Even Synder's work has moments of genuine awe, where watching his good guys and bad guys clash is like seeing actual gods waging battle in the heavens. But the classic Marvel and DC runs of the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s balanced the epic and the endearingly preposterous. They had room for characters like the super-stretchy Elongated Man, Arrow 's genius athlete Mr. Terrific, Supergirl 's shape-shifting Martian Manhunter, and Legends of Tomorrow 's animal-powered Vixen. Writers and artists working on monthly deadlines would take chances, trusting in the inherent disposability of cheaply printed magazines to let them bury any mistakes in the pages to come. The biggest difference between Justice League and the Arrowverse is the the latter's working in newsprint, while the former's trying to carve its images into stone slabs. One's recreational; the other's a chore. November 28, 2017 at 02:10PM

[thejohncamp3ablog]

How geeks killed their own culture and made #justice League a fucking Whedon shit fest #DCEU

I developed a huge distaste for hard core comic book guys, that pushed #DCFILMS to the edge and act like they aren’t a part of the problem now that #JUSTICELEAGUE became this “fan” service to their stupid undeserving asses, since they complained since 2013 every fucking day. Snyder this, Snyder that, dark, gloomy, unhappy, not smiling, not my Superman blah blah blah. You do these daily fucking moronic talk shows, telling #DCEU fans that this is wrong, that is wrong, websites pick that up and post it as news. Then the morons that run the money at Warner Brothers call that weakling Geoff and say, what shall we do, he goes

“Well let’s pander to the comic book crowd that is responsible for 270 million In DC comics sales annually” -  which means best case scenario around 4 million people, that would equate to a box office opening of 35 Million or best case 70 Million for all of them for one viewing, where a good Nolan movie would make that on a cheaper ticket than 2017 for about a week.

All these Collider, Screen junkies, Kevin Smith, ComicbookCast2, Mr Sunday Movies type of channels and a lot more I don’t have the time to name are the reason for the failure of DCFILMS, now they are cock swallowing the ugly monstrosity of Justice League, because you see Joss Whedon is one of their favorite MARBEL directors [no typo] and you see, he can’t do a bad movie, because you see Avengers were fucking awesome.

It is your fault, you repeated this lie for over fucking 4 years [1460 days], #DCEU fans were ok with MOS and BVS, sure Suicide Squad was off, but so are 10 MCU movies.

Now I have a Batman that reminds me of Clooney and a brainwashed Superman.

“I am a big fan of Justice!” – like who the fuck says that??

This isn’t your granddad’s Superman circa 1978, you fat fucks. Now all the Youtubers are praising JUSTICE LEAGUE because it’s what they ordered, little ugly mice. Fuck John Campea, Jon Schnepp, Mr Sunday Fucking Movies and the rapist from Screen Junkies, that all suck Star Wars dicks and praise the same fucking Marvel movies for being mediocre crap!

Batman v Superman is a cult classic! Admit it, it’s your fault, you poisoned the well and made everyone go pandering to you and the critics from generic sites like The Alabama Times, like who fucking knows movies in fucking Alabama and why the fuck should I care what Fat Bob, who is 71 thinks of my generations movies. Like go fucking watch Superman 78, old ass retired moron, that couldn’t cut it as a movie maker or a real ass journalist!

Dear WB if you want to pander to kids that are between 4 and 14, you can go and make animated movies, but when you make these, you put sex in them and violence and then for the adult stuff you make it like we are retarded or something. And critics praise your animated movies for being dark and mature and shit on your live actions for the same, that’s all you need to know about them.

[planetaviation-blog]

'Justice League': Review

Justice League is an entertaining, modest film that gives audiences the predictable offerings we can expect from a superhero movie like this – fights, action, explosions and one-liners. It doesn’t rank as high as The Avengers but it’s doesn’t tank. The story is a continuation of Batman V Superman, Batman goes around world to assemble the best super heroes to fight Steppenwolf, an evil demon that has been summoned by Darkside to collection three cubes, for when fused together can unlock the power of the Universe. What I liked about the film is seeing my favorite childhood superheroes from the cartoon days in a live-action movie all at once. Ray Fisher as Cyborg with a ton of emotional baggage to make him an entertaining Robocop  character. Gal Gadot is the face of DC now, it’s like she was put on this earth to play Wonder Woman and all the good she got from her solo movie that released earlier this year went over to the Justice League movie. But the standout star of the film was Jason Momoa as Aquaman. He brought a huge array of new masculinity which the cartoon and comic versions didn’t channel. There’s some things that I didn’t like about the film like the “star cache”. It’s the star power and shine that the hero characters bring into the movie, you don’t see it at first but it’s the psyche when an actor knows he made $150 million plus at the box office opening weekend. When you watch The Avengers you know you are watching big name actors but with Jusitce League when not all the cast are megastars like Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg it waters down the impact of the film and makes it seem like they are supporting characters rather than heroes you would pay to see even with their solo films on the way.

Now solo movies…from this film three of the six leads are getting solo films done. Ezra Miller didn’t have much flare for the Flash, you can tell he didn’t really take ownership of all his character’s nuances and that’s why solo films are so important. They can work out the details that weren’t showed in such a huge all-star movie but they deliver confident performances. These days Warner Bros and DC are in the start of a long-term strategy and are trying their best to separate themselves as far as they can from the Marvel Universe and build their own voice. You see it in the film from hiring The Avenger’s director Joss Whedon to the two credit scenes at the end which they did before, they basically used the blueprint of Marvel. It’s kind of sad because by this stage and this well known in the game you could have your own style and voice. I wanted DC to really give Marvel a run for their money but instead you get a knock-off Avengers film that falls short to the wonder of imagination. Unlike Marvel’s films, the cast doesn’t seem to enjoy themselves here. They get through their lines fine, but where’s the chemistry? The Justice League attempts at humor fell flat; the subdued comedy felt manufactured and the only comic relief coming from Ezra Miller’s The Flash felt stiff and hollow. I must say, I usually don’t mind CGI, but when you use it gratuitously for even simple sunset backgrounds, you’re just being slack. Maybe it’s my nostalgia for Richard Donner’s Superman films when scenes used real external shots in real cities, but nothing felt real in Justice League. Everything felt fake, from the barn scenes, the Daily Planet offices… Hollywood needs a return to authenticity and realness in their film locations.

And finally, this should be Zack Snyder’s last film with DC. I still can’t accurately describe it’s tone and style. Are they comical like Marvel or dark like Nolan? It’s something in the middle, but that middle needs to be fresh and novel and they’ll eventually get there. Justice League is neither epic or disastrous. It never hits the high marks of The Avengers, nor does it achieve the lows of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s a serviceable film that will provide all the action superhero fans expect along with a firm foundation for the DC Universe of films. Watch out for TWO end scenes after the credits. One is a funny scene comic book nerds will appreciate and the second pushes the story forward including a popular, familiar villain along with a brand new menacing face. Watch the trailer below and be sure to watch Justice League when it hits theaters this Friday (Novemmber 17). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9-DM9uBtVI Read the full article

[furederiko]

I wanted to post this on an earlier date, but my internet has been acting up as usual. Anyway... here's the first Random-News-Digest of April!

Disney Live Action

Following Eva Green, Danny DeVito, and Colin Farrell, another actor has been courted (in talks, not officially cast) by Tim Burton to join his "Dumbo" adaptation. And just like DeVito, this time it's another "Batman" reunion in form of the Batman himself, Michael Keaton. I guess now we only need Michelle Pfeiffer to turn it into a full on unofficial reunion, huh?

Keaton, who will soon be seen showcasing his antagonistic persona as Spider-Man's villain in July, is said to be offered yet another antagonistic role for "Dumbo". Namely, "an asshole circus owner with a taste for exploiting elephants". Looks like, he might the one who will be playing Vandemere after all, and not Farrell as I've previously speculated. For now, there isn't any official announcement surrounding the movie, so we'll have to wait and see whether any of these actors would sign up or not.

As for "Mulan", looks like it will contain songs after all. Niki Caro talked to Cinema Blend, and stated that "The live-action is based on that inspirational Chinese ballad and on the animated Disney classic. We're still exploring the role that music's going to play in it, but for sure there will be music.". Caro cautioned though, that the project is "very much a fluid project" for the time being, so we won't be hearing any specific details about it soon. Especially because she's currently busy promoting "The Zookeeper's Wife". Her desire is to make sure that the culture of the movie and character will be reflected appropriately. Let's just hope that it will end up becoming a musical like "Beauty and the Beast", because well, if it's not, then I'll probably go back and re-watch the animated original instead. It just wouldn't feel the same without the iconic songs, right? It would just another Mulan adaptation, like those many others that have come before this. After all, one doesn't need a "Reflection" to know that, the animated version was already "A Girl Worth Fighting For"... ;D

Disney Animation

"Wreck-It Ralph" was a special animated movie for me, because it combined the magic of Disney with the charm of classic 8-bit video games. After his adventure with Vanellope von Schweetz ended in the first movie, it seems Wreck-It Ralph was poised for a happy ending. But he will soon be taking on something bigger than just the arcade where he lives in. That's because during CinemaCon, the House of Mouse officially announced that the sequel is now titled "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2". The movie has also been given an official release date of March 9th, 2018. Which is less than a year away!

The 'Internet' bit shouldn't sound that much surprising, since the already revealed concept art has shown the two lead characters walking through spoofed names or icons of various popular websites and/or apps. The synopsis offically said, that Ralph, and possibly Vanellope will be lost in the Internet Data Space when a WiFi router gets plugged in. I think it's very likely that Ralph's game might end up becoming an app or some sort at the ending of this sequel. Perhaps even becoming a worldwide popular one. If that actually happens, don't forget, you've heard it here first, okay! LOL. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman are returning to voice Ralph and Vanellope, alongside Jane Lynch and Jack McBrayer who will be reprising their roles as Sergeant Calhount and her legal husband Fix-It Felix, Jr. Other confirmed cast include Jodi Benson, James Corden, Ana Ortiz, and also Alan Tudyk, with roles unknown for the time being. Tudyk used to play the antagonist in the first movie, but might be voicing a totally different character this time. Since he has become a regular voice actor for Disney Animation, taking part in all recent releases so far (even in form of a dumb rooster). I'm crossing my fingers that the sequel will be as fun and heartfelt, if not even better than the first.

Death Note

Hollywood's adaptation of "Ghost in the Shell" had unfortunately underperformed at the box office. Thanks to that, Paramount shifts the blame towards the critics for being more concerned about the movie's whitewashing controversy, rather than other aspects of the movie. To be honest though, while I haven't seen the movie myself, I've heard what the primary issue is all about. Admittedly, the way this version's story chose to tell the origin of the Major, felt more than just giving finger to the particular issue. It somehow didn't learn to avoid it, and instead ATTRACTED the exact criticism instead. In doing so, I doubt even Mamoru Oshii's approval could rescue the movie now.

Problem is, the same whitewashing issue has begun to migrate towards another title. This time, it's about adaptation for another Japanese story. You already know what category this is being talk about, so yes, it's "Death Note". In this case, because the main character Light Yagami has been renamed into Light Turner, and is played with a white actor in Nat Wolff. An adjustment the creators made, having the setting relocated to Seattle, Washington in this version.

If you ask me, this kind of criticsm is a bit bullish and exaggerated. A totally different situation to "Ghost in the Shell". I mean, like several horror movies like 'The Ring" or "The Grudge", stories like "Death Note" has more flexible ability to be told in a universal way. So forcing Asian American for the role doesn't sound justified, and felt more like a political agenda. If you look at it from business point of view, would the american adaptation work better if they use Asian-American actor as the lead? I don't think that's the case. Beside, it's more than just about Wolff, because apparently there are criticism aimed towards African-American actor Keith Stanfield, who will be portraying Light's foe, the elusive L. Those who are already familiar with the source material should understand that Light is the true 'bad guy', while L is in fact the 'good guy'. Now I can't help but wonder why Stanfield is even criticised for playing a protagonist, then. I mean, imagine a louder criticism should a white American fill that part instead. Should an Asian-American plays L as well? That would be selfish if you ask me, because once again, the character L is not bound for a certain race. Oh well, here's hoping "Death Note" will have a better luck than "Ghost in the Shell". Or those other adaptations for Japanese stories that Hollywood has attempted in the past. As I said, the two movies are a whole different scenario, and it wouldn't be fair to judge one using a similar parameter...

DC Films

Joss Whedon is writing and directing "Batgirl" for Warner Bros? The same guy who was previously turned down when he submitted a draft for "Wonder Woman"? WOW! Yup, that's the news that has been taking the world by storm since last week. Look at how the mighty (talking about WB of course) has fallen. Also, look at all those so-called 'devoted DC' fans who bashed Whedon for his critically and financially acclaimed "The Avengers". Who are now speechless to read that WB is now asking the help of the guy they hated the most. This heavily proved that WB is definitely course-correcting their DCEU or whatever it is you want to call it. It's even better news to know that they are humble enough to start looking outside of their studio's regulars. Key to creating something amazing, is by trusting it to the right person, not just someone who's available on their camp. Moreso, taking someone who used to work for their competitor, is a huge humble step as well. A sign of change. A smart one at that, due to Whedon's style of storytelling.

Eventhough it's said to be in final stages, deal is not set just yet. So things can still turn for the worse. I do however wish that the two sides will come into agreement. In fact, I think WB should just hire Whedon to be the creative consultant for the whole DCEU, and kick Zack Snyder, David Goyer, and others alongside their dark gritty tone far far away to oblivion. Forget "The Justice League", "Batgirl" is the movie everyone should be waiting for! The one that might inspired hope, optimism, and heroics, instead of angst and darkness. Now if they can get another great director for "Nightwing", I might just be really excited for the DC Films. Something I've been waiting to say for suuuuch a long time.

But Whedon's not the only one making news last week. James Wan and his lead actor Jason Momoa, as well as other cast and directors like Patty Jenkins took part on WB's presentation at CinemaCon on March 30th. And well, they've made some news about their respective movies. Wan delivered a reel of production art for "Aquaman", and succeeded in getting positive response from attendees. According to reports, Atlantis looked promising, and surrounded itself with massive sea creatures that was inline with a 'swashbuckling adventure' Wan had promised. This catapulted the movie to sit among Variety's top 5 Buzzmeter of the event. While her movie only made it real close to the same Top 10, Jenkins delivered new footage for "Wonder Woman" that received positive reaction from the same crowd too. Response for "The Justice League" footage might be the least positive of them all, as Variety even noted that the movie still felt "like a joyless affair" despite being filled with humor. No news surrounding "The Batman", and even Christopher Nolan refused to talk about it. LOL.

Does this mean "Aquaman" might be the surprise hit that WB and DC is waiting for? Will the tepid response for "The Justice League" translate into similar mediocre box office projection? We all need to remember, that movies like "Man of Steel" to "Suicide Squad" did get positive word of mouth during its production phase, but ultimately ended up as divisive if not totally disappointing affairs. My point is, it's safe to say, that when it comes to DC Films, nothing can be 100% certain. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see how these movies perform...

SONY Marvel Universe

You must be thinking, didn't I used the term "Spider-Man Universe" for this same category before? That's true, but starting with this one, I've officially changed it into "SONY Marvel Universe". Why? Because highly likely it won't even have a Spider-Man in it. So it would be wrong to call it so. And it's not just because Tom Holland's Spider-Man would be existing in an entirely separate universe, or that this one will not take place in that particular Marvel universe. But because SONY's specific universe might get a different rating as well. At the very least, "Venom" will not be a PG-13 movie, but an R-rated one.

I wonder if SONY is inspired by FOX and their R-rated superhero movies for this decision? I just hope that they are not getting the wrong message about FOX's success, though. I mean, sure, Venom has the potential for a gruesome and violent R-rated movie. But I also feel that the character would also work nicely in a PG-13 setting, and will obviously appeal to much bigger audience. So why bother going R-rated with one, right? Anyway, right now, Dante Harper of "Alien: Covenant" is writing the movie, and Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing. The real challenge, is working with the character's origin story in a Spider-Man-less universe. After all, Venom practically copied most of its appearance and powersets from a Spider-Man, so a universe without the friendly neighbourhood spider would be odd. If SONY can nail that issue, then perhaps the movie's going to work...

Universal Monster Shared Universe

Universal has released the 2nd official trailer for "The Mummy". This one was... okay, I'll be honest, I haven't seen it yet. And it's intentional, because I already have enough curiousity for this movie, that I would definitely check it anyway. Mainly because of Russell Crowe though, because I'm completely eager to see him becoming Mr Hyde. According to Birth.Movies.Death, this trailer was confusing to understand. Which can be a good thing, because it's meant to catch people off guard. Anyway, the movie will arrive very soon, as the start of many other Monster movies to come. I won't be checking them all, but if Tom Cruise can somehow convince me with this first movie, I might end up seeing the rest as well. Hollywood do need a good and working Cinematic Universe after Marvel's, right?

Conjuring Shared Universe

Wait... WHAT? I just realized that the Annabelle movie, has been branded as part of "Conjuring Shared Universe"! I didn't even know that a horror franchise can have its own Shared Universe, nor that the studio has been planning for one. I mean, does it even make sense? LOL.

Putting that issue aside, the first official trailer for "Annabelle: Creation" has hit the internet. And well, since I thought the first movie was rather weak and poorly written, I'm not too keen on this one too. As the title suggests, this movie will serve as a prequel or some sort to that first movie. One which unfortunately, is completely fictionized, as Birth.Movies.Death has pointed out with their research. Which is too bad, because turning it into fiction was what caused the first movie to be... well, disappointing. I honestly thought a prequel would adapt the true origin story of the real life cursed-doll, but I guess the director David F. Sandberg, and producers were too scared to even attempt such thing.

But you know what? The 'Shared Universe' thing is real. Because there's another spin-off movie in the works right now. "The Nun" (though that's just a title I made up tentatively for the sake of this essay), is the next in the "Conjuring" line. Focusing on the creepy nun character from "The Conjuring 2", this movie sounds like a prequel or some sort as well. Corin Hardy is set to direct the movie, and actor Demián Bichir has been cast to play a Priest. A priest who is sent from Rome to investigate the mysterious death of a nun. Probably the same nun who became a ghost, or another nun who has seen the ghost nun, and got... Okay that's confusing. We'll likely hear more about this project, because it has a Summer 2018 release date. Who knows, perhaps in 2019, it will team up with Annabelle to take on a powerful titan from space...

Hasbro Universe

Oookay, I've completely forgotten that we're getting this... uhm, Universe as well. You know, the one that will pit Hasbro's toylin... I mean franchises into one giant cohesive world. So we'll be seeing the gang of "M.A.S.K." meeting up with the "Transformers", or "ROM the Space Knight" bumping heads against the "G.I. Joe" members. And all kinds of those crossovers. So far, we've only seen "Transformers" being turned into its own universe though, with the upcoming "Transformer: The Last Knight" and that Bumblebee movie. So I'm not sure when this bigger idea, or dream will even come to fruition.

But it might happen soon. Why? Simon Waters, in charge of consumer product for Hasbro Studios, said to L.A. Times that there's going to be "a much more contemporary approach to the whole franchise, and that will allow us to develop different characters". What franchise was he talking about? "G.I. Joe"! You know, the one that starred Channing Tatum in its first movie, before he was seemingly killed off and replaced by Dwayne Johnson in the sequel. Does this mean we're getting a reboot soon? Hmmm... Waters' words sounded like shallow waters. I mean, why not go ahead with the existing one by revamping the next movie to fit a larger universe? That would be more convenient and effective. But let's give this a benefit of doubt, because a reboot might prove to be... better. Possibly...

Marvel Studios

And we've finally arrived on the last movie category, but also the first (or at least the first successful one) Cinematic Universe that inspired it all. And when I say all, I mean the 5 categories above this, without including other existing ones being openly/secretly planned out there! *sigh*. For now, nothing beats the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And that's probably why it has a loaded of fresh news almost every week!

Let's start with "Spider-Man: Homecoming"! Embargo for set visit reports have been lifted, and that's why we've got plenty of new and in some way rather spoilery information about the movie. But before we go there, go ahead and check out the 2nd official trailer that concluded those triple-posters release last week. Uhm... then again, perhaps abort that thought, because while it looked more fantastic and action-packed than the first, this particular trailer seemed to have shown a little TOO MUCH and might ruin your movie experience instead. This one felt similar to the case of "Beauty and the Beast", which included its entire (or mostly anyway) plot in one chronological sizzle reel! Unless the entire thing was a clever ruse, this wasn't something that Marvel Studios is known to do. So I can only assume SONY's pulling the strings on this one. But trust me, if you haven't seen it, it would be better if you don't. Because you might be startled to see Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man's major significance in it. As if he's the secondary lead character of the movie, and not just a random tech provider!

Sure, if we look at it optimistically, that means "Homecoming" is deeply rooted as important part of the MCU. But that might be a problem too, because we're not really sure how long the agreement between Marvel Studios and SONY will last. Particularly, when SONY seems intent to build their own separate universe using the Spider-Man characters. SONY's CinemaCon presentation only added more doubts and concerns about this fan-pleasing collaboration. After announcing that a sequel is already in the works, and will be part of the MCU, producer Amy Pascal mentioned that the future of the wall-crawler remains 'uncertain' afterwards. This statement had a negative impact, as many sites immediately began reporting that Tom Holland's Spider-Man will depart the MCU after "Homecoming". A certain gossip site even claimed SONY's new boss Tom Rothman is not pleased about this deal, due to the extra cost of having Gwyneth Paltrow's return as Pepper Potts. Truth is, Pascal did NOT state it that way. So it's just another classic case of quick assumption and misinterpretation, right? And rest assured, as noted and reasoned by Forbes, Holland WILL remain a part of the MCU for at least 3 more films in the future. At least until 2020. This include direct solo sequels to "Homecoming" (the next one is set to be out in 2019), as well as appearances in a Marvel Studios-produced movie. In fact, his involvement in the currently filming "Avengers: Infinity War", is already an extension of the initial contract between both Studios.

Now on to the set visit reports and random interviews with the cast and crew then! Holland talked to MTV (via Metro), and confirmed what Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had mentioned before. That his new Spider-Man movies will be using the 'Harry Potter approach'. In case you forget, or doesn't understand what that's supposed to be, it means when we see his Peter Parker in the 2019 sequel, he'll be just one year older in age, and a 2nd/3rd year student (depending on whether he's currently a freshman or sophomore) in high school. So by the time we get into his third solo movie, he'll be a graduating senior who's about to enter University. The same interview also revealed that Holland can't keep his mouth shout, as if the perfect embodiment of the character Peter Parker in real life.

And not just Holland, even director Jon Watts felt that he too, identified himself as similar to both Parker and Holland. Not in the sense of age, but with the pressure of proving himself in the big world of Marvel Studios. Talking to Variety, Watts admitted that like Parker who's never done anything big and want to prove himself to Stark, that's how he felt while sitting at the directorial chair. Watts was unafraid to show his earnestness on his inexperienced approach, which somehow transferred a similar vibe to the movie. Watts also revealed that he went through a long process of meetings before the folks at Marvel Studios decided to hire him. Owing that to his small movie "Cop Car", that made people turned their heads towards him. It so happens that he was also eager to make a coming-of-age movie as well. So the stars were certainly aligned for him. As for whether he will direct the sequel, he refused to say anything because he wanted to focus on finishing this movie first. However, as proven by fellow directors like James Gunn, the Russo brothers, and Scott Derrickson, if Watts nails "Homecoming", I'm perfectly certain that Marvel Studios and SONY will entrust the next one onto his hand again.

Also, speaking to Fandango after CinemaCon, Watts stated that fans can expect easter eggs about the MCU and Marvel Universe in general in "Homecoming". The license plate of one of the cars in the Ferry scene, is one good example for the small ground-level references we can discover in the movie. Watts confirmed several things as well. Department of Damage Control / DDC, the organization that has been developed as a TV series for quite some time now, will be debuting in the movie. It will play a major role towards the evolution of Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes into the wrong side of law. Intriguingly, the organization is said to have existed since the aftermath of 2012's "The Avengers". Yes, 'The Battle of New York', or as the Netflix series tend to subtly address it as 'The Incident'! This fact would be depicted in the first few scenes of the film (as reported by Coming Soon, though please exercise caution because the report might be meddling in spoiler territory). "Homecoming" will then address the event in "Captain America: Civil War", as we see Parker and Stark's relationship slowly evolve into a mentor/big-brother figure. And likewise, whatever will happen in "Homecoming" will also bring its own ripple effects towards "Infinity War". Last but not least, Watts confirmed that "Homecoming" will have a post-credit scene, that might possibly link itself towards upcoming Marvel Studios movies. "How disappointing would it be if there was just nothing?", he said.

Michael Keaton talked to Collider, and reiterated about the event that caused Adrian Toomes' building resentment towards Stark. In his opinion, Watts' approach is 'interesting', because in a way his character works as "somewhat of a victim. He takes things in that he feels like a victim, and some of it is justified actually. He believes that there’s an upper echelon of society of people who are getting away with a lot and have everything. And there’s a whole lot of folks who are working hard, and don’t have much". A fact that Keaton likened to the current political climate of America, as well as something personal for himself. He also confirmed Watts' previous statement that Vulture will be an average-joe antagonist, but also added one crucial fact: that Toomes is a father. Perhaps the few Marvel Studios' antagonist with a child on his own (it was hinted that Kaecillius of "Doctor Strange" also had a family), which adds a more sympathetic touch to him. But more than that, Toomes has a loyal crew, particularly Michael Chernus' The Tinkerer, who sounds like will have the potential to show up again in future installments. Who knows, perhaps Marvel Studios is slowly setting up a Sinister Six movie with Vulture, Shocker, and other possible future antagonists? That's certainly a possibility we can't simply dismiss.

Producer Eric Hauserman Carroll added more information about the movie. Speaking to Slash Film, Carroll revealed that the new suit that Stark created specifically for Parker, will have its own unique features. It would naturally contain more gadgets than any other version of Spider-Man suits that has appeared on the big screen, including an A.I. like JARVIS or FRIDAY. The suit will also enable different kind of webbings. Carroll said that there are spinning web, web ball, ricochet, and other stuffs that Stark built into Parker's arsenal, and most of it was done practically. To Coming Soon, Carroll said that Parker will be forced to adjust the glamour life of being part of the Avengers for a very limited time, to then return to a cold crowded daily life of being an outcast. It's a stark contrast of worlds that would help him grow as a singular hero, but also as part of a team, in regards to his connection with Stark. Last but not least, Carrol admitted to Screen Rant (via MCUExchange) that while he would've loved to see Spider-Man interacting with other New York heroes, namely the Netflix's Defenders, fans shouldn't expect them to be referenced in this movie.

For more information from the set visits, like the whereabout of Uncle Ben, Parker's love interest, or the movie's diversity among others (which might spoil the plot, mind you), B.M.D. has kindly put together a quick round-up for our convenience. The site has gathered bits from many sites like IGN, io9, Nerdist, Bustle, Screen Crush, and Slash Film. Go ahead and check out their page directly! You can also start looking for official merchandise for the movie that are starting to hit the market.

...Phewww... that ended up longer than expected!

Let's head on to other movies now. Disney held a presentation at CinemaCon, and among its lineup of information for upcoming movies, confirmed a rather old fan speculation that originated from Variety's report. At that time, actress Letitia Wright was only rumored to be playing T'Challa's half-sister Shuri in the upcoming "Black Panther". Turns out, that's indeed the case, as you can see from the official photo of the main cast.

As has been reported before, Actor Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen have officially joined the production for "Infinity War" starting this month. Olsen was seen arriving at Edinburgh, Scotland to join Paul Bettany and others. This confirmed that the previous candid scene that was thought to be Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow or her stunt double, might actually be Olsen's Wanda Maximoff after all. This scene got more interesting, because it's clear Scarlet Witch was fighting a staff-wielding mo-cap antagonist, which seemingly attacked Bettany's Vision before. Remember, the staff-wielding CG antagonist might very well be members of the Black Order, like Proxima Midnight or Corvus Glaive. This means that the two Avengers might be taking on the Black Order, instead of fighting one another like in "Civil War". Meanwhile, Renner has arrived in Atlanta, seemingly to join the production that's currently going on in the city as well. The production staff will then move to New York City starting in May.

Guess I better start changing how I write the title because it's officially "Ant-Man & The Wasp". Yes, with an ampersand logogram (check Wikipedia if you don't get what that is). The movie's logo could be seen through a release schedule that Disney presented during CinemaCon. It's the same presentation that revealed Letitia Wright's secret role, as well as title for "Wreck-It Ralph" sequel. Thanks to being absent on "Mission: Impossible 6", Jeremy Renner has now been rumored to be involved in this movie. Considering his Clint Barton's relationship with Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, and the fact that they are both everyday non-superpowered fathers, having him be the third wheel alongside Evangeline Lily's Hope van Dyne DOES make sense if not perfect match. However, it's worth noted that the source of this news, ShowBiz411 could have worded his report by mistake. I mean, perhaps what he meant was "Infinity War" and the UNTITLED 2019 Avengers movie, but wrote "Ant-Man and the Wasp" for the latter instead.

"Thor: Ragnarok"!!! Ah, yes, a quick footage from the movie was showcased during CinemaCon. It showed Chris Hemsworth's Thor Odinson battling together with Mark Rufallo's Hulk against Sakaar's gladiators. Oddly, it's not getting as much buzz as many have predicted. Possibly because Disney delivered a rather weak presentation in the event, to which I assume was intentional as they would likely opt to bring more firepower to its D23 event later this year. What did get bigger buzz however, was a rumor that the first trailer for the movie would be aired alongside the new episode for Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." earlier this week. This, clearly did NOT happen (otherwise I'd be talking about it). Considering the date of the source, it's more likely to be an April Fools prank from the very beginning. Of course, April does work as a perfect timing to drop trailer for a November movie. Both "Doctor Strange" and "Thor: The Dark World" had their first trailers released in April. I'm guessing it will arrive alongside the worldwide premiere of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" that will take place in the next weeks. International countries are premiering the movie this very month and not May like in North America!

And we've arrived on the last item of this category. As I said before, "Vol 2" is arriving very soon. But I rarely talk about it recently. What happened? Simple. I've been avoiding any news about it to keep my anticipation in tact. That's why. And you know what? That's probably the wisest move. The moment I stumbled into one of its report, I might have accidentally spoiled myself in advance. BUMMER! Since I've probably had been spoiled, let me spoil others too. So heed this warning, if you're avoiding spoilers, then just casually skip ahead to the next category. Last warning. Still here? Okay, let's continue then...

This time, it's regarding Sylvester Stallone's secret role in the movie. Yes, he walked out of "The Expendables 4", but that's not what I'm going to talk about. Director James Gunn has previously revealed, that Stallone and his friend, actor Michael Rosenbaum, are playing important characters in the MCU. A major Cosmic character, he said. Well, according to an Italian movie site MoviesBook.it (via MCUExchange), Stallone is in fact playing a character by the name Stakar. There's only one Stakar in the Marvel comics, and he goes by the name Stakar Ogord. If that name is still unfamiliar to you as well, then guess what name he is more popularly known as? StarHawk! StarHawk is a member of the original Guardians of the Galaxy comics that was set in the 31st century. His fellow team members are Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Nikki Gold, Martinex, and *drumrolls* Yondu Udonta! Gunn has never been shy from saying that StarHawk is his favorite character, and have always wanted to include him in the sequel. In fact, Kurt Russel was previously rumored to be playing StarHawk, though that has been proven wrong now. So the likelihood of him casting a big star like Stallone as his favorite character, makes perfect sense. As MCUExchange noted, there's a possibility of Rosenbaum portraying Gunn's version of Martinex T'Naga, and Sharon Stone playing Nikki Gold. With a working title suspiciously titled 'Guardians 3000', and that Quill will be needing assistance from 'fan-favorite characters from the classic comics, things suddenly makes sense and comes full circle. Beside, with Gunn already revealing Ego as Quill's father, surely there are other surprises he has installed in the movie, right? For now, this is still purely rumor and speculation, but if it does come true, then we might be seeing two sets of Guardians of the Galaxy in the movie. And that's going to be a blast...

Marvel TV

The first synopsis for Marvel's "The Inhumans" have been unveiled, and to many fans, it sounds rather concerning. Why? Go ahead and read it for yourself: "After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where their surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself.".

What's the problem with that, you wonder? The core problem is, the show likely won't be taking place in Attilan, which was what many fans have anticipated. The concern also comes on the heels of the critical failure of one Marvel's "Iron Fist", a show that shares the exact same showrunner in Scott Buck. While it does resemble the plot of the first "Thor" movie, the same fish-out-of-water story was also used in "Iron Fist". As in, a show that chose to abandon K'un-L'un and its vast mystical lore, and instead focus on the corporate happenings in... New York. Change the setting into Hawaii, and have Black Bolt and the other Royal families in the run, and you've got yourself the exact same situation. I personally think it's disappointing to have a full-on Inhumans show taking place on Earth. The Royal Family belongs in Attilan, a fictional city that needs to be explored into details. Just like the Guardians in their far away cosmic adventure, or Thor in his Asgardian Nine-Realms, kicking the Inhumans Royal Family out of their native home already sounds like a HUGE mistake. We don't need that kind of plot, leave that to when a crossover is needed. We need a "Game of Thrones"-esque twist that takes place in Attilan, among the Inhumans. Take cue from "Emerald City" that spend only the first and last episode on Earth. I'll still give this show the benefit of doubt just to be fair, but to be completely honest, my interest level has fallen significantly low now. This already sounds like such a waste of potentials! Let's hope it won't vanish into thin air when the show eventually arrive.

Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" is set to premiere in Winter 2018 on the Freeform network. We now have additional information about this series, that it's going to be a 10-episodes series. I think this is a good amount, considering the series will be required to have special effects in portraying Tandy and Tyrone's super powers. Cutting the episodes, means more budget can be allocated for VFX. "Legion" and "Emerald City" are good example of this, as they succeeded in delivering the exact visuals needed for their story. So fans can rest easier, because at the very least, the embarassing case of 'replace Shou-Lau the Undying with two red light bulbs, just because the studio don't have money for CG' (that brought a certain degree of anger among the fanbase), is highly unlikely to happen again. At least not in this show. Seriously, I hope Netflix starts to realize this critical and crucial flaw right away. As for the plot, it has also been confirmed that it will focus on character and emotion, because "It tells of a romance between Tandy and Tyrone in a way that we haven’t really seen before in a Marvel TV series". So that's what differentiate this Freeform show, from the other ones, right?

What other one? Yep, let me make it clear. 'This Freeform show' wasn't referring as singular. Because surprise, surprise, turns out "Cloak and Dagger" won't be the only new show debuting on Freeform. Marvel's "New Warriors" has been greenlit for the same network as well! Kevin Biegel is closing a deal to write and serve as showrunner for Marvel TV's first scripted sitcom. This 10-episodes 30-minutes show will serve as a vehicle to bring one famous Marvel comics character into her first live action adaptations. Doreen Green, or more familarly known as Squirrel Girl! Apparently, Freeform "had chased Squirrel Girl before Cloak and Dagger", because "We are a network for young adults but we're proud we're No. 1 with young women and we want to find characters who speak to them. There's a reason we chased Squirrel Girl: she embodies all of that". But apparently Marvel made them wait before giving the clearance. Looks like Marvel finally gave in.

And Doreen won't be alone. New Warriors consists of other young people with special abilities. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, "New Warriors revolves around six young people with powers living and working together. With powers and abilities on the opposite end of the spectrum of The Avengers, the New Warriors want to make a difference in the world...even if the world isn't ready. With Freeform focused on a group dubbed 'becomers' — those experiencing a series of firsts in life, including first loves and first jobs — New Warriors explores the journey into adulthood, except in this world, they're not quite super and not yet heroes and the guys can be as terrifying as bad dates. The series will feature Marvel fan-favorite Squirrel Girl (aka Doreen Green) as a totally empowering fan girl who is described as tough, optimistic and a natural leader. Doreen is confident and has the powers of a squirrel: she's acrobatic, can fight and talk to other squirrels. Her most important trait is said to be her faith in people and ability to teach them to believe in themselves.". If you're clueless about them, fear not because neither do I. Thankfully, THR has kindly posted a quick article describing who these folks are. It's a convenient read to those who are too lazy/busy to skim through Wikipedia. For the time being however, Freeform is keeping a tight lip in regards of which characters comprising the New Warriors of this show. THR cautioned that the team might not be the same to the comic's version, especially considering Squirrel Girl herself has never been part of it! In fact, this could be an adaptation of the Great Lakes Avengers instead, particularly due to the similarity of the storyline.

I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit mixed about "New Warriors". Why? Because part of me expect Squirrel Girl to show up in a Marvel Studios movie instead. That way, she can be played by an A-list actress (like the loveable Anna Kendrick, for example?), and interact with the Avengers or Spider-Man characters. Not to mention the VFX needed to showcase her power... though it practically only required numerous trained squirrels, really. But the fact that it's a 30-minute of "balls-out comedy" might be the main, if not sole reason that I MIGHT actually see it. The reason? Only 5 episodes in, and I'm already tired of all those teenage angst and drama in "Riverdale". It's too cheesy and exhausting for my adult mind/heart. LOL. With both "Cloak and Dagger" and Marvel's "Runaways" already sounding like an incarnation of that CW series (particularly the latter), it's more than clear than I'll be skipping both no matter how much I've pledged allegiance to Marvel. Comedy on the other hand? That might be right up on my alley. Beside, getting older means you need more laughters to vent away all those extra stress and hardships... XD

One last thing before we move on to the next category. Aaron Sorkin, an Academy and Golden Globe Award winning writer, has apparently been meeting with Marvel and DC for a potential collaboration with either Studios. Sorkin revealed this during CinemaCon. He admitted however, that he's not familiar with comic books, but hopes that there's a comic book character that he's going to love and would want to work on. Since Sorkin's work spanned from TV like "The West Wing" to movies like "The Social Network", this talk could go anywhere, which is why I'm putting it on the TV category instead. I'm not personally familiar of his works, and also his style, but I would love to see a guy as prestigious as him tackling a movie among Marvel's Phase 4. Perhaps, a Moon Knight will be nice? But nothing is certain for now, because he clearly needs to spend some private time to do some personal research first. So I guess we'll just have to wait and find out sooner or later, right?

Netflix

This is not a drill, or an April Fools prank (time for that haD passed anyways)... but a new teaser for the highly anticipated Marvel's "The Defenders" has been released online. But don't be surprised, if it's... well, short and looking odd. After all, it's just a shot of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock (who is back to wearing his Season 1 head cover again while hillariously donning a business suit), Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, Mike Colter's Luke Cage, and Finn Jones' Danny Rand riding down through an elevator together. That's it!

Of course, the main purpose for this quick teaser, was none other than to announce the mini series' official release date. Yes, Netflix has set the mini-series for an August 18th, 2017 premiere. Considering production has wrapped last month, this obviously make a lot of sense. Especially putting into account that the premiere date is more than 1 month after "Homecoming" hits the market. Not just that, an exclusive debut to be showcased during this year's San Diego Comic Con and Disney D23, now sounds highly likely too.

Cox was invited by Boogaloo Radio to talk about his projects just a day before this teaser hit the internet, and he opened up about many things, including details surrounding this mini-series. Turns out, the consequent production for the first two Seasons for Marvel's "Daredevil" sort of worn him out, but since "The Defenders" has four leads, he got more time off when the storyline does not require the presence of his character. Not to mention, stunt double can take over his place during action scenes because he's "the only one that has a mask". That's a statement that easily provoked further disappointment of fans who have been expecting to see Danny Rand following suit with his iconic costume. Is Netflix really embarassed about Iron Fist's costume? Cox revealed that a new stunt team was brought specifically for this show, and confirmed that Drew Goddard is indeed involved as a consultant, aside from writing 1 or 2 episodes. As for a crossover with the movie side's Avengers, Cox only said that the future is still very much open for it to happen.

One important tidbit that he revealed during the talk, was that he will begin filming the 3rd Season for "Daredevil" later this year! This shouldn't be a surprise, since the new season was already announced July last year. This practically confirmed that it will arrive next year. Possibly following the 2nd season of Marvel's "Jessica Jones", which had just started production earlier this week, and before the 2nd season of Marvel's "Luke Cage". Unless... Netflix decides to push Jon Bernthal's Marvel's "The Punisher" back from Fall 2017 to be the first title in 2018, which technically shifts everything else behind.

As for "Jessica Jones", it's still unclear what kind of storyline it will take on, nor what antagonist she will face since Kilgrave has been killed. Perhaps, the mysterious character that Janet McTeer will be playing? One thing for sure, actor Wil Traval has seemingly hinted his return as Will Simpson, a.k.a Rachael Taylor's Trish crazy boyfriend Nuke. So the mystery behind his super enhanced drugs will at least serve as one of the arc of the season. Meanwhile, production is still going deep for "The Punisher", as Bernthal was recently seen with a beaten up make up, alongside a mysterious man that might be Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Micro. As I said above, the initial plan was to have his series arriving as the third Marvel-Netflix show this year. But looking at the release window, the show only has an opening on October or December to avoid bumping into "Thor: Ragnarok". I won't be surprised if it gets pushed to 2018, possibly on January or February. As evidenced by "Voltron Legendary Defender", this practice does sound highly probable for a streaming site like Netflix.

And... speaking of Voltron, a 3rd season was announced during the WonderCon panel last Saturday. Showrunners and some of the voice cast were in attendance, and they revealed that a 3rd season will arrive later this year. The next antagonist is said to be Prince Lotor, as confirmed by Nerdist. I haven't personally finished the 2nd season, using 'savoring the series' as an easy excuse (though I simply didn't have time to bingewatch it, really). So reading that news on Nerdist had sort of spoiled its sad ending. Which was what I've been trying to avoid all these time *sigh*. Regardless of that, it's a great news nonetheless. We need more Voltron anyways, it's a great show...

The Telltale Series

After completing their take on DC's Batman, the Telltale Games' next project has been making a huge buzz ever since it was announced. Why? Because it's Marvel's freaking "Guardians of the Galaxy". Inline with the imminent release of the team's second live action movie, of course people are excited for this too. The company has released the game's first trailer last week, while announcing that the first episode, entitled "Episode One: Tangled Up in Blue" will be available on April 18. Which is just a week before "Vol 2" is released in international markets, and two weeks before it hits North America.

I don't know about you, but for some reason, I'm... NOT feeling this. And this is coming from someone who's actually looking forward to it. Perhaps it's the... weird character design that rubbed me the wrong way? Or the fact that the 'brand new' story will once again deal with "an artifact of unspeakable power"? All I can say is, if the first of five episode already made me doubt it, then it's saying much. But don't let that get you down, because who knows, this could end up becoming unexpectedly charming like the movie, instead of the TV series that sadly grew dull the more I see it.

The game will feature the voice cast of Scott Porter as Star-Lord, Emily O’Brien as Gamora, Nolan North as Rocket, Brandon Paul Eells as Drax, and Adam Harrington as Groot. First episode will arrive on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, iOS and Android for $4.99, while a Season Pass Disc that will grant access for all episodes will be available on May 2 for $29.99. If you're both a Marvel and Telltale Series fan, this might be just what you're looking for.

Final Fantasy XV

First DLC episode for "Final Fantasy XV" that featured Gladiolus as the lead has been released. And well, turns out it wasn't as interesting as many has hoped. While it's fun to actually play Gladio and explore his own unique set of skill, the gameplay of the episode itself was said to be redundant and the story was practically non existent. The reward of the mini quest was not that worthwhile either, and would likely be more pleasing for those who are consider themselves 'devoted' to the character. Suffice to say, the five dollars DLC serve as a fan-service side mission, and nothing else. That might also be the reason why it arrived alongside the fix for that infamous Chapter 13.

Perhaps, the game will fare better with its mobile spin-off then? "Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire", which was developed by Machine Zone's Epic Action has been made available via the App Store. At least... in New Zealand. In this app, fans will be able to explore more of the lore of main game, but presumably in an alternate universe setting. After all, the premise is said to be "Journey through vast kingdoms, gather magical resources, and build the strongest Empire in Final Fantasy history! Build your own kingdom, discover powerful magic, and dominate the realm alongside all of your friends!". As far as I know, this does NOT happen in the main game. So unless it's taking place in the afterlife, it's nothing but a huge what-if scenario. Do go ahead and visit Epic Action's official site to check whether my deduction is correct or not. Will this app be more successful than the main game's DLC then? That remains to be seen. Let's just hope the best for the franchise, shall we...

Nintendo

"Super Mario Run" is Nintendo's first foray into the mobile gaming market. And although the app has attracted attention, apparently, it wasn't as well received as the company have hoped. They have even stated this openly, which was reported through Asia Nikkei. Interestingly, fans aren't surprised with this result, because the pricing and lack of gameplay are more than enough to justify such lack of interest. Problem is, they aren't changing their premium-priced approach any time soon. Turns out, the mobile market has always been a secondary field compared to their traditional console based sales. Especially with Nintendo Switch just celebrating its first month. These mobile games are present only to expand brand awareness, and it will continue that way for their next projects.

You know what? If they can find a way to integrate apps like "Super Mario Run", the financially better "Fire Emblem Heroes", and the not-so-hit-anymore but still-popular "Pokemon GO" into Switch, I'm certain the company will see a positive increase of interest for all those things. This shouldn't be a problem, since Switch is already serving as a portable gadget, akin to a Smartphone. Just think about it, the ability to play exclusive Nintendo apps for free on the Switch will undoubtedly boost the hybrid console's sale, while at the same time generating more users to their apps. Come on Nintendo, just do it. This here is wise strategy! Methinks... LOL.

The King of Fighters

That leak has been confirmed! Rock Howard, the son of Geese Howard and disciple of Terry Bogard has debuted in the "KOF" franchise. And if the official trailer is any indication, then he's going to be inhibiting strong traits from those two characters, which is obviously the major element that made him a standout.

Rock, as well as previously announced returning characters Vanessa, Ryuji Yamazaki, and Whip, have been made available through "The King of Fighters XIV" version 2.00 update that was launched several days ago. Said update will include free new stages ("Transcontinental Railroad" and "City Circuit", which you can check out through its own trailer), balance adjustments for existing characters, action record and playback feature in Training Mode, new BGM, bug fixes, and other improvements. In case you forget, the update is free, but the characters are paid DLCs. Each can be purchased for a $5.99 USD, or as a set for a price of $19.99. Head on to SNK-Corp for more details on this huge update.

Do you think SNK will continue to explore this game, and add even more returning characters in the coming months? Unless they will be moving along to "The King of Fighters XV", this certainly sounds like a possibility. After all, why would they release all 4 characters together when they can easily churn them out one by one every other month. You know, like what CAPCOM is doing with "Street Fighter V". That would've stretched the title for close to 6 months more of software's longetivity, right? At least, adding two more characters, to form two new official Teams with these released four would make a lot of sense. Perhaps both from the "GAROU: Mark of Wolves" franchise, to become Rock's team mates? Of course, that's just my personal wishful thinking, and we'll have to wait and see what move the company will do next to keep the hype high. For now, be thankful that you can enjoy a fun sparring between Rock and his mentor Terry in a "KOF" series now. Which is something that was only possible through the "GAROU" series before...

[aion-rsa]

The Biggest Geek Culture Moments of 2020

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This article contains a spoiler for The Mandalorian Season 2

2020 has been a wild and unpredictable year for most of us, but it also brought with it a ton of key cultural incidents and shifts that kept online news and trade outlets pretty busy at their keyboards. As we finally grind toward the end of a very weird 12 months, we’ve been looking back at some of the more stand-out moments in geek culture, which we’ll recap with you here.

You may find that these cultural markers aren’t listed in chronological order. That’s because in 2020, time ceased to exist in its previously understood form. Wednesday rarely meant anything, Monday was still technically the worst but couldn’t be trusted either way, Saturdays were no longer reserved for the notion of relaxation, and any given Tuesday might as well have taken place in a different universe, such was the obliqueness of its concept. Is it December right now, or July? No one really knows anymore.

But things still happened in 2020! Things and stuff definitely happened, we’re almost sure of it. Here are some of the things and stuff that probably happened, several of which you’d struggle to explain to a past version of yourself without the board from Chernobyl and scheduled breaks…

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Get COVID-19

Shit got real on March 11 when beloved Forrest Gump actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson both tested positive for COVID-19 while filming on location in Australia. 63-year-old Hanks, who has Type 2 Diabetes and a stent in his heart, was fairly sure he was in a high-risk group, but at the time we still knew very little about the virus.

Hanks’ updates on he and Wilson’s recovery were little lights in the darkness over the next few weeks, and when the pair appeared to have made it through the worst, there was a sense of relief that 2020 would – at the very least – not steal him, but Hanks said he was way more relaxed than us about the whole thing. “I’m not one who wakes up in the morning wondering if I’m going to see the end of the day or not,” he told The Guardian. “I’m pretty calm about that.” He’s since become a strong advocate for social distancing measures. – KH

Tiger King of the World

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness debuted on Netflix globally on March 20, becoming the first quarantine binge of the pandemic. A problematic series from the get-go, there was comfort to be found in its existence, as it became apparent that even if things were really quite shit at home, at least you hadn’t been fed to a tiger yet. Or sent to jail for arranging a hit on your nemesis. Or had accidentally shot yourself in the head. Or, etc and so on. – KH

The Snyder Cut Rises

They said it would never happen. And by “they” I have to confess, I mean “we.” But it’s true, Warner Bros. actually is spending tens of millions of dollars to let Zack Snyder finish his Justice League movie as he originally intended it. And the fans who have kept hope alive since the disappointing Joss Whedon-helmed theatrical cut of the movie are getting even more than they bargained for, since the no-longer-mythical “Snyder Cut” isn’t just a movie, it’s a four hour long miniseries event headed to HBO Max.

The early 2021 release of the Director’s Cut of Justice League (which now appears to be its official title) will mark the culmination of five years of fan demands, and will finally put a bow on Snyder’s original vision of the DCEU, completing the trilogy he began with 2016’s Man of Steel. Hopefully it lives up to everyone’s expectations. – MC

Next-Gen Gaming Breaks the Internet…Literally

2020 turned out to be a very important year for gaming. Not only did it see the release of many highly-anticipated titles, such as The Last of Us Part II, Cyberpunk 2077, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Ghost of Tsushima, but it also ushered in a new generation of gaming with the arrival of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 as well as new PC graphics cards from NVIDIA and AMD.

Unfortunately, when it comes to next-gen gaming in 2020, all other topics of discussion are eclipsed by just how difficult it’s been to actually buy any of these new consoles or GPUs. From the moment pre-orders opened, getting one of these next-gen products has been a nightmare. Retail sites like Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop went down almost immediately on day 1 of pre-orders for both consoles, and have remained generally low in stock ever since, servers shaky at best. And the scalpers who used bots to buy up consoles and graphics cards to flip for exorbitant prices certainly haven’t helped.

If you got that next-gen gaming experience you wanted for Christmas this year, count yourself lucky! – JS

Trolls World Tour Starts a War

Universal’s Trolls World Tour was the first major movie to properly break and go straight to go streaming in 2020. Whether this was a movie you’d have personally sought out or not, it would have made a ton of money in a non-pandemic year. After that, eyes turned to the big studios, as we waited to see whether the likes of Black Widow, Bill & Ted Face the Music, or Mulan would follow suit.

Warner Bros., who had strenuously backed Christopher Nolan’s Tenet for a theatrical release, did a handbrake turn late in 2020 when it announced – to much industry outrage – that its full schedule of big budget movies, including Dune and The Matrix 4, would see a “day and date” streaming release on HBO Max in 2021 after Wonder Woman 1984 would do the same on Christmas Day. Disney has so far refused to match this gambit, but there are big changes and repercussions afoot for the theatrical release model, even when this is all over. – KH

Disney Doesn’t Throw Away Its Shot

While the first couple of movies to crack the theatrical window such as Trolls: World Tour and Onward were treated as relatively low stakes and aimed at a younger demographic, no early release came earlier, or made as much noise, as Hamilton going to Disney+ over Independence Day Weekend. The filmed version of the original cast performance dropped on the streamer a full 15 months ahead of its planned theatrical release, and it was by any measure a roaring success, finally enabling millions of people who had long been enamored with the soundtrack but been shut out of ticket lotteries and prohibitive Broadway pricing to experience Lin-Manuel Miranda’s history lesson in the comfort of their own home.

Early data suggests that his was the biggest direct-to-streaming release of the year, which should surprise exactly nobody. – MC

Of course, the success of Hamilton emboldened…

Borat 2 Sex Lawyer

Donald Trump’s most visible lawyer Rudy Giuliani already had a bad rep, but in late October he was literally caught with his hands down his pants in a New York City hotel room after being tricked into comedian Sasha Baron Cohen’s Borat sequel, Subsequent Moviefilm. During one particular scene, Borat and his ‘daughter’ Tutar (Maria Bakalova) tried to seduce Giuliani.

“Rudolph was Donald’s best buddy in the whole world,” Borat narrated. “And also very dignified statesman of the highest order. This would not be easy.”

If you’re really serious about legally challenging the vote you don’t send your two worst kids and the Borat sex lawyer.

— Ned Hartley (@NedHartley) November 6, 2020

It was in fact very easy, and he reportedly thought she was only 15. Still struggling with the knowledge that Giuliani got away with it? You and everyone else, pal. Still, at least he might go down in history as “the Borat sex lawyer.” – KH

Timthetatman’s Fall Guys Twitch Gauntlet

Timthetatman’s August quest to win a crown on Mediatonic’s smash hit battle royale knockout game Fall Guys was a supremely satisfying highlight of the year. Streamer Timothy Betar, who can typically be found playing slightly more ‘grown up’ games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on Twitch, simply got a bee in his bonnet about not being able to win at Fall Guys. Betar spent nearly two weeks playing the game for long stretches of time as his audience grew exponentially, almost always failing at the very last moment, while a huge chunk of the gaming community trolled and encouraged him in equal measure – including the official Fall Guys Twitter account.

In the end, almost 340,000 viewers were watching Tim live on Twitch as he finally snatched a single Fall Guys crown, giving those of us trapped at home a chance to experience a single vicarious moment of pure exhilaration. Truly wonderful. – KH

“Crisp Rat”

It was a big year for Chris Pratt on social media, despite the fact that he didn’t really do much of note except have a baby and finish filming Jurassic World: Dominion. The fallout from 2019’s accusations that the actor attends an anti-LGBT church was the blood that pumped through the veins of Twitter’s 24/7 cancellation machine, refueled by Pratt’s non-appearance at Joe Biden’s virtual fundraiser alongside other MCU castmates.

Some saw this as “evidence” that the actor was deserving of a cancelation, and he was dubbed “the worst Chris” in Hollywood. Robert Downey Jr. and other Marvel stars jumped to his defence, declaring Pratt “a real #Christian who lives by #principle” and who has “never demonstrated anything but #positivity and #gratitude”, but Twitter had made up its mind, and it was soon recasting Jack Black in every role Pratt had filled to date. – KH

His Name …Is Grogu

It’s rather surreal to think that The Mandalorian’s powerful pop culture impact was mostly attributed to a character who had no proper name, only officially referred to as “The Child,” and colloquially—for lack of a better term—dubbed “Baby Yoda.” However, this year’s Chapter 13 would see Rosario Dawson’s debuting live-action version of animated favorite Ahsoka Tano use the Force to child-whisper the name of “Grogu.” In doing so, fans, Star Wars-driven SEO, and the Disney merchandising apparatus received an early Christmas present. However, even with the emotionally evocative Season 2 finale in the rear-view mirror, breaking the habit of calling him Baby Yoda is going to be a process as tough as worrying about his safety, especially given his new destination, and with whom it will likely have him come into contact. – JB

Tenet-cious C

Christopher Nolan was the butt who wouldn’t quit in 2020 as he sought to Save Cinema with his highly anticipated blockbuster about time travel, heists and many guns going pow-pow-pow. Whether it was his intention or not, he seemingly encouraged punters to ignore escalating scientific evidence to avoid indoor public spaces and trot along to their local theatre to watch the film. Nolan’s heart was probably in the right place, but it was a bad look for the director overall, compounded by Tenet’s eventual release on streaming, when the majority of keen audiences finally got a chance to clap their eyes on what turned out to be …well, let’s just say “not exactly a masterpiece.” – KH

Actual footage of people responding to Nolan’s pleas.

DC FanDome

Fandom has collectively been at a loss as far as how to replace the convention experience during the pandemic. And so far, attempts by heavy hitters like San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic Con to replicate the buzz of a weekend packed with fan experiences and big news drops were tremendous disappointments. Pre-recorded Zoom panels don’t excite when all we do all day as a society is stare at that cursed app, buggy launches make it worse, and the fact that studios/networks/publishers didn’t really help put their best foot forward didn’t help.

But then along came DC FanDome.

What many (including this writer) expected to be a weekend-long infomercial about DC Universe intellectual property and how wonderful new corporate overlords AT&T would be for all these juicy brands was instead the slickest, most exciting, and yes…even newsworthy virtual event of the year. Rapid fire announcements from the big screen debut of the Justice Society in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam movie to concept art from the long-awaited Flashpoint film were only the appetizer, with Warner Bros. unveiling a stunningly cool trailer for The Batman, and delivering the equivalent of a Saturday night in Hall H to fans who have been mostly confined to their homes since the spring. – MC

Meet Elliot Page

In a year when so much of the news was bad, joyous announcements felt that much more sweet. This was the case for Elliot Page’s sharing that he is trans, and uses “he” and “they” pronouns.

“I feel lucky to be writing this. To be here. To have arrived at this place in my life,” the 33-year-old Canadian actor, who is perhaps best known for their work in Juno, the X-Men prequel films, and Netflix’s Umbrella Academy, wrote on Instagram in early December. “I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey. I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.”

While it was a moment of celebration and affirmation, Page also used the opportunity to educate the public on the ongoing epidemic of violence against Black and brown trans women in particular, at least 40 of whom have been killed in the U.S. this year. Page wrote: “To all trans people who deal with harassment, self-loathing, abuse and the thread of violence every day: I see you, I love you and I will do everything I can to change this world for the better.” -KB

The Diamond Monopoly Breaks

Diamond Comics Distributors has for years been a uniter in the comics industry for years. It didn’t matter how much DC or Marvel heads would be at each other’s throats – when a damaged box with only 70% of the comics your shop ordered rolled in a day late, everyone agreed that Diamond was terrible. 

Until April, when, in the middle of the pandemic, DC backed two new distributors. Then, a contingent of fans couldn’t rush to Diamond’s defense fast enough. 

Lunar Distribution and UCS Comics Distribution were new comics distributors created by DCBS and Midtown Comics, respectively, and stood up by DC to create competition against Diamond’s not-technically-but-really monopoly. This was an enormous shift decades in the making, and coupled with DC’s move to a Tuesday NCBD, represented the biggest change in the comics industry this century. – JD

Dr DisRespect Gets Kicked off Twitch

The live streaming community was rife with controversies this year, especially when it came to Twitch: misconduct allegations lodged at many of its most high-profile streamers, a reportedly toxic and abusive work environment within the company, and a DMCA fiasco that saw streamers’ content disappear over night. And then there was Dr DisRespect’s exit from the platform.

Booted from Twitch at the end of June despite a hefty multi-year, multi-million dollar contract, the streamer, whose real name is Guy Beahm, suddenly found himself completely erased from existence, his channel and content deleted from the service. But why? At first, many in the industry assumed the worst, especially since it came just as Twitch was beginning to address misconduct in its community.

But despite the high-profile break up between Twitch and one of its key stars, we still don’t actually know why Beahm was kicked off the platform all of these months later. All Twitch has said on the matter is that Beahm “acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service,” while the streamer himself has remained largely silent on the matter. For now, Beahm’s exit from Twitch remains one of the streaming community’s biggest mysteries. – JS

The Depp-osition

In the #MeToo era, it is still incredibly rare for powerful men to be held accountable for the abuse of their power, but there are signs that this is beginning to change. The November announcement that Johnny Depp had been asked to resign from the Fantastic Beasts series was one of those signs. The announcement, via Depp’s Instagram, came only days after a U.K. court ruled that British tabloid The Sun was not committing libel when they described Depp as “a wife-beater” in 2018.

While the decision by Warner Bros. to fire Depp is an important step forward, it could still be described as a baby one. Depp will still be getting his full $16 million salary for his Fantastic Beasts 3 role, even though Mads Mikkelsen has been recast in the role of Grindelwald, because there was no morality clause in his contract. (It should be noted that Depp’s contract for the third film was finalized well after allegations against Depp first came to light.) Following the announcement, Amber Heard, Depp’s ex-wife and the survivor in this “wife-beater” scenario, has had to face a wave of online harassment that includes a petition to have her fired from her role as Mera in the DCEU.

The whole thing demonstrates just how ill-equipped Hollywood is as an industry and we as a culture still are when it comes to dealing with abuse. Let’s hope, in 2021, we do better when it comes to holding alleged abusers accountable and supporting survivors. – KB

The Last of Us Part II Leaks

Arguably the most highly anticipated game of 2020 (and our Game of the Year), The Last of Us Part II faced a mountain of seemingly insurmountable expectations. Could Naughty Dog not only follow up one of the greatest games ever made but top itself? Many fans learned the answer much sooner than expected when the game leaked weeks before its release in June.

Despite rumors that the leak was the work of a disgruntled employee, the security breach actually turned out to be courtesy of a hacker, who published most of the game’s cinematics and story beats on the internet for all to find. All of its big twists, reveals, and emotional moments lay bare before we were really ready for them. – JS

Marie Javins Becomes Editor in Chief of DC Comics

After a year of massive changes at DC Comics – which saw long-tenured co-publisher Dan Didio fired, a new new comic book day established through new distributors, and a merger with AT&T bear bitter fruit – DC’s year started to turn itself around when they pulled off the only successful online convention with FanDome.

And hot on FanDome’s heels was the historic announcement of their new EIC: Marie Javins, a longtime comics pro who worked her way up from colorist to become the first woman to serve as DC’s Editor-in-Chief since Jenette Kahn. Javins’ keen eye for talent and long history in the industry inspired a good deal of confidence in DC’s future, and the new talent lined up for DC’s Future State initiative and beyond have only reinforced that. – JD

George R.R. Martin Jailed in Theory

George R.R. Martin’s self-imposed deadline for finishing The Winds of Winter passed in July, and with it came the knowledge that he could now be jailed for his lackadaisical approach to completing the long-in-gestation addition to the A Song of Ice and Fire series. See, ol’ George had previously told Game of Thrones fans that they had “formal written permission” to imprison him “in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid” until he was done writing, should he not produce his manuscript by July 29. A little bit of fun was had online that day, as people threatened to frogmarch Martin straight to jail. We were pretty desperate for something to do at that point, tbf. – KH

Cyberpunk 2077 Is a Disaster

CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 went from one of the year’s most anticipated games to a title that had fans genuinely begging for refunds when it was finally released in December, after they discovered it was virtually unplayable on PS4 and Xbox One, riddled with occasionally hilarious bugs, missing big features, and packed with potentially offensive characterizations and broken AI, leading to an online meltdown from gamers that didn’t even really compare to the similar release troubles of titles like Anthem and No Man’s Sky. What a mess.

Whole game is going to be a meme.

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) July 2, 2018

They really called it. – KH

Chris Evans Posts His Dick

If you’ve ever accidentally posted something online that you definitely didn’t mean to post online, you’ll know the pure, heart stopping panic that Chris Evans must have felt in September when he shared a screen-recorded video to Instagram that he’d forgotten to crop, revealing his personal camera roll. Yes, the Avengers: Endgame actor had indeed just shown a rabid fan base his (surprisingly thick) cock, and there was no going back, because so many people took a screenshot at once that the collective noise probably triggered a spike in seismic activity visible on the Richter scale.

Evans removed the video and likely cringed so hard that he collapsed in on himself like a dying star forming a black hole, but took it on the chin and used his eventual response to encourage people to vote in November’s election. – KH

Now that I have your attention 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️…. VOTE Nov 3rd!!!

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) September 15, 2020

Rick Moranis Attacked

Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids star Rick Moranis – by all accounts a total sweetheart – was randomly attacked near Central Park at the start of October. The formerly-retired actor was punched in the head and knocked to the ground by a man wearing an “I Love NY” hoodie who was later apprehended and charged. Violence on the streets of New York isn’t exactly unheard of, but when the geek community heard of the attack on Moranis, it went full on Taken in under a minute. “I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” How DARE. – KH

John Boyega’s Black Lives Matter Speech

On May 25th, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black father, grandfather, son, and brother—a human—was killed by Derek Chauvin, a white member of the Minneapolis Police Department, as three other policemen stood by. Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for 9.5 minutes as Floyd begged, “I can’t breathe.” The video of the killing launched a wave of Black Lives Matters protests across the United States and world, aimed at eradicating white supremacy in all of its forms.

George Floyd was neither the first nor the last Black person who died at the hands of a police officer in 2020. (Say Their Names is an ongoing, work-in-progress list of all the Black men, women, and children killed in the U.S. by police and civilians.) And there is not just one moment or human that has defined the ongoing Black Lives Matters movement in 2020, which is made up of many people, including the many activists who organize within the decentralized movement. One of many moments, however, came when John Boyega took up the megaphone to give an impromptu and emotional speech during a Hyde Park demonstration about the death of George Floyd in early June.

“Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting,” said the British-Nigerian actor and producer, who was visibly holding back tears, to the other protestors gathered.

Boyega has continued to use his celebrity to speak out against racism in the industry and beyond, all while knowing that it could affect his career. In September, Boyega did an interview with GQ in which he spoke about the unequal narrative treatment he and other actors of color got in the Star Wars franchise compared to the white actors in the film.

“You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything,” Boyega said. “[But] what I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up … You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know fuck all.” – KB

Quibi? I Hardly Knew Ye

“Is it better to burn out than fade away?” could have been a question knocking about in the heads of Quibi’s founders during 2020. The newbie streaming service, which developed content as “quick bites” consumable in 7-10 minute increments, ended up being a flash in the pan as it struggled to rustle up subscribers in a year very much not suited to the concept of “I don’t have time to watch anything”.

Quibi had initially raised $1.75 billion in pre-launch funding and had more than 175 shows and movies lined up for viewers, but none of it was enough to counter the madness playing out behind the scenes of the hopeful, and ultimately hopeless, platform. RIP to a real one. – KH

Whedon Under Fire

It’s safe to say that the one-time King of the Nerds has not had a pleasant last few years, and that’s even before COVID-19 struck. But much of Joss Whedon’s troubles seem increasingly to be of his own making. As if the disapproving response to his version of Justice League wasn’t enough, Whedon was accused by actor Ray Fisher (Cyborg) of fomenting racism and toxicity on the set – a claim indirectly backed up by co-stars Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot.

The fallout, true or not, seems to have landed close enough for Whedon to depart his upcoming HBO fantasy series The Nevers, a project he created but won’t see through to its launch after three years of work. The Whedon-produced Pippa Smith: Grown-Up Detective was also quietly scrapped at Freeform. – DK

pic.twitter.com/e3N00xCr5i

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) December 10, 2020

Patty’s Squad

At the moment, the future of Star Wars would seem to be on television. The success of The Mandalorian and the galaxy of spinoffs (more on those in a moment) announced by Disney and Lucasfilm would seem to indicate that. But Star Wars is far from finished on the big screen, and when it returns in 2023, it’s going to make history, with Patty Jenkins finally shattering the glass ceiling of Star Wars directors with her take on the fan favorite Rogue Squadron concept.

Jenkins is, of course, no stranger to big franchise projects, having helmed both Wonder Woman movies for Warner Bros. The announcement of a coveted director taking on a big franchise competitor coming in the wake of WB’s troubled relationship with talent after sending their entire theatrical slate to HBO Max for 2021 sure feels like a victory for Disney, even as Jenkins is still confirmed to direct a third Wonder Woman film for WB. Regardless of studio politics, Jenkins promising to deliver “the greatest fighter pilot movie of all time,” albeit one set in the Star Wars galaxy is a wonderful promise, and we’re looking forward to seeing how she keeps it. – MC

Disney Goes Even More Franchise Crazy

Disney’s December investors call didn’t produce the kind of announcements expected – there were rumors that a global 18+ streaming element was in the wind and that Black Widow would go straight to Disney+ – but the Mouse House tried to make up for it by revealing a fistful of new projects that included ten (10!) new Star Wars series, a bunch of new Marvel series and movies, a Toy Story spinoff film called Lightyear and a sequel to Enchanted. That’s not even the half of it, though, as the reveals just kept on coming, to the point where even a dedicated Disney fan felt downright exhausted, and prompting many a “how much is too much?” think piece. – KH

This is by no means an exhaustive list! Feel free to share your own big geek moments in the comments.

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[thejohncamp3ablog]

Justice League failed

As history has taught us, when your first movie makes cheddar, you stick with the bun.

In the case of Warner Bros. They played this game only once and it was called TDK trilogy with a bun called Nolan. Before that, they were playing a game, I like to call “the money men”.

You make a huge hit in 1978 called Superman, which went on to make around 300 Million worldwide, or as you kids now say, over 1.2 Billion (you know cause of the tickets price being smaller). Then for the return they got another director to finish the first guy’s job [Richard Lester] and by the third and fourth movie, this franchise was dead. Monetary the 300 Million turned to 15 Million. Later on, Donner [1st guy would release a director’s cut, which was awesome and much better than the original cut].

In 1989 after a few games of musical chairs prior, they made a Batman movie by Burton, that movie as estimated in 2017 is somewhere around the 900 million mark, Burton made a more dark sequel and WB executives had a heart stroke and went to replace him with Joel Whedon, who “MADE BATMAN GREAT AGAIN”, which resulted in their second superhero franchise death. We can mention Clooney here, nipples, ice puns, and Arnold [currently replaced by the Rock], but you all know how shitty those movies are.

So, in 2006 they decided to soft reboot Superman, modeled after a franchise that was nearing 28 years, over a model that worked for my grandparents, they flopped again with under 400 Million gross on a 270 Budget. But that was weird because later in 2013 critics would declare this specific interpretation of Superman “the ultimate truth”.

Warner’s, who one year prior had made a masterpiece of a movie with then indie director Chris Nolan and actor Chris Bale with Batman Begins, decided that if the re-booted version worked they should continue the old Superman version for some reason, unknown to progressive people, probably the “money men” said so in a company memo.

So in the case of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, you have a trilogy of movies, that are centered around one single character, no cameos or gimmicks that in 2017 have probably made a lot more than they did in 2005-2012, but still around the 2.5 Billion mark in USD. A single directors vision and execution, that worked.

Now when DC relaunched a single shared universe with Man of Steel [2013] and continued the story in Batman V Superman and Justice League, we had the classic 80s/90s WB Studio panicking about critical reception, when their fan base clearly said, “We like this different tone and we will pay for it”.  The movies alone grossed around 1.5 Billion, with the addition of the other 2 movies Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman, the first four DCEU movies have been propelled over the 3 Billion mark worldwide. But in a trilogy created by the worst, fear of each critic, the dark lord Zack Snyder managed to scare all the kids and WB decided to bring in Joel Whedon to lighten it up again, which brings us to Justice League lowest DCEU opening of 93 Million, which is well deserved for a movie that made : “Batman go Clooney Tunes” , Superman grin like the Joker, Flash sexually assault Wonder Woman along with many more unwanted scenes and as usual Kevin Tsujihara standards [he used to be a tailor] cut 99.9 % of the movie and brighten it for kids. Jokes all over the place, just a big ass Joel Whedon classic joke fest with some Zack Snyder left overs.

 The critics of course shitted on the movie and gave it an average consensus of 40 % on the only source for movies, the Fresh Cucumbers.

Now history shows us that movies in general are for movie fans, which in 2017 is dictated by comic book guys, who run companies that publish those books. In DC’s case their annual turnover is about 270 Million [+-]. Which depending on the price of a book [let’s say 3 USD] is 90 Million books spear across 108 titles, so the number of readers can be anything between 800 K and 90 Million, if we assume that one person buy one book and never again in 12 months buys another, which isn’t true at all. So, if we presume that a DC fan, follows all titles we might be looking into 800 K hard core fans or another case, buys 50 % of all titles regularly 1.6 Million fans or let’s say double that into follows every 4th book for 3.2 Million fans and for the sake of conversation I will presume another 800 K random fans and make it a round 4 Million fans throwing money at DC books each year. That would mean that on an average price tickets that is used by Box Office Mojo for 2017 8.93 USD, DC comics fan contribute around 35 Million dollars to the box office of their films, now I will assume that they are suddenly doubled, just for fun and make them 8 million and that would give us 70 Million dollars. With that money DC Films can easily cover a underperforming opening weekend at around 70 %. So why not show geeks and nerds the middle finder and just make movies for general audience with Superheroes that make sense? It worked monetary for them on so many grounded movies like TDK, MOS, BVS, Superman 78, Batman 89 etc.,

Funny thing is they addressed all those MOS and BVS complaints bit by bit in Justice League only to be served with a 93 Million opening weekend from those heroes country of origin the States, which love to check all sorts of sites that tell them what to do.

So there is 2 ways to do this, make grounded good movies with Superheroes in them and match their core from the comics, or pander to geeks and their nerdy sites and get used to 100 Million loses. Your choice WB/DC.

Also they announced their new banner yesterday, it’s called #DCKids and will be produced by Joss Schumacher and Geoff Feige !!