Posted by
Unknown
- Saturday, August 23, 2014
I say this first: if you don't want to know anything about the plot, potential or otherwise, to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, SPOILERS ABOUND in this article. Tread carefully.
A source inside the Dawn of Justice camp has leaked details about filming the Justice League prequel and talked briefly about the end of the movie and Lex Luthor's plan. As with prior reports on this film, take it with a grain of salt; these are possibilities, not certainties.
At any rate, those SPOILERS I mentioned? They follow.
The source says that Luthor, before and during the course of the film, collects pieces of the destroyed World Engine in an attempt to synthesize Kryptonite. At the end, Batman apparently breaks into Lexcorp to steal said kryptonite—whether in defense of Superman or with intent to use it against him, we don't know. Also by the end, Luthor has gotten hold of General Zod's body and has very specific plans for it…
…SPOILERS…
…plans that may or may not include using Zod's DNA to create a villain familiar to fans: Doomsday.
Okay. NO MORE SPOILERS.
Now, if the above is true, this movie has deeper ties to the Man of Steel franchise than originally thought. The more we heard about Dawn of Justice, the more it sounded like it had developed into part of the Justice League franchise, rather than the second installment of the Man of Steel franchise. The rumor of no new Man of Steel film until 2018 seemed to confirm the distance this movie was trying to create from its immediate predecessor, but if this film's plot really does set up a big piece of the next solo Superman film, Dawn of Justice occupies a more central space between the JL and Man of Steel franchises than we speculated.
While we're talking about Justice League, it's worth mentioning that a version of the League is rumored to appear by the end of Dawn of Justice: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and the Flash. The first bit of relevant rumor is that Scoot McNairy, cast recently in an unknown role, is playing the Flash. Set photos have appeared showing the actor wearing green-screen socks, and common conjecture hypothesizes this means his legs need CGI work—and which character's legs might need effects work done? Nothing is certain, but it's an interesting clue. We previously wondered which of a few other side-characters McNairy might play, but this is just as possible as any other role.
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| Thoughts? Maybe it's just a fashion statement. |
The other notable thing about that particular Justice League lineup is that it excludes Green Lantern. A Flash/Green Lantern movie was a part of DC's rumored film release lineup that came out a few weeks ago, but it sounds like the Justice League movie would serve as an introduction to the character, which makes some sense. Green Lantern is a cosmic, big-picture character, and the threats he deals with (or could bring to Earth) would be good reason to assemble the talents of the Justice League. By this point, also, Shazam will have debuted and would likely be a part of the League. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is said to have his choice between playing Shazam or his nemesis, Black Adam, the role to which he was rumored to be attached for a number of years.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is gonna be jam packed, that's for sure. Think this sounds like a Luthor plot? Think it's a good way for the films to go? Talk about it in the comments below.
Posted by
Unknown
- Friday, August 22, 2014
There's no stopping Marvel! Yet again they reveal some exciting news for one of their properties. This time it pertains to their hit show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (henceforth AoS) and a new character added to the mix. The Absorbing Man, also known as Crusher Creel, will make an appearance in the season 2 premiere. Marvel had this to say:
"With his ability to absorb the properties of anything he touches, Creel will put Coulson and his team through their paces when their second season kicks off… but you'll have to wait until then to see how their battle turns out!"
Well, sounds thrilling to me. Although the show started off slow, AoS picked it up nicely toward the end of the first season and finished very strong. Coinciding with the events of Captain America: Winter Soldier, the last several episodes were tense, nail-biting affairs that had me watching and waiting for the next episode each week. They should be lauded for picking up the pace and making every second count.
Judging by the character's comic book roots, Absorbing Man should give the Agents all they can handle and more. This is good thing. Why the show didn't work at first is mostly because there were no stakes and not many reasons to cheer for them. Once they got it going, though, AoS blossomed and took off fast. Here's hoping they continue the trend in season 2.
Does this news sound exciting to you? Is Absorbing Man a good villain to fight the good guys on this show? Sound off below.
Posted by
Jeff Penner
- Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the fanboys out there.
MOVIES
The Rock….of Eternity?
My take: Dwayne Johnson will be featured in a Shazam movie in some way, shape or form. He may be the hero or he could be his arch-nemesis, Black Adam. I don't have any problem with the casting, I think Johnson can be great. What I do have a problem with (as you'll know, if you read this column weekly) is DC Comics and Warner Bros. They are stacking the deck with something they don't have a handle on, whatsoever. When Iron Man came out with a fun and quirky personality to it, it very well could have still bombed. If that happened, they would have changed gears and tried again. Man of Steel needed a change in gears but it certainly didn't need to be cancelled as a film series.
Star Wars Blu Rays?
My take: Disney is possibly pulling our legs to get the hype even higher for the upcoming Episode VII release next year. As a fan, I regret not getting the 2006 DVD's that had these original films included and I would love to see a Blu-Ray release of them. However, as soon as the fact that Disney is considering releasing them next year, we hear that they own the originals but not the distribution rights. How is that possible? Legal mumbo jumbo! Just make this happen!
Edge of Tomorrow DVD Gets Title Changed.
My take: Why do does Warner Bros. want to change the title of a movie to it's tagline? Nobody knows but it sure has people talking about the film again…so…genius move? If you didn't see this movie in theatres and it's still available to you locally, please go see it. Warner Bros. did this same thing with The Iron Giant; they had no idea what they had and no idea how to market it properly. This movie is a clever and charming action sci-fi adventure that plays like a video game. Boom. Done. WB, I await my job offer.
Will Marvel Make an Inhumans Movie?
My take: If they thought Guardians of the Galaxy was risky, I think they're crazy. The moment I heard they were making it, I knew that someone, somewhere, at some meeting made a brilliant decision and it would be a hit. However, as big a fan I am of Marvel's cosmos stories, The Inhumans is one sector I could just never get behind. I don't mind them being included or a plot point but it would take some extremely clever storytelling to make me look forward to a movie about them and their history and their ongoing politics.
No More Origin Superhero Movies.
My take: Speaking of brilliant decisions, Marvel is steering away from the superhero origin movie. With the success of Guardians of the Galaxy, it's pretty clear moviegoers don't need to be pandered to anymore. They don't need to know how someone got powers in anything longer than a flashback or line of dialogue. Marvel doesn't have time for origins at this point. To keep up with the stories and the franchise, other heroes and characters introduced need to be ready to go if Thanos shows up tomorrow. Also, there are literally millions of copies of source material you can go to if you're curious. Find a local comic book store or hop on Comixology if you have a tablet.
TELEVISION
Cast of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Still Expanding.
My take: Knowing that the TV series is connected to the films makes this show a key player to keep an eye on. I never got into it, myself but am most certainly interested in Adrianne Palicki being cast as Mockingbird. The only real reason, if I must be honest, is I think she's distractingly gorgeous.
Star Wars Rebels to Premiere October 3rd.
My take: I've already committed myself to watching this show and giving Disney a full chance to save this franchise for me. I have been completely disillusioned since 1999 came along. The more footage I see, however, the more I fear this show may still need a kick in the butt. I think the voice actors are doing a great job, the music is also a great match. The animation, however, seems almost sloppy and clunky when compared to The Clone Wars. That style wasn't my favorite but it was stern and precise while this show looks like they gave gravity the day off and make way too much use of camera movements. However, all I've seen are clips and trailers and can't speak much more aside from speculation. Either way, I'm looking forward to what they've done to expand the universe.
COMIC BOOKS
Superior Foes of Spider-Man Ending?
My take: I just found this out today, not sure when it was announced but that is a bummer. I just got into this series recently and it's a blast. With all the dramatic stories out there, it's nice to have something that's fun and funny. It's too bad books like this don't seem to last too long in the Big Two's libraries.
Batman Books Getting Overhaul.
My take: With new editors on the Batman books, it's nice to see DC's *shudder* New 52 getting it's first, real makeover. Not every bat-book needs to star Batman and it's nice to see books like Grayson and Batgirl trying something new with plot and design.
DC's Multiversity Starts.
My take: A writer on my "most questionable" list, Grant Morrison, started the DC universe on it's new path this week. With comedy and breaking of the fourth wall, this isn't what many were expecting. Captain Carrot hopes to be DC's answer to Rocket Raccoon and I don't think they'll end up pulling that off. DC's multiverse is only entertaining for fans who've followed the books for more than 20 years, or those new who really, really enjoy doing research (as I once was). It's getting harder and harder to follow DC stories and to know which characters are the ones we're supposed to care about. Personally, I think they had their act together up until Infinite Crisis and things fell apart and imploded with Final Crisis.
Watch out for this segment each and every Wednesday. We'll see you next week!
Did we miss something? What are your thoughts on these topics?
Leave us a comment below!
Posted by
Unknown
- Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Peter O'Toole was an absolute beast of an actor. He had something special, a rare combination of looks and deep, affecting screen presence. Richard Burton said this of the late actor:
"He looked like a beautiful, emaciated secretary bird… his voice had a crack like a whip… most important of all you couldn't take your eyes off him… acting is usually regarded as a craft and I claim it to be nothing more except in the hands of the odd few men and women who, once or twice in a lifetime, elevate it into something odd and mystical and deeply disturbing. I believe Peter O'Toole to have this strange quality."
O'Toole had that "it" factor in spades and could act most others into oblivion. So strong was his presence that he often buried other actors during scenes and it must have been hard to share films with him. He never seemed overbearing or a jerk about anything, but rather simply a powerful force of nature, unbridled and unstoppable once unleashed. His body of works stands with the all time greats of the industry.
Why did Peter O'Toole never win an Oscar for Best Actor? He is considered by many to be the greatest actor never to have won and, his Honorary Oscar in 2003 notwithstanding, I agree. The biggest factor, believe it or not, was simply bad timing. It seems like every time he was nominated (a staggering 8 times), there was someone else that gave the performance of a lifetime or O'Toole was deemed "too young" and the Academy seldom gave out the statue to youngsters at that time.
O'Toole started strong like nobody's business. His first nomination came in 1962 for Lawrence of Arabia and O'Toole, just 30 years old, lost out to Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird and, damn, I can't argue too hard against that. Peck's Atticus Finch is an icon and Lawrence was celebrated more for the pageantry/scope of film making than the acting, unfortunately. Two years later, Peter lost to Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady. In the 60's, musicals ruled the decade so Harrison was a lock.
I've never seen Cliff Robertson in Charly, but O'Toole was denied again. The next four times it was impossible for anyone to beat the men that won. John Wayne was rewarded for his full body of work in True Grit (great movie, but not his best, in my opinion). Marlon Brando in The Godfather, Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, and Ben Kingsley in Gandhi. These were once in a lifetime roles and actors that would not be denied. When O'Toole was nominated for the last time in 2006 and lost to Forest Whitaker, he had already accepted his Honorary Oscar.
He initially balked at the idea, saying he was "still in the game" and could still win one on his own. After some admonishment from his children, he decided to take it for what it was: a celebration of his life's work and recognition of his contribution to the world of film. Yeah, it kinda irks me too. The fact they just gave it to him, but in my mind and many other fan's estimation, he earned it and then some.
Is there a better actor that has never won an Academy Award? Who is better than the late, great Peter O'Toole? Sound off below.
Posted by
Orion Petitclerc
Well, here's a big step for Marvel Studios. Perhaps finally feeling the fatigue experienced by many fans and movie goers, Devin Faraci of Badass Digest revealed Marvel's current plans with the Doctor Strange movie script, reporting that the studio is in the process of moving away from the current standard of setting up every new character's initial movie as an origin story. Instead, writer John Spaihts is working on a totally new script apart from the previous iteration that included Dr. Stephen Strange's transformation from surgeon to Sorcerer Supreme and Baron Mordo as the big bad.
This new, unofficial stance (so far, no one at Marvel Studios has confirmed the changed approach to making new superhero movies) reminds me—as well as many comic fans—of Scarlet Witch's famous quote that fixed the Marvel Universe from its dystopian House of M alternate reality in which mutants were the majority species over humanity: "No more mutants."
However, this isn't the first time a Marvel Studios movie will take place in media res. Before it became the independent powerhouse we all know after 2008's Iron Man, Marvel Studios co-produced Blade in 1998 with New Line Cinema—a film which took place mainly in media res, or when Blade was already well into his vampire hunting career. Granted, the movie had a prologue that explained how Blade became the Daywalker, but his origin didn't comprise of the entire length of the movie, unlike Tony Stark's in Iron Man or Steve Rogers' in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Now, this new approach to storytelling doesn't mean that Marvel Studios is going to do away with origin stories completely. How exactly is an audience supposed to accept that Stephen Strange is now the Sorcerer Supreme if he was a surgeon beforehand? I guarantee that somewhere in the movie there will be a brief explanation of the hows and whys of Dr. Strange's rebirth.
The "No more origin stories" approach will usher in a new era of superhero movies, though. After major hiccups like The Amazing Spider-Man (which I still thoroughly enjoy more than watching Tobey Maguire lop around and mope about his girl troubles), audiences may be relieved once other studios pick up on the probable success of the new style and finally deliver the meat of the action we usually have to wait one long introductory movie for. Imagine: if and when the current Spider-Man movie franchise finally collapses (hopefully after I get my Venom movie!), Sony—or Marvel Studios, if many fans' dreams come true—will reboot it for a third time and perhaps skip over the twice-baked Death of Uncle Ben story and skip to maybe a year after Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man—a long year of villain after villain, building upon his experience and mastery of his powers.
Obviously Ant Man's out of the picture for this new storytelling approach, but what other Marvel Studios films would you like to see receive the "No more origin stories" treatment? How do you think Doctor Strange will be handled? Tell us in the comments section below, and follow Fanboys Anonymous on every conceivable social platform for more geek news!
Posted by
Unknown
- Monday, August 18, 2014
This is a really strange one but it has come to my attention that Warner Bros. is attempting to play a little sleight of hand to get people on-board with buying the Blu-Ray or DVD of the upcoming release of the Tom Cruise sci-fi actioner, Edge of Tomorrow. It's almost like they are ashamed of the original title and want to feature the tagline more. The tagline for the film was:
Live.
Die.
Repeat.
The film, by all accounts, was a very well made film and I've been itching to see it. I wanted to catch it in the theaters but it was there and gone so fast that I never had a chance. Didn't get a chance to see it either? Never fear, because the Blu-ray and DVD are coming fast for release, plus a digital download, of course. Some sites are claiming Warner Bros. are kind of changing the title to the above tagline in order to mix it up or…to make people buy it more?
I don't get this, or at least I'm not convinced this is why the DVD cover looks like this. Sure, they seem to be pushing this tagline, but the title of the movie is Edge of Tomorrow, end of story. Look at the edge (heh) of the cover here and it still says the actual title. Plus, the movie was that big of a flop; it made $364 million worldwide, which isn't hugely bad on a $178 million budget.
Warner Bros. would need a bigger reason to go this route to try to distance themselves from the film and the name; it's not like it was hated. In fact, it got amazing reviews from both critics and movie goers, but, for whatever reason, it failed to make a ton of money at the box office. Then again, there's nothing wrong with the studio using the tagline more prominently—something that might reach a bigger audience since it covered the posters as well. Maybe they're trying to relaunch the marketing for the film?
So did anyone see the movie? Was it good, great, or forgettable? Will the different take on the title/tagline work to generate buzz for the Blu-ray/DVD release? Sound off below.
