Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Monday, February 27, 2017
The 2017 Oscars are in the bag and our winners have been determined, which means its time to breakdown what transpired both on the show itself and regarding the winners of the different categories. Was this a better show than before? What snubs, surprises, and interesting things happened throughout the night?
Obviously, we can't get started at all in any means without addressing the absolute biggest story of the night when La La Land was announced for Best Picture only to have it snatched away a minute later and for them to retract that to say Moonlight won instead.
There is so much to talk about here that I don't even know where to get started.
First off, I don't understand how Moonlight won. Out of all the films nominated for Best Picture, that was my second least favorite (with Lion being dead last). I honestly do not see how that beat out La La Land or even Arrival or Hidden Figures etc.
Was it set up with someone purposely handing Warren Beatty the wrong envelope? How did this happen? Seriously, how does a mix up like this happen to the most important category of them all and it just also happens to be the favorite movie that gets upset at the last second by the underdog? I'm suspicious as hell.
As far as the situation itself, I think mostly everybody handled it extremely well. The La La Land group didn't storm off and piss and moan, the Moonlight people didn't rub it in their face, Jimmy Kimmel threw out some levity to ease the tension a bit and Warren Beatty got a chance to explain what went wrong before people started giving him shit.
I couldn't resist making a joke out of the situation with this t-shirt design below:
Since I was rooting for La La Land and I was really hoping Moonlight wouldn't win, this whole ending really put a sour end-cap on what I thought was a fantastic show, so it's a good thing the rest of my notes below were almost entirely written up before I started to get tainted, which makes me laugh.
THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/ACTRESS PROBLEM
The situation with Best Picture wasn't the only controversy going on, but funny enough, the other one I wanted to talk about was something more related to the nominations in general rather than what happened with a messed up card placement.
Others have weighed in on the issue not just this year, but previous years before, that there should be more rules in place to determine which people can be nominated for lead/supporting awards and this year saw both Viola Davis and Dev Patel under scrutiny. Both of them have to really be debated about as to whether or not they qualify as "supporting" roles considering how much screen time they have.
When it comes to Dev Patel, it's doubtful he would have even received a nomination for Best Actor when compared to the other five men who achieved that goal, so the producers lumped him into the easier category to get into as Best Supporting Actor. How is that okay, though, considering he's likely on screen just as much if not more than Sunny Pawar? I don't have the exact numbers, but they should at the very least be equals, and when it comes to name recognition to try to sell the movie, you're certainly relying more on Patel than Pawar.
It didn't work for him, but a similar situation did work for Viola Davis. Granted, she put on one hell of a performance and I think it could be argued that if she were in the Best Picture hunt, she could have won that as well, but it makes you think about just how fair or unfair it is for her to be considered Best Supporting Actress when she's the second-biggest lead in the film and unarguably the top female in the picture. There literally is no other candidate that could have taken the "lead actress" stipulation away from her in Fences.
Should the academy allow for contenders to be determined based off the production companies opting to lobby for smaller awards to shoot for just to manage the possibility of being nominated? Should there be a system in place that tells them "no, that's not a supporting role, it's a lead one, so you can either submit them for lead or not submit them at all" or something along those lines? Food for thought.
POLITICS
Obviously, the Oscars and every ceremony like this always becomes a platform for personal politics, which is something I've never been a fan of. Whether I agree or disagree with what each person says, I don't see a reason why a celebration of the work done in the film industry where we give awards to individual movies should turn into a discussion about issues that have nothing to do with the particular movies being discussed.
When Zootopia won, I would have been fine with a quick mention about the social issues that the film touched upon, and that's perfectly okay to me. What I don't like, though, is when you're announcing Best Animated Feature/Short and you turn it into a discussion about the whole wall/immigration issue. Is it dumb? Yes. Does it have anything to do with the progress of animation in movies? Absolutely not.
Some people will say it was offensive for Asghar Farhadi to not show up to accept his award for The Salesman for Best Foreign Language Film, but I would disagree. To me, that's one of the few categories where a statement on immigration actually isn't out of place, nor was the small video package about cinema perspectives from other countries. You could take that as being a planned response to current government agendas but since it's an actual thing about movies, I'm cool with it.
Then, of course, there's the #OscarsSoWhite reflection from last year. I had seen some thankfully short backlash with people saying they purposely started the evening with a black actor (Mahershala Ali) winning an award to try to prove how that wasn't true. In actuality, if you look back on previous years, they tend to start off the ceremony with Best Supporting Actor/Actress quite often, so no, that wasn't some plot to be politically correct.
Nothing I say will convince you otherwise if you disagree with me, which is basically the problem we have when it comes to politics since nobody likes to listen, which is why I think it's better to just keep everything politically-charged away from a ceremony which boils down to "hey, that movie was good!"
THE CEREMONY
Let's start getting into the show itself, shall we not?
THE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES
I always skip the red carpet. I don't need to watch two and a half hours of people saying other people look beautiful and asking them which designer wanted to promote their stuff enough to give a gorgeous actress an expensive dress to put on for free. I have no interest in fashion whatsoever, it's a waste of time to hear them all say that they're having a blast and so excited, blah blah blah.
For me, the show kicks off when the actual ceremony begins, and we've had a variety of ideas in the past. My personal favorite is some kind of scripted pre-filmed video montage that references a ton of the movies that came out that year, because, well, I love movies, which is why I watch this to begin with. I'm not a big song and dance guy (despite doing some theater in my past) nor do I like concerts (having never been to one in my life—yeah, crucify me in the comments, I don't like bands, only individual songs) which brings me to this year's opening number.
Justin Timberlake killed it. I haven't seen Trolls and I hadn't heard that song before, but it was super catchy and you could tell the entire crowd was really into it. It really made things hit the ground running with a ton of energy, but funny enough, it also killed two birds with one stone since the song was nominated for Best Original Song. What a great way to bring vivacity to the beginning of a long night and put smiles on everyone's faces while also showcasing a nominee.
I always love the random inserts of classic scores used for commercial breaks or to bring the next presenter to the podium. That's never going to change, so a big thumbs up for that, per usual.
Is it just me, or was Lin-Manuel Miranda kind of shoehorned into things quite a bit? They went to him multiple times and referenced him throughout, but by far the most egregious and awkwardly weird aspect of the night regarding him was his awful prologue before "How Far I'll Go" from Moana. That was cringeworthy. By the way, Auli'i Cravalho looked great in more ways than one even in the midst of being hit in the face with one of the blue flags swirling around her. Lots of poise. Great job all around for her.
Sting's performance was pretty blase. The song itself does nothing for me, the segment was bland and uninteresting, and I forgot about it immediately after it was done.
Great choice to have John Legend perform the medley of the two songs from La La Land. I'm so glad that "City of Stars" won that category. Well-deserved.
I also like the trend of having ta live musical performance to go along with the "in memoriam" segment. I'll admit that I actually teared up during it despite never meeting a single one of those people. Sara Bareilles' rendition of "Both Sides Now" was just fantastic and having it end with Carrie Fisher's "may the Force be with you" was such a great way to cap it off.
THE HOST & PRESENTERS
Jimmy Kimmel did such a great job and even though he said at the end of the show that he promised he'd never be back due to whole Best Picture fiasco, I would love to see him return in the future.
"It has been an amazing year for movies. Black people saved NASA and white people saved jazz. That's what you call progress."
"14 nominations—one for every year Damien Chazelle has been alive. Tonight is very important for Damien. If he wins, he'll get to go to any college he wants."
"You know if you search for Manchester by the Sea on Amazon it says customers who bought this item also purchased Zoloft."
The line about O.J. Simpson getting an extra slice of bologna on his sandwich
The story of a conscientious objector who chooses to work with Mel Gibson anyway
By far, the best running gag of the night, though, was the material with Matt Damon. This has been going on for a long time and for them to carry it over onto the Oscars was such a good idea as it provided some of the biggest laughs for me. Busting on The Great Wall and We Bought a Zoo, Damon tripping him, "two-time Academy Award winner Ben Affleck and guest" along with being played off with the music while he was presenting an award had me in stitches.
Perhaps the most memorable bit was the Starline Tours segment, which was falling flat at first but picked up when he started riffing with the two couples.
Next year's host of the 2018 Oscars, whoever that may be, will have a tough act to follow.
Many of the other presenters of the night were great as well. Kate McKinnon's makeup sex joke was funny, The Rock was charming as always, Shirley McLaine got in some great laughs, and I loved the ditzy Sci-Tech Awards spot with Leslie Mann and John Cho.
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS
The Rolex advertisement was very well done, but I didn't quite connect with the series of short films with the Walmart commercials. I liked the idea behind it, but they pretty much went over my head and reminded me of the type of film school pieces that are supposed to be "super deep" to pretentious future failures. Decent concept I'd like to see them do again in the future, though.
Can we get a fact check on any sponsorship deals from the little bags of candy falling from the sky? I have a sneaking suspicion Junior Mints, Red Vines, Lemonheads and Mike and Ike are happy tonight. Great touch having the parachutes come down to "Ride of the Valkyries"
You mean to tell me Suicide Squad wins Best Makeup when Killer Croc looked like the fakest thing in a superhero movie since The Thing from Fantastic 4? Come on.
MY PREDICTIONS SCORE
I did worse than I thought I would do. This year, I honestly thought I had a chance to get nearly every guess correct, but I ended up with 15 right and 9 wrong.
The ones I got wrong were:
Best Picture (although for a minute there, I had it right!)
Best Actor (I thought it would be Denzel Washington)
Costume Design (my guess was La La Land)
Makeup and Hairstyling (I thought Star Trek Beyond)
Film Editing (I guessed La La Land)
Documentary Short Subject (shot in the dark; I went with Extremis)
Foreign Language Film (shot in the dark; I went with Toni Erdman)
Live Action Short Film (shot in the dark; I went with Ennemis Interieurs)
Sound Editing (I had Hacksaw Ridge and Arrival as the winners for both and split the difference so I knew I'd get at least one wrong but at least one right)
When you consider the upset with Best Picture and the fact that I was completely blindly guessing with three of the awards, it's not too bad, but I was really hoping I would do better. Oh well, there's always next year.
All in all, I think this show was fantastic all the way up until the very end. A lot of progress was made this year in trying to reach out to different audiences and show that whether it's a film about an alien invasion being taken seriously as a contender, a blacklisted director getting another chance to be respected again, overlooked older talent or up and coming younger talent being recognized and the birth of a whole new future level of CGI with The Jungle Book, I think this was an overall very solid exhibition of what Hollywood has to offer.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE 2017 OSCARS? TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Sunday, February 26, 2017
The 89th Academy Awards were presented on February 26, 2017 and honored the best in film for 2017. Here are the results of all of the winners in their respective categories.
BEST PICTURE:Moonlight
BEST ACTOR: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea
BEST ACTRESS: Emma Stone for La La Land
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mahershala Ali for Moonlight
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis for Fences
BEST DIRECTOR: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:Manchester by the Sea
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:Moonlight
BEST FILM EDITING:Hacksaw Ridge
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:The Jungle Book
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:La La Land
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:La La Land
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:Suicide Squad
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:La La Land
BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "City of Stars" from La La Land
BEST SOUND EDITING:Arrival
BEST SOUND MIXING:Hacksaw Ridge
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:Zootopia
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:Piper
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:O.J.: Made in America
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:The White Helmets
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:The Salesman
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM:Sing
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE RESULTS? TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Saturday, February 25, 2017
The 37th annual Golden Raspberry Awards looked back on the films released in 2016 and determined which were the worst movies, actors, actresses and more. Here are the results of the "winners" for the 2017 Razzies Awards:
2017 Razzies Awards Winners
WORST PICTURE
Assassin's Creed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Collateral Beauty The Darkness Dirty Grandpa The Divergent Series: Allegiant Fifty Shades of Black Gods of Egypt Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party Independence Day: Resurgence London Has Fallen Mother's Day Suicide Squad Zoolander 2
WINNER:Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
WORST ACTOR
Ben Affleck for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Kevin Bacon for The Darkness
Gerard Butler for Gods of Egypt and London Has Fallen
Henry Cavill for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Dinesh D’Souza for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Robert De Niro for Dirty Grandpa
Zac Efron for Dirty Grandpa and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Liam Hemsworth for Independence Day: Resurgence
Brad Pitt for Allied
Will Smith for Collateral Beauty and Suicide Squad
Ben Stiller for Zoolander 2
Marlon Wayans for Fifty Shades of Black
WINNER: Dinesh D'Souza for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
WORST ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston for Mother's Day and Office Christmas Party
Marion Cotillard for Allied and Assassin's Creed
Megan Fox for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Radha Mitchell for The Darkness
Tyler Perry (as Madea) for Boo! A Madea Halloween
Margot Robbie for The Legend of Tarzan and Suicide Squad
Julia Roberts for Mother's Day
Rebekah Turner for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Naomi Watts for The Divergent Series: Allegiant and Shut In
Shailene Woodley for The Divergent Series: Allegiant
WINNER: Rebekah Turner for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Nicolas Cage for Snowden
Benedict Cumberbatch for Zoolander 2
Johnny Depp for Alice Through the Looking Glass
Jesse Eisenberg for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Will Ferrell for Zoolander 2
Jeff Goldblum for Independence Day: Resurgence
Jeremy Irons for Assassin's Creed and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Jared Leto for Suicide Squad
T.J. Miller for Office Christmas Party
Geoffrey Rush for Gods of Egypt
Brenton Thwaites for Gods of Egypt
Owen Wilson for Masterminds and Zoolander 2
WINNER: Jesse Eisenberg for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cassi Davis for Boo! A Madea Halloween
Julianne Hough for Dirty Grandpa
Kate Hudson for Mother's Day
Keira Knightley for Collateral Beauty
Helen Mirren for Collateral Beauty
Aubrey Plaza for Dirty Grandpa
Jane Seymour for Fifty Shades of Black
Octavia Spencer for The Divergent Series: Allegiant
Sela Ward for Independence Day: Resurgence
Kristen Wiig for Masterminds and Zoolander 2
Kate Winslet for Collateral Beauty
WINNER: Kristen Wiig for Zoolander 2
WORST DIRECTOR
Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
Roland Emmerich for Independence Day: Resurgence
Justin Kurzel for Assassin's Creed
Dan Mazer for Dirty Grandpa
Greg McLean for The Darkness
Babak Najafi for London Has Fallen
Tyler Perry for Boo! A Madea Halloween
Alex Proyas for Gods of Egypt
Zack Snyder for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Ben Stiller for Zoolander 2
Michael Tiddes for Fifty Shades of Black
WINNER: Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley for Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party
WORST SCREENPLAY
Assassin's Creed - Michael Lesslie, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer Dirty Grandpa - John M. Phillips The Divergent Series: Allegiant - Stephen Chbosky, Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Noah Oppenheim Fifty Shades of Black - Rick Alvarez and Marlon Wayans Ghostbusters - Katie Dippold and Paul Feig Gods of Egypt - Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party - Dinesh D'Souza and Bruce Schooley Independence Day: Resurgence - Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, James Vanderbilt, James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright Mother's Day - Tom Hines, Anya Kochoff Romano, Matt Walker, Lily Hollander and Garry Marshall Suicide Squad - David Ayer Zoolander 2 - John Hamburg, Ben Stiller, Nicholas Stoller and Justin Theroux
WINNER:Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer
WORST REMAKE OR SEQUEL
Alice Through the Looking Glass Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Blair Witch The Divergent Series: Allegiant Fifty Shades of Black Independence Day: Resurgence The Legend of Tarzan London Has Fallen My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Ride Along 2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Zoolander 2
WINNER:Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
WORST SCREEN COMBO
Ben Affleck and his BFF (Baddest Foe Forever) Henry Cavill in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Any two Egyptian gods or mortals in Gods of Egypt
Gerard Butler and his on-again/off-again accent in Gods of Egypt and London Has Fallen
Robert De Niro and either Zac Efron or Aubrey Plaza in Dirty Grandpa
Johnny Depp and his vomitously vibrant costume in Alice Through the Looking Glass
The entire cast of once respected actors in Collateral Beauty
The entire cast of once respected actresses in Mother's Day
Megan Fox and either Stephen Amell or any ninja turtle in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Tyler Perry and that same old worn out wig in Boo! A Madea Halloween
Ben Stiller and his BFF (Barely Funny Friend) Owen Wilson in Zoolander 2
WINNER: Ben Affleck and his BFF (Baddest Foe Forever) Henry Cavill in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
RAZZIES REDEEMER AWARD
Mel Gibson for Hacksaw Ridge
BARRY L. BUMSTEAD AWARD
Misconduct
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS LIST? TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Wednesday, February 15, 2017
LIVE FEB. 25, 2017 @ 12 PM EST UNTIL FEB. 26, 2017 @ 12 PM EST
For the fourth year in a row, Fanboys Anonymous is proud to be joining the efforts for The Dacetacular Gaming for a Cause charity gameathon event hosted by our very own Chris "The Dace Man" Dace!
In its first year on February 15, 2014, $900 was raised for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The second year of the fund raiser saw improvements as $1,200 was raised for Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania. Better still, the team was able to break the record in 2016 by raising $1,800 for Alzheimer's Association - Delaware Valley Chapter. This year's 24-hour video game marathon funds will be going to The Messages Project and we're hoping to get well past the $2,000 mark, so make sure to donate what you can and to tune in to the live stream to watch us have some fun (and suffer once we hit the late morning hours) for a good cause!
Information on how to donate, what prizes are available to win, what is scheduled for the show and more can be found below:
Leading up to the big event you can catch The Dace Man and Friends streaming live on Twitch! You can find a different streamer each night featured on the the DaceManAndFriends Channel!
Sunday February 19th To Be Annonunced!
Monday February 20th - Chris Bompadre
Tuesday February 21st - Special Dace Man Show featuring the hosts playing Video Games!
Wednesday February 22nd - To Be Annonunced!
Thursday February 23rd - Amber Gilroy
Friday February 24th - Travis Goss
DACETACULAR GAMING FOR A CAUSE IV Feb 25th Noon EST- The Kick Off
As per tradition we will kick off the event with Twisted Metal 2 for the PlayStation.
Afterwards the crew will venture into various retro arcade games
8:00 PM EST - 3rd Annual Smash Bros Tournament Watch the worst Deptford has to offer when it comes to the game Super Smash Bros. as they try to dethrone 2x Champ Vince Ciafardoni!
Immediately Following Smash Bros Tournament The crew will dance and humiliate themselves to one of the gazillion installments of the Just Dance Franchise.
2:00 AM - 6:00 AM - The Over Night Struggle The Second Stage official shuts down around this time and the few stragglers try to power through the overnight hours of the game-a-thon!
6:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Second Wind to The Finish The Remaining crew will pound breakfast sandwiches and energy drinks making the desperate run for the finish line!
For every $5.00 donated you will be automatically entered into win one of these awesome prizes! Check back regularly because prizes are added every week leading up to the event!
(2) $50 Gift Card to The Village Pub (Sewell, NJ & Swedesboro, NJ locations)
Opening Day Tickets to a Major League Baseball Game. (We realize our fan base has grown outside the realm of New Jersey and the incredible Philadelphia fan base, so The Dace Man Show will provide you with Opening Day tickets to your local team)
3 Month Subscription to Loot Crate
$50 Gift Card to Best Buy
10 Tee Turtle Shirts (Various Sizes) designs
$30 Revolution Barber Company Gift Card
Lunacy Brewing Tasting for Two (Includes a Shirt, Hat and Growler)
Custom Made Walking Dead Purse by Comic Nerd Craft
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Sunday, February 12, 2017
On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Movie Reel Rundown podcast, host Tony Mango discusses his thoughts on some of the best films to watch on Valentine's Day which may be overlooked or underrated.
What are some of the best romance films that aren't too sentimental and overly sweet?
Which movies deal with love and relationships in different ways from your average go-to picks?
Are there any classic romantic movies that are overrated and shouldn't be recommended?
Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on this topic in the comments below!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Saturday, February 11, 2017
With the upcoming release of Logan set to be the final time Hugh Jackman will sport the trademark Wolverine claws, Fanboys Anonymous is partnering up with TV Store Online to hold another contest giveaway where you can win a free Wolverine costume hoodie just by showing your support for our website!
Have you ever wanted to be just like Wolverine? If so, show it off in style with this officially licensed Wolverine hoodie! Featuring the design of Logan's most recognizable suit, this X-men hoodie includes a hood that pulls down to reveal his mask, making it an excellent choice for any die hard fan. Now all you'll need is some Adamantium claws! This Marvel hoodie could easily be used as a Wolverine costume, giving it multiple functions. Let the world know who your favorite X-men character is with this awesome super hero hoodie!
Brown
60% Cotton / 40% Polyester
Standard Fit
Officially Licensed
Browse the rest of their supply of Wolverine and X-Men items
HOW TO WIN
One winner will be chosen upon completion of entering the contest below.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, February 10, 2017
On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous Reviewpoint podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE.
What were the positives and negatives of The Lego Batman Movie? Did it live up to the hype or was it a disappointment?
Check out the podcast below on YouTube, iTunes, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe and tell us your thoughts on The Lego Batman Movie in the comments below!
THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE
DIRECTED BY
Chris McKay
WRITTEN BY
Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers with additional screenplay material by Jared Stern and John Whittington
STARRING:
Will Arnett (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Michael Cera (Dick Grayson / Robin), Ralph Fiennes (Alfred Pennyworth), Rosario Dawson (Barbara Gordon / Batgirl), Mariah Carey (Mayor McCaskill), Jenny Slate (Harley Quinn), Billy Dee Williams (Two-Face) and Zach Galifianakis (The Joker)
There are big changes brewing in Gotham, but if Batman (Will Arnett) wants to save the city from the Joker's hostile takeover, he may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, February 9, 2017
On the latest edition of Minute Man Reviews hosted by Tony Mango, THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE is given as full of a review as possible in under 60 seconds.
Check out the video below and be sure to subscribe and leave your comments on what you thought of The Lego Batman Movie!
THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE
DIRECTED BY
Chris McKay
WRITTEN BY
Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers with additional screenplay material by Jared Stern and John Whittington
STARRING:
Will Arnett (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Michael Cera (Dick Grayson / Robin), Ralph Fiennes (Alfred Pennyworth), Rosario Dawson (Barbara Gordon / Batgirl), Mariah Carey (Mayor McCaskill), Jenny Slate (Harley Quinn), Billy Dee Williams (Two-Face) and Zach Galifianakis (The Joker)
There are big changes brewing in Gotham, but if Batman (Will Arnett) wants to save the city from the Joker's hostile takeover, he may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Saturday, February 4, 2017
Normally, we have to wait until the summer months before we start seeing the superhero films that come out during the year, but in 2017, our first comic book movie is actually coming out February 10th: The Lego Batman Movie!
Since most people like to go with the flow and wear t-shirts and apparel related to these films when they go see them (I know I do when I can, just to get into the spirit), Batman gear will be on the rise. But since this is still the winter, why not take advantage of the ability to also embrace the one time of the year you can swear Christmas sweaters and get away with it?
Fanboys Anonymous recently partnered up with Fun.com to bring you the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Funko Pop! giveaway, but they also offer plenty of other merchandise on their website, including an exclusive line of sweaters based on and inspired by DC Comics characters and more.
Winter is coming and that means it's time for the holidays. It's the perfect time to pack away the Batsuit, put on a comfortable cardigan and roast chestnuts over an open fire with the family. But now, you can do it in full Batman style. This Christmas Batman Cardigan has a fit and style that any DC Super Hero fan can appreciate during the chilly months of the year. The sweater has a button up front with Bat-symbols and snowflakes that wrap around the chest and shoulders, providing a unique Batman style that adds a heroic feel to any holiday party.
100% Acrylic
V-neck cardigan has shawl collar, covered buttons at center front
Ribbed cuffs, collar, waistband & edge band
Knitted-in bats & snowflakes
Officially Licensed
I grabbed one for myself and even though I'm not normally a sweater guy, I find it to be super comfortable. Plus, I'll admit, I find it funny that I've gotten away with wearing it out in public and nobody's noticed that instead of snowflakes, there are Batman logos all over the place. I'm dumb like that, I know. It's just stylish enough to pull off being a regular cardigan but also lets you embrace your inner fanboy.
If Batman's not your style, then be sure to check out the other DC and ugly Christmas sweaters they have to offer including Wonder Woman, Superman, Star Wars, The Nightmare Before Christmas and even Ghostbusters (you can just tell your friends it's the original logo and ignore the new film was ever made).
I'll be wearing this opening night for The Lego Batman Movie because even if that ends up being a disappointment, I'll at least be comfortable while I watch them make fun of my favorite superhero. Stay tuned to Fanboys Anonymous for a review of the film when it comes out and keep checking out Fun.com for more awesome shirts, costumes, toys and everything else!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Friday, February 3, 2017
Welcome to the latest edition of Making the Grade—a review format segment here on Fanboys Anonymous where we break down the five major components of something and give it a score based on the standard report card lineup: A, B, C, D, and F for a total failure.
The next report card is for the new NBC television series Powerless set in the realm of DC Comics.
WARNING - SPOILERS BELOW
Oh boy...where do I start? As a big fan of the superhero genre, I really, really disliked this show. In fact, there was only one thing about the entire episode that I actually enjoyed, which was the following line of dialogue:
"Gone are the days of a man in a bandit mask stealing a ruby from a museum. Now, it's all just supervillains trying to destroy the earth and superheroes fighting one another for vaguely defined reasons."
That is the type of meta stuff that I was looking for, not the schmaltzy unfunny wretch this thing is.
STORY: A
On paper, this idea is fantastic, but the execution of it is terrible. Marvel's Damage Control series had more potential behind it than this because their track record with comedy is so, so much better, whereas DC can't figure out what it wants to be.
Charm City? Really? They couldn't even be bothered to give it one of the real cities in DC Comics? I know we already have Gotham and Metropolis all over the place, Central and Keystone are covered with The Flash, Star City is on Arrow, Coast City wouldn't work as you'd need Green Lantern, but why not Fawcett City, even?
Everything about this screams ABC, not NBC. In fact, if you saw the series A to Z, this not only has one of the same cast members who I assume is a carryover from that contract, but I had the exact same "wrong network vibe" about that as I do with this and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they repurposed much of the same sets and such for this.
CHARACTERS/ACTING:D
Boy, everybody here is truly giving it their all, but the material is just crap. "They're very talented, but they're just missing a 'you' to motivate them." is a line from the show and it applies here. Admittedly, I haven't seen much of Vanessa Hudgens, but what little I've been exposed to makes me think she's not bad. Alan Tudyk has charm, Danny Pudi is great (makes me miss Community) and there's a certain dryness to Christina Kirk that I enjoy. The dialogue they have to say and the presentation of it all in its complete package is horrible, though. A bad actor can screw up a good script, but a great actor can't make a bad script any good. Also, I know Jennie Pierson's character is supposed to be super funny and I can't stand her, which irks me to no end.
VISUALS (FX, MAKEUP, COSTUMES, SETS): F
Holy hell is this all awful! I mean, this makes the jets on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. look realistic in comparison. NONE of this looked like it was anything but crappy TV CGI from the 90s.
Why is every set filled to the brim with primary colors? There seems to be a specific effort to make sure every scene has yellow, red and blue to punch up the background while our protagonist has a bright green shirt to break up the sea of blinding white furniture and such. This is the type of set design you'd see for a McDonald's PlayPlace. I certainly didn't want everything to have the dark and gritty feel of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice but I never would have signed off on them putting the film through a Skittles filter, either.
MUSIC & SOUND: C–
I honestly can't remember anything about this, so I have to give it a default mid-range score.
TONE & ATMOSPHERE: A
ACTION: This isn't supposed to be an action-based show, so I can't judge it in comparison to something like the CW programs. That being said, their idea of action was so lame that it made me wish they just had none at all so I wouldn't have noticed how bad it was.
COMEDY: Good God. These were jokes? I mean, the show itself is a joke, but the "humorous dialogue" was supposed to be laughed at for real? Like, as in the same manner as actual funny shows like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Modern Family? For fuck's sake, I just watched the season premiere of Superior Donuts which I didn't even bother to review here on Fanboys Anonymous and that show made me chuckle more than this and I'm the target audience because I absolutely love DC and Marvel stuff!!!
ROMANCE: For a pilot episode, this didn't dive into any romance angles, which is fine. Eventually, they'll be going down that rabbit hole, but I'm not going to be there to witness it.
FINAL GRADE: D
I can only see you liking this if you prefer the extremely campy version of comic books. If Bruce Timm's Batman: The Animated Series was too dark for you but you thought Batman: The Brave and the Bold was great, then give this a shot. If you're like me, though, and you prefer the more serious stuff or at least the type of atmosphere the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes for where they keep things lighter but the jokes are actually funny because the writers are good, then you should stay away. This feels like it was written by someone who doesn't actually know anything about any of the comics whatsoever, but wanted to try to give off the impression that they did. This type of show had so much potential to be hilarious, poking fun at the genre and being a fundamentally good show even if you aren't privy to all the inside baseball stuff, but as both a DC fan and a fan of just quality television in general, I hated it all around.
What the hell, DC? You botched some aspects of Batman v Superman, you botched Suicide Squad, you just had to announce that Ben Affleck is not directing The Batman anymore, you want to do a standalone Black Adam movie before you do a Green Lantern one, you killed off Green Arrow's primary love interest on his show just to placate the squees of fangirls who geek out over the #Olicity relationship and your whole Gotham show revolves around basically having a Batman show without Batman, and then you create this hot garbage. So disappointed.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, February 2, 2017
Welcome to the latest edition of Making the Grade—a review format segment here on Fanboys Anonymous where we break down the five major components of something and give it a score based on the standard report card lineup: A, B, C, D, and F for a total failure.
The next report card is for the new CBS television series Training Day based off the 2001 film of the same name.
WARNING - SPOILERS BELOW
STORY: C
I like that this is a spinoff of the film and not a reboot, and I like how the very end of this episode put a twist on things by saying our protagonist Kyle Craig is going to put our resident jerkass Frank Roarke through the training to become a better person, but outside of that, this was incredibly basic.
Have you seen Rush Hour or Lethal Weapon or any other cop shows? That's this one. There will be a case of the week and they'll solve them while little threads for the overarching story will be told piece by piece until a big blowoff for the mid-season and season finales. This isn't breaking any new ground whatsoever and I already watch enough shows similar to this that are frankly better.
CHARACTERS/ACTING:C–
Bill Paxton as Frank Roarke is far too likable of a guy to be anything comparable to Denzel Washington's Alonzo Harris, who was just a reprehensible asshole in mostly every regard. I don't know if that's a flaw in his acting, the writing, or both, but for this to be a show about him being a bad person and for the first episode to make me think he's on par with every other "lovable douchebag" on television means they failed to accomplish what they were going for.
Strangely enough, I like the Kyle Craig character as being the moral high ground a lot more than Ethan Hawke's character Jake Hoyt, but Justin Cornwell doesn't strike me as leading man material to pull off the role super well. He seemed very wooden in every scene. Every other character was completely forgettable. Katrina Law being cast as "obligatory strong female with a bitchy attitude who can totally take care of herself cause we need to check that off our diversity list" is just blah. Lex Scott Davis as Kyle's wife was pretty charming and Julie Benz as a queen of the prostitutes (okay, technically a "madam" but I think my term is funnier) was probably the standout and I can't imagine she'd be more than a special guest star now and again. Who was the random other white guy hanging out with Katrina Law? That guy was pretty pointless and not worth any screen time. Also, please don't ever bring that monkey back to any scenes as that thing was annoying as hell.
VISUALS (FX, MAKEUP, COSTUMES, SETS): B+
Nothing to complain about here. It's a television show, so you can't expect movie budgets, so everything looked fine for what it was.
MUSIC & SOUND: C–
Meh. Nothing stood out to me negatively or positively. This was just generic filler background noise, so I can't really give it a horrible rating for being "bad" but I certainly can't give it a positive rating for being "good" as it was neither. It just simply "was" and that's C- worthy.
TONE & ATMOSPHERE: C
ACTION: Out of these three categories, this was the best one, but it wasn't anything special.
COMEDY: Too much comedy for something based off this source material. I wanted this to be dark and gritty, which would let it stand out from so many of the other shows that have come and gone. Maybe instead of CBS, this would have worked better as a show on Netflix.
ROMANCE: Kyle already has a wife and if she gets too involved into the plot, it will seem like it's forced. Frank flirted a bit with Julie Benz's character, but I don't really want to see a romantic substory going on.
FINAL GRADE:C–
I normally give shows at least three episodes before making a decision to continue watching it or not, but I was so unimpressed with this that I doubt I'll give it another viewing. If I hear amazing things about it picking up the pace and getting better, I'll retroactively go back and watch from episode 2 onward. Somehow, I don't think that will happen. As a mid-season show, they probably knew this was a risky series to try to bank on after seeing how the pilot turned out, which would explain why there doesn't seem to be a big order of episodes for it.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.
Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!
Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in February 2017?
RELEASE DATE: February 3, 2017
The Space Between Us
Synopsis: The first human born on Mars travels to Earth for the first time, experiencing the wonders of the planet through fresh eyes. He embarks on an adventure with a street smart girl to discover how he came to be.
Will I watch? = Yes
Rings
Synopsis: A young woman finds herself on the receiving end of a terrifying curse that threatens to take her life in 7 days.
Will I watch? = No
Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back
Synopsis: A monk and his three disciples continue on their journey to battle demons.
Will I watch? = No
I Am Not Your Negro
Synopsis: Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.
Will I watch? = No
The Comedian
Synopsis: A look at the life of an aging insult comic named Jack Burke.
Will I watch? = Maybe
RELEASE DATE: February 10, 2017
The LEGO Batman Movie
Synopsis: Bruce Wayne must not only deal with the criminals of Gotham City, but also the responsibility of raising a boy he adopted.
Will I watch? = Yes
Fifty Shades Darker
Synopsis: While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her.
Will I watch? = No
John Wick: Chapter 2
Synopsis: The continuing adventures of former hitman, John Wick.
Will I watch? = Maybe
A United Kingdom
Synopsis: Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana causes an international stir when he marries a white woman from London in the late 1940s.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2017
The Great Wall
Synopsis: European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Fist Fight
Synopsis: When one school teacher (Charlie Day) gets the other (Ice Cube) fired, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
Will I watch? = No
A Cure for Wellness
Synopsis: An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps but soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem.
Will I watch? = Maybe
Patient Zero
Synopsis: After an unprecedented global pandemic has turned the majority of humankind into violent "Infected," a man gifted with the ability to speak the Infected's new language leads the last survivors on a hunt for Patient Zero and a cure.
Will I watch? = No
Land of Mine
Synopsis: A young group of German POWs are made the enemy of a nation, where they are now forced to dig up 2 million land-mines with their bare hands.
Will I watch? = No
Everybody Loves Somebody
Synopsis: On the surface, Clara Barron seems to have it all: a job as an OB-GYN; a great house in LA; and a loving family. But, the one thing Clara doesn't have figured out is her love life. Pressured by a family wedding in Mexico, Clara asks a co-worker to pose as her boyfriend for the weekend festivities,- only to be caught by surprise when her ex- boyfriend (and family favorite) suddenly shows up after disappearing from her life completely. Torn, Clara must decide between going back to the past or open her heart to new and unexpected possibilities.
Will I watch? = No
RELEASE DATE: February 24, 2017
Get Out
Synopsis: A young African-American man visits his Caucasian girlfriend's mysterious family estate.
Will I watch? = No
Rock Dog
Synopsis: When a radio falls from the sky into the hands of a wide-eyed Tibetan Mastiff, he leaves home to fulfill his dream of becoming a musician, setting into motion a series of completely unexpected events.
Will I watch? = No
Tulip Fever
Synopsis: An artist falls for a young married woman while he's commissioned to paint her portrait during the Tulip mania of 17th century Amsterdam.
Will I watch? = No
Bitter Harvest
Synopsis: Set between the two World Wars and based on true historical events, BITTER HARVEST conveys the untold story of the Holodomor, the genocidal famine engineered by the tyrant Joseph Stalin. The film displays a powerful tale of love, honour, rebellion and survival at a time when Ukraine was forced to adjust to the horrifying territorial ambitions of the burgeoning Soviet Union. With an exceptional cast of established and rising stars, the film epically recreates one of the most dramatic and dangerous episodes in the history of 20th Century Europe.
Will I watch? = No
6 FLICKS PICKS
Which films make the cut?
6. The Comedian — I posted this last month as it was a limited release, but it's now opening up wider for showings, and I'll count it twice. Nothing in my own rules says I can't do that (haha). I'm not super thrilled to check it out, but given the pool of other choices, it makes the list.
5. The Great Wall — This looks so stupid, but it's February and that's not a stacked month, so by default, it becomes one of the better options. I'd rather spend 10 bucks on something I can laugh at and somewhat enjoy watching than something that is trying too hard to be emotional and powerful but doesn't resonate with me.
4. A Cure for Wellness — I have virtually no idea what this movie is about, but that's part of what intrigues me about it.
3. John Wick: Chapter 2 — I still haven't seen the first film, but when it came out, everybody was telling me to check it out. The main reason I haven't watched it is because I know what happens to the dog and I absolutely hate seeing that in movies, so I've just avoided it, but if this film turns out to be well-received, I think I'll bite the bullet and watch both of them. From what I've been told, John Wick is pretty much the most recent "awesome action movie" that hearkens back to a different era and sometimes, mindless action can be fantastic.
2. The Space Between Us — This was the other film I had written down for last month's limited release and it remains one of the movies I'm legitimately interested in watching. It looks like it could be one of those sappy dramas that packs a punch but isn't overtly sweet nor horribly depressing, like Phenomenon or City of Angels or K-PAX and when it comes to those types of films, I typically enjoy them enough to not feel like I wasted my time watching them. I haven't bothered to check any reviews whatsoever, so for all I know, it could be awful, but based off the TV spots and trailers I've seen, I'm up for the ride.
1. The Lego Batman Movie — While I don't think The Lego Movie was as good as everybody else makes it out to be, it still had some value to it. Batman was one of my favorite parts about it and since I'm a huge Batman fan in general, there's no way I'm skipping out on this movie.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Sunday, January 29, 2017
The 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will take place Sunday, January 29, 2017 on TBS and TNT to honor the best this past year in both the film and television industry. Below, you will find the full list of nominees as well as the results of the winners for the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
FILM AWARDS
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Captain Fantastic Fences Hidden Figures Manchester by the Sea Moonlight
WINNER = Hidden Figures
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)
WINNER = Denzel Washington (Fences)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Amy Adams (Arrival)
Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
WINNER = Emma Stone (La La Land)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Hugh Grant (Florence Foster Jenkins)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
WINNER = Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
WINNER = Viola Davis (Fences)
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble
Captain America: Civil War Doctor Strange Hacksaw Ridge Jason Bourne Nocturnal Animals
WINNER = Hacksaw Ridge
TELEVISION AWARDS
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Crown Downton Abbey Game of Thrones Stranger Things Westworld
WINNER = Stranger Things
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory Blackish Modern Family Orange Is the New Black Veep
WINNER = Orange is the New Black
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
John Lithgow (The Crown)
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)
Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)
WINNER = John Lithgow (The Crown)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things)
Claire Foy (The Crown)
Thandie Newton (Westworld)
Winona Ryder (Stranger Things)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)
WINNER = Claire Foy (The Crown)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson (Blackish)
Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
William H. Macy (Shameless)
Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)
WINNER = William H. Macy (Shameless)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black)
Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie)
Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie)
WINNER = Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries
Riz Ahmed (The Night Of)
Sterling K. Brown (The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
Bryan Cranston (All the Way)
John Turturro (The Night Of)
Courtney B. Vance (The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
WINNER = Bryan Cranston (All the Way)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries
Bryce Dallas Howard (Black Mirror)
Felicity Huffman (American Crime)
Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill)
Sarah Paulson (The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
Kerry Washington (Confirmation)
WINNER = Sarah Paulson (The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story)
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble
Game of Thrones Daredevil Luke Cage The Walking Dead Westworld
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Justice League Dark is the latest in the line of animated DC direct-to-video films. Is it worth the watch or it is something that should be skipped?
Justice League Dark—directed by Jay Oliva; written by Ernie Altbacker and J.M. DeMatteis; starring Matt Ryan (John Constantine), Jason O'Mara (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Camilla Luddington (Zatanna), Nicholas Turturro (Boston Brand / Deadman), Ray Chase (Jason Blood / Etrigan the Demon), Roger Cross (Dr. Alec Holland / Swamp Thing and John Stewart / Green Lantern), Colleen Villard (Black Orchid), Jerry O'Connell (Clark Kent / Superman), Rosario Dawson (Diana Prince / Wonder Woman), Jeremy Davies (Ritchie Simpson), Enrico Colantoni (Felix Faust), Alfred Molina (Destiny), J.B. Blanc (Abnegazar), Jeffrey Vincent Parise (Rath) and Fred Tatasciore (Ghast).
WARNING - SPOILERS BELOW
If you've checked out my review for Doctor Strange, then you know that I'm not a fan of magic. This extends to pretty much everything in pop culture, as even when I like a particular series that deals with the subject matter, it's still something I'm not super fond of. Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are two examples of great stories that I appreciate greatly, but I can't geek out over in the same capacity as most people. Knowing that information ahead of this review gives you a frame of reference, as you'd tend to like this film more than I did if that's more up your alley.
That being said, no, I didn't particularly like this movie. One of the downsides to these films is always how short they are, which means practically everything feels rushed. When you introduce the majority of the characters for the first time and have to give them very quick backstories to catch the audience up, that comes off even more hastily thrown together.
Take for instance Swamp Thing. The only reason I have any idea what "The Green" is is because I've been a fan of DC Comics my entire life. Watching this film, I'd be pretty confused just what is going on. Even knowing this information, he's still an underwhelming character. Swamp Thing pops up in two scenes—one where he essentially says "What's up? You're a bunch of dicks. Here's that Felix Faust's house." and the other is when he dies. Some character development.
Boston Brand is fine, but feels like nothing more than hollow comedic relief. He's just there for a few chuckles and that's about it.
I was disappointed in Zatanna, as I enjoyed both the Bruce Timm and Young Justice versions of her character significantly more. I do like the romance angle between she and Constantine, though, and if this live action film ever takes place, I have a feeling that's where they'll go. Hopefully, in that movie, she's written to be more than just argumentative and snarky, as the more she does that, the more it takes away from Constantine's most noteworthy trait. His character, by the way, was fine.
"Fine" is something that sums up quite a bit, actually. None of it was good, most of it wasn't bad, and it just sort of exists.
I do have to praise the continued improvement of the animation style, which looks better than ever, as well as the super dark opening and the scene where Batman scares the very entities that take people to Hell, as that made me crack a smile, but in so many aspects of the movie, you can just check things off as being serviceable, such as the voice acting. I have no problems with it, yet I can't think of anything that stood out that I could really tout.
Random side note: these films have an ongoing continuity, which I love, but did I miss the explanation for how Martian Manhunter, Hawkman and John Stewart joined the team? Also, where was Shazam? They couldn't have drawn him in that scene? Most people had no lines, so it couldn't have been an issue of not wanting to pay the actor to voice the role.
The action in these films is usually better, and what hurts it this time is that it's a magic-based story. Typically, those movies and television shows consist of indistinguishable tentacled and toothy demon monsters snarling while our heroes (and our lame villains Felix Faust, Ritchie Simpson and Destiny) spout out a bunch of jargon about The Amulet of Kalamazoo and The Dark Heart of *mashes the keyboard to think of the next name* —aspects that I don't find endearing, but if you do, I'm sure you hate this review.
I would have much rather seen some other stories adapted instead of this film, like Crisis on Infinite Earths or Kingdom Come, but I can see why they chose to do something a little different as well. This should be an okay means to test whether or not there's much interest in making the live action film, and I do hope they pull that off eventually in the future, but just not at the expense of anything I'm more interested in.
Unless you are a completionist who wants to see all of these films or you're a fan of this subject matter or you have an hour to kill, I would recommend skipping this rather than making the time to see it. Go watch one of the films nominated for the Academy Awards this year instead.
