The Wolverine

Pleasantly surprised. Since X-men 2, I've waited for a good showing of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. I should rephrase that. I've been waiting for Wolverine to be in a good movie. X-men 3: The Last Stand was not very good. It had a few bright spots, but overall was a bit of a letdown. I then had hopes for X-men Origins: Wolverine. It was better than X-men 3, but I still felt like it was missing something. 

The Wolverine is what comic fans and movie fans alike have been hoping for. It had a great story and lots of great action. My favorite scene was the train fight scene. Seriously, it was something straight out of a Bond movie. The story had a love story, humor, action and everything you could really want in a good movie. They even create a good challenge for a man that can heal every wound, making it near impossible to kill him. 

It was a big surprise to me, but even more surprising was how much my wife enjoyed it. It was a good balance of story and action, unlike most of the movies this summer which have gone a little heavy on the action, especially in the last 30 minutes. You still get your climactic final scene, but you don't have to worry about it dragging on for what may seem like forever. 

One of the best parts of the movie comes after the first two minutes of credits, so stick around for a bit after the credits start. You don't need to stick around long after that though. Nothing happens at the very end of the credits. 

+ the bad-a$$ness that we've been waiting to see from Logan

+ cool train fight scene

+ a good story with good conflict

Score: 88

SDCC News 2013

Well, I already talked about the news of Batman vs. Superman that was announced at Comic Con. It was pretty hard to top that news. But, there were a few surprises outside of that too. 

The funny thing about San Diego is that so many film companies try to surprise their fans that the unexpected has become the expected. While there, it doesn't matter that much because you still get caught up in the excitement. 

I've watched what I could of most of the panels online (I wish I could see the clips shown...oh well). 

I would say one of the disappointments was The Amazing Spider-man 2 panel. A couple of years ago, Andrew Garfield (a.k.a. Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-man) surprised the panel dressed in Spider-man cosplay. This year it was similar, but it didn't seem to go as planned. He was introduced on stage as Spider-man. Then he ran off and Andrew Garfield "showed up late." The Amazing Spider-man 2 did introduce the first images of Jamie Foxx as Electro in several of the Comic Con magazines leading up to the big event.

As we continued over to Fox, they had a quick panel with Hugh Jackman and the director of The Wolverine. We knew this wasn't going to be all they showed us. Hugh Jackman did try to surprise us with a "little indie movie" he's been making. At that point the entire cast of X-men: Days of Future Past came out. It was very cool to see all of the old cast of the first three X-men movies and the cast of X-men: First Class on one stage. 

Since Marvel had three movies yet to be named, I expected to hear Black Panther, Doctor Strange or some other movies to be announced during the panel. They didn't announce anything new except for Avengers 2 will be called Age of Ultron. That is pretty big news for comic book fans, but it means very little to those that don't follow the comics. The panel opened with Tom Hiddleston taking over the panel as Loki, Thor's mischievous brother. It was a very fun opening and they showed some footage to tease fans for the Thor movie opening in November. The Guardians of the Galaxy panel featured most of the cast, but it still didn't make me any more excited for that movie. 

That was all of the major movie news that came out of Comic Con this year. I would have loved to hear a little more about Robocop and Godzilla, but I'll have to wait for the trailers.

World's Finest

I went to the San Diego Comic Con last year, 2012.  It was my first time and it was great.  I would definitely recommend going whether you like comic books or not.  If you love movies, it is a great place to go too.  I love it all, so it was Nerd-vana for me.

Last year, I saw Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill talk about Man of Steel.  This year Zack Snyder made a return to Hall H (the place where all the majority of movie panels take place).  I think a lot of people were wondering if we would see him or any of the Man of Steel cast during the Warner Bros. panel.  There was an announcement not too long ago that we would be seeing a sequel and a team movie within the next two years.  I, along with others, questioned whether it was really possible.

While we are not seeing a Justice League movie in 2015, we are going to see both a Superman sequel and a "team" movie.  On Saturday, Zack Snyder made the biggest announcement of Comic Con 2013 weekend.  The other panels were loaded with movie stars and made some interesting announcements, but Snyder's announcement trumped them all.  In 2015, we will see a Superman/Batman movie.  My hope is that they title it World's Finest in honor of the comic book that hosted the pairing of these two characters for years.

The announcement (see it at the bottom of this article) was made by quoting a panel of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns where Batman defeats Superman.  Harry Lennix, who played General Swanwick in Man of Steel, read this line to the crowd:

I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come, in your most private moments.  I want you to remember my hand at your throat.  I want you to remember the man who beat you.

The official press release announces that it will be a Batman vs. Superman movie (not sure which character is taking the top billing).  This is a very difficult proposition.  You can debate who would win a match for days on end.  Batman would carry Kryptonite.  Superman could use his heat vision.  Blah, blah, blah.  The truth is that the general movie-going audience is going to have a hard time believing that Superman couldn't take down a human being, even one of extraordinary skills, in seconds. Kryptonite hasn't even been announced to this movie world yet.  You have to create a Batman that can perform superhuman feats while still being only human.  Is this possible?  I believe so, but it's still shaky ground.

The other question that arises with a "versus" movie is what brings this two icons to be at odds.  Does the government manipulate Superman to take down a relatively unknown "menace" in Gotham City?  I doubt it.  Does Lex Luthor manipulate Batman into taking down Superman?  Again, doubtful.  However, I do believe that this is likely closer to the path they'll take.  Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne team to rebuild Metropolis.  Bruce Wayne, having already operated quietly as Batman in Gotham for years, believes Superman to be a threat to the whole world.  While investigating ways to take Superman, the two have to face one another.

Will there be villains?  Maybe.  I think Lex Luthor is introduced in this movie; however, like I originally thought when it was just a Superman movie, he's mainly behind the scenes.  I still think there will be a Metallo or some other threat.  It is entirely likely though that Superman and Batman are their own adversaries and nobody else is there to interfere.

The biggest question is "Who will play Batman?"  As I stated before, I think Callum Blue would be a good choice.  I've only seen him in The Tudors and as Zod in Smallville; however, I think he may be a good choice.  I also like Matt Bomer.  If you've ever seen the pilot episode of Chuck, he can definitely do the physical aspect of Batman.  He still may need to add some bulk. I'm sure they'll find some relative newcomer that is perfect for the part.

No matter the choice of actors, villains or even storyline, I'm expecting this to be the biggest box office hit of 2015.  That's pretty big considering the movies coming out in 2015.  This is also the most risky movie for Warner Bros.  If they don't succeed with this movie, the success of Man of Steel doesn't matter.  They won't be continue their major comic properties for years.  High risk, high reward.

Red 2

I loved the first Red. It was a fun movie. So, I was really looking forward to this one. While I didn't enjoy it as much as the first, it was still a fun movie to see. 

We see a lot of the same characters, as well as some new ones. They still make jokes about their age compared to younger spies.

The plot left a little to be desired compared to the first, but if you don't focus on it to much, you'll enjoy the movie nearly as much. 

+ a similar stunt to the Bruce Willis getting out of the car stunt in the first movie, my favorite part

- I love Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones, but I liked Morgan Freeman more

+ Mary Louise Parker = funny

+ Byung-hun Lee = awesome action

Grade: 80 (a sequel is rarely as good as the original, but this one makes a good attempt)

Pacific Rim

Monsters versus giant robots...'nuff said! But is it? 

This movie was everything I expected and more. Guillermo del Toro, the director, makes very visually stimulating movies. This was no exception. While you have to suspend belief for the concept of this movie, you may actually believe that giant robots manned by two pilots is actually in our future. 

The only thing this movie lacks is more of a story. There is some story, but not much of one. It actually took me too long to figure out that two characters were father and son. 

I saw this movie in IMAX 3D and I think it was worth it. You should also stick around through the credits as there is an additional scene after the initial credits. 

+ Giant robots

+ Giant monsters

+ Giant robots fighting giant monsters

- Lack of narrative

Regular score: 84

Guy score: 93

Back to the Future

The Back to the Future trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies. Not even as a trilogy,  each of the movies is fun in their own right. 

I know that people complain about reboots and remakes because "Hollywood has no original ideas anymore." In some sense I understand this. On the other hand, I think that has been the case for years (going back to when movies first started using books and plays as a basis) and nothing is hurt if you remake a movie. There is always the original. 

I think that Back to the Future is one of those movies that could benefit from a remake. It's been almost 30 years since the first movie came out and we're nearing the "future" date of October 21, 2015 that is featured in the second movie. 

I think there are a couple of cool ways you could handle this movie remake. The first would be to go with the original formula. Have the movie set in 2015 (or whenever the movie comes out). Marty travels back to 1985 where he encounters his parents. Then he travels to 2045 in the second movie where you can still have the flying cars and hover boards and whatever other futuristic things there might be. 

The second way to handle the movie is to not just go with the original formula, but go with the original years too. You have Marty travel from 1985 to 1955 and then to 2015. It would be fun to see how a 1980s kid would react to our age of cell phones and technology. 

No matter how you remake the movies, part of what made those movies great was Marty and Doc Brown. He may be getting too old, but I think Zac Efron might play Marty perfectly. Watch 17 Again and see if you agree. For the Doc, I have no clue. It's hard to capture Christopher Lloyd's zaniness.  Then, you have the car. It's as much a character as anybody else. I'll be honest with you, it'd be hard to not see the Delorean. But, if you set the movie in present day, nobody is going to use a Delorean for a time machine (unless the writers can give good reason for using a Delorean). Maybe a McLaren?

Despicable Me 2

I love the first Despicable Me. It was clever and funny. The sequel wasn't nearly as good as the original, but still one of my favorite movies this year. 

The movie focused a lot on its prime marketing creations: the Minions. Those scenes were hilarious even if not always needed. But, the kids stay interested that way. There are plenty of laughs to be had  by the adult audience as well. There are things that that kids won't even understand that we (adults) will think are hilarious. All-4-One, YMCA, and more...

There is plenty of good stuff during the credits and it's actually one of the only reasons to see the 3-D version. 

+ Funny movie for kids and adults

- Not as good of wit and story as the first movie

+ Minions

+ Minions

Overall score: 83 (setting the curve)

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger was one of my most anticipated movies this year. Did it live up to the hype? Sort of...

This was a fun movie that had some really good parts. If you like Pirates of the Carribean, this movie is along the same lines. It's the same kind of humorous action we see in those movies. 

I loved the memories of my childhood watching Tonto, the Lone Ranger, and of course Silver. The movie even uses the William Tell Overture in the final action sequence. It's sad that listening to the music now makes the movie seem campy, but I loved the faithfulness to the original. I also enjoyed the Princess Bride style of storytelling. 

The movie isn't great, but it's fun. I laughed and enjoyed the action. It was everything I wanted from it. There is some after credits stuff, but you can leave when you see Tonto start wandering through the desert. 

+ Memories of my childhood 

- A bit corny

+ Fun action

- I stayed the entire time watching Johnny Depp walk through the desert

Overall score: 79 (Passing)

The Heat

Honestly, I wasn't that interested in this movie. Like Identity Thief, I didn't think this movie looked very good from the previews. Like Identity Thief, I was wrong and actually liked it. 

This is a fun, mindless movie. If you look at it closely, the story isn't that great. It is fun though and that's why we go to the movies.  The story is your basic mismatched "buddy cop" movie like 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Rush Hour or Lethal Weapon. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock play their pretty standard roles. I laughed out loud and that's really the biggest thing you need with a comedy. 

If you're looking for a good comedy for a date or eventually a night at home (when on DVD), this will fit the bill. I look forward to seeing the sequel soon. 

+ Fun

- Story not the best

+ Good team up

- Having the same name as the unspeakable NBA team in Miami

Overall Score: 74 (Passing)

Villains!

We've covered who should play heroes.  But what is a good hero without a good villain?  Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor, Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson's Joker, Tom Hiddleston's Loki...all great villains.  So, who should play these future antagonists?  As with the heroes, if you think there's somebody better for the role or want to hear my thoughts on any other villains, let me know.

Lex Luthor

With the success of Man of Steel and the special shots of the LexCorp within the movie, it's clear that Lex Luthor is going to at least appear in the next movie.  He may not be the main villain, but he'll probably have his hand in a few things at least.  My choice for this charismatic, sly villain is Michael C. Hall.  He's ready to move from television to the movies and I think this is the perfect part.  He has the reddish hair and I think he can probably pull off the bald look in a cool manner.

Metallo

I would love to see this character played on the big screen.  I feel like his origin story has varied depending on where you see him in the comics and TV; however, as a pawn of Lex Luthor preceding Lex's battle suit, he would be great.  I say bring in Jonathan Rhys Meyers (the star of The Tudors alongside Cavill) as Corben.  He doesn't really act like a pawn, but then neither does Metallo.

Doctor Doom

There is a Fantastic Four movie in the works again.  Let's have a Doom that is actually menacing.  This character should almost be Vader-like.  You never see his face, but you fear his voice and presence.  Honestly, I picture the voice of Christoph Waltz.  This guy can act and brings a presence that is needed by Victor Von Doom.  Would he be willing to not show his face?  I believe so.  I think the character wins out in roles that he plays.

Cheetah

This is an interesting one.  I'd love to see a Wonder Woman movie and you've either got a choice of Cheetah or Circe as two of her big baddies.  I'd like to see Cheetah played by Paz Vega.  Whether she could perform the action sequences, I doubt.  So, in that case, perhaps a relative unknown.

Joker

Some of the best villains are Batman villains.  Since there will be a reboot, it's no doubt that we'll see another Joker.  I know that most people don't want to think of anybody besides Heath Ledger as the Joker, but it's going to happen.  Personally, I'd like to see one of the guys that people rumored would play the Joker in the Dark Knight trilogy.  Paul Bettany would play the perfect maniac.  It's always made me sad that we don't see him getting to act (outside of his voice) in Iron Man.

Poison Ivy

I'd love to see a good interpretation of this character.  I think it could be done too.  Christina Hendricks could bring a realistic portrayal of this character to life.  She could also play a good Batgirl though.

Penguin

Bob Hoskins is a name I've always liked for this role, but at 71 years old, I'm not sure that he'll be around whenever they finally cast this character again.  In a completely different take on the character, I wouldn't mind seeing John C. Reilly take on the role.  He's got the acting chops and I'd love to see him play a villain.

The Ventriloquist

This is a rather minor Batman villain, but he's definitely been one of my favorite.  In the comics, this character is now female; however, I still imagine Paul Giamatti playing the role of Arnold Wesker.

The Riddler

I know that he's already been in a Batman movie, but I would love to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt take on this role.  It may not work, but then again, it totally could.

Bane

Javier Bardem.  Again, we're going to see this one recast eventually.  I would love to see a take on a true venom story.

Venom

With Amazing Spider-man already planning until number four, I think there's a strong chance we'll see Venom.  As far as I know, this part has not been cast yet.  Sam Worthington may be a good choice for this role.  He already has experience with planning CGI (Avatar).

That's all I've got for now.  There are a ton of villains out there.  I'd love to look at the Flash's Rogues.  There are quite a few Marvel villains that I'd like to consider, but I really know the DC villains well.  I'd also love to look at some of the anti-heros (i.e. Catwoman).  Perhaps, I'll cover all of these in a part 2.

2015

Are you ready for 2015? I know it is about a year and half away, but it is possibly going to be one of the biggest movie years ever.

Here's an idea of some of the movies coming out:

Alvin & the Chipmunks 4

Ant-Man

Assassin's Creed

Avatar 2

Avengers 2

Cinderella

Fantastic Four

Finding Dory (a.k.a. Finding Nemo 2)

Hotel Transylvania 2

Hunger Games 4 (Mockingjay part 2)

Independence Day 2

Jurassic Park 4

Justice League (still expect 2016 on this one)

Kung Fu Panda 3

Mission: Impossible 5

Peanuts 3D

Penguins of Madagascar

Pirates of the Caribbean 5

Pitch Perfect 2

Prometheus 2

Smurfs 3

Snow White and the Huntsman 2

Star Wars: Episode VII

Warcraft

That's just what is slated so far! It will be very interesting to see how things occur. There are quite a few kids movies planned, but a lot of blockbusters too. This could make for a really explosive year or a year of very few true blockbusters. Before a movie will have time to gain momentum, five other movies will have been released. Movies that may do well in other years will be fighting for box office numbers. 

I expect many movies to move their opening dates as I've already expected with short timeline. But it's the double edge sword. If they move a movie another studio has sole possession of that weekend. Even if they do advertise, they may end up 2nd or 3rd that week

It's sad. There are some movies that may do well, but I think the most will underperform. Either way, it will be a fun summer for going to the movies

Marvel vs. DC

Alright, first things first...let me define things for you to make my points in this article easier to understand.

Marvel Cinematic Multiverse (MCM) - This is not just the main Marvel Cinematic Universe (Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, etc.), but also the ones owned by Sony (The Amazing Spider-man) and Fox (X-men & The Fantastic Four).

DC Cinematic Universe (DCCU) - Since all properties are owned by Warner Brothers, this includes all of their future movies.  The "Nolan-verse" (Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Dark Knight Rises) has concluded it's cinematic run.  This leaves this universe mostly hypothetical as Man of Steel is the supposed start of this universe.  Currently the plan is Man of Steel 2 in 2014 and Justice League in 2015.

Now that we've defined these universes, which of these universes is better poised for the future?  The question isn't which of these universes is better.  As a universe, the MCM is considerably better.  They have established, over the last 15 years, a successful line of movies with sequels and, in the Marvel Studios films, interact with the other films.  However, the question I'm asking relates to who is better geared for the future.

The MCM's biggest issue is that it involves different studios.  Some characters can be in two universes as we've seen with the recent news of Quicksilver being included in both X-men: Days of Future Past and Avengers 2.  The average movie-goer isn't going to understand the same character being in both universes.  It will be interesting to see how it plays in the future, but I think with one version or another, you are either going to confuse movie-goers or upset your hardcore fans.  Possibly both.  As the multiverse grows within each studio, these issues may occur again and again.
 
You also have issues as a universe grows with fans asking where certain characters are in each of the movies.  For instance, why wasn't War Machine (Rhodey) helping the Avengers save the world?  Why did S.H.I.E.L.D. not help Tony save the day in Iron Man 3?  It's easy for me to look past these things, because I feel like it happens just as much in the comics.  Will the average movie-goer or the "plot hole detectives" be able to look past this as we move forward?  Again, it may depend on how they answer these questions.  Right now, they haven't tried to answer these questions.

The MCM is moving forward with their established characters, but also with new ones.  There are plans for Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant Man.  The characters are getting a little more obscure.  As contracts end, we may not see the same actors that have garnered the support of fans.  Hugh Jackman as Wolverine may be at an end soon.  Robert Downey, Jr. has signed for the next two Avengers movies, but as far as we know, he's done with additional Iron Man movies.  The MCM can either recast these characters or keep introducing different characters.  Both are entirely possible, but there is the possibility of no new Iron Man movie for the next 5+ years.  Casting someone else as Iron Man won't work if your try to produce them in between the next two Avengers movies.  Will audiences continue to pay money for characters they don't recognize?

There is something to be said for the MCM's history though.  The reason these movies have made so much money is because the previous movies have been successful.  As long as each of the studios continues to produce good movies, they will have continued success.

The DCCU is very unknown at this point; however, if they follow the lead of Man of Steel, we can make some assumptions.  The movies will be much more dramatic.  Movies in the MCM have been fun.  I think the DCCU movies will be fun in their own way, but they will likely take a more serious tone.

How big of a cast will we have in the DCCU?  I think you'll see the major players and that's about it for a while.  That is plenty and they are characters that most will recognize.  You don't have to worry about other studios owning the characters.  Here's how I picture the DCCU playing out ideally:

• Late 2014 - Man of Steel 2
• 2015 (more likely summer 2016) - Justice League
• Christmas 2016 - Flash
• Spring 2017 - Wonder Woman
• Summer 2017 - Batman
• Christmas 2017 - Green Lantern
• Summer 2018 - Man of Steel 3
• Christmas 2018 - Justice League 2
• Spring 2019 - Aquaman
• Summer 2019 - Batman 2
• Christmas 2019 - Wonder Woman 2
• Summer 2020 - Brave & the Bold (Green Lantern & Flash combo - that's just my wish) 

You keep it tight with your main characters and you've got a movie with one of your main characters or multiple characters every season.  Other characters can be developed, but you don't need to make them on the scale of the big ones.  I'd love to see a new Jonah Hex movie in there or Guillermo del Toro's Justice League Dark.  These characters can exist in either the same universe or a different one and it wouldn't matter.

Honestly, if the following DCCU films continue in Man of Steel's footsteps, I think the DCCU is more sustainable over the next 10+ years than the MCM.  As long as superhero films remain a genre that interests people, we may see the DCCU finally overtake the MCM.

Trailer Park 6/19

A few of trailers came out this week. Trailers are your first chance to have any feelings whatsoever about a movie. They can encourage you to see a movie or make you wait to see it on video.

The Wolf of Wall Street

 

I liked this trailer. I honestly have very little idea about what the movie is about. I know it's about Wall Street, but that's almost it. I'm glad. I don't want to know much more. The cast is pretty awesome...Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew Mcconaughey and Jonah Hill being directed by Martin Scorsese. It looks great!

Anchorman 2

 

This trailer is on the opposite end for me. It seems like a they may be missing something. I loved Anchorman, but this doesn't seem like it has many good funny parts. I'm really hoping they haven't lost the spirit of the first movie. 

LEGO Movie

 

As stupid as this looks, I think it might be good. It looks like it might be good for kids and adults at the same time. Plus, you get to see Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman in a movie together before a Justice League movie. 

This is the End

Maybe, after seeing the greatness of Man of Steel, it was a bad idea to go see this movie.  This was the worst movie I've seen in the theatres in a long time.  It's really too bad because I was looking forward to seeing this movie.

The movie begins with a very long unfunny intro about Seth Rogen picking up his buddy Jay Baruchel from the airport to hang out for the weekend.  It continues with them getting high and watching 3D television (maybe if the movie was in 3D, it would have been fun).  They then head to James Franco's house for a party.  There are lots of cameos and I'm sure some inside jokes along with actors not really acting the way they act in real life.  I'm sure this is all very funny to some people.  Not me.

The movie continues with Seth and Jay going to the convenient store to pick up cigarettes and that's when the apocalypse begins.  They hurry back to James Franco's house where almost everybody that would have helped make the movie funny dies.  They quote a few passages from Revelation to explain that it's the end of the world and what is supposed to happen.  Since they quote specifically the dragon portion, I expected at least a How to Train Your Dragon joke at Jay's expense. 

Overall, a pretty dumb movie that I'm glad I only spent matinee price to attend. I would recommend waiting for the cheapest at home version if you are even interested in this movie. In my mind it's not worth the time. Also, nothing in the credits either. 

Man of Steel

I had really high hopes for this movie. That left a lot of room to be disappointed. I'm happy to say I was not disappointed. This was possibly one of the best origin story superhero movies I've seen. 

The movie tells the origin of Superman in a way that has never been done before now. It makes sense and feels like we get THE Superman for a modern age. The movie gives us a foe that Superman can truly fight. It also gives the "Ultimate Boy Scout" true moral dilemmas that give the character growth like we've hardly seen in a superhero movie. 

I will say that I wish we would have connected more with some of the other characters besides the Kryptonians and Lois; however, there is plenty to explore there in future movies. 

The movie is long, almost 2 1/2 hours, but you don't notice it. You also can save yourself the time of sitting through the credits unless you're dying to see who the second editor is (his or her name is in the credits for a reason); there is no scene post-credits. Go see this one on the big screen, although outside of the first 15 minutes on Krypton, it may not be worth the 3D. Really, it's your call on that one. 

My wife said every time she looked over at me, I was smiling. You can not ask for much more when you go to the movies. 

Will the Movie Industry Implode?

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas think that the movie industry is going to implode.  Hollywood Reporter reported this tidbit here:

Steven Spielberg on Wednesday predicted an "implosion" in the film industry is inevitable, whereby a half dozen or so $250 million movies flop at the box office and alter the industry forever. What comes next -- or even before then -- will be price variances at movie theaters, where "you're gonna have to pay $25 for the next Iron Man, you're probably only going to have to pay $7 to see Lincoln."

Now what do I think?  I think this is silly.  Will there be changes in the experience at the movies?  There may be.

I think that movie studios, for the most part, realize what movies are going to make them money.  Occasionally, you'll have a movie that will lose money.  This happens as it might happen in any business.  Studios have a pretty good feel for the direction of the movie industry though.  Warner Brothers recently dropped a Dumb & Dumber sequel.  This was right after a Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson movie completely flopped at the theaters.  It's a smart move based on solid data.  It's been almost 20 years since the first Dumb & Dumber debuted.  There was a poorly done, poorly received prequel.  The only thing that this movie had going for it was seeing the two main actors back together again.  The Internship was hoping for the same thing.  It wasn't a sequel to anything, but it was trying to reunite two actors that people loved seeing together.  Warner Brothers probably saw how this movie performed and decided that a reunion is no reason to produce a movie.

The studios have a pretty good feel for the pulse of their audience.  Who doesn't have a good feel for the pulse of their audience?  Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.  I know.  This is probably blasphemous for a movie fan to say.  But, it's true.  Were the Star Wars prequels even half as good as the originals?  How was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?  Steven Spielberg is still making good movies, but I don't think they are enjoyed by the general movie-going audience.

There won't be varying prices at theaters.  That's ridiculous.  People have a hard enough time with the fact that they can get certain discounts or not get certain discounts.  If you vary the price, you confuse your audience.  Will actors and directors start seeing less money?  Will we stop seeing as many big-time movie stars that carry a movie?  Yes.  Big-time movie stars don't carry a movie like they used to.  Look at Will Smith's After Earth.  It's performed dreadfully.  Meanwhile you have movies that cost very little, like The Purge, and make it to the top of the box office.

More so than ever before, the movie-going audience is deciding the direction of the movie world.  We are provided more options with home theaters, Netflix, and other entertainment options.  This keeps the cost relatively fixed.  I do have this to say though: if you want to continue seeing a certain type of a movie, go see it in the theater.  This is how we shape the future of movies.

Ruining the Movie Experience

I don't want to write about superhero movies every day, but until Man of Steel comes out, it's going to be hard for me to think about anything else. 

Today, I thought I'd talk about the rude, thoughtless people that sometimes attend the movies with us.  Do you remember the days when you could go to a movie and there were no cell phones ringing, people texting with those bright screens, or finding other ways to ruin the movie experience?  It's hard to remember those days.  It's the reason why many people avoid the theatres now, especially when they can have their home theatres.

These people drive me crazy.  How do you handle them?  Ignore them? Confront them?  Complain to the theatre?  I used to have a friend who would shout, "Thanks for ruining the movie!" if a phone would ring during the movie.  My problem with this is that you're continuing to ruin the movie for everybody else by making a scene.  Here's how I've tried to handle a couple of the situations I've encountered.

When my wife and I first started dating, we went to go see a terrible movie.  Honestly, I can't even remember which movie it was.  While the movie was terrible, I still paid for it and wanted to watch it.  About 30 minutes into the movie, a phone starts ringing.  It's the lady sitting directly in front of me.  She looks at it and puts it back in her purse.  I figured she forgot to turn off the ringer, did so and put her phone away.  I would have appreciated that.  About 15 minutes later, her phone rings again.  This time I'm a little annoyed.  It rang once and you had an opportunity to turn the ringer off.  This time she lets it ring longer before putting it back in her purse.  I'm still very forgiving at this point, but annoyed.  A third time her phone rings and she answers it.  I have no idea what she was talking with the person on the other end about, but it could have happened outside of the theatre.  I give her about 20 seconds to hang up before I lightly kick the back of her chair.  She turns around and gives me the death stare.  I politely say, "Get off your phone, please."  I'm not sure about the please part, but the general tone was polite (other than the fact I kicked her chair).  She turns around and continues to talk again, so I kick her chair again...HARD.  She turns around again and I tell her, "GET OFF YOUR PHONE!"  She hung up at that point and apparently didn't stick around for the rest of the movie.  The next time I looked down, she was gone.

More recently, a similar situation occurred, but it didn't go so well.  My wife and I went to see Total Recall.  Does being a bad movie tend to cause the rudeness more?  Or is my view of the movie tainted by these bad experiences?  We decide at the last moment to go see the movie at a movie grill for lunch.  I'm a little more forgiving of patrons at these locations since they lend themselves to distractions.  We get to the movie right as the movie is starting.  The theatre is dark and we end up sitting right next to a dude by himself.  Whoops!  We watch most of the movie without incident.  It gets right towards the end of the movie when they're revealing all of the twists, and the dude decides a pivotal plot point is the perfect time to make plans for that night.  As soon as he starts talking, my wife leans over to me to tell me not to say anything.  I don't plan on saying anything, because the dude is a little scary.  He talks for about five minutes straight.  I'm doing my best to ignore him and focus on the movie.  I look over at him though and he looks at me.  He says, "What?" 
I ask him, "Can you please get off your phone?"
"Just a minute, man."  A couple of minutes later, we're both more annoyed at him because he's continued to talk, possibly louder.  He catches us looking at him again and says, "What?!?"
At this point, my wife says, "We paid $10 for the movie.  Can you please get off your phone?"
"You take this $#^& too seriously!" he responds as he gets off of the phone stands up and moves down to the end of the row.  I think he tried complaining to the waitress when she found him to give him his check.  I guess she didn't want to do anything about it, because he starts kicking chairs and having himself a good "grown-up" temper tantrum.  After he pays his bill, he gets up to leave before the movie is finished.  He stares at us as passes our table.  Normally, I'll stay through most of the credits if not all of the credits.  This time, we left with the rest of the theatre because we were scared of leaving by ourselves.

Sometimes I choose to ignore distractions, but there are times when you can't deal with them any longer.  Most of the time, if they're close to me, I'll ask very politely and the person responds well.  These two experiences are two of my more extreme encounters. 

Who Should Play Superheroes?

The other day, I talked about needing more female superheroes and action movies with female leads.  Today, I thought I'd have a little fun with it.  Who should play certain superheroes and why?  I won't just be talking about the women.

Wonder Woman
I would love to see a Wonder Woman movie.  The problem is that there aren't too many Amazonian actresses out there.  A lot of people think Gina Carano would be a good choice for this one.  She may have the look, but I've got a couple of problems with this choice.  She hasn't proven herself as an actress.  I think for a part like this, you don't necessarily need a name, but you do need somebody who has proven themselves.  My other problem with her is that she is dating Superman (Henry Cavill).  If we want a successful Justice League movie, it's probably not best if two of the stars are dating.  That's just my personal opinion.
That doesn't answer the question of who should play her though.  My top choice would be Lena Headey.  She has some good history and I thought she looked awesome in 300.  She may a little too old for the part though.  Maybe she should play Wonder Woman's mother, Queen Hippolyta.  My second choice would be Rooney Mara.  She's a little short and thin for the part, but camera tricks and giving her the superhero workout plan could work.  I loved her in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I just look at her picture though and I see Diana Prince.

Ant-Man
Does everybody know who this is?  Scientist turned superhero and can shrink down tiny or grow real big.  He's one of the next Avengers that they'll be introducing in the movies.  Edgar Wright has already been slated to direct and they showed a test reel at San Diego Comic Con last year.  Really cool stuff!  Here's a quick preview:

Now who should play him?  My choice is Brandon Routh.  While people didn't love Superman Returns, his performance was really good.  He played the geeky Clark Kent to where he'd be believable as scientist Hank Pym too.  On Chuck, he showed he could fight.  He's also worked with Edgar Wright (director) in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  Edgar Wright likes using the same actors, so I think we give Routh a second shot at superhero success.

Flash
I say you have a cameo by John Wesley Shipp as Jay Garrick, the golden age Flash.  The question is which Flash do you go with for the movie.  Wally West was my Flash, but since Barry Allen is the mainstay and current Flash, I say that's who will be cast.  Originally, I thought Ryan Reynolds would be perfect for the part, but he's Green Lantern and I assume will continue to be so.  I think that Thor's brother would be a good choice.  Not Loki (Tom Hiddleston)...I mean Liam Hemsworth.  He's got some decent acting chops and he's building a decent name for himself with Hunger Games.

Green Lantern
I'm going to assume that Ryan Reynolds will resume this role, but if he doesn't, I think there's a couple of actors that could take up the role.  Armie Hammer might be a good choice.  Bradley Cooper was my original choice before Ryan Reynolds was cast, but now I think he may be too big for the role.  I still think he would be a good choice though.

Black Panther
I'll be honest; I have no idea on this one.  Dayo Okeniyi had a small but decent performance in Hunger Games.  Looking at his IMDB profile, it looks like he's starting to get some other good work.  He may be a good unknown to cast for this part.

Martian Manhunter
My choice is Dennis Haysbert.  His voice is really the key.  I think he could play both Detective John Jones as himself and J'onn J'onnz with lots of makeup and/or CGI.

Aquaman
This is a tough one.  This may not be a popular choice, but I like Alex Pettyfer.  Most of his movies have been duds, but I've really liked his acting in all of them.  Since Aquaman likely won't get his own movie, I like this call.  He'd be a great supporting actor for a Justice League movie.

Batman
Let's face it; a new Batman is coming.  Christian Bale will not reprise his role and and Joseph Gordon-Levitt won't be back either.  My hope is that we won't reboot Batman solo movies before either a World's Finest movie or Justice League movie.  So who will be Batman?  I heard somebody mention Karl Urban.  It may be a decent choice.  I like him.  My choice is Callum Blue.  I first saw him in Smallville as General Zod, but recently saw him while watching The Tudors on Netflix.  He's got the billionaire playboy look and I think he can play a dark character as well.  I'm hoping, with the next Batman, they're able to create a more comic book styled Batman without going campy.

Robin/Nightwing
Since I don't see this one happening for a few years, it'd be a tough guess who they would cast.  I'm picturing somebody currently in their teens that may be able to still play teens in a few years.  That's tough.  How about Brandon Tyler Russell?  I'll be honest that I've never seen anything that he's done other than as an extra in Tosh.0, but IMDB tells me he's a young actor to look out for 2013 and he looks like he could play the part.

Batgirl
Might as well cast the entire (or most of) Bat family.  I say Emma Stone would be perfect for this.  She's got the right color of hair.  She's a great actress.  She'll probably be killed off in The Amazing Spider-Man sequel.  Will she be too old for the part when/if they ever cast this character?

Supergirl
Let's try and get this one going again too. Amber Heard is my choice here. She's starting to build up a good resume with some big time actors. I'm looking forward to seeing her in Paranoia.

That's all I've got for now.  If you see one that I missed and would like my opinion or if you think somebody else would play a part better, let me know.

What Movie Are You Going to See This Weekend? 6/7/13

This weekend may be tough for me to go see a movie. Nephew's graduation party, a friend's wedding, family visiting...

I do have an entire day of movies (mainly Man of Steel) planned for next Friday though. I'm excited for that. 

So, what are you going to see this weekend? Let me know in the comments below. 

Leading Women

Yesterday, a couple bits of news came from an interview with Joss Whedon.  You can see the original interview here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/06/05/joss-whedon-on-shakespeare-female-superheroes-and-feminism.html. 

One of the main bits of news is that he expects Robert Downey, Jr. to be back for Avengers 2.  Nothing terribly exciting about that.  Although, I thought he made an interesting comparison.  He compared RDJ to Sean Connery in James Bond.  James Bond has been recast several times since Sean Connery.  I hope RDJ will be back; it's going to be hard to picture anybody else as Tony Stark.

The other tidbit taken from the interview is about female superheroes:

“Toymakers will tell you they won’t sell enough, and movie people will point to the two terrible superheroine movies that were made and say, You see? It can’t be done. It’s stupid, and I’m hoping The Hunger Games will lead to a paradigm shift. It’s frustrating to me that I don’t see anybody developing one of these movies. It actually pisses me off. My daughter watched The Avengers and was like, 'My favorite characters were the Black Widow and Maria Hill,' and I thought, Yeah, of course they were. I read a beautiful thing Junot Diaz wrote: 'If you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves.”

I agree with him.  I wish that we would see more female leads in movies.  Maybe he's right - Hunger Games may help things.  I don't think that's the problem though.  We brought back Sigourney Weaver back for multiple takes in Alien, Aliens, Alien3, etc.  She was a strong female lead in an action movie.  Is this the exception?  Maybe.  Female leads tend to work in other movies though.  Look at Thelma & Louise.  Look at The Help.  While these aren't action movies, I think there's a couple of things that stand out about those movies.  They had strong scripts and strong female leads.

Let's look at some the failures.  I'll stick to superhero movies since that's what inspired Joss' comment. 

Let's start with one of the early ones: Supergirl.  This was a weak spin-off of Superman.  They couldn't even get Christopher Reeve to cameo.  They did get Jimmy Olsen.  The Girl of Steel wasn't strong though.  They had her swooning over a dude the minute she saw him.  He wasn't even a smart guy.  These are just some of the problems with the script. 

What about Catwoman?  The script sucked.  You couldn't get Michelle Pfeiffer to continue her role.  While Catwoman from Batman Returns was sexualized, I felt that she was ten-times more so in Catwoman.  When you over-sexualize your leading lady, you're excluding about half of your audience.  Do you think I'm going to be able to get my wife to go with me to watch a crappy movie with a half-naked girl in it?  Do you think parents are going to take kids to go see it?

Those are just a couple of examples.  I don't even want to get into the confusing mess of Elektra.

I think one of the keys is to develop a strong character. Let people know why they are doing what they're doing. Don't create a love interest for her that overshadows what she's doing. Let her stand on her own two feet. Make sure she's wearing something decent (some sexuality is good, too much can be off-putting). Develop a strong story.  Every other superhero story these days has a good script; give one to the women. 

I look forward to seeing a Wonder Woman movie, a Supergirl movie, a new Tomb Raider movie, a Black Widow movie, etc. Who cares which one they do? Just put something good out there, and I think the public will show that we're ready.