"Superman: Man of Steel" - WB's Reinvention of Superman

08-26-08
From io9.com:

Now that Batman has taught Warner Brothers how to make a modern superhero movie, it's time for the the man of steel to step up and deliver the goods. Warners announced that it's pooling all its Bat-money into one big Superman tent-pole production. And yes, the movie will be a reboot, not a continuation of Bryan Singer's Super-meh film.
Passing on the idea of a multiple hero storyline like Superman/Batman or Justice League for now, the WB is focusing its efforts on just making a successful Superman movie.
Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov told the Wall Street Journal that the Superman movie the WB is envisioning will be cut from the same dark and gritty cape as Dark Knight. He wants to explore the darker recesses of Superman's soul explaining that "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it."
Warners is finally realizing that the lackluster Superman Returns was a huge disappointment. And recognizing the problem is just the first step: Studio execs told Variety they may start the script over from scratch with Superman: Man of Steel. But as of right now there are no writers attached to the script. Also director Bryan Singer (X-Men and X2) is still "attached" to the project but the execs are more than happy to let him loose if he doesn't follow the direction the studio wants the movie to go. If I was him I'd leave artistic differences behind (if there are any) and go with the gobs of money they want to invest in this project, especially if they're OK with a darker Superman.
Deepak Chopra agrees, and encourages everyone to update their superheroes. It's not enough that their gadgetry awe inspiring, they need to deal with issues that the people care about, in order to make the people care about them. Plus a lot of their powers need an upgrade, flying around and super strength just ain't cuttin' it anymore.

But just as we evolve, so must our superheroes, he said. “We need to create a new mythology for our superheroes,” Chopra tells MTV Splash, “because they’re not parochial anymore. They’re cross-cultural. We’re in dire need of mythologies that go to the next level of consciousness.”

What does Chopra mean exactly? "He [Batman] needs to go to Darfur, or Somalia. Superman needs to have more paranormal abilities – like precognition, telepathy, the ability to see past lifetimes.”

With more DC Comics films on the way, it looks like a boom in superhero movie madness over at WB, and it looks like they're attempting to deliver goods that actually appease fans and make money.

The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.

Now if only Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman script can be rescued from development oblivion...

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

07-19-08
Well bOoGiE and I got together and took our better halves to the newest Batman movie "The Dark Knight." It was a lengthy movie with a lot of exciting drama and unexpected twists. They pulled off some things that I didn't expect, which in most cases was very good. It definitely lived up to it's title of being "Dark" at the same time not messing up the core of the Batman character. Ledger's performance of the Joker was impressive. I honestly didn't think anyone could stand a chance against Jack Nicholson's version of the character, but Ledger went for a different angle instead of a re-hash, which makes it very interesting. I think that both Ledger and Nicholson were both great at it, but just from two different approaches. They did honor Ledger's memory in the credits, an honorable thing. There are a lot of twists and turns that make you keep guessing during the movie, and several scenes that are not expected. Bale did a great job as Batman, I think he plays the role very convincing. I would not recommend this film for small children, it is violent, gory, and has some demented villains. But for adults who enjoy modern takes on comic book characters, epic drama, and action films; it was very good. On the Woo-Dig-It scale from "0" to "10", i'd have to give it an 8. Very good job! What's next after Watchmen, DC? We need some Green Lantern, WonderWoman, Flash, and JLA. Let's get 'er done!

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809271891/details

Christian Bale Reinvents Terminator Franchise

07-17-08
In 1984 James Cameron directed a science fiction film called "The Terminator" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold apparently decided he wanted to play the villain of the movie instead of the hero. The villain was a robotic killer cyborg programmed to "terminate" human kind. The story involved a dark future where these cyborg terminators are hunting mankind to extinction as they fight a human resistance movement. Arnold's Terminator is sent back in time (1984) to Terminate the mother of the man who leads the human resistance in the future. The Terminator is a classic scifi action film with a strong fan following. It is rated R for a sex scene, large scale death tolls, language, horror, and violence. It is not "family friendly" but for an adult audience that likes sci-fi action films, I give it a "8.5" out of "10" on the WOO-DIG-IT SCALE.

Arnold also acted in both of the Terminator sequels: T2 and T3. There has been the first season of TV show called: "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" with a new cast playing both familiar and new characters. The original film and all the sequels so far have dealt with modern day characters that know about the danger that awaits their dark future and try to destroy Skynet, the computer system that controls all the terminators, before it destroys the world.

Now, on the internet they have posted a teaser trailer of a new movie "Terminator Salvation." It show's Batman's Christian Bale playing the character of John Connor, the heroic leader of the human resistance, fighting to save the human race from deadly machines. This appears to be set in the future where John Connor is now an adult taking on his role as leader of the human resistance fighters. This appears to be the first film to be actually set in the future. Christian Bale has done a great job re-inventing the Batman character in Batman Begins, and I can't wait to see what he does in "The Dark Knight." Now Christian Bale steps up again to "bat" (I know TERRIBLE pun), this time at another famous science fiction franchise. It will be interesting to see what he does with the role of John Connor. So far I'm really pleased with the acting that I've seen him do, he seems to bring some good depth to his characters. Check out the teaser and get ready because the Terminators are coming!
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810025211/info