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    Showing posts with label Editorial. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label Editorial. Show all posts

    Friday, August 29, 2014

    EDITORIAL: Which Warner Brothers Directors Should Helm a DC Cinematic Universe Film?

    Unknown 2:59 PM , , , , , , , ,

    DC and Warner Brothers are currently hard at work developing their own cinematic universe opposite longtime rival Marvel. It all started with last years smash hit Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder which got the ball rolling after the hiccup that was 2011's Green Lantern.

    Now it seems Warner Brothers wants to use in-house writers to help form this cinematic universe. First it started off with The Dark Knight trilogy screenwriter David Goyer and 300's Zack Snyder creating Man of Steel. They then brought on Ben Affleck to play Batman after directing and staring in both The Town and Argo which won best picture at the Academy Awards for Warner Brothers. From there it seemed WB was adamant on using writers who are closely connected to both Ben Affleck and Zack Snyder. They started by hiring Argo writer Chris Terrio thanks to his connection with pen Affleck to pen the sequel to Man of Steel title Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. They loved his draft of the script so much (After David Goyer wrote the first draft) that they are seriously considering him to pen Justice League which will also be directed by Zack Snyder.

    Then just a couple weeks ago DC announced that they had hired two separate writers to pen an Aquaman solo film. The writers would also be in house at WB and were Gangster Squad scribe Will Beall as well as 300: Rise of an Empire screenwriter Kurt Johnstad who is connected to Zack Snyder. A draft has also been confirmed by Dwayne Johnson on a Shazam solo movie but it is unknown who wrote it at this time.

    But with all these writers being brought on to pen the ever growing DC Cinematic Universe what directors could take on these mighty heroes? Here is a few suggestions that are in-house at Warner Brothers but are also very talented directors in their own right...

    Aquaman
     

    With Aquaman being the first solo film confirmed to have writers attached I thought it should be the first addressed in this editorial. Currently both Will Beall and Kurt Johnstad are writing two separate scripts for the King of the Seven Seas solo movie which will star Jason Momoa. So for this I will assume they will go with Kurt Johnstad and have him re-team with his 300: Rise of an Empire director Noam Murro. Now while Noam Murro only has two feature film directing credits to his name he is an ideal chose at Warner Brothers. What he did with the navel battles in 300: Rise of an Empire was impressive coming off of a director like Zack Snyder in the original 300 film. He also now has experience with water battles as well as ancient Greek battles which would make him a perfect choose to bring Aquaman and Atlantis to life. But his ultimate challenge would be an entire film underwater and try to make it as realistic as possible without people forgetting their underwater and have the currents of the ocean floor just as real as another character on screen.

    Shazam

    Shazam is going to be one of the trickiest movies Warner Brothers and DC create because of its fantastical elemnts that are so associated with the film. Because in reality their is two leads in the film playing the same character of sorts. You have the young Billy Batson (Foster Child if he is based on the New 52) who is given the power of S.H.A.Z.A.M by an ancient wizard. As well as the hero of Shazam (Possibly played by Dwayne Johnson) who is still a child like Billy Batson in an adults body. A comic book "Freaky Friday" movie of sorts. The only director who could possibly take this fantasy type movie would be David Yates! He has already directed several Harry Potter films which starred a a young protagonist in Harry Potter. With his background of Hogwarts and Wizards he would be an ideal chose to bring the Legend of Shazam to life on the big screen for Warner Brothers and DC.

    Wonder Woman

    Wonder Woman seems to be a hero that just can't catch a break. She will finally be introduced on screen for the first time in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice played by Gal Gadot. But the powers that be just can't seem to wrap their brain around a female lead superhero movie and potential franchise. Now many believe that a female superhero movie can only be directed by a female director. And lets face it a female director are rare and far between in Hollywood. But I'm sure the first female director to pop into you're head is The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow. She is the first woman to win Best Director at the Academy Awards as well as having both her films be nominated for several awards. Now while should would be the ideal chose for such a break through film like Wonder Woman lets face it. She will never come near a comic book movie after her success with war-time films even though everyone on earth wants her to do Wonder Woman because it just feels right.

    A great second chose would be Guy Richie who has directed such great films like Snatch as well as the upcoming re-telling of King Arthur for Warner Brothers. With a fantasy film like King Arthur under his belt he would bring that to a film that tells the origins of Themyscira and Princess Diana. Plus, with his famous opening credit sequence who doesn't love Guy Richie?

    Green Lantern
     
    Green Lantern had a bit of a hiccup back in 2011. Not that the origin story of Hal Jordon was wrong or that Ryan Reynolds was terrible in the role. It was simply that the script was all over the place because of "to many cooks in the kitchen". They tried to make Green Lantern a little to comic book-y with his cheesy one-liners and what not throughout the film. Not to say Green Lantern needs to be 100% serious but his one-liners is what drove fans away from the film. Not to mention the space cloud villain but lets not get into that.

    So where does Warner Brothers go from here with the character? Last rumor we heard was that he will not be making an appearance in Dawn of Justice but will indeed have a role in Justice League presumably played by a new actor. When his eventual spin-off comes whether its a re-telling of his origin or simply another adventure for him to go on a great director for the project would be none other then Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron. Cuaron has been a staple director at WB for a while also directing one of the Harry Potter films but it was last years Gravity that put him at the spotlight for space epic films. It wasn't just how realistic he made space feel in Gravity but how Space itself was another character in the film. That's exactly what a movie like Green Lantern needs. With a film practically all in space we need a director with a keen eye on how space actually works to helm a project like this. Plus it helps that Gravity won seven academy awards for Warner Brothers including best Visual Effects and Cuaron winning Best Director.

    The Flash

    The Flash is one of the few DC characters that simply is meant to be a comedy. A movie like The Flash will basically be the opposite of all the other Dc movies who have taken a dark and serious approach to all their films. Now recently their have been rumblings that Warner Brothers seem to have a "Zero Joke Tolerance" for the upcoming DC films but The Flash needs to be the exception. Beside the dark elements that Barry Allen lost his mother at a very young age he has always been the comic relief of the Justice League. Constantly memorized by all the heroes even though he is one of them he is simply a "fan-girl" when he actually gets to meet the other Leaguers.

    Now there are also rumors that he is expected to make a cameo in Dawn of Justice with but it won't be by an actor. So if and when DC decides to make a solo Flash film (Opposite it's already established Flash TV Show starring Grant Gustin) what director or director's should helm this project. None other than the hottest duo directors in Hollywood Phil Lord & Chris Miller. They have four feature films under their belt all being massive hits from both the kid friendly comedy's Cloudy With a Chance of meatballs as well as The LEGO Movie. They also have the action comedy down with the hard R Jump Street films. Now as you saw in The Lego Movie they are nerds and brought the Justice League into their movie with batman already playing a prominent role. It's only a matter of time before they direct a live-action feature film. They quickly passed on Marvel's Ant-Man at one time so maybe it's time for Warner Brothers to repay the duo on their success with The Lego Movie and let them direct a DC Cinematic Universe film. And The Flash seems to be a perfect match for this young hot directing team.

    The Batman

    After Ben Affleck directed and starred in both The Town as well as Best picture winning film Argo he signed up to play Batman for the foreseeable future. Most suspect in his contract with Warner Brothers and WB he would get a solo Batman film as well. It only seems logical that he would also direct this new Batman film as well as star. Zack Snyder is hard at work establishing this new Batman in Dawn of Justice but it will be Affleck who will bring this Dark Knight back to the screens in an entire new way then what we saw in Christopher Nolans Dark Knight Trilogy.

    Superman

    Zack Snyder is the last director who will return after helming Man of Steel to do the first Justice League film in 2017/2018 but he may also want to return for another Superman adventure starring Henry Cavill. With DC films being slated through 2020 a solo Superman movie may actually happen after all.

    Tuesday, August 5, 2014

    EDITORIAL: Why Not to Hate AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

    Unknown 10:16 AM , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

    Over the past few months, since the film’s release, I have heard a lot about Amazing Spider-Man 2. I have heard a lot of good things from the general audience, kids, teenagers, and adults alike, but from the comic book community I've heard about 75% bad & just plain nasty (and unnecessary) comments about the film, and quite honestly I’m getting sick of it. So seeing as how there’s all this new news about the franchise (Sinister Six, Venom, and an unknown female character all getting their own spin-off films before Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2018) and the film coming out on Blu-Ray/DVD in two weeks, I thought that I would write up an article explaining my frustrations with these “haters” and expressing my love for the film and this new franchise.

    The comments I've read and continue to see around the internet about Amazing Spider-Man 2go like this:

    “That film is complete and utter shit!”

    “That movie has crappy dialogue and I didn't care about any of the characters or subplots!

    “I hated the first one so I didn't even bother seeing the second one because it’s complete shit like I said it would be.”

    These comments go on and on and on and they're all the same.

    To be completely honest, I LOVE The Amazing Spider-Man 2! In fact, I'm almost to the point where I truly believe that it is the BEST Spider-Man film out there, including Sam Raimi's beloved Spider-Man 2. As someone whose favorite superhero consists of three superheroes, them being Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man, I’m slightly biased and will defend each of these heroes until the day that I die. However, I don’t defend works like Superman III, Batman & Robin, and/or Spider-Man 3; therefore I truly do believe that Amazing Spider-Man 2 is being mistreated.

    As I continue on with this little tangent I want to go through each aspect of the film that people have problems with, including costume, characters, music/score, subplots, and so on. These are the parts of the film that I truly enjoy and want to defend as I see not only a lot of mindless/thoughtless hate for them, but just plain disrespect.


    The Costume: Believe it or not I have heard complaints about the suit from Amazing Spider-Man 2… I honestly don’t even know how to respond to these people who make these complaints; I mean really it’s the most ridiculous thing you could complain about with this movie. Spider-Man’s suit in The Amazing Spider-Man I can understand people complaining about (to an extent), and people did! And Sony/Marvel heard you, so they decided to give Spider-Man a suit that looked… Wait for it… EXACTLY like the comic book version of the suit!!! (Minus the logo, but that’s to be expected with it being the new franchise logo and all). Spidey's costume in this film leaps directly out of the pages of the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Amazing Spider-Man comics as well as the Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man books! I mean, I don’t understand why the hate! During the Raimi trilogy, people complained that the eyes were silver and not white, during the first in the Marc Webb franchise people complained that his eyes were yellow/gold and not big enough. Now, with the eyes being white and large, people still complain about this suit!!! I mean seriously? Comic book movies are called “adaptions” for a reason… The Dark Knight, The Avengers, Man of Steel, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and even Watchmen aren't all EXACTLY “comics accurate” (some are really close, and others are further away)! So why is Spider-Man expected to be 100% comics accurate as well?


    The Characters: This is also one I truly don’t understand… What’s wrong with the characters exactly? Aunt May is just like the version we see in the Ultimate Universe. She’s some-what tech-savvy, she’s modern, she’s a bit younger, and she keeps secrets like every other woman her age on the planet. She’s like any other adoptive mother who just wants her child to love her for who she is and what she’s done for him/her and not to worry about their birth parents. I mean how is that bad characterization when that’s how people in our world today are? Speaking of, what’s wrong with characters like Peter Parker or Gwen Stacey? I've heard the argument that Peter is “too cool”, but you see that he has problems talking to girls, he’s a nerd, he’s bullied at school (by Flash Thompson, as seen in the first film), he loses the girl of his dreams because of guilt and is still in love with her, and I could go on. Although this version of Peter tries to make it look like everything’s okay by looking “cool”, you can see that he has some serious issues! I mean, his girlfriend dies because his best friend kills her! None of this is bad characterization; this is just Peter Parker’s life! This is how Stan Lee originally created the character, to have terrible luck, to have ups and downs, to be awkward around girls and other people, to be a normal human being! Andrew Garfield plays this perfectly and shows every human side of Peter Parker, and then shows the larger-than-life side of Spider-Man, funny quips and all!

    Now with Gwen, I can’t imagine anyone having a problem with her in this film because she was perfect. From her writing to her portrayal by Emma Stone, she was just brilliant in this film. The chemistry between Peter and Gwen in this film is incredible! “That’s just because Garfield and Stone are dating in real life.” Yes, but no. It’s because they’re both brilliant actors. Stone is that way with everyone she’s on screen with in other films as well. As for Garfield, his chemistry with Stone is rivaled by his chemistry with Sally Field’s Aunt May, who he shares just as heartfelt scenes with. Not to mention the scenes between Peter and Harry, between Spider-Man and Electro, and between Spider-Man and the kid at the end of the film. I mean, Garfield just knows how to play the stage! Now, as for all the dialogue that people complain about, here's the thing, that's how teens/young adults talk nowadays! We make jokes all the time, we are awkward when talking to girls or other people we don't know, we can be sappy romantics and we can be unaware of our surroundings. Yes, Peter is at the extreme end of that spectrum, I know I'm not like that all the time, but he's definitely representing the modern generation through the way he talks, as is Harry and Gwen. Gwen when she gives her Valedictorian speech where she's the voice of reason and Harry on his pursuit to live longer and not miss anything. This film is almost, quite honestly, a social commentary on the side!


    Now, I can admit that the character of Max Dillon was a bit strange, but almost all of Spider-Man’s villains in the comics are just about that sick in the head. I mean, has there been one villain in ANY Spider-Man film yet who hasn't talked to themselves in a way that would make Gollum cringe? The answer is “no”. And I can also admit that Harry jumping from not getting Spider-Man’s blood to being the Green Goblin was also a bit of a stretch, but you also have to realize how psychotic the Osborn family is, both in film, animation, and comics! Harry was in a desperate situation and if you ask yourself the question, “how far would you go to save your life?” I guarantee that there wouldn't be an answer, because most people would do anything. Harry just had the resources to do more than most would, and in-so-doing that made himself insane to the point where he went after Spider-Man, and on some level won.

    On the subject of Harry, I've heard a lot of complaints from people saying that Peter and Harry becoming friends again after around a decade of not seeing each other is a stretch and too “unbelievable”… Well first of all you’re watching a movie about a guy who got bit by a spider which gave him superpowers, but okay… Secondly, I had a friend back in 6th grade that I was best friends with, but about halfway through 7th grade we split because I got together with a girl and he got new friends. It was stupid, but hey that’s middle school. We went to the same high school and said “hi” whenever we saw each other, but it wasn't until second semester senior year (about 6 years later) where we were on the same school trip to Israel (which was amazing by the way), and then we hit it off again and are now, once again, best friends. I mean, yes, it’s somewhat a stretch for Peter and Harry to be friends again after that much time, but if we’re to believe that they were good friends as kids, and from what is explained in the film they were, then it’s really not that big of a stretch for them to hit it off again after all that time. My Mom still hits it off with people she went to high school with when she hasn't seen them in twenty years, this is just how some people work!

    None of the characters in this film are done injustice, even Rhino is set up from the beginning and comes full-circle as a villain by the end, though some are definitely sidelined for others, but that’s honestly okay. That’s movies for you!


    The Music/Score: I have heard many complaints about the score to this film, not as much about the actual music used, but certainly about the score. Let me start this section off by saying that I believe Amazing Spider-Man 2 has one of the best movie soundtracks I've heard. From the score music on the track to the songs used, including “It’s On Again” by Alicia Keys, I cannot get enough. Originally when I saw Amazing Spider-Man 2 I walked out of the theater with my only complaint being the score. I had said to my good friend Dan Schmidt (of Across the Airwaves Productions) that I thought they did a great job with the dubstep part of the score mashing with Electro, but I didn't think they had a strong enough Spidey theme like James Horner's from the first film. Well, after a second viewing of the movie in the theaters and then buying the deluxe edition soundtrack to the film, I have changed my mind. In early June I drove out here to Montana from Chicago with my friend Jonathan (I was moving from Chicago to Montana where I’m going to be going to college in a few weeks), and on the whole two day drive from there to here we listened to the Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack on repeat and fell in love with it. If you play one track from the soundtrack now I can tell you which track it is and when it plays in the film. The use of music in the film is also outstanding! From “Song for Zula” during Peter and Gwen’s not-date before Electro attacks to “Gone Gone Gone” by Phillip Phillips when Peter is putting his wall together before he realizes he needs Gwen… I mean, really, the use of these songs (and others, especially during the end credits) was great! I’m just mad that “Gone Gone Gone”, now one of my favorites, is the one song from the film that I really, really liked that isn't on the soundtrack!

    But onto the score complaints from the audience… 

    “Hans Zimmer… What the [REDACTED] happened?” 

    Well, I’ll tell you what happened; Hans Zimmer didn't do this score on his own (which I believe is a good thing)! His scores for The Dark Knight(with James Newton Howard) and Man of Steel were brilliant and fit their characters/story perfectly, his score here, where he’s joined by the creative talents of the Magnificent Six, Pharrell Williams, and Johnny Marr, is just as good and fits the characters in this film, as well as the story and tone, perfectly. 

    “I don’t like the score because it tries to tell me how to feel during the movie…” 

    Umm, excuse me, but isn't that what a score is supposed to do? The whole reason the score of a film, TV show, or video game is there is so that you feel something and so that you’re invested in what’s going on! Take horror movies for example, without the creepy piano music in the background, you wouldn't know the feel scared, or in The Dark Knight Rises when Bruce is climbing out of the pit and you have the epic score with the drums beating and the prisoners chanting, that’s supposed to make you feel empowered, larger than life, and it works! Amazing Spider-Man 2’s score did the exact same thing! It made you feel heroic when you heard the little Spidey tune (listen to the “I’m Spider-Man” and “I Need To Know” tracks on the score for a sample of that, then listen to the rest of the score as its heard throughout, “You’re That Spider-Guy” especially), it made you feel emotional whenever the Peter/Gwen theme came on (“I’m Moving to England”, “I Choose You”, “Let Her Go”, “We’re Best Friends”), and you felt a little fear whenever Electro or Goblin’s themes played (“I’m Electro”, “My Enemy”, “I’m Goblin”, “Sum Total”). I mean, that’s how scores work! Yes, the score for this movie was fairly “mainstream”, yes it was very “modern”, but Spider-Man is a character that, while he never changes, adapts to the culture surrounding him! I mean, he couldn't be stuck in the 60’s forever, and teenagers/young adults today (I would know) are much different than they were back in 2002! Spider-Man changes with the times, and thus so must his score.


    The Story: 

    “No one cares about Peter’s parents…”

    “The movie is just so convoluted, there’s too much going on.”

    “The ending sucked!”

    These are just a few of the complaints I've heard about the story and subplots in Amazing Spider-Man 2, and if you've read this far (first off I commend you, and thank you) please bear with me just a little longer, I promise I’m almost done. First of all, most of the questions you've been asking yourself since the first film are answered here in its sequel. It’s explained why Peter’s parents had to leave, it’s explained why Peter has powers because of the spiders and other people don’t, it’s explained why Norman Osborn is dying, and it’s explained why Doctor Connors cut off communication with Peter after Richard and Mary left! All of these answers are given to you, so I don’t want to hear about there still being a ton of un-answered questions, there’s not. Now, with my theory that Norman Osborn is still alive, there could be some questions there, but for the sake of this film he’s dead by the 45 minute mark (it might be later, but I honestly don’t remember, I’m watching it again next week when I get it on Blu-Ray).

    As for there being too much going on, how do you mean? The only story-line that seems somewhat out of place is Electro's to be honest, and there’s good reason for that. The reason I like that Electro's story in this film feels out of place is because it adds another layer of conflict and inconvenience to Peter Parker’s life. You see, the plot with him finding out about his parents, his relationship with Gwen, and being Spider-Man are all continuations of what we saw in The Amazing Spider-Man. Harry’s introduction in the film, as well as Norman’s supposed death, also fit into the context of this mythology and story because Oscorp and the Osborn’s are a part of that already-established story. Even Rhino’s introduction at the beginning (stealing from Oscorp, so there’s that connection as well) to his introduction as the Rhino at the end (also a part of the Oscorp story as we see the man from the end of the first film who talked with Connors) is a part of the Spider-Man story established in the first film with Captain Stacey’s “you’re going to make enemies” line. It’s ALL CONNECTED except for Electro! (Who is still slightly connected anyway).


    Electro is different; he’s special because he reminds us that the “little guy”, the “normal person”, is also affected by this crazy world that Oscorp has initiated onto New York City. Max Dillon is a nobody; someone who Spider-Man just saves along his way (again, part of the Spidey plotline started in the last film) and doesn't give another thought to. Someone who has a simple job at Oscorp; someone who no one really likes or pays any special attention to; someone who’s just lost in the fold of people that is New York City. And then, all of a sudden, his life changes forever because of an accident. All of a sudden, he FORCES himself into the story. He re-writes the script and forces himself to be a part of it. How many times has that happened in Spider-Man comics? The answer: constantly! Everything in this story was perfectly crafted by Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Fringe, Sleepy Hollow, Watchmen, Transformers, Mission: Impossible III, etc.) and not only did service to us fans, but the comics and source material as well. As usual, they tied everything together and wrapped it up with a nice bow, while getting us pumped for their, eventual, upcoming third installment of the franchise (as well as Sinister Six, which is directly set up at the end of the film, and Venom).

    As for peoples problems with the ending, it took Peter seven months to move on from Gwen's death, that's ample time. As for why they didn't just leave it with Gwen's death?... It's because that's not who Spider-Man is. Although Spider-Man goes through a lot of crap and sees a lot of death in his life, he's still an optimist, he still brings people hope, and THAT'S what you see at the end of Amazing Spider-Man 2, you see Peter bringing hope back to New York as Spider-Man returns to save the day from Rhino. We didn't need to see the full fight, we know who's going to win, we just need to remember that Spider-Man is back and he's out there, despite all the foes that will stand in his way.


    The Mythology: This is my last point that is going to talk about the source material used in this film. Almost everything in this film is based somewhat on something from a version of Spider-Man in the comics, much like The Dark Knight Trilogy used “No Man’s Land”, “Knightfall”, “Year One”, “The Long Halloween” from the Batman comics or Man of Steel borrowed from “Birthright”, “Earth One”, “All-Star Superman”, “For Tomorrow”, and “Secret Origins”.

    Amazing Spider-Man 2 takes the Richard Parker being a “spy” and carrying around government secrets right out of the comics (“Spider-Man: Unmasked”). Though Richard is only framed by the men from Oscorp as a spy, he’s really a scientist just like his Ultimate Universe counterpart and, like in this film series, has a connection to Curt Connors and Norman Osborn (“Ultimate Spider-Man”). While Peter having a genetic marker in his blood that allows his spider abilities to work once he’s bitter by a genetically enhanced spider is an original concept (at least to my knowledge), it’s always been true in the comics that Peter has always been afraid to give his blood to others because he doesn't know what would happen to them. In fact, when his Aunt May lied dying in an older issue of Amazing Spider-Man, Peter almost didn't give her his radioactive blood because he thought it might kill her. As we see when Harry gets hold of the spider’s venom (which had not been mixed with the genetic marker that is Peter’s blood), we see that it has terrible effects which create the Green Goblin.

    We also see the relationship between Peter and Gwen develop as seen in the original Amazing Spider-Man comics’ first 121 issues as well as Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s “Spider-Man: Blue”, only to be taken apart by the Green Goblin (this time Harry Osborn, who has also been the Goblin in the comics, though not before Norman) Ala “The Night Gwen Stacey Died”. Though Norman Osborn is normally responsible for this act, and though it normally takes place on the bridge (which we see Peter and Gwen have a touching moment on before her death, another nod to the comics), we see that the writers changed the killer to Harry to make the death more personal, while still making it because of a Goblin (as well as a failed web-line…).


    We also see Electro as a lowly “worker-bee” (as is usually the case with him in all his comic interpretations) before he gets his powers, then after he gets his powers in a “freak accident” he becomes even more deranged, psychotic, and angry, much like his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #9 as well as in the Ultimate Universe. We also get to see Alistair Smythe as Electro's supervisor at Oscorp, and for you spider-fans out there you know that he’s the son of the creator of the original Spider Slayers and continues his father’s legacy, even becoming the Ultimate Spider Slayer himself.

    Then there’s the Sinister Six. The Gentleman we see at the end of Amazing Spider-Man, and then again at the end of Amazing Spider-Man 2, is named Gustav Fiers who is actually not from the comics, though he is a main character in Adam-Troy Castro’s Sinister Six novel trilogy that includes “Gathering of the Sinister Six”, “Secrets of the Sinister Six”, and “Revenge of the Sinister Six”, where Fiers not only assembles the Sinister Six together, but also is partially responsible for the death of Richard and Mary Parker, making the mythology of this franchise so much more interesting. We see in the credits that Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Rhino, Chameleon, Vulture, and Kraven the Hunter seem to be this incarnation of the Six (sad not to see Mysterio in live action, but maybe one day; Sandman’s already been done), which not only sets up the Sinister Six film, but also Amazing Spider-Man 3!

    Clearly as you can see, a lot of this film is inspired by the Spider-Man mythology that already exists, yet it twists it and crafts it to make it its own, while adding new things to the story to make the Amazing Spider-Man Cinematic Universe something to be excited about and cheer on. I know that’s what I’m doing, especially with Alex Kurtzman overseeing it (as well as the Universal Monster-Movie Universe)!

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
    There’s more of course that I could write about to show people why Amazing Spider-Man isn't just a great film, great superhero/comic book film, and a great Spider-Man film, but I’m getting tired and I have a feeling that if people aren't going to listen to what I've already stated loud-and-clear, they won’t listen at all, and that’s fine. At the end of the day, all that I care about is that I continue to enjoy and support this franchise, and I do; I hope you all feel the same way!

    Amazing Spider-Man 2 comes out on Blu-Ray/DVD on August 19, 2014.

    Saturday, May 24, 2014

    EDITORIAL: How 'The Fantastic Four' & 'X-Men' Can Co-Exist in the Same Universe

    Unknown 9:25 PM , ,

    Ever since the dawn of Marvel Studios laying out the platform for co-existing characters in the same universe every studio has tried to copy this formula. With DC getting their Justice League off the ground as well as Sony attempting to launch franchises based off Spider-Man's rogue gallery. The last studio to have multiple characters in the same universe would be FOX.

    For the longest time it was assumed by many that with the newly release X-Men: Days of Future Past resetting the timeline of past X-Men movies. As well as the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot that obviously FOX would put these two teams together correct? I mean even in the comics Sue Storm and Reed Richards son Franklin Richards is actually a mutant and marries Rachel Summers in a dystopian future.


    Then late last year FOX hired comic book writer Mark Millar was hired to what we all assumed 'godfather' this shared universe to a better future. He ended up taking to twitter though to reiterate that the future movies stand alone even if the characters live in the same universe.
    Now this makes complete sense we don't want to over saturate the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot with a million X-Men references just to build a universe for the general public to understand. Looking at you Amazing Spider-Man 2. Lets get a movie for The Fantastic Four out of the way first and establish this new team to the world before crossing over Wolverine and the X-Men. We all can agree on that right? Simply wait until the sequel to get some X-Men goodies?


    That was until at recent press junket's screenwriter for both X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Fantastic Four Simon Kinberg dropped the bomb that they may never actually crossover let alone even be in the same universe!
    Well, it’s complicated. Because none of the ‘X-Men’ movies have acknowledged the notion of a sort of superhero team — the Fantastic Four. And the Fantastic Four acquire powers, so for them to live in a world where mutants are prevalent is kind of complicated, because you’re like, “Oh, you’re just a mutant.” Like, “What’s so fantastic about you? [...] So, I guess we’ll go to school now. We’ll go to Xavier’s school.” No, it is … they live in discrete universes.


    If you think about it he is completely right. Not just that in the movie universe how would the people distinguish or even care the difference between mutants and the Fantastic Four? They all simply have super powers. In real life how would the general audience even understand the difference between Sunspot (Played by Adan Canto) and the Human Torch (Played by Michael B. Jordan)? Their powers are literally exactly the same on film... But I believe I have found the solution to this problem! The answer in not distinguishing the two teams from their powers but from their popularity in their universe.


    The dynamic that Kinberg needs to look at is how the universe treats each team. He has already established with the X-Men movies that the human race hates and fears mutants. They fear mutants because mutants are an entire species that can wipe humanity off the face of the earth.  This is the reason for the events that transpire in Days of Future Past with the humans and Sentinels teaming up to send mutants to interment camps in the future. This can't be the case for the Fantastic Four....


     We have already learned that in the first film of the rebooted series the team won't even been called "The Fantastic Four" until maybe the end of the movie. This makes sense given that the team needs to come together. They need to earn that title. But to the rest of the world they were humans like the rest of us. Reed Richards and Sue Storm are world renown scientists. A freak accent in space (If Kinberg is gonna use the original origin of the team) gave them these four amazing gifts. They weren't born with power; it was thrust upon them. In the end their species is still human. The humans will accept them as one of their own. As an ally unlike the mutants.


    If Simon Kinberg uses the dynamic that the world accepts the Fantastic Four and hates the X-Men it could make for one hell of a "Verses" movie. Yes, a superhero verses movie usually ends up with the the two teams teaming up to take on a more serious threat to all of humanity. Lets say like Franklin Richards and Onslaught??? But for the beginning of a possible crossover event at FOX the idea of the Fantastic Four Battling the X-Men all because of the humans could make a great film. To the humans the Fantastic Four is their saviors and in turn celebrity's. While the X-Men are hated and hunted for being what they are.

    Let's hope eventually Simon Kinberg does crack the code to have these two great teams co-exist in the same universe!

    Saturday, March 15, 2014

    DC Cinematic Universe Entire Timeline Including 'Arrow' and 'Gotham' TV Shows

    Unknown 3:06 PM , , , , , , , , ,

    Many fans have wondered the ultimate DC question. Will The CW's Arrow and Flash be connected to the events of Man of Steel and eventually Batman vs Superman? Now there is both great and terrible reasons why these should or should not be connected. Timeline issues, CW actors on film, continuity ect ect.

     Well with all that put aside here is what I believe is a correct representation of the timeline of events that could take place IF DC ever decided to connect CW's The Flash/Arrow to Man of Steel/Batman vs Superman....even through in FOX's upcoming Gotham prequel into the mix as well. (Gotham will not be connected to any other show/movie but was added just because)

    This is all based on the current Arrow timeline starting in 2012. Arrow will be working in real time to our timeline with the other events built around it. This is also based on the little information we have on Batman vs Superman. With Batman being an old withered crime fighter long before Superman ect etc.

    :: Update :: - Added Green Lantern (2011) to the timeline

    :: Update #2 :: - Added NBC's Constantine to the timeline

    Some images used are from multiple live-action interpretations of these DC characters.

    :: Cast ::
    Batman/Bruce Wayne - Ben Affleck
    Superman/Clark Kent - Henry Cavill
    Wonder Woman/ Diana Prince - Gal Gadot
    Arrow/Oliver Queen - Stephen Amell
    The Flash/Barry Allen - Grant Gustin
    Green Lantern/Hal Jordan - Ryan Reynolds
    Aquaman/Author Curry - TBA

    18,625 BC - Kryptonian outpost ship crash lands in the Arctic Circle

    1,200 BC - Diana Prince/Wonder Woman is born
    - Hidden from humans on Themyscira
    - Amazons become a Myth


    Unknown - Author Curry/Aquaman is Born
    - Hidden from humans in Atlantis
    - Atlanteans become a Myth

    1953 - John Constantine is born in Liverpool, England

    1971 - Bruce Wayne/Batman is born


    1981 - Bruce Waynes (10) parents are murdered
    - Events of Gotham TV Series
    -Young James Gordon
    - Young Arrow/Gotham Villains appear

     1982 - Kal-El is sent to Earth; Clark Kent crash lands in Kansas


    1985 - Oliver Queen/Arrow is Born

    1988 - Hal Jordan/Green Lantern is Born


    1989 - Barry Allen/The Flash is Born


    1997 - Jonathan Kent is killed in a Tornado

    1998 - Hal Jordan (10) father is killed in an Jet accident


    2001 - Bruce Wayne/Batman (30) returns from the League of Assassins
    -  Gotham TV Show ends
    - Batman: Year One begins
    - Batman is a Myth of Gotham
    - Barry Allens (11) mother is Killed

     2007 - Queens Gambit goes missing
    - Oliver Queen (22) begins 5 years on the Island



    2012 - Oliver Queen (27) returns to Starling City
    - Events of Arrow TV Series
    - Arrow begins his 5 year crusade on Starling City

    2013 - Black Canary and other costumed non-powered heroes exist around the world
    -  Barry Allen comes to Starling City
    - Slade Wilson/Super Soldiers exist


    2014 -  Barry Allen (25) becomes The Flash
    - Events of The Flash TV Series
    - The Flash is unseen due to his speed


    2015 - The alien Invasion of Metropolis
    - Events of Man of Steel
    - Clark Kent becomes Superman
    - Superman (33) is the first superhero to go PUBLIC
    - Events of Green Lantern
    - Hal Jordan (27) gets his Power Ring; Leaves Earth
    - Humans are aware of super powered beings

    2016 - Batman (45) learns of other super powered beings identity's
    - Events of Batman vs Superman
    - Some Superheros become publicity known (The Flash, Green Lantern etc) within their respective cities 
    - Diana Prince will leave Themyscira to seek out Superman. Because he is not like other human men.

    2017 - Justice League of America created in the wake of super powered beings
    - Events of Justice League
    - Bruce Wayne (46) has been Batman for 16 years
    - Oliver Queen (32) has been Arrow for 5 years
    - Barry Allen (28) has been The Flash for 3 years
    - Clark Kent (35) has been Superman for 2 years
    - Hal Jordan (29) has been Green Lantern for 2 years
    - Aquaman/Wonder Woman Join
    - End of Arrow 5 year crusade, Arrow Joins JLA





    Thursday, March 6, 2014

    EDITORIAL: How 'Spider-Man' Can Legally Appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

    Unknown 9:50 AM , , , , , , ,

    That's right a loop hole has indeed been found in the contract between Sony and Marvel Studios. Now before I get into the specifics let me tell you the problem that ravages our favorite web-slinger appearing alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes. 

    Back in the 90's before Marvel Films was the juggernaut it is now the company was going bankrupt and was selling off potential film rights to all their characters to other film studios. X-Men, Fantastic Four and others went to FOX. Blade over to New Line Cinema. Hulk and Namor over to Universal. And their prized possession Spider-Man over to Sony Pictures. Over the years some of their favorite characters they have reacquired from their contracts expiring ect ect. This includes Punisher, Blade, Ghost Rider and Daredevil!

    Now that Daredevil was acquired by Marvel Studios the company has moved forward to introduce him in his own series exclusively on Netflix. Alongside Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Why is this important well they are all considered "street level" heroes. They battle the mob and gangsters ect.

    Now one other "street level" hero is actually Spider-Man! Yes, Sony Pictures owns his film rights currently. The studio have a cinematic universe of their own being built around star Andrew Garfield. But how does this work with Marvel Studios?

    Back in 2009 the amazing Sony created show The Spectacular Spider-Man was brought to an end for Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man to appear on Disney XD.


    IGN Reports:
    "Sony is NO LONGER involved with The Spectacular Spider-Man. I'm informed that Marvel can now produce the series, but of course, they don't have to." Weisman noted he had "no clue" as to what Sony gained regarding Spider-Man's film rights that they didn't already have that led them to give up the TV rights to the character.
    Many assumed that  this simply would mean that the animated rights of Spider-Man was relinquished over to Marvel Studios. But that is not the case...apparently it was ALL TV Rights. Last year Comic Book.com added how Sony doesn't own  any TV rights to Spider-Man:
    In some cases, studios apparently own the live action rights to a character, which would cover both movies and live action TV shows, but not animated cartoons. However, in the case of Spider-Man, Disney actually acquired the TV rights back from Sony.
    They hypothesized that he could appear on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D given that was the only Marvel show in production that we knew of. Now that Marvel Studios is moving forward  with street level heroes on Netflix its actually possible to have Spider-Man appear on those shows!


    This does not mean that Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man will appear on the Netflix shows. If Marvel even uses the character it would most likely be a cameo as Peter Parker with a completely new actor as the web-slinger.

    Of course this doesn't mean Marvel will even attempt to enter those uncharted waters with Sony. So don't go assuming Spidey is gonna show up alongside The Defenders on Netflix even though it is possible. Also, this still means Spider-Man can not appear alongside The Avengers on film.
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