Bane!

Hi  Everyone! If you haven't seen it already, I just wanted to post this first image of Tom Hardy as Bane from "The Dark Knight Rises" that leaked over the internet about a week ago. Tell you what, I think this is just about the darkest, most creepy incarnation of the character I have ever seen and I am genuinely a little worried for Batman knowing he will inevitably have to go toe to toe with this dude at some point in the next film. Just looking at this image makes me think of a caged animal ready to tear apart the first victim that wonders unsuspectingly into its path. I hope The Dark Knight is up for the challenge!

Thor: Tales of Asgard

Hi everyone! So the other night I treated myself to the new Marvel animated feature “Thor: Tales of Asgard.” First off, I have to say that this is one I had been looking forward to since I watched the first glimpse featurette that was attached to the studios previous animated offering “World War Hulk.” (very cool for those who have not seen it.) The plethora of interesting characters involved, the stunning renderings of Asgard in all of it’s Nordic glory, and the promise of a good heaping of swashbuckling adventure got me excited for this dvd to hit the racks and I was frustrated when I learned I would have to wait nearly a year and a half for that day to come.
Well, last week Tuesday marked the end of my wait and after work, and a checkup on the cat I bum rushed it to my local Best Buy to pick up my copy of this new Thor adventure. My thoughts? It was good. Not run around the apartment in a bed sheet pretending to be Thor good, that would be giving the movie too much credit not to mention a little weird too lol) but a fun ride nonetheless.
In the beginning, we are introduced to Thor, not the storm commanding titan we all know from the comics mind you, but a younger, untested Thor who fights with a sword for having not yet possessing the experience, not to mention muscle, necessary to heft his destined weapon, the mighty hammer mjolner. Imbued with more than a hefty dose of the undeserved pride typical of many young people born into a life of status and privilege, Thor fancies himself the greatest warrior in all the kingdom though not once in his life has his father, king Odin, allowed him to venture outside it’s walls. Thor’s inflated ego is enabled by the indulgence of pretty much all the citizens in the kingdom, including the royal guard who purposely lose to the young prince during public sparring sessions even though he is obviously overmatched. It is only Thor’s friend Sif who is not afraid to tell him like it is and she easily bests him in combat during a scene in a stable when he quickly becomes offended by her blunt honesty.
Determined to prove himself worthy of the people’s admiration, Thor stow’s away aboard a ship helmed by The Warriors Three, Fandrall the fair, Hogun the grim, and Vostagg the valiant who are off on their latest campaign or so they say. Accompanying him is his brother Loki, a precocious adept of mystic arts and not yet tainted by the jealousy and malice that will lead him down the path of villainy later on. Setting sail across the rainbow bridge which connects Asgard to all the other nine realms the trio stop for a pint at the middle earth equivalent of a seedy roadhouse patronized by trolls, wolf-men, and all manner of brothers grimm riff raff. Thor and Loki follow them in and, upon revealing themselves, much to the shock and horror of their involuntary cheuffers, incite a massive brawl after taking a few too many liberties at the other pub goers expense.
Escaping from the melee by the skin of their teeth, the gang decides to sail to Yoddenheim at the behest of Thor who believes his mettle will be confirmed if he can retrieve “the sword of suttor,” a powerful weapon imbued with dark magic that was wielded by an enemy of his father in an epic battle that resulted in Odin ultimately emerging victorious and the sword being displaced somewhere in the mountains. Descending into the heart of a mountain near were the the battle took place the group discover the infamous sword and free it from its age long rest. Trophy it hand, Thor and his crew commence on their journey home, but it is not long before they get a cold reception (no pun intended) from Yoddenheim’s native inhabitants, the massive frost giants. Reacting with his characteristic brashness and overconfidence, Thor overestimates his ability to control the malign forces seeping from the mysterious helm and accidentally kills two frost giants in what is meant to be an act of self defense. thus shattering the tenuous peace treaty preventing Asgard and Yoddenheim from plunging into war.
It is really here that we glimpse a the major turning point in Thor’ s character arc as, after having lived up until then as a spoiled palace brat, Thor learns the hard way of the serious consequence his choices out in the real world entail. With his innocence tarnished, a humbled Thor relinquishes the sword to Algrum, a trusted advisor and friend of the family who is the last surviving member of his race of dark elves. This proves to be a terrible mistake as the weapon’s evil siren song influences Algrum into believing that Odin was partially responsible for the decimation of his kind due to his uninvolvment in an earlier confict with the Frost Giants that also ties in closely with how the sword of suttorw wound up lost for generations amidst the frozen wastes of Yoddenheim. Bent on revenge and armed with one of the most feared weapons in all the nine realms, Algrum races off to cook Odin’s goose while Thor and his companions rush home to stop the bloodthirsty elf while also having to quell the hordes of frost giants that are mobilizing against Asgard for Thor‘s earlier transgression. So how does it all turn out!? You ask, teeth biting nails. Well, as Thor would surely put it, “Nay! Thou must watch it for themselves!” Haw! Haw! Suffice it to say Thor takes some definate steps into becoming the hero he is destined to one day become.
All in all I thought “Thor: Tales of Asgard,” though not on par with “Planet Hulk” and many of the gems DC’s been churning out in terms of animated features, is a fun ride and definitely worth a watch if you are interested in the character and the truly distinct world he inhabits.
　
Ross

Smallville Finale

I can’t remember a more anticipated moment in the history of television (for nerds like me anyway) than that of Tom Welling finally donning the iconic Superman costume in the seaon finale of Smallville. After a succession of mouth watering teases showing the sapphire and it’s accompanying scarlett cape suspended in a glacier Its intended was at last deemed worthy to embrace his destiny and rock the red and blue’s! Was the pay off worth it? Well…maybe.
Last Friday’s episode concluded the Darkness storyline, (whatever it was called?? Bad memory) the villain of which, Darkside, acted very much as a corrupting force throughout the entirety of the season, infiltrating Clark’s adopted planet and having his infernal agents sow seeds of discord against the burgeoning superhero community.
Still unsure of himself and his place in the world, Clark’s must overcome Darkside’s influence by putting aside his lingering self-doubts, becoming the hero he was always meant to be and inspiring good in others.
Yes, as I mentioned earlier this does include his finally putting on the suit but frustratingly the makers of the show seemed to try and go out of there way to annoy the fans by never giving us a good shot of Welling in the costume. Instead we only seemed to get either images of him from a distance or images of him from the shoulder’s up. C’mon WB!
Another thing that really irked me about the finale was minimal, barley consequential Michael Rossenbaum’s Lex Luthor seemed to play in the grand conclusion of everything. Aside from Clark’s first donning of the suit the other momentous event fans were wringing their hands for was the return of Clark’s former best friend turned worst enemy Lex Luthor from the dead via the miracle of cloning. But when he finally show’s up all he really does is tell Clark that they have a destiny together and later loose his memories through some weird twist having to do with the cloning process. And here I was expecting some diabolical scheme that Clark would have to thwart on top of contending with Darkseid. Your loosing your edge Lex!
Despite my griping the finale was still pretty entertaining and does a pretty decent job of streamlining the tv storyline into the classic Superman mythos. Hands down the best scene had to be the very last after an emergency is announced o ver newroom intercom and Clark calmly walks out onto the roof of the Daily Planet, removes his glasses, and unbuttons his shirt to reveal the big yellow S underneath all the while the classic John Williams Superman score is pumping in the background. Yeah, I’d have to say that one scene pretty much made up for any of the shortcomings in the two hours that preceeded it.
　
Ross

Thor Review

Hi everyone! So the other night I went to the midnight screening of “Thor.” My thoughts? It was good. Really good actually. It didn’t re-invent the wheel as far as comic book movies go but it was still great fun and I walked out of the theater with a new appreciation for Marvel’s hammer wielding hero.
A lot of that had to do with the awesome performance of the lead actor Chris Hemsworth who was by far the standout of the movie. Looking as though he stepped right out from the pages of Norse mythology, Hemsworth plays Thor with the perfect mix of arrogance and charisma, seamlessly transitioning from badass warrior in one scene to silver tongued charmer in the next.
The movie begins with Thor being banished to earth and found by the lovely as always Natalie Portman who plays Jane Foster, a physisist studying trans dimensional wormholes, after she and a couple teammates accidentally nail Thor with an suv in the chaos of a dust storm that ensues from his exhile to earth.
From here the movie backtracks to an earlier time were we are introduced to Odin played with kingly perfection by Anthony Hopkins, the ruler of a god-like race of people who live in a fantastical realm called Asgard. I have to point out that some of my favorite scenes in the movie (despite the absence of Natalie Portman) were the ones that featured Asgard, it is an stunning picture of natural and architectural beauty and a place that is truly worthy to be called home to the gods.
Odin feels he is coming to the end of his reign as king and wants to bequeath his crown to his favorite son, Thor. The relationship between the two quickly sours however as the god of thunder defies his father’s wishes and leads a contingent of his warrior friends in an ill-planned attack on a neighboring realm belonging to a race of ice giants, breaking an uneasy truce that had kept the two realms from war.
Enraged by his son’s thoughtless disobedience and foolish attempt to make a name for himself Odin strips Thor of his godly powers and banishes him to midgard, which is there name for earth. Placing a powerful enchantment on Thor’s hammer, Mjolner, Odin also casts it to earth as well, were it lands in the middle of the desert.
Picking up from were the film began, Thor befriends Jane Foster and her crewmates after a rocky first day on earth which sees the raving Thunder god tossing around orderlies at a New Mexico hospital and being mistaken as someone with a serious case of mental illness.
Developing a fondness for the bearded blond, Foster agrees to help Thor on his quest to find his hammer and regain his godly powers. There are some very funny “fish out of water” scenes around this portion of the film which sees Thor who is totally naïve when it comes to the customs and etiquette of earth, approach situations with a typical Viking mentality. A great example of which is when he walks into a local pet store and demands a horse.
Back on Asgard, Thor’s half brother Loki, who unknowingly played a sly hand in orchestrating Thor’s banishment, conspires to steal his brother’s inheritence by manipulating events to his benefit.
Meanwhile, after finding his displaced hammer which has been quarantined by the covert government entity “shield,” Thor reaches a pivotal moment in his road to enlightenment when he realizes he is no longer worthy of hefting his faithful hammer when in refuses to budge under his still formidable strength.
Lost and confused, with his former confidence all but evaporated, Thor comes to appreciate the importance of humility and selflessness through his experience living as a mortal and growing emotionally attached to Jane and her friends. This internal transformation is complete when the end of the film sees Thor ready to pay the ultimate price to protect those his earlier self would certainly have looked down upon as beneath him.
All in all, I found Thor to be a wonderful blast of superhero fun that I look forward to revisiting again. By Odin’s Beard!
　
Ross

The Dark Knight Rises

Hi everyone! So at long last Bat freaks like yours truly can celebrate in the knowledge of who those pesky villains will be in the third and final chapter of director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises" scheduled to pummel its way into theaters in the summer of 2012. Drum roll please.....CATWOMAN AND BANE! Cool right? Last week Warner Bros. issued a press release confirming this and which actors had been cast in these iconic roles. Anne Hathaway is Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Thomas Hardy is Bane. Personally, I am thrilled with Nolan's decision to include Catwoman in the new movie. Next to The Joker and Two Face, she is probably the most enduring of all of Batman's rogues.
Catwoman has enjoyed various incarnations throughout her many year history. In Frank Miller's "Batman Year One" series she is depicted as a societal outcast scratching out a living as a sleazy call girl in one of the roughest sections of a dangerous town before seeing Batman's heroic acts caught on the news inspires her to fight on behalf of others who are exploited and downtrodden as Catwoman. In Jeph Loeb's "The Long Halloween," Selina Kyle is characterized a skilled jewel thief with a fiery vendetta against Gotham's more notorious crime families and combat skills that rival those of The Dark Knight himself. It is unclear which incarnation of Catwoman Nolan will choose for the film, but, as was certainly the case with Heath Ledger's "Joker," in the last movie, I'm sure he will give a fresh and unexpected interpretation of the character while never losing focus of what makes them character special to begin with.
I am really hoping that Anne Hathaway brings something new and exciting to the table as Catwoman. I have not seen her in very many dramatic roles but I heard she is quite good and she certainly has her work cut out for her following in the footsteps of Michelle Phiefer, whose unhinged portrayal of the whip toting villainess in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" is arguably the best performance ever by a female actor in a comic book based movie. Unfortunately I can't say the same for Halle (Hotty) Barry. (Stick to Storm Hon)
In Batman's expansive rogue's gallery there are not many villains who can top The Joker. Penguin can't do it, Riddler can't do it, and until he learns how to chuck actual lightening bolts, Maxi Zeus sure as heck can't do it. But if there is one penultimate bada$$ with the potential to be equally, if not even more deadly than the Clown Prince of Crime himself it is the man who broke The Batman, Bane. One of Batman's more modern rogues, Bane was introduced in the "Knightfall" storyline in the mid 90's. A brutal fighter and brilliant strategist, Bane targeted Gotham as the place were he would make a name for himself after escaping from the dismal confines of a barbaric South American prison where he had been locked up for most of his life. Upon arriving, Bane immediately set his sights on destroying The Caped Crusader both physically and psychologically by orchestrating a mass breakout from Arkham Asylum. Struggling tirelessly to recapture all the escaped inmates, Batman was finally confronted by the mastermind responsible and exhausted beyond all measure proved no match for the physically dominate Bane who broke Batman's back in the fight that ensued. So yeah, pretty scary dude if you ask me.
I am not familiar with much of Hardy's work other than his supporting role in the brilliant "Inception." Granted, the guy does not exactly posses Hulk Hogan like physique of his comic book counterpart but definitely has a very strong charisma about him in the mind bending thriller that enables him to stand out from some of his more well known co-stars. Whatever route they have in store for Bane, one of Batman's most cunning and dangerous foes, I'm sure it will be a vast improvement on the drooling idiot schumaker reduced the character to in the abysmal stinkfest "Batman and Robin" (shudder!)
In closing, I am greatly looking forward to seeing how Nolan intends to make these characters fit into his distinct vision of Batman's world. At the end of "The Dark Knight," we saw Batman shoulder the blame for a series of murders he did not commit and in a symbolic sense fall from being the champion of Gotham to a wanted fugitive, hunted by the police and hated and feared by the people he has sworn to protect. Perhaps he will find a kindred spirit in Catwoman, a whip wielding Robin Hood and fellow outlaw who also operates in the gray area between right and wrong and always manages to stay one step ahead of the long hand of the law. Will the two forge a common bond? Or will Batman's unshakable moral compass force him to bring her to justice? And now that the Gotham City Police Force's number one prerogative seems to be the capture of Batman at all costs, perhaps, in there overeagerness they will turn to a man with skills to rival those of The Dark Knight. A man who can get inside his head like no other, a man with sinister ulterior motives and hidden allegiances (The League of Shadows???) A man like Bane. Although details of the actual plot remain a matter of pure speculation, one thing is for certain. The Dark Knight will be faced with what will undoubtedly be his most harrowing challenge yet. And through adversity, he will rise.

Ross

The New Spiderman

Hi everyone! Just thought I'd share this exciting first image from the the new Spiderman movie set to swing its way into theaters in the summer of 2012! I know what your thinking, WTF! This isn't Toby Maguire! Well, it seems the director of the Maguire/Dunst trilogy, Sam Raimi, was very much intending to make a 4th installment that was supposed to come out sometime in 2011 and feature Vulture and Black Cat as the main villains but after just about every screen writer in Hollywood tried and failed to hash out a half decent spidey story that resuscitated the franchise after the colossal disappointment of 2007's "Spiderman 3," the studio petitioned to give the series a clean slate and start over with a new director, new actors, and new direction. In one word. REBOOT!
It is difficult to formulate a solid opinion based on one image but I can tell you already that I'm liking what I'm seeing here. I'm sure purists will balk about the liberties taken with Spidey's classic red & blue threads but I think that they definitely look more practical and something that a teenager with next to no tailoring skills could maybe come up with on his own. (granted, that's a big maybe!)
Speaking of teenagers, the actor cast to play Peter Parker and his arachnid alter ego is Andrew Garfield and he is definitely not one but rather in his late twenties which is kind of weird seeing as how a big reason for the studio's wanting to give the series a fresh start was the desire to focus on a younger, teenage Peter Parker who is dealing with the typical insecurities of being a kid in high school while at the same time having to cope with the awesome responsibility bestowed on him by his new, extraordinary abilities.
Oddly enough I saw this guy in something days before he landed the role and without even know his name was in the mix. The movie was called "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" and, on a side not, was also the last film Heath Ledger acted in before the tragic event of his death. I have to say, this kid Garfield gave a pretty impressive performance in that movie, and definitely managed to hold his own against the more seasoned Ledger.
In my opinion this guy definitely looks more like Peter Parker to me than Maguire ever did. In the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko comics Peter was always depicted as having a more tall, slender, awkward build to him. Maybe it is due to my own personal bias as a tall, slender, awkward guy but that is how I believe old Petey boy should look in a film adaptation, and the diminutive Maguire certainly never fit that bill.
Now that we have been treated to this little appetite wetter I am very curious as to who the villain, or villains will be? Kraven? Rhino? Looks like he's got a nasty scratch there on his cheek, could that be a little souvenir from a run in with The Lizard? Or Black Cat? Personally I would love to see Spidey's arch foe, The Green Goblin, wrecking all sorts of havoc on the webslinger's already tumultuous existence so long as he trades in that goofy Power Ranger getup Willem Defoe had the misfortune of wearing in the first film in favor of the fundamentally disturbing latex mask and purple jerkin he sports in the comics but I'm guessing they will probably save him for the sequel similar to the approach they took with The Joker in the current Batman franchise. As long as they steer clear of any of the symbiote crap, or Peter decked out in his huggers and Jared Leto eyeliner doing on his best John Travolta strut (shudder!) they ought to be Okay. Here's hoping.

Ross

The Green Hornet

Hi everyone! So the last night I went to see "The Green Hornet" which stars Seth (stoner) Rogan as the masked hero and Jay Chou as his loyal manservant/crime fighting comrade. The character, whose pulp origins date all the way back to a 40's era radio program was later adapted into a live action television series in the 60s which co-starred a young Bruce Lee as Kato. Knowing this, the filmmakers try and pay homage to what has come before by incorporating some of what I'm guessing is the old t.v. series' theme music and a clever Bruce Lee reference while still attempting to be fresh and hip for a new generation. Does it succeed? Umm, kind of but not really.
Seth Rogan plays Britt Reid, whose exploits as a lazy, irresponsible, party loving socialite are an embarrassment to his cold and distant, newspaper mogul father who detests having to publish his son's latest nightly excursions along with the paper's more serious hard boiled news. Then, seemingly out of the blue, the elder Reid is killed from an allergic reaction to a bee sting and young Britt is handed the reigns of a media empire he wants nothing to do with and hasn't the slightest idea of how to run. Longing for someone to confide in, Reid befriends Kato, a longtime employee of the family who worked on his father's cars and fixed his morning brew. A man of many talents, Kato shows Reid the 007 like modifications he built into his father's cars including completely bulletproof siding and razor sharp, lance like protrusions that extend from the tires reminiscent of famous chariot scene in Ben Hurr. Commiserating over tales of mistreatment at the hands of Reid Senior, the two soon indulge in one to many shots of liquor and decide to spite the elder Reid's ghost by taking out one of his prized cars for a joyride, a decision which has untold consequences as the two come across a mugging in progress and spring to the aid of the young victims. During this scene we are introduced to the idea of "Kato vision," in which the young mechanic/barrista/martial arts extraordinaire (I know, just go with it) figuratively slows down time in his mind's eye and, like a physical game of chess, methodically chooses the most efficient way to incapacitate an adversary. This stylistic touch is pretty cool at first but quickly becomes redundant especially in light of similar approaches that have been done before (The Matrix, Sherlock Holmes, etc.) and detracts from what ought to be the chaotic, unpredictable nature of the fight.

After narrowly escaping from the Police who mistake them for criminals, the two retreat back to Britt's mansion were, jacked on adrenaline, Britt proposes they pursue crime fighting as a nightly profession and, in a twist on the classic superhero ideal, secretly pose as bad guys to trick the villains into a false sense of trust and taking them out one by one. Using his influence as the new CEO of the family newspaper "The Sentinel" to his advantage, Britt dubs the new crime lord "The Green Bee," which is quickly altered to the more menacing sounding "The Green Hornet" and build his own legend by publishing his exploits on the front page of the paper.

The rest of the movie plays out in an eye roll inducing ride of bad jokes, crude humor, and cartoonish action scenes as Britt and Kato take on organized crime in the form of Chudnofsky, an unlikely looking crime boss with a sweet, two headed handgun and a very big Napoleon complex, and political corruption in the form of a sleazy D.A. who may have had a hand in Britt's father's death.

For what it is, a lighthearted buddy comedy with a superhero twist, The Green Hornet manages to be fun despite its over the top silliness and frequent displays of immaturity. It's obvious the scrip was specifically tailored to fit Seth Rogan's comic sensibilities as an actor and doesn't bother to strive for much more which is unfortunate seeing as how I hoped that Britt would progress from being an immature buffoon into something roughly resembling a hero by the end but such a character arc was apparently beyond the very limited scope of the film's aspirations.

In closing, I would sum up "The Green Hornet" as being a charming yet ultimately disposable bit of entertainment who's "sting" is sure to be very short lived especially with the guarantee of far more fulfilling comic book based movies just off the horizon.

Ross