The Year That Was: 2014 in Film

Check out ALL of the PDC end of year lists!

Review: Ava DuVernay's 'Selma'

Starring David Oyelowo

Review: Rob Marshall's 'Into The Woods'

Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Anna Kendrick

Tim Burton's 'Big Eyes'

Starring Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams

Showing posts with label DC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DC. Show all posts

Sunday, July 27, 2014

New Trailers for 'Gotham', 'The Flash', and 'Arrow'!


When I was putting this article together I thought to myself, "For the title image I'll just use the logo for whatever the coolest trailer of the bunch happened to be", as you see above picking the best was easier said than done. For all of the "Marvel rules the world talk" you hear you'd think DC was all but dead, I'm here to tell you they are far from it. DC, with the success of Arrow has slowly been carving out a large share of TV land. Couple the fan reaction to the Dawn of Justice teaser this weekend with the sheer awesomelitude of these three trailers and you have a brand that seems poised to strike some serious blows to the Marvel stronghold. 

Before we get into the trailers I just want to point out how awesome it is to be having this conversation in 2014. After X-Men ignited the superhero frenzy in 2000 the masses have been saying that the comic book movie nirvana we've been living it had a definite shelf life. Here we are, some 14 years later, and the genre has never been stronger. I dare say it's here to stay. 

First we have a full trailer for Gotham. While there's not much here to judge the series potential as a whole it does give a good luck into the feel of the show. Plenty of one-shots at villains-to-be, a perfect recreation of the classic "Bruce's parents get whacked and he cries to the heavens at their feet" panel, and a good look at the eternal optimism of Jim Gordon. There's just a few things I need from the series in order for it to work. First and foremost I'd like Bruce to be in the far background of the events, the showrunners need to exhibit some serious willpower and make this show about Gotham itself, from the perspective of Jim Gordon. Second, I need them to resist the temptation of throwing winks at fanboys every week. Mainly they need to treat this world as if we knew nothing of what it would become, let the characters grow into their future selves organically and don't rush anything. Regardless, I'm all about it. 



Next up we have the first official teaser trailer for the new series on The CW, The Flash. Barry Allen debuted on Arrow last year to favorable fan reactions, leading to his own spin-off series. I'll admit I don't know a ton about where the series is going or what angle they will take but as long as they capture who Barry is as a person and handle it with the same ingeniouity that they've done over on Arrow I'll be happy.
 
Saving the best for last we have the season 3 trailer for Arrow. I've constantly beat myself up about not making this one of my "Must Watch" shows, I can't explain why I'm not caught up...the show is, by all accounts, amazing. The episodes I've watched I've thoroughly enjoyed (even if Katie Cassidy, a former favorite of mine, has lost a step), I just haven't made it a priority. I'm happy to say that this trailer for season 3 has adjusted my priorities and starting today I'll be streaming Arrow on Netflix in an effort to catch up before the premier. Not being an avid watcher at this point it's possible I'm missing some things but to my eyes this series has everything. Like a more mature Smallville with all of the comicy goodness and none of the saccharine Sweet Valley High drama, Arrow seems to have found a way to avoid the palpable cheapness of superhero shows past. The action looks amazing, the heroes and villains plentiful, and the story real. I don't think I'm overstating to say that this next season of Arrow could be some of the best comic based TV we've ever seen. 

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Captain America Finalists Revealed! David Goyer to Write Superman!

Ack! There's too much comic book movie news breaking today! And since I'm in the midst of my birthday celebration, I'm ducking away from the shenanigans are typing away here in the shadows. First off, the Marvel news....

THR is reporting that Marvel Studios has paired down the list of finalists for the role of Captain America in their upcoming film to six candidtes.  The most well known is John Krasinski, currently starring in NBC's hit comedy, The Office. The rest includes Chace Crawford(Gossip Girl), Michael Cassidy(Smallville), Patrick Flueger(The 4400), Scott Porter(Friday Night Lights), and Mike Vogel(She's Out of My League).

Marvel has demanded that the actors be placed on a 30 day hold during testing, meaning they can't accept any other projects during that time. It's speculated that they don't want to see a repeat of the Ryan Reynolds scenario, where he signed on to both Green Lantern and Deadpool practically at the same time.

My initial impression? Other than Krasinski I couldn't pick any of these guys out of a police line-up. Krasinski doesn't have the stones for the role, in my opinion. He's too dorky. The rest are unknowns. I expect they will find a more suitable actor outside of this group.

DC and Warner Bros. were quick to drop some news of their own. Latino Review broke the story that David Goyer(Blade, Blade 2, Batman Begins) has been hired to pen the script for the next Superman film, titled The Man of Steel.  The story is said to not be an origin tale, but set firmly in the John Byrne era of Superman, dealing with the Kryptonian's struggles against Lex Luthor and the alien genius, Brainiac.

Brandon Routh is not attached to the film in any way. Nor is Bryan Singer, who directed the last film.

Expect news on this to start coming fast and furious as it is still breaking.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The Punch Drunk Pocast Episode #34: Where the Wild Things Are; Paranormal Activity, Ong Bak 2


This week on the Punch Drunk Podcast...

The NFL season has wreaked havoc on our movie schedule, so we've got a ton of ground to cover and as usual we spend as much time listening to ourselves talk as possible!

-First, John and I take a ride on the wild side as we review Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are! The greatest children's book adaptation ever?

-Paranormal Activity has been terrifying audiences across the country for weeks, but is it really all it's been hyped up to be? We take a look at the film some people are calling the "scariest movie of all-time"!

-I try to divorce myself from Vince Vaughn's brutal Couples Retreat...

-Did we get a kick(pun intended) out of Tony Jaa's latest martial arts epic, Ong Bak 2? The answer lies within!

-We gush like schoolgirls over the full extended trailer of The Expendables; plus we discuss Bryan Singer's possible return to the X-men!

-Finally, we break down Rotten Tomatoes' list of the worst movies of the decade! Did anything we like make the list?

All this, plus we weigh our RedBox options and John's desire to be an OBGYN. The Punch Drunk Podcast is ours and your escape into the world of movie geekdom. You can find us on ITunes and wherever else podcasts are held captive. Or you can subscribe to us directly right here.

Monday, September 21, 2009

The Punch Drunk Podcast Episode #32: 9; World's Greatest Dad; Sorority Row

This week on the Punch Drunk Podcast....

-The world needs saving, and only a ragtag group of Chex cereal lookin' creatures can do it! We marvel at the beautiful world that is Tim Burton and Shane Acker's 9!

-Not that I would know, but being a Dad must be tough. Especially if your kid is a douchebag like in Bobcat Goldthwait's latest black comedy, World's Greatest Dad!

-DVD releases for the week, including two modern day classics finally hitting Blu-Ray and... are we endorsing a Matthew McConaughey film? What the..?

-Big time news on major casting changes to The A-Team; plus what's all this about an Indiana Jones 5?

-A bladed lug wrench; a hooded figure stalking a house full of smokin' hot sorority sisters. We pop our eyeballs back into their sockets long enough to review the shockingly fun, Sorority Row!

We hope you'll join us for another fun "hour" of movies, movies, movies, and other random geeky bits. You can find The Punch Drunk Podcast on Itunes or any other podcast directory, or you can subscribe to us directly here. Please send your questions, comments, complaints, praise, money, to punchdrunkcritics@yahoo.com!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Marvel Studios set to Dominate the Box Office


Marvel has released an updated schedule for it's upcoming superhero films, and as it stands right now they are looking pretty friggin' dominant. The updated schedule sets Marvel on a firm path to the launch of the highly anticipated The Avengers film, which will combine heroes from a number of established Marvel franchises. Also, Sony Pictures has announced a release date for the upcoming Spider-Man 4 film, Marvel's most iconic character and highest grossing franchise to date.

Iron Man 2 maintains it's established release date of May 7th, 2010.

On May 6th, 2011 Spider-Man 4 hits theaters. No details on what the storyline will entail this time around. The Spidey franchise has grossed over $2 billion worldwide so far.

The Thor film, about the Norse god of thunder, strikes theaters on June 17th, 2011, a mere month after the Spidey film, giving Marvel a brutal one-two punch.

And if that's not enough, The First Avenger: Captain America slings it's shield only a month later, giving Marvel three consecutive months of major exposure and no doubt hundreds of millions in box office.

As of now, The Avengers film is set to release a year later on May 4th, 2012.

I'm actually surprised Marvel hasn't spaced this out a bit more. Even though there's little doubt that all of these films will succeed commercially, there is some risk of these movies cannibalizing one another a little bit. It does, however, leave Warner Bros. little room to position itself. Trying to fit in a proposed Green Lantern film in the midst of all this must seem daunting. Marvel's universe is established, while DC is basically trying to start from scratch.