For those of you that can’t wait for the weekend to see it in front of The Hobbit, we have the new trailer for next summer’s Superman movie, Man Of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Michael Shannon, Christopher Meloni, and Russell Crowe, written by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan, and directed by Zack Snyder.
It was inevitable this week, now wasn’t it? All of us true-blue-comic-geeks are reveling in the acclaim and success The Avengers is enjoying. The critics generally liked it. Audiences are eating it up. Mark Ruffalo’s star is rising like Apple after the invention of the iPod. And comic book columnists are dancing in the aisles over it all. Michael Davis wrote a great piece on how the flick is a giant bitch smack to Bruce Wayne and his Brothers Warner masters.
Now I could suggest that, based solely on the sheer brilliance of Nolan’s Bat Films, our resident Master of the Universe (his phrase) isn’t exactly on the money… but why start a fire? Rather than blather for the sake of creating a phony flame war between the king of San Diego Con and this lowly Midwestern cracker, I’ll find my muse in Michael’s throwing of the gauntlet. It’s the idea we’re all thinking; DC could just copy Marvel’s blueprint and rake in the dough. But really, when we dissect that idea, this molehill quickly becomes a mountain. Where to begin? How about with the lynchpin – Superman.
Man Of Steel can set DC on the right path – or just nail the coffin closed. As many have seen with the various leaked set photos, and blurbs being dropped on the interwebs… the movie is assuredly in the vein of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, where realism is king. The men with the checkbook want results this time. No doubt that influenced all those in on the production to match the tone and soul of Nolan’s films. And the skeptics all agree, the blue Boy Scout should be as gritty as soft-serve and real as well… Superman!
Paul Dini, fifteen plus years ago, got it right. Based solely on some production stills, Zack Snyder isn’t paying attention. Granted I like Snyder a lot, but his last few cinematic efforts (Sucker Punch and the Watchmen) didn’t exactly incite waves of acceptance from the geek nation. It leads me to state the obvious: There’s only so much angst the fan base is willing to accept for the prodigal son of comic books as a whole. Simply put, Superman without a smile is indeed no Superman at all.
Think back, just a week ago, when you were watching The Avengers. Think how many times you laughed out loud, smirked, or just geeked out over a simple fight. Now think of Green Lantern. The proto-franchise out just one summer ago showed just how wrong DC “got it” when it came to the bridge between the pulp and the picture on the big screen. The movie was over-produced, under-written, and a pitiful invitation to celebrate the greater DCU. Don’t believe me? If that movie had lived up to its potential, mark my words, there would be no “New 52.” When Marvel launched the Avengers initiative, they did so with Iron Man. And that movie, nose to tail, was as good as Batman Begins. Hold that up to the boy in the green jeans? Don’t even try.
If DC intends to make their way into the arena to match The Avengers with a multi-franchise comic book based pantheon, they must be mindful of more than just the broad strokes. The House of Mouse was smart enough to hire genuinely good directors and writers to helm their pieces. They chose strong stars. Most important, they spent time developing stories that kept in mind plot, pacing, and fun… more than toy tie-ins. In order to match, or dare I suggest, beat Marvel at their own game, Warner Bros. needs to do more than throw money at the problem. At their very core, they need to trust DC with their product and presentation. That means when the screener gets a bad reaction, you don’t just write a check to increase the CGI budget and hope special effects cover up the plot holes. It means not demanding you gank a style of a successful movie and apply it to a wholly different franchise in hopes of snagging an unsuspecting public.
In other words… do what Marvel did.
DC has truly globally recognized properties in Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman. Second tier talent like Green Lantern and Flash have oodles of untapped potential. DC even boasts a far better villain list. The Chitauri were undeveloped screaming CGI props to be blown up. Darkseid’s parademons are too, but they serve a grander purpose. And Darkseid brings with him InterGang and a slew of lieutenants that add flavor to a generally one-note bowl of soup. The pieces are all on the table, it’s just a matter of taking the time to put them together instead of mashing and taping them. Here’s hoping DC takes the time to realize the potential they have – and make the choice not to squander it for a quick cash-grab.
Considering director Tarsem Singh and screenwriters Vlas and Charley Parlapanides come from cultures steeped in mythology, you would think Immortals might have a touch of fidelity to the ancient source material. Instead, this incredibly generic looking film barely pays attention to even the most basic elements of the gods, goddesses, and creatures that interacted with man once upon a time. The film, out on home video now from 20th Century Home Entertainment, pays some lip-service to the stories once told to enthrall the masses and focuses on the handsome, well-oiled Theseus, our mortal hero. Played by the Man of Steel, Henry Cavill, he’s used to larger-than-life figures and gamely works his way through a bland script that pales in comparison with the best of Harryhausen and even the various myth-based films of the last few years.
The story in short involves the bad king Hyperion (Mickey Rourke), who wants to bring about the gods’ downfall by releasing their forbearers, the Titans, who languish in captivity within Mount Tartarus. His scheme begins by kidnapping the virgin oracle Phaedra (Frieda Pinto), so her powers can tell him how to bring his scheme to fruition. Along the way, Hyperion pillages a village, killing Theseus’ mother and dragging the peasant into the fray, setting him up to be the hero. While the gods come courtesy of Clash of the Titans, the film’s look owes royalties to 300 (which makes sense since it comes from the same producers without the vision of Zack Snyder) and Gladiator. (more…)
With the video of release of Sucker Punch last week, the debate over director Zack Snyder’s vision and treatment of women has been renewed across the boards. Frankly, we were disappointed by the empty characterizations mixed with pretty visuals. Still, it has its fans so let us cluye you in to a new feature on the movie’s website.
Close your eyes. Open your mind. Engage in a spectacular fantasy adventure. Create your own Sucker Punch custom videos by combining clips, audio, effects and transitions. Then save your creations to the Gallery and share with friends!
As we wind up our coverage of SUCKER PUNCH, director Zack Snyder talks about his directing style and why he chose not to jump on the 3-D Bandwagon. Plus no MADMEN until when and that WONDER WOMAN costume is a lot better!
Mad about no MAD MEN until 2012?? Drop us a comment below!
In a bizarre turn of events, Henry Cavill has been pushed out of Zack Snyder’s upcoming “Superman: Man of Steel.” Mr. Cavill’s name had first come up as a likely candidate for Superman when McG was slated to direct in 2002, however as fans remember, McG cancelled out to direct Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, and Bryan Singer was locked to replace him in 2004 to direct Superman Returns with Brandon Routh wearing the eminently recognizable red cape and blue tights.
When Henry Cavill was locked as Superman, he was seen as very appropriate and incredibly humble in casting as reported by MTV.com. Between his casting, Christopher Nolan producing and Zack Snyder directing, the “Superman: Man of Steel” movie was going to be what Batman Begins was for the Dark Knight. Further casting details like actors Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent shaped this revitalized Superman movie into a projected fan favorite, but all of that changed this ominous morning. Dallas Smith, Henry Cavill’s agent at United Agents, was unavailable for comment. Repeated calls and emails to producers Chris Nolan’s and Charles Roven’s offices have not been returned, however an anonymous source directly involved at Chris Nolan’s production company Syncopy said that a formal statement would be forthcoming about Mr. Cavill’s abrupt departure as well as something more odd– a new producer and who would be returning to wear the cape.
THE LONG MATINEE-Movie Reviews by Derrick Ferguson
SUCKER PUNCH
2011
Warner Bros.
Directed by Zack Snyder
Produced by Deborah Snyder
Screenplay by Zack Snyder and Steve Shibuya
Based on a story by Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder has provided me with two of my favorite movie watching experiences of recent years.“300” which I fell so in love with the first time I saw it, I wanted to marry it and take it home to meet my mother.And “Watchman” which I thought was a brilliant adaptation of the graphic novel and actually improved upon it in certain areas, particularly the ending.Upon hearing that his new movie SUCKER PUNCH was based on an original story by Zack Snyder I was really pumped to see it as I could imagine what his extraordinary visual style could do when applied to characters of his own creation.
I should have listened more closely to my friend Jason who upon seeing the trailers opinioned that any movie with trailers that kick-ass couldn’t live up to the promise they were making.Know what?Jason was totally correct.SUCKER PUNCH isn’t as kick-ass as those trailers promised.But neither is it the complete and total disaster some would have you believe.At most, it’s an interesting experiment by a still young filmmaker who I think was trying to tell a story too ambitious for his still growing talents.But we’ll get back to that in a bit, okay?Right now, the obligatory story synopsis…
Baby Doll’s (Emily Browning) life is about as bad as it can get.Her mother has died, her sister killed in a tragic accident and her stepfather has had her committed to a mental asylum.The stepfather has bribed the head orderly Blue Jones (Oscar Isacc) to arraign for Baby Doll to be lobotomized.This way, he can keep control of the vast fortune left to Baby Doll by her mother and she will unable to tell anybody the true circumstances of the death of Baby Doll’s sister.
To cope with her horrific situation, Baby Doll’s mind creates an elaborate fantasy world where the asylum is now a strip club/brothel where Blue is the owner.The asylum’s chief therapist Dr. Gorski (Carla Gugino) is now the madam.Baby Doll becomes friends with the club’s top dancers; Amber (Jamie Chung) Blondie (Vaneesa Hudgens) Rocket (Jena Malone) and her older sister Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish).Baby Doll is informed that in five days she is to be given to ‘The High Roller’ which is paralleled in the real world by The Doctor (Jon Hamm) coming to give her a lobotomy.Baby Doll plans to use those five days to escape and enlists the aid of the other dancers to do so.This involves Baby Doll creating yet another fantasy world where she and her friends, guided by The Wise Man (Scott Glenn) have to collect five objects to aid in their escape.
That sounds pretty simple and straightforward, right?Well, it isn’t.There’s an added dimension to this in that apparently Baby Doll can mesmerize everybody in a room when she dances.We never see what the dance is but when she does, she and her friends are transported to the world where they have to gather the objects.That’s at around the point you’ll probably start scratching your head.I know I did.
Let’s get the good out of the way: I liked most of the performances.Scott Glenn looks as if he’s having so much fun I was having fun watching him.Jon Hamm is only in the movie for a few minutes but he really makes the most of his brief screen time to really bring an added note of horror and pathos to the movie’s bleakest moment.And Carla Gugino is amazing as always.Why this woman doesn’t have a bigger career infuriates me to no end.Jena Malone I really liked in this one.She’s got an 80’s Meg Ryan vibe going here I found appealing.Abbie Cornish I don’t recall seeing in anything but I’m going to be looking for more from her.
The best part of the movie?Undoubtedly the absolutely incredible action sequences where Baby Doll and crew acquire the objects they need.I especially loved the World War I sequence with automatic weapons, steampunk battle armor, great big honkin’ zepplins porcupined with weapons and clockwork German soldiers.You see those sequences and you mightily wish that Zack Snyder had built a better story around them.He’s got an astounding eye for detail that is truly gifted and visually, SUCKER PUNCH is a treat.
The bad?There was one too many realities to deal with.Unlike “Inception” which was painstakingly clear about the rules concerning dream worlds, SUCKER PUNCH isn’t.I took the movie to be an homage to “The Wizard of Oz” more than anything else since it starts off with a very dull gray look to everything but once Baby Doll starts her fantasy in the brothel, the movie switches to vibrant, eye-popping color.
But once I realized that the action sequences were little more than glorified cut scenes from a videogame, I got bored.Because I knew they weren’t going to last.And what I wanted to see was a whole movie with these five fightin’ females boppin’ around these incredible worlds kicking every ass in sight.And I was frustrated because I wasn’t getting it. I did find it amusing that Baby Doll apparently has learned Jim Kelly’s trick of switching footwear in mid-fight and that kept me active looking for when she would switch from high heels to flats and back.
So should you see SUCKER PUNCH?See, that’s a tough one for me to call.Let me put it to you from both sides of my movie persona:
The cheap-ass, misery, grinchy Derrick Ferguson says: If you don’t want your time or money wasted, wait until SUCKER PUNCH drops on DVD/Blu-Ray or Netflix.I’m a Zack Snyder fan and there were parts where I was bored so if you’re not a fan, I can’t see where you’d want to see this.
On the other hand…
The artistic, compassionate, film nerd Derrick Ferguson says Zack Snyder has given us something interesting that isn’t a remake or a reboot or dragging out some moldy old franchise, slapping a new coat of paint on it and going “Ta-da!”He’s done his best to give us something original and he’s to be commended for that.He stretched himself and didn’t play it safe and I like that.I’m willing to give him a Not Guilty for SUCKER PUNCH because this is only his fifth film and he’s still growing as a filmmaker.This one got away from him because I don’t believe he’s built up enough directorial muscle to successfully pull off telling a story like this.If SUCKER PUNCH is a failure it’s an honest one motivated by creativity and a desire to communicate with a unique storytelling style.
The visual stunning Sucker Punch has a top notch line up of female stars, including Carla Gugino who is no stranger to stunning action films, yet she is a little baffled by the social media thing. Carla explains it all right here plus prepare to be ENCHANTED by the newest Lois Lane, right here.
So who do you think would be a better Lois Lane? Drop us a comment below!
Three-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams will play Lois Lane in the new Superman movie, according to the LA Times’s Hero Complex blog.
Director Zack Snyder reportedly called Adams yesterday in Paris to congratulate her. Somewhat surprisingly, Snyder did not use any of the actresses from his new film Sucker Punch, a $82-million action flick that made $19-million in its opening this weekend.
Earlier this year, Henry Cavill was announced as the Man of Steel. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane were recently cast as Superman’s adoptive Earth parents, the Kents.
This isn’t Adams’s first time with an on-screen Clark Kent; in 2001, she appeared in the first season of Smallville… because somebody from Smallville should make it into the movie.
Lois Lane has previously been played on screen by such actresses as Phyllis Coates, Noel Neill, Leslie Anne Warren, Margot Kidder, Teri Hatcher, Erica Durance, and Kate Bosworth; and has been voiced by Anne Heche, Christina Hendricks, Dana Delany, Kyra Sedgwick, Ginny McSwain, and Joan Alexander.
Joanne Siegel, the inspiration for Lois Lane and wife of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, passed away last month at age 93.
The Warner Bros. film is scheduled to be released in December 2012.
This weekend, Zack Snyder‘s eye-blasting SUCKER PUNCH hits the screen., We sat down with the cast, starting today with Emily (“Babydoll”) Browning, for a look at just what you can expect. Plus Roger Corman talks about that one film that gave him a headache (and guess wh0 was in it!)
Seeing SUCKER PUNCH this weekend? Drop us a comment below!
