The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/07/18/the-dark-knight-rises-trailer-video/

Green Lantern Review

In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night

DC Entertainment's try at Iron Man success and fails with critics and audiences but its actually one of the better superhero movies there is.

I have now seen Martin Campbell's Green Lantern twice and I love it more each time. Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan and Blake Lively as Carol Ferris make the whole movie enjoyable. Not the most sophisticated superhero film but its definitely one of the funnest. The movie gets a lot of things right, but there are a few things that aren't very good.
The first thing that I didn't like was the length of the movie. Like another of my favorite superhero movies (FF: Rise of the Silver Surfer) it suffers because of the small amount of time it has to tell it's story. We are never given Sinestro's motivations for instance, and we don't get to see how Hector, Hal and Carol know each other so well.
For the most part though, its a fun adventure that leaves great possibilities for a sequel. I loved Reynold's performance as Hal/GL, he was spot on and brought a lot of charisma to the role. The finished effects looked great On Hal and Sinestro but Kilowog and Tomar-Re could have used more time. Reynolds completely sells Hal's insecurities and fears. Something I was pleasantly surprised by was Blake Lively as Carol. Not only is she stunningly beautiful but she is also the most likable comic book girlfriend yet. She topped Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts and Natalie Portman's Jane Foster. Blake was looking super sexy in this movie and her chemistry with Ryan was great.
The action sequences are awesome, I loved the training scene on Oa and Hal's final battle with Parallex had me hooked until the end. Hector was kind of a weak villain after Loki in Thor and Sebastian Shaw in X-Men: FC but he serves his purpose. I feel that the setup at the end with Sinestro will make the second film amazing I also loved the joke about superheroes secret identities and pretty much any scene between Blake and Ryan.
Definitely undeserving of the 26% Rotten Tomatoes score and the fanboy hatred, Green Lantern is a fun comic book film that isn't amazing like The Dark Knight or X-Men: FC, but it is a good one that rises above overrated ones like Spider-Man, X2, and Tim Burton's Batman.

Smallville Season 10, Episodes 20: Prophecy

PROPHECY

This was a strange choice for the penultimate episode of a ten season series. I loved certain aspects of the episode while some I thought were strange. I would have preferred if we didn't have to go through this 'Lois getting Clark's powers' episode. I hated when it happened with Lana and while this wasn't as bad it was still annoying. Lois shows why she is incompetent as a hero in this episode, only an idiot would have fallen for Toyman's idiotic plan. Why?! Why did Lois stupidly allow him to control her to save Clark?! If he can control her than he can either do it anyway or just send her to do it (which is what he does!). Oh Lois.... Otherwise this was an okay episode, but not for the penultimate one. I loved the League of Doom! Captain Cold, Solomon Grundy, Dark Archer, Black Manta! this episode hinted at a larger villain population that I wish could be explored further. Stargirl's appearance, while unnecessary was a welcome one for me because of my love of the character and Britt Irvin's portrayal. Spinoff please CW! My favorite aspect of the episode was Kara and Oliver's story. The bow of Orion was a neat idea taken from the best of Jack Kirby mythology, but I wanted it explored in more depth. I still loved the scenes though. Justin Hartley and Laura Vandervoort had great chemistry. Plus the beautiful Laura is always a welcome sight! Good episode overall, just bad timing.

P

Smallville Season 10, Episodes 19: Dominion

DOMINION

Kneel before Zod indeed! This episode marked the return of Callum Blue as Zod of Krypton and a welcome return it was! So Slade is released from the Phantom Zone and Clark attempts to find out how. Oliver tags along much to Clark's dismay and they are reunited with none other than Zod. I applaud Smallville for doing what I hoped would happen ever since clone Zod's appearance in season 9. The Zod that Clark and Oliver encounter is both Zods (clone and the phantom from season 5) in one. Which means he has twice the hate for Kal-El! Callum Blue does an amazing job of portraying this new and improved Zod (who was apparently sent to the Phantom Zone by the Kandorians). His manipulation of Oliver is chillingly good but Clark and Ollie have other plans. The reveal at the end was obvious but well played. I loved the 300-esque battle between Clark and Ollie and the whole barbaric look of the Zone. Needless to say Clark and Ollie escape thanks to Lois' outside intervention. Great episode that wrapped up Zod's story quite nicely.

Smallville Season 10, Episodes 18: Booster

I haven't posted a review in a while mostly because I've been lazy. Smallville ended its record 10 year run last Friday with an emotional finale that ended with Clark becoming the Man of Steel. I enjoyed it and even shed a few tears, but more about that later in my Finale review. For now here are my thoughts on the Geoff Johns penned episode Booster as well as Dominion and the much debated Prophecy.

BOOSTER

Booster was one of my favorite episodes mostly because for a DC fanboy like me seeing Booster Gold and Blue Beetle on screen was amazing. Eric Marstoff was spot on as the self-loving Michael Jon Carter who came from the future to try and take Superman's place as the hero of Metropolis. The episode also featured some entertaining moments with Jaimie Reyes (Blue Beetle) who struggled with his social awkwardness as well as the Blue Beetle scarab. I absolutely loved the Clark phone booth moment! Moments like that make me love Smallville even more. Booster's attempts to get an interview with Lois were funny and I loved his Booster girls. Cat Grant was also a welcome presence and her jealousy of Lois boiled to the surface again. The ending talk between Clark and Booster was nice and it was great to see Booster become Jaimie's mentor and Role model.

Smallville Season 10, Episode 17: Kent

Finally Smallville is back from its super long hiatus! While I haven't gotten back to my season 1 rewatch yet (because of a show called Dexter) I have decided to begin my season 10 reviews as they air. With only six episodes left Smallville delves into the alternate universe with Ultraman/Clark Luthor transporting himself to earth 1.

KENT

Its so nice to get back into the swing of things and this episode delivers a great insight into Clark's relationship with his father Jonathan Kent. The last time we saw Jonathan was in Clark's in-between-death-and-life vision during Lazarus. This time however it isn't the same Jonathan Kent that we know and love. This Jonathan has been screwed over by life and the meteor shower in particular. The scenes between this bitter Jonathan and Clark (who is sent to earth 2 by Clark Luthor) are the best parts of the episode. Clark looks at this man with longing for the father he lost while earth 2 Jonathan sees the man responsible for part of his misery (the other being Oliver Queen). There scenes remind us of how important Jonathan was in Clark's life and how much we (and Clark) miss him. The rest of the episode deals with Lois, Tess and Dr. Hamilton's attempts to send Clark Luthor home and get real Clark back. The stuff with CL and Tess was interesting. I've often wondered since the season started whether Tess had feelings for Clark or not and this confirmed that she did.

Final Thoughts: Loved this episode but I am looking forward to next weeks Booster even more!

Green Lantern, Thor and Captain America

DC and Marvel recently released the new trailers for Green Lantern and Captain America. Also new Thor and Green Lantern TV Spots with new footage. They all look really awesome!

Smallville Rewatch Season 1, Episode 7: Craving

Its Lana's birthday in Smallville and Clark doesn't know what to get her. Also Lex meets Dr. Hamilton #1 and future Lois Lane actress Amy Adams guest stars as Jodi the deer-eating girl.

The Good: This was just a fun enjoyable episode with no overarching plot and I enjoyed it fully. It was fun seeing Amy Adams in her early career as the fat-eating Jodi and it certainly was an interesting character, though it was super cheesy. I liked the aspects of the Clark/Lex friendship shown, like Lex's line "I know Clark, he'll come if he can". Little things like that show that they have a good friendship in the beginning. Also there were some fun Chloe/Clark scenes in this episode that I enjoyed.

The Bad: Really just that they had a villain with yet again a stupid origin. Also Whitney completely ignoring Clark when he came up to tell Lana about his Football meeting in Metropolis. That guy is such an ass!

Final Random Thoughts: Just another freak of the week episode made more interesting by the fact that it stars Amy "Lois Lane" Adams in the villain role.

NBC's Wonder Woman Suit is Modified After Fan Outcry. Plus Smallville's Booster Gold, The JLA movie and Jesse on Glee!

Fanboys can be spoiled brats sometimes, most of the time it just annoys me but this time I'm glad. Adrianne Palicki was seen on the set of NBC's Wonder Woman with a costume that was a vast improvement over the one we were shown earlier. I'm really liking how this is turning out! With Smallville ending I'll be needing a new superhero show to watch.

In other news Smallville revealed pictures of Booster Gold from the Geoff Johns penned episode Booster airing in April. I must say Booster is looking awesome!

The third item I want to mention is Warner Bros. Plans for DC superheroes in the next few years. According to Jeff Robinov, President of WB, a Justice League movie will be released in 2013 and not be connected to The Dark Knight Rises (2012) or Zack Snyder's Man of Steel (2012). Instead it will introduce a new Batman and Superman as well as a movie Wonder Woman not connected to NBC's show and The Flash. Following this they plan to give the new Batman a movie and solo WW and Flash movies. No word yet on whether Ryan Reynold's Green Lantern will be involved.
There are so many awesome superhero movies in works from both Marvel and DC. Here is a list.

2011

Thor (Marvel)
X-Men: First Class (Marvel)
Green Lantern (DC)
Captain America: The First Avenger (Marvel)

2012

The Avengers (Marvel)
The Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel)
The Dark Knight Rises (DC)
The Man of Steel (DC)
The Wolverine (Marvel)

2013

Iron Man 3 (Marvel)
Justice League (DC)

Unannounced

Daredevil Reboot
X-Men 4
X-Men 5
Captain America 2
The Flash
Wonder Woman
Batman Reboot
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Green Lantern 2

On a final topic Jesse St. James played by Jonathan Groff last year will be returning for the last three episodes of Glee's second season. Oh Great....

First Six Minutes of Sucker Punch

Metacafe has posted the first six minutes of Sucker Punch online, and don't worry its legal! So watch the Sucker Punch Opening sequence and enjoy! Great scene, hopefully it will get people to see the film.

Sucker Punch Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrIiYSdEe4E

I Got Sucker Punched

After reading some early reviews for Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch I went ahead and saw it despite their warnings and I am glad I did. Now Sucker Punch isn't for everybody but for me, a guy who loves movies like Speed Racer, 300, Watchmen, Blade Runner and other high concept films, it was pure awesome. The weird thing I've started to notice is that like these other movies Sucker Punch is being panned by critics and looks like it will have a mediocre box office take, but a lot of people actually like the movie. On Twitter, in the theater and on the Superherohype.com message boards there are fans of this film and I believe that it will be seen as a great film one day. As for what I liked about the film, I'll just use my Smallville format to say....

The Good: I absolutely loved this movie, it had so many of my favorite things in it! Emily Browning was beautiful as Baby Doll and I think I might have fallen for her but Abbie Cornish's Sweet Pea competed for my affections. The music video/action sequences in the film were amazing to watch and just plain awesome (Baby Doll Vs. the Samurai Robots!). My favorite sequence was definitely the World War I zombies quest to get the map. I loved the wise old man who briefed them on their missions, he reminded me of David Carradine (On a side note I realized I recognized him from a movie I had seen recently titled The Seventh Stream). The bad guy whose actors name escapes me was entertainingly evil as Blue who was both the crooked doctor in the real world and gangster pimp in Baby Doll's bordello fantasy. The ending was sad but awesome, its the kind like Inception where you leave the theater thinking. So ignore those critics that say its a mindless movie because Snyder obviously has something going on underneath the surface that I couldn't quite grasp. It will take me more viewings like Inception and The Prestige to fully understand its meaning. Ideas I have, 1. Baby Doll was Sweet Pea's guardian angel? Just a thought. 2. The whole point of the movie was that God gave humanity the weapons to go through life and we don't use them enough. Both are just me theorizing but it brought up some interesting ideas to me. I also loved the wonderful John Hamm in his small role not to mention Carla Gugino. A list of things I love that were in the movie Dragons, World War I, Beautiful Girls that kick ass, Thought provoking themes, Great music scenes with covers of The Beatles and The Pixies, A Samurai Sword, and an Escape. Great movie, not for everybody but definitely for me. :)

The Bad: I would have liked an explanation behind Baby Doll's fantasies but maybe that was the point.

Final Random Thoughts: If you like any of the things I listed above then go see this movie and say to hell with the critics and their Black Swan loving ways!


So anyway, I hated two of the best pic nominees this year (Black Swan and The Kids Are Alright), so me and liberal critics don't have the same tastes. On a completely unrelated note I will continue my Smallville rewatch after I finish watching Dexter season 2.

Smallville Rewatch Season 1, Episode 6: Hourglass

Clark and meets Cassandra, an old blind woman with the ability to see the future. A Murderer is on the lose and Cassandra sees Lex's dark future.

The Good: I always remember this episode as one of the best of the series and I wasn't disappointed on my second viewing. There is just so much to love about this episode. I love Clark and company's attempts to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Harry Volk and the connection with past murders. Cassandra is a great character who gives us some insight into Clark's uncertain future and Lex's dark one. I'm not sure why Cassandra saw Clark surrounded by the graves of everyone he loves. Was it his greatest fear? Or was it something that will eventually happen? I think it was the former because of the lack of a Lois Lane gravestone. The villain in this was suitably creepy and menacing and in my humble opinion leagues better than any of the previous ones. He didn't need powers to carry out his evil plot to murder the children of the jurors who convicted him. The actors who played him were great and were a great match for an older and younger Harry Volk. The face off between him and Clark after he is stopped the first time and playing the part of an innocent victim is well done. I love Clark's confidence in this scene and Harry's villainy.

The Bad: There wasn't anything I really didn't like about this episode.

Fond Memories: I've decided to eliminate this section as I am short on time and I can always include this in 'Final thoughts'.

Final Random Thoughts: On the surface the plot doesn't look like much but it offers up a great story with insight into characters and no Whitney!

Smallville Rewatch Season 1, Episode 5: Cool

Lex reaches out to the Kents, Clark gets a date with Lana and Chloe picks the wrong guy (which will happen many times).

The Good: Like most of the season so far this was an episode with some great character moments. I liked the subplot involving Lex trying to help the Kents with their financial problems. It further illustrated the unlikely friendship that has developed between two guys from very different upbringings. There was a great scene where Lex urged Clark to ask Lana out that I felt perfectly characterized their early friendship and makes their eventual falling out even more sad. I loved how Clark didn't hesitate when he heard about Sean Kelvin, it really shows what kind of man Clark is. An extremely selfless one. I really liked that they showed the effect of Jenna's death at the end with the memorial. To many times it seems like people die and no one cares anymore.

The Bad: Again I did not like this episodes villain. The best out of these early villains was definitely bug boy. Sean Kelvin's origin is extremely lame and far fetched. Yeah I know it's Smallville but I couldn't help but role my eyes. Oh yeah I hated Whitney again (no surprise). Though I did feel bad for the guy. I mean that was the second truck he lost within five episodes.

Memories: I originally watched this episode at night and I was scared of Sean. Which I find completely ridiculous now.

Final Random Thoughts: This episode continues the trend of lame villains. Weird considering Smallville's villains are some of the best later on (Lionel, Lex, Zod, Bizarro, Brainiac, Toyman) , ect.)

Smallville Rewatch Season 1, Episode 4: X-Ray

Another episode, another Lana stalker. Just finished watching season 1 episode 4 X-Ray the first in a series of power discovery episodes of the series.

The Good: Pretty good episode with some interesting developments. I love when Smallville would do a power discovery episode and this was one of the coolest. Clark's struggle to control this power is hilarious and Martha's suggestion that he focus like a telescope was smart. Tina Greer had an interesting story and cool powers but everything good about her ends there. Overall the best thing about this episode was Clark figuring out how to use his x-ray vision. There is also an interesting Lex subplot that hints at his troubled past and reveals his curiosity over his survival of the car wreck from the Pilot.

The Bad: Tina Greer is one of Smallville's creepiest villains. Do not like her at all. I get really annoyed at scenes like the one where Tina transforms in the middle of the school hallway after getting Whitney's jacket. Anyone could have seen her! Also the stupid way she killed her mom. Oh it was an accident! She didn't mean to kill her! I hate that type of thing.

Fond Memories: I always look back at this episode as the crazy lesbian Lana stalker episode instead of the X-Ray vision episode, which is a bad thing.

Final Random Thoughts: An okay episode with a few highlights mostly involving Clark's power discovery. Interesting to note: The beginning of the Lana/Chloe friendship and the beginning of Lex's obsession with his accident.

Smallville Rewatch Season 1, Episode 3: Hothead

Ok I got back to it and just finished episode 3 of season 1 titled Hothead

The Good: There was a lot to like in this episode mainly the scenes between Clark and his father. Every scene they were in was well written and acted by Welling and Schneider who make an awesome father/son duo. I especially loved the scene early on when Jonathan told Clark that he was meant for something greater than throwing a football. Lex finally gets a story in this episode and its a nice one. This episode sets up the relationship between Lex and his father Lionel brilliantly played by the incomparable John Glover. A big contrast is shown between the Kents and the Luthors in this episode. You see just how different Clark and Lex have been brought up, which is even more intriguing considering the wonderful season 10 episode Luthor which shows how Clark would have been if raised by Lionel. Chloe also starts to have more focus and this is the happy Chloe I know and love from earlier seasons. The lack of Whitney was a breath of fresh air (still annoyed that he is even a series regular).

The Bad: I didn't dislike much in this episode but the one thing that stands out is the cheesy villain. A football coach who wants to win a game? Worst motivation for being evil ever. The character was insufferable so it was gratifying to see him go up in flames at the end. The villain wasn't as good as Bug Boy but was better than Jeremy.

Fond Memories: I always look back at this episode as the one that set the characters on the paths to becoming who they ultimately became. It was definitely a beginning for the Chloe and Lex characters

Final Random Thoughts: A pretty good episode, so far all the episodes have done a good job with the storylines and characters despite the weak villains.

Smallville Rewatch Season 1, Episode 2: Metamorphosis

Clark: Dad, something else happened to me this morning. When I woke up, I was kind of floating.
Jonathan: Floating.
Clark: As soon as I woke up, I crashed. I mean, Dad, what's happening to me?
Jonathan: I honestly don't know. As soon as you start breaking the law of gravity, we're definitely in uncharted territory.

Just finished Metamorphosis the second episode of Smallville's first season. Overall I enjoyed it and it reminded me of the good old days.

The Good: Ok so this was a pretty enjoyable episode with a B plot. Greg Arkin was a better villain than Jeremy, I felt like I actually understood his reasoning as insane as it was. The fight between him and Clark was pretty good. I loved the the Clark/Chloe investigation in this episode it really was a great part of the series for so long. Clark's flight was awesome to see this early, especially considering he hasn't mastered it yet as of season 10 episode 16. I like how they hinted that Clark's fear of heights might be responsible for his inability to master flight.

The Bad: Whitney again and Lana for forgiving him for being such an immature idiot. The lack of Lex was disturbing as well ;) Sorry but the weird purple stuff that came out of Greg's mouth had to be the worst effect the series has ever done. Not because it's badly done (it is) but I think if they would have had him do something more like what Anna in V does with her mouth it would have been scarier.

Fond Memories: I recall watching this episode with my older sister and thinking I should get bitten by a bunch of bugs so that my acne would go away :D

Final Random Thoughts: It was nice to refresh my memory on the character of Greg Arkin considering he showed up in season 10's Homecoming saying Clark helped him by stopping him. I was a little fuzzy on the details when I watched that. Interesting how little Lex appeared in these first two episodes considering his role. Way to much Whitney and not enough Lex!

Smallville Rewatch Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot

So I just finished the Pilot and I gotta say I loved it just as much now as I did then :)

The Good: The episode got off to a great start with the arrival of Kal-El in Smallville and the meteor shower that accompanied him. I was reminded how great John Schneider and Annete O'Toole were as the the Kents watching theses scenes. They do the small town farm folks thing perfectly. I really liked how Clark is portrayed as a whiny teenager in this episode, especially having already watched him become the selfless hero he is in season 10. It shows how great the development of Clark has been in this series and how good a job Tom Welling has done with the role. Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor is barely featured in this episode but he leaves a good impression and sets the stage for the friendship between him and Clark that will be front and center throughout the series. Also I surprisingly liked Lana in this episode which is amazing when I think of how much I despised her in later seasons, but she starts off as the likable girl next door.

The Bad: I never liked the freak of the week thing and I always though that Jeremy made for a weak villain, but it did give us a good scene towards the end where he and Clark face off.
Whitney. Whitney Fordman is possibly the most annoying and useless character in the hiostory of television. I understand that they wanted Clark to have a rival, but did he have to be a series regular?

Fond Memories: I remember when I first watched Smallville in Wisconsin when I was babysitting my nephews back in the summer of 2004. I had pretty much watched every cool movie on my brother in laws shelf so he suggested "the young Superman series" which he had on DVD.

Final Random Thoughts: Good episode. I like how they have the heroic Clark moments where you catch a glimpse of the man he will become. Also I love the design of Clark's ship!

Smallville: Rewatch Introduction

So I've decided to rewatch Smallville from the beginning to prepare my self for the series finale on May 14. It will be sad and bittersweet for me to see this show end, after all it was the first TV show I ever watched regularly. Anyways I'll do a Pilot post soon and it will be like this.

The Good: Everything I liked about the episode.
The Bad: Everything I disliked.
Fond Memories: Memories form my original viewing of the episode or about the episode.
Final Random Thoughts: See Title