Funko Pop Dark Knight Teaser Trailer

A fun sizzle reel I created, starring Dark Knight Funko Pop Heroes (and villains). Check it out!

10 Spoiler-Free Thoughts About Man of Steel

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1.  It has a very good pace.
Not a dull moment.

2. Nolan's influence is evident in the first half of the film.
I like the editing.

3. The soundtrack got stuck in my head.
Damn you, Zimmer! :)

4. Kal-El is a bit of a crybaby.
Weep, weep.The movie would also benefit from a little more comic relief.

5. General Zod is a good villain of choice.
Lex Luthor would have been a bit overplayed.

6. Antje Traue is damn sexy.
Sometimes, evil is sexy.

7. The "suits" they wear are sexy.
Superman, Zod, shoulders, arms . . . I'm a straight man . . .

8. The "action" fit the tone of the movie but is not my cup of tea, personally.
Too much debris and bullet-paced movement makes it hard to see what's going on.

9. Easter eggs are prominent, without being in-your-face.
No spoilers.

10. The make-up team did a good job of making Diane Lane look "older".
It was only 10 years ago I was crushing on her in Unfaithful.

*11. I'm getting too old for midnight shows . . .

Currently Reading: Batman Birth of the Demon

From DC Comics

As a Batman fan, my favorite stories involve Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, and the League of Assassins. If The Joker is a mad dog off the leash, Ra's al Ghul is the wolf on top of a mountain. Birth of the Demon is a collection of three graphic novels: Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon, and Birth of the Demon. I plan to do a thorough review once I get through the whole book; but right now, I'm reading it whenever I have the opportunity. It's not new or anything; and I'm about halfway through 'Bride . . . '.


What I like about being away from Gotham City is that we get to see exotic locations; more of the action takes place in the daytime, the action is on a grand scale (environmental threats . . . and airplanes!); Batman does great detective work; and most of all, there is romance.

Many fans think the art is a bit old-fashioned, but in my opinion, it's a nice departure from the modern, stylized Dark Knight we've grown accustomed to. And frankly, the art is a compliment to the story; not the other way around. I plan to take advantage of more "lulls" in my day by getting into more of this great collection!

Batman Earth One Review -- A Dark Knight for a New Generation

You only think you know his story.

Spoilers are covered in blue. Highlight at your own risk.

I was wary of yet another retelling of Batman's origin, but this DC Comics original was a truly fresh take on the beginnings of the Dark Knight. It deviates from conventions just enough while not straying from familiar territory. In short, I think it's a great read and I even prefer it to Year One.

Pluses:

• Artwork. Earth One has a cinematic quality, in terms of graphic presentation, pacing, and transitions. Panels "come to life" and some even take up two pages. The story is easy to follow and I think it would make a great, but short, animated film.
• Alfred is a bad-ass. The Wayne's "butler" shows his true ex-Royal Marine status; but is still there to remind Bruce that he's not alone. Had this been a movie, Liam Neeson would actually play a good "Earth One" Alfred.
• Batman isn't perfect. Batman's special skills are evident while in the suit, but if the situation is against him, he gets his ass handed to him. He's not immune to occasional clumsiness, either. After all, he his human. And he's young. Not in age; but as Batman.
• It's modernized. In stark contrast to Frank Miller's renowned Batman graphic novels, Earth One takes place in modern time with hints such as Blu-ray discs and a young but competent Lucius Fox.
• Unconventional characters. I think one of Earth One's best highlights is that its main characters are not typical of Batman origin stories, such as:
• Harvey Bullock: in contrast to Batman: The Animated Series where Gordon's green running partner is the butt of fat jokes; Bullock in Earth One is a cheesy handsome but naive TV personality who is out for exposure and learns the true nature of Gotham City the hard way.
• Barbara Gordon: daddy's little girl, all that Gordon has left, a little too ambitious, but is portrayed as smart rather than hasty. I love the scene at the end where she is drawing herself as a Batgirl.
• Mayor Oswald Cobblebot: aka The Penguin, I liked his portrayal here. He actually finds out who the Batman is, but he dies later, so Batman's identity is concealed for now.
• The Arkham family name is mentioned just as much as the Wayne's.
• Good balance of villains. I liked that there was a corrupt cop (Axe), a creepy masked serial killer from the Crane Institute (The Birthday Boy), and a high-status Penguin. The ending took me by surprise the most. I was anticipating one thing, but got another, equally as good.

Minuses:

The fact that I have to wait for the next installment.

Overall Score: 10/10

Batman's Greatest Villains: Ra's al Ghul

The Demon's Head

When you talk about Batman's greatest villains, the first one that usually comes to mind is the clown-faced guy in the purple suit--what's his name? I think I have his card somewhere . . .

But I would argue that while The Joker and Batman are completely opposite on the surface yet similar on a darker level; Ra's al Ghul and Batman are very similar characters with opposing viewpoints.

Both are highly-skilled masterminds with extensive training in the martial arts. Ra's (pronounced "Rache") even refers to Batman as "Detective". But whereas Batman's goal is a noble one that values life; Ra's al Ghul's goal is an idealistic one that necessitates death.

I won't go into detail of Ra's al Ghul's origin and the League of Assassins (that's what comic books are for); but one thing he is known for is bathing in the veritable fountain of youth called the Lazarus Pit to regain his strength and vigor. The man is supposedly centuries old. As a wellness enthusiast, if the Lazarus Pit existed in real life, I'd probably be one of the people in line.

His daughter, Talia, is one of the many love interests of Batman. She and Batman even give birth to the fifth Robin, Damian Wayne. In Bane of the Demon, Ra's considers Bane as a possible heir to his empire and wants Bane to marry Talia. Talia rejects the idea after being pursued by Bane, as she sees Bane as an animalistic Brute. It's actually quite entertaining--I love romantic interludes in the Batman universe!

I'm also extremely thrilled that Ra's al Ghul, one of the major but less "cartoony" villains, is portrayed in The Dark Knight Trilogy, and in grand fashion.

I would also highly recommend watching the Batman: The Animated Series two-part episode, "The Demon's Quest". If you've already seen it, watch it again! It's so good, it could have been extended into an animated film.

Bat Romance

The Importance of Batman's Love Life

Batman doesn't just need little boys in colorful costumes, he needs love in his life, and I'm all for it. I'm not talking about turning the world of The Dark Knight into a romantic comedy, but adding a touch of "bat romance" adds to the story and makes it more interesting. 

This isn't to be confused with the lifestyle of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne--we all know that's an act, so he's expected to be seen with hotties on each arm. As for the Bruce Wayne that only Alfred knows, how is the man supposed to get some sugar when he's always in the cave?

From the Batman: The Animated Series episode, "The Demon's Quest", a two-part episode so good it could have been an animated movie.

Batman has no shortage of eligible (and willing) females, so why not? They might be bad for him, but The Caped Crusader is no stranger to living dangerously. Plus, the man has no sense of humor; he could use a little fun. So, who do you think is Batman's most fitting (or sexiest) female?

Why I'm not that excited about The Dark Knight Rises coming to Blu-Ray (Dec. 4th)

The DC animated feature Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 was released to home video last month, and it did not disappoint. I'll do a more thorough review in the future, but the short story is that it's the second best Batman animated feature, in my opinion, next to Batman: Under the Red Hood. It was more of a creative interpretation than a [virtually] direct adaptation a la Batman: Year One. I thought the voice acting and thumping musical score was superior to Year One, and while the newscaster scenes dominated too much screen time (as they did in the graphic novel panels), the choreography of the fight scenes/action sequences and especially the ending really pumped me up. Even the 80's-ness (is that a word?) holds up. I'd like for a Batman animated feature to see a theatrical release like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm did, but one can dream.

I picked up my copy of The Dark Knight Returns the morning it was in stores, and watched it the same night. I'll undoubtedly do the same for The Dark Knight Rises when it's released on December 4th this year, but I do not look forward to the day as much as I did for Returns. Why wouldn't I be counting the days to completing my Dark Knight Trilogy at home? Because that means it won't be in theaters. As the League of Shadows say, "Theatricality and deception are powerful agents".

Rises is currently the best motion picture you can experience in a classic IMAX cinema, and I don't see anything replicating it in the future. One of the reasons for this is that filming in IMAX is very expensive and cumbersome, but the result is a format unlike any other. No matter what, you can't duplicate that experience at home. You would need a 145-inch 8K Ultra High Def TV (which would run 85,000 dollars) and a sound system that would have your neighborhood dogs barking. That would give you the best "home theater" experience, but it wouldn't come close to IMAX. You'd need a six story building to fit the 1.43 ratio screen and dual projectors the size of cars running the 550 lb. film. There are many more intricacies that go into it, including the seating angle/distance and the sound, costing a total of $4.5 to $5 million for a proper IMAX theater. That's not including the massive amount of electricity it takes to run it. At $14 to $19 for a ticket, consider it an access fee to the best theatrical experience that was once reserved for 45-minute documentaries of nature.

In the age of streaming video, quick-to-home blu-ray releases, Redbox, and large, affordable HDTV's, I think it's important to still have reasons to go to the theater. I compare it to gaming: it's one thing to play a racing game at home on your console using a control pad; it's another thing to be at an arcade driving a racecar simulator. Same game, different experiences. I want Rises to be in theaters as long as possible, but I know its time will be up once Skyfall (the new James Bond flick) displaces it (Skyfall is not filmed in IMAX, by the way). Perhaps Rises will see an IMAX re-release like The Dark Knight did. And hopefully that won't just mean bullshit IMAX digital like they did with Raiders of the Lost Ark. My hope would be a 15/70 IMAX re-release of The Dark Knight Trilogy (even though Batman Begins wasn't filmed for IMAX, it originally screened at film-only IMAX locations). In the meantime, once it's out of theaters, home theater will do. For now.

Bane Graphic Novel - Why it Needs to Happen

Insights into The Masked Man

bane [beyn]
noun

1. a person or thing that ruins or spoils.

2. a deadly poison.

3. death; destruction; ruin.

Coming fresh of the hype of The Dark Knight Rises, Bane has seen a resurgence in popularity. Relegated to a simple brute in the god-awful Batman & Robin, Bane is finally relevant again.

He might not be a "household name" like The Joker or Catwoman, but dedicated Dark Knights know he's the real deal. I mean, this is the guy who broke Batman's back. I remember when that issue came out (Batman #497). There was a huge poster behind the comic book store counter. It was a bigger deal to me than the death of Superman.

Now that Bane is more of a household name again, thanks to the movie, it's a perfect time to do a one-off graphic novel reinterpretation (similar to what DC did with The Joker). I personally liked Graham Nolan's art the best, but we can go for a completely fresh look here.

Why it should be done 

Bane is a badass villain, among the top 5 in Batman's rogues gallery, in my opinion. However, the comics he appeared in were, to put it bluntly, mediocre. Plus, there are not enough of them. I've read Knightfall, Vengeance of Bane (Bane's origin), and the Bane of the Demon series. I wanted more Batman and Bane.

How it should be done

The thing I love about the world of comic books is that there are many ways to tell a similar story, or reimagine a character. However, there are things about Bane that I think should be kept consistent:

• I like the idea of him being born in a prison. His country of origin, I don't think is as important (can you read accents in comic book panels?)
• He's much cooler/mysterious/threatening when his mouth is covered. It doesn't need to be the Lucha Libre inspired mask, though.
• He needs tubes to feed him the venom. It doesn't matter how, but they need to be visible.
• Bane is smart, calculated, and two steps ahead of Batman. Do not reduce him to an [over-sized] thug.
• Size-wise, Bane shouldn't be too big. He needs to be slightly more imposing than Batman, but not The Hulk. A grittier way to go is to make him like normal human on steroids and growth hormone (Venom is not so subtly based on that phenomenon, anyway). He doesn't need to be a model of human physical perfection; Tom Hardy's bear-like street brawler physique worked really well for the character.
• I loved his romantic interest in Talia al Ghul, and the tie-in with Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins.
• Whereas The Joker is the chaos to Batman's order, the Yin to Batman's Yang, the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object; Bane is more of Batman's equal, both in terms of physical capabilities (i.e. hand-to-hand combat) and genius-level intellect.
• Bane is an expert strategist, but he doesn't necessarily need to remain cold all the time. He doesn't need to ham it up, either, but there is definitely room for verbal displays of quick wits.

Do it, DC! 

I would love to see a new graphic interpretation of Bane (Arkham Asylum Bane doesn't do it for me, sorry). A DC animated feature with Bane as the primary antagonist would be priceless, as well! I'm sure many fans of the character would be pleased.