Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Category: Comic Books

Notable SDCC Movie Trailers

By

On July 25, 2017

In Comic Books, DC, Geek Canon, Marvel

The biggest Comic-Con of the year was held last week; the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC). It’s the Comic-Con of Comic-Cons; the one everyone looks forward to and one I hope to attend some day in the future. Aside from all the amazing Cosplay revelry, trailers for highly anticipated movies are also what everyone expects to see at SDCC. This year there are a couple of trailers that really had most of us giggling like school girls. Continue on to see this years best SDCC movie trailers. I provided a few remarks after each video but I am interested in your thoughts as well.

Ready Player One

If we ever have a discussion about favorite books I’m sure Ready Player One will come up. It is in the top 2 of my all time favorite books. Every gamer and/or child of the 80’s I talk to should be reading this book. The teaser trailer has me a little concerned. I really do not recall a car chase scene in the book, however I know Ernest Cline (the author) is consulting with the production of the adaptation. On the other hand, Steven Spielberg is the director and he has a tendency (lately) to be ostentatious. In preparation for this film, I’m going to have to go back and read Ready Player One again. Also, don’t wait for the movie and go read the book. Regardless of the final product, I’m sure the book will still be better.
Release Date: March 30, 2018

Justice League

This is the movie that immediately follows the events of Batman vs Superman and this trailer is pretty good but I’m still not a fan of Ben Affleck as Batman. Among the DC fanatics that puts me in the minority but I’m not a big DC fan anyway. I enjoyed Batman vs Superman, even with Ben Affleck but I also enjoyed Suicide Squad which also puts me in another minority group. I have not seen the Wonder Woman movie yet but I do believe all the glowing reviews the movie is receiving. I think Cyborg looks amazing but I’m a bigger fan of the Grant Gustin portrayal of Barry Allen and I’m still not really sold on Jason Momoa as Aquaman. This is a movie I will see as the DC nerd in me really wants to see a Justice League movie.
Release Date: November 17, 2017

Thor: Ragnarok

The first two Thor movies were mediocre. Well, I’ve heard the second movie wasn’t any better than the first as I still haven’t seen The Dark World. I think Ragnarok has the potential to break the cliché that sequels often get worse. The trailer actually looks pretty good and, again, I really love Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner. I think he gives Bruce Banner the same lovable demeanor Bill Bixby did back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I feel like some of the actors from the first two films didn’t really fully embrace their characters, but now they are finally making them their own.
Release Date: November 3, 2017

Avengers: Infinity War [REMOVED]

There was a leaked trailer for the next Avengers movie but it seems to have vanished. Obviously they were not ready to leave it out there for everyone to see just yet. I did not get a chance to see this trailer before it was removed but I suspect we will see it in an official capacity soon. If you happened to see the footage, please leave your remarks about what you thought.
Release Date: May 4, 2018

film_reel“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick

 

DC is Rivaling Marvel with The Flash

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On November 7, 2016

In Biggs On, Comic Books, DC, Geek Canon

DC is Rivaling Marvel with The FlashRemember last year when I talked about the great television Marvel is producing? Well I think DC is making a comeback in the form of The Flash. If you haven’t been watching it, then call your doctor because something is wrong with you. Other than Batman and Superman, I don’t know that much about the heroes of DC comics. I was hearing great things about The Flash but I just kept putting it off. After watching the cross-over episode of Supergirl, we finally said “OK, we need to watch this show”. We are in the third season and I have to admit DC is rivaling Marvel with The Flash.

The cast consists of mostly unknowns. Tom Cavanagh and Victor Garber are about the only recognizable faces on the show (except for the Arrow crossover episodes with Steven Amell). The lead role of Barry Allen/The Flash is played by Grant Gustin; whose prior roles were on Glee and 90210 (2013). This is one of those shows where a no-name cast provides remarkable entertainment. The actors really begin to show their range in the second season when they have to portray their doppelgangers. Tom Cavanagh, in particular, gives a superb performance as multiple doppelgangers; and the latest iteration reminds me of his role as J.D.’s brother in Scrubs.

Crossover Cohesion

It appears that DC has taken some lessons from Marvel’s success with crossovers. Although DC utilizes its other shows whereas Marvel mixes in its movies with its TV series. Arrow is already a great show in-and-of-itself, but the crossover episodes are fantastic. In large part the success of the crossover episodes is what has lured us in to watch the other series. We actually started watching Supergirl first. The episode where the Flash comes to her Earth lured us in to watch The Flash.

Last year DC launched a new series called “Legends of Tomorrow” which incorporates several characters from both The Flash and Arrow. One of my favorite villains from The Flash, Captain Cold played by Wentworth Miller, is now one of the lead characters on Legends of Tomorrow, thus luring us into that show. Speaking of villains of The Flash, I have two words that also makes the show awesome: Mark Hamill. Yes, Mark Hamill plays a villain called Trickster on The Flash and he is amazing! There needs to be more episodes involving Trickster because I’m blown away every time Mark speaks.

So there you go. If you’ve been watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and/or any one of the other shows I’ve mentioned above, then you should add all of them to your watch list. The synergy DC is lacking between the TV series and movies, it makes up for in these shows.  If you can’t watch all of them, then definitely put The Flash and Arrow at the top of the list.

minions_iconI could accomplish so much more if I only had minions!
Suicide Squad

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

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On September 7, 2016

In Comic Books, DC, Movies, Reviews

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad

Directed by: David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie

My Rating: [rating=4]

It has been a while since my last movie review post. Batman vs Superman (BvS) may have been the last one I did so it’s serendipitous that Suicide Squad is next. I can’t believe there was no warning that you should see BvS before you see Suicide Squad. It picks up shortly after the events of BvS so you should watch that first, if you don’t want a spoiler.

Suicide Squad is esoteric to comic geek canon. In other words, if you are not familiar with DC villains then you probably have no idea what the “Suicide Squad” is. The Joker (Jared Leto) will be the most recognizable name among this motley crew. Those that are slightly more enlightened will recognize Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). The lesser known villains in this movie are Deadshot (Will Smith), Killer Croc, Boomerang and Diablo. They are all villains that have been captured by either Batman or The Flash, both of which make cameo appearances.

[Quick Plot Summary]

When the kind of justice Gotham needs isn’t the kind Superman or Batman are willing to provide, a new kind of vigilante is needed. The most dastardly of Gotham’s villains are locked away and forgotten. However, assembling the right group of them will provide a set of skills that can thwart meta-human terrorist threats. The trick is, how do you control them so they don’t start their own terrorist plots.

Don’t Believe All The Critics

Despite what many other critics and movie goers have been saying, Suicide Squad is a good movie. Granted I am not a big DC comic nerd or pundit. I don’t know how well each actor portrayed their respective villain as it pertains to canon. Will Smith is the biggest name in the movie and I’m glad he didn’t turn it into “The Will Smith Show”. He did share the spotlight well with the other characters, especially Margot Robbie. There is good chemistry between Deadshot and Harley Quinn, and the rest of the crew to be honest. So with that said, I think Suicide Squad is a better movie than Batman vs Superman in terms of plot and the quality of the acting.

One final note. I firmly believe that the music makes the movie and this wouldn’t be a “Biggs Movie Review” if I didn’t comment on the music. Keep in mind that I am referring to the score soundtrack and not the album soundtrack. The film’s composer is Steven Price and an hour into the movie I began wondering if it was available on iTunes. The mood of the music matched the mood of each scene perfectly. When you don’t realize that you have been completely bewitched by a scene, that is a sign of good music. Hats off to Steven Price.

film_reelThe screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.
– Stanley Kubrick

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