Posts Tagged ‘reboot’

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IS THIS SMALLVILLE?

by Tom on February 23, 2011 at 2:03 pm
Posted In: Bonus Materials
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This is kind of old news, but I'm playing catch up this week, so bear with me.

On Monday, rumors started flying that Kevin Costner had been cast in Zack Snyder's reboot of Superman. It didn't take very long before Latino Review reported that he would be playing Jonathan "Pa" Kent - Superman's adoptive father.

I think this is a mistake. When I think of Costner, I don't think of him as a father figure. Nor do I ascribe a nurturing moral center to his list of character attributes.

I think Costner would have been better utilized playing Clark Kent's brassy Daily Planet Editor Perry White. It's a bit part, sure. Probably not worth Costner's time. But it's a better fit.

Costner is one of those actors that everyone WANTS to like, but he's got a bit of an a-hole streak in him. I put him in the same category that I put Hugh Grant in - an actor who tried to win people over with charm and good looks but who is ultimately more effective playing self-centered rouges.

I can easily see Costner wearing a vest, chewing on a pipe and barking orders at a grown up Clark Kent than I can see him wearing bib overalls, chewing on a wheat stalk and giving the teenage Superman advice about doin' what's right.

Costner has a slow, considerate nature in his performances that I think might have blinded Snyder to the opportunity right under his nose and made him think he was better for Pa Kent. But in my view, Perry White would have been the more interesting father figure for Costner to pursue.

What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below!

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IT’S A BIRD! IT’S A PLANE! SO WHAT?

by Tom on January 31, 2011 at 8:55 am
Posted In: Bonus Materials
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Henry Cavill, Superman, Zach Snyder, The Tudors

Only because I like talking about comic book stuff do I feel compelled to report that British actor Henry Cavill has been cast as The Man of Steel in Zach Snyder's Superman reboot.

That sound you hear is me loudly shrugging my shoulders in indifference.

Here's the thing: unless you watch The Tudors, you probably have no idea who Henry Cavill is - and that's fine! In fact, I think it's smart to go with an actor that conventional audiences aren't familiar with. Superman as a character is larger than any actor, so you might as well go with an "unknown" so audiences don't ascribe any preconceived notions on the performance.

My indifference comes from Zach Snyder directing.

I know that Snyder has his fans. I know that some people think 300 and Watchmen were two of the greatest movies ever. But when I comes to Snyder, I check out. I think he's the clearest example of "falling upward" in Hollywood and this wunderkind status he's been afforded really rubs me the wrong way.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - he's a mimic. A very convincing mimic. And he doesn't have an original idea in his head. Maybe Sucker Punch will prove me wrong. But I cast a cynical eye on that one, too. Steampunk ninja robots? "I'll take 'Things The Internet Likes' for $1,000, Alex."

So, anyway... yeah. Henry Cavill is Superman. Whoopiety-do.

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HOW SPIDER-MAN GOT HIS GROOVE BACK

by Tom on January 13, 2010 at 12:00 am
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Spider-Man 4, Tobey Maguire, Sam Raimi, reboot, age, mid-life crisis, used car salesman, Corvette

People are kind of losing their minds about Sony announcing plans to cancel Spider-Man 4 and going with a straight up reboot instead. But as much as I love the first two Spider-Man movies, I'm not really bothered by it.

I mean, it kind of sucks that Raimi won't have a chance to redeem himself after Spider-Man 4. But watching a 37 year-old Tobey Maguire run around as Peter Parker seems kind of disingenuous to me. Maguire still has his baby face, so maybe he could pull it off. But that little factoid would be gnawing at the back of my brain.

I certainly won't miss Kristen Dunst as Mary Jane - one of the worst casting decisions I've ever seen. The less said about her, the better.

What I find kind of annoying is Sony's emphasis on "rebooting" the franchise. The first film came out in 2001. It doesn't really NEED a reboot. It's not like any of us forgot Spider-Man's origin story, or anything. It just seems like a waste of film to go through ALL of that exposition of the origin story again.

Frankly, I wish they would just recast the part and go about telling NEW Spider-Man stories. I hope they just go full-bore into the story like Superman Returns did and not bother telling us about Peter Parker, his Uncle Ben, power and responsibility all over again.

Similarly, I hope they cast an unknown to play Spider-Man like they did with Brandon Routh and Superman. I don't think the Spider-Man needs a "name" actor like it did in 2001 to help get the franchise off the ground. Experiment a little bit. Just don't cast Zak Efron or else I'll have to torch my collection of Spider-Man comics and never look back.

What do you guys think about Sony's decision to reboot Spider-Man? Leave your comments below!

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THE PLANET OF LONELY HOUSEWIVES

by Tom on May 6, 2009 at 12:00 am
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Star Trek, reboot, not your father's, Die Hard, Rambo, aging, Captain James T. Kirk, Scotty, Viagra
Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics

Would anyone be surprised to find out that Captain Kirk was a Viagra fiend? Not me. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd go on some elaborate adventure and time-travel back to the 20th century to make sure it's been invented.

He's a horn dog, is what I'm saying.

But what will Viagra be like in the 23rd Century? Vote for Theater Hopper at Top Web Comics for an incentive sketch that explores this vital issue!

Star Trek comes out this weekend and I'd say I'm excited for it. I was never that big of a fan of the original series, though. I mean, I liked the actors and I LOVE the characters. But the low production value of those shows from the 60's leaves me cold. I liked the movies a lot, though. Obviously Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is everyone's favorite ("KHHHHHAAAAAAAAAN!"). But I also really like Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Despite the fact that I've seen nearly every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, probably 85% of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and most of Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise, I don't really consider myself "a trekker." I really think of myself more as a Star Wars nerd.

I think it depends on which franchise got to you first. I was born in 1977. I'm in the sweet-spot when it comes to the influence of Star Wars. I wasn't introduced to Star Trek until I was in high school and was looking for an excuse to stay up late while waiting for Late Night with Conan O'Brien to come on. Where I lived, The Next Generation was running in syndication at 10:30 at night. It worked out perfectly because it got me hooked.

I know that there are some hard-core trekkers who are concerned about this reboot with a younger cast. I can understand why. I mean, the first Star Trek probably had a perfect cast. Certainly Shatner and Nimoy were a pairing for the ages.

But of all the franchises that have been rebooted in the last few years - Batman, James Bond, Hulk, Punisher - it was probably Star Trek that needed it most of all.

I think this film is probably the antithesis of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in terms of building positive buzz and anticipation. Whereas X-Men Origins: Wolverine was like a awkward teenager trying desperately to get you to like them (advertising for more than a year, a million clips and commercials, gimmicky alternate endings shipped to different theaters), Star Trek has been playing it close to the vest.

Whereas I felt I knew everything about X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I feel like I know next to nothing about what Star Trek is going to give us.

From the trailers, I can tell that this version of James T. Kirk is more cocky than the original. Maybe even somewhat of a problem child. I know the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise looks like an Apple store and I know Eric Bana's character is bald. Beyond that, all I know is that there appears to be a lot of lens flares in space.

But plot-wise? No idea. And I like it that way.

I'll probably have more to say about Star Trek with Friday's comic. So, to keep you entertained in the meantime, please enjoy these video remixes from Star Trek: The Next Generation. There's a guy on YouTube who has put together nearly two dozen of these and they're hilarious! Enjoy!

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