November 27, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Pitch Perfect – Review

2/5 – Off pitch.

On the same vacation that I watched Shag, I also saw Pitch Perfect for the first time. I was really looking forward to Pitch Perfect. Everyone I knew who had seen it loved it. It stars Anna Kendrick, aka America’s sweetheart Anna Kendrick. How could I go wrong?

Well, wrong I went.

Pitch Perfect just didn’t click with me. I don’t know if it had been talked up too much, but I didn’t enjoy the movie. There were definitely high spots in the movie, but for the most part the movie just didn’t work for me.

I found Anna Kendrick’s character, Beca, to be a sullen, spoiled brat. She was the focal point of the movie, but I just couldn’t get behind her. Some of her lines were just laughable. “You know David Guetta is?” Beca, my dad’s cousins know who David Guetta is; come on!

In case you didn’t get that Beca would rather be a DJ than be in school, she walks around campus all day wearing big ass headphones.
Would you like a hammer to drive in that nail?

Jesse, her co-intern, and soon to be love interest was annoying as all get out. When the two of them got together, I think I actually said “Ugh.”

Jesse, you just won our Most Annoying Character of the Year award! How do you feel?

The best thing to come out of Pitch Perfect was having Titanium stuck in my head for the rest of the week. That, and that insanely catchy Cups song and super-cute video. I definitely enjoy Cups the video more than Pitch Perfect the movie.

Pitch Perfect does have its high points. Pretty much any scene involving Lily made me laugh very loudly.

Lily is the best..

It’s funny, I went into Shag ready to roll my eyes and went into Pitch Perfect ready to love it. But out of the two of them, I think I’d rather watch Shag again. But maybe I just need to give Pitch Perfect a second chance. It wouldn’t be the first movie I disliked the first time I saw and then loved after more viewings.

All that said, Anna Kendrick is still America’s sweetheart.

November 27, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Star Trek: Into Darkness – Review

I caught Star Trek: Into Darkness on Blu Ray recently. I liked it a lot. J.J. Abrams has now made two of the best Star Trek movies. Okay, if not best, then definitely rewatchable. If I had to pick three Star Trek movies to watch again, it would be his two and Wrath of Khan.

The opening scene of Into Darkness was awesome. I really like J.J. Abrams’s take on the Star Trek crew. He brings a sense of humor to the science fiction that really helps make these movies so enjoyable. His skill at mixing sci-fi and humor is at a Whedon-like level.

Probably what I liked most about Star Trek: Into Darkness was the complexity of Benedict Cumberbatch’s character, Commander John Harrison. In the movie, Harrison is a suped-up super-soldier that would put Captain America to shame. He marches through scenes of destruction with the resolve of a Terminator. Thankfully, Harrison is given more depth than that of a cybernetic killing machine. He’s been used and abused by Starfleet and is seeking revenge against those who wronged him. But he’s not only seeking revenge. He’s trying to carve out a place for himself and his people in the galaxy, away from his abusers. He’s Starfleet’s greatest enemy, and it’s all Starfleet’s fault.

There were plenty of Easter Eggs for longtime Star Trek fans in Star Trek: Into Darkness. The most obvious one is the reveal that John Harrison’s real identity is Khan, who was the main villain in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I like that Khan is now a sleek weapon of destruction. Gone is the Elfquest-esque outfit that has definitely not aged well. Cumberbatch is as emotionless as Khan as he is as Sherlock. Watching Khan onscreen, I couldn’t help but think we were seeing what an evil Spock would be.

The radiation room scene where Kirk lies dying and Spock can do nothing to save his friend was a mirror of the classic scene at the end of Wrath of Khan. I love that Spock and Kirk were switched in this scene. If it played out the same way as the original, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. It would have just seemed like an unnecessary remake of a classic scene. But switching the two of them made for such a great nod to Star Trek II. When Spock let out the iconic scream of “KHAAAAAAAAAAN!” my inner nerd fist-pumped (okay, I actually fist-pumped on my couch. There was nothing inner about it).

I really like that Leonard Nimoy is still playing Spock Classic in this movie. I was wondering if he’d be cast to the side. But Abrams has definitely not forgotten the longtime fans while making Star Trek accessible for a new generation. In that way, his Star Trek movies are similar to BBC’s Doctor Who.

If the Star Trek movies are any indication of what we can expect to receive when J.J. Abrams tackles the Star Wars films, then I am one very excited Star Wars fan.

November 26, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E8: “The Well” – Review

It’s finally here, the Thor: The Dark World crossover with Agents of SHIELD! Sadly, there was no sign of Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston or Natalie Portman in this episode. Not even a Cat Dennings or Stellan Skarsgård. We do get an Asgardian though. Unfortunately, it’s not this Agardian:

Sorry fellas. No Sif in Agents in SHIELD.

Instead, we get this Asgardian:

That’s right, mother-fucking Dr. Janoch Pohaa! Sorry, I mean Dr. Elliot Randolph as played by Peter MacNicol. Sadly, MacNicol is not using his excellent foreign accents skills in this episode. And he doesn’t worship any paintings of Vigo, the Scourge of Carpathia, the Sorrow of Moldavia.

But MacNicol is a full-fledged Asgardian in this episode. He’s wearing a suit in that photo and not a bitchin’ set of armor because centuries ago he renounced being an Asgardian Beserker to live a quiet life on Earth. Unfortunately, a Nordic hate-group has discovered his Beserker staff, which he broke into three pieces and hid, and hid well. One of the pieces was inside a tree! Just a fragment of the Beserker staff is enough to give a mortal superpowers (and as Ward found out, dredge up all your worst memories). The staff is like half power ring and half Scarecrow fear toxin.

CLARK GREGG, BRETT DALTON, PETER MACNICOL

“How do we stop Gozer?!”
“Um, wrong Ghostbusters movie, jerks.”

The effect of the Beserker staff on Ward really lets Ward’s asshole side take charge. At the same time, it opens up new layers of the character. We see the childhood trauma that shapes so much of Ward’s present day. Holding the staff is too much for him, but not for Agent May, resident bad-ass of the SHIELD crew, who takes it and doles out a whupping on the bad guys.

“I got this.”

The “Holy shit!” moment of the episode came after the villains were defeated and the SHIELD team was getting a rare night of R&R in a hotel instead of sleeping on The Bus. Skye wants to hang out with Ward, but he decides to head up to his room alone instead. Agent May is entering her room as Ward reaches his door. She’s holding a bottle of wine and leaves the door ajar as she heads inside. Ward follows her in. WHAAAAAAAATTTTT! It looks like Ward and May are going to get the effects of the Beserker Staff out of their systems in the most fun way they can.

I was hoping for more of a tie-in with Thor: The Dark World than Coulson’s team acting like a Damage Control clean-up crew. But their roles as janitors to superheroics did lead to an interesting expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the introduction of The Berserker. I just wish MacNicol gave The Beserker a Carpathian accent.

November 26, 2013 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E5: “League of Assassins”

So the show opens up with a re-shot scene from season 1 set in the past. Sara and Ollie sneaking away on the boat, the Queen’s Gambit, before the island except this scene adds more to Sara’s character. It shows her very flirty with Ollie and deceiving her Dad. I wonder how this scene holds up next to the one that was in the pilot. It seems like it is chock full of inconsistencies. But basically the same thing happens: boat sinks. But the next time we see Sara she is waking up half naked (HELLS YEAH CW) in the ocean looking at a yellow canary floating on driftwood. That seems like a pretty crappy place for a canary. I think that bird doesn’t have long to live. I mean I get it. The Black Seagull would be a worse name for a superhero. Sound more like a plague. But then the ship named Amazo appears in the distance (remember this is the ship we last left Ollie in flashbacks where he is being tortured with his cellmate the KGBeast). Looks like she is in for a rough time until Doctor Anthony Ivo saves her. He is a scientist and he is using all the people held captive. His objective is to save the human race.

Okay then we switch over to Moira’s pre-trial meeting in Iron Heights. Not really sure what those things are called. I haven’t been keeping up with my Law & Order: CSIVU. I haven’t really been paying too much attention to this in my comments because it seems slightly boring. But this scene is pretty amazing and not in a good way. Laurel, who is now working for the D.A.’s office is on the prosecution team on Moira Queen’s case. Hold the fucking phone. She is prosecuting her ex-boyfriends mom who she has a pretty great relationship with? How corrupt is Starling City’s court system that this can happen? Oh, and not to mention that she gives them a sweetheart deal that Moira’s one would expect expensive lawyer scoffs at and also says that this is conflict of interest having Laurel on the case. Laurel is the best thing you’ve got going here. AND Ollie is pissed too? Come on she helped kill over 500 people! COME ON CW?!?!?! Then by the end of the episode they decide to reject the offer?!??!? WHAT?

In the present we find out that Sara is living at Queen Manor. Conveniently Thea is staying with Roy most nights. They say a lot of CW relationshipy stuff to each other and then BAM, a dude dressed like Malcom Merlyn in his Dark Archer costume breaks in the fucking window in the middle of the fucking day! He’s obviously trying to kill Sara. This prompts Ollie to take her to the Arrowcave to see Diggle and Smoak. Sara confesses it is Al Owal, who is a member of the League of Assassins who rescued her after the shipwreck and took her to Nanda Parabat (hey Malcom has been there) and she joined their ranks after being rescued. Al Owal tells her the child of Ra’s al Ghul awaits her return. She left because one mission went to far and she quit but you can only leave the League of Assassins by death. Ollie and Sara escape alive but the League is will kill the whole Lance family if Sara doesn’t go back with them. This puts team Arrow into action and Sara into contact with her dad. He figures out she is the Canary. Then they end up back at the Watchtower where Arrow, Canary, and Quentin fight off Al Owal. HOLD the phone. Former DETECTIVE Lance sees Arrow and his daughter, the Canary, fight together. He also knows they both were shipwrecked on the same island. HOW DOES HE NOT KNOW OLLIE IS ARROW?!?!??!

This was a great episode. Lots of secrets uncovered. Great action. Bad acting. Silly relationship stuff. And it ends with Ollie telling Dig that the whole five years he was gone he was not only on the Island. It’s revealed that he found out Sara was alive way back when he was a prisoner on the Amazo! Can’t wait for the next episode. But until then check the out my theories and notes below.

Theories:
So Al Owal, which is Arabic for the first, comes and attacks Canary. He has trained her and Merlyn. He is pretty high up there in the League of Assassins. Now let’s remember the first of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies, which Arrow takes a lot of cues from. Liam Neeson’s character trains Bruce Wayne the whole movie to become part of the League of Shadows. The writers changed the name of League of Assassins in the comic books to League of Shadows for the movie. It is then revealed at the end that Ra’s al Ghul was not the bald headed silent man but actually Neeson’s character. With a heavy handed hint like the guy’s name being “The First” really points to Al Owal actually being Ra’s al Ghul.

An aspect of Ra’s al Ghul’s character that is not used in Batman Begins is that he has found a fountain of youth he calls the Lazarus Pit. It makes him pretty much eternal and heals most wounds. There is more than one of these pits scattered around the globe that he uses. Now let’s think about all the people who should have died on the island, Lian Yu. I wonder if the island holds a Lazurus Pit that Ra’s is using or trying to find and the waters around the island have special healing powers.

Notes:

The Child of Ra’s al Ghul: Ra’s al Ghul has three known children in the comic books. He has a son Dusan al Ghul, also known as the White Ghost. He was reject by Ra’s because he was born albino. There is Talia al Ghul, who is the most well known of his children. She has had romantic entanglements with batman and was featured in The Dark Knight Rises. The last is Nyssa Raatko. She is an illegitimate child Ra’s had when he was traveling through Russia. She tracks him down later in life and impresses him enough to gain a high ranking position in the League of Assassins. If I had to guess which one it would be, I would go with Nyssa since Talia was just used in the last Batman movie and Ollie is currently sharing a cell with the Russian KGBeast. He also says something in Russian before he drinks vodka with Dig at the end of the episode and tells him he wasn’t always on the island.

Doctor Anthony Ivo: Doctor Ivo is a mad scientist obsessed with escaping death, who first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #30 back in 1960 where he created an android Amazo (that’s the name of the boat Ollie, Sara, and Ivo are on) who fought the Justice League. I think we will see a connection made between Ra’s al Ghul’s history with the Lazarus pit and Ivo wanting to never die. In addition to Amazo, Ivo created the androids Composite Superman, Kid Amazo, Red Volcano, and Tomorrow Woman. The Tomorrow Woman story is a great one. It was a single issue story in JLA #5 back in 1997 by Grant Morrison.

Lian Yu: This is the island Ollie is shipwrecked on and where he learns his archery and fighting skills. It is first named in the television show. Lian Yu means purgatory. This looks like a nod to Lost where it seems to be where they got there flashback inspiration from. Lian is the first name of Roy Harper’s daughter who he had with the international criminal Cheshire.

Nanda Parbat: This place has been mentioned before in the television show. We know Malcolm Merlyn spent some time there. It first appeared in the comic books in October 1967 in Strange Adventures #205. Time passes in the city differently than the outside world. Many who enter the city retain their youth for a longer time. It is a hidden city in the mountains of Tibet. It is a place of healing and enlightenment watched over by the goddess Rama Kushna and the monks who worship her. The city is most associated with the hero Deadman who received his powers from Rama Kushna. Other characters closely associated with the city are Judomaster, Crimson Avenger, The Question, and Richard Dragon. Deadman had a nicely updated origin by Paul Jenkins in 2011 in DC Universe Presents.

Iron Heights: Is the prison that Moira is held in. It is a fictional penitentiary that first appeared in Flash: Iron Heights by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Johns is going to be penning the episode that introduces Barry Allen, the Flash. Iron Heights Penitentiary is known for its vicious and brutal treatment of its prisoners. It houses many of the Flash’s super villains.

November 25, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Geeky Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are right around the corner. Are you looking for the perfect gift for the geek in your life? Tuesday Night Movies is here to help!

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled Boxed Set

This box set comes with all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies leading up to and including The Avengers. You get Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, and The Avengers. What really makes this set cool is that everything is packaged in a SHIELD-branded briefcase that contains a light-up tesseract inside!

Captain America: The Winter Solider Ultimate Collection

Next year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie is largely based on Ed Brubaker’s run on the Captain America comic, where he introduced Cap’s mysterious new enemy, the Winter Soldier. This collection has stunning art by Steve Epting and Michael Lark, and an amazing story by Brubaker.

Doctor Who: Series 1-7 Limited Edition Gift Set

BBC has finally released the Chistopher Eccleston and David Tennant years of Doctor Who on Blu Ray. This set includes all of those seasons, plus seasons 5-7 starring Matt Smith as the Doctor. The set also includes an awesome fully functional sonic screwdriver universal remote control. You can use it on your TV, blu ray player, speakers, anything that will work with a universal remote. This is the closest you’ll get to feeling like a time lord without having a second heart implanted in you.

Doctor Who Tardis Beach Towel

Sure, it’s cold out now, but summer will be here soon enough. Or maybe the Doctor will show up to pick up you and friends for a weekend getaway to the Caribbean in the middle of January. In either situation, this Tardis towel is a must-own item.

Han Solo Frozen in Carbonite Bottle Opener

Transform your kitchen in Jabba’s throne room! This is quite possibly the coolest looking bottle opener ever, a highly detailed replica of Han Solo frozen in carbonite from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. And it’s functional too. The back of Han Solo is magnetic, so it will stick to your fridge. The bottle opener is solid metal, not some flimsy plastic, so it should last you a long time.

Star Wars Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

I received one of these Tauntaun sleeping bags for Christmas when ThinkGeek first introduced them a couple of years ago. It is quite possibly the best Christmas present I ever received. You should buy this for someone you love. And buy one for yourself too while you’re at it.

Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection (Blu Ray/DVD Combo/Ultraviolet Combo)

There have been many Harry Potter movie collections over the years, but this is the mother of all Harry Potter movie collections. It is 31 discs in total, including all 8 Harry Potter movies on both Blu Ray and DVD, and tons of special features. But what really sells this collection is how it’s contained. The box is a fold out chest of drawers. The discs are in book-like boxes. One disc is even hidden behind a secret compartment. The Ultra-Violet download codes are written on rolled-up scrolls. There are a couple of books included, The Catalog of Artifacts and The Label Collection, which really show off the detail that went into producing the props for the movies. There’s a map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area, and a blueprint of Hogwarts Castle. There’s even a horcrux locket! This is the ultimate gift for the Harry Potter fan in your life!

Harry Potter Triwizard Tournament Shirt

The perfect gift for the quidditch fan in your life. This is an exact replica of the shirt that Harry wears in the third challenge of the Triwzard Tournament. Potter is embroidered on the back and the shirt has the Hogwarts school crest on the front.

Star Trek Transporter Room Bath Mat & Shower Curtain Set

Modeled after the original Star Trek series, this bath mat and shower curtain set will transform your bathroom into the Transporter Room. Beam up to the Enterprise every time you step out of the shower!

Star Trek Spock Oven Mitt

This is just super. It’s an oversized Spock hand, giving the “Live long and proper” sign and it’s an oven mitt. I don’t know if this combination is logical, but it is definitely awesome!

Game of Thrones Scarves

Winter is coming. A man needs a scarf.

Game of Thrones: Iron Coin of the Faceless Man

Because a man needs a coin. This is a replica of the coin that Jaqen gives Arya. One side shows a faceless man. The other says reads: “Valar Morghulis, Valar Dohaeris,” which translates to “All men must die, all men must serve.” This is quite possibly one of the coolest prop replicas I’ve seen from HBO’s hit TV series.

The Walking Dead Season 3 Limited Edition Boxed Set

Winning the prize for the creepiest boxed set on the market is this version of AMC’s The Walking Dead Season 3. It comes packaged with a replica of The Governor’s collection of zombie heads in fish tanks. It even lights up from within to illuminate the heads. You can even fill the aquariums with water! And it comes with all of season 3 of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Funko Pop Vinyl Figure

Easily the coolest character on The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon can now guard office desks and bookshelves from walkers in the form of this vinyl figure from Funko.

Batman: Arkham Origins Collectors Edition

The Arkham Asylum and Arkham City games have been my absolute favorite video games of the last couple of years. The latest chapter in the franchise was recently released, Batman: Arkham Origins. The collectors edition of Arkham Origins contains a slew of cool stuff, most notably a light-up statue of Batman’s archenemy, The Joker. You even get more game, as the collectors edition includes download codes for bonus content not included in the standard edition. When your thumbs are sore, you can watch the included Blu Ray of Necessary Evil: The Villains of the DC Universe.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition

When DC first released the animated version of The Dark Knight Returns, they did it as two separate movies. The movies were very well received and DC has now combined the two of them into one epic movie. The Dark Knight Returns is one of the coolest Batman stories ever told.

November 25, 2013 by Billy Henehan

James Tucker Talks Justice League: War

After sitting down with Andrea Romano at NYCC, I had the chance to sit and talk with James Tucker about Justice League: War. As you may know, James is the new Bruce Timm at DC’s animation group. In other words, he’s the new head honcho.

When asked if it was a smooth transition taking over for Bruce, James said it was. He elaborated, “He was outside smoking and said, “Hey, do you want to take over the DVDs?” and I went, “Sure.” It was that simple. It wasn’t like a coronation or anything. I didn’t go into the throne room and he knighted me. It’s very casual at Warner Brothers. ” By the time the official announcement was made, James already had experience in the job. According to James, “When it was announced, I had already been doing the job for two years. We were working on War a year ago. I had been doing the job long before they announced it. He was working on Green Lantern. It was very smooth and not a big deal.”

Regarding the future of the DC animated movies, James said that from this point forward, we’ll be seeing a Justice League movie, followed by a Batman movie, followed by a Justice League movie, followed by a Batman movie. Having movies whose stories focus on specific characters set in the framework of the Justice League. James used Wonder Woman as an example. “With the way we’re setting it up, it’s easier for us to do a Wonder Woman featured Justice League movie, meaning the story has something to do with her, but it’s a Justice League movie.” If you’re wondering why, according to Mr. Tucker, it’s because, “Home Video thinks they can sell it better. Rather than doing standalones. Because the Green Lantern movie didn’t do so hot. The Wonder Woman movie didn’t do so hot, despite what you see online about statistics. Pretty much Superman doesn’t even sell well. Sometimes it’s easier to focus on the character you want to focus on and in War, if you read the graphic novel, Cyborg gets a lot of the spotlight. Each movie will have one character who gets a lot of spotlight and the other characters will get…story development that will carry over to the next movie.”

In case you’re wondering what the next animated movie will be after Justice League: War, it will be a Son of Batman, based on the Grant Morrison Batman story that introduced Damian Wayne into the DC Universe. The Son of Batman movie will be in continuity with Justice League: War. “It’s totally different from what Bruce and those guys had done before. I like world building, so it’s a nice opportunity to have continuity among the movies, and yet Son of Batman will feel totally different than Justice League. It’s kind of like comics in a way, in that they’re connected, but not connected. Justice League comics are totally different than Batman comics, yet Batman is in both. ” said James.

For fans wondering why Aquaman is not in Justice League: War, the reason that he was replaced by Shazam (I know, I know, Captain Marvel) in this movie is that DC is planning a Justice League movie centered around Aquaman! Aqua-fans rejoice!

Shazam is replacing Aquaman in Justice League: War.

James walked me through some of the process of making these movies. When asked if he used the same animation studios for the Justice League and Batman movies, he revealed that DC has three different animation studios that “we float episodes to. Not one studio can do all the animation.”

When asked how Justice League: War would be different from past Justice League animated projects, such as Justice League: Unlimited, James said, “I worked on Justice League with Bruce and Justice League: Unlimited and I didn’t want to go back and do exactly that.” He elaborated, “When I read the New 52 Justice League, I could see see they were trying to break down the Justice League and make it something where you could not instantly know what to expect. We took that aspect and ran with it and pushed people’s personalities into different areas.” Comparing it to the Bruce Timm Justice League cartoon, James said, “If the fans are expecting a carbon copy of the TV series, they’re not going to get that. It’s going to be a little edgier and definitely more violent. It’s not Superfriends. Even the old Justice League cartoon show was kind of Super Friends, if it’s Friends the TV series with Jennifer Anniston. It was about relationships. This is more like a big movie, and their personalities are more edgy. They’re all new to it. They’re all trying to figure out how to be their own individual heroes. Some of them have codes about not killing. Others don’t. There’s all these areas of conflict we have that we didn’t normally address in the earlier versions of the Justice League.”

Expect Wonder Woman to use the sharp edge of her sword in Justice League: War.

Describing the state of superhero cartoons on TV, James was very blunt. “It’s a different climate for superhero action shows,” he said. The abrupt cancellation of Young Justice was cited. “I don’t think (Young Justice) was a great fit for Cartoon Network. They got caught in a situation where things are changing in the climate on television for animated things. They’re finding action in general is not doing as well on kids networks. A show like that would have been great for Netflix. That might be the next place for a show like that,” James said. Please note that this interview was conducted before Marvel announced their deal with Netflix. James seems very bullish on the Netflix model. He said, “As far as binge viewing, I think a show like Young Justice, Justice League too, will do well and I think that’s the future. I welcome it.” James went on to explain why he liked it so much. “You won’t have the same restrictions. You can do a limited miniseries. You can tell a really controlled story. You don’t have to worry about selling toys. The industry is all wondering what Netflix is going to do next.” With Marvel’s recent deal with Netflix, it will be interesting to see where DC and Warner Bros pursue their streaming model. Maybe Amazon Prime? Or Hulu Plus? We do know that James Tucker is in the driver’s seat at DC Animation and he likes the streaming model, whether it’s Netflix or elsewhere.

Will Netflix be the future home of DC superheroes?

James would like to incorporate lesser used characters into the animated movies. James said, “My goal for all the Justice League and Batman movies is to include at least one character who hasn’t appeared either on television or in the films.” When asked if there were any plans for Batgirl, say maybe Batgirl: Year One, James said that he would definitely like to do a Batgirl-centered story, but it probably wouldn’t be Year One. “The truth is, that’s not going to sell. I hate to say it. For whatever reason, they have a hard time selling that kind of stuff. Granted, that could (work) on Netflix. The thing about Netflix is that it’s open to niche markets. You could do something for a smaller group and not have to worry about selling units.

Justice League: War comes out on February 4, 2014.

November 25, 2013 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E4: “Crucible”

This week’s Arrow was simple but really pushed the story along. A throw away villain, Xavier Reed, The Mayor, is bringing illegal military grade guns and wreaking havoc in the Glades. Oliver reacts with Sebastian Blood (who is getting creepy this episode) to create a cash for guns benefit in the Glades which is attacked. The benefit also shows Oliver struggle in his new role professionally having to answer to Isabel Rochev for his fiscal actions. It shows Thea what a hero Roy is and lets them interact with Sin. They should create a Junior Arrow club.

Meanwhile Diggle meets up with his old colleague Lyla Michaels to flirt and try to get info on tracking down Deadshot. AND back on the island Oliver gets a neighbor on the boat and is getting tortured. This really reminds me of the scenes in The Dark Knight Rises where Bruce is trying to fix his back and get out of the hole.

The Bigger story this episode is the Canary. With Felicity’s help Oliver finds the Canary unmasks her and she is revealed to be… SPOILERS… the long thought dead Sara Lance. Man this is trouble for Oliver. Obviously he wants her to reveal herself to her family but she can’t for some reason. Maybe because they’re all drunks. Well at least Laurel is this episode. Quinten has been recovering for some time now. Anyway, the last time the viewers saw Sara, was way back in the first season when she joined Ollie on his boat, the Queen’s Gambit. During their trip, the ship was sabotaged and sank, along with Sara. Her remains were never recovered so her family buried a empty casket, after she was declared legally dead. But get this, Oliver then reveals to John and Felicity that he thought she drowned on the Queen’s Gambit, but met her a year after being shipwrecked, however he thought she had died since he last saw her. So apparently somewhere in between she joined up with the League of Assassins.

However, the best part of all of this is when Arrow and Canary, excuse me I mean GREEN Arrow and BLACK Canary, team up to take down The Mayor.

All in all a great episode.

Notes/Easter Eggs/ SPOILERS:

The Mayor: Also known as Xavier Reed, The Mayor shares names with two Marvel superheroes, Professor Charles Xavier and Reed Richards. The place where he is stealing he weapons from is Camp Kirby. This is a nod to Jack Kirby, who co-created both Charles Xavier and Reed Richards. Jack Kirby is best known for creating almost half the Marvel Universe of super-heroes in the 1960s. At DC he is best known for his work on Superman and creation of New Gods characters in the 1970s. But way back in the 1950s, he did a stint writing and drawing Green Arrow in Adventure Comics and World’s Finest Comics. The Mayor also reminds me of the characters Steel fought in his book back after Superman returned from the dead.

Lyla Michaels: Lyla is an old colleague of John Diggle. She works for the U.S. government organization A.R.G.U.S. which stands for Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans. In the comic books they act as support and liaison to the Justice Leauge by supplying them with resources and cleaning up after battles. Argus was an all-seeing giant in Greek mythology with a hundred eyes. Lyla Michaels has a history of all-seeing in DC Comic books. She was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. She first appeared in New Teen Titans vol. 1, Annual #2 in 1983. She became the hero known as Harbinger in Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 in 1985, where it is revealed she has the power of splitting into various selves and can send those copies of herself through various points in time, space, and parallel universes. I’m not sure if this character will ever develop those powers. If you do want to read up on her, Crisis on Infinite Earths is a pretty historic, being the first company wide DC Comics cross-over. Basically every title in the company tied into this year long series at least one point during the year.

Anatoli Knyazev: This is the guy in the prison cell next to Oliver on the Amazo ship. Anatoli is a lesser known Batman villain known as the KGBeast who was created by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo in Batman #417 in 1988. In the comic books Anatoli is a K.G.B. trained assassin code-named “The Beast” (very Arrowish naming convention), however he is known to the C.I.A as the KGBeast. In addition to being the master of several martial arts he is cybernetically enhanced with a prosthetic gun arm. KGBeast played a big role in Robin III: Cry of the Huntress. I haven’t read it since high school but remember it being pretty good.

The Flash Watch: A channel 52 news report mentioned protests over a particle accelerator currently under construction.

November 21, 2013 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E3: “Broken Dolls”

We left Arrow last week with Oliver in his Hood getup surrounded by police officers in Laurel’s apartment. This was a trap set by Laurel, who now is blaming Tommy Merlyn’s death on the Hood. At the last second, the mysterious Black Canary, ahem, I mean Canary, shows up uses some kind of sonic blast and escapes with Ollie.

While he puts Roy on the case of tracking down this lady, Quentin Lance finds out that a serial killer from an old case has escaped from Iron Heights as a result of the quake. This serial killer, Barton Mathis, also known as The Dollmaker, kidnaps women and kills them by pouring a flexible polymer into their throats. This fires up Quentin to track him down, but he is warned by the police department to stay back. So, Quentin and the Team Arrow find a way to track this guy down and eventually use Felicity as sexy bait.

Alright, let me pause here. Felicity is a very attractive woman who could jump from this show onto any other CW drama if she wanted to. However, she plays the nerd on this show and it just comes across as, “Hey, I wear glasses. I’m a nerd.” Is it how she is written? Maybe. Is it how she looks? Maybe. It is one reason I think we will never see her character jump to the comic book page like Diggle’s. Currently there is a nerdy tech geek helping out Oliver in the Green Arrow books. And she is more believable as an actual nerd than the character played by a person. Ok back to it.

As a result of this, Felicity is put in danger, and both Laurel and Quentin end up being kidnapped by the Dollmaker. Arrow saves them in time and then the Black Canary in return saves him, kills the Dollmaker and runs off. However, Roy finds the Canary and tells Arrow the location of the watchtower where Arrow finds her and her friend Sin. We see a character who looks like the Dark Archer (but is not) and he name drops Ra’s al Ghul!?!?!

In the past, we see Slade and Oliver run around on the island. They see a Japanese boat shooting bombs towards Shado’s location. They run to her, but are ambushed and end up in a prison on a boat called Amazo.

All in all it was a pretty straight forward episode with a bunch of hints dropped….well lets get to it:

Notes/Easter Eggs/ SPOILERS:

Dollmaker: Barton Mathis, the third iteration of the character first appeared in Detective Comics, vol. 2 #1 as a Batman villain. He was created by writer and artist Tony S. Daniel. In this episode Barton’s lawyer is named Tony Daniel as a nod to his creator. The full Dollmaker story is collect in Batman: Detective Comics: Faces of Death.

Metamorpho: This is the name of the factory that the Dollmaker is using. Rex Mason, also known as Metamorpho, the Element Man, is a superhero with the ability to transmutate into a wide variety of elemental compounds. He is mostly associated with Batman and the Outsiders. He first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #57. Rex was an adventurer who was hired by business man Simon Stagg to find a rare Egypian artifact, the Orb of Ra. As a consequence of this adventure Rex obtained his powers from the Orb of Ra. I suppose if he were to be “Arrowized” his origin could possibly start in a chemical factory. If you can track it down there was a pretty good modernization of his origin in the mini-series Metamorpho: Year One.

Quentin Larry Lance: Much like his daughter, his middle name gives a nod to the comic book character he is based on. Detective Larry Lance was created back in 1948 in Flash Comics #92. He was a police officer who would help the Golden Age Black Canary on her cases. The two would fall in love and have a daughter who had the superpower of a sonic scream. She would also take the name Black Canary. Hmmm…..

Amazo: This is the name of the ship that we see Oliver held captive on in the past. Amazo is a super-villain android who first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #30. He was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson as a villain for the Justice League of America. His fictional creator, Professor Ivo, created him to have the power to duplicate superheroes’ abilities. Could this boat be filled with people who have the same abilities as Oliver? A great Amazo story to read would be JLA #27 by Mark Millar (Kick Ass, Wanted).

The Clock Tower: This is the location of a team of mostly female heroes called the Birds of Prey. The team mainly consists of Black Canary, Batgirl/Oracle/Barbra Gordon, and sometimes the Huntress. This is the hiding spot for Black Canary and Sin which is a nod to the Birds of Prey comics. The team also had a short lived TV show on the CW when Smallville was in its second season.

Sin: Is a girl rescued by Black Canary from becoming a martial arts weapon. She first appears in Birds of Prey #92. She was created by Gail Simone.

Ra’s al Ghul: His name is Arabic for “The Demon Head.” He was created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams in Batman #232 (June 1971). He is almost immortal, gaining long life from a fountain of youth called the Lazarus Pit. He has genius-level intelligence, and is skilled in martial arts. Ra’s al Ghul was the main villain in Batman Begins. I wonder how his portrayal will differ here. It is interesting that his soldiers wear a uniform very similar to the Dark Archer uniform worn by Malcom Merlyn. Could Ra’s al Ghul be behind the plan to wipe out the Glades? It would fit his M.O. His ultimate goal is a world in perfect balance. He believes that the best way to achieve this balance is to eliminate most of humanity. A great Ra’s al Ghul story that doesn’t involve just Batman is JLA: Tower of Babel by Mark Waid and Howard Porter.

Written by Dave Tomko. Check out Dave’s blog, New Earth 2.

November 19, 2013 by Billy Henehan

Andrea Romano Talks Justice League: War

Justice League: War is the next release in Warner Bros Home Video’s line of direct-to-DVD animated movies featuring DC superheroes. The official release date is February 4, 2014. I expect that Best Buy will once again have an exclusive version of the DVD that comes packaged with a mini-action figure. There has been no word yet as to what that figure will be. My guess is on Cyborg, since his origin story makes up a large portion of Justice League: War. If not him, then Darkseid, the main villain of Justice League: War.

At New York Comic Con this year, I had the chance to sit down with casting director Andrea Romano about Justice League: War. Andrea and DC animated projects go back. She’s the woman who originally cast Kevin Conroy as Batman in Batman: The Animated Series. Since then, she’s cast Batman enough times to lose count as to what the actual number is. “I’m looking for someone to tell me how many times I cast Batman. I think it’s somewhere around 17.” said Romano.

Justice League: War is the first of DC’s animated movies set in the New 52 universe. For those unfamiliar with the New 52, in 2011, DC rebooted their entire line of comic books, calling the new universe and continuity the New 52, which was the number of titles DC put out that month. Origins and costumes have been modified and modernized. When asked if she approached casting for Justice League: War differently than how she cast prior movies, Andrea said “(It was) pretty much the same process. We all looked for the best possible voices.”

I asked Andrea if there was a mandate from on high this time about not repeating voices. Andrea said there was, but that it changes every film. Andrea elaborated, “My first question on every job is can I use people I’ve used before? May I use Kevin Conroy? May I use Mark Hamil?” Sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes they want her to have an all-new cast. According to Andrea, sometimes a change in visual style or the use of a different color palette from a previous project will lead to the decision to work with a new cast of actors.

Bruce Timm handed the reins of the DC animated movies to James Tucker in order for Bruce to focus on other projects. When asked how working with James Tucker compared to working with Bruce Timm, Andrea said, “I love working with both of them. I worked with James on Brave and the Bold and many other projects in the past, so I knew him. Bruce and James have very much the same mindset on the way they think things need to be depicted, and the way they want it to look and sound. It’s kind of a seamless transition. James is great. I love both of them.”

Andrea walked me through the production time line for a project. She explained, “There’s lots of time limits. The script is written. Then I do casting and voice directing. Everything then takes its cue from there, so if I’m late, everyone else is late, and that’s not good. We have to deliver by a certain date. Even though we might deliver this now to Warner Home Video, it may not release for another six months, but we still have to deliver it. And if we don’t deliver it, we’re fined, because they have plans for it. They have to promote it. They have to get footage out there. If I’m late, the next step gets late, then the next step. I’m at the end doing the ADR, so I’m impacting my own schedule, because I have less time. And when I use celebrities, trying to get them in to their ADR, I’m working on Saturdays, I’m working on Sundays, I’m working on holidays just trying to get it done so that I can get it in to the mix, so I that I can deliver on time. Production takes about a year and a half to make, start to finish, and then it may sit another six months before it’s actually released.”

In regards to specific casting, Andrea was very high on casting Shemar Moore, from Criminal Minds, to play the part of Cyborg. “There are always actors I watch on television shows or films that I keep a list of, that I want to find a role for.” said Andrea. Shemar was one of them. Andrea went on to say “It’s his first time ever doing voice animation. You would never know it how good he was. Really good.” She shared a funny anecdote about Shemar’s recording session. “It took a lot of screaming in that particular role, because he’s almost killed. If you watched the Emmys…he was doing a couple of interviews; he had worked for me that day. I was like, “Shemar, I hope I haven’t destroyed your voice for the night.” Because he just did all the ADR for him. I was like, “Oh lord, I hope I didn’t wreck you for the night.” But he was good.”

Andrea also shared a story of voice direction gone bad. “We do so many of these projects simultaneously where we are doing post production on something, casting the next one and recording for one. When I directed this piece, I had forgotten that it’s really the Justice League origin story. When I was directing Alan Tudyk as Superman, I was directing him incorrectly.” How? “I was directing him as playing it kind of the hands on the hips, arms akimbo, secure. But he wasn’t that yet. The character hadn’t grown to that yet. After we animated it and I got the track back, I went, “Oh, I screwed up.” I had to go back in and ADR his first lines of the piece, making him sound more innocent…It was very interesting to make that change because to me, they’ve always existed forever. But it was the origin story. I forgot.”

When asked if she wonders why Warner won’t release DC animated movies on the big screen, Andrea replied, “I wonder that often.” She said she was happy with the way Batman: Mask of the Phantasm turned out. Andrea elaborated, “When you make something intended for the small screen, if there are flaws, no one is ever going to see it. Of course, when we made that (Phantasm), people didn’t have 56″ flat screen TVs to watch. But you put that on a big, huge feature film screen and (you) see all those flaws. That film did really well in that there were no many flaws that showed up.”

Possibly the greatest thing about talking to Andrea is that you get a real sense of her high energy and enthusiasm for every project. I expect her to be casting Batman, and the other heroes of the DC Universe, long into the future.

Justice League: War will be released on February 14, 2014.

November 19, 2013 by Billy Henehan

NYCC 2013 – Mattel Booth Tour

Back at New York Comic Con, we took a bunch of photos in the Mattel booth. They have some VERY cool action figures coming out soon that we wanted to share with you!

Bizarro Batman!

This Doomsday towers over other figures in the line.

Monsieur Mallah!

Check out the Terry and Bruce heads for this Batman Beyond figure!

This Black Manta is awesome looking, comes with a bunch of accessories and has an interchangeable head. Have we ever had an unmasked Black Manta figure before?

He-Man and Hordak as Horde Troopers!

The Batman ’66 line is getting a Batmobile.

Surfboard Batman vs. Surfboard Joker FTW!

What do you think of these sculpts compared to other DC figures?

I’ve wanted a hover board since Back to the Future II. Sadly, this is not fully functional, but 2015 is only a year away. We’ll have fully functional hover boards by then, right? Right?!

Written by David Henehan. Photos by Graig Kreindler.

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Monthly Archives: November 2013