January 22, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Justice League: War – Review

A theater full of excited fans and I braved a blizzard in New York City to attend the world premiere of Justice League: War at the Paley Center. I can’t lie, I was both excited and apprehensive when I took my seat. I was excited because Justice League: War represents a new initiative in the DC Animated Universe. Producer James Tucker has a vision of the films now operating under a shared continuity. I was also excited for the talent that Andrea Romano cast to be in the movie. I’m an unabashed fan of Justin Kirk and wanted to see what he brought to Green Lantern. But I still had a lingering apprehension, which stemmed from the source material. I love Geoff Johns and I love Jim Lee, but I found the story in Justice League: Origin to be a bit underwhelming. Not to say I didn’t like their run on Justice League. I own all of the issues and even a page of Jim Lee’s original art from #5. I just wanted more from that story.

Justice League: War brings the more.

Screenwriter Heath Corson and Director Jay Oliva make a number of improvements to the Justice League: Origin story in Justice League: War. My favorite line in Justice League: Origin, “Who’s Bruce Wayne?” is still here, but it’s moved much earlier in the story. It definitely works better in its new spot. Later, Bruce’s unmasking to Hal, which I remember being a big sore point for fans when the comic was released feels much more organic in the movie. The scene is now an inspiring one and seems to fit perfectly into the narrative. The biggest change to story is Vic Stone’s transformation into Cyborg. In the Justice League comic, his cyborg body is basically built out of a bunch of spare parts that his dad had lying around. But in the movie, his cyborg half stems from the techno-organic virus-like goo that transforms beings into parademons. I feel this new origin works better, because it gives Victor something to overcome. Vic is still saved by his father Silas when he’s near death, but this method gets Vic back in the game much more quickly.

Corson’s humor definitely shines in the script, and because of that, I feel that this is a superhero movie that non-comics fans can enjoy alongside comic book fans. It has that same wink and a nod tone that the best episodes of Justice League Unlimited had. Whether it’s Batman and Green Lantern’s verbal jabbing, the ice cream scene with Wonder Woman, or even just the reactions characters give to certain lines, the humor makes this movie stand out. And don’t think for one second that this comes at the cost of making the movie feel silly. Just the opposite. Corson plays the humor in a way that heightens the seriousness of the threat. And it makes sense. Thematically, Darkseid is the absence of all joy, so of course the heroes should have a tinge of mirth to them.

Jay Oliva can really direct a fight scene. At NYCC, Jay said he wanted Justice League: War to be balls to the wall action, and man did he deliver! This might be the most action-heavy DC animated movie yet. The movie revs up quickly and does not slow down for the most part. Oliva does take small breaks from the action, but this keeps things from getting monotonous. There’s a fine line that separates great action from overdoing it, and Jay walks that line well.

As you watch the movie, you may notice the pace of the story has been dramatically increased. In the comic, the story played out over a few days, but here it’s been reduced to one night. It’s almost like Justice League: 24. The shortened timetable both increases suspense and raises the stakes.

I really liked the character design work by Phil Bourassa. He took Jim Lee’s New 52 designs and improved on them for the movie. This is particularly true for the parademons. Gone are the bugged out red eyes that defined Lee’s parademons for me. Bourassa’s parademons don’t even have eyes…unless that’s them on their chins. Bourassa also designed a very cool Wonder Woman costume. It’s the most athletic looking Wonder Woman costume I can remember, while retaining all of Wonder Woman’s iconic pieces…the tiara, the bracelets, the lasso, the boots and the chest plate symbol.

Andrea Romano cast what I would call a perfect cast for this movie. Sure, I’ll always want Nathan Fillion to voice Green Lantern and Kevin Conroy to voice Batman, but they’re not always available, and you will not hear any complaints from me on the casting of Justin Kirk and Jason O’Mara in their stead. Christopher Gorham’s take on The Flash is what I found most interesting. It’s definitely not the voice for Barry Allen that I hear in my head when I read the comics, but his choices on he played Barry make sense. He gives Allen a definitive cop voice, which makes sense, because Allen is a cop. I think Gorham and Romano took a risk with playing Barry Allen this way, but it’s a risk that paid off. Gorham speaks quickly as he voices The Flash. He has a knack for speaking quickly. During the panel after the screening, he let the audience know that he’s a trained auctioneer. You can listen to clip of him training the audience on how to be an auctioneer right here:

In my opinion, Justice League: War is the new reigning champ among DC animated movies. And I say this as a HUGE fan of Under the Red Hood and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 and Part 2. I think the crew there are operating on all cylinders, which makes me very excited for Batman: Son of Batman, their next release. If you are a fan of the Justice League, consider Justice League: War a must-see!

Justice League: War is available for digital download right now and will be released on Blu Ray and DVD on February 4. You can preorder it on Amazon right now.

“Where’s The Flash?”

Tuesday Night Movies is running a contest where one lucky winner will take home a copy of Justice League: War, signed by Christopher Gorham of Covert Affairs, who voices The Flash in the movie. While interviewing him at the premiere last night, I pointed out that The Flash wasn’t on the poster for Justice League: War. The fan who makes the best poster for Justice League: War that includes The Flash will win a signed Blu Ray combo pack of Justice League: War by Christopher Gorham and a follow from him on Twitter! You can find all the details on how to enter here.

January 22, 2014 by Billy Henehan

12 Years A Slave – Review

Before I saw 12 Years a Slave, I did not know that it was based on a true story, and I’m suspecting I’m not alone. Because of this, this movie is doing the American public a service, bringing to light once more a terrible story that needs to be told.

Chietwel Ejiofor is simply amazing in 12 Years a Slave. He brings gravitas to every scene. His vocal inflection in every line of dialog carries so much meaning. He is my pick for the Best Actor Oscar.

12 Years a Slave is a great movie, though it can be very hard to watch at points. I physically winced during Eliza’s whipping. At the same time, it was such a great scene. Epps can’t bring himself to whip Eliza, so he forces Solomon to do it. It turns Epps into a weakling and a monster all in the same scene. Michael Fassbender should win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar on the strength of this scene alone.

My favorite scene in the entire movie is when Solomon has to talk his way out of being killed by Epps in the middle of the night. Solomon is ratted out on a plan to escape to freedom, but instead of fighting or fleeing, he uses his wits to stay alive. He even turns the table on his accuser, causing Epps to mistrust that man. Part of the strength of the scene came from the proximity of the actors. Fassbender literally has his arm around Ejiofor for the length of the scene. Solomon is a turn of the knife away from being in the grave the entire time he’s pleading his case.

I think part of what makes 12 Years a Slave works so well is that it humanizes even the vilest of villains. By humanize, I don’t mean it excuses their behavior. But the movie does an excellent job of showing the origins of their motivation. Paul Dano’s Tibeats is an out and out racist, there’s no denying that, but the movie shows him also operating out of jealously. When he turns his malicious attention to Solomon, it’s because Solomon managed to impress Tibeats’s boss more than Tibeats could.

Between the one-two punch of There Will Be Blood and 12 Years a Slave, Paul Dano might be the most effective movie villain out there. I’m fairly certain that going forward, my skin will crawl the minute he appears on screen. It’s weird that he played such a quiet character in Little Miss Sunshine, because when I think of him, all I can picture is him howling in There Will be Blood or 12 Years a Slave.

With the exception of Brad Pitt’s character and the doctor that comes to rescue Solomon, every white person in this movie is an asshole. Some are better than others, but the best of them, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Ford, while easily the most genial slave owner in the movie, turns out to be a coward, and let’s not forget, still a slave owner.

When I walked into 12 Years A Slave, I worried that the movie would be another Hotel Rwanda, a great movie but one I’d never want to watch again. However, after watching 12 Years A Slave, I’d gladly watch it again, because it is a masterpiece. I keep going back and forth on which I think should win the Oscar, 12 Years A Slave or Gravity. Today it’s 12 Years a Slave.

January 22, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Justice League War Poster Contest!

Christopher Gorham, star of Covert Affairs and the voice of The Flash in Justice League: War, was at the World Premiere for Justice League: War at the Paley Center in New York City last night. Ironically, The Flash is not on the poster for Justice League: War.

Here’s your chance to rectify that and win yourself a Blu Ray Combo Pack of Justice League: War signed by Christopher Gorham and a follow from Christopher on Twitter!

Entering is easy:

Follow @TuesNightMovies on Twitter
Design a new poster for Justice League: War. The poster must include The Flash and the title logo for Justice League: War. Other than that, get as creative as you can!
Tweet a pic of your poster to @TuesNightMovies and @ChrisGorham with the hashtags #JLWar #FlashPoster

Winner will be chosen on January 29th!

Justice League: War is available for digital download now and will be released on Blu Ray Combo Pack and DVD on February 4! Pre-order it now on Amazon.

January 21, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast #3

Dave and Billy are back, and they’ve brought their top picks for comics being released on 1/22/14 with them! Find out why they’re excited for James Robinson and Steve Pugh’s All-New Invaders #1 from Marvel Comics.

The guys also discuss the best comics of the previous week, Billy’s recent obsession with All-New X-Men and the recently announced return of Wally West to the DC Universe!

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January 20, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD – S1E12 – “Seeds” – Recap

Last week was Coulson’s turn to find out the truth. This week was Skye’s. While Ward, Skye and FitzSimmons take a trip to SHIELD’s Science Academy, Coulson and May hopped in Lola to track down a major lead regarding Skye’s past. After a fun chase sequence through some South American streets and alleyways that culminates with Coulson levitating in Lola to come face to face with the former agent, who is trying to escape up a fire escape.

Like a good Joss Whedon reveal, the answers this former agent provided about Skye’s origin bring up more questions. This agent’s team was sent to a small Chinese village about 20 years ago to investigate an 0-8-4, which you may remember from episode 2 as being an object of mysterious origin. The 0-8-4 in this mission turns out to be baby Skye. Everyone in the village died to protect her. She’s the lone survivor when SHIELD arrives. Things get weirder as every member of that SHIELD team is slowly picked off one at a time over the years. SHIELD shuffles Skye from foster family to foster family in order to protect her. Once May and Coulson hear this story, May advises Coulson that they keep this information from Skye.

Coulson initially agrees with May, but ends up telling Skye the truth when they reconvene with her and the rest of Coulson’s team. Telling Skye the truth is no doubt a direct result of Coulson finding out very recently that he’s been lied to by his superiors, people whom he trusted. I think that if Coulson heard this story before “The Magical Place,” he would not have told Skye. Pre-“Magical Place” Coulson was much more by the book than post-“Magical Place” Coulson.

Keeping with the theme of truth telling, May tells Coulson that’s she been having sex with Ward. She actually tells him twice, as Coulson didn’t even react the first time May told him. But as it turns out, he heard her the first time, and trusts her to know what she’s doing and be professional. Phil Coulson: Manager of the Year.

Cutting over to the other story, we’re introduced to the SHIELD Science Institute, aka SHIELD Hogwarts. Replace the wands with soldering irons and magical tomes with C++ programming guides and you have the SHIELD Science Institute. I’ve said before that FitzSimmons are the Ron and Hermione of SHIELD and this trip to their alma mater helped drive the point home. FitzSimmons are the youngest graduates of SHIELDwarts, but this new kid, Donnie (no, not that New Kid Donnie) might graduate even earlier. He’s wicked smart, but a bit of an introvert.

The mystery of the week is the agents trying to find out who is trying to knock off students with a freeze bomb. The special effects used for this freezing looked awesome, it should be noted. The special effects in these last two episodes have been top notch all-around.

Like a good Scooby Doo mystery, the two victims were actually the people behind it. And they would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling ~~kids~~ FitzSimmons! Donnie and buddy, motivated by greed, test drive a giant version of the freeze bomb, that basically drops a super storm on top of SHIELDwarts.

Marvel Trivia: Donald “Donnie” Gill is the name of Iron Man ice-villain, Blizzard. This episode marks this comic book character’s first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Blizzard.

January 14, 2014 by Billy Henehan

American Hustle – Review

How do you look at American Hustle? Is it Mystique, Hawkeye, Batman and Lois Lane teaming up? The cast of The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook getting together for the movie equivalent of a super group ala The Travelling Wilburies? Watching American Hustle, I couldn’t help but wonder if David O. Russell asked himself if he could do a Martin Scorsese movie, specifically Goodfellas.

American Hustle opens with Irving (Christian Bale) and Sydney (Amy Adams) talking in voiceover about how they met. Their speeches had definite shades of Goodfellas’ opening line, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

The characters costumes seemed right out of Goodfellas as well. During American Hustle, I couldn’t help but think that toupee wearing dry-cleaner turned con man Irving’s story was actually what was going on with Morrie in Goodfellas when he wasn’t being choked by Jimmy Conway.

Then Robert De Niro showed up and I had no idea if I was watching Goodfellas or American Hustle. My confusion mounted when they cut to a flashback scene of Robert De Niro’s character as a young mobster that I think might have been a deleted scene from Goodfellas. American Hustle’s title should have been Goodfellas 2: Camden Nights.

I enjoyed the twist at the end of American Hustle. It was very Ocean’s 11-esque. However, the 20 minutes before the twist seemed to slog. I felt myself fidgeting in my seat, wondering where this movie was going.

Should you see American Hustle? Take this quiz to find out.

1. Are you a fan of Amy Adams side boob?

2. Same question, but this time Jennifer Lawrence.

3. Are you a dude who curls your own hair?

4. Is Fat Batman you thing?

5. Do you want to see Jimmy Conway in action one more time?

If you answered Yes to any of these, you should see American Hustle! If you answered No to all of these, I recommend watching The Fighter again instead.

January 13, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast – Episode 2

In episode 2 of the Tuesday Night Comics Podcast, Billy and Dave preview comics coming out Wednesday, January 15, 2014. They also talk about the best comics they’ve read this week, the Shia Labeouf vs. Daniel Clowes fight, and the possible casting of Jesse Plemons (from Friday Night Lights & Breaking Bad) as one of the two leads in the new Star Wars movie. Landry Forever.

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January 13, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Agents of SHIELD S1E11 – The Magical Place – Recap

The wait is over. Agents of SHIELD is back! SPOILERS ahead, so if you haven’t watched The Magical Place yet, you may want to do that before you continue. It’s cool, we’ll hold a chair for you.

This episode could have been called Answers, because that’s what we get. Coulson DID die in The Avengers. From what we learn in this new episode, this Phil Coulson is not a LMD, but rather is the same Coulson brought back from the dead. How did they bring him back? It involved at least seven surgeries, and a crazy brain scanning/operating machine that looked like it was borrowed from The Matrix. I winced when that machine has its pincers in Coulson’s exposed brain. Exposed brain makes me wince too, by the way. And there is no Tahiti, at least not for Coulson. Tahiti was a mirage/hologram/implanted memory.

Cut away! No, not cut away his brain! Cut away from this shot!

I was glad to see Firefly alum Ron Glass, aka Shepherd Book, aka Dr. Streiten, return. We haven’t seen Dr. Streiten since the pilot episode. When Streiten is confronted by Coulson, he fesses up immediately, and it very sorry that they brought Coulson back. On the operating table, Coulson kept saying “Let me die” and that he was in a lot of pain. Not wanting a whiny post-death Coulson on their hands, SHIELD messed with his brain to keep his pre-death personality intact. Looking at the preview for next week’s episode, it’s safe to say Coulson is not okay with having his brain mucked with. Expect to see the very “company man” Coulson travelling down the path mostly traveled by Skye. If they messed with his brain to make him more like his old self, what else did they do while they were in there?

Skye shines this episode from the moment she’s booted from the plane by May. We all knew why May booted her right from the start, right? It amazed me that it took the rest of the team so long to catch on. If I was Victoria Hand, after hearing the way May answered whether or not Skye should stay, I think I would have confined Skye to her quarters.

On her own, Skye unleashes her inner May, even going so far as to call herself Agent May when interrogating Rob Huebel. I was so happy that Rob Huebel was cast for this episode. I’ve loved the man since his Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man commercials, which are easily the best silence your phone spots ever! Human Giant? Awesome. His Twitter feed? Hilarious. Hollywood casting agents: More Rob Huebel!

There were some deaths and a resurrection (besides Coulson’s) to round out The Magical Place. Mike Peterson is killed off-screen at the beginning of the episode, only to shown alive (but missing a few body parts) at the very end of the episode. Po, the creepy dude freed from prison by Centipede, is killed through his phone when The Clairvoyant decides it’s time to promote Raina. We all agree Raina is the creepiest, right? Yes, she’s one of the bad guys, but she seems pretty cool until she gets all crazy-eyed when she talks about The Clairvoyant. I really liked that Coulson got an answer to the question everyone wanted to ask, but was afraid to, namely what’s with all the flower dresses?

Next week’s episode is called Seeds. I’m guessing it’s about Ward’s secret gardening habit or a wild sex party on the bus. We’ll find out if I’m right on Tuesday!

January 7, 2014 by Billy Henehan

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 1

Check out Tuesday Night Movies’ new podcast, Tuesday Night Comics! This podcast is your cheat sheet for Wednesday, aka New Comic Book Day. Each week Billy and Dave will highlight the new comics we’re looking forward to most, and tell you about our favorite recent releases that you may have missed the last time you were at your local comic book store.

In this first episode, we talk about new comic coming out on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 and our favorite comics of 2013.

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January 7, 2014 by Billy Henehan

The Best Comics of 2013!

2013 has come to an end, and it was a great year for comics! Here are our picks at Tuesday Night Movies for the best comics of 2013!

Billy says:

1. Copra: I hopped on the Copra train late. I picked up the first Copra Compendium when issue #7 was on the stands. I devoured the first three issues and quickly ordered the rest of the series, rereading that first compendium over and over again until the issues arrived. It is a gorgeous comic, with sublime art and a great story. If you’re a fan of the Suicide Squad, forget the series that DC has on the stands right now and read Michel Fiffe’s Copra instead!

2. Hawkeye: If it wasn’t for Copra, my #1 comic of 2012 would have repeated in 2013. Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye remains the best comic being published at Marvel. Heck, it’s the best comic produced anywhere but inside Michel Fiffe’s apartment. I wouldn’t be surprised to find this comic at the top of my Best Comics of 2014 list.

3. Battling Boy: I had never heard of Battling Boy before Nick told me about it just before NYCC. I’m glad he recommended it to me, because it is awesomesauce. This and Copra are superhero comics for those who want more from what they’re finding on the stands. Pope’s art is insanely kinetic. I’m really looking forward to the next chapter in the Battling Boy saga.

4. Young Avengers: I’m typing up this list the day before Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s excellent Young Avengers series comes to an end. It’s been a glorious 14 issues thus far. This comic has such a unique voice, and I’m very sorry to see it come to an end. McKelvie’s line work is so beautiful and Gillen captures the voice and feel of teenagers perfectly. And I think this series marks the first time I’ve liked Noh-Var since Grant Morrison’s Marvel Boy series.

Best variant cover ever?

5. Sex Criminals: Matt Fraction makes my list twice! I first heard Fraction talking about Sex Criminals on the Word Balloon podcast and immediately put it on my watch list. I hyped it up a bit in my head and my expectations were blown away. The comic has a wry sense of humor that doesn’t turn cornball or overtly perverse, which it easily could have devolved into.

Nick says:

When I started compiling my list of the best comics of 2013, I found that I hadn’t started reading many new comics this year – most of the books I read were launched earlier – but there are a few that stood out above the rest. Here’s my top 5 comics of 2013 list, in no particular order:

1. Batman ’66: If you listened to the Billy & Bryan Show where we discussed the Dark Knight Rises, you may remember that I love Batman more than most things, and when I heard that DC was releasing a weekly digital series based on the classic Adam West Batman TV series, I was ecstatic! The show is one of my very favorite interpretations of the character, and this book echoes it perfectly – it’s fun without being silly, is gorgeous to look at, and is the best use of Comixology’s “guided-view” technology that I’ve seen so far. Even though they later release them in physical form (with beautiful covers by Mike and Laura Allred,) reading the comics digitally is the way to go. I’ve found most post New52 Batman books to be virtually unreadable (outside of Scott Snyder and Grant Morrison’s stuff) but as long as they keep putting these out, DC will at least get some of my money every week.

2. Battling Boy: Years in the making, Paul Pope finally released the first book in his Battling Boy series at this year’s New York Comic Con, to pretty much universally rave reviews (I tried to put one together myself but had trouble coming up with more than “this is a fantastic book, and I like it.”) In addition to being a great adventure story, it’s also perfect for readers of (almost) all ages – the closest analog I can make is that it reminds me of Kirby’s classic 1970’s work. Pope is firing on all cylinders and I cannot wait for the next installment(s) in the series.

3. The Private Eye: Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga was on my list of my favorite stuff from last year, and continues to be among my favorite books each month. That said, I think I might like The Private Eye, Vaughan’s newest book, even more. Featuring gorgeous art by Marcos Martin, the series takes place in a future where all of the information contained in “the cloud” has been released into the world for everyone to access, which results in the internet being completely shut down and people reverting back to paper records for everything. An inspired idea from Vaughan, who eschews social media (he doesn’t have a Twitter account or a website.) In addition to being a great comic, the series has also made waves by its business model – customers get to decide how much they’re willing to pay for each issue, even going so far as to be able to get the book for free. In addition, there are no plans to offer a physical version of the comic; digital is the only way to get it.

4. Lazarus: I found myself reading more of Greg Rucka’s work this last year than I have in the past, mostly due to the release of his and Michael Lark’s Lazarus series. I’ve been a fan of Lark’s work ever since I first read Terminal City in the late 90’s, and this is definitely some of his best work. The premise of the book, where all of the world’s wealth is under the control of a handful of families, leaving everyone else to pretty much work under them, is fantastic while at the same time completely terrifying, as this is something that could eventually occur in real life. Rucka has taken to joking at conventions about how he’s been pigeon-holed as “just a writer of strong female characters” and while the main protagonist of the book, Forever Carlyle, is not going to change anyone’s mind about that, his handling of the book makes those comments completely moot – comics needs more books like this, and Lazarus continues Image’s recent winning streak of putting out some of the industry’s best books by its best creators.

5. Sex Criminals: speaking of fantastic comics that Image released in 2013, Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s Sex Criminals is my book of the year. They’ve taken what could have been, in lesser hands, a crass idea (basically, they’re trying to translate a “sex comedy” such as American Pie into comic form) and created a charming and hilarious book. The premise is (pretty) simple: two characters, Jon and Suzie, find that they have the ability to stop time when they, um, “climax” and decide to do what anyone would do in that situation – commit crimes! Like I said, this could have definitely been an embarrassing lowest-common-denominator book full of low-brow jokes, but it’s turned out to be witty, fun to look at, and (surprisingly, at least to me) legitimately sexy. Zdarksy is an inspired choice to be on art duties; the drawings are full of hilarious background details, and Fraction’s story presents a realistic portrayal of how people learn about sex and fit themselves into relationships – seeing where this book is headed is one of the things I’m most looking forward to in 2014.

Written by Billy Henehan and Nick Doyle

Tuesday Night Movies

Movie reviews, Comics & General Geekery

Author Archives

Justice League: War – Review

12 Years A Slave – Review

Justice League War Poster Contest!

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast #3

Agents of SHIELD – S1E12 – “Seeds” – Recap

American Hustle – Review

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast – Episode 2

Agents of SHIELD S1E11 – The Magical Place – Recap

Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 1

The Best Comics of 2013!