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The Dark Knight Rises (At The Theater 2012 #9)

Yes, yes, yes. I loved The Dark Rises. This was my most anticipated movie of 2012 and it did not disappoint at all!

I loved it so much that I watched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight again back to back shortly after seeing The Dark Knight Rises.

Thank you, Christopher Nolan. This trilogy has been amazing.

Anne Hathaway is definitely the sexiest Catwoman since Julie Newmar. I wasn’t sure what to make of her being cast at first, but she was perfect in DKR.

We can all pretend the Halle Berry movie didn’t happen now, right?

Tom Hardy as Bane was awesome. I loved how well he communicated without saying a word. I loved his voice. I’m very glad they didn’t go with Bane’s traditional wrestling unitard and pants costume from the comics. I’ve always found that costume to be ridiculous looking.

I really glad they didn’t go with this look.

I loved Bane’s jacket in Dark Knight Rises. Seriously, where can I get that jacket?

This jacket will be my closet’s reckoning.

Random thought: Is it me, or does Matthew Modine look a little too much like Aaron Eckhart? When he came on screen, I thought, “Didn’t you get horribly disfigured and die in the last movie?”

SPOILERS BELOW!


IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED, COME BACK AFTER YOU WATCH THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!

I really liked how Nolan mirrored scenes from Batman Begins in Dark Knight Rises, like when young Talia climbs out of the prison. It looked just like young Bruce’s ascent from the cave as a child.

Speaking of Talia, I called Marion Cotillard as Talia fairly early on. She was always being put in situations where if she was a villain, it would be very much to her advantage. Like, “Oh hey, here’s where we keep our nuclear reactor,” and “Hey, can you let me know which truck the Geiger counter says to mark? Thanks.” I was happy to see I was correct and I liked her Danny Ocean-esque plan for getting back at Batman. My only quibble is with Talia’s death scene. It was such a silly looking “And now I’m dead” death.

I don’t think Dark Knight Rises was better than The Dark Knight, but The Dark Knight is my favorite superhero movie ever, so it’s tough competition. The Dark Knight Rises is a great end cap for the Batman saga.

I would very much like to see a new movie with JGL as either Batman or Nightwing. There are so many Batman rouges left that Nolan didn’t touch. I know Nolan says he’s done with Batman, but it would be great if he came back on as producer if he doesn’t want to direct. Give us JGL as Batman like when Dick Grayson took over for Bruce after Batman RIP, or give us JGL as Nightwing. Either would be awesome. That said, I doubt it will happen. I think the next time we see a Batman movie in the theater, it will be a whole new franchise, in a whole new continuity.

That said, this would be all kinds of awesome.
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The Amazing Spider-Man (At The Theater 2012 #8)

I’m of two minds about The Amazing Spider-Man, On the one hand, I thought the story was great. I’m a big fan of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book, and I thought this movie was almost a direct adaptation of the first six issues of Bendis and Bagley’s Ultimate Spider-Man, just with the Lizard standing in for the Green Goblin and Gwen taking the place of Mary Jane. On the other hand, I felt like I wasn’t really watching a new movie, but rather a revised draft of 2002’s Spider-Man. There were some differences, but not enough to make it feel like it was a new movie.

That said, I thought Andrew Garfield was excellent as Peter Parker. I like that this Peter Parker wasn’t just a complete nerd, but still an outsider. It was Peter Parker by way of James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.

“You know something? You read too many comic books.”

I also thought Emma Stone was excellent at Gwen Stacey. She is such an improvement over Kirsten Dunst as in every way. I never understood the casting of Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man. I think the only movie I liked her in was Bring It On. But I’ve loved Emma Stone in everything she’s been in, including this movie.

Adorable.

Their chemistry together worked so well.

The dialogue was great. I can’t decide which was my favorite line. It was either:

Mrs. Ritter: “Peter, don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Peter Parker: “But those are the best kind.”
or

Spider-Man: “Oh, no! You have found my weakness. Small knives!”

I have to say, as much as I liked The Amazing Spider-Man, I am very glad that I saw it before The Dark Knight Rises. Don’t get me wrong, I thought The Amazing Spider-Man was a great movie, but if I had seen The Dark Knight Rises before it, I may have had bigger issues with the issues I have with it.

The Lizard looked a little silly. I wish they had gone with a more long-snouted gator head, like in the comic. Here he looks like a hairless, green ape. Even a roided up Geico Gecco would have looked better.

Sir, you’re needed on the SyFy lot for their latest Friday night movie.

My biggest problem with the movie was the scene where the crane operator gets all of the cranes to swing in the same direction, so that Spider-Man is able to swing uptown easier. It took me out of the movie completely. It might be the cheesiest scene I’ve seen in a movie this year.

The worst!

In a year where we have The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, I feel like The Amazing Spider-Man may get swept under the rug and not remembered. It did well enough to merit a sequel, but I can’t help thinking it would have been the biggest or second biggest comic book movie of 2011 if it were released last year.

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Top 5 San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Exclusives

Listeners of The Billy and Bryan Show podcast (FREE on iTunes!) know that my co-host Bryan and I are a big fan of Top 5 Lists.

Sadly, we’re not heading to Comic-Con to record an episode this week, but that doesn’t mean I can’t salivate over all the exclusives that are available at the show. Without further ado, here are my Top 5 San Diego Comic-Con 2012 Exclusives!

Honorable Mention #1: S.H.I.E.L.D. Super Helicarrier (Hasbro – $130)

When I was a kid, Hasbro released the be all and end all of awesome toys when it sold the G.I. Joe U.S.S. Flagg Aircraft Carrier playset. It was over 7 feet long! I begged my parents for it. My mom said I had to choose between the aircraft carrier and my bed, as both wouldn’t fit in my room. I still chose the aircraft carrier. Beds are overrated. Unfortunately, they didn’t go for it.

At Comic-Con this year, Hasbro is selling the Flagg’s little brother, the Super Helicarrier. It’s a little over 4 feel long and comes with action figures of Captain America and Maria Hill.

How you get this home is its own adventure. I think it’s too big for the carry on bins.

Honorable Mention #2: Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope DVD Set With Stan Lee and Harry Knowles Figures (NECA – $30)

I haven’t seen Morgan Spurlock’s Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope documentary on Comic-Con yet. I think that I would like it, but what’s getting me excited for this item is that it comes with figures of Ain’t It Cool News founder Harry Knowles and Mr. Marvel himself, Stan Lee! Seriously, where else are going to get a Stan Lee action figure?

There’s another version of the DVD set with Morgan Spurlock and Joss Whedon as the included figures. I saw photos online of a Joss Whedon figure for this as well. No offense to Mr. Knowles or Mr. Spurlock, but if the figures included in one set were Lee and Whedon, this would be closer to #1 on this list.

If you want to finally stage your Stan Lee vs. Joss Whedon battle, you’ll have to hunt down the version that includes all four, or buy two copies of each of the versions that includes two. If anyone asks, just tell them you want to watch the movie more than once.

5. Masters of the Universe He-Man Power Sword Letter Opener (Action Figure Express – $20)

I’ve never been one for letter openers. I always had an easy enough time opening envelopes with my hands, so I never saw the need for one. That changed the moment I saw the Masters of the Universe He-Man Power Sword Letter Opener, available at the Action Figure Express booth for $30.

Yell “I have the power!” every time you open up a utility bill.

4. David Mazzuchelli’s Daredevil Born Again Artist’s Edition SDCC Variant (IDW – $200)

Reproduced at the full size of the original comic art pages and scanned in full color, so that can see every blue pencil line and splash of white out, the Artist’s Editions by IDW are a godsend to fans of original comic art. IDW has set the bar even higher with the David Mazzuchelli’s Daredevil Born Artist’s Edition. Not only has the original art been reproduced, but so have all of the overlays that ended up being taped to the original bristol board. And the book is massive. The SDCC variant is signed and numbered by David Mazzuchelli and has a different cover than the regular version. There are only 250 copies of the SDCC variant, so if you want one, make sure IDW is your first stop when you get inside.

3. Shockwave H.I.S.S Tank with Destro and Cobra B.A.T. (Hasbro – $65)

G.I. Joe was my favorite line of toys when I was growing up. Transformers wasn’t far behind. The H.I.S.S. Mark II was favorite G.I. Joe vehicle ever. Shockwave was always the Transformer that I wanted to own, but didn’t. I owned Megatron, who transformed into a too-realistic looking toy gun, which was cool, but Shockwave turned into this badass futuristic laser gun that lit up.

And now the H.I.S.S. and Shockwave are combined as one!

Like last year’s Cobra Commander piloting the Star Scream Sky Striker combo, the Shockwave HISS Tank is full of awesome accessories. Destro comes with a suitcase of money, which is cool, but he also comes with his very own to-scale Soundwave tape deck and three cassettes! You even get a second action figure, one of Cobra’s Battle Android Troopers. I always liked how the B.A.T.’s sleeve was rolled up, as if it showed up to Cobra that morning and said, “Alright! I’m ready to work!”

The ONE downside to this tank is that it doesn’t transform. But, honestly, the only way they could have excited me more would be if the exclusive was Snake Eyes behind the wheel of G1 Bumblebee (Hint for next year, Hasbro!).

2. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Christmas Ornament (Hallmark – $25)

I love Christmas ornaments, especially if they are Star Wars or superhero related. I also love The Dark Knight Returns.  It is definitely my favorite Batman story ever. My Christmas tree will not be complete until I own this.


1. Peavey McFarlane Spider-Man Rockmaster Electric Guitar (Action Figure Express – $275)

I don’t play guitar (unless you count Rock Band), but if I owned this guitar, I would learn. True story: I was obsessed with Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man when I was in junior high school. At NYCC two years ago, 14-year old me gave present-day me a time travelling high-five when I got McFarlane to sign my copy of Amazing Spider-Man #300. At, $275, this guitar is the priciest item on this list, but look at it. It’s so pretty.

The first song I would learn? The Ramones cover of The Spider-Man Theme.

Looking over this list, I’m guessing that my bank account balance is very happy with me not attending Comic-Con.

Here’s hoping that the exclusives at this year’s New York Comic Con are equally good!

UPDATE:

Reader Dave wanted to know where Deadpool  is at in all of this. Here he is: Mongram has come out with a limited to 150 pieces Deadpool Bust Bank. It’s both sweet and generic looking. I can’t make up my mind on this one. I feel like you could get a similar Deadpool bank at your local comic book store, but the one at your local shop would be plastic and this one is a nice resin. Monogram is selling it for $25 at SDCC.

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Safety Not Guaranteed (At The Theater 2012 #7)

This is looking like it’s going to be a great summer for big summer movies. It started very strong with The Avengers, Pixar just released a new movie and the upcoming blockbusters The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises both look like they’re going to be awesome. Because of this, it might be easy to overlook a small budget movie like Safety Not Guaranteed when you’re planning your next trip to the movie theater. But overlooking Safety Not Guaranteed would be a mistake, as it is currently my favorite movie of this year.

Starring actors from three of the best shows on TV, Aubrey Plaza (April on Parks and Rec), Jake Johnson (Nick on New Girl) and Mark Duplass (Pete on The League), having a story involving time travel, and with music by Ryan Miller of Guster, this movie could not have been more directed at me without making overt Star Wars references. I’ve been excited to see Safety Not Guaranteed ever since I first heard about it a few months ago. Then I saw the trailer and started counting down the days until the movie opened.

The League is my new favorite show and I can’t stop talking about, much to the chagrin of any of my friends who don’t watch it.

Safety Not Guaranteed is a very funny movie that has a lot of heart. The humor is great and the characters feel like very real people. I liked how fleshed out everyone was. Aubrey Plaza gives a great performance as Darius, the magazine intern who helps Jake Johnson’s Jeff attempt to interview Mark Duplass’s Kenneth. I thought that Darius and Kenneth had great chemistry together. They have a reverse Taming of the Shrew-esque relationship and I spent much of the movie waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I loved the slow-moving car chase.

On a side not, it’s amazing how badly the wrong pair of glasses can make you look. The gaming laptop toting Arnau (played by Karan Soni) is a really handsome guy when Jeff gives him a five minute makeover. I wish somebody had done that for me in 10th grade when I was sporting over sized gold rimmed frames that helped cement me in the geek camp.

If you like Doctor Who, I think you will really like Safety Not Guaranteed. It’s like watching a Doctor Who episode from the point of view of one of The Doctor’s companions. Can this guy really travel in time? Is he just a nut? Darius and Kenneth reminded me a lot of Rose and The Doctor.

Does that make the beat-up yellow Trans-Am the TARDIS?

If you haven’t seen it already, my recommendation is to make Safety Not Guaranteed the next movie you see. You can check out the trailer below.


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Stardust (On The Couch 2012 #6)

A hunt for some good wedding readings led me to read Stardust. I’m a big fan of Neil Gaiman and thought it would be cool to have something he wrote at our wedding. There are only so many times people can hear Corinthian 13:4-7, right?

One Gaiman passage I found was from Stardust. I had never read it before and decided this was as good a time as any, so I took it out of the library, read the book and loved it. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember reading anything matching the passage I was thinking about using at our wedding. I looked it up on the web again and realized my error: it was from the movie, not the novel!

I immediately rented Stardust from Netflix.

I then immediately let it sit next to my TV for a month before I watched it. Side note: I need to reevaluate my disc subscription.

Stardust: the movie is great. In some ways, I love it more than Stardust: the novel. The dialogue was remarkably crisp, with a good deal of wit and humor mixed in, especially any time the ghost brothers were on the screen.

Robert DeNiro gives a performance that needs to be included in any career retrospective highlight reel. While his performance as Captain Shakespeare will never be as famous as his roles in Taxi Driver, The Godfather Part II or Raging Bull, his performance here might be one of the best comedic performances he’s ever given.

Captain Shakespeare is my favorite pirate since The Dread Pirate Roberts.

I can’t recommend Stardust enough. Unfortunately, it’s not available on Netflix streaming at this time, but it is available on Amazon Prime streaming (I subscribe to both). If you’re not an Amazon Prime member, you’ll have to hunt down the disc. But it’s definitely worth it. If you liked Time Bandits or The Princess Bride, then…well, why haven’t you seen this yet? Actually, I’ll tell you why. When Stardust was first released, I remember the marketing for it making it look like the cheesiest movie ever. It’s not.

Once you get your hands on the DVD, check out the deleted scenes and the special making of featurette with Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess. I’m usually not a fan of DVD extras, but the ones in Stardust are a very welcome exception.

In the end, I don’t think we’ll have a reading from Stardust at our wedding, but I’m very grateful for the journey that led me to this book and movie. Now to hunt down Stardust: the graphic novel.

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Boy Wonder (On The Couch 2012 #5)

Back in October, at New York Comic Con, I had the opportunity to interview Michael Morrissey, the writer and director of Boy Wonder. You can read that interview here. At the time that I interviewed him, Boy Wonder was making its New York City premiere, which Michael was nice enough to offer me tickets to a screening. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the screening, but definitely planned on seeing Boy Wonder.

I just didn’t think it would take this long for me to see it.

I shouldn’t have waited. And neither should you. Boy Wonder is awesome.

Don’t let the title fool you. This isn’t the story about a teen prancing around in elf slippers and briefs. This is a dark, psychological thriller. It’s the Batman story if Bruce Wayne was working class. Think Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies minus the costumes and minus Bruce Wayne’s inheritance.

Wrong Boy Wonder.

One thing I really liked about Boy Wonder is how local it is to Brooklyn. This isn’t Chicago masking as Brooklyn. This is Brooklyn. The movie opens on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The criminal court on Schermerhorn Street downtown makes an appearance and the NYCT subway system in Brooklyn hosts some of the most intense scenes in the movie. If you live or work in Brooklyn, you’ll probably recognize at least a few settings in the movie.

I only have one nitpick with how Brooklyn was used. During the chase at the Union St stop on the R, after Shawn leaves the train, he’s running through a much bigger station, which I thought was Atlantic Ave. This did take me out of the movie for a second. Union St is a tiny station and Atlantic Ave is a big complex. Why show him clearly getting off at Union St? Why not just have him get off at Atlantic Ave for the sake of continuity? Then again, it makes sense from a production point of view. I’m guessing it’s much easier to get a permit to film on the platform of a not-busy station like Union St than it is to get one for the constantly busy Atlantic Ave.

But seriously, that was my biggest problem with the movie: a subway station not matching up to reality. That says a lot, doesn’t it.

I really like the ending of the movie. I’m not going to spoil anything here. It didn’t end the way I thought it would have, but I was very satisfied with Boy Wonder’s final scenes.

I’m feeling there will be a bunch of Boy Wonder cosplayer sightings at NYCC and Halloween this year.

If you’re a fan of Marathon Man, Nolan’s Batman films or just like your superheroes with a touch of realism, definitely check out Boy Wonder.

Written by Billy Henehan

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Talking Trailers: The Dark Knight Rises and Les Miserables

 Warner Bros released a new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises this week! Have you watched it yet? Does it make you as excited for the movie as I am?!

Anyone know doubted Thomas Hardy as Bane should cast their doubts aside after seeing this trailer.

Based on this trailer, I’m expecting the score of The Dark Knight Rises to be as nuanced and amazing as the score for The Dark Knight. I cannot wait for this movie to open.

It occurred to me when I saw the Les Miserables trailer that Anne Hathaway is in both movies that I’m most excited for in the second half of 2012.

Both of these movies look amazing. Which one are you more excited for?

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Pittsburgh Comicon 2012 Wrap Up

I had a chance to attend the Pittsburgh Comicon for the first time ever this year. Pittsburgh is a comic book convention I’ve wanted to attend for years. One of my favorite artists, George Perez, is a perennial attendee at Pittsburgh, and I was always jealous of the people in Pittsburgh who got to see him year after year. So when the opportunity arose to head to the ‘Burgh this year for Pittsburgh Comicon, I jumped at the opportunity.

I was completely spoiled by staying at the Monroeville Doubletree. It’s right across the parking lot from the Monroeville Convention Center, where the convention takes place. Living in NYC, I usually bring the bare minimum of items with me to a convention. Who wants to lug a heavy bag on the subway and carry it around all day? As I outlined in my lead-up to NYCC 2011, if I want something signed, I’ll buy it on the show floor. But being so close to my hotel room in Pittsburgh made it possible to change out items throughout the day, which led to me getting my massive Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus signed by Stan Lee. That Omnibus was on me for about 10 minutes more than it took to wait on Stan Lee’s line. Then it was back in my hotel room, much to the happiness of my back.

What I loved most about attending Pittsburgh Comicon is that it is the best parts of a big con and small mixed together. There were big name guests there, but scale was smaller, which led to better interactions between creators and fans. It reminded me a lot of a version of the much missed annual Ramapo Comic Book Conventions in New York from the 80s and 90s.

If you ever attend a con that Barry Kitson is attending, head to his table! I met Barry for the first time this year, and he absolutely awesome! He sits behind his artist’s table doing ink and watercolor illustrations for fans all day. They’re amazingly detailed and FREE. The catch is you have to be patient, and stay at Barry’s table until it’s your turn. The illustrations average about 45 minutes each, so if you’re 7th in line, expect to be there all day. For people who can’t hang out all day, like me, Barry does quick 5-minute head sketches in between the full figure illustrations. Waiting at the table really isn’t a downside though, as Barry, the guys working his table and the fans hanging out could not have been a nicer group of people. I was happy to find out that Barry was an Arsenal fan. We chatted about that day’s match. After getting my sketch, I kind of wanted to just hang out at Barry’s table for the rest of the day anyway. Barry did the below ink and watercolor of Spider-Man in 5 minutes, 8 seconds. Yes, someone timed him.
Other highlights of Pittsburgh Comicon 2011:

-Getting not one, but three sketches from George Perez

Peter Parker/Spider-Man
 Wally West as The Flash
Wonder Woman

-Meeting Stan Lee, getting my Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus signed him and having the following interaction:
Me: You’re my hero, Stan!
Stan Lee: I like your taste, kid.

-Meeting Scott McDaniel, who is one of the nicest guys working in comics, and getting this awesome Spider-Man sketch from him. In case you didn’t realize, I really like Spider-Man.

-Having a crazy run on the roulette wheel at Casino Night and walking away with a 2007 Pittsburgh Comicon/Marvel Zombies poster signed by Arthur Suydam with a Zombie Batman (or is that Black Panther). I was so happy I bought the roulette guys a round afterwards.

-The Pittsburgh food. I missed out breakfast at Pamela’s. But I did get dessert at Gullifty’s in Squirrel Hill twice, had a great bowl of alligator chili at Fuel and Fuddle in Oakland, and drove out of town with a pack of smiley face cookies from Eat N’ Park. I think I put on 10 lbs every time I visit Pittsburgh. And I can’t wait to come back next year!

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Drive (On The Couch 2012 #4)

Going into Drive, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. It seemed to be a very polarizing movie. Almost everyone I know who has seen it either loves it and thought it was robbed at the Oscars or found it slow and unwatchable. Now that I’ve seen it, I can say that while I don’t think it was robbed of an Oscar nomination, I definitely fall on the side of people who liked the movie.

I thought Drive was very well paced, so I don’t get people who found it too slow.

Ryan Gosling gives what appears to be another seemingly effortless performance as the unnamed driver in Drive. By effortless, please don’t think I’m calling him lazy. I’m not. I’m amazed by Ryan Gosling as an actor. He seems to fall into each character he plays so easily. It never seems like I’m watching Ryan Gosling play a character as much as it feels like watching Ryan Gosling now as a that person.

For a movie with not that many violent scenes, I was amazed at how violent the violence was on screen. When Ryan Gosling is stomping a hole in that guy’s face in the elevator, I recoiled the same way as when I saw the “eat the sidewalk” scene in American History X.

My only knock against Drive is that I didn’t get the point of the neon title logo and 80s-esque synth pop soundtrack. The movie takes place in the present day, right? Is it supposed to be evocative of 80s movies, or am I just reading too much into things?

Who wants to buy me this jacket?

Since seeing Drive, I’ve developed a habit of hanging my watch from my steering wheel and telling people they have five minutes to get back in my car before taking them on a high speed car ride. There’s no way this is going to end well…

…Oh, and in my head, this is what I look like.
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The Avengers (At The Theater 2012 #6)

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you Josh Whedon! So many people predicted in the press that you couldn’t bring all these A-list Hollywood actors together, put their egos behind them and create a great ensemble film. Those people were so wrong. Could The Avengers have been more perfect? I was grinning during this movie from the opening scene through the second end credits scene. You did stay for the second end credits scene, right?

Actually, I was grinning from the Dark Knight Rises and Amazing Spider-Man trailer through the end of the movie. I thought last year was the year of the comic book fan at the movie theater. But clearly, it’s this year.

I liked Edward Norton in The Incredible Hulk, but Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk makes me want a Hulk movie.

SPOILERS AFTER THIS PICTURE OF THE HULK PRACTICING SHOT PUT!

Like anyone affected by the deaths of Wash and Shepherd in Serenity, I had a feeling that Joss Whedon was going to kill off a fan favorite in The Avengers. I didn’t know who it would be. Black Widow? Hawkeye? But Agent Coulson? Why?! No!! Damn you, Whedon!

RIP Agent Coulson
How awesome was it when Iron Man said “Cap’n”?

First end credits scene: Thanos! Thanos! Thanos! Are we getting The Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers 2? Please say yes. What about the Thanos Copter?

Not his best moment.

Second end credits scene: They went out for shawarma! Awesome! Wait, what is shawarma?