Let me start by saying… Excellent Fucking Trailer!
The Comic-Con Trailer for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is amazing, delivering everything you want to see and more! Things you never thought you’d see!
Watch it now before I spoil it in my excitement.
Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) running to save his staff at Wayne Tower Metropolis during the climatic battle in Man of Steel! Joker messages taunting the Batman out of retirement! Evidence of a “lost” Robin (Jason Todd?)! Lots of Batman fighting, flying the Batwing… and fighting! In multiple types of suits! The body of Zod (Michael Shannon), rumored to be used by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) to unleash the Doomsday gene! Loads of creepy new Luthor… now with hair and Kryptonite! Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons)! Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot)! And so much more!
I may be a Marvel man, especially after the “meh” Man of Steel, and I may not trust Zack Snyder, but this movie looks awesome. More importantly, Batman looks awesome! And darker, with one of his captures literally branded with the Bat Symbol.
On the eve of what was supposed to be the IMAX premiere of the trailer for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (though it actually hit the web on Friday. Watch it now!), director Zack Snyder has released two really cool looking posters for the film, likely a prize that will be handed out at these IMAX screenings to make sure people will come and line-up even though they can watch the trailer at home.
Without further ado, here they are. And they are glorious.
I really dig this style. The Batman symbol ripped from Superman’s face really brings a Dark Knight vibe to the marketing; reminiscent of posters of Batman’s past.
So, show up Monday at one of those IMAX screenings of the trailer… and hopefully you’ll go home with something…
I just realized I’ve been calling Batman V Superman, “Justice Begins,”not ‘Dawn of Justice” in past posts. Whoops. It’s a lame subtitle anyway…
But what’s not lame? At all? The Batman heavy trailer for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice!
Watch it now!
I’m just gonna say it… Batman and all his wonderful toys have me so excited for this movie! Though we have no dialog in his own voice, Ben Affleck has at least nailed the haunted look of damaged Bruce Wayne. And I love, Love, LOVE the fact he is using a high tech voice modulator. He sounds scary, but not ridiculous.
I wonder if Kevin Smith is creaming his shorts… he proposed such a way to disguise Bruce Wayne’s voice before the film started shooting. Good call, Mr. Smith.
Superman is certainty vilified in this trailer, yet also held up like a God in several places.
Says Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor:
“We know better now, don’t we? Devils don’t come from Hell beneath us. No, they come from the sky.”
Alfred has some words of wisdom himself, though it sounds like it is more about Bruce than Superman, me thinks. Or even Lex Luthor.
“That’s how it starts. The fever. The rage. The feeling of powerlessness. That turns good men… cruel.”
And finally, synthesized Batman has a few words for the Man of Steel.
“Tell me, do you bleed? You will!”
The trailer draws heavily from the beloved Frank Miller graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns, which probably offers the best showdown between the two heroes in all of comic-dom.
And there are plenty of Easter Eggs to find! I saw a classy “?” gratified somewhere in that trailer…and let’s not forget we get looks at the Batwing and Batmobile!
March 2016 can’t come fast enough! I want to see Batman somehow kick Superman’s ass!
Okay, so Trailer number two today, for Batman V Superman: Justice Begins, (check out Trailer #1, the new Star Wars trailer here!) is so quick and content-less, that I’m slightly embarrassed to be sharing it here.
But it’s the tiny bit of content that is exciting! In this most teaserly of teaser trailers for a teaser trailer, you will see one amazing thing: a shot of Batman’s new, glorious cowl!
We’ve seen it pictured before (below), but seeing the suit through the lens of a camera, even if CGI’ed… is amazing. Here’s the original peek we got months upon months ago.
I didn’t notice the stitched together look of the new suit until this “teaser trailer,” but it is evident in the picture above when examined closely.I love this stitched together look which is simpler, less-armor, more-classic Batsuit that really hearkens more to the costume of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns than Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.
Its even go ‘dem short ears I love! And the nose is more human than past masks that gave Batman more of a mini-beak! (In the trailer at least; the original image below is more beaky.)
Batman V Superman: Justice Begins has been generous (though not nearly as generous as Marvel of late!) with official pictures of other key characters like Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), and even Aquaman (Jason Momoa). And let’s not forget Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg)!
Let’s look at those now, shall we?
I’ll wager you can tell which is which.
Today’s teaser was meant as an invitation from director Zack Snyder to see the first full, real Teaser Trailer at IMAX on Monday… if your state gets it…
The rest of us will hopefully get the full trailer online next week as well.
Now, we have our first look at Jared Leto, not going “Full-Joker,” but sporting green hair none-the-less and recreating a Joker image that will make any comic book fan cream their jeans.
I haven’t discussed DC’s other 2016 blockbuster Suicide Squad on the site yet, but the David Ayer directed film focusing on Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Leto as the always iconic Joker is basically coming together as the perfect opportunity to introduce Batman’s rogue gallery while the hero is busy in his own 2016 film: Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Here’s the film’s synopsis from IMDB,; obviously based on the comic of the same title:
“A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.”
Without further ado, here is the first look at Jared Leto’s Joker from Suicide Squad!
See. He’s got the green hair! He’s doing the Killing Joke pose from the cover of the graphic novel (see below)! Otherwise… it still looks like Leto needs to go pale… full-pale. Gots to get some Joker makeup, son!
See? Just give the man some white make-up and some red lipstick and you’ve got the joker, baby! (And some gloves and a purple suit. He’ll need those too.)
Meanwhile, though the typical green color, Leto’s more modest haircut (compared to Heath Ledger’s Joker) does recall the Joker from the another beloved graphic novel: The Dark Knight Returns.
Though this picture comes from the animated film version of ‘The Dark Knight Returns,’ it is a great representation of The Joker’s least wild hairdo.
My one wish for the DC Cinematic Universe’s Joker: No Scars!
Though Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger’s Joker sported horrific scars, Joker in the comics never has any, especially not in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Just give Leto some white face paint and some lipstick and we’ll be off to the races!
Suicide Squad comes out in 2016 with Batman Vs. Superman: Justice Begins. DC has been just as generous with Marvel lately so expect to see a lot more of Leto’s Joker in the coming months. Meanwhile, that first Batman Vs Superman trailer is set to appear on May 15th’s Mad Max: Fury Road.
Enjoy all these Comic Book Cinematic Universes, kiddies. Before the bubble finally bursts.
Nick and Andrew have a full plate this week, starting with trailer talk about ‘Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation,’ and the latest ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ TV Spot.
Tangents abound, our heroes hit topics like ‘Mallrats 2,’ the ‘Legend 0f Zelda’ Netflix show (or lack there of), Star Trek villain rumors, live action ‘Star Wars’ TV Show rumors, which as always, a trip down superhero lane with ‘Batman Vs. Superman: Justice Begins’ rumors.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no delusions that ‘Daredevil’ will be as good as DC’s ‘The Dark Knight,’ but the trailer still reminds me of ‘Batman Begins’ none-the-less. And that is a fantastic thing!
Unlike Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and to a lesser extent, ‘Agent Carter,’ ‘Daredevil’ is the 1st MCU show that doesn’t feel nor look like TV. It plays like it has the effects and intensity of a more down and gritty Marvel movie, but with the bonus of 10 episodes instead of 2 hours (2 and 1/2 if you’re ‘Age of Ultron’).Unlike the globe-trotting/Earth saving, “Captain America and his colorful friends,”* Daredevil (played by Charlie Cox) sticks to the streets of his city, Batman style: Hell’s Kitchen in NYC.
But it doesn’t mean his struggle is any less intense then his could-be-eventual-allies’ silver screen adventures.
Watch the trailer now!
“I have to be the man this city needs.”
Hmmm, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, that sounds like something Nolan’s Batman would say…
It’s not a copy, it’s just the darkest we’ve seen the MCU get, a trend that will continue with all five planned Netflix series: ‘Daredevil,’ ‘AKA Jessica Jones,’ ‘Luke Cage,’ ‘Iron Fist,’ and then the ‘Avengers’ style team up, ‘The Defenders.’
The UK rated ‘Daredevil’ a 15 (we here in the US don’t rate Netflix programming), the closest to ‘R’ that Marvel Studios has ventured. Mike Colter, who plays the title character of his own show, claims ‘Luke Cage’ will be equally dark and gritty.
Yet, the trailer doesn’t let you forget ‘Daredevil’ is part of the MCU:
“Maybe if he had an iron suit or a magic hammer, that would explain why you keep getting your asses to you.”
Why not get the whole NY gang back together?
Maybe one day, he’ll join the Avengers. Or, even cooler, why not have ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Spider-Man’ cross paths now that the web-head is part of the MCU? They’re both dedicated to saving NYC and would make interesting allies.
Whatever ends up happening with the Daredevil character down the line, it sure looks like Marvel Studios and Netflix are off to a great start!
Marvel’s ‘Daredevil’ hits Netflix on April 10th!
* Quoted from Baron Von Strucker in the mid-credit sequence for ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”
Andrew runs the show! Nick still steers talk towards Spider-Man. Andrew pushes on to his own guilty pleasures and blindsides Nick with some ‘Mission: Impossible 5’ news. Pod ends with ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ and movie-going experiences discussion.
Marvel Studios and Netflix have assembled as a super-team to create four Marvel shows. The first is ‘Daredevil,’ set to premiere all ten episodes on April 10th.
Ben Affleck in 2003’s ‘Daredevil’ film.
(Side-note: Marvel & Netflix also plan on spinning the four heroes from their four respective shows into a fifth show featuring Marvel’s lesser knon, Earth-bound superhero team: ‘The Defenders.’)
As anyone who saw the original 2003 ‘Daredevil’ film starring Ben Affleck knows, that movie was terrible (listen to Andrew and I rant about it on this podcast). So I assumed the character was equally terrible. Worst than terrible possibly; he’s a blind man whose superpower is sight!
Similarly, over a decade ago I initially assumed Batman was an awful character after witnessing the horror that was ‘Batman & Robin.’ But Nolan’s movies completely altered my perception of the Dark Knight and now I consider myself a sort of “Batman Scholar.”
Daredevil oversees his Hell’s Kitchen; his own personal Gotham.
Now I can see that Daredevil’s true power is that he can see in the dark as he sees everything through sonar (more-or-less). The superhuman hearing that allows said sonar sight also gives him an advantage when sneaking around criminals or listening in from afar.
Daredevil can hear through walls!
If you boil Daredevil down again (especially after viewing the trailer) he is basically Batman with the “Bat-Sonar” seen in the finale of ‘The Dark Knight.’ Minus the wealth and nickname, “World’s Greatest Detective.”
This ‘Daredevil’ trailer does seem to have a lot in common with Nolan’s Batman films… which is actually a great choice for the character. In a world where lighter heroes like Superman (‘Man of Steel’) and the Fantastic Four (‘FANT4STIC’) are getting overly dark movies in a reaction to ‘The Dark Knight’s success, Daredevil is a character who deserves that grittiness.
Doesn’t this all look familiar? Hunting bad guys around shipping containers. Disappearing in the shadows. Only, NOW WITH PARKOUR!
It’s no surprise that this MCU version of ‘Daredevil’ is drawing from the source material ‘The Man Without Fear’ graphic novel by Frank Miller. Frank Miller, who also wrote the graphic novel ‘Batman: Year One’ which served as the basis for ‘Batman Begins;’ both in scenes and tone.
Further proof is in the Costume. Rather than the “Devil red” suit Ben Affleck had to wear, the MCU’s Daredevil wears a black ninja-looking-getup with his eyes covered (because he doesn’t need to see! See?). This look was established by Frank Miller in ‘The Man Without Fear.’
Daredevil does indeed have a lot in common with Batman, lamenting about his corrupt city and jumping around rooftops, taking out bad-guys from the shadows.
I’m already on-board for anything MCU (except for ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D which lost my attention in season one), but this trailer finally makes me believe that ‘Daredevil’ can (and hopefully will) be awesome…
…Because he is Marvel’s equivalent of my favorite hero of all, The Batman (let’s not get into Tony Stark territory here).
While Matt Murdock (Daredevil’s secret identity) is just a poor lawyer in Hell’s Kitchen, Bruce Wayne is Gotham’s “drunk” playboy billionaire. But you know, other than that they’re the same.
Watch the trailer now and see if you agree!
You got Charlie Cox playing Matt Murdock/Daredevil and, most importantly, Vincent D’Onofrio playing Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin. A role played by Michael Clarke Duncan previously in the film.
Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. The Kingpin.
There’s a lot to take in here, so we’ll cover that later. We do have 3 months until the show bows on April 10th.
Nick has to make his first edit. After an event that shall remain anonymous, Nick has to cut out part of the show… For the first time… Ever.
Nick and Andrew discuss recent ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Jurassic World’ trailers, slipping into ‘Mission: Impossible” talk and even Bradley Cooper conversation. And then there’s that edit… you’ll know when it happens, but never why.
Nick and Andrew recount the horror’s of ‘Daredevil’ before jumping into Ben Affleck’s new reality as the Dark Knight. They cover the DCCU (DC Cinematic Universe) including ‘Aquaman’ casting and the troubles of ‘The Suicide Squad.’
Batfleck Vs. Superman (also known by the silly title ‘Batman V. Superman: Justice Begins’) is still over a year away with a scheduled release date of March 25th, 2016. In the meantime, I think we should all take a step back to admire the greatest comic book movie of all time; Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film ‘The Dark Knight.’
Breaking Batman
I wanted to do the top 5 scenes of the entire ‘Dark Knight Trilogy,’ but that was too limiting as there are too many fantastic scenes in my ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’ to cover here. I couldn’t even narrow just ‘The Dark Knight’ down to 5 favorite scenes. I need 6 to do the job!
Without further ado, here are the top 6 scenes from ‘The Dark Knight’ in the order they happen in the film’s narrative.
1. The Heist
The Bank Heist is quite the little scene to open and therefore establish the tone of the 2nd movie in Nolan’s Batman Saga. Inspired heavily by the Michael Mann film ‘Heat,’ the scene twists a classic heist into the Joker’s (Heath Ledger) plot, all while setting you on complete edge using the heights of IMAX and the sharp cords of the Joker’s theme… all screaming “Chaos.”
The Joker poses as one of his own henchmen.
2. Decent Men In An Indecent Time
The Joker’s heist may kick off the movie, but it is a decision made by three men that really set events in motion.
To defeat Gotham’s biggest recognized problem, the mob, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale) make a pact that will dictate the fate of all three involved, as well as collateral damage of Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal).
Gordon warns,
“We’re going after the mob’s life savings. Things will get ugly.”
Replies Dent,
“I knew the risk when I took this job, lieutenant.”
Dent accepts the risk willingly, as do Batman and James Gordon.
It is this pact that will determine the destiny of all three men; destroying them all by the end of the film.
3. Dent’s Dark Side
‘The Dark Knight,’ specifically the scene just covered, is largely based on my favorite graphic novel ‘The Long Halloween’ by Jeph Loeb and by Tim Sale.
Nicholas D’Agosto’s Harvey Dent on ‘Gotham’ has quite the temper.
In the comic, Dent’s dark side is hinted at early in the story; long before the accident that scars him. Let’s just say he may may have done more than take a henchmen down an alley and flipped a coin to decide his life. But we’ll get to that now.
Dent spends half the movie as Gotham’s “White Knight,” the honest and law-fairing District Attorney bringing hope to Gotham. I would argue that Dent’s dark side is introduced too late in the movie; around the hour mark. Even here, the film form is not as severe as his comic version. Hell, ‘Gotham’ showed Dent’s short fuse in the first episode introducing the young assistant D.A.
Shiff Thomas wearing Rachel Dawes’ name; signaling her as Joker’s next victim.
The 1st sign something is amiss with Gotham’s White Knight is when he interrogates Joker’s henchmen Shiff Thomas; the man wearing the name tag pegging “Rachel Dawes” as the Joker’s next victim.
The Darker Side of Harvey Dent.
Thomas gets the ‘ole coin flip multiple times, gun held to his head, until Batman stops Dent. The Dark Knight warns the D.A. that if anyone saw what Dent was doing, faith in the White Knight and Gotham would fail.
Even going off the cuff, Dent left the fate of Shift Thomas to his double-sided coin. He (likely) meant Shift Thomas no terminal harm.
Still, that Dent darkness has to appear somehow.
4. Batman Interrogates The Joker
Batman’s one rule comes back to bite him in the ass. By a rabid dog chasing cars.
“You Complete Me!”
It’s really hard not to love this scene. Though Batman has the Joker in his gauntlets, Joker has all the power.
“You have NOTHING! Nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with your strength.”
It really is powerful to watch Batman wail on Joker to no avail. His “one rule” that prevents him from killing leads to the deaths of others in the film. This same number was over 600 by the time the pair face off for the final time in Frank Miller’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns.’
In this case, his one rule kills Rachel and blows Dent halfway to hell. But it is this rule that separates Batman from the masked villains. Even though he may lose to the Joker this scheme, I think he may get him in the end…
5. An Unmovable Object and An Unstoppable Force
Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin dies the old fashioned way.
‘The Dark Knight’ breaks the superhero’s genre one rule, established in classic films like 1989’s ‘Batman’ and carried on to nearly-modern day ‘Spider-Man’ (2002) and ‘Batman Begins’ (2005): kill off your villain so the end is nice and tidy.
The Caped Crusader does toss the Clown Prince of Crime off the Pruitt building… only to catch him with his grappling hook, much to the Joker’s disappointment.
“Oh, you. You just couldn’t let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren’t you? You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.”
Boom! That’s comics in a nutshell.
Spider-Man doesn’t kill the Green Goblin in the comics (well he does, several, but some come back… and, you know, crazy Marvel stuff); they clash again and again and again. And there are very few foes that have been clashing longer in the comics than Batman and the Joker.
6. The White Knight Vs. The Dark Knight
The real finale. The one we were promised when Gordon, Dent, and Batman meet on that rooftop in the first act.
Things got dirty. And all three of these decent men in an indecent time were torn to shreds by the joker, but none more than tragic Harvey Dent.
“What happened to Rachel wasn’t chance. We decided to act! We three!”
Batman knows what’s up! Cause he’s the world’s greatest detective.
But Harvey Dent is the apparent loser in the room, having lost his fiance (and scared his face), with no knowledge that Bruce carried similar feelings for Rachel.
In the comics, Bruce Wayne blames himself for not revealing to Harvey Dent who he was. For not showing Dent who fought alongside him for the soul of Gotham. For remaining anonymous and letting Gordon and Dent take the brunt of mob vengeance.
In the movie, even in this immense time of crisis, Batman is able to vocalize the importance of Harvey Dent to Gotham; why he was chosen.
“Because you were the best of us! He wanted to prove that even someone as good as you could fall.”
So rests the soul of Gotham in these three-warriors-torn-asunder’s final moments together. Harvey “Two-Face” Dent deciding each of their fates with a flip of the coin.
This scene completes the movie. Three young men with rose-color glasses are wrung through the shredder as a promise they made destroyed their partnership and their lives. Classic Nolan/Batman tragedy.
Nick and Andrew watched 2004’s ‘Catwoman’ starring the right place, wrong time actress Halle Berry. They discuss. On a more accurate Batman related note, they also discuss TV’s ‘Gotham.’ Somehow the Avengers also come into play… somehow.
Nick and Andrew are back after a summer hiatus! Plans of discussing the brand new ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’ trailer and the TV show ‘Gotham’ are often derailed by the excitement 2015 bring-ith.
Ultron stands aside Scarlet Witch and QuicksilverCapt, runs from flying cars!
Some more screen grabs from the epic trailer posted previously.
Bruce Banner/ Hulk gets seriously spooked!Creepy-Ass string-less robot!… And Hulk Vs. The Hulkbuster!
After loosing take 1, Nick and Andrew embark on an 2nd journey down Episode 5. Andrew steers the ship, getting lost in the stormy seas of FX, FXX, and FXM. Nick snipes invaders from the sky and questions the mechanics of Girl Meets World.
Nick and Andrew discuss AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON’s first look at Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Ultron. Nick gets a little politically incorrect, while the pair learns they don’t know the difference between Tom Selleck and Burt Reynolds.
Nick and Andrew compare the careers of Kevin James, Ryan Gosling, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Nick can’t help but reference KEY AND PEELE, Pete Holmes, SHERLOCK, and ATTACK ON TITAN… again. Geekiness ensues.
Nick and Andrew discuss Tom Selleck’s moustache, the new Batman/Superman movie with Batfleck, SHERLOCK Series 3, and the incredible graphic novel THE WAKE. Among other geeky references and knowledge.
Impressions are fun. But the only one I can do is Christian Bales’ Batman.
It requires yelling, but I nailed “WHERE IS HARVEY DENT?!?” and other great quotes like “Swear to Me!,” “I’m not wearing hockey pads!,”RACHEL!” and “I’m not the hero this city deserves, but I’m the hero Gotham needs.”
I learned the voice and the face (gotta have big lips protruding) from Pete Holmes’ Badman skits where he nails the Batman impression.
I realize the last one is a Commissioner Gordon played by the incredible actor, Gary Oldman. But it works with the rough Batman voice.
And then, everyone can do Borat and Daniel Plainview.
I’m also not terrible at Tom Hardy’s Bane impression. “I wondered what would break first… your soul… or your body!”
Anyway… I’m not writing to tell you what impression I can do, rather the 5 impressions I wish I could do.
A word of warning, it would be great to do a Christopher Walken impression, but that impression is so overused by comedians, so I have left it off the list.
It’s also a countdown. From my 8th favorite impression to my most favorite.
9. Arnold Schwarenegger
8. Heath Ledger’s Joker
Pete Holmes does Batman AND the Joker! He’s a great impressionist! Though he never uses it in his stand up.
Pete Holmes does the joker (at the end) AND the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Jay Mohr. Mohr has a few great impressions himself (including someone who will show up later on the list). Continue reading “8 Impressions I Wish I Could Do (A List!)”→
BREAKING GEEK Radio: The Podcast 