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Showing posts with label Superman. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

New York Comic Con Overview.

Another New York Comic Con has come and gone. Celebrity guests have packed up flown back to wherever it is they are currently filming/living. Vendors have packed up and are hauling their goods to the next weekend's conventions, storage units, storefronts, warehouses, etc. Cosplayers have scattered back to their homes to plan their next outfit and to lurk Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, and Instagram for pictures of themselves.

From what my friends and I experienced, NYCC went really well and better than expected. Like many others, I had my doubts regarding NYCC/ReedPOP's new RFID system, but that seemed to go off without a hitch. Con staffers/volunteers seemed to have their wits about them this year. The coat check location was more convenient which made changing in and out of various cosplays a bit simpler for me and the NGU crew.
Did you see us?

Getting around the convention was a bit simpler than in the past years. While the floor plan was essentially the same as last year, the completed renovation to the Jacob Javits Center made things much more easier. The completed construction allowed for relatively less crowding outside, absence of the "tunnels" between the main rooms for the exhibitor floor allowed for easier flow, and the new "EMPIRE Stage" in the south end of the building added a new venue for more large capacity panels.

Warner Bros. and DC Comics had a side exhibit by the Empire Stage featuring costumes from live action representations of Superman for the 75th anniversary. MoriARTY will be posting up some pictures of that from his camera, but in the mean time here are a couple of mine:

On the main show floor, were large scale replicas of buildings from SOUTH PARK which housed demos for the new video game that will be hitting shelves soon:

There was not a Nerdist Booth, Lego-Chris Hardwick, or Real-Chris Hardwick as there was last year (in the off chance that you're reading this: Chris Hardwick and Chloe Dykstra, we missed you guys), but Zachary Levi and The Nerd Machine were there and they brought a Mini-Nerd HQ with them. Complete with phone charging stations, shirts and swag to buy, and HIS BUDDIES! They did the Smiles4Smiles thing where for a $20 cash donation to Operation Smile, you could take a pic with one of the celebrities that had some time to spare. If you were around at the right time, you could have taken a picture with Arthur Darvill, Yvette Nicole Brown, David Duchovny, Tyler Labine, Greg Grunberg, Seth Green, Clare Grant, and of course, Zach Levi who was coming and going all weekend due to his commitments to his Broadway show, First Date.

with my new pal, Arthur Darvill

While on the subject of celebrities and pictures... Mainstream media is finally picking up prices that Sylvester Stallone was asking for on Sunday. Autograph and photo-op prices for Stallone were released by the handlers of Celebrity Authentics at the end of the summer and people paying attention to guest announcements definitely took notice. $395 for an autograph and $445 for the photo-op. While I was initially outraged at this, now, I understand. I don't like it, but I get it. Stallone has bajillion dollar budget movies to film, time is money, and he doesn't necessarily want to be in the basement of building in New York City for 4-10 hours for 3 days. It weeds out the people with less in the pockets, he doesn't have to turn down hundreds of people waiting in line so he can leave and catch a plane, and he can make similar money to the celebrities that were there for more than 1 day (Yes, people did pay the money for the photo op.) It also shows you what kind of person he is and what he (and Celebrity Authentics) thinks of his fans. If you ask me, this clip from SDCC 2010 already showed that Stallone kind of looks down at the Geek/Nerd community.

Then there are guys like Jason David Frank, Tommy from the Power Rangers, who signed autographs for 7-8 hours straight each day he was there. In fact, he even cancelled his flight home to Texas, just so he can stick around until closing time on Sunday and not turn away fans. And all the while, he tossed out free stickers and bracelets into the crowd, ran up and down the line and checked in on everyone waiting and incorporated them into his YouTube and Facebook videos. WHAT A GUY!

From Jason David Frank's Instagram

If you want to see more awesome cosplay from the con, check out our NYCC 2013 gallery!

I'll have more to talk about soon on an upcoming GEEK AS VERB podcast episode.

Also, check out the link over to the right for the LIKEWISE podcast hosted by Matt Pana. Matt's a great guy and excellent musician and he interviews really talented and creative people that you might have heard of and some people that you should really check out.

And if you have something to say about NYCC or about celebrity autographs, let me know in the comments below! Like my mother says, "If you can't say anything nice, type it on the internet." Totally kidding. My mother would never say that.

- Terr

Monday, September 23, 2013

SUPER PAJAMAS! Geeky Sleepwear!

The summer is over. The temperatures are cooling down and as the song goes, "...the weather outside is weather." You should consider getting yourself some onesie pajaamas to keep you warm and cozy as you tear through GTA-V. Hey, if you get invited to a Pajama Party, you don't want to be the jerk that came wearing sweats or flannel pajamas with your school's name down the leg. So when you sit around the living room with friends playing Mafia or Cards Against Humanity, look styling.

From WebUndies.com:
The onesies on this site average $38.00. Not all of them have feet and if you're representing the Caped Crusader or the Man of Tomorrow, there's a detachable cape.

If you plan to explore the final frontier before going to bed, check out the officially licensed Star Trek Footed Pajamas available at JumpinJammers.com:

For the more discerning Star Fleet officer, check out the 2 piece pajamas from SuperHeroStuff.com:

Also available at SuperHeroStuff.com is the Doctor Who Fourth Doctor Robe:

Prefer that your jammies be bigger on the inside? Head over to BBCShop.com:

You guys, officially licensed Star Wars character onesies exist, but only in the UK. What's up with that? (Or if you're in the UK: Hell Yeah!) They also ship to most countries in the EU. I bet if you contact Red5.co.uk's customer service, they might be able to take care of you. Maybe your European pen-pal, Twitter friend, or buddy that's doing a study-abroad program can help you out.

And for the ladies who want something with more slink, WebUndies.com:

Here's a tip, if you get pajamas to emulate your favorite caped superhero, head over to a fabric store and buy a few yards of fleece or flannel to make an even bigger/better cape. It'll also double as a blanket and will look cooler than just tying a bed sheet around your neck. Just keep in mind that a decent hero/villain cape, when laid flat, is a half or quarter of a circle.

I hope some of this helped you find some awesome pajamas for you or a friend.

- Terr

Thursday, August 22, 2013

BatFleck Rises - Ben Affleck cast as Batman

Yes, you read that headline correctly. Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman.

Warner Bros. announced on Thursday that the two-time Oscar winner, former DareDevil, People Magazine's 2002 Sexiest Man Alive, Affleck will don the cape and cowl in 2015's untitled Batman-Superman movie. Greg Silverman, Warner Bros’ President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production, said, "We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some... His outstanding career is a testament to his talent, and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character."

Zack Snyder went on the record to say this about Affleck: "He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him."

Ben Affleck will join the cast of returning actors from this Summer's Man Of Steel, which include Henry Cavill, who will reprise the role of Superman/Clark Kent, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. David S. Goyer, who scripted the MOS and worked on the Dark Knight trilogy, will write the sequel. Warner Bros has set the film to open worldwide on July 17, 2015.

The WB's President of Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Susan Kroll, added, “We are so thrilled that Ben is continuing Warner Bros.’ remarkable legacy with the character of Batman. He is a tremendously gifted actor who will make this role his own in this already much-anticipated pairing of these two beloved heroes.”

Ben Affleck now joins the special fraternity of those who have worn the cape in front of a camera; Christian Bale (3x), George Clooney (once), Val Kilmer (once), Michael Keaton (twice), and Adam West (1 movie + 120 episodes of tv).

(via Variety)

And DareDevil? Yeah he didn't like that movie any more than the fans did. Check out his thoughts on that in Details.
And in an interview with MTV, "We missed a lot in that movie..."

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Ok. Take a deep breath. Gather your thoughts and let us know what you think in the comments below. And please try to do so without words that you wouldn't be allowed to say in an elementary school.

Until next time.....

Friday, June 14, 2013

Movie Review: Terr vs. MAN OF STEEL

MAN OF STEEL, 143 minutes of uninspired dribble with no coherent thought or theme in sight. Sure it does some things right, but when the movie finished it did not make me wish Superman was real or want to make the world a better place.

On the doomed planet of Krypton, Jor-El implants his newborn son with the genetic data of his people and sends the baby off to another world so that Kryptonians might could live on. The baby is found by Kansas farmers, Jonathan and Martha Kent and is named Clark. As Clark grows up, Earth's atmosphere and sun affect his Kryptonian physiology and he develops superpowers. When Earth is attacked by General Zod and other survivors of Krypton on a mission to find Jor-El's son and rebuild Krypton on Earth, Clark becomes Superman to save the world.

Watching this movie feels as if Zack Snyder took bits and pieces of other movies, threw it in a blender, poured it into a Superman cup and served it to you hoping that you would be out the door before you could comment on the after taste. There are bits of Avatar, John Carter, The Matrix, Titan AE, and Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan. (Yeah really) And it's not to say that a director can't be inspired by other movies and want to incorporate similar ideas or shots, but it's pretty unapologetic about ripping things off.

There are typically 2 ways that Superman is presented. There's the view that Superman is a Christ-like character, sent to Earth by his wise father and he will inspire and lead the people. And there's the view that Superman has gone through most of his life not knowing who he was, not having anyone to talk and relate to, and always on the cusp of something great, but doesn't know how to go about things. Zack Snyder shows you both ideas and then throws them out of the window and shows you Superman zipping into the air and then punching things.

Superman, how are you going to save the world and inspire all of mankind to be better?
- Punch things really hard until they fall down.
Superman, did you finally find your place in the world?
-Yeah, but I'm just going to go ahead, fly around, and then punch stuff.

Then there's the idea that is reiterated throughout the movie that the world isn't ready to know about Clark, his powers, or of other worlds. How would people react if they found out that there were gods among them speed, unlimited strength, can shoot fire from their eyes, or fly? Jor-El talks about it. Jonathan Kent talks about it. Perry White talks about it. Spoiler Alert: [~~AND NOTHING! There is no pay off! The filmmakers~~ ~~totally skip the idea and move on to something else.]~~

Hans Zimmer put down a really great soundtrack. Epic. Gives you what you would expect of a composer of his caliber. But in the end, there's no discernible theme to hum walking out of theater or for little kids to make up words to while they tie corners of a blanket around their necks and pretend to fly. The compositions are great, but you could probably swap it out with any of his other movie scores.

Inevitably, if you're of a certain age and you've been a Superman fan, even a casual fan, you're going to compare it to Superman: The Movie. Cinematography and storytelling aside, the one thing that separates the two movies the most in my heart is the tagline from the 1978 film, "You'll believe a man can fly." You expect a certain amount of simple awe and wonder when it comes to this character. Kids and adults slowly saying "Wow. He's flying." There were several opportunities that Snyder could have achieved that with some practical effects and subtlety, but instead he's really jazzed on the idea of showing you Superman breaking the sound barrier - Every. Freaking. Time.

Ok, it feels like I'm doing a lot of bashing and the movie isn't completely terrible. There are things that this movie does well. We get to see Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play loving parents that do the best they can in really challenging situations. Diane Lane's Martha Kent has a very sweet scene with a 9 year old Clark dealing with the weight of the world. Amy Adams is fantastic in portraying Lois Lane as smart and capable and not a damsel in distress. Henry Cavill has some charming moments, but they go by quicker than you can say "Red-Blue-Blur"

Grade: C-
There were several parts that I enjoyed and the CGI was decent, but there is so much talent was wasted so that Zack Snyder could show Superman flying or punching stuff or flying while punching stuff.
Somebody save me.....

Trivial stuff I feel like mentioning because I can:
It was really nice to see a handful of Canadian actors who also happened to be in episodes of Smallville. Tahmoh Penikett appeared in one episode in season-3 (Resurrection) as Vince Davis and in two episodes of season-6 as Wes Keenan. Mike Dopud appeared in several episodes as George, the Luthor's security guard. Alessandro Juliani played Dr. Emil Hamilton in 14 episodes of Smallville.
All three actors have also been in Battlestar Galactica and Continuum.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Movie Review: Man of Steel

I feel the need to preface this review by making mention of the fact that I’ve never been a fan of Superman. I’ve always found him to be a pretty lame superhero; too powerful and righteous to be very interesting. I’ve never read any of the comics, and the only Superman film I’d seen prior to Man of Steel was the much abhorred Superman Returns. Outside of that I’ve seen a few episodes of the old Superman: The Animated Series (which I found vastly inferior to Batman: The Animated Series), and that’s about it. Maybe the fact that I’d never seen the old Christopher Reeve flicks was the reason I could never really care about the character. Who knows? Anyway... all that being said, Man of Steel has caused my opinion of Superman to pull a complete 180.

To put it simply, the movie is AWESOME. And I don’t mean that in the colloquial way the word is so often tossed around today; but in the literal sense that this film actually instills a sense of awe in the viewer on multiple occasions.

What needs to be mentioned first and foremost is the action. It’s utterly incredible. The film features what is probably the most intense and impressive fight sequence in any superhero film I’ve ever seen. Watching three Kryptonians beat the living hell out of each other is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in an action film. While there are some moments where the CGI is a bit evident, shots really don’t linger long enough for you to notice too much. The quick cuts and rapid pans are still fluid and easy to follow, perfectly capturing the extreme speed of Superman and the other Kryptonians. Even in 3D I never got a headache or had any difficulty discerning what was happening. A true achievement, if you ask me.

The film also excels when it comes to storytelling. David S. Goyer’s script and Christopher Nolan’s input are evident in that the story is very grounded and character-driven. Superman doesn’t really feel like Superman yet, which is a good thing. He still hasn’t completely discovered himself and is motivated by a yearning to understand who he is and what exactly he wants.

Even once he dons his famous suit, you still think of him as Clark or Kal-El. Then again, Superman has always been one of those characters (at least to me) who has never disappeared completely into his secret identity the way many other heroes do. Regardless, we’re able to connect with him and understand what’s driving him whether he’s acting as Clark, Kal-El, or Superman. No matter which side of the character he is portraying, Henry Cavill disappears completely into the role; he is Superman. (At this point I’d again like to remind you I’ve never seen Reeve’s portrayal.)

Providing a wonderful sense of balance to Man of Steel’s story is General Zod (Michael Shannon). Zod was definitely the right villain to use for this film. He is superior to Clark in some aspects and inferior to him in others, but he is also equal to him in many ways. Zod provides a link to the past from which Clark is forming his own sense of identity, showing him a side of Krypton that he cannot truly embrace no matter how much he wants to connect with his people’s past. And even though his actions throughout the film are malicious and seemingly selfish on the surface, we learn enough about Zod as a character to make it clear that Zod isn’t pure evil. His motivations are perfectly rational, even noble, to him. All of his actions were driven by his character, not by the all-too-typical reasoning of “because he’s the bad guy.”

One of the only things I would even think to complain about is that I felt not enough time was Clark’s adolescence, but I really don’t think I can even make that complaint in good conscience. Since everyone knows the origin of Superman, it’s a bit of a Catch-22. You can’t disregard it but you can’t spend an inordinate amount of time on it. I feel like if there had been more time devoted to Clark’s childhood I’d just be complaining that it needed to be shorter.

Besides that, the only imperfections are a few convenient coincidences that advance the plot and some “movie science” used to wrap things up that makes you think “okay, I guess that makes sense.” But since these things are practically staples of superhero films, I again feel that I can’t really gripe about them too much.

All in all, Man of Steel gives us with exactly what a Superman film should be. It shows us our hero as a remarkable man discovering his identity and his place in a world he is not truly a part of. It shows us what he is truly capable of in a spectacular and visually stunning, yet contextually believable way. It fires on all cylinders and hits all of its marks.

Grade: A-

Man of Steel

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Written by: David S. Goyer

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Russell Crowe

Release date: June 14, 2013

Feel free to reach me on Twitter @JOKftw or post in the comments if you've got any questions or comments.

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Recent Posts

New York Comic Con Overview.

SUPER PAJAMAS! Geeky Sleepwear!

BatFleck Rises - Ben Affleck cast as Batman

Movie Review: Terr vs. MAN OF STEEL

Movie Review: Man of Steel