Top 5 Comic Book Movies - Our Picks

With comic book movies being released faster than a speeding bullet, we'd like to present to you our top 5 favorite comic book movies of all time. I'll be choosing 2 while Steve will be choosing 3.

Steve's List (in no particular order): 1. The Dark Knight Part of me wanted to throw a curveball and not pick a movie that seems to be the consensus pick for many but I’d be kidding myself if I didn’t start with The Dark Knight.  As many have probably done better reviews and more in-depth discussions, I’ll just try to quickly list the things that I liked most about the movie: incredible acting all around (includes the late Heath Ledger temporarily relinquishing his own persona and submerging into his Joker character), veteran actors with gravitas (Gary Oldman, Michael Caine), twisting plot, the Heat-like intro (Roger Van Zant, anyone?), the haunting feel of a comic book movie transcending its genre, epic soundtrack… Wait, let me stop right there because others could easily fill up that list for me. I feel like Hans Zimmer, despite his accolades, still does not get enough credit for all the soundtracks he has produced for blockbusters.  Soundtracks provide movies with that “epic feel” and can entice audiences as early as the teaser trailers.  I swear that if I ever see something like, “featuring music composed by the maestro Hans Zimmer…” in the trailer, I’d gravitate into the movie because I know I will have that epic experience throughout watching the film.  Heck, I could be eating potato chips while listening to his music and feel like kicking some serious arse (if you ever watched Death Note, I hope you appreciated this reference). “Do you wanna know how I got these scars?” 2. Batman Begins The story of Bruce Wayne’s scars was told in Batman Begins, TDK’s predecessor and unofficially the most successful reboot for a comic book franchise.  It’s as if Warner Bros saw Director Christopher Nolan’s early work, Memento, and told him, “Hey we really, really liked your movie. By the way, you know how Guy Pearce’s character forgets about stuff? Can you actually do that to our audience instead and make them forget about George Clooney’s Batman film, forever? You can have all the resources you want. Yes, we’ll pay for Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine, too.” One of Nolan’s understated achievements in Batman Begins is how he was able to portray realistic versions of characters, which were otherwise labeled too comic-bookish. If you don’t believe me, please wiki the comic book versions of Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) and Ra’s Al Ghul (Liam Neeson/Ken Watanabe).  No, I’m not saying Nolan should feature Robin in his films.  But on this front, he’s already made great strides ahead of the 1997 version of Batman (“Ice to see you!”).  The finished product basically secured the nail on the coffin of audience memories for Batman 1997 and granted those Warner Bros employees (assuming they weren’t fired) with one more story to tell on company holidays – this one starting with, “Hey, remember when we thought nipples on Batman’s costume was a good idea?” One last thing, then-detective Gordon’s conversation with Batman at the end is as good a setup for the next movie as it could get.  First, it hinted about TDK’s theme (“Escalation… we do something, the criminals come up with something better…”). Second, it introduced the arch-nemesis Joker, who had been dormant for 16 years since Jack Nicholson’s iconic performance. “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” 3. Spiderman 2 In my mind’s picture, Spiderman 2 is like a pristine painting while Spiderman 3 is that same work of art painted over with hasty, convoluted brush strokes c/o the film studios desires.  It’s as if having a way better, even perfect, version of a film, but backwards! Here’s what #2 did right that #3 specifically overturned: 1) villains and their story arc; 2) occasional direct attempt at humor; 3) no Peter Parker dancing; 4) failing in making the movie “dark”. Comparing Spiderman 2 and 3 (and 1) doesn’t really do justice because film 2 stands on its own as one of the best comic movies.  It capitalized on its opportunity of being a sequel by branching off unencumbered and yet rooted from the origin story.  As iconic as Spiderman/Peter Parker is, one could easily relate to his struggles in film 2: job loss, financial problems, estranged best friend and love interest, loved one in debt, a overarching moral responsibility, and a burning secret.  Finally, my criterion for a favorite movie: a quote that I can remember. “…There’s a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most.  Even our dreams"

Merle's List (in no particular order): 4. V for Vendetta Not only is V for Vendetta my favorite comic book movie, it also happens to be on my top 10 favorite movies of all genres, perhaps partly because it does not present itself as a typical comic book movie. For one thing, instead of having an arch nemesis like most comic book formulas follow, V's enemy is the dictatorial government, the corrupt party that runs it, and the ideas that are associated with it. And while most movies of the genre focus on the idea of one superhero battling out one super-villain, V's goal of toppling down the government can only come into fruition with the help of the whole nation. Of course, the film also has its obligatory comic book elements; in particular, the mask and the "costume". Yet, despite the caricature-like nature of V's Guy Fawkes mask, he commands a tremendous amount of respect, more than I have ever found myself giving to other superheroes. It is not so much his eloquence, his diction, his old world chivalry... not even his prowess in fighting and knife-slinging (though action aficionados will be happy to know that this aspect is plentiful and in full cinematic glory); no, it is more because despite his seemingly invincible exterior, behind the mask lies not only the grandiose idea of freedom and of a people fighting for it, but also a human being in all his frailties and insecurities. And as the movie continues to unfold and expound on this by revealing V's past and unraveling his decisions for the present and the future, decisions which are substantially influenced by Evey, a woman he meets a year before his revolution, it is hard not to be completely riveted by everything this man represents - the man, the ideal, and the revolution. 5. Ironman There's something to be said about cocky, irreverent superheroes. Tony Stark (Ironman) doesn't really fit the cookie-cutter superhero type. He's a heartless (literally/figuratively) albeit charming man who's showy and not particularly obedient with the unspoken rules of costumed heroes everywhere. Unexpectedly however, he delivers on the "saving the world" rule. What we get as a result of this rather perplexing character, added to geniuses behind and on the scenes who know exactly how to portray him on a positive, like-able light, is a rather entertaining movie with witty lines, funny situations, and an all-around memorable depiction of what could have been another cliched story. It is also worth mentioning that the relationship between superhero and lead female is one of the most electrifying and captivating I have seen.

From Sherlock Holmes to Hobbit

We recently blogged about Sean Astin, the actor who played the hobbit Samwise Gamgee, so since we're in the topic of hobbits already, we'd like to talk about Sherlock Holmes.

If you're scratching your heads trying to understand the similarity between the master of deduction and the master of the hairy feet, then let me explain. In the upcoming, highly anticipated Peter Jackson flick, "The Hobbit", scheduled to be released on December 2012, Martin Freeman will be playing the main hobbit. We will also be catching Benedict Cumberbatch in this Tolkien film, but only if our ears are sharp enough. He will be lending his voice to two characters on the film - Smaug the dragon, and the Necromancer.

Still don't understand the correlation? Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman play Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (in that order) in the latest BBC hit TV series simply called "Sherlock", which is a very engrossing look at this wonder detective working his magic (or science as he calls it) of deduction in modern times. Yep, you read it right. Sherlock Holmes sending text messages, using his phone to browse through the Internet - quite a fascinating sight to behold isn't it? And while it is set in a completely different era, the characterizations of both the major characters are so spot on that Freeman even bagged a BAFTA for it.

So there you have it. The correlation between Sherlock and the Hobbit. Are you guys excited to see Sherlock and Dr. Watson in the movie? I know I am. I'm a tad disappointed we won't get to actually see Benedict in the film, but it will be interesting to have Freeman and Cumberbatch work together again.

Cars 2: Initial Reviews Threaten Pixar's Golden Streak

Cars 2 is currently rated at 39% in Rotten Tomatoes, threatening to blemish Pixar's record of films with near perfect critical acclaim (The Toy Story Franchise, Ratatouille, Up, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., etc.).

Of course, technically, we have not even hit the opening weekend yet as of this writing so that figure could well prove to be temporary.  Stay tuned.

Avengers Movie: First Concept Art Poster

The first concept art poster of the Avengers Assemble has just been released.  Costumes c/o Stark Industries?

The Perfect Voices

Actors like Jeremy Irons and Alan Rickman are known to have incredibly good voices.





And in fact, their names figure prominently in a research for the perfect human voice. Jeremy Irons' is said to be the closest to the ideal male voice model. The ideal female voice? It's a mixture of Mariella Frostup and Judi Dench, among others.

Take a listen:
The "perfect" male voice.
The "perfect" female voice.

The mathematical formula used in this study is said to be "based on the combination of tone, speed, frequency, words per minute, and intonation." (Must the ideal voice have a British accent as well?)

A trivia for Harry Potter fans: Michael Gambon's (Professor Dumbledore) is also mentioned as a top voice in the study.  The Deathly Hallows reader should be especially amused about these references to both actors.  And if you've only been watching the movies, you don't have to wait much longer to know.

Toy Soldiers Review - Sean before Samwise Gamgee

From time to time, we'll be reviewing old movies as part of our "Blast from the Past" section. This month's feature is on a 1991 flick called "Toy Soldiers"

Long before Sean Astin was known as the hairy-foot hobbit best friend of Mr. Frodo in Lord of the Rings, he starred in this Action / Drama flick called "Toy Soldiers". Don't worry, there are no living toys involved in this show ala "Small Soldiers". Instead, it's about a group of rebellious rascals who save their boarding school from a terrorist attempt.

At the beginning of the movie, I enjoyed all the typical male high school pranks Billy (played by Sean Astin) and his group get into. I was not exactly pulled into the show in the beginning, but the acting and situations were interesting enough not to change the channel. When the dean catches them in the act of one of their misdeeds, he does not expel Billy, despite his egging him on to do so, something the dean will realize later on to be one of the best decisions of his life.

The movie then delves into the action/thriller portion of the show when a terrorist by the name of Luis Cali goes to the school searching for the son of the judge who put Luis' father in jail. Unlucky for him, the son of the judge had been removed from the school. Unlucky for the school, Luis Cali realizes just how many of the students in the boarding school were sons of very prominent people, so he just decides to put the whole boarding school under hostage until the president releases his father.

Billy, innately rebellious against ANY figure of authority, decides to throw a wrench on the terrorist's plans of blowing up the school, by finding a way to send important Intel about the terrorist group and their plans to the task force in charge of the hostage situation.

Now there are a couple of tiny details about the movie that makes the movie a bit more interesting and complex. One is Billy's best friend, Joey Trotta, who happens to be the son of the New York Mafia head. The other is the country's policy of never giving in to terrorists' hostage demands.


What you get as a result is quite an interesting flick - nothing groundbreaking, but still worth your time. Sean Astin played the rebel perfectly, and the relationship among him and his other friends was very dynamic. There's even a bit of believable drama weaved into the plot. I was also pleasantly surprised that the movie was actually relatively realistic; that is, Billy didn't suddenly morph into a Chuck Norris type and beat all the bad guys up singlehandedly.