The new trailer is out for Rouge One: A Star Wars Story (that title is so awkward!) and it is great! This one is much more dramatic, and it gives a good feel for the story. Oh, and you know who is back!!!!!!! Only a few more months!
Shmee Picks His Black Manta!
I am going to have to apologize up front. Usually when I cast a character I have five choices, but with so many people already making either Marvel movies or DC movies I had to narrow my list down to three because everyone was already in something else. Still with the announcement that the Aquaman’s most well known villain Black Manta would be in the new Aquaman film, I had to voice my opinion. Here are my top three choices for Black Manta:
3: Denzel Washington
I know that he is 61 and he will be 62 by the time Aquaman starts filming, but he would add some weight and star power to the picture, and Denzel can do anything regardless of his age. Put him in the suit and I wouldn’t stand in his way.
2: Jamie Foxx
His last outing as a superhero villain did not go well in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but he is a talented actor, and playing a more serious villain like Black Manta would play to his strengths. He could definitely throw down with Jason Momoa.
1: Michael K. Williams
The fact that Michael K. Williams is not already working on a major comic book movie is crime, but he would be perfect for Black Manta. If you doubt his acting chops check out Boardwalk Empire or The Wire and you will be sold. No one would be safe underwater with Michael K. William’s Black Manta on the loose!
Those are my three choices for Black Manta! What do you think? Who would you pick to play opposite of Aquaman?
This Is The Akira Fans Have Been Clamoring For!
Akira 28 from Brad Kremer on Vimeo.
It seems like Hollywood has been trying to make an Akira movie for forever, but the fans, as always, are around to show them how it should be done! While the CGI could use a little work, the above video was gorgeous and it makes me want to run out and watch Akira again.
With The Casting Of Key Justice Society Characters The CW Is Indeed Shaping Up To Be DC’s Earth 2!
According to IGN actress Sarah Grey is now the CW’s Stargirl on Legends of Tomorrow. Stargirl is a key member of the Justice Society of America. If you don’t know who Sarah Grey is here is a headshot for you:
Now I know nothing about Grey’s acting talent, but what is exciting is that my hope of the CW becoming DC’s live action Earth 2 are coming true. Why do I say that you ask? The Justice Society is the Justice League from Earth 2, so if they are going to be Legends of Tomorrow’s primary superhero crime fighting force that means the CW is owning its second Earth status. Which is great. I am all for the TV series being the timey wimey crazy DC earth. Not to mention if they are officially Earth 2 it still leaves the opportunity open for a TV/Movie meet-up! They are announcing more Justice Society characters as they get closer to Legend’s second season, and I can’t wait!
Forget Rotten Tomatoes, Suicide Squad Is A Lot Of Fun!
Going in to Suicide Squad I read a lot of reviews, and most of them were terrible. Their unrelenting negativity washed over me. I was heartbroken. I had been looking forward to this movie for months, but I steeled for the worse and went anyway with my lovely wife, and you know what? I enjoyed myself quite a bit. No Suicide Squad is not perfect, and yes it did feel like two different movies at times: one a dark over the top action comedy, no doubt being pushed by DC, and the other a more standard David Ayer (the director) grimy street crime drama, but I liked both of those movies.
The setup for Suicide Squad is that US government is worried that the next ‘Superman’ may not be a good guy, so they greenlight a project being run by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to have the bad guys be forced to work off their long prison sentences by saving the world. Not to mention they have bombs in their necks, so if they don’t behave their commander Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) has a button to take a little off the top.
The biggest issue with this movie’s plot is the pacing. There are so many new characters to introduce that in the beginning Suicide Squad can’t seem to focus for more than a few minutes, but once those introductions are finished and the premise becomes clear the movie kicks it in to high gear. Sure the big bad’s plan in this film didn’t make a lot of sense, but not to a movie breaking level like everyone seems to be saying it is.
What elevated this movie for me were the amazing performances. Suicide Squad is an ensemble movie, so the ensemble had to do their parts, and man did they ever. Viola Davis owned Amanda Waller. She was every bit the imposing morally gray A.R.G.U.S. director comic book fans have come to know and love. Will Smith and Margot Robbie likewise nailed their roles as Deadshot and Harley Quinn. I also need to give special attention to Jay Hernandez as El Diablo. It would have been very easy for him to get lost in this movie, but he made El Diablo the emotional center of this film.
One role that is going to be a divisive for a lot of fans is Jared Leto’s Joker. In the comics and the cartoon he always keeps affections for Harley Quinn under wraps. You tended to get the feeling in the comics that their ‘romance’ was fairly one sided with Harley being infatuated with the Clown Prince, but the Joker couldn’t be forced to care about Harley’s well being or feelings. Not so in Suicide Squad. The Joker is just as infatuated with Harley as she is with him. Not to mention Leto’s Joker seems like he is high all the time. He doesn’t seem to be the razor sharp and calculating villain most people expect. I liked this different take, but I can understand why more than a few people are upset.
If you have been excited to see Suicide Squad, but the bad reviews have put you off, you should still go see it anyway. While there are a lot of things they could have done better it was still a ton of fun, and a great way to see a good representation of a lot of fan favorite characters. I hope the Squad gets to come back because I can’t wait to see where they take these characters next. It would be a shame if the Suicide Squad was a one and done franchise. It has amazing potential.