Movies

You may have noticed that one of my fellow writers, here at Critical Blast, has posted a review of BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Caution: there are spoilers, but you can read it here if you'd like; you may agree with his viewpoint. That being said, I would like to offer my own thoughts on this epic presentation of two of the world's finest heroes.

This review will NOT include spoilers. I try to take an open-minded and objective approach when offering my opinion on whether or not a movie should be seen. Ultimately it's up to you to decide whether your hard-earned dollars are worth the price of admission.

BATMAN vs SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is a great example of the leadership problems with DC Comics/Warner Brothers. They don’t really know how to build a unified brand with a clear, well-defined vision. The result is a cinematic universe that doesn’t echo the comics nearly enough, and doesn’t dovetail with the CW/DC Television universe either. The earnest young Bruce Wayne of GOTHAM does not grow up to be Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne. The happy-go-lucky scarlet speedster that team’s up with Green Arrow on television is not the Flash briefly glimpsed in this film. The characterizations of Batman and Superman are inconsistent with the near-century of back issues that the hardcore comic fans have absorbed. If you don’t want to risk spoilers, I’ll leave you with this: BATMAN vs SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is overlong, overloud, and overkill. It’s also borderline boring despite the relentless violence and videogame fight sequences. Thank you for visiting CriticalBlast.com.

Everyone who has ever read superhero comic books knows that the creators always cut loose for the fight scenes -- and there have been some slobberknockers over the past decades! Superman vs. Doomsday. The Thing vs. The Hulk. Superman vs. Captain Marvel. And does anybody remember the standalone independent nothing-but-a-fight-scene comic called DESTROY?

Now with BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE hitting the theaters, we -- with help from the fine folks at www.morphsuits.com -- want to provide a look back at some of the greatest superhero standoffs that have happened on film. So without further ado, Critical Blast is proud to present:

When the banking crisis was happening, I was -- perhaps ironically -- working at a bank as an acquisitions analyst. (Not that I'm taking the blame for the collapse or anything.) But even then, hip-deep as I was in the business, the whole "housing bubble" was something I just couldn't wrap my head around. And if I couldn't understand it then, as a part of the industry, how could any average person figure out just how badly they were being screwed over?

Charles Randolph and Adam McKay do a bang-up job of making this elusive concept somewhat manageable in THE BIG SHORT. Adapting the book by Michael Lewis, Randolph and McKay break down a cerebral and dry subject and turn it into something informative and entertaining through fourth-wall breaks, cutaways to explanatory skits starring celebrities, and a focus on the quirkiness of the main players. This goes a long way to explaining why they won the Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Maura Ellis (Amy Poehler) is a divorcee who has put all her efforts into helping other people at the expense of her own happiness. Kate Ellis (Tina Fey) is a wild-child single mother who can't keep a job. When they return to their childhood home to reconnect, they learn that their parents (James Brolin, Dianne Wiest) have just sold the place. So how do the titular SISTERS deal with this latest -- and seemingly heaviest -- blow to their self-esteem?

By reliving their high school days and throwing a wild party, inviting all their high school friends (and excluding all their high school rivals). But age has taken its toll on their old crew: parenthood, middle-life maladies, and the dreaded monster, Responsibility, have overtaken them. But this is nothing that a boat-load of booze and a buffet of illegal drugs won't conquer, courtesy of Dave (John Leguizamo) and his frighteningly built connection, Pazuzu (John Cena).

By: Patti & Chris Delloiacono

Chris: It's been kind of cool to see all the recent live theater productions on TV the last couple years. Unfortunately, as much as I love Broadway and musical films, PETER PAN, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, THE WIZ, etc, just aren't my thing. On the other hand, GREASE is one of my favorites. Now, I never saw it performed live, but John Travolta, Jeff Conaway, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing and the rest of the cast are icons that put on a performance that's been with me all my life.

We still have two months to go until Captain America: Civil War hits screens on May 6...but we've got the new trailer, and it's...Amazing!

Being a child in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s exposed me to the peak years of KISS and their merchandising machine, as well as the launch of MTV.  I like to think I have somewhat eclectic musical tastes these days, but I still love KISS not to mention all those bands that exploded to national fame with some assist by MTV.  You know, bands like Quiet Riot, Def Leppard, and Twisted Sister.  In fact, TS’s “Stay Hungry” album--and I owned it on vinyl--was only the third album I bought that didn't feature Mickey Mouse, Big Bird, or Star Wars characters.  

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—animation is one of the least appreciated visual art forms in this country. In many other cultures, perhaps most notably in Japan, animation is considered in no different light than live acted cinema. In America, animation almost always falls into two categories: Japanese anime, and cartoons. Cartoons, sadly, are often dumped in the children’s bin: Sponge Bob, The Simpsons, if you’re lucky perhaps the classic Bugs Bunny episodes. Of course, there’s also the granddaddy of the medium –Disney. Currently, Disney is on an unstoppable roll. Since they own the Star Wars and Marvel cinematic licenses Disney practically can’t help but make money. They aren’t resting on their laurel, however; they’re still putting some highly entertaining original adventures in the tradition of SNOW WHITE and BAMBI. They will score another huge hit with ZOOTOPIA. Kids of all ages will enjoy it and their parents won’t be bored to death waiting for the credits to roll.

From Short List Magazine: 

The film adaptation of Stephen King's legendary Dark Tower series is finally about to begin: Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey have been confirmed as the two leads.

The news came via a tweet from the man himself:

When it was announced that a 'director's cut', R-rated version of BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE would be released on blu-ray, it sparked a firestorm of complaints. I'm here to give you 5 reasons why it's not nearly as awful as you think.

With all of the hype and marketing, there was some concern that DEADPOOL was trying to overcompensate for being a small member of the superhero genre. Now that the covers are off and we finally get a look at the goods, it's clear that DEADPOOL is bigger than expected.

While the movie has some kinks, it's not tied down by too many gags that don't work. A highly quotable movie, don't try to do it line-by-line because DEADPOOL can be a mouthful.

But before you take in all of DEADPOOL, it's important to prepare yourself.

 “Who am I?” While this question may be asked throughout the film, the answer seems clear that ZOOLANDER 2 is just another sequel hoping to follow in moderate success after the original film…and falls flat on the runway.  Ben Stiller directs this train wreck, and he also co-wrote the movie with Justin Theroux.  However, I wish someone could have salvaged this script to make it partially enjoyable.

As the final official trailer has now been released, while it was mostly the same scenes shuffled around, we did get a few new shots to tease our senses.

So what did we make of it all?

1) Batfleck is a Badass
In case there were people unsure of Batman's badassery, it was on full display as this trailer features the bat. Is this a hint about how the movie opens up? Or will the movie be interrupted for a beatdown of thugs? Either way, the repor between Bruce and Alfred is enjoyable and anyone who had any doubts can now set them aside. He even blocks a punch from Superman. Without effort.

I don’t care much for Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, Marvel Comics’ “Merc With The Mouth.” As a character, he’s a blatant derivative of DC’s Deathstroke, he talks too much, and writers have made him corny and sophomoric for years. When the character first debuted in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, played by heartthrob Ryan Reynolds, he was merely okay at best, given a couple of decent lines early on before showing up at the end of the movie (one that most comic book fans pan but I actually enjoyed) with his mouth missing and two long forearm spikes that made him look more like Baraka from the Mortal Kombat video games franchise than the lithe, gun-toting assassin. Reynolds waited patiently while DEADPOOL, a standalone feature, languished in developmental hell. During that wait he played Hal Jordan in DC’s GREEN LANTERN, which was so poorly crafted that most people would probably agree that X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was far superior, even if they didn’t like it either.

On the heels of Zack Snyder announcing that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is 99.9% completed, Henry Cavill has posted an image to his instagram account. Indicating that he's started his training for the upcoming Justice League movie and the image serves as motivation.

Henry Cavill IS Superman.

From his instagram account henrycavill:

Warm up phase for Superman training started today! Posting this pic to set myself a minimum goal...and force myself to actually keep going haha! @gritandteeth

MINIMUM goal? Way to make the rest of us feel inadequate, sir. Having no need for padded 'muscle' suits, Cavill is determined to be bigger than ever. Whether you like Snyder's interpretation of the character or not, Cavill is 100% committed to being the best on-screen portrayal of Superman we've ever seen.

When you think of Caesar, you think of three things: Rome, betrayal, and salad. The Coen Brothers, creators of such classic comedy films as RAISING ARIZONA, FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI and O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? and more dramatic features such as NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and TRUE GRIT are back with HAIL, CAESAR!, a tale of McCarthy-era Hollywood. I typically enjoy movies that explore that era, but the Joel and Ethan Coen didn’t break any new ground here. HAIL, CAESAR! had the grandeur of Rome, it was as funny and exciting as your average Caesar salad, and it betrayed my high expectations.    

It's once again that time of year -- when we look back at the things we loved last year and try to determine which ones were the best of the best ("of the best, sir!"). The best movie, the best television show, the best books, the best comics -- and the people who brought them to us.

So, after a nomination process that makes the Iowa Caucus look like a standard up-or-down vote system, we've settled on the list of nominees below. But, we always recognize the fact that the readers may know better than we do, so each category has an "Other" option where you can put in what we missed.

Unfortunately, to avoid the potential for ballot stuffing (to the best of our abilities) the form below requires that you be logged into your Google account. If you don't have one (and why wouldn't you?) then you won't be able to participate.

So let the voting now commence...and good luck to all the candidates and write-ins.

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Zac Cherin

After buying Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, The Walt Disney Company had to wait three years for its investment to begin paying tangible dividends. If, however, the initial box-office performance of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is a sign of things to come, then the wait was well worth it.

The seventh installment in the Star Wars film saga shattered the U.S. total box office record, passing the $760.5 million mark set by James Cameron’s blockbuster “Avatar” in 2009.

Zack Snyder has been adamant that he's not okay with people spoiling his movie. Latino Review is known for digging up spoilers and sometimes throwing theories at the wall to see what sticks. It makes for a toxic combination.

In it's latest attempt to spoil a movie, Latino Review is reporting they know who the 'other' villain in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be.

Exclusive: Batman V Superman's Other Villain Revealed...[SPOILER] — https://t.co/fFRpJHW1Rr #BatmanvSuperman pic.twitter.com/vcXpFiCtIe

— Latino Review (@LRNews) January 13, 2016