Author Brian C. Baer clearly had some complicated feelings to work through with regard to the recent release and general quality of Justice League. As such, he has been working on this analysis of the film as a reflection of the times that it was created in. While initially a bit unwieldy, Brian has pared down his thoughts into a length that’s much more manageable*. Enjoy his look at the unintentional timeliness of this film…
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Make Superman Great Again!
Posted: January 15, 2018 in Baer, Film, UncategorizedTags: Aquaman, Baer, Batman, DC, Justice League, Man of Steel, Superman, Wonder Woman
1
Extremist Movie Debate: Justice League
Posted: November 26, 2017 in UncategorizedTags: Batman, DC, Justice League, Superman, Wonder Woman
My good friend Ethan, of Extremist Movie Debate, asked me to fill in for his regular movie-sparring partner Joe last week. We went head-to-head over the recent release of Justice League. If you’re unfamiliar with the format of their series, they flip a coin to decide which stance that they have to take on their chosen movie (love or hate) and then must argue their point through a series of questions and discussions. I’ll let the video show where I came down. Regardless, this was an incredibly difficult film to to get passionate about. There are plenty of movies and shows that I’ve loved or hated and enjoyed fiercely debating but Justice League is so incredibly, inoffensively average that it took every ounce of my amazing acting talent to muster even the slight enthusiasm I have here. (more…)
Since hitting theatres in the early 2000’s, the X-Men film franchise has become the longest running comic-based series to keep the same continuity. Unlike Spider-Man or Fantastic Four, this series has continued to maintain the same singular universe for over 15 years. Much like the Homo Superior of the comic series that said movies are based upon, the films have undergone their fair share of evolution in those years. With shifting creative teams covering ten films (and a couple of television series that recently premiered) it’s no surprise that there have been vast changes in the tone and story of the films as they’ve progressed. However, those changes also brought an equally vast number of issues regarding the continuity and consistency of the story.
With a year and a half until its release date, the filmmakers behind Justice League have made the unprecedented move to roll out a full blitz of information and interviews regarding the not-so-coming-soon feature.
(more…)
**Brian C. Baer tracked down this unproduced Catwoman spin-off script from the 90’s. It certainly sounds like it would’ve been far better than the film from 2004, which is literally the faintest praise you can give anything. Enjoy this look at what could’ve been!**
The Halle Berry adaptation of Catwoman was released in 2004 to near universal distain. It was a disaster, both critically and commercially, and when she collected her Golden Raspberry award for Worst Actress that year, even Berry called it “a piece of shit, god-awful movie.”
What is largely considered the worst comic book movie was not actually as slapdash and rushed as it appears on-screen. The project had been spiraling throughout various circles of development hell for a solid decade before then. It began its life as a sequel to and spin-off of Catwoman’s appearance in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992). A solo Catwoman film was first announced in 1993, with Michelle Pfeiffer returning to the title character, and with Burton set to direct. It would stand apart from the lighter cinematic Batman fare that Warner Brothers had planned for the caped crusader. However, like many Burton projects from the era, nothing much came of it. (more…)
**Frequent collaborator and friend Brian C. Baer has taken some time out of his busy schedule writing about the history of He-Man to inform and educate us about WGN’s secret Marvel / DC crossover from the late 90’s. Oh, you weren’t aware of any official crossover? Well, get ready to learn about the strange world of Night Man…**
Before we get started, I just want to warn you that this article discusses a forgotten/forgettable ‘90s TV series called Night Man. So, go ahead. Get it out of your system…
**This piece was originally published on the website Action A Go Go, but it originated as something on here, so I reposted. Enjoy!**
I try to steer clear of movies or shows that are considered “controversial” in fan circles. I mean, we can all (mostly) agree that Jonah Hex is pretty crappy and X2 is pretty sweet, right? That being said, there’s one movie that I continually see as a point of contention in the comic movie fan community. The film Man of Steel has become somewhat of a lightning rod for fandom’s worst qualities. I see people attack it for every reason under the yellow sun. From the color of Superman’s costume, to the fact that it doesn’t use the John Williams score from the Donner series. And I also see people defend everything about it, even things that wouldn’t be acceptable in other movies, like shoddy CGI or obvious plot-holes.
Pictured: SUBTLETY!!!!!!!!
The age of cross-promotional foodstuff is seemingly in decline. Sure, there are some properties that are immune to that (like Star Wars, which is apparently immune to decline in general) but we’re a far cry from the heady days of the 80’s and 90’s when nearly anything that could be vaguely marketed toward children got a delicious confection to go along with its action figure line. These days, it seems like only the biggest names in entertainment are given any sort of extended promotion. Movies, by and large, still get their requisite toyline, but even those tend to be far more collector driven than kid-centric. Maybe a shift in the public’s spending money has to do with it. I don’t know, I’m not a socio-economic guy. What I do know is comic book movies and their tie-ins. And, aside from The Avengers, Batman V Superman seems to be the only comic book movie within the last several years to have a breakfast cereal.
PILOT LITE: Legends of Tomorrow (2016 tv series)
Posted: February 3, 2016 in Pilot Lite, UncategorizedTags: Arrow, DC, Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Pilot Lite
Who would’ve thought a little cable channel known for teen melodrama would one day be on the cutting edge of comic book television? I know I talk a lot about my love for their Televisual DC Universe (yes, I’m still looking for an alternative to “Arrow-verse”) but it really can’t be stressed enough just what a big deal it is. They single-handedly changed the landscape of TV with one little show about a dude in green who shoots people with arrows. Compare what most channels offered in 2012 to right now and see just how many comic-based shows cropped up in Arrow‘s wake. And, if you want to take it back even further, Arrow was ostensibly a spinoff of Smallville. And even though that show had plenty of issues, it showed that this channel (and its precursor, The WB) have seen something worthwhile in comic adaptations since 2001. Anyway, I find it appropriate to discuss the history that made Legends of Tomorrow, the newest in the CWDCU (I’ll get there eventually, I swear) since it’s a series about traveling to the past in an effort to correct the future.
(more…)
CBM Profile: DC Heroes
Posted: January 21, 2016 in CBM Profile, DC, UncategorizedTags: Arrow, CBM Profile, DC, Justice League, Supergirl
This profile is going to be a little different than others that have been posted. Instead of focusing on one character or team, I’m going to look at a few different DC heroes who have had a limited presence in expanded media. None of them have had enough of an impact to carry their own profile, so I’m combining. Enjoy!
(more…)
Comic Book Media 