CW
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
JJ Reacts To:
TANGLED as Disney's "last" fairy tale:
I don't care how old you are. You can be 3 years old or 70 - Disney knows their shit. I've just come from the movie theater after seeing TANGLED. Wow. I was blown away! It was so dare I say original! Granted, it's based on the fairy tale Rapunzel it still felt like it was an original story. Slightly predictable yes, a little cliche yes, and sappy yes but let's really let's look at Disney's greatest (according to the JJ) - THE LION KING, ALADDIN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Hmmm . . . they are all predictable, cliche, and sappy. Yet they are considered classics. Bazinga!
Now, if this truly Disney's "last" fairy tale (probably for about 3 years or some crap) then they went out with a bang. The story seemed very epic but was actually quite personal and touching. It wasn't Simba trying to regain his throne, or Ariel yearning to learn more about the "surface world" (haha, see what I did there? Aquaman reference!!!), it was just a young girl with a dream to see floating lanterns on her birthday. No, seriously, that was it. Oh and the guy who plays Chuck on the NBC show of the same name is the main hero. Uh . . . I'm not really winning points here am I? Ok well, here we go:
I, like most people, grew up on Disney movies. I grew up loving ALADDIN, THE LION KING, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, HERCULES, TARZAN, TOY STORY, and so on and so forth. And here is the honest truth - I still love those movies. Now, I watch them through adult eyes and still find the magic in them. Not necessarily because they remind me of my childhood (although that is part of it) but because they are well made movies. Well. Made. Movies. Go watch BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and tell me you didn't tear up at the end. Tell me that THE LION KING's ending didn't put a smile on your face just now. The same will be said for TANGLED.
Also, the acting by the animators was TOP NOTCH! In my opinion, worthy of any Oscar, Golden Globe, or MTV award (cuz those are cool too). I saw the 3D version and like AVATAR it seemed like you were a part of the movie rather than just stuff flying at you! The voice acting was also superb. Disney sure knows how to cast their movies.
But the best part, to me, was that this was a musical. I believe this is Disney's first CGI musical. The Pixar movies stayed away from that territory (and rightly so, those movies are fine without it) but this is Disney movie making at it's finest again. I felt like a little kid seeing this and I truly enjoyed myself. I literally went and bought the soundtrack after seeing it. Listening to it now actually, as I'm writing this.
My recommendation to you is to go see Disney's "last" fairy tale. I felt like they went out with a bang. And trust me, you don't wanna miss it!
I don't care how old you are. You can be 3 years old or 70 - Disney knows their shit. I've just come from the movie theater after seeing TANGLED. Wow. I was blown away! It was so dare I say original! Granted, it's based on the fairy tale Rapunzel it still felt like it was an original story. Slightly predictable yes, a little cliche yes, and sappy yes but let's really let's look at Disney's greatest (according to the JJ) - THE LION KING, ALADDIN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Hmmm . . . they are all predictable, cliche, and sappy. Yet they are considered classics. Bazinga!
Now, if this truly Disney's "last" fairy tale (probably for about 3 years or some crap) then they went out with a bang. The story seemed very epic but was actually quite personal and touching. It wasn't Simba trying to regain his throne, or Ariel yearning to learn more about the "surface world" (haha, see what I did there? Aquaman reference!!!), it was just a young girl with a dream to see floating lanterns on her birthday. No, seriously, that was it. Oh and the guy who plays Chuck on the NBC show of the same name is the main hero. Uh . . . I'm not really winning points here am I? Ok well, here we go:
I, like most people, grew up on Disney movies. I grew up loving ALADDIN, THE LION KING, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, HERCULES, TARZAN, TOY STORY, and so on and so forth. And here is the honest truth - I still love those movies. Now, I watch them through adult eyes and still find the magic in them. Not necessarily because they remind me of my childhood (although that is part of it) but because they are well made movies. Well. Made. Movies. Go watch BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and tell me you didn't tear up at the end. Tell me that THE LION KING's ending didn't put a smile on your face just now. The same will be said for TANGLED.
Also, the acting by the animators was TOP NOTCH! In my opinion, worthy of any Oscar, Golden Globe, or MTV award (cuz those are cool too). I saw the 3D version and like AVATAR it seemed like you were a part of the movie rather than just stuff flying at you! The voice acting was also superb. Disney sure knows how to cast their movies.
But the best part, to me, was that this was a musical. I believe this is Disney's first CGI musical. The Pixar movies stayed away from that territory (and rightly so, those movies are fine without it) but this is Disney movie making at it's finest again. I felt like a little kid seeing this and I truly enjoyed myself. I literally went and bought the soundtrack after seeing it. Listening to it now actually, as I'm writing this.
My recommendation to you is to go see Disney's "last" fairy tale. I felt like they went out with a bang. And trust me, you don't wanna miss it!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
JJ Reacts To:
THE GREEN LANTERN PREVIEW:
Gasp! Wow! I'm . . . It's . . . Oh, I cannot tell you how long I have waited for this! It's just . . . I . . . I need a minute . . . Ok . . . here we go . . .
When I first saw the teaser of the teaser online before the Entertainment Tonight preview I was a little annoyed. It seemed so . . . Ryan Reynolds. Don't get me wrong, love me some Ryan Reynolds but I don't wanna see Monty from Waiting as the Green Lantern. I wanna see Hal Jordan. Nevertheless I thought they had the look down pretty good. I reserved judgement till I got to see the whole preview.
So I'm watching the preview with a big ten year old grin on my face (granted I didn't get into green lantern till I was 16 or 17 but ya get the idea). I was very, very impressed. That teaser of the teaser did not do the actual preview justice. It was like reading one line out of a newspaper article and judging the whole thing.
The best parts of the preview were the moments where we got to see Reynolds kinda doubt his calling as a Green Lantern. When we first see Abin Sur (holy SHIT did he look awesome) he gives him the ring and Hal has this look on his face like, "Why me?" For me, that fits the character. It's like any great calling - you would not really want it at first, you would be afraid. Of course Hal will overcome that fear to be the universe's greatest Green Lantern.
Gotta say though, the most jaw dropping moment for me was seeing Sinestro. You get one quick shot of him and he is in a couple of the montages but you have to look closely (and I did!). He looked AMAZING! It was like seeing Heath as the Joker again. Based on the costume it's not quite the comic book look but I have this gut feeling that Mark Strong will rank up there with Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, and even the Joker as great movie villains (even if it takes two or three movies to get there).
Now, onto the downsides. Blake Lively. While she is super hot and I would love to see her dressed up as a Star Sapphire, is she serious? "Hal. This test today. It's important." Sure sounds important there, Ms Fembot. I have a feeling (based on my years of studying movie previews) that that was a mash up of lines so they sound awkward together. But I can't help but feel like she may have been a bad choice. Sure she has the look (good God does she have the look) but is she a good actor? Only time will tell.
Another thing that kinda bothered me is the CGI costume. Granted I was pretty sure it was gonna look bad. I mean, it's a fricken CGI costume on a live actor! It's like the clone uniforms in Episode III with Temeura (spell?) Morrison's head. You can tell it's fake. I get the logic. It needs to look like a construct. So granted, yes it should look a little fake. But still, couldn't we have hired a better CG effects house Warner Bros? You only sank what, 150 mil into this project? Oh well, I'm sure I will be over it by the time the movie comes out. Unlike most fans, I don't complain about the things I love. So take that all you "purists".
All in all I award the trailer 9 rings out of 10. This movie is gonna be fucking incredible and I'm counting down the days. Now we just need previews for all the other shit next year:
Thor
Captain America: the First Avenger
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (retarded title by the way)
X-Men: First Class
Am I forgetting anything?
Gasp! Wow! I'm . . . It's . . . Oh, I cannot tell you how long I have waited for this! It's just . . . I . . . I need a minute . . . Ok . . . here we go . . .
When I first saw the teaser of the teaser online before the Entertainment Tonight preview I was a little annoyed. It seemed so . . . Ryan Reynolds. Don't get me wrong, love me some Ryan Reynolds but I don't wanna see Monty from Waiting as the Green Lantern. I wanna see Hal Jordan. Nevertheless I thought they had the look down pretty good. I reserved judgement till I got to see the whole preview.
So I'm watching the preview with a big ten year old grin on my face (granted I didn't get into green lantern till I was 16 or 17 but ya get the idea). I was very, very impressed. That teaser of the teaser did not do the actual preview justice. It was like reading one line out of a newspaper article and judging the whole thing.
The best parts of the preview were the moments where we got to see Reynolds kinda doubt his calling as a Green Lantern. When we first see Abin Sur (holy SHIT did he look awesome) he gives him the ring and Hal has this look on his face like, "Why me?" For me, that fits the character. It's like any great calling - you would not really want it at first, you would be afraid. Of course Hal will overcome that fear to be the universe's greatest Green Lantern.
Gotta say though, the most jaw dropping moment for me was seeing Sinestro. You get one quick shot of him and he is in a couple of the montages but you have to look closely (and I did!). He looked AMAZING! It was like seeing Heath as the Joker again. Based on the costume it's not quite the comic book look but I have this gut feeling that Mark Strong will rank up there with Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, and even the Joker as great movie villains (even if it takes two or three movies to get there).
Now, onto the downsides. Blake Lively. While she is super hot and I would love to see her dressed up as a Star Sapphire, is she serious? "Hal. This test today. It's important." Sure sounds important there, Ms Fembot. I have a feeling (based on my years of studying movie previews) that that was a mash up of lines so they sound awkward together. But I can't help but feel like she may have been a bad choice. Sure she has the look (good God does she have the look) but is she a good actor? Only time will tell.
Another thing that kinda bothered me is the CGI costume. Granted I was pretty sure it was gonna look bad. I mean, it's a fricken CGI costume on a live actor! It's like the clone uniforms in Episode III with Temeura (spell?) Morrison's head. You can tell it's fake. I get the logic. It needs to look like a construct. So granted, yes it should look a little fake. But still, couldn't we have hired a better CG effects house Warner Bros? You only sank what, 150 mil into this project? Oh well, I'm sure I will be over it by the time the movie comes out. Unlike most fans, I don't complain about the things I love. So take that all you "purists".
All in all I award the trailer 9 rings out of 10. This movie is gonna be fucking incredible and I'm counting down the days. Now we just need previews for all the other shit next year:
Thor
Captain America: the First Avenger
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (retarded title by the way)
X-Men: First Class
Am I forgetting anything?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Earth One Speculation
With Superman: Earth One now out for the world to finally see (that is if you can find it! It's sold out everywhere even amazon.com) and Batman: Earth One not too far behind I began to think, "What's next?" Well, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank have been announced for Batman which is perfect casting. JMS and Shane Davis knocked it out of the park for Superman. So who would be good choices for other DCU heroes? I compiled a list of dudes that I think would kick some ass and possibly take names. Here is my "dream team" for more DCU Earth One stories:
AQUAMAN: EARTH ONE by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis:
"Oh my lord JJ!" You must be thinking, "You need to get over this whole Aquaman thing!" You are probably right. But for now I could care less what you think! Geoff and Ivan have made Aquaman (more specifically Arthur Curry) a much better character within Brightest Day than he has been in YEARS. Plus Ivan's pencils have simply gotten better and better. Blackest Night proved that he is a superstar to be recognized like Ethan Van Sciver and George Perez. Plus a character on the C or D list like Aquaman is practically begging to be put back on the mainstream and Johns is the master of that. Whether it's a "Rebirth" story or an Earth One graphic novel, DC NEEDS to keep Johns and Reis on Aquamn as long as possible.
GREEN LANTERN: EARTH ONE by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales:
Woo boy! Who wouldn't want a reunion by the Identity Crisis team? Granted Rags's work isn't as "high profile" as Reis or Van Sciver or Frank but he does bring a very human touch to his pencils. And Meltzer is very good at humanizing the DC characters like no other. Plus the graphic novel format might fit his style more than the 22 page comic format. I know it's weird that I would suggest Meltzer over Johns but I'm trying to broaden my horizons here! I loved Identity Crisis. It felt so real to me. Superman: EO did that as well, and if there is anyone outside of JMS and Johns who can make Green Lantern (more specifically Hal Jordan) a compelling character it would be Meltzer. Let's hope that DC gets the ball rolling with more of these Earth One novels!
THE FLASH: EARTH ONE by Grant Morrison and David Finch:
You and I both know this would be a trip! Forget taking drugs - this is golden shit right here! When I thought of this I let a very Jokery smile stretch across my face. Now the story doesn't have to be about Barry Allen. It could be Wally West or Bart or hell even a new speedster. Either way Grant would find a way to make the story wilder than you could possibly imagine. His run on Batman suggests as much. Remember Arkham Asylum? Love it or hate it you can't deny the energy within the story. Plus Finch is proving himself to be DC's go to guy for covers and beautiful interiors. I think together they could make a Flash story that would not only jump off the page but it would leave you pondering new ideas like nothing else.
WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE by Gail Simone and Ed Benes:
This seems to be a semi-obvious choice. But to me it would be a match made in heaven. Anytime I see Benes name on a comic I get excited because like the late, great Michael Turner he draws the most gorgeous women. Plus the way he draws the men really make them (forgive the pun) super. But for Wonder Woman? This would be the Dynamic Duo! I feel like nobody knows Diana better than Simone. Not because she is a woman but because she seems to have a deep love for the character. Like Johns is the Green Lantern master because he loves the character. Simone knows Diana inside and out and could give us a story like no other! And Benes would really know how to make her sparkle like she was a brand new character.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER: EARTH ONE by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason:
Another Brightest Day team that should totally stick to this character after Day is over. I'm not normallly a fan of Tomasi's work but I really love his work on J'Onn. He gives the character a little too much exposition but in a way it's kind of the nature of the character. He is gonna be a talker and be very empathatic because he is a telepath and knows what everyone is thinking. Plus Gleason, like Morales, may not be a "superstar" per se but he and Tomasi clearly have a great synergy. They seem to really compliment each other and would really kick ass taking on this character and re-imagining his origins.
GREEN ARROW: EARTH ONE by: Brad Meltzer and Francis Manapul:
"Meltzer again, JJ? Really? No no, Really?" Yes really! I like his work! So sue me! His run back in the day on Green Arrow was a great character study. He really dug into the heart of the character, "He's a father to Connor, a father-figure to Roy, and a husband to Dinah. And he's a bastard to all of them." His words. Plus Manapul is proving to be on the fast track to superstardom with his amazing work on the Flash right now. He and Meltzer could really knock it out of the park (the official catchphrase of this article). Meltzer could bring his trademark humanity to the character while Manapul just paints us a gorgeous picture. Green Arrow is another character that I think deserves a shot at the limelight. Justin Hartley has given the character a lot of respect from Smallville and I think Meltzer would be able to help give Arrow that push into superstardom that the character deserves.
So there you have it. This is my wishlist for more Earth One stories. Granted we only have one story to go off of right now in the form of Superman but I believe that DC knows they have something special on their hands and will rise to the challenge. The challenge of course being the production of more high quality graphic novels. As Johns himself said at NYC Comic Con, "I don't think we have any C list or D list characters. They all have the potential to be A list." Well said Mr Johns, well said . . .
AQUAMAN: EARTH ONE by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis:
"Oh my lord JJ!" You must be thinking, "You need to get over this whole Aquaman thing!" You are probably right. But for now I could care less what you think! Geoff and Ivan have made Aquaman (more specifically Arthur Curry) a much better character within Brightest Day than he has been in YEARS. Plus Ivan's pencils have simply gotten better and better. Blackest Night proved that he is a superstar to be recognized like Ethan Van Sciver and George Perez. Plus a character on the C or D list like Aquaman is practically begging to be put back on the mainstream and Johns is the master of that. Whether it's a "Rebirth" story or an Earth One graphic novel, DC NEEDS to keep Johns and Reis on Aquamn as long as possible.
GREEN LANTERN: EARTH ONE by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales:
Woo boy! Who wouldn't want a reunion by the Identity Crisis team? Granted Rags's work isn't as "high profile" as Reis or Van Sciver or Frank but he does bring a very human touch to his pencils. And Meltzer is very good at humanizing the DC characters like no other. Plus the graphic novel format might fit his style more than the 22 page comic format. I know it's weird that I would suggest Meltzer over Johns but I'm trying to broaden my horizons here! I loved Identity Crisis. It felt so real to me. Superman: EO did that as well, and if there is anyone outside of JMS and Johns who can make Green Lantern (more specifically Hal Jordan) a compelling character it would be Meltzer. Let's hope that DC gets the ball rolling with more of these Earth One novels!
THE FLASH: EARTH ONE by Grant Morrison and David Finch:
You and I both know this would be a trip! Forget taking drugs - this is golden shit right here! When I thought of this I let a very Jokery smile stretch across my face. Now the story doesn't have to be about Barry Allen. It could be Wally West or Bart or hell even a new speedster. Either way Grant would find a way to make the story wilder than you could possibly imagine. His run on Batman suggests as much. Remember Arkham Asylum? Love it or hate it you can't deny the energy within the story. Plus Finch is proving himself to be DC's go to guy for covers and beautiful interiors. I think together they could make a Flash story that would not only jump off the page but it would leave you pondering new ideas like nothing else.
WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE by Gail Simone and Ed Benes:
This seems to be a semi-obvious choice. But to me it would be a match made in heaven. Anytime I see Benes name on a comic I get excited because like the late, great Michael Turner he draws the most gorgeous women. Plus the way he draws the men really make them (forgive the pun) super. But for Wonder Woman? This would be the Dynamic Duo! I feel like nobody knows Diana better than Simone. Not because she is a woman but because she seems to have a deep love for the character. Like Johns is the Green Lantern master because he loves the character. Simone knows Diana inside and out and could give us a story like no other! And Benes would really know how to make her sparkle like she was a brand new character.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER: EARTH ONE by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason:
Another Brightest Day team that should totally stick to this character after Day is over. I'm not normallly a fan of Tomasi's work but I really love his work on J'Onn. He gives the character a little too much exposition but in a way it's kind of the nature of the character. He is gonna be a talker and be very empathatic because he is a telepath and knows what everyone is thinking. Plus Gleason, like Morales, may not be a "superstar" per se but he and Tomasi clearly have a great synergy. They seem to really compliment each other and would really kick ass taking on this character and re-imagining his origins.
GREEN ARROW: EARTH ONE by: Brad Meltzer and Francis Manapul:
"Meltzer again, JJ? Really? No no, Really?" Yes really! I like his work! So sue me! His run back in the day on Green Arrow was a great character study. He really dug into the heart of the character, "He's a father to Connor, a father-figure to Roy, and a husband to Dinah. And he's a bastard to all of them." His words. Plus Manapul is proving to be on the fast track to superstardom with his amazing work on the Flash right now. He and Meltzer could really knock it out of the park (the official catchphrase of this article). Meltzer could bring his trademark humanity to the character while Manapul just paints us a gorgeous picture. Green Arrow is another character that I think deserves a shot at the limelight. Justin Hartley has given the character a lot of respect from Smallville and I think Meltzer would be able to help give Arrow that push into superstardom that the character deserves.
So there you have it. This is my wishlist for more Earth One stories. Granted we only have one story to go off of right now in the form of Superman but I believe that DC knows they have something special on their hands and will rise to the challenge. The challenge of course being the production of more high quality graphic novels. As Johns himself said at NYC Comic Con, "I don't think we have any C list or D list characters. They all have the potential to be A list." Well said Mr Johns, well said . . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)