Movie Review: BLACK ADAM...

Earlier today, I watched the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) newest flick, Black Adam, at AMC theaters. Needless to say, it was a very action-packed film!

Dwayne Johnson plays Teth-Adam, who—like Billy Batson (portrayed by Zachary Levi in the 2019 film Shazam! and next year's sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, respectively) centuries later—is a superhero that was bestowed a plethora of god-like powers by wizards who considered him to be the "champion" humanity needed.

Unlike Billy Batson, however, Teth-Adam didn't start off as a superhero...but as an angry demigod who first sought revenge against the tyrannical king of Kahndaq during its ancient days, and then against anyone who basically pissed him off after he was awoken from his 5,000-year sleep in Kahndaq's present day.

Like the live-action Venom films by Sony Pictures and Marvel, Black Adam does a nice job of depicting Teth-Adam's brutality while also retaining the movie's PG-13 rating.

At one point early on in the flick, Adam nonchalantly flings a hapless mercenary into the air as if he was a baseball. In the subsequent shot, we see that the mercenary's arm—which Adam grabbed when he threw him—is still in one of the demigod's hands, severed and all!

There are lots of other great moments in Black Adam where Teth showed his badassery (most of them featuring his use of lightning against his enemies), but one thing I really liked about the movie is that the film made sure to remind the audience that it's part of the DCEU. It's clearly obvious Amanda Waller (once again aptly played by Viola Davis), who we first met in 2016's Suicide Squad, is the Nick Fury of the DC cinematic universe...only with less morals.

And let's not forget the Justice Society as well as other protagonists and antagonists who were introduced in Black Adam. Aldis Hodge was formidable as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan was noble as Dr. Fate, Noah Centineo was hilarious as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi was headstrong as Adrianna Tomaz, Quintessa Swindell was very reliable as Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui was idealistic as Adrianna's son Amon, Mohammed Amer was also hilarious as Adrianna's brother Karim, and Marwan Kenzari was dangerous as both Ishmael and Sabbac.

I'm not sure if I'd rank Black Adam among the top films of the DCEU (where 2017's Wonder Woman, Zack Snyder's Justice League cut and the first Shazam! reside), but I will say that it's definitely entertaining.

If you watch Black Adam, stay for the end credits! You won't be disappointed...and the DCEU has a bright future ahead of it considering what that cameo entails. Carry on.

On This Day in 2012: Remembering THE AVENGERS...

10 years ago today, I watched the Marvel mega-hit The Avengers at AMC theaters.

This particular film is meaningful to me...not only because it was an extremely exciting flick that definitely brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe to where it is in the comic book movie pantheon today, but also because viewing this film at the multiplex was the very first thing I did as I recovered from a debilitating illness that caused me to be home-ridden for nearly three months in early 2012.

(The only time I left my house was to see the doctor.)

While 2015's Age of Ulton was probably the worst film in The Avengers franchise, director Joss Whedon knocked it out of the park with the 2012 movie. I highly doubt that Whedon will work on another Marvel flick considering the controversy involving his behavior during the filming of the theatrical version of 2017's Justice League (Google it), but The Avengers will always be one of the movies that Whedon receives high marks for. Check out my review for the film.

Happy Wednesday!

Movie Review: THE SUICIDE SQUAD...

Several hours ago, I went to my local AMC theater to watch The Suicide Squad...the newest cinematic installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

Needless to say, The Suicide Squad was very entertaining! Unlike 2016's Suicide Squad—whose original dark tone was minimized with humor added at the last minute, as a response to backlash caused by the dreariness of that year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—The Suicide Squad already had a nice blend of humor, gore and emotional elements in it thanks to director James Gunn, who previously saw comic book movie success at Marvel Studios with 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG) and its 2017 sequel.

The biggest strengths of The Suicide Squad were the cast members and their amazing performances. Margot Robbie was back as the energetically unstable Harley Quinn, Joel Kinnaman returned as the stoic Colonel Rick Flag, Jai Courtney (briefly) reprised his role as Captain Boomerang, and the ultra-talented Viola Davis once again played the tough-as-nails but conniving Amanda Waller.

The newcomers in The Suicide Squad were commendable too...with Michael Rooker (who already worked with Gunn on the GotG movies) as Savant, Nathan Fillion as T.D.K., Flula Borg as Javelin, Mayling Ng as Mongal, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Sean Gunn (James' brother and another GotG veteran) as Weasel, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Peter Capaldi as Thinker, Julio Cesar Ruiz as Milton, Alice Braga as Sol Soria and Sylvester Stallone (who appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) as the voice of King Shark.

And of course, The Suicide Squad's badass group of villains-turned-heroes was led by the formidable Idris Elba as Bloodsport, and John Cena as the ironically-named Peacemaker.

The Suicide Squad was filled with lots of awesome and equally-violent action sequences, with the final confrontation pitting Bloodsport, Harley Quinn and Co. against Starro the Conqueror highlighting the delightfully-absurd nature of James Gunn's take on this DC comic book property.

Along with the 2017 Wonder Woman movie, 2019's Shazam and Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League earlier this year, The Suicide Squad is an excellent addition to the DCEU. Even though it won't be connected to DC's cinematic universe, here's hoping that 2022's The Batman will be as well-made as the films mentioned above. Godspeed, Warner Bros.

Images of the Day: Snapshots from GODZILLA VS. KONG...

So earlier today, I watched the monster flick Godzilla vs. Kong on HBO Max. It was a very action-packed film! I have questions about that whole Hollow Earth subplot, but then I remembered that I'm watching a movie about a giant radioactive lizard that fights a huge gorilla who welds an axe that Thor from the Marvel universe would envy. Also, if you're a Pacific Rim fan, you'll like how Godzilla vs. Kong pays homage to the 2013 flick by having humans build a gigantic robot (which is actually a classic Godzilla villain who I spoiled with two screenshots below) designed to fight Godzilla and replace him as the Alpha Titan. And of course, if you saw the 2018 sequel Pacific Rim: Uprising, you'll know that the humans' plan to use Kaiju brain matter to power that robot wasn't the wisest move in the world. I'll leave it at that.



The downside of streaming Godzilla vs. Kong online as opposed to viewing it at the theater is the fact that I paused the film so many times to capture these awesome screenshots below (which is the same thing that I did with Zack Snyder's Justice League last month). Oh well. This will probably be the case one more time with Mortal Kombat...which opens in theaters on April 16 and premieres on HBO Max exactly one week later. Happy Easter Weekend!

On This Day in 2011: Remembering SUCKER PUNCH...

Two years before Zack Snyder inaugurated the DC Extended Universe with 2013's Man of Steel, his fantasy-action flick Sucker Punch arrived in theaters nationwide. Today marks a decade since I watched this movie at the multiplex. Sucker Punch is an interesting film...which is basically about a character (played by Emily Browning) who resorts to losing herself in an alternative reality while being forced to commit demoralizing acts at a facility where she is being institutionalized by her abusive stepfather. In her fantasies, the girl—known as Babydoll—pictures herself fighting against the forces of evil alongside other women (portrayed by Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung and Abbie Cornish) who are also being held at the facility.

Sucker Punch is a pretty dark, trippy and stylized film...which, of course, would be a nice preview of what was to come as Snyder was years away from directing an ensemble movie featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and other DC Comics superheroes. That is all.

Photos of the Day: Images from the SNYDER CUT...

Happy Monday, everyone! Just thought I'd share these screenshots from Zack Snyder's Justice League after I watched it on HBO Max yesterday (yes, in just one viewing). I actually enjoyed Joss Whedon's 2017 theatrical version of Justice League, so I was obviously very impressed by Snyder's 4-hour iteration of the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) second ensemble film (after 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). So what did I think of the new cut, you ask? My notes:

- Resume development of Justice League 2...and re-hire Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman, immediately! And give Snyder a raise.

- Even though this was made possible primarily due to the Snyder Cut's 'R' rating, the way that Steppenwolf was defeated in this version is way more satisfying than his downfall in Whedon's film. To be blunt: Steppenwolf went out like a total b***h while Superman arrived like a boss in the Snyder Cut's climax.

- (Spoiler Alert) If Wonder Woman 3 has a villain who's remotely worthy of getting decapitated by Diana Prince's sword like in the Snyder Cut, then this sequel will be a huge improvement on Wonder Woman 1984!

And again:

- Bring back Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel and Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight, respectively. Zack Snyder revealed in Justice League that there is so much potential for the DCEU if future movies are made based on what Snyder conveyed in his latest comic book epic. Carry on.

Video of the Day: Zack Snyder's JUSTICE LEAGUE Cut Is Coming Soon...

"We live in a society where honor is a distant memory. Isn't that right, Batman?" So are the words of Joker (Jared Leto) as he confronts Batman (Ben Affleck) in Zack Snyder's version of Justice League...which arrives on HBO Max (through which I watched Wonder Woman 1984 last Christmas) next month. Can't wait! I actually enjoyed Joss Whedon's version of Justice League when it hit theaters in 2017, but seeing as how the film was originally shot with the vision of Zack Snyder (who also helmed 2013's Man of Steel and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) in mind, I'm excited to see this iteration on my computer soon.

Justice League arrives (again) on March 18.

Video of the Day: Beware of Deathstroke!

Earlier today, Ben Affleck tweeted the video clip below showing the villainous Deathstroke making his way down a dark hangar. While he had a prominent appearance on The CW Network's Arrow a few seasons ago (as well as the animated TV series Teen Titans), Deathstroke has yet to appear in a live-action DC movie...till now. The footage below presumably comes from the set of next year's Justice League film, and it's now been reported online that Deathstroke will also be the main villain in Ben Affleck's solo movie The Batman (whose release date is currently unknown). Pretty awesome! It would also be totally cool if Will Smith's Deadshot made an appearance in Affleck's film as well...breaking out of prison after the events in Suicide Squad and perhaps teaming up with Deathstroke to take on the Dark Knight. Of course (SPOILERS AHEAD), Harley Quinn was freed from her cell by the Joker at the end of David Ayer's hit movie...so seeing them and Deathstroke confront Batman would also be interesting. Not bloody likely, but interesting.

https://t.co/0NsNzCtGip

— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) August 29, 2016

Now In Progress: Filming the JUSTICE LEAGUE Movie (in 35mm... Yes!)

With production moving in high gear in the United Kingdom as I type this, Warner Brothers recently released the Justice League logo (above) and a pic of the new Batmobile (at the very bottom of this entry) that will be featured in next year's movie. Obviously, nothing was revealed as to how the Man of Steel will (spoiler alert if you haven't watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice yet) return from the grave to join the Dark Knight and Co. in the next installment of the DC Cinematic Universe. What was revealed, however, was that the main villain in Justice League will be someone called Steppenwolf (never heard of him!), and that the tone of this flick will be much lighter than that in Dawn of Justice—as revealed by reporters who got to visit the Justice League set in London last week and were shown footage of Ezra Miller's Barry Allen (a.k.a. The Flash) having a lighthearted conversation with Bruce Wayne (once again played by Ben Affleck) that reveals their secret identities to each other. Justice League will also follow in Batman v Superman and The Dark Knight trilogy's footsteps by being shot on celluloid. The majority of Marvel films that have been released since the studio was purchased by Disney, on the other hand, were shot with digital cameras.



Justice League hits theaters nationwide on November 17, 2017...about a month before Star Wars: Episode VIII arrives at the cinemas. Here's hoping that unlike Batman v Superman when it was released several weeks before Captain America: Civil War bowed at cineplexes last month, Justice League will be better received by critics and moviegoers alike, and make a bigger impact at the box office before Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren return to the big screen come Christmas of 2017. Carry on.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice...

Check out the newest trailer for Zack Snyder's upcoming film that (hopefully) paves the way for The Justice League to finally make its long-awaited appearance on the big screen less than two years from now. The shot above of the Man of Steel, Wonder Woman and Batman as they take on a mutated version of General Zod (or should I say, Doomsday) definitely increases my interest to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice next March. And I reckon Jesse Eisenberg's wacky take on Lex Luthor (which I dig) will eventually be made more interesting once he reveals himself to be the bald-headed arch-nemesis of Superman that he is. But yea, seeing the Dark Knight and Kal-El duke it out until Doomsday shows up on the scene will be a treat to watch. Along with Gal Gadot kicking ass as the warrior princess of the Amazons...obviously. You can view the trailer at the very bottom of this entry.

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Photos of the Day: DAWN OF JUSTICE on Display in Burbank...

So earlier today, I was working at Warner Bros (WB) in Burbank when I decided to visit the studio museum during my lunch break. My original intent was to see the new Batmobile that Ben Affleck will use in next year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Unfortunately, the only way to enter the so-called Picture Car Vault where Batman's new ride is displayed is to book a studio tour (which cost $62 per person). So instead, I decided to just check out the costumes worn by Affleck, Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill as the Dark Knight, Wonder Woman and Superman in Dawn of Justice, respectively. I also took pictures of some of the props from Christopher Nolan's Batman movies—which I originally saw on display at L.A. Live in December of 2012.



I'm deciding if I'll actually go on a WB tour just to see the Dawn of Justice Batmobile... I have till the end of this year to do so before the vehicle is placed back into storage (for Ben Affleck's standalone Batman film and 2017's Justice League flick, I reckon). $62... I prefer spending that money on watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens over and over at the theater this December. Carry on!

Batman vs. Superman...

Yesterday, director Zack Snyder posted on Twitter a sneak peek of the Batmobile that will be featured in his 2016 sequel to 2013's Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman. And today, not only did Snyder tweet an official image of Batman's ride in the new flick, but he also gave fans a glimpse of (post-Christian Bale) Batman himself. The Batsuit that will be worn by Ben Affleck in Batman vs. Superman and Justice League after it (Snyder will also direct this film) will pay a bigger homage to the costume design in Frank Miller's Dark Knight graphic novels—as well as the hit Arkham Asylum video game series. With Henry Cavill's Superman suit most likely retaining the same design from last year's flick and Affleck's Bat cowl finally shown to the public, all that needs to be revealed now is the lovely Gal Gadot (from the last three Fast & Furious films) dressed as Wonder Woman. Well, we also need to see how Jesse Eisenberg looks as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as Alfred (oh, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg), but I mostly wanna see Gadot dressed as a sexy and tough Amazonian warrior. Obviously.

Batman vs. Superman comes out in theaters nationwide on May 6, 2016...the same day as Captain America 3 (whose release date was selected right after Captain America: The Winter Soldier opened in theaters last month). Why, Marvel, why?