Photo of the Day - A Sneak Peek at JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX...

Lady Gaga

So I just found out that Lady Gaga tweeted this picture (back on Valentine's Day) from next year's Joker: Folie à Deux...in which she'll appear as Harley Quinn alongside Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck.

As recently been the case with Warner Bros' other DC Comics movies, Lady Gaga will portray Harley at the same time that Margot Robbie is playing the Joker's ex-girlfriend in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU)...specifically in the Suicide Squad films. Of course, I'm not sure if this is actually still the case—since James Gunn's shakeup of the DCEU might also mean that Robbie, just like Henry Cavill as Superman, won't be calling Joker "puddin" on the big screen anymore. I got mixed results after looking this up on Google!

Also, Robert Pattinson will reportedly begin filming The Batman: Part II this November, while Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck will both appear as the Dark Knight in this June's The Flash. Very amusing.

The image below is of Soundstage 16, which briefly served as holding for background actors when I worked at Warner Bros. Studios last fall and a month ago. I took tons of photos of this building...mostly because of that cool WB logo and not because I was initially unaware of the fact that this stage was where the pirate ship's cave scene in The Goonies was filmed!

Oh, and Joker: Folie à Deux is reportedly being shot inside Soundstage 16 as well! Happy Friday.


Richard T. Par

Movie Review - ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA...

So I watched Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania at Regal Cinemas yesterday, and needless to say, Marvel Studios is really starting to prove Martin Scorsese right!

Scorsese once pointed out that superhero films, particularly those by Marvel, were more like amusement park rides instead of proper cinematic experiences, and the third Ant-Man movie proved that.

Quantumania was an entertaining flick—with Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer once again commendable in their established roles, along with newcomers Kathryn Newton and Jonathan Majors (as the villainous Kang the Conqueror)—but it stopped right there as the film was somewhat deliberate in its attempt to be a typical CGI-ridden superhero movie...filled with banality and playing it safe with its plot.

While it's understandable that computer-generated imagery was needed to bring the Quantum Realm to life in Ant-Man 3 (just like in the two previous installments and 2019's Avengers: Endgame), the visual effects in this movie felt even more artificial than what you saw in last year's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. I really wanted to like Quantumania, but I couldn't help but yawn and become bored in the first act of the film before Kang finally stepped onto the scene.

As for Kang, Majors' portrayal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) next Thanos-level antagonist was well-done. (Spoilers ahead) I just wished that Kang killed one of the major characters (he only vanquished a bunch of movie extras running away from him) and escaped through that portal in the climax. Of course, the mid-credits scene at the end shows that there will be more than enough Kangs to be a threat to the Avengers once these bad guys arrive on the scene in future MCU movies!

So yea— Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania could've been better. I would say that I'm looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 this May, but I'm annoyed by what Guardians director James Gunn has done to the DC Extended Universe during his new tenure at Warner Bros. studios.

Henry Cavill is no longer Superman? The Batman Beyond live-action film was cancelled? We'll never see Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam show up in a Shazam! movie? How dare you, Gunn!

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.

Oscars 2017: After a Snafu, MOONLIGHT Gets Its Time to Shine...

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Moonlight after (eventually) winning Best Picture at the 89th Annual Academy Awards last night! Even though her movie didn't win the top prize after some goofball handed Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway the wrong envelope to read, it is awesome that Emma Stone won Best Actress for her performance as Mia Dolan in La La Land [which also won Best Director (for Damien Chazelle), Original Score, Original Song, Cinematography and Production Design]. Along with Best Picture, Moonlight also took home statuettes for Best Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor...for Mahershala Ali in his role as Juan, the Cuban crack dealer. In regards to the other acting categories, Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rose Lee Maxson in Fences and Casey Affleck won Best Actor for his performance as Lee Chandler in Manchester By The Sea.



Rogue One: A Star Wars Story lost Best Visual Effects to fellow Disney film The Jungle Book (as predicted) and lost Best Sound Mixing to Mel Gibson's World War II epic Hacksaw Ridge...which also won an award for Best Film Editing. The sci-fi hit Arrival won an Oscar for Best Sound Editing, while the NASA biopic Hidden Figures unfortunately came away empty-handed. Warner Bros' Suicide Squad won the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, while its fellow comic book flick Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice "won" four awards at the Razzies the night before.



Last night's ceremony was very memorable. Here's hoping that the Jimmy Kimmel-Matt Damon feud continues (assuming, of course, that Kimmel will be re-invited to host the Oscars again), Moana's Auli'i Cravalho will get to do more Oscar-nominated songs and sing them live during the Academy Awards, and that next year's Best Picture winner won't be revealed after the wrong film is announced. Oh, and that Emma Stone will turn down roles where she is cast as an Asian. Yes, I remember that movie Aloha. Moonlight won Best Picture one year after the film Spotlight took home the top prize at the Academy Awards. Expect the upcoming Kevin Sorbo flick Let There Be Light, which gets released this Christmas, to make waves at the Oscars next March. Carry on!

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.

Getting Ready for the JUSTICE LEAGUE...

Just found out today through the Hollywood Reporter that J.K. Simmons was cast as Commissioner James Gordon in 2017's Justice League film...which begins principal photography next month. If his performance is anything like the hard-ass music instructor that he played in the 2014 Oscar nominee Whiplash, then Simmons should be intense as Gordon (moreso than Gary Oldman in The Dark Knight trilogy, and Ben McKenzie in FOX TV's Gotham). Fans want him to reprise his role as J. Jonah Jameson in Marvel and Sony's upcoming Spider-Man reboot, but the past is the past. Time for Simmons to move on to greater things—as the Gotham police's biggest ally of Batman. Carry on.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII... Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren Set to Return to the Big Screen on December 15, 2017

Considering how successful The Force Awakens was during its record-breaking box office run over the past month or so, it's no surprise that Disney and Lucasfilm have decided to try catching lightning in a bottle twice by changing Star Wars: Episode VIII's release date. Instead of bowing in theaters on May 26, 2017 (which would've marked the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope's theatrical debut on May 25, 1977), Episode VIII will instead be unleashed in cinemas seven months later. And just like how Marvel's decision to release Captain America: Cvil War (Marvel is also owned by Disney) on May 6 prompted Warner Bros. to change Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's release date to March 25 instead (Dawn of Justice was originally intended to come out on May 6 as well), Episode VIII's schedule change has prompted FOX and director James Cameron to indefinitely delay the release of Avatar 2—which was set to debut on Christmas Day, 2017.

FOX cites Cameron's pace on the sequel's lengthy pre-production period as reason for the delay, but it's also likely that the idea of clashing with the follow-up to the most successful domestic film of all time (inflation aside) was another catalyst for not releasing Avatar 2 next year. If it was a choice between going up against Episode VIII in 2017 or the Han Solo spin-off film in December of 2018, I think that FOX would prefer the latter...unless Harrison Ford decides to make a cameo in the Han Solo flick. Carry on.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE... Its Teaser Trailer Is Here!

Earlier today, Twentieth Century Fox unveiled the first preview for next year's sci-fi sequel to the hit 1996 film, Independence Day (ID4). Considering the fact that ID4 was my favorite movie of that year (I just finished my sophomore year in high school before that summer), it comes as no surprise that I am extremely stoked to finally see footage from Independence Day: Resurgence (IDR). Along with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War (but definitely Rogue One), IDR is a movie that I'm totally looking forward to seeing in 2016. And if you're excited too, you can hopefully check out the trailer in front of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on the big screen as soon as this Thursday. As Captain Jimmy Wilder (played by Harry Connick Jr.) would say, "Let's kick the tires and light the fire, big daddy!" Of course, Captain Wilder would later bite the dust at the hands of an alien attacker, so maybe that wasn't such an inspiring quote. You can watch the trailer at the very bottom of this entry.

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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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