Cinema Static

How is DC Entertainment Going to Pull of 'Justice League?'

2013-06-18T14:41:00.001-07:00

I've touched on it before, and since the release of Man of Steel to theaters, what the heck, let's talk about it again...

Now that WB's Superman movie has come along (setting box office records with it's modern day, higher prices), Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment have an interesting road ahead of them.

That road being the one to a Justice League movie.

MoS Slight SPOILERS:

Now in Man of Steel, there were a few incidental moments that could be construed as hints to other characters from the DC Universe. LexCorp, Blaze Comics (Booster Gold), Carrie Farris, a relative or what have you to Carol Ferris. And that empty stasis pod in the ship Kal El found, possibly hinting at Supergirl? The Man of Steel prequel comics put that in readers heads.

END SPOILERS

And Man of Steel was pretty good, but geared towards the more adult fan. (Kids in my movie audience were bored out of their minds.) And even though I liked how they did Superman in this movie, and how they added vulnerability to his existence with the challenges he faced, he is a hard package to sell. I mean, he's dang near invulnerable! What is there to worry about with him?

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But now we have the Batman reboot that WB will be looking to do to bring that character back into the fold of their movies. (Remember, Christopher Nolan's Batman lived in a world all unto himself.)

And Wonder Woman also seems to be a hard sell. I say that because I think we would have seen a Wonder Woman movie already, if it was viable. Hell, it didn't even make it back to the small screen on TV, when they tried on the CW a few years ago.

Green Lantern. We saw what already happened there. Between the writing and what I think was non-optimal casting, that didn't do that character any good.

The Flash? Again, super fast, what threats are there to this guy?

If you compare the Marvel movie characters to the DC movie characters, the difference is that the Marvel characters all have a weakness that can be exploited.

Thor has Loki's meddling. Iron Man, as Cap called him, is just a man in a suit. Captain American can be beat around. He's just a wee bit stronger and faster than most men. Black Widow, Hawkeye... both mostly human and very vulnerable.

The Hulk can be an issue, but he has his severely limited human side and that anger thing that gets in the way of any decent logical decision making. So his wild card factor is always a problem or weakness.

And the all too human SHIELD agents. Again, vulnerable, all with something to lose. (Their lives)

But DC Entertainment has a problem.

OK, Batman is human. But Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman... all a bit more human than most and don't have that same vulnerability that can be taken advantage of in a movie.

The only way to give them that sense of vulnerability is to throw a huge super powered bad guy at them that will threaten to destroy the Earth... again. How many times have we seen this? How tiring can it be?

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With this hard sell stable of characters, I have to wonder just how WB/DC will pull this off? I liked Man of Steel, but it took other Kryptonians to bring the threat to him and his love of Earth. Otherwise, meh.

So I'm not sure how WB is going to pull this off.

I thought Nolan left them in potentially capable hands, by handing off the mantle of the bat to a younger player who can keep the cape flying, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But word is that he's not part of the future picture. Too bad, that would have been awesome.

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On top of all this, over the last year or so we've seen various news reports on the Justice League script has been going through multiple hands. Whatever that means. I'm assuming they yanked the guy or team that let the Green Lantern story through the gaps.

And since Marvel already took that leap of faith and introduced their characters in single-character films, will DC be willing to do that too, hoping the movies perform well enough to detract from the copycat syndrome?

All good questions, but there is one thing for sure... WB/DC cannot fail in this effort or this could threaten their entire film inventory of characters. I mean, face it, how many more times will we be willing to see an origins movie for Superman or where he faces off with Lex Luthor? It's been done so often, I think that might thin out the home entertainment market, making these yet more repeats for TV.

DC has already taken a shot at Marvel by saying their characters are all well grounded, serious characters while Marvel is a bit more flippant. (Crap, I can't find the link to where I read that, but that was the gist of the comment) And that kind of marketing, to me, is weak. Stick to your own front lawn and tend to that grass rather than dissing the neighbors grass!

Eh, all these are just thoughts in my head, pondering out-loud what's going to happen with this franchise. I'd love to see a good Justice League movie happen, but it's probably going to be a hard sell. No matter what.

We'll see. I'd love your thoughts on the matter!!

-- Bruce

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Dark Horse Will Have A Booth at 2013 #SDCC

2013-06-18T12:52:00.001-07:00

If you're a Dark Horse Comics fan, you might be very interested to know that Dark Horse will have a booth at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con event. And they'll be selling limited edition, collectible goodies. Thought you'd like to see the info.

via press release:

This year at the Dark Horse booth, a dedicated store will be open throughout the convention where fans can purchase these limited and highly collectible products.

Game of Thrones 7-Inch Stark Shield Wall Plaque (Limited Edition of 1,200)

Sculptural replica of Stark shield. Packaged in full-color box. Includes hook for wall mounting.

Price: $30.00

Availability: Two per person, available all days

Last Man Standing Signed Hardcover Book (Limited Edition of 1,000)

15 x 12.25–inch, signed, 272-page, full-color hardcover art book with dust jacket.

Price: $75.00

Availability: All days

Mass Effect Bronze Alliance Normandy SR-1 Ship Replica (Limited Edition of 300)

Bronze-plated, 6.75-inch ship replica on base. Packaged in full-color box.

Price: $50.00

Availability: Two per person

Hellboy Qee—SDCC Exclusive (Limited Edition of 350)

5.5-inch Qee vinyl figure of Hellboy wearing officially licensed Comic-Con logo T-shirt. Packaged in color window box.

Price: $20.00

Availability: Two per person, available all days

Domo Qee—SDCC Exclusive (Limited Edition of 1,200)

2.5-inch Qee version of Domo. Design unavailable elsewhere. Packaged in color box.

Price: $9.00

Availability: Four per person, available all days

Good Luck Trolls—SDCC Exclusive (Limited Edition of 1,000)

2.5-inch black-light green Good Luck Troll figure with white hair. Packaged in color box.

Price: $8.00

Availability: Four per person, available all days

Plants vs. Zombies Comic—SDCC Exclusive (Limited Edition of 1,000)

PopCap's immensely popular Plants vs. Zombies game finally gets the plant-filled, zombie-zapping comics treatment it deserves! Crazy Dave helps fend off a "fun-dead" neighborhood invasion in Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon. Paul Tobin (Marvel Adventures) and Ron Chan (The Guild) join the botanical battle to deliver a hilarious, all-ages zombie romp to your neighborhood! Stop by the Dark Horse booth or the PopCap booth to snag an exclusive print edition.

Price: $2.00

Availability: 500 copies will be for sale at the Dark Horse booth and 500 at the Electronic Arts Booth (#129)

The Strain: The Fall #1 Comic— SDCC Exclusive Variant Cover by Rafael Albuquerque (Limited Edition of 500)

The vampire plague has infested New York City in this continuation of the critically acclaimed comic by writer David Lapham and artist Mike Huddleston, adapted from The Strain Trilogy by visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan. The Strain is also currently in development for an FX series!

Price: $5.00

Availability: Ten per person

Star Wars #7— SDCC Exclusive Variant Cover by Rodolfo Migliari (Limited Edition of 1,000)

This is Star Wars as you remember it . . . and as you have never seen it before! We're taking you back to those heady, adventure-filled days following the destruction of the Death Star—when the Empire ruled, the Rebels were on the run, and the galaxy was a dangerous place where anything might happen!

Price: $5.00

Availability: Ten per person

Catalyst Comix #1— SDCC Exclusive Variant Jam Cover by Dan McDaid, Paul Maybury, and Ulises Farinas (Limited Edition of 500)

Straight from the glory of Comics' Greatest World, Frank "Titan" Wells, Amazing Grace, and the Agents of Change are back, baby! But you've never seen them like this! Superhero comics get a back-alley facelift as these very different champions confront cosmic threats and personal demons—and it all starts at the end of the world as we know it! Written by Joe Casey (Sex, Gødland, Baker the Righteous Maker) with art by artists Dan McDaid (Doctor Who), Ulises Farinas (Glory), and Paul Maybury (Aqua Leung)!

Price: $5.00

Availability: Ten per person

Make sure to stop by booth #2615 to check out all this awesome stuff, only available at San Diego Comic-Con 2013!

About Dark Horse

Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, EVE Online, Halo, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world's leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

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-- Bruce E. Simmons,

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CBS 2013-2014 Season Premiere Dates: 'Person of Interest' 'NCIS' 'CSI' 'Elementary' and more

2013-06-18T10:32:00.001-07:00

CBS announced their premiere dates for their upcoming 2013-2014 TV season.

I'll lead off with the actual (meat of the) list, and for you purists, I've included their wordage from the press release below that. (With a few - CS: notes from Cinema Static)

via press release:

CBS's 2013-2014 Premiere Dates
Wednesday, Sept. 18

8:00-9:30 PM SURVIVOR (27th edition premiere)

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Sunday, Sept. 22
8:00-11:00 PM, ET/ THE 65TH PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS

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Monday, Sept. 23
8:00-9:00 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (9th season premiere)

9:00-9:30 PM 2 BROKE GIRLS (3rd season premiere)

9:30-10:00 PM MOM (Series Debut)

10:00-11:00 PM HOSTAGES (Series Debut)

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Tuesday, Sept. 24
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (11th season premiere) - CS: Can you believe 11 seasons?

9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (5th season premiere)

10:00-11:00 PM PERSON OF INTEREST (3rd season premiere) - CS: Awesome show. Too bad it's not allowed on On Demand!

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Wednesday, Sept. 25
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS (9th season premiere)

10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (14th season premiere)

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Thursday, Sept. 26

8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (7th season premiere)

8:30-9:00 PM THE MILLERS (Series Debut)

9:00-9:30 PM THE CRAZY ONES (Series Debut)

9:30-10:00 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN (11th season premiere)

10:00-11:00 PM ELEMENTARY (2nd season premiere) - CS: This was a surprisingly good show. Didn't expect that!

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Friday, Sept. 27
8:00-9:00 PM UNDERCOVER BOSS (5th season premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM HAWAII FIVE-0 (4th season premiere) - CS: They're keeping it pretty fresh so far.

10:00-11:00 PM BLUE BLOODS (4th season premiere)

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Saturday, Sept. 28
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS (26th season premiere)

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Sunday, Sept. 29
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES (46th season premiere)

8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE (23rd edition premiere)

9:00-10:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (5th season premiere)

10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST (6th season premiere)

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Monday, Sept. 30
8:30-9:00 PM WE ARE MEN (Series Debut)

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Monday, Feb. 24 < 2014 season stuff
10:00-11:00 PM INTELLIGENCE (Series Debut)

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CBS 2013-2014 PREMIERE DATES

America's #1 Network Will Premiere Nearly All of its New and Returning Series During Official Premiere Week (Sept. 23-29)

"The 65th Primetime Emmy® Awards" to Air Live on Sunday, Sept. 22

The Final Season of "How I Met Your Mother" Returns with a Special One-Hour Episode on Monday, Sept. 23

"Mom" and "Hostages" Premiere Monday, Sept. 23

"The Millers" and "The Crazy Ones" Premiere Thursday, Sept. 26

"We Are Men" Debuts Monday, Sept. 30

"Survivor" to Open a Week Earlier with a Special 90-Minute Premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 18

Mid-Season Drama "Intelligence" Premieres Feb. 24

CBS, America's #1 network, will premiere nearly all of its new and returning series during official premiere week (Sept. 23-29), following the Network's Sept. 22 broadcast of THE 65TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS, which will air live, 8:00-11:00 PM, ET/5:00-8:00 PM, PT.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, entering its final season, returns with a special one-hour episode on Monday, Sept. 23 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

The new comedy MOM premieres Monday, Sept. 23 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) followed by the freshman drama HOSTAGES (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). Freshman comedy WE ARE MEN will premiere a week later on Monday, Sept. 30 (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

CBS's new Thursday two-hour comedy block premieres Sept. 26 with the return of THE BIG BANG THEORY (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT), new comedies THE MILLERS (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT) and THE CRAZY ONES (9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) followed by TWO AND A HALF MEN (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT).

For the 11th time in the past 12 seasons, SURVIVOR will get an early start to the season when it returns with a special 90-minute premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 18.

CBS's mid-season drama INTELLIGENCE will premiere Monday, Feb. 24 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

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So what are you guys looking forward to?

[CBS]

-- Bruce E. Simmons
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New DVD/Blu-ray Titles This Week: 'Jack the Giant Slayer,' 'Quartet,' 'Call the Midwife' and more

2013-06-18T09:19:00.001-07:00

This week's new DVD and Blu-ray releases coming out Tuesday, June 18th, 2013 are a mixed bad of goodies of movie and TV titles.

There's

Quartet on DVD Starring Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly. [6.7]

Then there's the fantasy movie based off a children's story,

Jack the Giant Slayer (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) Starring Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci. [6.4]

A TV selection or two:

Call the Midwife: Season Two Starring Jessica Raine, Stephen McGann, Miranda Hart [7.7]

Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season Starring Dana Delany [6.5]

A few older titles are getting some Blu-ray love:

Lifeforce (Collector's Edition) [Blu-Ray/DVD Combo] Starring Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay and Mathilda May (1985) [6.0]

The Howling (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] Starring Dee Wallace Stone, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan [6.5]

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Then there are some other titles I saw in the list of new releases:

Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan Starring Joe Estevez, Dan Haggerty, Thomas Downey and Amber Connor (OMG, this aired last week on Syfy, and here's my warning about it)

Before Sunrise / Before Sunset [8]

Brass Teapot [6.2]

Doomsday Preppers: Season 2 [6.4]

Drop Dead Diva: The Complete Fourth Season [6.7]

Movie 43 Starring Emma Stone, Stephen Merchant, Richard Gere [4.4]

Rectify (A slow burn of a good show that sucks you in once it gets a hold of you!) [8.1]

Safety Last! (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Starring Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis (1923) [8.2]

Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated - Spooky Stampede

Stephen King's The Langoliers [5.9]

Stephen King's The Stand [7.1]

Stoker Starring Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode [7.1]

The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse [Blu-ray] Starring Lee Perkins, Marshal Hilton, Maria Olsen and Michael Villar [2.7] !!!

The Brass Teapot [6.2]

Things to Come (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Starring Raymond Massey, Edward Chapman, Ralph Richardson, et al. (1936) [6.7]

Wilfred: Season Two [7.7]

Workaholics: Season Three [8]

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Search for other New DVD & Blu-ray Releases on Amazon

'Man of Steel' Review: With Spoilers

2013-06-15T02:08:00.000-07:00

Man of Steel gives us a great Superman story that is more grounded than any other attempt at telling this story.

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Man of Steel stars eye-candy hunk Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Kal El, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod.

Other cast includes Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Russell Crowe as Jor El, Ayelet Zurer as Lara Lor-Wan (His Krypton mom).

Harry Lennix, Christopher Meloni, Laurence Fishburne, and others fill out a worthy cast of supporting characters.

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Even though we've seen the origin story of Superman time and time again, we finally have a worthy origin story of Kal El's birth and detailed circumstances on how he got himself shot off into space by his parents.

SPOILERS:

We get much more info about Krypton's society than we've ever seen before. And it was well done.

END SPLR

In this 143-minute film, it spends the first sixty minutes using a fascinating method of telling the tale, where we start out on Krypton, then flip to present day, then back to his Earth-time youth and such.

This technique kept this movie-goer focused on the story at hand, and what was going on, when.

The tale told is one of Clark Kent's struggles as a child, with his alien origins, and what he should and should not do. The premise being that once the world knew of his existence, that would change so many things with our humanity and the burden he would have to shoulder after that happens.

But then, Zod shows up.

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Director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) brought his style of visuals to the screen once again. We had some great visuals of Krypton, the incredible flying scenes, the subtle moments of heroism all felt like they had his signature in them.

The screenplay was drafted by David S. Goyer and the story co-written with Christopher Nolan, had Nolan's fingerprints all over it.

SPOILERS:

This time around, we had a very mature, down-to-earth, tale of Kal El and his conflicts. Kal El seemed vulnerable throughout, and unlike any previous chapters of the Superman movie franchise, this battle involved Superman and humans, fighting together against the common foe.

END SPLR

Cavill was a very different Clark Kent, while for me, Lois Lane could have been played by anyone. But Adams didn't mess it up. It just wasn't a standout performance for me.

But wow on Michael Shannon, as the best General Zod I've ever seen. Dang!

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Technically, I should be looking at this movie as a popcorn movie, considering the fantasy subject matter, but as usual, Nolan and company brought it down to Earth and gave us a great story about Kal El's struggles and how he developed his skills and powers.

There were a few annoyances or flaws that detracted a bit for me, but I think pure popcornists won't mind at all. (See the details of those annoyances in the spoilers section below.)

Though I have to say, I might feel sorry for anyone seeing this in 3D. There's a lot that happens on the screen during many moments and I'm not sure just how that might track in the visual world with 3D glasses on.

I did notice a few kids in the audience, and it seemed, from their reactions during the movie, that this movie might be a bit too mature in details that develop the story along for them. (If you can define sitting with the heads in their hands, face down, as a sense of pure kid-boredom that is.)

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Man of Steel gets an easy 9 out of 10 on the popcorn movie scale! I think it's worthy of the box office costs!

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SPOILERS

At first, I was a bit confused about the time frames between the scout ship having been in the ice, and the 30+ years Kal El was on Earth.

When Jonathan Kent died, even though it made a point about Clark hiding his abilities, it made no sense what-so-ever that dad would go get the dog or that he would be so willing to die to hide Clark's talents.

I'm not sure just how Clark and Lois actually connected enough to connect like they do in the movie. Did anyone see what happened?

Humans willingly facing off against Zod and his minions seemed incredibly pointless.

I found it interesting that some folks discovered who Clark/Kal El/Superman was in the film. It wasn't a rampant world-discovery, but there seemed to be enough people who knew, to make it interesting.

No other meta-humans were noticed by this movie-goer, but I did catch a few nods to other entities within the DC universe. There were a few LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises logos to be had for all to see.

-Bruce - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'Axe Giant' on Syfy, A Public Service Warnng!

2013-06-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

This is the most terse and abbreviated TV review I think I've ever done, but I felt I had to... so here it goes:

Axe Giant (AKA, Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan) aired on Syfy tonight. It stars Joe Estevez, Dan Haggerty, Thomas Downey, Kristina Kopf and other folks needing work in the industry.

Yes, that Dan Haggerty, of The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams!

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It opened to a scene in the 1800's where a group of lumberjacks get killed by an axe-wielding man thing. And then we change to modern day.

The acting and moments from the opening was fairly flat and disinteresting. The few effects in the movie in the opening were serious flashbacks to a few years ago when the injected effects looked blatant and horrible. I haven't seen stuff this bad in quite some time.

We swapped out and watched another show for a while, and when we came back to the last thirty minutes of Axe Giant, it seemed... worse!

The script and acting were horrible. A boy gets shot at point-blank range in the gut by a shotgun, looks up at the young babe in a tank top that's holding him and asks, "Is it bad?" Then he saves himself and croaks.

The acting seemed like they were standing around in a closet talking to each other. The effects, again, were, well, I'm guessing some intern was getting good training time on the software. Not that good for us. Just good for him.

So the monster could be put down by tranq darts, could be shot, and used his giant axe to deflect bullets like Wonder Woman would do with her bracelets in that old TV series.

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Gads, I'm thinking this gets a pass. If you see this coming up on your TV schedule, then get the beer, call some friends and have some serious fun with it. It's the only way to save this TV movie from Kinetic Filmworks.

Oh, and tank tops are the saving grace of this movie!

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Oh thank god... Snow Beast is up next! This has a 3.3 on IMDb, and the opening scenes are already 10 times better than that axe movie!

-Bruce

Movie Trailers for 'World War Z,' 'Elysium,' and 'Riddick'

2013-06-13T22:16:00.001-07:00

Below are the latest and greatest movie trailers for a few movies this site is interested in: World War Z, starring Brad Pitt due out on June 21st; Elysium, starring Matt Damon due out on August 9th, and Riddick, starring Vin Diesel, due out in theaters Sept 6th.

Enjoy

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-Bruce

'Transformers 4' New Car Bot Looks, New Cast and Other Details!

2013-06-12T23:32:00.001-07:00

The fourth Transformers movie that Michael Bay teased fans that he would never make, is filming right now, as we speak... or, um, as you read about Transformers 4 here on Cinema Static.

Right now, the various on-location spots they're at or have been to include

Austin, Texas, USA
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Elgin, Texas, USA
Lockhart, Texas, USA.
Melber Lane, Manor, Texas, USA (Flynn Vincent's House)
Monument Valley, Utah, USA
Pflugerville, Texas, USA
Pontiac, Michigan, USA.

Of course with this new chapter comes a totally new cast. So far, the personalities associated with the new film include

Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Nicola Peltz, T.J. Miller, Peter Cullen (Optimus voice), Sophia Myles, Kelsey Grammer, Bingbing Li and Jack Reynor.

Yep, Wahlberg!

Michael Bay is directing off a screenplay by Ehren Kruger, who cranked out the second and third Transformers movies, as well as The Ring films, Scream 3 and 4 and other goodies.

Transformers 4 will be taking place four years after the events of Dark of the Moon. And they will be explaining the reasoning of or for new cast of characters.

Besides the obvious that is, which could be something like avoiding pay raises for established stars of the franchise, etc., etc..

But more importantly, Michael Bay et al have been releasing images of the new cars and truck we'll be seeing in TF4. It's all cool, but dang, I'm not sure I like the direction that the Bumblebee look is going. Sure, it's the classic look of the car, and the character. But I liked the new Camaro look.

Well, I've been a fan of the franchise so I'm sure I'll get a kick out of what ever Michael Bay comes up with.

-Bruce

Movie Trailers: '300' Sequel, 'The Hobbit' Pt 2, 'Pacifc Rim,' 'We're The Millers'

2013-06-12T21:43:00.002-07:00

I caught the latest Pacific Rim TV spot on TV tonight and it set me off to find a few other trailers of upcoming new movies. The adult kid is pretty much looking forward to Pacific Rim!

The sequel to 300, the second part to The Hobbit, the latest TV spot from Pacific Rim and a "red band" trailer for We're The Millers. (It really isn't that red bandish.) (Can someone tell me how they squeezed three movies out of one book? Dang!)

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300: Rise of an Empire - Official Trailer #1
Release Date:     7 March 2014.

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Official Teaser Trailer
Release Date:     13 December 2013
PG-13 (My guess)

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Pacific Rim, TV Spot #2
Release Date:     12 July 2013
PG-13,

This is not Transformers or Godzilla. It's a Kaiju (Giant Monster) vs giant robots movie from the mind of Guillermo del Toro.

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We're the Millers - Official Red Band Trailer
Release Date:     9 August 2013
PG-13?

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-Bruce

There probably Won't Be a Batman in 'Man of Steel'

2013-06-12T14:18:00.003-07:00

Everyone is trying to explain why or why not, Superman was not in the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight movies, while also trying to explain why Nolan's Batman doesn't exist in Superman's world.

If anyone actually paid attention to what Christopher Nolan was saying during his tenure over Batman in his Dark Knight trilogy, he said over and over again, how these is not your typical superhero/vigilante films. That this was just his world, and his alone. Thus no other hero characters were showing up.

And along those lines, everyone was portrayed pretty much as close to normal as possible.

Now David Goyer is dropping sound bites (which is good for the marketing campaign to make any kind of noise you can) that Nolan's Batman existed only in his films, while the Dark Knight does not exist in Superman's Man of Steel.

SPOILER:
But the small sound bite that might catch folks ears/eyes, is that he did say that Wayne Industries, Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor, S.T.A.R. Labs and other meta-humans do exist in the world of Man of Steel.

There's also mention of Cyborg, when STAR labs name is dropped, but no word on what, or anything will come of that.
END SPOILER
Of course these things have to be addressed because everyone is wondering when DC/WB is going to do The Avengers thing and create their Justice League movie.

Of course they are. They've gone through enough writers and scripts over the last few years, so it's just a matter of time when they'll feel confident enough to bring it all together.

Marvel got out of the gate first with their group ensemble, and hired themselves an excellent group ensemble kind of guy in Joss Whedon.

Rumors are that David Goyer is writing the latest rendition of a Justice League script, but we'll see what happens when all is said and done.

But if you take what's been said literally, then this rules out a Joseph Gordon-Levitt roll-over into the WB Justice League films. Which I think would have been a wonderful addition to the process, since WB is looking to actually reboot the Batman movie franchise all over again. What a waste.

There will, I'm sure, be more silly questions for the media to spread about, so stay tuned.

[MTV]-Bruce

New Movies This Week: 'Man of Steel' and What???

2013-06-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

This week, I'm not sure anyone wants to go up against the Christopher Nolan produced and co-written movie, Man of Steel. But they are taking shots at different days for opening in movie theaters.

Opening Wednesday, June 12th, 2013:

This is the End

Opens on Wednesday, June 12th, in hopes of getting some traction at the box office before Man of Steel crushes them.

Cast includes James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson

It's directed by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg

The runtime is 1 hr 47 min and is rated R.

Check out the synopsis:

While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.

It has an IMDb score of 7.2, after over a thousand user votes.

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Opening on Thursday, June 13th:

Blood Ties

The cast includes Clive Owen, James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis & Zoe Saldana.

It's about two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.

It has a runtime of 144 min. I'm presuming an R rating.

=

Opening on Friday, June 14th

Man of Steel

Cast has Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe

It's directed by Zack Snyder.

Check out the synopsis: A young journalist is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race.

Reviews are mostly pretty good, and I can only guess that the completely unimaginative minds are the ones calling it boring. But that's cool. Not everyone likes this genre, though I'd think they send genre experts or fans to review a movie. Not some blyth-mouthed reviewer.

It has a runtime of 143 minutes, and is rated PG-13.

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Before Midnight

Starring Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy in a movie about...

Well the synopsis is weirdly worded, so

We meet Jesse and Celine nine years on in Greece. Almost two decades have passed since their first meeting on that train bound for Vienna.

Directed, written, produced by Richard Linklater

A 109 minute runtime, rated R.

(Actually, it has 3,000+ votes on IMDb, and has an 8.2 score. I guess it's worth checking out.)

-Bruce

'Saving Lincoln' Coming to DVD/BD June 18th

2013-06-11T09:47:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I take a gander at a movie and before I do much with it, I hit up IMDb and see what the user ratings are. If there are fewer than a few hundred users who have stepped up to rate the movie, like in this case, I look at other sources.

What confuses me is that over on Rotten Tomatoes, Saving Lincoln got itself a 27% rating from 15 reviews. But the audience rating conflicts highly with the critics score. What's new?

The audience score for the movie is at 69%.

The synopsis for the movie says,

Based on the true story of Abraham Lincoln (Tom Amandes) and his close friend, Ward Hill Lamon (Lea Coco), Saving Lincoln combines elements of theater and cinema to create a new visual world within vintage Civil War photographs. When the first assassination attempt occurs on the way to Washington in 1861, banjo-playing, pistol-wielding Lamon appoints himself Lincoln's bodyguard. From this unique perspective, Lamon witnesses every aspect of Lincoln's fiery trial as Commander-in-Chief, soothes his friend's tormented soul, and saves him from repeated attempts on his life. Lamon is away on a mission when Lincoln is killed, yet it is Lamon who redefines that tragic event in a surprising and uplifting manner. Saving Lincoln has been called "a new and different kind of cinematic experience…truly fascinating" (Film Journal International), as well as "brave, incisive, brilliant and entirely factual" (Harold Holzer, Lincoln author and authority).

Aside from Amandes (TV: "Everwood") and Coco (J. Edgar), the cast includes Penelope Ann Miller (The Artist) as Mary Todd Lincoln, Bruce Davison (X-Men¸TV’s “Last Resort”) as William H. Seward, Josh Stamberg (TV’s “Drop Dead Diva”) Creed Bratton (TV’s “The Office”) and Saidah Arikka Ekulona (Righteous Kill).

There is also something unique that caught my eye about the productio... the filming technique called CineCollage.

CineCollage makes use of actual Civil War photos (from the Library of Congress) for the green screen backdrops in every scene.

Saving Lincoln on DVD JUNE 18^th!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

-       Interactive Civil War Photo Gallery
-       The Making of a CineCollage Film
-       Acting in a Green Screen World
-       The Music of Saving Lincoln
-       Director/Writers Audio Commentary
-       Theatrical Trailer
-       English Captions for the Hearing Impaired

Format: NTSC, 16:9 Widesrceen

Language: English, 5.1 Digital Sound

Official Site: http://www.savinglincoln.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SavingLincoln

Additional SAVING LINCOLN products including the Blu-Ray and Illustrated Screenplay please head to: http://shop.savinglincoln.com/

-Bruce

'Man of Steel' Sequel News and Thoughts; Latest S.H.I.E.L.D. Promo

2013-06-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

New is that the Man of Steel sequel getting fast tracked! Boy, that was fast. It's not abnormal to see news about a sequel about any movie. It's a quaint form of movie marketing to make a movie look good to potential movie goers.

But as the movie is opening, starting June 12th, worldwide, Warner Brothers is embracing the opening buzz and talking about Zack Snyder is locked in for three Superman films. This one, its sequel, and a Justice League movie with Superman in it. Also on board the newest gravy train of superheroes, is screenplay writer David S. Goyer. But nothing substantial has been mentioned about producer Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay of Man of Steel.

Which is something that concerns me.

Right now, early word on Man of Steel is that it's a pretty good movie. And if that's true (Which I expect, with Nolan being a part of the creative process), this could be a bit of a harbinger of worry if he's not attached to the sequel.

I can't imagine that, but hey, Nolan has big plans for the upcoming year or two, with upcoming projects like exec producing the sci-fi thriller, Transcendence (now filming with Johnny Depp, Kate Mara, Morgan Freeman and more) and the sci-fi movie, Interstellar, that he's writing, producing and directing. This new movie project has Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine.

So there's time for Nolan to get his ducks in a row for Superman sequels. We'll see how things pan out. That man can write his own tickets. That must be awesome.

= -

On a different superhero front (sort of), the latest teaser for Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. came out during the NBA finals game. It's a quickie snippet of new clues as to what we can expect from the series.

youtube.com

-Bruce

source(s): Deadline.

2012-2013 Top-25 Most Watched TV Shows

2013-06-10T22:22:00.000-07:00

Despite all the marketing blitzes that TV viewers get about what show is the hot new show, the most watched show, and best show this, that and the other thing, it all boils down to actual statistics at the end of "the night."

With that said, TV Guide reported on the most watched shows from the 2012-2013 TV season.

To be honest, it was no surprise to see NCIS, Person of Interest, The Walking Dead, Elementary, Castle and The Following made the list.

And oddly, while CBS dominated the list, and Vegas made the most-watched list at 23rd, they did cancel the series. And a few cable shows made the list. Times are changing gang!

Then there's the usual reality-TV fodder and laugh-track comedies peppering the rest of the list.

Check it out.

{

With seven days' worth of DVR usage included in their season averages, here are the most-watched shows of the 2012-13 TV season.

1. NCIS CBS 21.6 million

2. SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NBC 21.0 million

3. THE BIG BANG THEORY CBS 19.0 million

4. NCIS: LOS ANGELES CBS 17.5 million

5. PERSON OF INTEREST CBS 16.2 million

6. AMERICAN IDOL (Wednesday) Fox 15.1 million

7. DANCING WITH THE STARS (Monday) ABC 15.0 million

8. AMERICAN IDOL (Thursday) Fox 14.8 million

9. THE VOICE (Monday) NBC 14.4 million*

10. THE WALKING DEAD AMC 14.3 million

11. DANCING WITH THE STARS (Tuesday) ABC 14.0 million

12. TWO AND A HALF MEN CBS 13.9 million

13. THE VOICE (Tuesday) NBC 13.5 million

14. BLUE BLOODS CBS 13.3 million

15. ELEMENTARY CBS 13.0 million

16. MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL ESPN 12.9 million

17. MODERN FAMILY ABC 12.7 million

18. CRIMINAL MINDS CBS 12.6 million

19. THE OT Fox 12.5 million

20. CASTLE ABC 12.5 million

21 DUCK DYNASTY A and E 12.4 million

t. 60 MINUTES CBS 12.4 million

23. VEGAS CBS 12.0 million

24. THE FOLLOWING Fox 11.9 million

t. SURVIVOR: PHILIPPINES CBS 11.9 million

t. CSI CBS 11.9 million

}

-Bruce

Comic-Con Is Holding a Badge Resale Drawing

2013-06-10T11:38:00.001-07:00

For those who might be interested, San Diego Comic-Con has found themselves with some extra attendance badges, via one process or another. There are NO 4-day passes, but they note that they have several thousand single-day passes. Over 3,000 of them are for Saturday. (But TV fans might want to be looking at Sunday, since most of the TV panels take place then.)

For some who are interested, this is pretty awesome news. But not wanting to sound like a sales pitch, this is something you might want to move on pretty quickly, considering how quick these little goodies sell out.

Except in this case, it's a sale/random drawing event for Comic-Con badges.

SO take a look at the press release below, and follow those instructions/links! -Bruce

via press release

Comic-Con International is pleased to announce that because of returned/cancelled badges we will once again be able to offer those badges for resale. This year we have also reduced the allotment of reserved badges for certain departments. Comic-Con has decided to add these badges to the resale for our attendees. We currently have several thousand single day badges available for resale, only 3,100 of which are Saturday badges. 4-Day badges are sold out.

Due to the very limited number of badges available and our vendor EPIC Registration being focused on coordinating onsite registration, the Comic-Con 2013 badge resale will be conducted utilizing a random drawing.

To enter the Comic-Con 2013 Resale Drawing, login to your Member ID account now and click the blue notice that says “Click Here to Enter a Drawing to be Eligible for the Comic-Con 2013 Badge Resale!”

The drawing entry period will remain open for 48 hours only, and will close June 12, 2013 at 10:59:59 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Late entries will not be accepted.

You must have a valid and confirmed Comic-Con Member ID to enter the drawing.

Anyone who has already registered for or purchased a 4-Day badge (with or without Preview Night) or a single day Saturday badge will not be eligible to enter the drawing.

Those selected to participate in the Comic-Con 2013 badge resale may purchase their own badges, as well as badges for one additional guest. You may purchase for any guest who has a confirmed Member ID (as of June 7, 2013) and does not have a 4-Day badge (with or without Preview Night) or a single day Saturday badge. Your guest does not need to be selected from the drawing pool to be eligible to purchase.

Comic-Con will notify everyone who is selected to participate by email on or before June 17, 2013.

New DVD/Blu-ray Releases This Week: 'Oz,' 'Hansel & Gretel,' 'Burn Notice'...

2013-06-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

This week, in the new DVD and Blu-ray releases coming out Tuesday, June 11th, 2013, we have some fairy tale movies, TV spies and other such goodies coming to either DVD, Blu-ray, digital ownership (it's all the movie and none of the plastic) or for rent!

Shall we check it out? [As always, I stick IMDb user ratings after the titles on the more popular titles.]

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Oz the Great and Powerful (DVD + Digital Copy) Starring James Franco and Michelle Williams [6.6]

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (Unrated Cut) (Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy + UltraViolet) Starring Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen [6.1]

Burn Notice: Season Six on DVD [7.5]

Rizzoli and Isles: The Complete Third Season on DVD [6.9]

The Emperor's New Groove / Kronk's New Groove: Two-Movie Collection Starring David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt [7.2]

Major Crimes: The Complete First Season Starring Mary Mc Donnell, G.w. Bailey, Tony Denison [7.1]

Enter the Dragon (40th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] Starring Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri and Bob Wall [7.6]

Rockshow [Blu-ray] Starring Paul McCartney

Lilo and Stitch / Lilo and Stitch: Stitch Has A Glitch Two-Movie Collection Starring Chris Sanders, Daveigh Chase, Tia Carrere and Ving Rhames [7]

The Newsroom: The Complete First Season Starring Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Sam Waterston [8.5] {This is a pretty intense and good show from HBO.}

Necessary Roughness: Season Two Starring Callie Thorne, Marc Blucas, Mehcad Brooks and Scott Cohen [6.6]

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Other titles coming to DVD and Blu-ray:

4 Kid Favorites: Mary-Kate and Ashley Travel World Starring Various

Absolute Deception

Atlantis: The Lost Empire / Atlantis: Milo's Return: Two-Movie Collection Starring Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer and Don Novello

Becker, Season 5 (2002-2003)

Betty and Coretta

Beverly Lewis' the Confession

Big Bad Beetleborgs Metallix: Season Two, Vol. 1 Starring Wesley Barker

Bleach: Uncut Set 17 Starring Various

Digimon Tamers Starring Brian Beacock, Dave Wittenberg, Bridget Hoffman

Doctor Who: Inferno (Story 54) Special Edition Starring Jon Pertwee, Caroline John, Nicholas Courtney

Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil (Story 56) Starring Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning and Roger Delgado

Driven [Blu-ray] Starring Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, Kip Pardue (2001) [4.3]

Fairly Legal: Season Two Starring Sarah Shahi, Virginia Williams, Michael Trucco

Ghost Hunters: Season 8: Part 2 Starring Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango

House of Cards: The Complete First Season

In The Heat of the Night Complete Season 8 (The Final Season) Starring Carroll O'Connor, Carl Weathers, Alan Autry and David Hart

Killing Lincoln

Knife Fight Starring Rob Lowe and Julie Bowen

Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne, Set 1 [Blu-ray] Starring Kaori Ishihara, Kira Buckland, Ai Kayano

Lego Legends of Chima: The Power of the Chi Starring Scott Shantz, David Attar, Bill Courage and Jeff Evans Todd

Masquerade Starring Byung-hun Lee and Seung-Ryong Ryu

Men to Kiss Starring Frank Christian Mark, Udo Lutz, Alexandra Starnitzky

Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary Starring Cornel West, Alice Walker, Dick Gregory and Angela Davis

Mysterious Girlfriend X: Complete Collection Starring Ayako Yoshitani and Miyu Irino

Ninja III: The Domination [Blu-ray/DVD Combo] Starring Sho Kosugi, Lucinda Dickey, Jordan Bennett and David Chung (1984)

Perry Mason: The Ninth and Final Season - Volume One

Rockshow Starring Paul McCartney

Running Scared [Blu-ray] Starring Paul Walker, Chazz Palminteri, Vera Farmiga (2006) [7.4]

RuPaul's Drag Race: Season 5 Uncensored

Sense and Sensibility [Blu-ray] (1996)

Snitch Starring Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Benjamin Bratt [6.6]

The Manson Family [Blu-ray] Starring Marcelo Games, Marc Pitman and Leslie Orr (2003)

The Philadelphia Experiment (Syfy TV Movie) Starring Malcolm McDowell, Emily Ullerup, Gina Holden

Wagon Train - The Eighth and Final Season - Embossed Collectible Tin Starring John McIntire, Frank McGrath, Terry Wilson

Wild Strawberries (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] Starring Victor Sjostrom, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin (1957)

Wrong Starring Jack Plotnick, Eric Judor, Alexis Dziena

Search for other New DVD & Blu-ray Releases on Amazon

-Bruce

'Warm Bodies' Review: A Cute Zombie Movie

2013-06-08T23:43:00.000-07:00

Warm Bodies is a fascinating zombie movie a bit unlike any other zombie movie I've seen. And that's a good thing, that someone came along and saw an interesting angle on this genre that's quickly becoming over-saturated in the entertainment industry.

Warm Bodies stars Nicholas Hoult as R the zombie, and Teresa Palmer as Julie. Other cast includes Analeigh Tipton, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco and John Malkovich.

It was written and directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50, The Wackness).

If you're someone who isn't too fond of the gross factor of the zombie genre, this movie transcends the disgusting factor, mostly, and I think is a worthy first step towards at least being able to say you've seen a zombie movie. (The gross is mostly down played.)

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The movie starts out pretty cute as we follow R around an airport, while he goes through some self-dialog, ambling along. Doing what zombies do. But he's a wee bit different. Sure, he still needs to eat brains, but he does seem to have something more going on in the head.

R (It's really all he can say and ends up with that name) lets us know that the world has caught this zombie plague, but he doesn't know how it happened. But then again, like he said, it doesn't matter. It's here, he's dealing with it.

And then through various events, he ends up meeting Julie. OK, he kills her boyfriend. Details. But what's curious about these zombies is that when they eat brains, they experience the memories of their victim. So R sort gets a head start on liking Julie.

They meet, then he protects her from the rest of the gang. Especially the Bonies. Those are the zombies that are way far too gone to even look human.

And this "boy"-meets-girl story goes from there, in a weird and different world than what we're used to.

-

The movie is rated a fun PG-13, and has a runtime of 98 minutes.

The story starts out cute and funny, then slows down a wee bit in the 2nd act, but things pick up nicely for the 3rd act. And there are some great little twists and surprises that make this "zombie" movie stand out from the rest.

Even if it doesn't look like it.

IMDb users rated this movie at 7/10. And surprisingly, critics and fans almost agree over on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics scoring the movie at 80% and fans, a 78%. Wow. Someone mark that in a journal, calendar or something!

The movie is not afraid to laugh at itself.

Warm Bodies [Blu-ray]
Warm Bodies (Digital purchase or rental)

If you must know, I'd give Warm Bodies a popcorn 8/10. And if you're a fan of any of the cast, I think you'd love this movie as an addition to your collection. Or at the very least, it's a an awesomely fun rental. -Bruce

'Iron Man 3' 5th or 100th at Box Office And Why I Hate Today's Ranking System

2013-06-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

If you're part of a studio marketing team, (Or anyone who uses statistical results to market their product/work), you always want to present the best possible angle on your pitch.

One of my favorite examples of positive spin was when NBC blatantly called their then new series, Revolution, the #1 TV show today. And it was. Once you only looked at Mondays, at its time slot, and compared it to other brand new, premiering series. But they left out a few key words while the show wasn't even coming up for air on the top-25 charts of all TV shows watched for the week.

But the spin was the spin.

[brusimm.com: Is Revolution Really The No 1 New Show?]

So I'm sure, for the hardcore Iron Man 3 movie fans, hearing that the movie was 5th in all-time box office numbers seemed pretty exciting. And for those still wondering if they want to see the movie, that's an alluring pitch.

But wait, I like to break down a few facets about the box office numbers because I'm a pragmatic man. That, and B.O. #'s are like movie trailers, and those can be filled with misdirects, as we've come to learn!

So yes, worldwide gross ticket sales, Iron Man 3 is 5th on that chart. Right behind Avatar, Titanic, The Avengers and Harry Potter/Deathly Hollows Pt 2.

But IM3 it sits 17th on the domestic movie ticket charts.

Better yet, one of my favorite angles to look at is when ticket prices from all years are adjusted according to the average ticket price of that year, then reviewed as the estimated number of tickets sold for that movie.

And when Box Office Mojo does that for domestic ticket sales, suddenly Iron Man 3 is finding itself sitting 100th on a list that's topped by Gone with the Wind.

Seriously???

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That's a rather telling tale if you ask me. I don't give a huge amount of credit to worldwide numbers because when you look at average ticket prices overseas ranging from $21 (Japan) to $8 a ticket, it's easy to see how the numbers can get skewed into huge looking results.

But also, let's take into account that today's average (domestic) ticket price, with all the over-priced formats, looks just shy of $8, versus the near $5 average in 2000, it's easy to see how a movie can set new records. And it can even sell fewer tickets to do it.

An eye-opening comparison:
In 2013, the average ticket price is $7.94 (Thanks to 3D, IMAX, etc.)
In 2000, the average ticket price was $5.39

So if a movie sold fifty thousand (50,000) tickets in the year 2000, a 2013 movie would only have to sell thirty-four thousand (34,000) tickets to break the year 2000's box office record.

That means today's movie only has to sell close to 70% the number of tickets its brethren did in 2000, to kick its butt at the box office battle.

I have no problem with comparing movie to movie, in the same year. At least then it's on the same scale money chart. But the new dollars record will be heralded as the end-all of winners of all movies since the beginning of Hollywood. And that's never felt right to me.

Yet many will argue for the common reporting tool as the end determinant to a film's perceived popularity. Me, I'm too pragmatic to buy into the hype.

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So sure, it's fun to point to your favorite movie and say it's kicking butt at the box office. I get it. But if you dare break it down, it's not always as exciting as it seems. You might as well be having a speed test and comparing a model rocket to a real NASA rocket!

And here in the U.S., with Iron Man 3 sitting at 17th all-time domestically, I think the news of the sham of a shell game director Shane Black played with The Mandarin has spread, word-of-mouth, and the franchise purists have gone on to different things to enjoy at their local movie theater.

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References:

boxofficemojo: alltime/world

boxofficemojo: alltime/domestic

-Bruce

Tom Hardy, A Rather Well Rounded and Entertaining Actor

2013-06-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

I just got done watching This Means War on HBO. I'm not the biggest comedic film fan, but this one hits on many to all cylinders, with the action, the humor and the characters that Chris Pine and Tom Hardy bring to life. (It's directed by McG.)

(This Means War (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy))

I tend to like what Tom Hardy does in film, with the exception of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. I felt like even though he did a good job with the character of Bane, that damn mask restricted much of what he could portray facially with the character.

But prior to that, I saw him in Lawless, where he played the nearly unflappable Forrest Bondurant. I didn't catch him in the 2011 movie, Warrior. But how could you forget him as Eames from Christopher Nolan's Inception.

Before Inception, he had been flying low under my radar. But he's had parts in films I have seen. His first credited movie, Black Hawk Down, and he was also in Star Trek: Nemesis.

Right now (6-7-13), he has five movies under production.

Animal Rescue (a crime, drama in Post-production) due out in 2014
Child 44 (a drama/thriller in pre-production) due out in 2014
Everest (a dramatic piece where he stars as mtn climber George Mallory) in pre-production
Locke (a thriller in post-production) and most anticipated role, the remake
Mad Max: Fury Road where he plays Max, which is in post-production, due out in 2014.

There are other things that are potentially coming up, but they're noted as being in script of pitch phases of production. There's an Al Capone role, an outlaw biker project and animal poaching film where he might be starring in and producing (with Leonardo DiCaprio).

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For now, we know of five Tom Hardy projects from IMDb and this week it's been reported to have landed a role in the Takashi Mike project, The Outsider.

So for now, we have a few new movie projects coming up for Tom Hardy fans.

-Bruce

Popular 'Stargate Universe' Actor Guests on Syfy's 'Defiance'

2013-06-07T20:18:00.003-07:00

Syfy network has announced that Brian J. Smith will be guesting in an upcoming episode (Monday, June 10th) of their newest series, Defiance.

For fans of Smith, you might remember him as Matthew Scott from the last chapter of SG, Stargate Universe. The show was a bit too cerebral for the Nielsen families so it didn't last, but I did enjoy the series and liked Smith on the series.

Per the press release, in Defiance, "Smith portrays Gordon McClintock, a NASA hero from the pre-Arkfall days who was presumed dead following a space station catastrophe in 2013. The astronaut is discovered to still be alive when he is revived from an induced sleep, and is overcome with shock and disbelief at the dangerous new world of Defiance."

It will be great to see him once again on the small screen.

Smith starred in the Syfy original series Stargate Universe and the Syfy original movie Red Faction. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Smith is a graduate of the four-year acting program at The Julliard School in New York City. He also starred in the 2009 feature film The War Boys, written by award-winning playwright Naomi Wallace and Bruce McLeod, and appeared in the 2009 thriller Redhook. His additional television credits include Poirot : Murder on the Orient Express and a guest star role on NBC’s Law and Order. Smith appeared on Broadway in The Columnist opposite John Lithgow, Come Back, Little Sheba opposite S. Epatha Merkerson, and, off-Broadway, in Good Boys and True, and Three Changes, opposite Dylan McDermott and Maura Tierney. This fall Smith will return to Broadway, reprising his role as Jim in the American Repertory Theater’s acclaimed production of The Glass Menagerie (opposite cast mates Cherry Jones and Zachary Quinto).

About Defiance

At its core, Defiance is a story about survival under extreme circumstances and the will to fight for what matters. Set in the near future, the planet Earth has been exotically transformed and its landscape permanently altered following the sudden – and tumultuous – arrival of seven unique alien races. Their arrival sparks 30 years of war, at the end of which the story of Defiance begins as groups of humans and aliens attempt to lay down their arms, build new civilizations and co-exist peacefully. Viewers follow an immersive character drama set in the boom-town of Defiance, which sits atop the ruins of St. Louis, MO, while in the game, players experience the frontier of the San Francisco Bay area.

The series’ cast is led by Grant Bowler, portraying Nolan, a former Marine who fought in the alien conflict and became a wanderer in the new world. Julie Benz portrays Amanda Rosewater, the idealistic mayor of the bustling mining boomtown of Defiance. Stephanie Leonidas plays Irisa, a warrior who is part of an alien race called the Irathients, and Nolan’s adopted daughter. Tony Curran and Jaime Murray portray Datak and Stahma Tarr, scheming and opportunistic members of an elite alien race known as the Castithans. Graham Greene is Rafe McCawley, owner of the largest mine in the territory. Mia Kirshner plays Kenya, the dauntless town madam, who displays an unwavering devotion to the town of Defiance.

-Bruce

HGTV's 'Flip or Flop' Is Fun, And Proves Some Homeowners Suck

2013-06-06T23:38:00.001-07:00

The Cinema Static team has been watching the new HGTV TV series, Flip or Flop. And we have to say, it's not bad.

It follows a pair of married real estate agents, Tarek and Christina El Moussa, who, in this down market, are followed by cameras as they chase down foreclosures and other distressed home sales. They buy a house, usually for cash, go in and refurbish it, then sell it for a wonderfully inspiring profit.

What I find amazing is how sometimes people can leave these homes in such disrepair. It seems at times, people intentionally sabotage the home before leaving, and it's a terrible reflection on previous tenants or owners.

Or the horrible people, in one episode, who fully vandalized a house, from room to room.

The other part of the process is seeing how some folks "upgraded" their homes without proper permitting. Wow. What an eye-opener.

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If you're an HGTV regular, I equate the half-hour series to Property Brothers, but they do everything in the half-hour episode. And like real life, not all their episodes end with a sale.

The ones that end in a sale usually end with a competitive bidding war that drives up their price. But sometimes, they don't sell and the episode ends with no sale.

Hey guys, you should convince your wives or other halves to check out the show. (Trust me!)

Some resources about the show:

Their WordPress site; Facebook Page; Their real-estate site.

It's a fun show and I hope it does well enough by HGTV to get themselves a second season with maybe, just maybe, longer episodes. Here's the official HGTV press bit on the series:

"Flip or Flop
Hosts: Tarek and Christina El Moussa
Tarek, a self-proclaimed "driven real estate genius" partners with his wife, Christina to flip new properties in HGTV's Flip or Flop. From the nail-biting purchase at the auction to the frustrating renovations, HGTV cameras follow these novice flippers as they try their hand at the toughest game in town. Viewers also get a glimpse into their personal lives as they put everything into this venture, including the sanity of their family. "

--Bruce

Auditions for 'American Horror Story: Coven'

2013-06-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

I just came across a tidbit about Auditions for the hit FX Network series, American Horror Story's third season, labelled Coven.

They're looking for series regulars and guests. Filming will be taking place in New Orleans, LA.

This third season of the show follows a family that moves across country and thematic cloud hanging over the family will be witches and all the fun that comes with those little ladies with pointed black hats flitting around on brooms.

Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates star, along with Emma Roberts, Angela BAssett and some returning cast like Evan Peters, Taissa Farmiga, Frances Conroy, Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe.

Love Kathy Bates.

American Horror Story: Coven is scheduled to premiere in October.

For all the details about principal actor and extras casting, check out the website, TV Show Auditions.

-Bruce

Inbox News: Renewals, Premieres, Cancellations and More (Nurse Jackie, Breaking Bad and more)

2013-06-06T15:10:00.001-07:00

Hey Nurse Jackie fans, you can rest at ease. Showtime has renewed the show for a sixth season!

HBO's Boardwalk Empire is scheduled for its fourth season premiere for Sunday, Sep, 8, 2013.

Speaking of HBO, if you like Eastbound & Down, you might want to sit for this one. HBO is letting this 8-epi season, its 4th, be its last. S4 premieres on Sept 29th, 2013.

And talk about a total lack of wedding gifts. That last episode of Game of Thrones seriously (un)rocked! Shocking as ever, thank you very little George R.R. Martin.

My gat! I'm not delivering any good news today. Well, not much of it at least.

Showtime has announced that they are cancelling The Borgais. That means that the finale slated to air on June 16th, will be the series finale. There will also not be any final movie. So be prepared to be left hanging.

OK, here's some good news, (A non-comprehensive list)

CBS said that Big Brother is coming back on June 26th. I swear, if that g*n Chenbot shows up, I'm gone. What an annoying piece of dribble.

From the AMC Network world: Premiere dates

Breaking Bad's final half of season 5 premieres on August 11th

Hell on Wheels: Their third season will premiere on Aug. 3rd

Low Winter Sun: If you're interested, the series premiere will show up on Aug. 11th.

Mad Men's 6th season ends on Jun 23rd.

The Walking Dead comes back for a 4th season in October, like its previous 3 seasons.

In case you're wondering, The Killing premiered it's 3rs season to 1.8 million viewers. That's not horrible at all. And I think they'll be able to recapture more viewers as the season builds up.

FX News:

The Americans second season will show up in early 2014

Archer will be returning for a fifth season

The Bridge will premiere on July 10th. But there's enough ads to tell us that one!

Justified is coming back in 2014.

Sons of Anarchy (SAMCRO) will be coming back in the fall of this year (2013)

BTW: They cancelled BrandX.

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Warehouse 13's next season, coming up in 2014, will be its last on Syfy.

OMG, America's Next Top Model comes back on August 2nd. Talk about a host fully full of herself!

BBC America's version (Original) of Being Human will be in its final season when it returns on July 13th. It's changed so much from its first few seasons that I lost touch with it when characters started to ... "disperse!"

If you're a Wendy Williams fan, you can sigh a bit of relief. The Wendy Williams Show has been renewed through the 2017 TV season.

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TLC proudly announced they had a 10-year TV ratings high in May.

via press release:

TLC secured its best May delivery in a decade, and its second Best May Ever Women 25-54, while holding its position as a Top Ten ad-supported cable network in delivery in Women 25-54 and Women 18-49, among other key demos. The network also saw double digit Prime Time increases in women viewers vs. May 2012.

Powered by the success of hit series LONG ISLAND MEDIUM and BREAKING AMISH: BRAVE NEW WORLD, TLC dominated the month across multiple nights of the week, leading with Sunday night, where the network was the #1 ad-supported cable network in delivery among W25-54, #2 with W18-49, and #3 among W18-34. TLC also ranked in the Top Five among P25-54 and P18-49 delivery. May Sundays also helped push TLC's to double digit increases of 20% among W25-54 rating vs. May 2012.

TLC kicked off its all new TLC Summer programming line-up on Memorial Day, and premieres 20 new and returning series in the coming months.

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Presuming you heard, but just in case: Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj are leaving American Idol. (Who isn't!?)

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There, my inbox is pretty much cleaned out of stuff!

The Annual 'Twilight Zone' Marathon on the Syfy Channel

2013-06-06T11:22:00.001-07:00

Every year, Syfy presents it's annual Twilight Zone marathon. And every year, the show proves how timeless it is, with its mostly black and white productions and simple effects. It's truly a wonderful classic that we're lucky Rod Serling came up with.

With that said, Syfy will be airing their annual Twilight Zone TV marathon during the July 4th weekend, starting Wednesday, July 4th at 8AM and running through 6AM on July 5th, 2013 (ET/PT)

Syfy said that fan-favorite episodes will be aired during prime time.

Twilight Zone products on Amazon.

Did you know that without looking it up, you can tell what year an episode was made, just by the words in the introduction that Rod Serling delivers?

If it was produced in the 1959 to 60 era, the intro starts out,

"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man."

In 1960-61, the intro starts with,

"You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind" and includes "That's the signpost up ahead" in the words.

In 1961-62, the signpost statement is gone.

In 1963 (the fourth season), the intro starts out with, "You unlock this door with the key of imagination."

Regardless of the year or season, there are some great episodes, and in addition, you can see the stars of today, so young and just beginning their careers in the entertainment industry.

Through all the shows, you'd catch such young talent as Bill Bixby, Charles Bronson, Robert Duvall, Ron Howard, Martin Landau, Cloris Leachman, Julie Newmar, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, Jonathan Winters and so many more. The series is like a wonderful tribute or time capsule to some of these great actors and their careers.

One of my favorite episodes is from season 5, with "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," starring William Shatner.

In case you're wondering, the word 'The' is and isn't in the title of the series. 'The' was part of the title until CBS pulled the word out of the title for the fourth and fifth seasons.

-Bruce

Will 'Firefly' Ever Return? The Never Ending Question, One Possible Suggestion

2013-06-06T10:34:00.003-07:00

Ever since Firefly was cancelled/trashed/sabotaged (pick your favorite term) by Fox in 2002, there's always been a strong core of fans underneath it all that, if you listen carefully, you can hear quietly chanting under the noise of life, "Bring it back. Bring it back. Bring it back." Meaning Joss Whedon's space western, Firefly.

It's been a never ending wish.

But no matter how one looked at it over the years, between the stars schedules as they worked different jobs/roles, and the lack of traction that Joss Whedon had in the entertainment industry, it really never seemed like a viable option.

Joss Whedon even gave his blessing to some fan-made content and to some degree, the Firefly cadre was soothed a bit.

But recently an erroneous statement hit the streets, indicating that Nathan Fillion said he would do a new series if he had the money. Boy, did that hit a spark and folks went crazy.

(24x32) Lot of 4 Firefly Serenity Architectural Cutaway TV Poster Prints

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But there's a catch. Fillion doesn't own the rights and can't really do anything to move the franchise forward. Fox does.

Yes, the twisted fates of irony have Fox, the entity responsible for destroying the show, making money off it to this day from the continued sales of DVD/Blu-rays. (To play devil's advocate, the network and its home entertainment division did distribute the series, helping make it all possible.)

[Firefly: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]]

[Serenity [Blu-ray]]

But it doesn't end there.

Now that Joss Whedon has become a power player in the scheme of all things Hollywood with the advent of The Avengers success, fans have once again started actively asking about resurrecting Firefly.

At first, Whedon's response was pretty flat and to the point and he said no. He later explained that it would be nice, but timing would have to be absolutely perfect. But he's also tied up overseeing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hmm... small, popular franchise or billion dollar franchise?

And if you've followed Whedon from the Buffy days up to now, you know that he tends to always move forward with his projects and doesn't look back. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just an observation on the man's career mode. He's always thinking, moving forward and creating something new.

Can it be done? Most of the cast is probably available. But Fillion is on Castle, Gina Torres is on Suits. Alan Tudyk's and Ron Glass's characters were killed off. But since I'm always seeing Baldwin at all the conventions, I bet he'd be up for it, as well as most of the old cast.

Almost every time I see articles about a potential for a new Firefly series, nothing has really changed. It's been over 10 years. The desire is the same, the answer has always been the same.

But if, perchance, Joss had the idea to get back into the world of Firefly, there are options.

This is this fan's idea/suggestion for resurrecting Firefly:

You could see an era after the events in Serenity, where the ship is found in a junkyard in near perfect condition. As the show moves forward, little bits of history could be discovered from things aboard the old ship, connecting the new with the old.

This moves the franchise forward, while keeping connections with the old. And the possibility of guest appearances, when permissible.

But like I said, Joss looks forward. He's had his time with Firefly, he's given us something wonderful that keeps the imagination of fans alive for years upon years, and that's something huge, if you dwell on it.

Hey, on the bright side: What if Fox never cancelled the series? Would Joss have still been tapped to helm The Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Or would he have moved on with a long TV-helming career?

In a way, everything worked out just fine for all involved. If you could, would you want to go back in time and change what happened? It's the "butterfly effect" thing, which was famously portrayed in the Ray Bradbury story, "A Sound of Thunder."

So maybe not.

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-Bruce