Let me start off by laying a few cards on the table. I prefer Marvel to DC, I dressed up as Superman a few Halloweens in a row (even had the forehead curl), I think Superman III was better than Man of Steel, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the best thing to happen to comics in my lifetime. Now that I got that out of the way let me say that I do not like the rushed away DC is building their cinematic universe.
DC is in a bad position because they are nearly a decade behind Marvel with their universe. Who knows how long the movie going public will clamor for comic based movies? It's only a matter of time before we reach saturation and DC needs to strike while the iron is still hot. This is why Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice (ugh!) movie is stuffed with superhero cameos, got to make up for lost time but while that may seem like a necessity I can't help but feel it is also a mistake.
This movie has Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman and who knows who else. Now you may say "hey this worked in The Avengers" and I'd say "yes it did" which may result in you saying "so why is this a negative?" and then I'd reply "because in The Avengers we already had 4 (not counting The Incredible Hulk) movies where we learned about each character and care about them but here we're just supposed to care about Wonder Woman because it's Wonder Woman?". DC is banking on us giving a crap about these characters just because they're the characters. Would you want to know what makes this Batman a grizzled & tired crime fighter? Yeah, me too.
The last thing I'll say is I don't trust the team building the DC Universe. Goyer's comments regarding She-Hulk "I think She-Hulk is the chick that you could f**k if you were Hulk, you know what I’m saying? … She-Hulk was the extension of the male power fantasy. So it’s like if I’m going to be this geek who becomes the Hulk then let’s create a giant green porn star that only the Hulk could f**k." and the dark and joyless Superman created by Snyder leave me wondering what they'll do to the rest of the DC gang. Meanwhile, Marvel has Whedon and well...all hail Joss Whedon.
I hope DC can pull it off but outside the Nolan Batman trilogy their track record this decade has been less than stellar.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
In The Doghouse
Michael Vick, the Don King of dog fighting, is now a New York Jet. I'll be honest, I have mixed feelings about this marriage.
From a football standpoint if he can stay healthy and all the planets align he might actually help Geno mature on the field and can help out at a position that has been lacking on the Jets since Testaverde left. A lot can go wrong but for once the Jets have a viable option at QB...maybe.
From a human side I don't like it all that much. I love animals, I love animals more than people and what he did is disgusting and unforgivable but at some a man has paid for his crimes, right? Granted depending on where you live paying for your crimes means dying (am I right Texas?) but Vick has served his time and has, unlike many, many people, actually turned his life around.
We're used to seeing football players get into trouble with the law and have it become a repeatable issue: carrying illegal weapons, drug possession, shootings, DUIs, vehicular manslaughter, spousal abuse, murder, etc. And as completely disgusting as his actions were, he hasn't run into any trouble since. You can argue that he is a role model for turning your life around after making mistakes.
Now some "fans" have decided that they can no longer root for the Jets because Michael Vick is on the team, and whatever, if you're the type of person who can stop rooting for a team that easily I'm fine with you no longer being a fan of my team. And if you don't root for a team with questionable characters I suggest you stop rooting for any team in any sport.
So while I'm not going to run out and buy my dog a Vick Jets' jersey, I'm not going to burn all my jerseys either. Hopefully this will be good for the team in the long run and to be honest that's all I give a damn about...but I still don't like it very much.
From a football standpoint if he can stay healthy and all the planets align he might actually help Geno mature on the field and can help out at a position that has been lacking on the Jets since Testaverde left. A lot can go wrong but for once the Jets have a viable option at QB...maybe.
From a human side I don't like it all that much. I love animals, I love animals more than people and what he did is disgusting and unforgivable but at some a man has paid for his crimes, right? Granted depending on where you live paying for your crimes means dying (am I right Texas?) but Vick has served his time and has, unlike many, many people, actually turned his life around.
We're used to seeing football players get into trouble with the law and have it become a repeatable issue: carrying illegal weapons, drug possession, shootings, DUIs, vehicular manslaughter, spousal abuse, murder, etc. And as completely disgusting as his actions were, he hasn't run into any trouble since. You can argue that he is a role model for turning your life around after making mistakes.
Now some "fans" have decided that they can no longer root for the Jets because Michael Vick is on the team, and whatever, if you're the type of person who can stop rooting for a team that easily I'm fine with you no longer being a fan of my team. And if you don't root for a team with questionable characters I suggest you stop rooting for any team in any sport.
So while I'm not going to run out and buy my dog a Vick Jets' jersey, I'm not going to burn all my jerseys either. Hopefully this will be good for the team in the long run and to be honest that's all I give a damn about...but I still don't like it very much.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Agent Coulson Should've Stayed Dead
Agent Coulson should have stayed dead. Back when the Avengers came out I never thought I would have said that, but I realize now that by resurrecting him for Agents of SHIELD it completely sullied what his death meant. Considering I'm still not over Fred dying in Angel or Wash dying in Firefly this revelation of mine is a pretty big deal.
Agent Coulson's death in the Avengers was the push that the very separate heroes needed to come together to as a team. It was a heroes death, he didn't get sliced in half like Anya in an almost blink and you'll miss it moment. Not only that, but by bringing him back it sullies the impact that a character's death should have, something comic books generally fail to realize.
It is surprising to me that someone like Joss Whedon wouldn't realize that bringing someone back from the dead would cheapen the impact of the death. As I've already mentioned, this is the man that is responsible for deaths of characters that I still have not gotten over and it has been years. The death of Coulson in the Avengers put a dose of realism into a movie about thunder gods and gamma irradiated scientists. The heroes can win but sometimes it comes with a cost, now that Coulson is back, that cost doesn't exist.
It is still possible that Agents of SHIELD will make this mistake worthwhile (it won't), a hook or a twist that will make me change my mind (I doubt it), but right now I can't help but wish that the last time we saw Agent Coulson he was slowly bleeding out.
Agent Coulson's death in the Avengers was the push that the very separate heroes needed to come together to as a team. It was a heroes death, he didn't get sliced in half like Anya in an almost blink and you'll miss it moment. Not only that, but by bringing him back it sullies the impact that a character's death should have, something comic books generally fail to realize.
It is surprising to me that someone like Joss Whedon wouldn't realize that bringing someone back from the dead would cheapen the impact of the death. As I've already mentioned, this is the man that is responsible for deaths of characters that I still have not gotten over and it has been years. The death of Coulson in the Avengers put a dose of realism into a movie about thunder gods and gamma irradiated scientists. The heroes can win but sometimes it comes with a cost, now that Coulson is back, that cost doesn't exist.
It is still possible that Agents of SHIELD will make this mistake worthwhile (it won't), a hook or a twist that will make me change my mind (I doubt it), but right now I can't help but wish that the last time we saw Agent Coulson he was slowly bleeding out.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Agents of Y.A.W.N.
I want to love Agents of SHIELD, I really do. I was super excited for the show when it was first announced and even more excited to know that Joss Whedon would be at the helm. Sadly, the show has failed to live up to the hype that surrounded it prior to its release.
I have watched every episode of this show, including the most recent episode that was said to shed some light on how Agent Coulson was murdered by Loki in The Avengers yet somehow was starring in the show. So in the eleventh episode we finally found out how Agent Coulson survived and it was not really worth the wait. I watched 11 hours worth of television to find out how Agent Coulson survived and now that I know I should have just made something up cause it would have been more interesting.
My trust in Joss Whedon has taken a major hit. I would gladly trade you Agents of SHIELD for a few more episodes of Firefly, hell I'd trade you Agents of SHIELD for a Dollhouse TV movie. Unfortunately that isn't a deal I or anyone else can make, ABC has shelled out a lot of cash for this TV show (as evident by some of the CGI work) that we're getting at least one more season but hell maybe that's a good thing.
It is entirely possible that the entire first season will just end up being one big growing pain and come season two it'll take off like a bat out of hell, minus Meatloaf. If that's the case, I'll be happy for it because I love Marvel and I'm a big fan of Joss' work but I'm not holding my breath. ABC looks to be sticking with the show, I just wish FOX would've done the same all those years ago...sigh. Browncoats Unite!
I have watched every episode of this show, including the most recent episode that was said to shed some light on how Agent Coulson was murdered by Loki in The Avengers yet somehow was starring in the show. So in the eleventh episode we finally found out how Agent Coulson survived and it was not really worth the wait. I watched 11 hours worth of television to find out how Agent Coulson survived and now that I know I should have just made something up cause it would have been more interesting.
My trust in Joss Whedon has taken a major hit. I would gladly trade you Agents of SHIELD for a few more episodes of Firefly, hell I'd trade you Agents of SHIELD for a Dollhouse TV movie. Unfortunately that isn't a deal I or anyone else can make, ABC has shelled out a lot of cash for this TV show (as evident by some of the CGI work) that we're getting at least one more season but hell maybe that's a good thing.
It is entirely possible that the entire first season will just end up being one big growing pain and come season two it'll take off like a bat out of hell, minus Meatloaf. If that's the case, I'll be happy for it because I love Marvel and I'm a big fan of Joss' work but I'm not holding my breath. ABC looks to be sticking with the show, I just wish FOX would've done the same all those years ago...sigh. Browncoats Unite!
Monday, December 30, 2013
I Heart Giant Robots
I was going to say nothing makes me cringe more than the phrase "gritty reboot" and then I realized that is a fucking lie. It's a powerful way to start a rant, but I'm trying to be truthful here, so I'll just say the phrase "gritty reboot" makes me cringe and fills me with dread. Now that I got that out of the way let me get to my point.
I recently watched Pacific Rim and loved it and honestly what's not to love? Giant robots fighting giant monsters, it basically popped out of the screen and said "hey 10 year old version of Jordan, how fucking awesome is this?" and I responded back with "So awesome!". It was only after I came down from my giant robot high that I realized Pacific Rim made me dislike the gritty reboot of Superman more than I already did.
Why did Pacific Rim make me dislike Man of Steel more? Because Pacific Rim was a fun action movie that didn't take itself too seriously and Man of Steel was a drama about a guy who is super bummed that he is Superman and took itself as seriously as a documentary about Auschwitz. Let's not act like just because Pacific Rim was about ridiculously large robots fighting ridiculously large monsters that it was allowed to take itself less serious than Man of Steel; Man of Steel is about a guy from another planet that is super strong because of Earth's yellow sun...that's pretty much it.
Don't get me wrong, I love Superman. As a kid I grew up idolizing Superman and I think I went as him for Halloween 3 years in a row, that's what makes me so upset about the gritty reboot, I really wanted to love this movie. Instead I got a depressed Superman who is literally responsible for thousands upon thousands of deaths during his fight with General Zod and never once stops to try to help as buildings come crashing down. The Christopher Reeve Superman would've moved the fight away from Metropolis, hell he would've moved the fight away from a tree if he thought a family of birds lived there.
I loved Pacific Rim because it made me feel like a kid again, sadly Man of Steel made me believe a man could fly but couldn't make me care.
I recently watched Pacific Rim and loved it and honestly what's not to love? Giant robots fighting giant monsters, it basically popped out of the screen and said "hey 10 year old version of Jordan, how fucking awesome is this?" and I responded back with "So awesome!". It was only after I came down from my giant robot high that I realized Pacific Rim made me dislike the gritty reboot of Superman more than I already did.
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| Hell Yeah! |
Don't get me wrong, I love Superman. As a kid I grew up idolizing Superman and I think I went as him for Halloween 3 years in a row, that's what makes me so upset about the gritty reboot, I really wanted to love this movie. Instead I got a depressed Superman who is literally responsible for thousands upon thousands of deaths during his fight with General Zod and never once stops to try to help as buildings come crashing down. The Christopher Reeve Superman would've moved the fight away from Metropolis, hell he would've moved the fight away from a tree if he thought a family of birds lived there.
I loved Pacific Rim because it made me feel like a kid again, sadly Man of Steel made me believe a man could fly but couldn't make me care.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
I'm Back...Sorry
I told myself that when I got a new laptop I would take blogging back up again. My apologies to all since this blog is pretty much mental masturbation and nothing more. It gives me an opportunity to write, which I do enjoy doing, and also voice whatever the hell is on my mind at any given time.
The last time I wrote a blog I was getting ready to build a crib for my not yet born little girl. Needless to say that was a long time ago, nearly a full calendar year, and a few things have happened since then. I think the biggest thing that has happened is that the crib has been occupied by my daughter now for nearly 9 months.
I'm writing this instead of cleaning the kitchen floor. She went down for a nap about an hour ago now and I had no way of knowing she'd be sleeping this long. And as I write this sentence the damn phone rung and woke her up.
You can thank the bullshit card services phone call for my not going into detail about how much I love my daughter and how rewarding it is to be a dad. Chances are if you're reading this you are already friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter which means you've already heard me talk about that over and over again anyway.
In conclusion, I'm back...maybe. I'd like to write more and spend some more time with this blog. I got a lot of opinions that no one cares about that I'd love to share in 2014.
The last time I wrote a blog I was getting ready to build a crib for my not yet born little girl. Needless to say that was a long time ago, nearly a full calendar year, and a few things have happened since then. I think the biggest thing that has happened is that the crib has been occupied by my daughter now for nearly 9 months.
I'm writing this instead of cleaning the kitchen floor. She went down for a nap about an hour ago now and I had no way of knowing she'd be sleeping this long. And as I write this sentence the damn phone rung and woke her up.
You can thank the bullshit card services phone call for my not going into detail about how much I love my daughter and how rewarding it is to be a dad. Chances are if you're reading this you are already friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter which means you've already heard me talk about that over and over again anyway.
In conclusion, I'm back...maybe. I'd like to write more and spend some more time with this blog. I got a lot of opinions that no one cares about that I'd love to share in 2014.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Crib Building and Other Elvis Costello B-Sides
Has everyone who will get the title gotten it yet? Yes? Ok, let's move on then.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday, it is also the day that my father and I will build my little girl's crib. I think I'm going to start referring to her as The Oncoming Storm and to hell with anyone that doesn't get that reference. My dad and I haven't built anything together since I was a teenager so it should be fun.
I've been told by everyone that building a crib is fun, but they generally snicker after saying the word "fun". I've been told the dreaded allen wrench is a prominent feature in the building of cribs. I fucking hate allen wrenches. Generally they're always required for some tight spaced area that you can't see, so you spend your time trying to find the groove so the wrench will fit into the bolt and all you get out of your hard work is one small turn of the screw. Bloody useless.
In the end obviously it is worth it. I want my little oncoming storm to have a nice safe and sturdy crib to sleep in, she will after all be the one choosing my nursing home.
As I mentioned before, today is also the Super Bowl, it is footballs Christmas Day. For the fans of the two teams it is the excitement of Christmas morning. For the fans of the other teams it is what Christmas is like for Jews, we can enjoy the pretty lights or the game, but we aren't really participating.
I'm a fan of the absolutely horrible New York Jets so I've grown accustomed to just rooting for a good game and generally picking a side so I have some sort of rooting interest. When the dust settles today I hope the Ravens win.
Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone! Now to get this crib building started.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday, it is also the day that my father and I will build my little girl's crib. I think I'm going to start referring to her as The Oncoming Storm and to hell with anyone that doesn't get that reference. My dad and I haven't built anything together since I was a teenager so it should be fun.
I've been told by everyone that building a crib is fun, but they generally snicker after saying the word "fun". I've been told the dreaded allen wrench is a prominent feature in the building of cribs. I fucking hate allen wrenches. Generally they're always required for some tight spaced area that you can't see, so you spend your time trying to find the groove so the wrench will fit into the bolt and all you get out of your hard work is one small turn of the screw. Bloody useless.
In the end obviously it is worth it. I want my little oncoming storm to have a nice safe and sturdy crib to sleep in, she will after all be the one choosing my nursing home.
As I mentioned before, today is also the Super Bowl, it is footballs Christmas Day. For the fans of the two teams it is the excitement of Christmas morning. For the fans of the other teams it is what Christmas is like for Jews, we can enjoy the pretty lights or the game, but we aren't really participating.
I'm a fan of the absolutely horrible New York Jets so I've grown accustomed to just rooting for a good game and generally picking a side so I have some sort of rooting interest. When the dust settles today I hope the Ravens win.
Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone! Now to get this crib building started.
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