Category Archives: Movies

There is So Much Wrong With Transformers: Age of Extinction

Not the least of which is not calling the movie Age of the Extinction in order to fit with the rest of the titles in the franchise. Still, there’s so much wrong with this lazy sequel that the Cinema Sins peeps have split their video in two! This is nearly half an hour of riffing, people. Enjoy it on your lunch break maybe!

Am I the only one who wants Megan Fox or Shia Labeouf to come back for the fifth one?

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I’m Taking the New Robin Rumors With a Massive Pile of Salt

Buzz around the Internet is that actress Jena Malone is going to play Robin in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, most likely the Carrie Kelley version from The Dark Knight Returns. Batman v. Superman is already taking a lot of inspiration from that seminal work – including an older Batman and the Bat-armor – but will they go all the way and cast a female Robin?

I hope so…but I don’t believe it, at least not yet.

But I want to believe!

I would love for this to be the case. I have zero problem with a female Robin, and I would give almost anything to have Robin play a solid, entertaining role in Batman v. Superman. Heck, I was even willing to let Justin Bieber play the character if it meant Robin could be in the movie. I also don’t have a problem with the Carrie Kelley version of Robin making the movie. I may not want Carrie to become Robin in the comics, but in this movieverse? Bring it on!

I just don’t believe these rumors.

The story comes from Variety magazine by way of WILX10 in Michigan, so that alone should worry you. Apparently the movie is filming some scenes at a college in Michigan, and the local TV station went and interviewed some of the students filling in as extras. One of those extras dropped the hint that he overheard someone talking about a female Robin.

And that’s it. That’s the scoop.

But is it enough?

Intrepid reporters then linked this tidbit with the fact that Jena Malone has been spotted on set, and that she recently dyed her hair red. But again, this is all anyone has. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Malone has some role in the film, but they can’t say if she’s Robin. She could very well be Barbara Gordon, another redhead from the Bat-verse. Or she could be Jill the Girl at Bruce Wayne’s Favorite Coffee Shop!

Listen, I work in local news. I’m a newspaper reporter, and I know my fair share of local TV reporters. I know how they operate, I know what they consider to be stories; I know how this works. And there is no way I would give 100% credibility to some local TV station out of Michigan. If my local news stations reported something like this, I wouldn’t believe it.

Remember when the rumor was that Adam Driver would play Nightwing in Batman v. Superman? That was an entire year ago, and we still don’t have any confirmation whatsoever that Nightwing or Dick Grayson will appear in the film at all.

Casting rumors, especially on superhero flicks, are part and parcel of the whole process. And as much as I would love for Robin to appear in the film, especially Jena Malone as Robin, I just don’t believe these rumors.

Not yet, at least. Get me some official confirmation and I will be through the roof!

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The Official List of Upcoming DC Comics Movies!

Batman v. Superman. Suicide Squad. Wonder Woman. Flash. Cyborg. Aquaman. Green Lantern. Shazam. Two Justice Leagues.

DC Comics and Warner Bros. have some major plans!

At a Warner Bros. shareholders meeting today, the company unveiled its upcoming film slate. Along with LEGO Movie sequels and that Harry Potter spin-off, DC has superhero movies planned through 2020!

That list is both insane and awesome! Sounds like a pretty solid plan for movies, though I’m surprised that DC isn’t going to try to do a new solo Batman film or even a proper Man of Steel sequel sometime in the next 5-6 years. They’re risking a lot by hoping that audiences like the less marquee heroes like Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman.

But hey, as a comic book fan, I’m excited! Some people out there might not like the onslaught of comic book movies we’re getting these days, but I’m in love! Bring’em on, good or bad!

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6 Potential Mega-Franchises Just Waiting To Make Billions

The buzz in Hollywood these days is that every studio wants their own mega-franchise. After Disney and Marvel scored billions with their Avengers mega-franchise, we have Warner Bros. and DC trying to build one out of Superman and the Justice League, SONY trying to build one out of Spider-Man, and there are rumors that Universal is going to crossover all their classic monsters (starting with Dracula Untold), and that SONY wants to make one out of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. If you’re a screenwriter in Hollywood these days, plan for a mega-franchise.

I’m not a screenwriter in Hollywood these days, but I can still have fun planning a mega-franchise!

See what you have wrought!

The question, which movie franchises can become mega-franchises? Everybody with their hands on a superhero is already pushing for one. Star Wars is going to be a mindless series of sequels and spin-offs from now until the end of time. And I bet they’ll find a way to turn James Bond and Star Trek into some kind of mega-franchises before too long. Rebooted original crew teams up with rebooted Next Generation crew? Done! I’ll take my giant check now, Paramount!

In fact, all major Hollywood studios should get out their check books because I’m about to blow their minds with 6 potential mega-franchises just waiting to earn them billions!

Read the rest of this entry

Marvel is Going to Kick Things Up a Notch with a Cinematic Civil War!

Who can say if this is what will actually come to pass, but Variety is reporting that Robert Downey Jr. has signed on for a significant guest starring role in Captain America 3 in order to kick off the infamous Civil War storyline that pits superhero against superhero! The third Cap film will be titled Captain America: Civil War and will have long-reaching ramifications for future Avengers sequels and the Marvel Movieverse as a whole!

And they look like such bros in Age of Ultron!

Sounds good to me!

For those who don’t know, Civil War is a rather infamous story from the mid-00s that pitted hero against hero. The government imposed a Superhero Registration Act that sought to put an end to vigilantes by making superheroes register their secret identities with the government, turning all superheroes into government agents.

Tony Stark supports the law, Steve Rogers opposes it, leading to a civil war between two of Marvel’s biggest heroes (and probably the two biggest in the Movieverse).

This sounds like an excellent storyline for the movies considering how juicy the banter and potential rivalry could be between Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. They were already not seeing eye-to-eye in The Avengers. And considering Stark’s role in creating Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron, I bet he’d definitely be looking to make up for his mistakes by supporting such a law in the Movieverse.

So many mistakes

This would also be the perfect opportunity to debut Spider-Man into the Marvel movies. Marvel and Sony are reportedly in talks about sharing Spidey, if reports can be believed. I doubt Marvel would launch their own Spider-Man franchise, so why not make him a minor star in a Civil War-based Avengers sequel? Spidey was the face of Civil War in the comics. He was convinced by Tony Stark to reveal his secret identity to the world, only for his family to get hurt, so Spidey switched sides and joined Cap’s rebellion.

A Civil War movie would be the perfect place to debut Spidey. And personally, I think the Andrew Garfield Amazing Spider-Man movies line-up perfectly with the style and tone of the Marvel movies.

Make it happen!

So I am definitely in favor of Civil War hitting the movies. It has the potential to be huge!

One thing that bugs me about Variety’s report, though, is Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter. According to the article, Perlmutter was so angry that Downey wanted a larger role in Cap 3 (including a larger paycheck) that he ordered the part cut out entirely, only for Marvel Studios Head Honcho Kevin Feige to prevail. Perlmutter is reportedly the same guy who is so angry at FOX Studios that he cancelled the Fantastic Four comic.

I realize that we all know to hate CEOs on principle alone, but did the CEO of Marvel Comics really have to be such a douchenozzle? Couldn’t Marvel, of all companies, have an awesome CEO?

Anyway, what do you henchies think about these Civil War plans for the Movieverse? I think it’s only going to help make bigger, more exciting films. Plus it would work nicely with the various actors’ contracts coming to an end. It would shake up the Avengers franchise as a whole and really provide some new and interesting stories.

And while we’re on the topic, Marvel put out a new teaser for Civil War comics coming in 2015.

You’re going to break him!

No one seems to have any idea what this teaser means. Cap, Spidey and Iron Man are all wearing their costumes from the original Civil War, but what does that mean? Is Marvel doing a new Civil War? Or are they just putting out some kind of collected edition of the original series?

One thing is for sure: there’s no way it’s a coincidence that Marvel would post that image and Variety would break their story on the same day. How much you want to bet Marvel heard about Variety’s story in advance and rushed something out themselves about Civil War?

Whatever the case may be, all of this sounds like good news for upcoming Marvel movies!

What do you henchies think? Do you think Civil War is a terrible idea for movies? A great idea? What about Robert Downey Jr. guest-starring in more flicks? Sound off in the comments!

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