Hey, This is Crazy, But Bruce is Batman, Maybe
DON’T WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN The Dark Knight Rises. But if you have seen The Dark Knight Rises, then by all means watch this fun, musical parody of that ‘Call Me Maybe’ song that everybody seems to like. I find it catchy myself. And when it’s being used in the service of Batman, it’s even better!
Made by Wesley Freitas and friends.
My 6 Favorite Movies of All Time (This Week)
I’ve put off writing this list for a long time because I simply don’t think I can rank my favorite movies. I love a lot of films across all genres, and it would be all but impossible to pick a #3 and then compare or contrast it to a #5. And if we’re talking favorite movies of all time, how do I compare the favorite movies of my childhood versus the films I love now that my tastes have matured? Do those childhood favorites even still hold up, or are they basking in the glow of nostalgia? Whereas the newer movies are basking in the glow of newness?
The answer is to rank my Top 6 Favorite Movies based on how I feel about them right now. Maybe next week it’ll be different, or maybe next year. But right now, these are my 6 favorite films of all time.
I never liked movie theater popcorn
Another reason why I don’t like ranking my favorite movies is that I’m no film scholar, and most of my films are probably going to seem a little silly. You won’t see anything on this list even resembling Citizen Kane or The Godfather or any other movie that the rest of the world considers greatest ever. No pretentious French films, sorry. In fact, as a general rule of taste, I don’t really like movies that came out before the 1970s. Something about the cinematography has always just rubbed me the wrong way. I like modern films, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I like the films I like – and these are the films I like this week.
Also, apparently my favorite genre ever is quirky, heartfelt films starring famous comedians in dramatic roles. That’s weirdly specific of me…but here we go!
Somewhere a Marvel Marketing Exec is Giggling
I told you guys yesterday about the new Iron Man series, well now it’s Thor’s turn, complete with cover image and interview with writer Jason Aaron. Why is someone in Marvel marketing giggling? Because they’ve been drip feeding us these reveals over the past two weeks.
So that’s Thor: God of Thunder #1, written by Jason Aaron (who knows I exist) and drawn by Esad Ribic. You can read their full interview here, if you’re interested. Personally, I’m not a big fan of Thor, so I doubt I’ll be picking up this new series. I just feel like telling you guys all about this stuff in case you’re interested.
And because I’m now finding it all very giggly.
Marvel has this big Marvel NOW! initiative coming out in the fall. It’s nothing too fancy. Basically they’re just putting out a bunch of new #1 issues, with some new creative teams on the popular characters. They do this every couple of years, but each time they want to make it sound super fancy so that people will buy it. That’s fine. People gotta buy comics. But now Marvel marketing has the task of letting everybody know about the new series coming out. How do they do that? By flooding the comic news sites day after day after day.
Every day last week, Marvel released a little teaser image that gave a hint about the new series as well as the new creative team. They looked like this:
Why yes, I am very worthy, thank you
And every major comic book news site – except for me – put those banners on their front page. They were also able to figure out what comic it would be. Worthy = Thor. And Marvel released one a day until Friday, where it just dumped the remaining four.
Flash forward to this week, and it seems that Marvel is once again releasing this stuff one day at a time. Yesterday was Iron Man, today is Thor, and tomorrow will probably be Deadpool.
So I’m just picturing some Marvel marketing exec who decided that rather than reveal all the comics in one big announcement, they’d instead drip them out one day at a time, thereby ensuring they would have major placement on all the news sites each day. That guy is probably giggling and slapping himself on the back. He may even ask for a raise. There isn’t really a point I’m trying to make, I just think that guy is silly.
And yes, I recognize the irony of posting this stuff every day it comes out. No need to point that out.
Batgirl: The Web Movie!
I never read Bryan Q. Miller’s apparently excellent Batgirl series, which saw vigilante Stephanie Brown donning a rather awesome black and purple costume to assume the role of Gotham’s girliest protector. But I know one group of fans who read it and loved it enough to take their fandom to the ultimate level – a fan film! Here is the first full trailer for Batgirl: Spoiled.
Hopefully the actual web series itself will be coming shortly. You can find out more about on Facebook.
The cinematography looks very top notch, and they are definitely not skimping on the fighting. Though if I’m being completely honest, I don’t think that costume fits all that well on the actress. She looks a little too much like a delicate cosplayer than an actual vigilante superhero. But she still looks smashing. Plus cameos by Renee Montoya and more? I’m in!
For those who don’t know, Stephanie Brown was a supporting character in the Batman comics in the 90s. She was the daughter of a super-villain, and decided to put on her own costume and call herself Spoiler in order to help Batman and Robin take down her dad. Then Stephanie decided to stick around as the Spoiler, not least of why because she started dating Robin. Stephanie even became Robin herself for a short period of time when her boyfriend gave up the mantle. Stephanie is the only female Robin in regular DC continuity, even if it was short-lived. When her boyfriend came back and took over again, Stephanie moved on and became the new Batgirl, leading a rather popular, quirky and fun series – from what I’ve heard.
Unfortunately, Stephanie’s Batgirl series came to an end when DC rebooted their entire comic universe in the New 52. Stephanie’s time as both Robin and Batgirl was erased from continuity, and she has yet to reappear in the New 52. So sadness for Stephanie fans. Maybe this web series will provide some happiness.
