While Idris Elba’s role hasn’t been confirmed, it seems now he is on board and ready to shoot The Gunslinger, book one in The Dark Tower series. McConaughey has been set for a while, playing the mysterious man in black.
The Dark Tower series takes plays in a post-apocalyptic world (think Mad Max, only less populated). Here is the synopsis of the first book:
The opening chapter in the epic Dark Tower series. Roland, the last gunslinger, in a world where time has moved on, pursues his nemesis, The Man in Black, across a desert. Roland’s ultimate goal is the Dark Tower, the nexus of all universes. This mysterious icon’s power is failing, threatening everything in existence.
This first film will be directed by first-time director Nikolaj Arcel, who’s also writing the screenplay adaptation. The Gunslinger hits theaters January of next year.
Batman’s last film with Christopher Nolan is an interesting conclusion to the trilogy. It wasn’t as strong as The Dark Knight, but then again that was a hard act to follow. The Dark Knight was catching lightning in a bottle, and it still holds up as a great crime drama with a superhero twist. The Dark Knight Risesmade the mistake of trying to up the ante and attempted to recreate that magic that worked in the previous film. Nolan should have realized that The Dark Knight was a once in a lifetime movie and its sequel probably should have been something simpler, but since it was a Nolan movie it became more complex than it needed to be. The movie wasn’t panned and it did great at the box office, but it just didn’t live up to its predecessor.
“What do you mean I barely wear the suit, Nolan?”
Like other films in The Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises is influenced by some of Batman’s most famous comics. But, while Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight borrowed ideas from one or two books, this film crams in multiple story lines from different graphic novels. The three most notable are The Dark Knight Returns, No Man’s Land, and Knightfall. Just one of those stories would be difficult to adapt for film, but this film also has to continue the plot established in the other two films. This one had a lot riding on it, and on top of everything, Heath Ledger’s unfortunate death prompted a rewrite of the movie to exclude The Joker.
The best character to imitate.
The film takes place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight and it starts with a broken Bruce Wayne who has quit being Batman. This is where the concept of reality becomes a drawback for a superhero movie. In a more fantasical world one could have a character like Batman constantly fight crime without actually breaking himself beyond repair. In Nolan’s universe Batman still needs to follow the rules of gravity, physics, and body’s natural ability. So, it’s not that much fun to see a character that’s supposed to be the epitome of human prowess forced to use a cane and be a recluse shut in. It also goes against the triumphant note The Dark Knight ends on; there Batman vows that he will continue to fight crime and endure whatever Gotham City throws at him. Also, Bruce Wayne’s retirement just doesn’t feel much like Batman; in The Dark Knight Returns Batman quit, because Jason Todd died. Here, Bruce quits, because he got hurt a lot; that reasoning just doesn’t have the same muster behind it.
The story is a bit of a mess as it introduces three new villains, a bunch of new characters that have little weight on the overall plot, and still give a satisfying conclusion to this Batman’s story. The script could have been a lot more focused if Nolan and co. focused on one of the stories they were semi-adapting. My suggestion would have been to focus on No Man’s Land as the main story line; it has the most unique setting for the story. This way they could have still had Bane, Catwoman, and Talia Al Ghul but focus on a more audience pleasing Batman. The product we saw isn’t bad, but it was just trying to be so big and epic like the other two that it falls under its own weight.
The acting is solid though; as much as I make fun of Christian Bale, he does a good job being Bruce Wayne, and balancing out the oddities of being a vigilante. Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine reprise their roles and give the same great performances they did in the last two movies. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a composite of all three Robins, which I’ll admit I wasn’t a big fan of, but he does a good job. Marion Cotillard is a fun Talia Al Ghul, but she doesn’t get as much of a chance to shine. However, Tom Hardy as Bane, and Ann Hathaway as Catwoman steal the show. Their both very diabolical, memorable, intimidating, and even funny. They were great villains and in some cases even matched with Heath Ledger’s Joker.
Honestly, I would love to see Hathaway play Catwoman again.
Gotham City wasn’t filmed in Chicago this time, instead it was filmed in Pittsburgh, and it just doesn’t have the same scale and intrigue of Chicago. I am biased, because I’m the City of Broad Shoulders, but yeah I just don’t feel the majesty of Gotham City in Pittsburgh. Again, I’m biased. But, the movie is shot very well as most Nolan productions are. One thing I haven’t mentioned about these movies is Hans Zimmer’s score, it’s phenomenal, exciting, and totally engrossing for the film series. Aesthetically, the film is just as on par with the other movies.
Once again, the script is the major culprit that hurts the movie. There are too many long speeches, too many overly philosophical bits of dialogue, and just a sense that the characters are all trying to sound smarter and deeper than necessary. John Blake’s story and reveal as Robin is kind of pointless in the end. The nuclear fusion thread is convoluted and turns the story into a “Batman just can’t get rid of a bomb” story. And as mentioned earlier the plot is all over the place; Nolan tried to recreate something that he couldn’t, and it just doesn’t work. Especially for something that could be so simple. Simplicity isn’t always a bad thing, and this film definitely could have followed the K.I.S.S rule.
“Now let’s end this silliness with me faking my death and sacrificing Gotham City for sex. Cause that’s what a hero would do!”
This movie isn’t bad by any means, but it just couldn’t live up to the last film it was trying so hard to be. It’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of Nolan’s Batman. And, it does have some great scenes worth mentioning, Bruce Wayne’s climb out of the prison is wonderful, the destruction of the football field is great, the opening scene with Bane’s hijacking of the plane is quite possibly the best scene ever put to film, and the fight between Bane and Batman is just perfect. Again, it’s a good movie, just not a great one.
Well that concludes all the live action adaptations of Batman and Superman. Except for Smallville, The Adam West Batman show, The George Reeves Superman movies and shows, the 1940s Batman serials, and all the other live action adaptations I couldn’t get to due to time. However, the live action films aren’t my favorite interpretations of these characters. Don’t get me wrong there are some damn good live action movies, but the animation movies and shows just blow the live action films out of the water.
So, next time I’ll be looking at 20 great episodes of Superman The Animated Series. One of the greatest adaptations of The Man of Steel ever.
11.22.63’s third episode shifts focus back towards the main plot of the show and introduces some new themes like love and even racism. As we get closer and closer to the fateful day in 1963, Jake settles down with a new friend while he waits for Lee Harvey Oswald to return from Russia in 1962.
The episode starts with Jake going to Dallas with Bill Turcotte to settle down while Jake waits for the alleged assassin of John F. Kennedy. Bill begins to question everything about Jake; Jake has no choice but to tell Bill everything he knows and bring him along for the ride. The two partners in crime spend a night in a motel when Jake has a nightmare that flashes back to the horrific events from the end of the second episode. He sees the monster that was Frank Dunning, haunting him. Jake lunges at his sleeping partner and tackles him to the floor, choking him, shouting “I killed you!”. Jake’s nightmare apparently shows that he has PTSD from strangling Frank to death, which as a viewer makes me question how he is going to stop Oswald if just killing this one man left such an impact on him. Can he handle killing another person in order to save one more life and change history or will this take him over the edge?
Once he arrives in Texas, he and Bill go to a small town just outside of Dallas where Jake applies for a teaching position at a high school, ironic I know. Jake nails his interview when the principal asks him whether or not ‘Catcher in the Rye’ belongs in a school library. Jake response, it shouldn’t be a question since they live in America, land of the free, home of the brave. The principal gives him the job right there but says the book still doesn’t belong in the library, but he liked the answer Jake gave him. Once Jake gets the job, he is introduced to a black office secretary who we will come back to in a little bit.
Jake stashes Bill in a rundown apartment right next to where the infamous Oswald will be living in two years. The show then jumps forward two years to 1962; we see Jake has adjusted to his new habitat and is patiently awaiting the return of Oswald. Jake and Bill have set up their little base of operations in the rundown apartment with recording equipment and other gadgets that’ll help them spy on Oswald. When Oswald finally returns to the United States, he brings back a woman and a child who is presumably his. Jake decides now is the time to plant bugs in Oswald’s apartment, which doesn’t make a lot of sense since they had two years to do this. Of course, Oswald returns with his mistress during Jake and Bill’s mission, so Jake and Bill scramble into the attic of the small apartment and go to crawl out through a small hole to the outside. The scene creates high tension and ends with Bill crawling into a cobweb of small insects like the ones we saw in the first episode when Jake is hiding from the guards at the JFK rally. Bill freaks out and alerts the two lovers to their presence. Time is pushing back and trying to prevent Jake from stopping the assassination of JFK because the killing is fate. It’s supposed to happen, and time doesn’t want Jake to toy with that.
As Jake and Bill wait around for answers to come up, Jake develops a new relationship with a familiar face who is starting a new job at the high school he works at. Sadie Dunhill, who you may remember from the first episode, reappears two years after her first encounter with Jake. This time, she is divorced and finds interest in Jake, and they share a special night with each other at a school dance when they have to chaperon together. It’s a beautiful relationship, and James Franco and Sarah Gadon have great chemistry together. She also proves to be a strong female character when Jake stands her up and leaves her by herself at the dance to go spy on Oswald. She confronts him about it and tells him she wasn’t too fond of what he did to her and how she would like him to take her on a date and be a true gentleman for her. I have a feeling in the future she and Jake will be presented with some danger, but she won’t be some damsel in distress and will continue to prove to be a strong female character.
Jake also continues to show how caring he is of others. When he goes to get some gas, he sees the black secretary from before walking out of the gas station in anger and frustration. It’s revealed to Jake that the gas station doesn’t serve people of color. Jake being the caring man, he confronts the gas station attendant and asks to pay for the woman’s gas. When the attendant starts to argue with Jake, he intimidates the scrawny gas attendant and takes a gas can without paying for it and drives off with the woman.
The show begins to wrap up when Jake and Bill get their investigation set back to the start by a local bully who trashes Jake and Bill’s base of operations. Jake and Bill devise a cunning plan and pretend to be FBI agents and kick in the bully’s door and beat him up and take back their equipment. It’s scenes like this that make me love Jake. It shows how quick-witted he is and how he stays calm under pressure. At the very end of the episode, Oswald gives all the evidence Jake and Bill need when he drunkenly confronts General Walker.
11.22.63’s third episode is fantastic even if it has some moments that make you question some of the logic of the characters. Be sure to come back next Monday when we review the fourth episode, ‘The Eyes of Texas’.
The Oscars may get more attention as they broadcast but there is another award given out the same night which gets a lot of attention, but it’s for the exact opposite of reason. The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation was set up to award the worst movies and performances of the previous year for their less than noteworthy contributions to cinema. Their award, The Razzie, is given to those who are willing to receive an award honoring the terrible product which was delivered to the viewing public in the previous year.
This was another year where the Worst Picture award went to two films as a tie was struck between Fantastic Four and Fifty Shades of Grey. Both films would go on to win several more awards before the night was over. The Fantastic Four film got more attention as Director Josh Trank won the Worst Director Razzie and the film also received the Worst Ripoff/Sequel/Remake Razzie. Meanwhile, Fifty Shades of Grey garnished the Razzie for Worst Screenplay and helped Jamie Dornan, and Dakota Johnson receive the Worst Actor and Worst Actress Razzies. The pair also won Worst Screen Combo for their work in the movie.
Their was more bad acting to award which didn’t come from Fantastic Four or Fifty Shades of Grey. The Worst Supporting Actor Razzie went go to Eddie Redmayne for his role in Jupiter Ascending, and The Worst Supporting Actress recipient was Razzie Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting for her roles in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip and Wedding Ringer. The only award an actor would actually look forward to from The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation is their fairly new award, The Razzie Redeemer Award. This award is given to the actor or actress who was able to make up for some of their previous poor work and made a successful comeback in the last year. The 2016 recipient of this honor was Sylvester Stallone for his roles in Creed. It may not be the Oscar he had hoped for, but it’s good to know others are recognizing his attempts to redeem himself.
With all of the focus on diversity at this year’s Oscars, one group has gone ignored and unnoticed. Science fiction fans. The few science fiction films that have ever been nominated for Best Picture Oscars lost to more artsy films and were isolated to tech categories praising their special effects and sound. (Annie Hall vs. Star Wars in 1977) LOTR: Return of the King is the closest we’ve ever come and, well, obviously science fiction and fantasy are two different things, but it was a monumental win for what my mother calls “silly stuff”.
District 9 should have won in 2009. Gravity almost doesn’t count as sci-fi because it’s too real world. Yes, there are some things in that movie that no one could actually do in space, but if impossible stunts qualify a film as science fiction, Fast and Furious is science fiction. Either way, Gravity didn’t win Best Picture.
Well, there are two science fiction films nominated for Best Picture this year. And the Oscar goes to… (yes, I wrote this first part before I knew who won)
Far be it from me to be mad at an exposé about systemic child abuse in the world’s largest professed Christian religion. Haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to, as religious history is an interest of mine and Boston is semi-local to me here in Rhode Island. Did anybody expect Mark Ruffalo to Hulk out while watching his impassioned speech at the end of this trailer?
Seriously, as awesome as The Martian and Mad Max may have been, I don’t mind science fiction films losing out to films with such powerful real world messages like this or 12 Years a Slave. You know, why? Because there are far more oppressed minorities in the world than science fiction geeks, as evidenced by two of the last three Best Picture winners that we’ve seen at the Oscars, both of which have something to do with oppressed groups (abuse victims/slaves). It would have been nice to see ExMachina get nominated, robots have it BAD!
It was nice to see former Batman, Michael Keaton play an actor who used to play a superhero who dresses up like something that can fly in last year’s Best Picture win Birdman. For sci-fi/comic book geeks, that’s something. Besides, we always have the MTV Movie Awards.
stale popcorn?
What do you think? What science fiction films for next year do you think have a shot at winning Best Picture at the Oscars? Ready Payer One? Rogue One? Something else with the word ‘one’ in the title? Let me know in the comments section below.
As AMC’s The Walking Dead inches ever closer to the dreaded first appearance of Negan, Rick and his group of survivors have a decision to make, and depending on that choice not everyone will make it out alive.
There are a few things that remain constant in The Walking Dead. One of those things is that Rick Grimes & the group are not good at making friends. In “Knots Untie,” Jesus leads them to his own group, which of course leads to squabbling. Jesus makes himself out to be a nice, trustworthy person by the end of the episode, but his friends aren’t quite as welcoming – particularly their leader, the snobby and creepy Gregory. Lots of characters crack wise, and a couple characters think about their romantic future and prospects.
We’ve still not seen Negan, but we do know he’s a mean fella, and that he’s not afraid to beat people to death. We also now know about Jesus’s people, and their role in the universe. Jesus, as it turns out, it not with The Saviors, but is instead with a group at Hilltop, which Rick’s group will almost certainly have destroyed by the end of the season. Maggie managed to keep a cool and level head when dealing with the creepy Gregory, snagging half of their food & medicine. Rick, on the other hand, stabbed a man’s throat out. Slightly different tactics, but both are in tone for the way The Walking Dead have been building their characters. But now, the group has promised to help Hilltop by taking out Negan, so we’re getting closer to the main non-zombie villain of the season. Or maybe next season, at this point.
We also see a lot more relationship building from the group. Abraham for the first time since the flashbacks, and he’s not doing great. Sure, his personality has hardly changed, but he’s had a change of heart – namely, he’s still with Rosita, but still finds himself feeling for Sasha. Rick and Michonne have now been exposed quite literally to the group, but everyone seems more or less okay with it. They’re a bit too cutesy in this beginning, which I hope isn’t going to be true for the rest of their relationship, but they are still clearly capable fighters. Glenn and Maggie are trying to have a child, and while that doesn’t seem smart based off what happened to the last pregnant mother, maybe things will be different. If Glenn is unkillable, maybe Maggie is too, especially as she’s really diving into the New Deanna role.
The biggest strengths of this The Walking Dead episode are that they set up future conflict. By bringing in the likely doomed Hilltop settlement, we have the leads invested in the conflict with Negan, as well as a readily expendable cast of side characters. This episode is more expositional than stand-alone, but it did do enough for itself to push things along. The added depth to Abraham, and better understanding of Jesus, made the episode feel worth it, as we know more about our bigger characters as well as our Hilltop zombie fodder. Overall, a slightly more lighthearted episode, which likely means the episodes to come this season will have things getting very dark, very quickly.
Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment are about to be disappointed. (Again.)
The record-breaking weekend box office number that Deadpool put up over Valentine’s Day weekend 2016? It’s going to stay at the top for comic book/superhero movies for a while, probably through the rest of the year.
How much did Deadpool make again?
According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, Deadpool, R-rating and all, brought in $132,464,639 in North America in its initial three days of release, including early Thursday night showings and IMAX showings. For the sake of keeping this analysis and projection as close to apples-to-apples as possible, this is the box office number to keep in mind, not the $150,000,000 four-day holiday weekend total often pointed to when talking about the film’s record-smashing success.
Hope you’re wearing brown pants!
The reason for this is simple: two of 2016’s remaining major superhero films — Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Captain America: Civil War — do not open on weekends where Monday is a national holiday. Deadpool benefited from opening not only on Valentine’s Day weekend, traditionally a weekend when “date night” movie attendance goes up, but also on President’s Day weekend, so Monday business was more robust than it might have been otherwise. Yes, B v. S opens over Easter weekend this year, and Civil War has Mother’s Day weekend, but those holidays traditionally aren’t credited for boosting weekend box office take.
Giving Mr. Pool (and the studio behind him) his due
Credit Fox for a number of creative and marketing decisions that made Wade Wilson’s raunchy action romp such a juggernaut (apologies to Cain Marko) at cineplexes worldwide. The most important of these was, of course, the decision to trust in the dogged determination of those within the production, particularly Ryan Reynolds, who believed the product needed to carry an R-rating to give the fans what they wanted.
To fan boys and girls, that decision may seem like a no-brainer, but to bean counters and studio execs thinking about investments and not faithfulness to source material, this is a big deal. Going for an R-rating in a genre film generally equates to much lower box office expectations, as you’re cutting out (at least on paper) an entire demographic thanks to age restrictions. Have R-rated sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero movies been blockbusters? Sure – The Matrix series, the original 300, and even The Crow way back in 1994 stand out in that regard. But it’s a relatively short list when compared to the number of highly profitable genre films that aimed instead for the PG-13 rating in order to keep families and the 13-and-under audiences in the mix when realistically projecting net revenue.
So yes, by showing some faith in the product and the view of the people in that product who knew it was only going to work if it was done a certain way, Fox positioned themselves to reap enormous benefits. Not only does Deadpool give fans what they want in terms of meeting source material expectations, it also provides a marked alternative in tone and content to the shinier, less bloody and less profane offerings coming from the other studios. Like it or not, Deadpool stands as evidence that there is a substantial market out there for ‘superheroes’ who turn profanity into an art form and leave large, bloody body counts in their wake via head shots and decapitations, something the others simply do not do.
So all that said, why won’t this year’s remaining tentpole superhero flicks match Deadpool‘s opening weekend success?
Bats and Supes in for uphill battle
You really need to lay off the onion bagels, Bruce. Ugh.
To be fair, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice does have some elements working in its favor, perhaps the most important of which is anticipation. Audiences have been waiting now for two years plus to see Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent go at each other, and there’s the added bonus of finally seeing Wonder Woman come to life on the big screen. Also, B v. S will benefit at least somewhat from the success enjoyed by its predecessor, 2013’s Man of Steel, which set box office records of its own when it first bowed in theaters in June 2013.
But coming on the heels of Man of Steel also has some drawbacks. For all the money that film made in its North American theatrical run — $117 million in its opening weekend, $291 million over 98 days of release — audience reactions to the film were decidedly mixed. The complaints ranged from the film being too long, too violent, too destructive, and too belabored in its third act climax to the fact that Superman was being portrayed by a British actor. Put all that together and you have an audience base that looks back at that film with ambivalence — if people are looking forward to seeing Batman v. Superman, its usually not because Man of Steel left them dying for a sequel.
There’s also the”Batfleck” factor. Regardless of the fact that Ben Affleck in the last decade has won Oscars, starred in and directed box office winners, and in general steered clear of box office stinkers, he’s still arguably defined by the period of his career marked by such howlers as Reindeer Games, Gigli, Surviving Christmas, Jersey Girl, and yes, his first outing as a costumed superhero, the much-maligned 2003 Daredevil film. For many people, especially Batman fans who didn’t unanimously embrace even a celebrated (if tempermental) actor like Christian Bale in the role, it’s simply impossible to see Affleck as the Dark Knight or his non-cowled alter ego, the handsome and haunted billionaire basket case Bruce Wayne. Granted, that skepticism can lead to the kind of morbid curiosity that often drives audiences to see films just because they can’t help themselves, but just as often it can lead to a production being written off altogether, or relegated to future Netflix or RedBox viewing.
And finally, well, Warner Bros. doesn’t exactly have a great track record when it comes to bringing these projects to the success they seem bound for prior to release. To date, the only superhero property the studio has managed to deliver successfully on a consistent basis has been Batman. Yes, Man of Steel was a financial success, but its immediate predecessor, 2006’s Superman Returns, was considered a huge disappointment, and prior to that film the Superman film franchise was dormant for 19 years. Prior Wonder Woman feature films never got beyond the pre-production stage. The Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern film is so maligned that even Reynolds himself took shots at it in Deadpool. And the 2007 Justice League film, which had a cast and a script in place, was doomed by an untimely writer’s strike. The studio seems snakebit when it comes to caped characters, and now they’re clearly rushing to play catch-up with the seemingly-unstoppable Marvel Studios profit train.
And speaking of Marvel Studios …
Civil War set to disappoint?
Ready? Dodgeball!
Honestly, Captain America: Civil War in all likelihood will deliver six figures when it opens on May 6. Unlike Warner Bros. and their previous track record, Marvel Studios has done nothing but deliver money-maker after money-maker, even when the fan base comes away from a particular film in the series less than satisfied with the results.
But there are signs of franchise fatigue, a phenomenon which could hold back Civil War from yet more unparalleled heights of profitability. One only has to look at last summer’s Avengers: Age of Ultron to see those signs manifesting themselves.
Believe it or not, from a box office standpoint, Avengers: Age of Ultron, despite being the #3 box office earner of 2015 behind #1 Jurassic World and #2 Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has been called a disappointment. Remember that line from Glengarry Glen Ross, delivered so memorably by Alec Baldwin?
“As you all know, First Prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anybody want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired.”
Prior to 2015, the idea that the Marvel profit machine could come in second, much less third, to any other genre property was unheard of. Yes, the might of the Star Wars phenomenon was undeniable, but how could the centerpiece of all of Marvel’s ambitions, the Avengers, fall short of beating out a dinosaur movie?
Franchise Fatigue
There’s also the fact that the first film did so well and raised expectations so high that Avengers: Age of Ultron was set up to fail by the very benchmarks it previously set. The film goes bigger, goes international, adds to the size of its ensemble, and, to be fair, does it all while maintaining the humor, balance of characterization, and eye-popping action that has been the hallmark of Marvel productions.
But the box office comparisons don’t lie: 2012’s Marvel’s The Avengers made $207 million in its opening weekend. Age of Ultron, with all the anticipation built up from the phenomenally successful Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy behind it, “only” managed $188 million in its opening frame.
The lifetime theatrical grosses in comparison are even more telling. Marvel’s The Avengers? $623 million. Age of Ultron? $459 million.
What does that have to do with Captain America: Civil War? Plenty, if you consider that since the film’s enormous ensemble cast was announced, fans of the series have dubbed it “Avengers 2.5.”
IF that were actually true, and the film executed more like an Avengers film, then its potential for box office glory might actually be higher. But in truth, despite all evidence to the contrary, the main story beats that are being emphasized in the film’s trailers seems to point to this being a “Captain America” film, meaning its driven by Cap — his code of ethics, his relationships, his choices. And while Winter Soldier was a phenomenal success critically and commercially, Captain America’s appeal as a character to wider audiences simply is not the equal of some of his peers, perhaps most notably the appeal of the guy in the metal suit that Cap’s set to face off with in Civil War. How motivated audiences will be to see Captain America: Civil War will be determined somewhat by their enthusiasm for the Marvel series in general, but also by how invested they are in Captain America and his storylines, specifically.
So do people care about Cap trying to save Bucky, or potentially finding a love interest in Sharon Carter/Agent 13, played by the returning Emily VanCamp? Do they care about the world’s greatest soldier facing a crisis of conscience and a choice between which friend or friends to support and which to fight?
The answer just isn’t as much a resounding “Yes!” as Marvel and Disney would like to believe.
And what of Deadpool’s fellow mutants, the X-Men, and their new movie, also coming in May?
Apocalypse Falling?
You get cable on this thing? Choice!
Fox’s “other” superhero offering this year (and isn’t it amazing that the X-Men franchise could be relegated to “other” status by a little movie starring the Merc with a Mouth) does have a few things going for it that B v. S and Civil War do not. For one, it opens on a bonafide four-day weekend, Memorial Day weekend, which may add to its Sunday totals as kids and families will be out a little later than they otherwise might be to see movies.
X-Men: Apocalypse also benefits from following up X-Men: Days of Future Past, a film that while its box office receipts fell short of franchise records was almost universally acclaimed by both critics and movie goers alike. DoFP currently stands at 91% on RottenTomatoes.com, and when it opened on Memorial Day Weekend in 2014 it delivered an impressive $90,823,660 three-day total in ticket sales. That may seem small in comparison with the six-figure takes we’ve been talking about thus far, but keep in mind that DoFP’s immediate predecessor, X-Men: First Class, only managed $55,101,604 during its opening in June 2011. In effect, DoFP almost doubled First Class‘s initial take, and went on double the earlier film’s worldwide take. In every measurable way, X-Men: Days of Future Past legitimized the rebound of the X-Men franchise started with First Class, a rebound now continued by Deadpool.
That said, Days of Future Past had one thing going for it that X-Men: Apocalypse does not: Hugh Jackman and his alter ego, Wolverine.
Though the Wolverine solo films have been a mixed bag in terms of box office success, there’s no denying that having the character at the forefront of the X-Men ensemble efforts has done nothing but boost the films’ profit potential. When he’s been absent, as he was in First Class (no, the funny cameo doesn’t count), audiences have been less inclined to show up.
Yes, Apocalypse boasts the presence of two 2016 Academy Award nominees in prominent roles — Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender — and perhaps more importantly to fan boys and girls will introduce fan favorite character Betsy Braddock, a.k.a. Psylocke to the franchise. It will also re-introduce “classic” X-Men Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm played by younger actors, as befitting the film’s 80’s time frame, which should lend some curiosity value to the incentive for rushing out and seeing the film opening weekend.
But will that be enough? Again, look at DoFP‘s opening weekend – crushed by Deadpool‘s number. Apocalypse, despite its huge cast and equally impressive budget, in all likelihood just doesn’t have the mojo to beat out ol’ Wade out of the gate, and don’t be surprised if its totals for the entirety of its run fail to match, either.
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (and the DC one) … for now
Beat out Deadpool? Hoary hosts of Hoggoth – magic doesn’t work THAT way!
So when will Deadpool‘s impressive box office number be topped next by another comic book franchise film?
Not in 2016, for certain. If the three major releases discussed here don’t do it, it’s a given that Doctor Strange in November won’t do it, either. Suicide Squad from Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment stands a better chance when it hits theaters in August, as its grittier tone and focus on villains bears a superficial resemblance to Deadpool in terms of approach. But a six-figure opening weekend is unlikely, even with fan favorite characters Joker and Harley Quinn prominent in the film’s marketing.
Look to 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to finally snatch bragging rights back to Marvel Studios from Wade Wilson’s lil’ bloody profane superhero movie that could.
Now if only the folks running Deadpool’s Twitter handle would keep up the snark and the gloating until then.
Ben Affleck dropped by Jimmy Kimmel Live after last night’s Oscars to deliver yet another look at Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Rather than another trailer, Batfleck gave us an extended take of the battle between Superman and Batman in the rain. And it’s very late at night…
https://youtu.be/GqsDwASsGN8
This looks like serious business, and Batman and Superman look great. Even though it’s about as aesthetically dark as it could possibly be. We all know these two are gonna hug it out eventually, but it’s nice to see a little bit of the battle.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters March 25. Tickets went on sale this morning.
Being average may seem like no-effort-work, but it is far more difficult than it so appears. When there is nothing special, nothing truly significant about you, the feelings can weigh down. And when the slightest bit of X-traordinary light is shifted in your direction, something that could make you pop, you will grab hold like it is the most fantastical thing in the world. Or, in Bailey’s situation in Marvel’s newest X-series, X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever #1 (of 5), he will hold onto that new spark of difference like it is the last chance to be anything but “normal”.
Bailey has lived his life as an average kid, going to a normal school and making plans for rejection to his normal prom. Yet, when his parents drop an X-gene bomb in his lap, Bailey takes the near unimaginable news with… Excitement! A mutant? Him? Finally! Something that will make him stand-out. Or will it? When it is announced that his special ability could bring his life to an explosive end, Bailey must accept his own reality. He may just be the most normal mutant ever!
Though we don’t live in a world filled with super-powered heroes and psychopathic villains trying to take over the world on a day-to-day basis, being the definition of normal echoes in the real world. Marvel’s new limited series, X-Men: The Worst X-Man Ever, plays on our recognition of “average” by giving us a character that is recognizable both emotionally and mentally. A character who wishes to grow, but due to personal (and genetic) limitations, finds himself constantly running into a brick wall.
Say Anything frontman, Max Bemis, has been known to make statements within his books. With titles such as Polarity (Boom! Studios), the story of Timothy, a man who’s problems with mental illnesses is only surpassed by the new awareness of super-abilities. Once relieved form his medication, a whole new world opens up. But is mental strife worth super-power? Writing a book like X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever, makes sense. Though it is not as deep as mental illness, the reality of Worst X-Man is very sharp. Like Polarity, it tells a story that at its core can be related to by much of the audience.
In Worst X-Man a boy who has never known anything but the very middle is taken out of his safe zone and thrown into a world completely out of the ordinary. He deals with the incredible and unbelievable. All of which is then shattered with rejection and hardships. Minus the Marvel-izing with the mutant gene, that is pretty much the definition of the typical modern day, real world high school experience! One that many of us can recognize.
Michael Walsh (Secret Avengers), along with colorist Ruth Redmond (Deadpool vs. Thanos), takes an interesting artistic perspective of Bemis’s new X-story. His style seems like the intriguing mix of Fiona Staples outlines and coloring techniques mixed with Erica Henderson’s (Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) animated features. Broken inks that transition one color into the next. Bailey’s orange hair is just fluff atop his head. Though fun, the soft greens and pastel purples are meant to lighten moods when even the darkest events happen, yet rock the reader in and out of normalcy.
X-Men: The Worst X-Man Ever #1 (of 5) plays at the connections between the characters, the emotions and the real world audience. Invoking emotional rejection, loss and the ability to overcome. As well as feelings of simplicity. Of… Normal! And the ups and downs of living along the middle. He may not be super interesting, he may not have any noteworthy characters but Bailey will make a (probably accidental) X-citing new addition to the X-Men.
Make sure to stop by your local comics retailer and pick up X-Men: The Worst X-Man Ever #1 (of 5).
Being average may seem like no-effort-work, but it is far more difficult than it so appears. When there is nothing special, nothing truly significant about you, the feelings can weigh down. And when the slightest bit of X-traordinary light is shifted in your direction, something that could make you pop, you will grab hold like it is the most fantastical thing in the world. Or, in Bailey’s situation in 
