Tag Archives: Christopher Nolan

Ben Affleck is your new Batman and here are my thoughts…

Like most, I am pretty surprised they picked Ben Affleck as the new Batman for the “Man of Steel” sequel. Warner Bros. announced the surprising news last night. Wow. They were pretty quick on hiring the new Batman so it looks like they’re in a rush. You see? Zack Snyder works fast, I wasn’t joking around.

To be honest, I think Ben is the perfect choice to play the role. Ben seems to be a fan of comics and superheroes himself as he has already played Daredevil, once for Marvel. The team behind the “Batman and Superman” film were looking for a slightly older Batman. I guess that’s the reason why Ben was picked ’cause he fit that perfectly. All the Batman’s from the past: Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale were all pretty young at the time when they were first hired for their roles. Ben in his 40’s. This would make Ben the 5th Batman actor.

A lot of people online are trashing their choice of Ben playing the new Batman/Bruce Wayne but give him a chance. I think Ben is gonna be great. He’s gonna look great in the suit, I’m sure. The Batman suit is probably gonna be a black and rubber suit again but hopefully they give it a new style. New look and new color. They changed the Superman suit around, some, they’re probably gonna do the same with the Batman suit. I’m looking forward to seeing what Ben is gonna look like in the Batman suit so I’m sure Warner Bros. will release a photo of it soon to show us.

In Ben’s defense, I think he’s a very talented actor. He always has been. He can play any role that throws at him, no matter the genre. Sounds like Warner Bros. want to give Batman a different feeling and Ben would be great for that. Give Ben a chance and don’t be so quick to judge. He’s gonna be awesome! I think Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck will be a great team-up!

Kev

More thoughts on the “Batman/Superman” team up movie…

While it’s great news that “Batman & Superman” are finally teaming up together for a live-action film… I really think they should get rid of the black rubber suit on Batman. I think the Dark Knight thing is kind of old and it would be great if they give Batman a new style. New suit, new look, new everything. If they did that with Superman, I would think they would do the same with Batman. Since Christopher Nolan would still be the mentor/producer of the “Batman/Superman” film, I would think Chris would let Zack have Batman however he wants the character to be. Over the years, Batman had different styles of suits and in different colors. I think it would be pretty cool if they go back to old-school with Batman… go back to the blue and black. They gave Superman the old-school look for “Man of Steel”, why not do the same with the Batman? Zack’s version of the batsuit will indeed be a little different than Nolan’s take on it. Zack got rid of the red trunks on Superman, think how Zack would change the batsuit? I’m sure Zack would get a lot of people questioning the batsuit just like he got a lot of people wondering about the new Superman suit.

The “Batman & Superman” movie will probably be action packed and intense like “Man of Steel” was. Of course, it’ll probably have impressive visual effects and all that stuff. Who will the leading villain be? Lex? The Joker? Both?

As for the actor to play the new Batman, I’m not really sure yet but like I said before, Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be the most likely choice ’cause of the “Dark Knight: Rises” ending.

It’s great news this is happening finally. I’m sure Hollywood already tried to get a Batman/Superman movie going years ago but failed. It’s gonna be a hard movie to pull off and Zack would be the only guy who can do it right. Batman/Superman had tons of comics together and animated movies. They don’t have a live action movie yet and the wait will be over soon. It will be a box office smash, for sure.

My question is, will Michael Caine still play Aflred? Gary Oldman for Commissioner Gordon? I don’t know if those guys will come back without Christian Bale but we’ll wait and see.

It’s gonna be interesting to see what they’re gonna title it too.

Kev

Zack Snyder confirms “Batman & Superman” movie at SDCC…

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Every summer at San Diego Comic Con, there are all sorts of goodies that come out of it and this is one of them. Everyone knew there is gonna be a sequel to, “Man of Steel”, we just didn’t know what Zack Snyder’s plans were. Turns out that he is planning to team Batman and Superman together in one movie. It’s about time too! We always wanted Batman and Superman to have their own movie but the only problem with that is that Christian Bale no longer wants to play Batman. Bale is done with the Caped Crusader so he probably will not be in this or the “Justice League” film. That’s okay ’cause Bale wasn’t that great of a Batman anyways so let him go, ya know? So it’s looking like Batman will have to get replaced by another actor (again).

We won’t see a “Justice League” film for a long while ’cause it’s looking like Zack wants to have all the characters in “Justice League” to get their own film to build up to it. The Flash is getting his own movie too.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they get Joseph Gordon-Levitt to play Batman, though. If you’ve seen the ending to the “Dark Knight: Rises”, you would know exactly what I mean (not trying to spoil things).

Looking forward to seeing what they’re gonna do with the first “Batman/Superman” film. “Batman/Superman” is coming sooner than you think as I think it’s slated for a 2015 release date. Why is it coming this soon? Simply because Zack is a fast worker. He made “Man of Steel” pretty quick. He can get a single film done in less than a year.

In the photo above is the official logo revealed for the “Batman/Superman” movie at SDCC.

Kev

You see, Zack Snyder is a great film director, he is just a bad screenwriter…

I know Zack Snyder is not everyone’s favorite film director — his work have always been critical over the years. He’s really talented with the visuals, cinematography and camera work but his problem is the writing. He only wrote a few of his own movies that he directed but the rest of his movies in his filmography someone else wrote the screenplay. He only wrote the scripts for “300” and “Sucker-Punch”. “Dawn of the Dead”, “Watchmen”, and “Legends of the Guardians”, someone else wrote them. People were alright with his previous films but everyone hated, “Sucker-Punch”. I agree, “Sucker-Punch” was a shit movie.

Zack tries really hard to make a great movie. If he makes a bad movie, it’s not really his fault, you know? When you make a movie, sometimes you never can tell how good it’s going to be or what kind of reception the film is going to get. I’ve always thought Zack was perfect for “Man of Steel” ’cause I can’t think of no other director that would make a good Superman movie. It’s Zack talented visuals. That’s the key for WB’s wanting Zack to direct “Man of Steel”.

What Zack needs to start making better films is to quit writing his own movies. He needs to choose better scripts from other writers. I know Zack didn’t hire David Goyer for “Man of Steel”, David was already hired by Warner Bros./DC even before Zack jumped aboard. The point I’m trying to make here is that Zack just proved that he can make a good movie all-around with “Man of Steel”. He proved everyone wrong that he can be a good film maker. Not just his visuals, everything. Christopher Nolan didn’t help him much either. Nolan was on set for “Man of Steel” for a little bit but I remember in interviews Nolan was saying this was Zack’s movie in every way. Chris wanted to step back and let Zack be in charge of the direction. I’m sure Nolan helped Zack a little bit but he wanted Zack to have his time and let him do whatever he wanted with “Man of Steel”. So don’t go mistakenly thinking that Zack made a good Superman movie ’cause of Nolan’s help. Zack did it all himself, all the way. If you look around, you can see all kinds of “Man of Steel” behind the scene photos and you never see Nolan on set that much. It was always Zack, all the time.

Zack really worked hard to make the best Superman movie possible and he did exactly that. It really was an amazing movie, and I’m planning on seeing “Man of Steel” again tonight at the Drive-In movie theaters. Seeing it again with some other friends who haven’t seen it.

Congratulations to Mr. Snyder. He finally won over movie fans and got the respect back that he absolutely deserves! Hope you readers out there have seen the film this weekend. If not, see it this week! You will not be disappointed at all, trust me.

Kev

Film Review: Man Of Steel

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburn, Michael Shannon

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Today, I just went to see “Man of Steel”, the new Superman movie by Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. Yes, the wait to see “Man of Steel” is finally over and I finally got to see it today. I went to see it in a cinema in Clifton Park that had RPX screening which had pretty impressive sound and picture. RPX is kind of similar to IMAX but a little different. I never saw a movie in RPX before but it was interesting. Now on with the review:

Plot/synopsis: This film focuses the origins of Superman. It tells the story of a young boy named Clark (or Kal-el) who discovers that he has strange powers everything from lifting heavy objects, x-ray vision and many other powers. He learns that he is not from this Earth and he is from a different planet called, Krypton. He was sent to Earth by his Krypton parents ’cause he was sent here for a reason. He was sent here to save the world from danger and to care for the people. As Clark tries to find out who he is and what he is, he is confronted by an enemy named General Zod (Michael Shannon) who is from his home planet of Krypton. Kal-el must save the planet Earth before the planet gets in total control of Zod. 

When Zack Snyder was first hired and was first announced to direct this movie. Everyone was skeptical of him directing this due to his last couple of films that were crap like, “Sucker-Punch”, for example. As the film went along with production and being made, people were still skeptical of Zack directing. There was a huge debate on whether or not Zack has what it takes to make a good Superman movie or not. Over the last few years this movie has been going on, I’ve always believed Zack was the right choice. I always stood by him that he has what it takes to make a good Superman movie. I believed in him and trusted him. I’m glad I did.

Whether you’re a Marvel fan or whether you’re not much of a superhero fan at all, you still need to see “Man of Steel”. “Man of Steel” was the best superhero movie in the last decade. This was such a beautiful film. It is definitely a masterpiece. The visuals and special effects were impressive like Snyder’s visuals usually are impressive. Snyder took his visuals to the next level in this film. Yeah, this movie is full of green screen and CGI but Snyder is the best with this stuff. He certainly knows how to make CGI realistic looking and not cartoonish.

The casting was fantastic. Everybody did a great job. I was most impressed with Kevin Costner’s performance. His performance was very sad and almost brought tears to my eyes. I think Costner deserves an Oscar for supporting actor for this performance alone. Russell Crowe also did an amazing job playing Jor-El. Of course, we have Michael Shannon as General Zod who was menacing and evil like usual. Michael Shannon did a great job of making you wanting to hate him. Amy Adams was great too. Everyone did a good job, even Chris Meloni the “Law and Order” guy.

There were different emotions in this movie. You will get a mix of sadness, enjoyment, and there were even some comedic scenes as well. When the film makers kept saying they were going to make this Superman movie real as possible, it really was. They did a great job depicting of what Superman could be like in real life. That was the whole goal with the movie. Of course, one thing to keep in mind though, that “Man of Steel” felt like the newer comics. Especially the new 52 comics which is probably what the new movie is partly based on.

Even though this film has nothing to do with the Richard Donner films and there is no John Williams theme, I agree that those things aren’t necessary with this film after finally seeing, “Man of Steel”. A different look of Superman is possible and Zack did a good enough job proving it. I think he just redeemed himself for a change. He made everyone happy. I haven’t seen one negative review of “Man of Steel” at all.

This is exactly how you are supposed to make a Superman movie. It needs to be told with heart. Have lots of action. Superman kicking ass. Yeah, the film was very action packed, and it’s a good long 2 and a half hour film. You should like this movie just as much as “The Avengers”. Don’t wait for Blu Ray or DVD for “Man of Steel”, go see it right away this weekend please. You don’t need to see the Christopher Reeve films since this film is a reboot.

Speaking of Christopher Reeve, I wish he was still alive to see this film. I’m sure he would have loved it too! I’m already looking forward to the sequel and the upcoming “Justice League” film. “Man of Steel” really was amazing and I’m definitely buying the BluRay when it comes out. Probably gonna go see it in theater again too!

Two thumbs for “Man of Steel”.

Kev

Cool Photo: See “Man of Steel” cast and Zack Snyder at the NYC premiere…

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“Man of Steel” cast and Zack Snyder hanging at the premiere in NYC. Don’t those three women look beautiful? Hell yeah, they do. Seems that Michael Shannon stands taller than everyone else, LOL! I just looked up Michael’s height and he’s 6 foot 3. Yes, that is Laurence Fishburne who plays a black Perry White in the film.

Can’t wait to see “Man of Steel”. Critics are already giving this movie rave reviews so look like everyone will be happy with this film. I’m pretty sure I’m seeing, “Man of Steel”, this weekend. I won’t be seeing it alone, I believe. I’m possibly going with several other friends in my area. I would have gone to see this movie alone but with this being, “Superman”, you can’t see it alone. You want to see this movie with other people to make it a blast. You want to have fun cheering on for Superman.

Really looking forward to this flick. When I do see it, I’ll review it for my blog for sure.

Kev

Cool Video: This new “Man of Steel” trailer makes me even more excited for the film now!!!

Could we finally get a great Superman movie after all these years? Could Superman be relevant now with this movie? This is a pretty badass trailer. I’m stoked to see the movie. I’m definitely gonna go see this one but this movie makes me want to go see this film with someone or a group of people. I don’t want to see this movie alone. Movies like this would make you want to see this with people to make it more fun! I have a few pretty good ideas who I would want to see this with. “Man of Steel” keeps looking better every new trailer that’s released. I’m sure it will be an amazing movie. It comes out in a couple of weeks! This film is gonna top “The Avengers” no matter what happens.

Kev

Hear the new “Man of Steel” Hans Zimmer theme here…

Ya know, at first I was pretty skeptical of Hans Zimmer scoring for “Man of Steel” because I didn’t think he would be able to top John Williams. Well, I guess I thought wrong. I’m loving the new Superman theme. Zimmer did a good job and it helped make me ignore the Richard Donner films. The new theme doesn’t really sound like a super-hero theme either. It sounds real. The song has emotion and passion in it. The new song is kind of letting you know that the new Supes flick could be a sad film.

Enjoy it, here.

Kev

Cool Photo: The official “Man of Steel” poster is finally released…

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It’s been a while but the “Man of Steel” official poster is finally here. From what I’ve read by movie fans, this poster has been getting mixed reviews; some love it, some hate it. The reason some people hate it is that they don’t like the blur and it seems fan-made to some folks. I disagree. The poster wants to give a more realistic approach to Superman’s flying. The blur is there for a reason so it can make it look like he’s flying really fast. With that being said, I love the poster and would like to get a copy of it for myself.

As you all can probably tell by now, I am a Superman geek. Loved the character ever since I was a child and I will never stop loving the character. While I miss Christopher Reeve and the Richard Donner styled Superman, I believe “Man of Steel” has what it takes to be a good Superman movie we’ve been wanting for years. Hopefully, this film will make everyone happy for once; I think it will.

Kev

“Man of Steel” soundtrack set for release on June 11th…

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I usually don’t pass along all of these press releases and spam-mail I’ve been getting in my inbox, but I thought this one would be worth posting. The Hans Zimmer score for the film “Man of Steel”, will be getting released for a Deluxe Version; two-disc soundtrack. This movie will be a John Williams-less score, so you will not hear the main theme for this movie at all. This will be completely new music for Superman. From what I heard so far, it is amazing. So maybe this movie can do good without John Williams, after all?

Here’s the press release of the Soundtrack below (I’ll also post the link for the pre-order, if interested):

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MAN OF STEEL TWO DISC SOUNDTRACK FEATURING ORIGINAL MUSIC BY HANS ZIMMER SET FOR RELEASE JUNE 11th

Limited Deluxe Edition Soundtrack Also Available

 

Man of Steel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Available For Pre-Order

LOS ANGELES, CA – April 30, 2013 – On June 11, 2013, WaterTower Music will release two configurations of the Man Of SteelOriginal Motion Picture Soundtrack. The album will be available in standard form as well as a limited edition deluxe version at all physical and digital retailers. Academy Award®, Grammy®, and Golden Globe® – winning composer Hans Zimmer composed the music for this highly anticipated project, joining forces for the first time with director Zack Snyder.

“The challenges of creating a Superman score are daunting because Superman is so iconographic,” said Snyder. “I really feel like what Hans created is perfect. Subtle and stirring, epic and commanding. Honestly, Hans crushed it.”

Fans will have the ability to choose between the standard two disc, 18-song soundtrack, and a limited, deluxe edition of the soundtrack. This deluxe edition will be housed in a special embossed steel case, contain 24 score selections, and give fans the ability to access multiple videos showing an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the music. Both the standard and deluxe editions will include the epic track “Man of Steel (Hans Original Sketchbook)” which clocks in at over 28 minutes long. This exclusive track is performed solely by Zimmer, and allows listeners to experience firsthand his initial experiments with the film’s music, which ultimately lay the foundation for the film’s final score.

Those fans who purchase the CD version of the deluxe edition will have the opportunity to download all 24 songs in DTS Headphone: X, which reproduces a cinematic multi-speaker surround sound experience using only the user’s headphones. DTS Headphone: X presents a whole new way to hear mobile entertainment over headphones. The technology garnered rave reviews from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, and Cnet, among others at this year’s CES convention.

Additionally, a double, 180 gram vinyl configuration of the soundtrack is slated for a summer release.

In addition to his orchestral arrangements, Zimmer, no stranger to stepping outside the confines of traditional film scoring, has assembled two unique musical entities to contribute music to Man of Steel. The first, a “drum orchestra,” which was brought together for the album, is described by soundtrack co-producer Peter Asher as “some of the best drummers in the world all playing simultaneously in a space designed for a symphony orchestra – using not only rock drum kits but tympani and field drums as well.”

The membership of this elite assembly consists of many of today’s top musicians including John JR Robinson, Jason Bonham, Josh Freese, Pharrell Williams, Danny Carey, Satnam Ramgotra, Toss Panos, Jim Keltner, Curt Bisquera, Trevor Lawrence Jr., Matt Chamberlain, Ryeland Allison, Bernie Dresel, Vinnie Colaiuta and Sheila E. Their contribution, under Zimmer’s musical direction, creates a towering and powerful musical accompaniment to the film.

Another distinctive group the composer assembled was a gathering of eight of music’s finest pedal steel guitarists who play classical string section parts. This collective, consisting of Chas Smith, Marty Rifkin, Skip Edwards, Boo Bernstein, Peter Frieberger, Rick Schmidt, JD Maness, John McClung, was described by Asher as, “a uniquely new metallic orchestra” added its own distinct and soaring musical stamp to the soundtrack.

The Man Of SteelOriginal Motion Picture Soundtrack is currently available for preorder at Amazon and will be available for preorder on iTunes starting May 7.

 

SOUNDTRACK TRACK LISTING

  

Disc 1 – Flight

  1. Look to the Stars
  2. Oil Rig
  3. Sent here for a Reason
  4. DNA
  5. Goodbye My Son
  6. If You Love These People
  7. Krypton’s Last
  8. Terraforming
  9. Tornado
  10. You Die or I Do
  11. Launch
  12. Ignition
  13. I Will Find Him
  14. This is Clark Kent
  15. I Have So Many Questions
  16. Flight
  17. What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?

 

Disc 2 – Experiments from the Fortress of Solitude

  1. Man of Steel                                (Hans’ Original Sketchbook)
  2. Are You Listening, Clark?             (Deluxe Edition Only)
  3. General Zod                                (Deluxe Edition Only)
  4. You Led Us Here                         (Deluxe Edition Only)
  5. This Is Madness!                         (Deluxe Edition Only)
  6. Earth                                          (Deluxe Edition Only)
  7. Arcade                                       (Deluxe Edition Only)

Hans Zimmer has scored more than 100 films, which have, combined, grossed over 19.6 billion dollars at the worldwide box office.  He has been honored with an Academy Award®, two Golden Globes®, three Grammys®, an American Music Award, and a Tony® Award. In 2003, ASCAP presented him with the prestigious Henry Mancini award for Lifetime Achievement for his impressive and influential body of work. He also received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2010.  Some of his most recent works include the History Channel’s miniseries The Bible; the Christopher Nolan-directed films Inception, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises; and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Upcoming titles include Ron Howard’s Rush, Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger and Steve McQueen’s Twelve Years a Slave.

Zack Snyder directed Man of Steel from a screenplay by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer & Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Entertainment.  Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder are the producers, with Thomas Tull, Lloyd Phillips and Jon Peters serving as executive producers.  The film stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni and Russell Crowe.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Zack Snyder Film, Man of Steel.  The film will be released in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX®, and is slated for release on June 14, 2013.  It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

About Headphone: X

DTS Headphone: X enables content owners (e.g., movie studios, music labels or retail) to capture the acoustics of a high quality audio production studio and control the manner by which they are reproduced at the consumer end. Content providers can rest assured that the sonic reproduction presented to the listener can match the mix they so carefully crafted.

About WaterTower Music:

WaterTower Music, the in house music label for Warner Bros., has been releasing recorded music since 2001.  Distributed through InGrooves Fontana, WTM has released over 150 titles, including the film soundtracks to “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Project X,”, “Rock of Ages,” “Hairspray,” “Sex and the City,” “Elf,” “The Notebook,” and “Love and Basketball” among others.  Its 2013 schedule includes “42,” “Pacific Rim,” and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”