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George Clooney and Paul Greengrass set for heist thriller

November 29, 2012, 3:18 am
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Director Paul Greengrass is certainly keeping himself busy at the moment with his forthcoming hostage drama Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks (Cloud Atlas), which centres on Captain Richard Phillips and his crew as they encounter Somali pirates, due to be released next year.

Greengrass has also been linked to Memphis, a project which focuses on civil rights activist Martin Luther King, and according to Variety, the Green Zone director is now also attached to a new crime drama written by Chris Terrio (Argo) and produced by George Clooney (The Ides of March) and Grant Heslov (Good Night, and Good Luck). There are no details about the story just yet and all we know is that the film takes place within New York crime syndicates.

Terrio is also keen to keep the momentum going after the huge success of Agro, with other projects including The Ends of The Earth, an epic love story,based on true events about a powerful oil tycoon Ernest Marland who loses everything after engaging in a controversial love affair with his adopted daughter Lydie, played by Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games). The Argo writer has also recently completed a draft for the remake of French thriller Tell No One, which has Argo star and director Ben Affleck linked to helm.
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Hugh Jackman in talks for X-Men: Days of Future Past

November 29, 2012, 3:31 am
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Now that Bryan Singer has got himself comfortable in the director's chair for X-Men: Days of Future Past, the cast for Fox's forthcoming X-Men sequel is starting to take shape. Earlier this week Singer revealed that Patrick Stewart (Professor Xavier) and Ian McKellen (Magneto) and has signed on to reprise their roles from the original X-Men trilogy, while Nicholas Hoult (Beast) was also announced as joining the previously confirmed X-Men: First Class stars James McAvoy (Professor Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Magneto) and Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique).

Now it seems another familiar face is set to return, with The Hollywood Reporter revealing that Hugh Jackman has entered negotiations to reprise the role of Wolverine for a sixth time, following his appearances in X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class and next year's solo sequel The Wolverine. Wolverine is of course a key character in the comic book story 'Days of Future Past', where he is one of but a few X-Men to have evaded capture or death at the hands of the Sentinels in an alternate future where mutants are held in internment camps.

X-Men: Days of Future Past will film next year ahead of its release on July 18th, 2014, and before then, Logan is set to head to Japan for The Wolverine, which opens on July 26th, 2013.
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Scoring The Dead: A conversation with composer Imran Ahmad

November 29, 2012, 11:44 am
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david j. moore chats with composer Imran Ahmad about his work on the Ford Brothers' The Dead...

Classic zombie films don’t always produce classic scores, but occasionally a classic zombie opus features music that helps define the film. Imagine George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead or Day of the Dead without the iconic source music or original scores composed for them and what you’d have is an incomplete film. When directors Howard and Jon Ford hired composer Imran Ahmad to compose an original score for their epic zombie apocalypse film set in Africa, they found a collaborator who completed and enriched their film. Their collaborative effort, known simply as The Dead, is the result of what the Ford Brothers’ described as “gorilla filmmaking,” but more importantly, Imran’s contribution gave the film its sound and its singular voice. Without his score, The Dead simply would not be complete … or as iconic.
 

david j. moore: Imran, thank you for doing this interview…

Imran Ahmad: Many thanks, David. It's a pleasure.

djm: Tell me a little bit about how you became involved with the task of scoring The Ford Brothers’ film The Dead.

IA: I met the directors, Jon and Howard J. Ford in London.  Howard sent me a web link to the initial trailer just as the film was going into post-production for sound.  I was thrilled at seeing images of the African landscape, (shot on 35mm), which was the stunning backdrop of the story.  So I immediately composed a short music demo inspired by these images.  I also felt that the music would somehow be an enchanting presence in the story.  Howard and Jon were really excited with the demo and my ideas regarding the music score and so I came on board the film.

djm: You’d previously scored a few short films and documentaries. What was it like for you to really explore the feature-length world of The Dead?

IA: Working on the short films were of invaluable experience.  I worked with some very good directors and learnt a great deal about filmmaking in general.  The Dead was definitely an opportunity to explore a longer musical narrative and due to the unique visual language of West Africa, it was a chance to explore a rich musical landscape for a movie of this genre.

djm: Would you talk a little bit about how you prepared to assemble your cast of musicians and singers who contributed to the score?

IA: The Ford Brothers wanted the movie to be original in every way possible including the score.  They were very keen to communicate the fragile sense of hope the characters were left with in this post-apocalyptic world.  Also, in one of my initial conversations with Howard, I described the intended music as arising from nature itself and turning the environment into a twisted and distorted reality.  So musically I wanted to develop a delicate sound for the inner journey of the main characters and use experimental vocals and percussion for the natural world and the horror.  I worked with a singer friend of mine, Saba Tewelde, from Eritrea in East Africa.  She had the exact vocal dichotomy I was looking for to represent the natural world becoming corrupted … something beautiful and unforgiving.  Her vocal tones pursue the two main characters throughout the film giving them no chance of respite.

djm: The Ford Brothers talked a little bit about you and your substantial contribution to The Dead on the commentary of the film. They called your music “natural” and that the audience of the film is more than intelligent enough to know how to feel during any given scene. Would you talk about some of the decisions you made in scoring the picture in terms of allowing the audience to discover their own feelings while watching the film instead of telling them how to feel with your music and decisions you made in the sound design of the film?

IA: The challenge was for the music to carefully embody the main characters' individual thoughts and to also convey it ambiguously to a certain degree.  We wanted the audience to become self-aware and contemplative in such moments.  These decisions evolved throughout the scoring process as the Directors and I attempted to calibrate our intention for each applicable scene with music.  For example, there was music in the scene when Lt. Brian Murphy is talking to Sgt. Daniel Dembele in the car for the first time.  We later removed the music as we didn't want to imply any kind of relationship between the two as they are unknown to each other at this point.  And also we didn't want to highlight Brian's vulnerability.  So later on in the story, when Daniel and Brian are leaving the airport and implicitly committing to help each other, the music here has a stronger underlying effect of an emerging friendship.  In another scene there was music when a zombie walks underneath the tree that Brian is sleeping in.  The Directors removed the music and used the sound ambience to convey a moment that any noise Brian makes in the tree could be heard by the zombie.  The audience can relate to this tension in their own way and so it was more effective.

djm: The film allows the audience to absorb many nuances of African culture and local language where the movie was filmed. How were you able to incorporate African and ethnic influences into your score? Was it an easy process, or did you really have to involve yourself with African cultures, or research?

IA: I was very honoured to work with a kora player, Jally Kebba Susso, who is from The Gambia in West Africa.  The kora is an ancient African stringed instrument – very beautiful sounding.  Jally comes from a long tradition of kora players – 75 generations.  He brought the wisdom of his ancestral experience, which is embodied in the kora playing and the singing that he performs.  The words that Jally sings right at the end of the movie loosely translates as “we are all one, we all come from the same Mother”.  So there are these African musical nuances that are present in the consciousness of the film throughout.

djm: The Ford Brothers described their process of filming The Dead as “gorilla filmmaking.” How would you describe the process of your work as the composer on this film?

IA: By the time I met The Ford Brother for the first time, the guerilla filmmaking was over!  I would’ve loved to have gone out to Ghana and Burkina Faso to research music, although the filmmakers had a very challenging time on the shoot.  My process began by establishing the reality of this particular story.  For me this film is like a neo-realistic take on what it would actually feel like to be involved in the main characters' situation.  They do not want to kill the living dead as some of them are people they were emotionally connected to.  Daniel is distressed at having to slay his own people.  Also they're up against the unbearable heat, lack of food and water, and tiredness, which they could possibly die from.  The zombies in a sense are another force of nature.  The main characters need to rely on their primal instincts in order to survive.  Based on this I primarily wanted to experiment with vocals and percussion – two of the most ancient and primitive instruments known to human beings.  It had to sound earthy and natural as the music was representing, in essence, a spiritual force.  The counterpoint to this would be the light of hope carried within the characters.  This is what led me to discovering the delicate voice of the kora, which would represent the internal journey of Brian and Daniel.  After establishing the musical language for this film's reality, it helped me to continue the process in creating themes and new sounds.

djm: There’s very little dialogue in the film. The audience receives information through the images and through the sounds and music of the film. Your score, essentially, is the voice of the film. Would you talk a little bit about bringing your own voice as a composer into the wide-open space of this film? Would you say that your score is the voice and sound of The Dead?

IA: Yes, I believe the score is the voice and sound of The Dead.  Due to the little dialogue and laconic exchanges between the characters, the music and sound naturally become more apparent to the audience.  The music is another presence in the story.  In terms of bringing my voice into the film, I composed using Indian musical scales and most of the live woodwind that you hear on the score is played on an Indian flute (bansuri) by flutist Alex Teymour-Housego.  Even though we are in Africa and there are zombies, this is a very human story and I felt the bansuri would still be able to express universal feelings of longing and memories.

djm: There’s a lot of percussion going on in your score. There are many scenes of the slow-moving zombies getting closer and closer to the two main characters, and each of those scenes is heightened by the fast rhythms and beats on the soundtrack. You create a lot of tension and heat with your score. Would you describe some of your choices to enhance the experience of suspense in certain scenes?

IA: Firstly I would like to thank my friend Sass Hoory who performed great live percussion on the soundtrack.  I really wanted to experiment with vocals to heighten suspense and tension.  I worked with Saba and another singer friend of mine, Claudia Foston, from Ghana.  In the scene when Daniel meets Brian for the first time and is pointing his gun down at him, there is an unsettling broken and crying breathing sound as Daniel does not trust him.  Conversely, in the scene on the beach, in the section just after the man on the beach gets eaten, (played by Howard Ford!), you can hear the tense screaming – that's Claudia.  In fact throughout this whole scene she is gasping, crying and shrieking.  It was my aim to embody these unsettling vocal sounds throughout the score.

djm: Would you talk a little bit about the sound design of the film? There are whole scenes without music, but there’s definitely noise on the soundtrack filling in the spaces.

IA: The sound design was created by Andrew Wilkinson and Francis Ward Lindsay who both did great work.  We purposefully had scenes without music as this absence also creates an unsettling silence and threat that you may experience if you were alone in an unknown natural environment in that given situation.  It was a great way of connecting the audience with the African wilderness.  As half the world now lives in cities, we seem more disconnected from nature so it was great to let the environment be a living entity in the story.  There were great uses of sound design throughout the film.  In one scene the sound design was used to express the heat and delirium that Brian is experiencing when he is lying ill in bed while the witch doctor is whispering an incantation from the top of the hill.

djm: The Ford Brothers mention on the commentary that they are not fans of using too much music in films. They said they’d “put in more music than they thought they would,” which is a compliment to you. Did they ask you at certain points in post-production and in your scoring process to keep adding more music, or did you come to them with more music than ended up being used?

IA: We had established the music cues at the spotting session and I did compose more music than was used in the film.  There is one complete cue and a few unused sections of cues that I have shaped and added to the CD soundtrack.  After all the music was placed into the film, it was a process of stripping away cues or sections of cues from the relevant scenes that didn't need it.  Also, I worked closely with Andrew as we knew that at key points in the film there could be both music and sound effects used to achieve the same effect.  However, some of the decisions to use either sound or music was made by the Directors at the final dubbing session.

djm: Your score for the film has moments of hope and release when both of the main characters refer back to the photographs they have of their families. Talk a little bit about giving these two characters their own moments of hope in the score.

IA: This was a very important moment in the story.  We had to convey their internal motivations as the audience is about to embark on this journey with them.  In fact this is one of the rare moments where they have a chance to express their inner feelings and grief.  It's cathartic in a sense as they need to steel themselves before venturing into the unknown.  This is why the music is heartfelt as the feelings towards their respective families are pure and filled with hope.

djm: There is a scene when the actor Rob Freeman, who plays Lieutenant Brian Murphy, realizes the journey he has ahead of him. When he sees how far he will have to go for the prospect of safety, the music swells, one of the few times your score has a swelling point. Try to describe your process of scoring that moment in the score.

IA: This is another important moment in the film as we wanted to convey at this point that Brian is now a changed man from who he was at the start of his journey.  He's alone and in order to continue he has become incredibly resilient and hardened.  The music is a variation of the main theme expressing how far he has come along on this journey and that his future is still unknown.

djm: In the end title of the film, you have more space to really bring out your themes and motifs. This is where listeners and viewers of the film can really enjoy your music uninterrupted by images. Talk a little bit about writing the music for the end titles.

IA: An earlier version of this piece of music was actually the initial demo I had sent to Howard Ford.  They really liked it but there was nowhere appropriate to place this music in the film due to its pace.  However, we found that it worked for the end titles as the Directors wanted to hint that the journey may not be over and that the real journey is about to begin.

djm: Will you be scoring The Dead 2 for the Ford Brothers?

IA: Yes!

djm: Tell me what you can of The Dead 2 and where your score will be headed thematically for that film.

IA: The Dead 2 will be another journey story taking place almost parallel to the timeline of the first movie.  We have yet to talk about the direction the music will take.  However, I personally would like to build on musical themes that I began in The Dead, and if you have seen the teaser trailer you will know why there will also be a strong Indian influence!

djm: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

IA: Please check out the following short documentary I made on composing the music for The Dead.  There are insightful interviews with the musicians Jally Kebba Susso and Saba Tewelde...

“The Music Behind The Dead” - http://youtu.be/1VhjTsvY7uI.

Many thanks to Imran Ahmad for taking the time for this interview.

(Side note: The soundtrack to The Dead has been released onto CD via Howlin’ Wolf Records. Please visit: www.howlinwolfrecords.com for details.)

david j. moore is a contributing writer to Fangoria, FilmFax, Lunchmeat and VideoScope Magazines. His book WORLD GONE WILD: A SURVIVOR'S GUIDE TO POST-APOCALYPTIC MOVIES will be published in late 2013.
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Flickering Myth's Redbox Rental Giveaway II

November 29, 2012, 12:03 pm
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Since our last giveaway met with such a great response, we've teamed up with the lovely people at Redbox once again to offer one of our North American readers five free Redbox rental vouchers, while ten runners up will receive a free rental apiece. Read on for details of how to enter the giveaway..

Redbox is America's destination for movies and video games. With 31,500 locations nationwide, Redbox is the fun, fast, easy way to rent the latest new release movies on DVD or Blu-ray Disc® and the top new release and family video games. Featuring up to 200 titles and 630 discs, Redbox is a fully automated video rental store contained in 12-square feet of retail space. With more than 68 percent of the U.S. population living within a five-minute drive of a Redbox kiosk, Redbox is where America rents movies and games.

Select from new movie releases like The Amazing Spider-Man, Arthur Christmas, The Avengers, Brave, The Campaign, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Magic Mike, Moonrise Kingdom, Prometheus and Snow White and the Huntsman, or hit video games such as 007 Legends, Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Halo 4 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter.

Visit the official Redbox website here.

To be in with a chance of winning, firstly make sure you like us on Facebook...


...Then go directly to the competition message, hit 'like' and 'share', and that's it!

The competition closes at midnight (EST) on Friday, December 14th. US entrants only please.

 By entering this competition you agree to our terms and conditions, which you can read here.
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CBS picks up Stephen King's Under the Dome

November 29, 2012, 1:33 pm
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Amblin Television has secured a 13-episode straight-to-series order from CBS for its small screen adaptation of Stephen King's 2009 novel Under the Dome, which tells the story of a small New England town sealed off from the rest of the world by a giant transparent dome of unknown origin. The project was originally in development at Showtime, with Amblin asking for a release in August 2011 in order to shop the series around to other networks.

According to Deadline Neal Baer (Law & Order: SVU) will serve as show-runner on Under the Dome, with Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) directing the first episode from a script by Brian K. Vaughn (Lost). Vaughn is said to have "kept the general conceit and many of the characters from the new book but also introduced new characters as regulars and tweaked some details and backstory for the existing ones." The series will also ignore the ending to the book, with CBS apparently keen to extend the series to a second season.

Under the Dome will air next year, with King, Baer and Vaughn executive producing the series alongside Stacey Snider, Steven Spielberg, Justin Falvy and Darryl Frank.

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Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained gets a final trailer

November 29, 2012, 1:54 pm
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You'd have to be Will Hunting to count the number of trailers and TV spots we've seen for Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained these past few months, but with the upcoming Spaghetti Western homage now less than a month away from release, Yahoo! Movies has debuted one 'final' action-packed trailer featuring plenty of never-before-seen footage...

Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx (Ray) as Django, a freed slave who joins forces with the bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz; Inglourious Basterds) where he hones his skills capturing some of the West's most ruthless outlaws before setting off on a quest to free his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington; Fantastic Four) from the clutches of the evil plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio; Inception). Also featuring in the cast are Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Kurt Russell (Death Proof), Don Johnson (Machete), James Remar (Dexter), James Russo (Public Enemies), M.C. Gainey (Lost), Walton Goggins (The Shield), RZA (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Tom Savini (Planet Terror) and Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace).


Django Unchained hits North America cinemas on Christmas Day, and arrives in the UK on January 18th, 2013.
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Second Opinion - Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

November 29, 2012, 11:45 pm
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Silver Linings Playbook, 2012.

Written and Directed by David O. Russell.
Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker and Julia Stiles.



SYNOPSIS:

David O. Russell follows up The Fighter with this dramatic rom-com. Bradley Cooper stars as bipolar Pat who sparks up an unusual relationship with widower Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence).


David O. Russell has had a sporadic career and Silver Linings Playbook proves that he is definitely back on track. This delightful drama is the perfect blend of comedy and romance whilst also delving into the touchy subject of mental illness.

Silver Linings’ success lies with the chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Their scenes are heartfelt, humorous and a joy to watch. What is perceived as cliché in some films, clicks within the context of this bizarre story. Although it doesn’t deliver anything new in the sense of its standard romantic drama, both lead performances are engaging and intense to watch. Cooper has come into his own in recent years, having taken the lead in Limitless, The Words and so on. Silver Linings feels like his most accomplished work. He delicately probes his characters mental illness and doesn’t play up to any clichés. Some could argue that his choice not to delve too far into the darker side of his character makes the film unrealistic, but within the context of Silver Linings it makes sense. The expert comic timing we saw in The Hangover is ever present and he manages to make what would have been a terrifying and difficult character likeable.

Lawrence is the star of Silver Linings and she lights up the screen every chance she gets. The complexities of her character Tiffany are explored subtly and she shows how comfortable she is with comedy. A slew of actresses were considered for Tiffany but I find it hard to imagine anyone other than Lawrence in the role. Proving that Winter’s Bone wasn’t a fluke, she delivers a solid performance that packs an emotional punch, whilst still making you laugh.

The supporting cast are engaging and well used throughout the film. Chris Tucker makes his first film appearance since 2007 and he enriches every scene he’s in. Although there’s a hint of Rush Hour’s Carter there, he has fun playing the role of Danny – Pat’s friend from the mental hospital. Although his back story is never explained, he is the slapstick element that Silver Linings needs. Robert De Niro is on hand as Pat’s uncomfortable OCD Father. Although there are some moments where his character is electrifying to watch – a physical fight with his son is horrifying yet funny at the same time – his OCD does start to grate slightly. The constant reminder of his OCD feels unnecessary and at times slows the pace of the film. Julia Stiles, John Ortiz, and Anupam Kher only appear briefly, which is a shame, but their characters are intriguing to watch.

Although Silver Linings never delves too deeply into Pat’s mental illness, this works to its advantage. By finding the humour in Pat’s situation, audiences are treated to a romantic drama that doesn’t deliver anything new in the grand scheme of film, but it is enjoyable to watch from beginning to end. The subtle touch of using a song as a trigger demonstrates the seriousness of Pat’s illness is refreshing as it is uncomfortable to watch, yet at the same time it’s engaging and makes you like him even more.

Silver Linings is essentially a love story and you know how it will end before it starts. It is the likeability of the characters and the chemistry of the actors that makes it a delight to watch. Although there has been Oscar buzz surrounding the film, I don’t predict it will win. Cooper and Lawrence are fantastic, but they don’t’ deliver anything different which is what the Academy loves. Silver Linings Playbook is humorous, dramatic, romantic and a great film to watch.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Helen Murdoch
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Movie Review - End of Watch (2012)

November 29, 2012, 11:49 pm
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End of Watch, 2012.

Directed by David Ayer.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, David Harbour, Frank Grillo, Maurice Compte and America Ferrera.



SYNOPSIS:

A pair of Los Angeles cops uncover the workings of a human-trafficking operation and attract the untoward attention of a Mexican Cartel.


The police get a hard time in the movies. Either corrupt scoundrels or militant psychopaths, cinema is mostly bereft of good, honest men fulfilling their duty to protect and serve. In particular, writer and director David Ayer's oeuvre frequently blurs that thin blue line between cop and criminal on the mean streets of LA - Training Day (2001), Dark Blue (2003) and Street Kings (2008) chiefly centred upon dysfunctional antiheroes and their questionable morality.

Consequently, End of Watch is something of a breath of fresh air, or even a belated apology to those he so frequently scrutinises. Officers Bryan Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) are two upstanding and entirely affable policemen, who do good upon their promise to uphold the law. Much of the film focuses on their routine and sometimes mundane policework, subtly developing their bickering, brotherly relationship. Zavala is the more grounded of the two, married and expecting his first child, whereas ex-marine Taylor is fast-talking and self-aggrandising, slightly too clever for his own good. Both are immensely likeable and completely believable, largely due to a smart (and sweary) script and perfectly naturalistic performances from the two leads. End of Watch is at its best when Ayer seemingly sits back and lets his two heroes spar with each other. Much of the film is shot from dashboard-mounted cameras as the duo make their rounds and debate the inanities of their lives.

Handily, Taylor is taking a module in filmmaking, and documents their lives via multiple cameras, the output of which makes up the film. Both officers sport tiny cameras on their lapels, so at times the action resembles a twisted episode of Peep Show, albeit with more automatic weaponry. More tenuously, the various gangs in their district are also filming themselves on phones and camcorders, weaving a patchwork narrative which gradually reveals a very sinister overarching criminal network, with very grisly consequences.

Admittedly, my knowledge of Los Angeles police procedure is fairly limited, but End of Watch pertains to present the most authentic depiction of police life ever committed to (digital) film. As Zavala deadpans, “Police work is all about comfortable footwear,” yet despite his insistence, it also involves its fair share of white-knuckle car chases and shootouts. Ayer demonstrates a firm grasp of action cinema fundamentals – explosive violence means nothing if the audience doesn't care about its participants. Happily, Taylor and Zavala's private lives are as well-rounded as their day jobs, with excellent support from Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez as their respective romantic interests. There's a real sense of the jeopardy which the police must submit themselves to every working day, and you begin to suspect that the partners' jovial irreverence is their way of coping with the constant peril. 

The novel camerawork is largely successful, channelling a nervy, claustrophobic energy when it needs to. A gung-ho rescue attempt in a burning house is a particular highlight – disorienting and terrifying as the screen is swamped in smoke and digital noise. Gunfights frequently revert to a first-person perspective, reminiscent of countless videogames but strikingly effective on the big screen. Less convincing are the interluding sections shot from the gangsters' viewpoints, who presumably record their assassinations and drive-by shootings for posterity's sake. At times, Ayer throws in a shot from an impossible angle - even hiring a couple of helicopters -  which suggests he's not quite convinced of his own concept's strength.

Even so, the emotional jolt of the finale is proof that these inconsistencies don't really matter. At its heart, End of Watch is a surprisingly tender story of friendship, with the central relationship every bit as authentic as its meticulous study of law enforcement. It's hardly original, but Ayer's commitment to his characters and eye for detail ensures that End of Watch earns its place in the pantheon of great police drama.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Peter Gigg
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Details emerge on new Wonder Woman TV show Amazon

November 30, 2012, 1:50 am
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It was announced a few months ago that TV network The CW was developing a new Wonder Woman pilot entitled Amazon and thanks to a Deadline reporter who managed to get their hands on a copy of the casting sheet for the superhero character, we have found out some more details on what Allan Heinberg (Gilmore Girls), who has been tapped to write the new script, has in store for the new incarnation.

It appears Heinberg is taking the character back to the beginning with a retelling of her origin, delivering a new take on the heroine, now renamed Iris. The character description being used in the casting process asks for an actress that is 5'8" or taller and gives the following brief...

“She comes from a remote, secluded country and until now has spent most of her life as a soldier and a leader on the battlefield. Because of relentless brutality of her life at home, Iris looks at our world with absolute awe and astonishment. She’s delighted - and just as often horrified - by the aspects of everyday life that we take for granted: skyscrapers, traffic, ice cream. It’s all new and fascinating and sometimes slightly troubling - to her. Iris is completely unschooled in our world, our culture, our customs. And she’s completely inexperienced at interpersonal relationships. She has no social filter, does not suffer fools, and tends to do and say exactly what’s on her mind at all times. She’s bluntly, refreshingly honest. She can tell when you’re lying to her. And she doesn’t have time or patience for politics or tact because she’s too busy trying to experience everything our world has to offer. There are too many sights to see - and things to learn - and people to care for. Hers is a true, noble, and generous heart. And she will fight and die for the people she loves. Iris is a fierce warrior with the innocent heart of a romantic and she will fight to the death to make the world safe for innocents and true romantics everywhere.”

The CW network has a rich history of creating successful superhero dramas such as Smallville, which centred on the life of a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) as he made his transition from boy to man in order to fulfil his destiny as Superman. It currently airs Arrow, which follows another DC superhero Green Arrow and is the channel’s biggest hit in years, so the signs for a successful Wonder Woman TV adaptation are looking very good.

Update: Responding to outrage from fans over the possible name change, DC's CCO Geoff Johns has subsequently posted the following response via Twitter:

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Giveaway - Win The Bionic Woman: The Complete Collection on DVD

November 30, 2012, 4:35 am
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Originally broadcast in the late '70s and early 80's, the classic TV show The Bionic Woman arrives on DVD here in the UK this coming Monday (December 3rd) with the release of The Bionic Woman: Season 3 and The Bionic Woman: The Complete Collection, and to celebrate we have one-one box-set of The Complete Collection up for grabs, as well as three runners up prizes of Season 3 thanks to the lovely folk at Fabulous Films and Freemantle Media Enterprises.

Read on for a synopsis and details of how to enter the competition...

"When tennis pro Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner), is critically injured in a skydiving accident, she is "rebuilt" using the government's top secret cybernetic replacement surgery known as "bionics". As the world's first bionic woman, Jaime is equipped with bionic legs capable of running over 60 miles-per-hour, a bionic arm that can lift an automobile, and a bionic ear that can detect the slightest of sounds. With her tennis career over, Jaime returns to her hometown of Ojai, California to start life anew as a school teacher at a U.S. Air Force base. Between her classroom duties, Jaime moonlights as a secret agent for the Office of Scientific Intelligence Director Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson), taking on highly-classified—and usually dangerous—missions, to satisfy a debt she feels is owed to the government for making her "whole" again."


To be in with a chance of winning, firstly make sure you like us on Facebook (or follow us on Twitter)...


...Then complete your details below, using the subject heading "BIONIC". The competition closes at midnight on Saturday, December 15th. UK entrants only please.

 
By entering this competition you agree to our terms and conditions, which you can read here.
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Will Smith's production company developing two new TV shows

November 30, 2012, 9:44 am
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Will Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment is currently developing two new TV shows. According to Deadline, the actor’s company are producing Kingpin for HBO’s sister channel Cinemax and Watchlist for Fox TV. Smith is teaming up with writer Chad St. John (Ronin), who is set to executive produce both shows with his wife Viruna Arend and co-founder of Overbrook Entertainment James Lassiter.

Kingpin centres on a crafty and careful mid-level drug trafficker trying to get out of the business. He is blackmailed back into it by a dirty DEA agent — who’s really a dirty CIA agent, because the agency can no longer work with murderous cartels — that plans to make the trafficker a puppet kingpin. Watchlist is about two ex-clandestine Special Ops teammates who sacrifice their normal lives to come to the rescue of a third former teammate who is framed by a powerful CIA faction for a political assassination. A game of cat and mouse on the streets of Boston ensues as the trio takes on the technology and unlimited budget of the CIA.

No news as to whether Smith himself will feature in any of the shows or if he will just be on board as a producer. However with his busy schedule and forthcoming films such as M. Night Shyamalan's After Earth, which also stars his son Jaden Smith (The Karate Kid), as well as Akiva Goldsman's Winter’s Tale starring Russell Crowe (Gladiator), the actor may be just a tad too busy.
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The Walking Dead Season 3 - Episode 7 Review

November 30, 2012, 9:47 am
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Piers McCarthy reviews the seventh episode of The Walking Dead season 3...

The end of The Walking Dead’s first half of Season 3 is soon approaching. It’s a depressing thought as the show fuels its 40-something minute run-time each week with more entertainment than most other programmes currently airing. Still, the cast and crew behind AMC’s zombie drama are leaving us fans begging for more. Had episode 7 been the last, the final moments would have you screaming out in irritation of the hiatus. Fortunately, the penultimate episode builds up to something bound-to-be-tremendous awaiting us next week.

Major spoilers follow...

Starting with Glenn’s vicious interrogation, the first sequence of “When the Dead Come Knocking” highlights the tenacity of both Steven Yeun and Michael Rooker. The latter, especially, ferociously throws half a dozen punches squarely in Glenn’s face and then pulls his bayonet to the prisoner’s mouth. The sadistic nature of this may remind some of Rooker’s Henry in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, which brought Rooker to the attention of Hollywood. He plays the maniac well and for Glenn, Maggie (who can hear all of the commotion from the next room) and the audience, the levels of his cruelty are horribly ambiguous. Eventually, his anger of his desertion on the roof way back when leads him to leave Glenn in a similar situation – taped to the seat and having Merle throw a walker at him.

We know Glenn can handle himself but in his moment of escape he becomes an iconic badass à la Rick or Daryl. His scream of both victory over killing the walker, and of complete desolation and fear, is his shining moment so far in the series.

Michonne’s part in the series is becoming more integral, and she is the first of the characters in other narrative strands to link one to the other (Rick et al - Andrea – Woodbury). Now she has moved on from Woodbury and Andrea and has entered the prison after being saved by Carl and Rick. Her wounds made her faint beneath a shuffling crowd of walkers and her independence has once again been tarnished. From the highly subjective point of view of the audience, Michonne’s need to be in control is annoyingly making her out to be uncaring. She frowns at all those that help her in the prison (thanking Hershel for his aid but somewhat insincerely).

It is only when she sees the group embrace Carol after her return, along with the cradling of the baby, that Michonne “sees the light”, so to speak. We saw her affectionate and friendly towards Andrea so here’s hoping that that kind of relationships develops as she makes a home with Rick and his group. With only one episode remaining for 2012, the depleted numbers in the prison does need some extra members and so Michonne could easily become one of them.

On an expedition to locate Maggie and Glenn, after Michonne informs them of Merle’s kidnapping, Oscar and Michonne join the troop. Together they stand as a smart and powerful force. Nevertheless, a hoard of zombies is a dangerous situation and so they hold down the fort in a thought-to-be-abandoned cabin. The stench and sight of death is merely a trick for one man to stay undisturbed in his once cosy home. The man barks at the four intruders, with Michonne telling the others to keep him quiet as walkers claw at the walls and door. Taking matters into her own hands, she uses her trusty samurai blade and sticks it in his skull. The decision to throw the body out into the walkers is something that shocks Michonne but is understandably justified to save their own skins. Watching a body get torn apart by zombies is a guilty pleasure when watching something with the undead. In Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead a living, breathing civilian is picked apart before our eyes, with graphic gore. Perhaps it was too much for the network to handle but the dead man’s ripped limbs and mangled flesh is barely seen. The blood and guts still show but it’s not up to par with other examples in this genre (in the heat of that moment, though, perhaps it could have been seen as superfluous).

As Michonne, Rick, Oscar and Daryl move toward Woodbury, events taking place there involve the testing of the biters’ minds. A Mr. Coleman is dying of cancer and has volunteered himself for psychological tests with Milton. Coleman is asked to raise his hand to a series of questions, with a side of audio conditioning, and given the same questions once he’s turned. The Governor’s need to control is less about wielding swords or firing bullets, but to have control over the people around him. Sometimes that requires violence but as we have seen with his zombie daughter, some of it requires the human touch. The aim to break the spell of the virus and the belief it may be possible is corrupting his and Milton’s mind. Milton even asked for the restraints to be taken off of the Mr. Coleman (biter-version) and is saved only thanks to Andrea’s common sense.

Towards the end of the episode everything taking place is beginning to merge together. Maggie is returned to Glenn’s arms but after her confession about Daryl and the others’ whereabouts. As the episode draws to a close, plans are made for the Governor and Merle to go the prison as Rick and his team find their way to Woodbury. On one side of the gate, Andrea walks past and looks at the high looming walls of tires and fence – on the opposing side, Rick and Daryl ponder over their way in. It is a spectacular final few minutes, with the crossing over of stories finally being executed. As said, had this been the end of the season half, the wait would have been unbearable. One more week and Merle and Daryl may be reunited, Rick may come face to face with the Governor, Michonne will see Andrea again, and Woodbury or the prison (or both) will be infiltrated.

Piers McCarthy - Follow me on Twitter.
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Second Opinion - Sightseers (2012)

November 30, 2012, 10:06 am
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Sightseers, 2012.

Directed by Ben Wheatley.
Written By and Starring Steve Oram and Alice Lowe.


http://blog.sightseersmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/sightseers-exclusive-quad-poster-118114-1000-100.jpeg

SYNOPSIS:

Chris wants to show girlfriend Tina his world, but events soon conspire against the couple and their dream caravan holiday takes a very wrong turn.


If you saw Ben Wheatley’s first two features (Down Terrace and Kill List) you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d found his niche. Dark, blackly funny twists on the well-worn British crime drama - gangsters, family tensions and that ill-fated ‘one-last-job’ were all present and correct, but always presented in a way that felt at least interesting, and when it worked best, completely unique. A film like Down Terrace could, in a lesser director’s hands, so easily have been another bargain-bin London gangster flick, but the component parts were twisted into something entirely more memorable. (the same can be said of Kill List, although that film didn’t so much twist genre convention as beat it to death with a hammer)

Sightseers then, his third film, advertised itself as a kind of post-Shaun of the Dead black Brit-Com, a murderous Nuts in May. As it happens, it’s infinitely more. For all the crime films that have tried to push the notion of banality of evil, sightseers takes it to the next level, an orgy of casual murder and wanton violence set against a backdrop of museums dedicated to trams and pencils. Execution on the grounds of dropped Cornetto wrappers.

For a film ostensibly about a killing spree, they’re often so blasé that you hardly notice them. Like Badlands and Natural Born Killers before it, the crimes aren’t the heart of this film, but rather it’s the relationship at its centre that provides the drama, and even in such exaggerated circumstances Sightseers’ couple remain entirely believable. Chris (Steve Oram) appears to be leading Tina (Alice Lowe), showing her, as she puts it, ‘his world’, but in the end it’s he that’s the more naive. For all his flaws – and serial murder is a big one – he’s a romantic, really. 

For a subject so ugly, the visuals are often legitimately beautiful, and credit has to go to DP Laurie Rose, whose work on Kill List was equally instrumental in that film’s lasting impact (most notably it’s horrendous final sequence).  The lingering mist and great, wide skies of the Dales are perfectly, and it all adds to the film’s jet-black tone (there’s a dawn sequence set on top of a small cliff that brings to mind the sunrises Michael Cimino would waste entire days waiting for on Heaven’s Gate, Wheatley says it was just luck.) Shots of burning caravans and Oram’s Chris staring intently toward the camera after a kill will linger in the mind for a good while afterwards. This, along with the rather lovely soundtrack, with a score by regular collaborator James Williams, gives the whole film a peculiar sense of melancholy, never more pronounced than the glorious final scene, one that gives new life to Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Christmas perennial ‘The Power of Love’. For me, and I suspect many others, that song will now likely forever take me back to the Ribblehead Aqueduct. This is no bad thing. 

Aside from all this, it’s amongst the year’s best comedies, destined for late night screenings and double bills. a parade of endlessly quotable lines that lose no impact on second viewing. And that it was written by it’s stars is no surprise considering the natural performances. There are some that might balk at Sightseers, and it’s understandable. This is after all, a Ben Wheatley film, and he’s never been afraid to keep the camera on a pulverized face or two. But if you’re not Chris Tookey, and if the gore isn’t a problem, then it’s hard to imagine anyone who could dislike Sightseers. Go, and marvel at the fact that an idea so unpleasant can be such a joy to watch.

Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Jake Wardle
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Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane to guest star on The Simpsons

November 30, 2012, 12:16 pm
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Seth MacFarlane will take a trip from Quahog to Springfield next year, with Entertainment Weekly revealing that the Family Guy creator and voice actor has recorded a guest spot on rival Fox animated series The Simpsons.

MacFarlane, who made his feature directorial debut earlier this year with the hit comedy Ted, will appear in an episode entitled 'Dangers on a Train', which is slated to kick off The Simpsons' 25th season next fall. He will lend his voice to a character named Ben, who sets out to woo Marge after the Simpsons matriarch accidentally stumbles onto a dating site for married people. MacFarlane will also get to flex his vocals with a rendition of Fred Astaire's 'The Way You Look Tonight'.

"We wanted to come together in a bipartisan way to make Fox Sunday night rock," said Simpsons show-runner Al Jean. "We thought we had a great part that he’d be perfect for, and it would be great to have him on our show, so it worked out just right. There’s been a little rivalry. We’re both humor shows and we make jokes, but it’s always been friendly. I’m hopeful that there will be something of us on their show but that’s up to them. We’d certainly welcome it"
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Game of Thrones Season Two 'Histories & Lore' Blu-ray special feature first look

November 30, 2012, 4:50 pm
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As we patiently await the premiere of the hotly-anticipated third season of Game of Thrones on March 31st, 2013, HBO has given fans a first look sneak peek at one of the special features set to accompany the upcoming home-entertainment release of the complete second season.


The featurette is part of the 'Histories & Lore' Blu-ray exclusive, which consists of 19 animated histories detailing the mythology of Westeros and Essos as told by the series' many characters, with illustrations from Game of Thrones storyboard artist Will Simpson. This one covers the history of the Wildlings, courtesy of Rose Leslie's Ygritte; take a look...


Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season is released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 19th, 2013 in North America and March 4th, 2013 here in the UK. Check out a full list of the special features here.
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New images and first teaser promos for Bates Motel

November 30, 2012, 5:10 pm
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2012 has certainly been a big year for Alfred Hitchcock, what with the release of The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray set, as well as two feature films which have brought the iconic British filmmaker to the screen in The Girl and Hitchcock. Meanwhile, the American TV network A&E will be looking to capitalise on The Master's renewed popularity next year with a new television series inspired by the 1960 classic Psycho entitled Bates Motel.

The ten-episode series has been developed by Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights) and is described as "a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film [which] promises to give viewers an intimate portrayal of how Norman Bates' psyche unravels through his teenage years and just how deeply intricate his relationship to his mother, Norma, truly is."

Leading the cast of Bates Motel are Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) as Norman and Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) as Norma, while other regulars include Nestor Carbonell (The Dark Knight), Max Thieriot (House at the End of the Street), Mike Vogel (Cloverfield) and Olivia Cooke (The Quiet Ones). Here's a selection of images, which have made their way online via THR:











And that's not all, with A&E also releasing the following video promos:



Bates Motel is set to begin airing in Spring 2013.
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International Online Film Critics Poll unveil nominees

November 30, 2012, 7:30 pm
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Established in 2007, the International Online Film Critics Poll allows critics from the United Kingdom, Italy, United States and other countries to recognize movie excellence every two years in 15 categories. The 3rd Edition is dominated by Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) and The Master (2012) which both have 9 nominations.  Other notable contenders are two Academy Award Best Picture-winners The King's Speech (2010) and The Artist (2011) as well as the latest offering from Steven Spielberg, Lincoln (2012).

Best Film – Motion Picture

The Artist
The King’s Speech
Lincoln
The Master
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Director 

Ben Affleck – Argo
Tomas Alfredson – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Elizabeth Holsen – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin
Quvenzhané Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale – The Fighter
Bryan Cranston – Argo
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
Philip Seymur Hoffman – The Master

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams – The Master
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Bérénice Bejo – The Artist
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo – The Fighter

Best Cast

Argo
The Artist
The Fighter
The King’s Speech
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Original Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master
Paddy Considine – Tyrannosaur
Sean Durkin – Martha Marcy May Marlene
Andrés Heinz, Mark Heyman and John McLaughlin – Black Swan
David Seidler – The King’s Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay

Lucy Alibar and Ben Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Alexander Payne, Net Faxon and Jim Rash – The Descendants
Tony Kushner – Lincoln
Chris Terrio – Argo

Best Cinematography

Emmanuel Lubezki – The Tree of Life
Hoyte Van Hoytema – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Janusz Kaminski – Lincoln
Walter Pfister – The Dark Knight Rises
Guillame Shiffman – The Artist

Best Production Design

Rick Carter – Lincoln
Nathan Crowley, Kevin Kavanaugh – The Dark Knight Rises
Maria Djurkovic – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
David Crank, Jack Fish – The Master
Dennis Gassner – Skyfall

Best Film Editing

Tariq Anwar – The King’s Speech
William Goldenberg – Argo
Michael Kahn – Lincoln
Leslie Jones, Peter McNulty – The Master
Dino Jonsäter – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Original Score

Ludovic Bource – The Artist
Alberto Iglesias – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Alexandre Desplat – The King’s Speech
Jonny Greenwood – The Master
Clint Mansell – Black Swan

Best Visual Effects

The Avengers
Black Swan
The Dark Knight Rises
Skyfall
The Tree of Life

The winners will be announced on December 20th, 2012 and to learn more make sure to visit the official website for the International Online Film Critics Poll.
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Comic Book Review - Batman Incorporated #5

December 1, 2012, 12:06 am
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Oliver Davis reviews Batman Incorporated #5...

Grant Morrison has a wonderful way of mixing the absurdly camp with something terribly grown up. It's as though he's reached a higher plane through his niche occult habits, where cheesiness has gone-off and turned into post-modern mold. It's a good kind of mold, though. Maturer, like Stilton.

That's why Batman Inc., or any of Morrison's other titles (check out the sublime Happy), can flick between a fight against an army of retro-costumed assassins to a post-apocalyptic, zombie-fied Gotham quicker than a fling of a Batarang. It's fun, you know, like how comics should be. But there's enough intellectual engagement to make the characters and narrative mean so much more.

Issue #4's fight between Batman Inc. and Leviathan's assorted killers was really just a backdrop to Bruce and Damian's relationship. Bruce has decided to send Damian back to his mother because he's seen the future. It's heartbreaking, and at first you think it's mean. But then you see the future.

Bruce's nightmarish vision is what dominates the issue, (comic)book-ended by the present. The story revisits Morrison's Batman #666 issue from 2007, where Bruce has long since passed and Damian has taken up the (Bat)mantle. He's a tougher Batman, more ready to kill. Bald, too.

Morrison fits a superb story into this meta-narrative. Gotham is burning, infected by a Joker serum that turns people into murderous, rampaging zombies. Imagine those infected with Rage in 28 Days Later, but with a smile full of broken and chipped teeth.

Some panels recall Garth Ennis' disturbed series Crossed. The mindless violence those infected by the serum display echoes the depravity of that book. Twisting a child's neck until it snaps dead, ripping a disabled Barbara Gordon (Batman Inc. is part of the old, pre-52 continuity) from her mechanised chair, wrenching at a man's ears until blood fills his mouth - and all with a manic smile etched upon their face. It isn't the violence that's most disturbing; it's the depraved glee they exhibit whilst they hack and slash and crunch and splat.

Gotham is quarantined as a result, and the President must decide whether to blast the "grubby madhouse" to smithereens. It echoes Bane's taking hostage of the city from Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

Chris Burnham's art is again exemplary, and has made Batman Inc. one of the best drawn comics out there. His pencils directly channel characters' emotions. During Bruce's heartbreaking explanation to Damian, of why he must go back to his mother, the very background of the panel begins to crack. In the next, shards break off behind Bruce. The next, Damian's face is surrounded by falling bits of background as he whispers, "don't let me go back to her". At the last, Bruce stands behind Damian, engulfing him in his cape, alone together in an empty white expanse. By anyone else, it would come off crass. By Burnham, the crudeness transcends into an overwhelming sincerity.

The camp becoming poignant? There's none better at it than the Morrison and Burnham dynamic duo.

Oliver Davis (@olidavis)
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Comic Book Review - Judge Dredd #1

December 1, 2012, 2:39 am
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Chris Cooper reviews the first issue of IDW's Judge Dredd...

I’ll start this off by explaining that I don’t have a great deal of knowledge with regards to Judge Dredd coming into this. My main two exposures to Mega-City One are the Sylvester Stallone film (which I hated), and the Karl Urban film (which I adored).

So, this should be just the right issue to jump on board. The issue is split in two; with art on the main story by Nelson Daniel and the backup handled by Paul Gulacy. Duane Swierczynski has writing duties on both.

We are very quickly introduced to the basic idea of Mega-City One, with its many robot servants and different levels of society. With the lower levels housing the poorest and the highest containing the more affluent, it’s a powder keg… and it’s constantly going off.

When a robotic malfunction leads into a robbery and several murders, we get our first glimpse of Dredd himself. It’s not a bad image either, though I think I was expecting something stronger. I enjoyed how it only took 3 panels to get across Dredd’s hard line on criminals, so we immediately know where we stand. Crime is so common that denizens barely bat an eyelid and quickly return to normal after an event. This attitude seems reflected in Daniel’s art, which shows several brutal scenes of violence that didn’t leave much of an effect on me. I get the feeling that the ending is leading into a bigger overall conspiracy, so hopefully in future issues we can get a good feel for the scope of this world.

The backup story on the other hand, is a mixed bag. Gulacy’s Dredd reminds me very much of Stallone, which immediately drew a groan. The dialogue, especially from the female robot is very cutting and clever. Though I wasn’t blown away by anything in the main story writing-wise, Swierczynski shows here that he has got a good handle on the satirical side of things.

If it sounds like I’m damning it with faint praise I’m not trying to! Judge Dredd #1 is a perfectly acceptable introduction. It just didn’t grab me in the same way some other #1s have lately.

Chris Cooper
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The Week in Spandex - Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Marvel Phase Two, Wonder Woman, Misfits: The Movie and more

December 1, 2012, 4:55 am
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Our weekly round up of all the latest news stories from the world of screen superheroes, including Man of Steel, Justice League, The Dark Knight Rises, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Kick-Ass 2, Misfits, S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, Amazon, Booster Gold and more...

We'll start things off this week with Warner Bros. and its proposed 'DC Universe', with director Zack Snyder dropping the first hint that his upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel will tie in to a cohesive cinematic universe, which will naturally include the studio's planned Justice League team-up: "I don’t know how Justice League is going to be handled. Honestly, I don’t. But ‘The Man of Steel’ exists, and Superman is in it. I don’t know how you’d move forward without acknowledging that... I can’t really say anything to that, because that’s a big spoiler. I will say, yeah, [WB] trust me to keep them on course." So, with Man of Steel seemingly serving as the 'big bang' to Warner's DC Movie Universe, it wasn't long before a rumour emerged that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in negotiations to pick up the torch from Christian Bale's Batman and don the cape and cowl as John Blake / Batman in Justice League. JGL's reps immediately denied the report, and - like Martin Deer stated in his column this week - it's almost unimaginable that anyone but Bruce Wayne will be lining up as The Dark Knight alongside Henry Cavill's Superman when (and if) the Justice League arrive on screen in 2015...

...As it happens, Christopher Nolan also took the opportunity to comment on the ending to The Dark Knight Rises this week, playing down any speculation about it being intended as a set-up to any kind of John Blake-headlined spin-off series: "For me, The Dark Knight Rises is specifically and definitely the end of the Batman story as I wanted to tell it, and the open-ended nature of the film is simply a very important thematic idea that we wanted to get into the movie, which is that Batman is a symbol. He can be anybody, and that was very important to us. Not every Batman fan will necessarily agree with that interpretation of the philosophy of the character, but for me it all comes back to the scene between Bruce Wayne and Alfred in the private jet in Batman Begins, where the only way that I could find to make a credible characterization of a guy transforming himself into Batman is if it was as a necessary symbol, and he saw himself as a catalyst for change and therefore it was a temporary process, maybe a five-year plan that would be enforced for symbolically encouraging the good of Gotham to take back their city. To me, for that mission to succeed, it has to end, so this is the ending for me, and as I say, the open-ended elements are all to do with the thematic idea that Batman was not important as a man, he’s more than that. He’s a symbol, and the symbol lives on..."

...The epic conclusion to Nolan's Dark Knight saga arrives on Blu-ray and DVD this coming week, and to further build excitement for the home-entertainment release Warner Bros. has delivered a new behind-the-scenes featurette via Entertainment Weekly which features comments from Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman, while Movies.com posted a gallery of concept art that includes images of Bane (Tom Hardy), The Bat, and the destruction of the Gotham Rogues stadium...

...Warner Bros. isn't the only studio looking to follow Marvel Studios' lead in developing a shared superhero universe and this past week brought confirmation that 20th Century Fox will bring its various X-Men properties together with 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past as director Bryan Singer revealed that Patrick Stewart (Professor X) and Ian McKellen (Magneto) will reprise their roles from the original X-Men trilogy in the upcoming adaptation. Stewart and McKellen will join their younger counterparts from X-Men: First Class - James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender - while Nicholas Hoult (Beast) is also confirmed as returning alongside Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique). And of course (it seems that) no X-Men film would be complete without Hugh Jackman, with reports suggesting that the actor is in negotiations to don the adamantium claws once again for what would be his seventh outing as Wolverine after next summer's solo sequel The Wolverine...

...Moving on to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Empire has released four high quality stills from Iron Man 3 featuring Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) and War Machine (Don Cheadle), along with a shot of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) holding Iron Man's battered face plate. Meanwhile, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has also discussed the upcoming solo sequel, commenting on Tony's mindset post-The Avengers and the inclusion of The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) as the villain, as well as warning fans not to expect any cameos from Earth's Mightiest Heroes or S.H.I.E.L.D. when Phase Two of the MCU gets underway this coming spring...

...While none of The Avengers will appear in Iron Man 3, the God of Thunder will be back on screens late next year in Thor: The Dark World, and both Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) have been talking about their impending return to Asgard, as well as their thoughts on what Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor has brought to the sequel. Elsewhere in the MCU, Marvel are offering fans the chance to appear in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier by bidding on a charity auction for one of two walk-on roles in Chris Evans' second solo outing, while a shortlist of candidates has emerged for the part of Peter Quill / Star-Lord in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, with Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), James Marsden (X-Men), Lee Pace (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables), Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom) and Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas) all said to be in contention for the role of the Guardians' leader...

...According to Bleeding Cool, the upcoming Sony sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be heading to London for some location filming when cameras begin rolling next year, which naturally leads us to assume Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy will be following in the footsteps of her comic book counterpart and heading to the U.K. capital for a period of mourning following the events of this summer's The Amazing Spider-Man. Of course, that would also provide the perfect excuse for Andrew Garfield's web-slinger to cosy up to Gwen's new love-rival Mary Jane Watson, who is set to be portrayed by Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)...

...Filming has now wrapped on the Jeff Wadlow-directed sequel Kick-Ass 2, with ComicBookMovie gathering together a bunch of Twitter reactions from Wadlow, co-creator Mark Millar, and cast members Chloe Grace Moretz (Hit Girl), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Red Mist) and Claudia Lee (Brooke), along with a selection of behind-the-scenes videos showing Olga Kurkulina rehearsing for the epic showdown between Mother Russia and Hit Girl... 

...Misfits creator Howard Overman has spoken about the possibility of bringing the group of superpowered teens to the big screen, revealing on the Panel Borders podcast (via CBM) that he's been working on a screenplay for a feature adaptation of the BATFA Award-winning E4 TV show: "I’ve written the first draft of the script and we’ll see what happens. If it happens, it will involve past and present characters, I’m not allowed to give away anything more than that... Whether or not you’ve completely seen the end of Simon [Iwan Rheon] and Alisha [Antonia Thomas], if our movie has its way, is another issue..."

...Joss Whedon's upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series has found another new recruit, with Brett Dalton (Killing Lincoln) joining the cast of the pilot as Agent Grant Ward, who is described as "Quite the physical specimen and 'cool under fire,' he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you." Dalton will appear alongside the already confirmed Iain De Caestecker (The Little Vampire), Elizabeth Henstridge (The Thompsons) and Ming-Na Wen (Street Fighter), with Marvel Universe regular Clark Gregg leading the cast as fan favourite Agent Phil Coulson. Meanwhile, ABC president Paul Lee had a few words for TV Line about the network's hopes for the forthcoming show: "It’s very Joss Whedon. We’re optimistic, because Joss is a genius and we love the idea and we love what we’ve seen. But it’s early days, and it’s a long way to go between now and a successful series. But we are very excited about it..."

...The CW's Arrow has also gained a couple of cast additions, with Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night; Spartacus: Blood and Sand) securing the role of Slade Wilson / Deathstroke (previously portrayed by a masked Jeffrey C. Robinson) and David Anders (Heroes; Once Upon a Time) set to appear in episode 13 as the original character Cyrus Vanch, who is described by TV Line as "a ruthless career criminal who is released from prison after a long stint [who is] looking to take control of Starling City's criminal underworld, and in order to prove himself to the lowlifes, he's got to a mind to eliminate the man criminals fear most." In other Arrow news, a promo has been released for next week's episode (which again guest stars Jessica De Gouw as The Huntress), while GreenArrowTV got its hands on an episode description for December 12th's mid-season finale Year's End, along with some images that tease the introduction of Merlyn the Dark Archer...

...With Arrow proving a ratings hit for The CW, the network has plans to expand its superhero output with a new Wonder Woman series from Allan Heinberg (Gilmore Girls), which is tentatively entitled Amazon. Thanks to a casting call for the superheroine, we now have an idea of what kind of approach the proposed TV series is looking to adopt [see here]. Oh, and if you're wondering why they're referring to Diana as 'Iris', according to DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, it's nothing more than a 'codename'...

...Green Arrow and Wonder Woman could potentially find themselves joined on the TV schedules by another DC superhero, with Arrow executive producer Andrew Kreisberg providing an update on Syfy's proposed Booster Gold adaptation during an interview with IGN: "I got a little waylaid by Arrow. Booster Gold is going in the next couple weeks before Christmas. We'll see what happens from there. It's such a different project even though they're both DC Comics properties. Booster is much more candy and popcorn, being about time travel and changing the future and being a superhero who can fly. But they're both super-fun projects. As a lifelong DC Comics fan, I am beyond blessed to be working on these projects with all these amazing characters..." 

...And finally, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced a shortlist of 10 films for the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, with this year's three big comic book hitters The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers featuring alongside Cloud Atlas, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, John Carter, Life of Pi, Prometheus, Skyfall and Snow White and the Huntsman. The shortlist will be whittled down to five, and with three candidates among the contenders, there's a good chance the superhero genre will be represented when the final nominations are announced on January 10th. Which film would get your vote? 

Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen - Available now via Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Gary Collinson

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