Tag: Superman

The Flash (2023) | REVIEW

Ezra Miller as ‘younger alternate reality Barry Allen’ and Sasha Calle as ‘Supergirl’ in THE FLASH — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by Andy Muschietti (IT: Chapters One and Two) — Screenplay by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) — Story by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and Joby Harold.

Few films have had as storied and controversial pre-release periods as that of Andy Muschietti’s The Flash. A live-action solo film about DC’s speedster has supposedly been on the drawing board since the 1980s, back when no one had even thought to consider multiverse movies or toxic fandoms. Over the years, the idea changed shape multiple times (and went through multiple filmmakers’ hands) from solo film to team-up film to guest appearance and back to solo film within the Zack Snyder-orchestrated DC Extended Universe (DCEU), as one of the follow-ups to Snyder’s Man of Steel. While we waited for this film to materialize, The CW’s shared TV-DC Universe, the Arrowverse, came and went with Grant Gustin portraying The Flash in a nine-season-long series of the same name, which just ended this year (and which, notably, featured an appearance from Ezra Miller — the actor chosen by Warner Bros. to play the speedster on the big screen).

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Casting Ideas | James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy

James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 has been released, Gunn has finished his trilogy, and his time at Marvel is seemingly in the rearview mirror whether we like it or not. Warner Bros. and DC made a good decision to allow him to guide the direction of a shared universe of films based on DC Comics, which was something I advocated for in my review of his excellent The Suicide Squad film. Although his first DC film as a director, Superman Legacy, is still a couple of years away, now is as good a time as any to have a look at what actors would be good fits for the most iconic characters in Clark Kent’s corner of the DC Universe. So, without further ado, let’s have a look at some casting ideas for the upcoming Superman: Legacy film.

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Snyder Cut: Zack Snyder’s Justice League is on its way to HBO MAX – Special Features #70

During a watch-along of his film Man of Steel, today — May 20th, 2020 — director Zack Snyder, alongside his wife and creative partner Deborah Snyder, announced that, in 2021, Warner Bros. will, finally, ‘release the Snyder cut’ of Justice League (2017) on HBO MAX. DC Comics’ vocal fan base has been heard. In this week’s edition of Special Features, I will answer some questions about this piece of news, and I will tell you exactly how I feel about Warner Bros.’ decision. Let’s get to it. Continue reading “Snyder Cut: Zack Snyder’s Justice League is on its way to HBO MAX – Special Features #70” →

REVIEW: Shazam! (2019)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema

The following is a review of Shazam! — Directed by David F. Sandberg.

It pleases me to say that the DC Cinematic Universe has turned a corner. For so long, Wonder Woman, the first film in the connected universe to receive a majority of positive reviews from film writers, seemed like an anomaly in the inconsistent universe where mixed reception was the best that you could hope for. James Wan’s Aquaman, however, was a big hit — one that indicated that perhaps the DC connected film universe still had life in it. And for Shazam! — a character most audiences will be unfamiliar with — DC and Warner Bros. borrowed yet another director from the Conjuring-film universe, Swedish David F. Sandberg, who, thankfully, has made a huge homerun hit for the weakened connected universe.
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DC Films: Where do we go from here? – Special Features #13

Remember that fantastic trailer for Man of Steel? The trailer that made it seem like DC and Warner Bros. would continue hot off the heels from the Dark Knight trilogy by introducing us to a breathtaking new Superman movie. Man of Steel was ultimately a disappointing beginning to a severely underwhelming cinematic universe. Continue reading “DC Films: Where do we go from here? – Special Features #13” →

Best Superhero Performances – Special Features #12

I don’t believe in the idea that general audiences have superhero fatigue. Each and every year it is the superhero films that comprise most of the spots on the list of the ten most successful films of the year. They make a lot of money, and a lot of them are pretty great. But some of these heroes are iconic, and even some of the performances are iconic. Today I want to honor the ten best superhero performances given by actors and actresses portraying these iconic characters. Continue reading “Best Superhero Performances – Special Features #12” →

REVIEW: Justice League (2017)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros.

The following is a review of Justice League – Directed by Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon.

A couple of months ago, I was looking through some old pieces of paper that I had found in a drawer. In it, I found a membership certificate for some sort of Danish Batman-fan club, and it had my name on it (actually, it was misspelled). This certificate was from when I was just around the age of six or seven.

I am telling you this to provide you with a bit of context for my own background and my love for DC Comics. I’m one of those kids who would hunker down and read Superman comics in the back of the store, while my dad was talking to the comic book store owner. Did I read Marvel Comics too? Definitely, but that shouldn’t take away from my love for DC Comics. I am now, and always have been, a fan of these characters. Continue reading “REVIEW: Justice League (2017)” →

Will Justice League Be A Good Movie? – Special Features #10

When Marvel Studios gave us the excellent superhero team-up film The Avengers, the studio had already given us five different films that effectively introduced us to both the major and minor characters in the ginormous team-up film.

Warner Bros. followed a different formula. Before giving us the forthcoming Justice League team-up film, Warner Bros. rushed to introduce us to the team with these quick scenes in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. So, is Justice League going to be a good movie or not? Let’s look at the evidence. Continue reading “Will Justice League Be A Good Movie? – Special Features #10” →

Is Vinyl a flop? – Testing Television #1

Rockwell Testing TV 2

Testing Television is a new recurring series of posts. In Testing Television, I give you five intriguing pieces of news from the world of television entertainment, followed by the main topic of the show. Finally, under ‘Spotlight’, I highlight a show I highly recommend. As of right now, Testing Television is unscheduled, but it may get a set date every week or month, if the format works.

In this post of Testing Television, I ask whether or not the first season of HBO’s ‘musical’ period drama, Vinyl, was a flop. Also, I highly recommend the great sitcom [Scrubs], one of my favorite comedy shows of all-time. But first, here are the five pieces of television news that you have to know about! Continue reading “Is Vinyl a flop? – Testing Television #1” →

The Future of the DC Cinematic Universe – Detective Comics Saturday #5

DC Saturday - Rebirth

Detective Comics Saturday is back! On the first Saturday of every month you’ll now see me discuss topics related to DC Comics or the DC Cinematic Universe.

I’m so happy to be back writing about everything DC! Now, after the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we have to readjust and get ready for the next film in the DC Cinematic Universe (I refuse to call it the DCEU) – David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. But with two WB/DC films having been released – with both of them receiving mixed reviews (to put it nicely) – we might also have to rethink the future of the universe. So, today I answer four questions that I have been thinking about since I saw Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – let’s get to it! Continue reading “The Future of the DC Cinematic Universe – Detective Comics Saturday #5” →