The "Bernels" for 2013's Big Screen

The Oscars are just a few days away, and as I’ve mentioned in my “Bernels” for the Small Screen of 2013, the “Bernels” for movies of 2013 is set to tie-in with the Oscars’ seasons.  So this is it.  It’s time for another informal movie awards based on my movie standards and tastes.  You might notice that the categories are mostly different from last year’s.  That is to be expected, since the “Bernels” is inconsistent and informal, merely catering to my personal whims, biases, and preferences; it’s just for fun!      

Also, as what was made precedent in the last year’s “Bernels”, movies of the previous year that I’ve only been able to watch after I’ve already made my list for the year’s top movies are qualified for the awards.  Hence, 2013 movies like Frozen, Grudge Match, 47 Ronin, and About Time, which I was only able to get the chance to watch in early 2014 (from January 1 up to the time of writing), are all included in the considerations for the “Bernels” along with the 2013 movies that I’ve got to see in 2013.    

BEST MOVIE: Frozen

If I had been able to see Frozen during 2013, it would have been number one in my “top movies of 2013” list.  Yes, it’s my favorite 2013 film.  I like it so much that, as of writing, I have seen it thrice already.     

Frozen was something fresh and different as it avoided most of the obvious clichés and tropes one would expect from such kind of animated feature.  Therefore, there was the presence of legitimate, unexpected twists which added to the overall amazing quality of the movie.  I found it a bit more sophisticated than previous Disney animated movies.

In a thematic level, this movie contains enough depth that different metaphors – ranging from Christianity to homosexuality – have been derived from it.  Moreover, it has been refreshing to be reminded that “finding true love” is not always about the romantic variety and how “love at first sight” is usually superficial and unreliable. 

Frozen was a stunning and delightful film that has a fascinating story, appealing characters, fine humor, fantastic visuals, and stirring musical numbers.  If ever I have included some BEST ANIMATED MOVIE and BEST MUSICAL categories, the “Bernels” for those will go to Frozen as well.       

A Frozen 2 NEEDS to happen!

BEST MOVIE HERO: Odd Thomas (Odd Thomas)

I thoroughly enjoyed Anton Yelchin’s portrayal of the “Odd One” – that in a year that gave us great and memorable male movie heroes like Asa Butterfield's Ender Wiggin, Martin Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins, Robert Downey’s Iron Man, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s  Roadblock, Brad Pitt’s Gerry Lane, George Clooney’s Matt Kowalski, and Vin Diesel’s Riddick – my pick is still  Yelchin’s Odd Thomas.  Yelchin has fantastically did everything right in bringing to life in the big screen all the necessary character elements that made Odd Thomas the fascinating and loveable character I’ve encountered in the novels.   

Runner-ups:  Tony Stark/Iron Man (Iron Man 3), Roadblock (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Riddick (Riddick), Gerry Lane (World War Z), Matt Kowalski (Gravity), Ender Wiggin (Ender’s Game), Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug)

BEST MOVIE HEROINE: Elsa (Frozen)

As soon as I’ve finished watching Frozen, it was clear to me that Elsa is not only a unique Disney princess and one of the most fantastic ice-powered fictional characters ever, but that I also find her a more interesting character than Katniss Everdeen, last year’s winner and who was set to repeat if it wasn’t for Elsa. 

Runner-up: Katniss Everdeen (Catching Fire)

BEST MOVIE VILLAIN: Khan Noonien Singh a.k.a. John Harrison (Star Trek Into Darkness)

I like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan more than the original one; his portrayal was more charismatic, badass, and engaging.   He was one of the major reasons why Into Darkness has been awesome.  Khan has been an enjoyably magnetic villain, and no other male movie villain in 2013 ever came close of becoming as interesting as Cumberbatch’s Khan.   Not even Tom Hiddleton’s charismatic Loki or Lee-Byung Hun’s badass Storm Shadow.           

BEST MOVIE VILLAINESS: Faora-Ul (Man of Steel)

In Man of Steel, Faora is a ruthless and skilled warrior that serves as General Zod’s lieutenant.   But in spite of being a secondary villain, she proved to be more captivating, more menacing, and more kickass than Zod, the actual main villain.   Heck, she was even probably the most interesting character in the entire movie.  Seriously.  Kick Ass 2’s Mother Russia might be a brutal, badass villainess like Faora but she’s far from being as appealing and dominant. 

Runner-ups: the possessed Mia Allen (Evil Dead), Mother Russia (Kick Ass 2), Mizuki (47 Ronin)  

BEST MOVIE DUO: Roadblock & Duke (G.I. Joe: Retaliation)

Even if the movie had turned out revolving around these two characters, I would have been okay with that.  The Rock and Iron Mike possessed great chemistry together; they were awesomely funny.  Too bad, Duke got killed.   I wish they will revive him for the 3^rd movie. 

Runner-up: Burt Wonderstone & Anton Marvelton (The Incredible Burt Wonderstone); Special Agent Sarah Ashburn & Detective Shannon Mullins (The Heat)

BEST CAMEO: Captain America (Thor: The Dark World)

 

I greatly appreciate this cameo.  Seeing Chris Evans mimicking Tom Hiddleston’s Loki mimicking Chris Evans’ Captain America (that’s how that scene was shot) was a real treat.  

MOST OVERRATED MOVIE: This is the End

 

This movie was generally well-received by critics, but I found it awful.  Oh, I admit, that there were a couple of things I found hilarious about the movie (e.g. the respective cameo scenes of Michael Cera and Emma Watson).  Still, overall, I found that the humor of this movie was seemingly dependent on the narrative getting too vulgar and undignified, which I found appalling and disgustingly desperate for laughs.  

MOST UNDERRATED MOVIE: Now You See Me

Critics hated it.  But I loved it.  It was my choice for best movie of 2013before I got to watch Frozen.  I found Now You See Me a smart, entertaining, and thrilling “magic show.”  I’m at a loss why the critics didn’t like it.  Really.  Every second of this movie has been pretty engaging. 

BEST “MORE-THAN-I-HAD-EXPECTED” MOVIE: About Time

The widow of Henry DeTamble hooks up again with another time traveler, this time, a clone of Bill Weasley in possession of a Time Turner. 

That’s what I originally thought how the movie will look like. 

I thought that this was to be your usual RomCom with time travel as plot device.  But I was mistaken with that presumption.  About Time is actually something that has more depth than that.  It was thoughtful and witty, and I greatly enjoyed it.   

In fact, the romance, and the protagonist’s usage of his abilities to win the girl of his dreams, though it was an integral part of the narrative, was never the real heart of the story.  The main theme was basically about family, living life with no regrets and getting the most out of it, and the importance of wise decisions.       

BEST “EQUALLY-GOOD-AND-BAD” MOVIE: 47 Ronin

47 Ronin received negative reception from critics but I was never the kind of guy that agrees with critics anyway.  I have my own standards.  And by my own standards, I can’t exactly tell what I feel about this movie.  I certainly do not hate it.  But I’m not praising it either.

It got great swordfights and visuals.  But it also felt lacking, untidy, and having too much of Keanu Reeves’ character being forced on us.  The story was merely passable – it had unnecessary and uninspired parts, but it also had some traces of the script being one to two re-writes away from becoming epic.  

It felt both compelling and annoying.  I can’t really explain it properly, except that, to me, it felt like the awesome and the awful in this movie just cancelled each other out.  It was equally good and bad.  

Overall, it is still a movie worth watching, if you have some extra time, but not the kind of movie that needed to be prioritized.         

MOST DISAPPOINTING MOVIE: The Lone Ranger

I really wanted this movie to be good.  The Lone Ranger is such an iconic character and it would have been great for him to have a healthy movie presence in modern pop culture.  Unfortunately, Lone Ranger has been a big, insane mess. Oh, I found it entertaining overall – having Johnny Depp as Toto guarantees that it’s going to be weird but entertaining – but it was still some messy entertainment.  I found the movie confused on what kind of mood it would want to go.  It was underwhelming at times, and then overwhelming at times.  There were instances in which it seems to be treading on the path towards something epic, but there were also significant instances wherein it was purely crazy – and not the good kind of “crazy” but the awful kind.  It was constantly fluctuating between extremes, that in the end, it just felt mediocre.        

MOST HILARIOUS MOVIE: Grudge Match

There was no other 2013 movie that made me laugh as hard as Grudge Match.  Really.  Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro had wonderful comedic chops, and with the help of funny supporting cast members Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin, this movie was enriched with several hilarious scenes and dialogues.  There is a good possibility that this movie could have made my top movie lists for 2013 if I had just been able to see it last year; for not only was it packed with hilarity, it also has a good story that is chock-full of heart.      

Runner-Ups: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Despicable Me 2, The Croods, Monster University 

BEST “IT’S-SO-BAD-THAT-IT’S-GOOD” MOVIE: Sharnado

I guarantee that this movie is going to be one of the most god-awful movies you will ever watch.  But I don’t think you will be bored nor regret watching it.   

Sharknado’s quality is your typical Asylum – cheap, nonsensical, and, most importantly, deliberately intended to be bad.  The narrative pace and scene transitions are messy, inconsistent, and disorganized.  The CGI is horrible.  The script, directing, and cinematography are very poor.    The premise of sharks being brought by storm surges and then tornadoes is just too ridiculously crazy, and it’s loaded with batshit, implausible happenings.

But because of these, it ironically became watchable.  I couldn’t stop groaning and snickering with every scene, but I couldn’t stop watching either.  Its awfulness, dumbness, and insanity made it hilarious.  This is the kind of stuff Mystery Science Theatre 3000 can lampoon the best and mine comedy gold from.  And that’s the charm of this movie.  You could almost hear the sarcastic and ridiculing commentary from the MST3000 guys… and then you’ll realize that you’re the one actually doing it

BEST DANCE SCENE: New Year’s Party Dancing (About Time)

This scene was during the early part of the movie, in the New Year’s Eve Party – the evening before the protagonist learned from his father that he can travel back to the past.  This was definitely one of the funniest scenes I’ve encountered in 2013.  Domhnall Gleeson’s character found himself with an undesirable dance partner as Sugababes’ “Push the Button” plays in the background.  The awkward dancing and troubled look on his face were just priceless.     

 

MOST BADASS MOMENT: A chained Riddick beheads someone using just his foot! (Riddick)

To merely describe it, won’t do it justice.  You have to watch it for yourself to see how awesome it was.  But here’s what transpired:  Among the bounty hunters that went hunting for Riddick, the leader of the first group of bounty hunters (there were two) was big A-hole, who earned Riddick’s wrath after he killed Riddick’s dog-like pet and by just being a constant A-hole.  Riddick was eventually captured, and while he was chained, he threatened the Big A-hole bounty hunter that if he ever gets off his restraints, within five seconds (I think, I forgot the exact number), he would cut off his head, and then put it in the container that the Big A-hole intended for Riddick’s severed head.  All within his promised five seconds.  Indeed, later on, with just the shackles on a foot taken off, Riddick was able to make true of his threat.  Again, describing it won’t do it justice.  You have to see the entire sequence to understand its epicness. 

BEST ACTION-PACKED MOMENT: Jaegers vs. Kaijus (Pacific Rim)

This is self-explanatory.  Every monstrous, badass battle between Jaegers and Kaijus were simply unmatched and tremendously gratifying.

Runner-ups: House Party Protocol (Iron Man 3); Jack Wilder vs. Dylan Rhodes and the FBI – especially the part the part where Wilder weaponized some cards into projectiles (Now You See Me)

BEST MUSICAL NUMBER: “Let It Go” (Frozen)

“Let It Go” is a powerful song.  But it was only in its rendition by Queen Elsa in Frozen in which I find it extremely moving.  I checked out Demi Lovato’s version, both the music video and the live performance, and found it unremarkable; its arrangement sounded synthetic and inferior to the brilliant arrangement of the rendition done in Frozen, which wonderfully articulated the musical emotion appropriate for the song.   And even when Idina Menzel – speaking and singing voice of Elsa – sang it live, it doesn’t measure up to Elsa’s performance in that iconic Frozen sequence; probably because the glorious visual display of Elsa’s ice magic was accompanying the music and it significantly enhanced the impact of the song. 

I totally adore Elsa’s “Let It Go” scene.  As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’ve watched Frozen thrice already.  But I’ve gone to watch the “Let It Go” part of the movie at least a dozen times. 

MOST UNEXPECTED TWIST: The “Mandarin” was a stone-head actor hired by the main villain to be a dummy (Iron Man 3)

This development has been pretty controversial.  Reception has been polarizing.  My very own feelings about it were mixed.  I’m kind of disappointed that a real Mandarin with powered-rings has not been portrayed in the big screen.  On the other hand, I also enjoyed and appreciated how this astonishing and amusing development came out of nowhere and blew everyone’s mind.  

MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: Kal-El breaks Zod’s neck (Man of Steel)

“SUPERMAN DOESN’T KILL!!!” I wanted to scream that out when I saw it.  I was legitimately stunned.  I had to calm my excitement by mentally reminding myself that Man of Steel was an “Elseworld”-kind of tale.   

BIGGEST MOVIE-RELATED NEWS: Batman vs. Superman!!!

There’s probably no bigger movie news in 2013 than this.  Or, at least, no other movie news in 2013 that got me more excited than this.  I’ve always wanted a Batman/Superman movie to happen.  (I’ve already discussed more about this, along with other Justice League-related developments) 

Runner-Ups: Veronica Mars movie was made possible by Kickstarter, Warcraft movie

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Leaked Test Footage of "Guardians of the Galaxy" is a Glimpse of How Awesome the Movie Will Be

Guardians of the Galaxy is already something I’ve been greatly looking forward to, but after seeing this rough test footage of Rocket Raccoon and Groot in action, I’m madly excited to see the entirety of this epicness…

I was blown away.  Seriously, I’ve probably stared at this four-second GIF loop for five minutes straight at a time in no less than three separate occasions.  Watching an intense Rocket Raccoon spewing hot lead from some kind of submachine gun while Groot is snarling with his best Hulk impression has been spellbinding.  The two just look incredibly badass!  Imagine, those are the characters that Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are respectively playing.  Can’t wait to see them emit awesomeness.      

Heck, I’m calling it now: Guardians of the Galaxy could likely turn out to be Marvel Studios’ greatest hit.  I’m not just optimistic about it, I’ll even dare say that GotG could even become a bigger thing than Star Trek and Star Wars.  Crazy?  Maybe.  Of course, I could be wrong, but that’s just my honest gut feeling about it.   

The potential is there.  If the test footage is an accurate barometer of how GotG will turn out, then I’m predicting that it’s going to be bizarre, dynamic, funny, action-packed, and thrilling.

The characters are fascinating and unique; the roster might not be totally dysfunctional, but with a talking raccoon and a living tree in it, plus two green-skinned hard-asses in Drax and Gamora,  and a leader that is described by Iron Man as “nuttier than three Spider-Men all rolled up into one”, this is one interestingly bonkers team.

And its production has been wrapped in mystery so far that several mindblowing surprises could have been prepared, like an appearance of Iron Man or the introduction of Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (if implications from comic book developments are actual indications).

This is going to be epic.

The first GotG trailer that is scheduled for release in February 18 (19 in my timezone) will either support or refute my sentiment.   

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Top 10 Fictional Characters That Have Ice Powers

While other “elemental” powers are depicted as powerful, ice powers are often portrayed as both powerful and aesthetic.  Hence, the best kind of characters that have ice powers are those that are both potent and creative in their usage of their ice-themed powers.  These are my picks for the ten coolest fictional characters (pun intended) of that kind.    

10.) ICE

Kicking off this list is the lazily named “Ice”, a Justice Leaguer that has ice powers. (She regularly teams up with Fire, another lazily-named hero, who has – you guessed it – fire powers.)  Ice has an innocent, pleasant personality, but it doesn’t mean she’s a weakling.  She is a capable hand-to-hand combatant as well as being fully capable of maximizing her great ice and snow powers.  I admit that she’s not really a very interesting character, but she has been a staple to the Justice League rosters (in the comics) I’ve grown up with.    

9.) CAPTAIN COLD

Captain Cold is one of the Flash’s most prominent archenemies.  As a villain, he is straight-up interested in profiting from pure, “honest” crime than actual evil (that’s why in the current “Forever Evil” story, he is one of the DC villains that stood up against the Crime Syndicate’s tyranny).  Captain Cold was usually depicted (prior the New 52) as simply a guy armed with a gun that shoots ice rays, but in the New 52, he now has real ice and cold superpowers, making this character more interesting.   Moreover, he is shockingly set to become a member of the Justice League, with Lex Luthor, in the aftermath of “Forever Evil”!             

8.) MR. FREEZE

Mr. Freeze is primarily concerned with curing his terminally ill wife, who is cryogenically frozen.  But per usual of a Batman villain, he’s insane.  Thus, his delusions and madness often lead him to do destructive actions with his ice capabilities.  Mr. Freeze has no superpowers, but as a former cryogenic scientist, he has built freezing gadgets and weapons, particularly his trademark “freezing gun”, and his villainous schemes usually involve ice.     

7.) TOYA

During Yu Yu Hakushu’s Dark Tournament Saga, Toya (if I can remember it right, he was “Toryo” in the Filipino dub) was a member of Team Masho, one of the teams that Team Yusuke matched with.  His opponent had been Kurama (“Dennis” in the Filipino dub), and though he had the upper hand early on (for Kurama has been spent and was under a curse from his previous opponent) and displayed tactical talent, Kurama proved to be his tactical superior and beat him in the end.  Later on, Toya – along with some other former participants of the tournament – would become Kurama’s ally during the Three Kings Saga.  

Toya would begin a fight by turning the battlefield icy, to his advantage.  During battle, he would usually shoot out “ice bullets” and use an “ice sword” as weapon.  

6.) TŌSHIRŌ HITSUGAYA

Hitsugaya is the youngest Shinigami that ever reached the rank of captain.  Being a “child” prodigy (his age in years is not necessarily those of a child in human standards, though his appearance is that of one, hence, he didn’t qualify for my list on fiction’s boy geniuses), his development and promotion had been swift among the ranks of Gotei 13.  The motif of his Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru, is that of ice.  Hyōrinmaru is considered as the strongest ice-elemental Zanpakutō in soul society.  In shikai-release form, Hyōrinmaru takes the form of an ice dragon, and in bankai-form, it provides Tōshirō with ice dragon attachments – most notably, ice dragon wings – granting him immense ice powers.       

5.) SUB-ZERO 

This terrifying ice-powered Mortal Kombat character is one of my most favorite ninjas in fiction.  His martial arts expertise and ice abilities are a lethal combination.     

4.) KUZAN (A.K.A. AOKIJI)

He is one of the most powerful characters that appeared in One Piece.  He has eaten the “Hie Hie no Mi” devil fruit which gave him tremendous ice powers, and he has shown that he is greatly proficient and versatile in wielding his powers.  His ice powers are so great that he can freeze entire oceans and tsunamis!  He was a former Marine admiral but has left the Marines after losing his ten-day duel with Admiral Sakazuki for the position of fleet admiral.    

3.) ELSA

Frozen’s Queen Elsa is probably my most favorite Disney princess as of now.  As a Disney princess, she is arguably the most unique among them.  There are a variety of reasons why.  One of which is she has no need for a “prince” figure to complete her.  Another is because of her ice and snow powers.  She is so powerful that she can bring snowmen to life, cover the entire land with a permanent winter, build ice castles, and change her wardrobe in an instant – all while carrying out a stirring song number.  She is rightful of being called “the Snow Queen.”  

  

2.) ICEMAN

He seems to be unlike it, but Bobby Drake is one of the most powerful X-Men ever.  His vast ice powers and potential make him so.  He is, I think, the earliest fictional character I’ve encountered that possesses ice powers, hence, he became a definitive benchmark on what makes an effective ice-powered character.  He can create formidable ice constructs of different forms.  He throws ice projectiles.  He can travel by creating ice roads or slides and then “skating” on them.  He can freeze anything.  He can transform his entire body into snow or ice (and if his ice body breaks, he can reconstruct himself without harm to his normal organic form).  These are only to name some of Iceman’s usual applications; however, he is continually evolving and learning new facets and extents to his ice powers.  

1.) GRAY FULLBUSTER

My pick for the most kickass and interesting ice-powered fictional character is Gray Fullbuster, one of Fairy Tail’s most powerful and most important members.  His magic, “Ice-Make”, allows him to generate ice and manipulate it into any form or shape that he wills.  He’s not the first character I’ve encountered that constructs things made of ice, but his constructs are infinitely the most creative and most fun I’ve encountered.  He’s like a Green Lantern, but makes use of ice instead of green energy.  Throughout Fairy Tail’s run, Grey has done countless of amazing applications of his magic.  He’s so in tune with ice, that cold temperature – no matter how fierce – never affects him.  In fact, he is most comfortable – especially in combat – when his clothes are off.

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Chain of Thoughts on Some "Justice League" Developments

I intended this at first to be all about Justice League: War but my thoughts branched out to other Justice League-related reflections.  Here we go...

→ When I saw the trailer for Justice League: War, I inferred that I won’t like it, that it’s probably going to be the most inferior of all DC animated movies.  So I decided that I won’t watch it.  But, in the end, as soon as it was out, I did watch it.  It merely confirmed my inference.  Now, I haven’t seen all DC animated movies, but I did see most of them.  Justice League: Wardoesn’t necessarily suck – it’s actually exciting and entertaining – but it’s my least favorite DC animate movie so far.      

→ The voice acting was terrible.  There was even one instance that some characters were seemingly just reading off the script. 

→ Most of the costumes were bad. 

→ When the New 52 ditched Superman’s iconic costume, I was against it but was not really mad about it.  To me, I preferred the old look but it was as if the new look was not that bad.  But now seeing it animated and in motion, it really doesn’t look right on Superman.  It was aesthetically awful to me.      

→ Half of the roster displayed different degrees of jerk-assery.  Most annoying of all was Green Lantern.  Ugh. 

→ It’s unfortunate that DC’s attempt of putting more depth on Superman’s character was by making him a bit of a jerk.  I really cringe on some of Superman’s lines here – he sounded like a borderline A-hole.  Also, I hated that JL: War’s depiction of Superman’s approach in fighting is totally like his Man of Steel counterpart: reckless and no regard for collateral damage at all.  Now, I could give that that worked in Man of Steel, because of its “realistic” and cynical context and tone, but that should never define who Superman is.  Hence, between these and the god-awful costume, I totally despised what DC’s “make-over” did to Superman.     

→ The only awesome thing about this movie is Batman.  Because Batman is always awesome.  Jason O’Mara was no Kevin Conroy but he delivered a decent performance. 

→ I probably would have hated Green Lantern less – and might have even completely liked him, even if he was a big A-hole – if it was Nathan Fillion voicing him again.

→ The Flash was fine, too.  Next to Batman, Flash is the most likable character of the movie.  He had some great action sequences.   

→ Third most likable character was Captain Marvel (Yeah, yeah.  He’s solely known as Shazam now.  But he’ll always be a Captain Marvel to me).  Yeah, he had some annoying moments where he came out as a jerk (especially when he was in his Billy Bateson form), but he looked fantastic and had great action moments.  

→ I have no clue why they gave Aquaman’s roster spot to Shazam (in the original New 52 comics, it was Aquaman who founded the Justice League with the others, not Shazam).    DC is still embarrassed by him, I guess, even though New 52 has turned him into a real badass already.       

→ It was an origin story on how the New 52 version of the Justice League started.  So it was important that their bringing together was emphatically done.  However, though they managed to work together and triumph as a team, I did not feel any chemistry developing among them.

* * *

→ A chilling thrill went up my spine when it was announced during last year’s San Diego Comic Con that a Batman/Superman movie is set for 2015 (which is recently moved to 2016).  That’s brilliant!  This was a movie I’ve wanted to happen for a long time.  So excited.  

→ Awesome the Avengers movie might have been, Batman and Superman’s reputation is enough to match the entire Avengers’ movie roster in terms of pop culture weight.  Even if they make this movie just as awesome as the Batman/Superman: Public Enemies animated movie, then that would be more than enough.   

→ It’s implied that this movie is going to have a “Batman vs. Superman” premise.  I’m cool with that – the two heroes clashing first before teaming-up against a common threat.  But If there’s going to be a fight, it has to be compelling and the stakes believable and exciting, i.e. they have to be in equal standing.  Hence, there’s a need to show Batman’s tactical genius – completely putting together and executing a strategy that will allow him to take on Superman properly and squarely, since obviously, power-wise, Superman will never have any trouble kicking his butt. 

→ The Internet hate has been great on the casting of Ben Afleck as the new Batman.  Though he’s not my choice for the role, I’m willing to give him the benefit of a doubt, giving him a chance.  Who knows, he might turn out great after all.  Just like Michael Keaton.  When Tim Burton casted Keaton as Batman, the intensity of backlash from the fans was unparalleled; great was the hate and disapproval.  There were even letter campaigns (that was the days before the Internet) to remove the role from Keaton.  Fans can’t picture Beetlejuice as Batman (just like how fans now can’t picture Daredevil as Batman).  But look how it turned out?  Michael Keaton probably did the greatest depiction of Batman in the big screen (Yeah, I pick Keaton over Christian Bale as Batman.  But Bale was a better Bruce Wayne).  Same thing happened when Heath Ledger got the role for the Joker, the Internet raged with fan displeasure.  But, again, see how that turned out?  Ledger was able to deliver a powerful, captivating reinvention of Joker.  So Afleck might suck in the end after all, but for now, based on history, I prefer to go on “wait-and-see” mode.

→ The rationale for Afleck’s casting is the story requires an older, tired Batman.  I’m not so sure about this, since I’ve always known Batman and Superman being in the same group.  Still, Afleck is not that “older” looking, so it’s not an issue. 

→ My primary choice for the Batman role has always been for Christian Bale to reprise it.  Sure, Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy is over – a concluded story that was never meant to be part of a larger “superhero universe.”  But Bale can play a new Batman by merely never acknowledging the events in the Nolan Batmanverse ever happened.  This would have given us a familiar Batman face, but it would be as if he is a different Batman character entirely.  It also gives the illusion that the Dark Knight Trilogy is loosely connected to the new Man of Steel-spearheaded, shared DC Cinematic Universe.   

→ Then, we learned that Wonder Woman was going to be in this movie and Gal Gadot was cast for the role.  Like with Afleck’s casting, I am not hating with Gadot’s casting.  But, as of this point, I’m not feeling it.  Sure, Gadot has proven to be hot and badass in the Fast and the Furious movies, but Wonder Woman is not only hot and badass.  She also has depth.  Now, I love to see her be brought to life in the big screen.  But I have some doubts that Gadot can pull it off properly.     

I can’t picture the frail-looking, wiry Gadot as the amazon Wonder Woman.

In terms of physique, the “actress” of Axel Braun’s Wonder Woman porn parody is more qualified than Gadot to play the role. 

→ Nonetheless, again, I am not hating.  At this point, I’m just not comfortable of the casting.  But I’ll give Ms. Gadot a chance.  Besides, there is news that she is bulking up for the role.  Good for her.  Moreover, she knows Krav Maga (no surprise there, since she’s from Israel), and that has to count for something for Krav Maga is awesome.    

→ Then rumor began to circulate that a Justice League movie will be shot back-to-back.  Whoa.  It means DC is rushing to catch up with Marvel’s Avengers, and I am not really entirely sold that this is a good idea.  I would definitely love to see a Justice League movie.  But I want it to be epic.  I don’t want the opportunity go to waste.  If DC will rush things, there’s a possibility that the quality might be sacrificed.  Moreover, this could also affect the quality of the Batman/Superman movie.   

→ Another game-changing rumor, which is being fueled by the Internet and the Rock himself, is that Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson will star as the Green Lantern, John Stewart.  I would have infinitely preferred for Marvel to cast him as Luke Cage, but if it happened to be true that DC has already gotten him on board to play John Stewart, then that is a casting I greatly applaud. 

→ My preferred Justice League movie line-up:  Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Martian Manhunter.   

Or they can go with the New 52’s “Super Seven” line-up. I’m also fine with that.

→ I find it practical for DC to connect their TV universe to their movie universe, thus, the Flash and Green Arrow characters that have been portrayed in the Arrow TV show should be cast for the roles

→ Man of Steel has made precedence that the DC shared movie universe is going be more “realistic” and less “comic bookish.”  I’m intrigued on how they are going to make that work.   Will it really be to their advantage by going this route?  The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that the mood the Man of Steel has set for DC’s cinematic universe might not be proper after all.  But it could still work.  (Maybe.)  I just think it would have been easier for DC if they had gone with the “comic bookish” route.  Now they have to stick with the moody, serious tone they have established, without being too much grim and cynical.  Again, it could still work and might turn out to be the brilliant approach after all.  But they have to be careful.  It won’t be much fun if it gets too serious and angsty – too much negativity.

* * *

              

→ Meanwhile, in the comics…   Lex Luthor and Captain Cold are joining the Justice League!!!  Based on the preview art above, the two are in and their respective archenemies, Superman and Flash, are out.  And it seems that Lex Luthor is going to be the new leader (much to the disgust of Batman)!  In the current “Forever Evil” event – wherein the evil doppelgangers of the Justice League that came from an alternate universe, the Crime Syndicate, have annihilated the Justice League, conquered the world, and obtained the allegiance of many DC supervillains – Luthor is leading a coalition made up of DC supervillains, which includes Captain Cold, that have refused to concur with the Crime Syndicate, along with Batman and Catwoman, to overthrow the Crime Syndicate. So I guess Luthor and Captain Cold are likely going to be significant contributors in defeating the Crime Syndicate, which will oblige their undisputable memberships into the Justice League.  I am not totally sold that this is a brilliant development, but this is nonetheless extremely intriguing.  It seems that this is going to be a lot of fun.  The interactions, pissing matches, and unholy alliance that are going to happen between Batman and Luthor alone make this worthwhile.  

→ Next to Peter Parker’s return, this is the comic book event I’m greatly looking forward to in April.  

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RE: Superior Spider-Man Part 6 (Or "Peter Parker is Indeed Coming Back!")

It would have been a hundred times more awesome if the announcement of Peter Parker’s return broke out after Superior Spider-Man #25.   Why?  For this happened…

Nobody was expecting that.  Everyone would have their mind blown by that twist – which was no longer a real twist since everyone knew Peter Parker was set to return prior to reading that issue.  It would have been as electrifying as the last page of the first issue of Superior Spider-Man.   That was a missed opportunity.

Anyway, it’s really happening! Superior Spider-Man is ending; Peter Parker will finally get his body and life back from Otto Octavius. 

When the reports of Peter Parker’s return first leaked, I was thrilled but suspiciously prudent.  But now it has finally been made official, I can relax and just be thrilled about it.  I can’t wait for April!

Here are some key quotes from Dan Slott (writer and mastermind of Superior) during some recent interviews on him when Peter Parker’s return was already established as eminent – plus, my reactions:

“The fan reaction has been brilliant. It's been so polarized and, most of all, passionate. That's great. If Peter Parker, Spider-Man and Doc Ock make you feel this passionate, even if it's pulling your hair out? That's a wonderful thing. It means you care.”

That is so true.  I can’t believe how the whole thing provoked me into writing a lot about it.  I never wrote about a particular topic as extensively as I’ve done on Superior Spider-Man.  And here I am again, writing my thoughts on Superior Spider-Man.  Heck, this is the sixth part already.  And I will probably do a seventh (and, hopefully, final) one on April to wrap things up.         

“One of the great things we got out of Superior is that something happens in every issue. When you look at it, almost every issue or arc had some massive status-quo change for Spider-Man and his world. ‘You just destroyed Horizon Lab? Spider-Man just took over the Raft? What?’ Everywhere you looked around, something happened. Working on the series, we knew from day one that we were jamming our foot on the accelerator and we weren't lifting up. We're firmly on the gas, just going as fast as possible. That's the feel we wanted for this book. It was fun to see readers going, ‘Why is something big happening all of the time?’ That was part of the energy of this book.”

It was indeed mindblowingly fast-paced, I will acknowledge that.  It was one of the positive things about the book.  The exhilarating-car-ride metaphor works.  Good one.    

- “He’s Peter Benjamin Parker – the only one, true, amazing Spider-Man. He’s been a cultural icon for over half a century; did you really think he’d be gone forever? I remember back when I heard about the Human Torch dying in Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four series, and I had plans to write some Spider-Man stories where Johnny Storm would’ve shown up. They changed because of Johnny’s absence, and the scripts I was turning in had Spidey acting the way I felt: ‘Oh yeah, Johnny Storm is dead? Hey Reed! Did you see a body? He’s gotta be coming back.’ I had Spidey in complete disbelief that Johnny was truly dead, but Tom Brevoort said I couldn’t do it that way. ‘What do you mean?’ I asked him, and he explained that I had to be true to Johnathan Hickman’s plans; I had to play as if Peter believed he was dead, to be fair to the other guy’s story.
“That’s very much how this worked as well. This has been in the works since Amazing Spider-Man #700 – the death of Peter in the Dying Wish storyline, the new Superior Spider-Man, all that. I’m kind of new at this secrecy thing, so I practiced the best poker face I could muster. At conventions and signings and public events when people asked if he was truly dead, I had to say ‘yes.’ I had to bellow it while twirling a mustache and acting sinister. [laughs] I had to own it for a good solid year; it’s akin to what they call in wrestling a ‘heel turn.’ As a writer I had to be evil and flat out lie to you. Of course, it was a lie.”
- “To do that for a solid year of my life, that’s the hardest thing I’ve had to do — to look small children in the eye at a convention and lie to them. One of them with an honest-to-God Little League uniform and a quivering lip. Inside, part of me was dying.”
- “It happened at a signing in New Jersey. During the course of that day I hit that scenario about three times. And I had to do it with a straight face. There was one sad little moppet in a little league uniform with a quivering lip who asked if Peter was dead, and I told him ‘sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes the hero doesn’t always win. I’m sorry.’ I went home feeling terrible, but I had to stick to my guns.”

Well played, Mr. Slott.  Well played.
  

That totally makes sense.  Everyone who reads comic books knows that death is never permanent in comics. Every character comes back from the dead, one way or another, when convenient to a current tale.  Hence, there’s the general lack of concern on comic book deaths.  So to remove this sense of smug security on the inevitability of resurrection among fandom, Slott and his co-conspirators had to maintain “kayfabe” as if SpOck (Spider-Ock) was already permanent, or, at least, a long-term status quo.   They had to sell it well to make the whole story experience emphatic to fans.  I admit that that worked brilliantly.  Indeed, with all that gimmick, everyone is more euphoric by Peter Parker’s upcoming return. 

Another important effect in the end is that, as Axel Alonso (current Marvel Editor-in-Chief) pointed out in one interview, people who have been taking Peter Parker for granted (after five decades of stories that featured Parker battling a recurring set of villains and personal problems) will appreciate him a little more. 

- “But there’s a twist. There’s always a twist.”
- “On top of that, Peter will have to deal with something else [when he returns]. You always have to throw the left hook. It can't just be what everyone expects it's going to be, or where there's the fun in that? There's always one more thing on top, one more twist, one more bump in the road you did not see coming.”

Uh-oh.  I don’t like the sound of that.  But this development is to be expected. 

Overall, I think I’ve had some new found respect for Dan Slott.  I’ve not yet fully forgiven him – for epic SpOck might turn out to be, it was still a blasphemous thing to do to Spider-Man – but it’s going there.  It depends on how Slott will handle Peter’s return, if all of these will be worth it.  But he had already proved how clever he is.  He clearly knows what he’s doing.  And he knows how to play work on the readers.       

As of this point, there are a couple of questions we can’t wait to have answers for.  The most important is, of course, how Peter Parker will take back his body.  But there are a couple of other intriguing questions: What will happen to Otto Octavius?  Will he end up dead, or will he remain in Peter’s sub-consciousness? 

And what is Slott’s main purpose in marooning Miguel O’Hara – the Spider-Man of 2099 – in the present?  Will he be the catalyst to Peter’s return?  Will he become Otto Octavius’ new vessel?  At this point, I know Slott always has something under his sleeve.  I don’t think Miguel O’Hara was utilized in the story just because.  There’s a deeper reason.

Spidey quitting the Mighty Avengers.

Spidey quitting the Avengers.

Will Peter Parker make amends with the Avengers?  SpOck leaving both Avengers teams he belonged in doesn’t sit well with me.  I hope Spider-Man will be accepted back once Peter returns and explains everything.  One of the most delightful and funniest moments in comics is Spider-Man’s interactions with his Avengers teammates, and it will be a terrible downer if Spider-Man will no longer be part of the Avengers.

What will Peter Parker’s reaction be when he learns that Otto had made him a doctor but had made him hook up with a little person?  Without Otto’s efficiency and organizational skills, how will Peter Parker serve as CEO of his own company?    Will he finally get to reunite with Mary Jane? 

Will Peter keep some of SpOck’s hardware?  I sure hope so!  He should keep the cybernetic goggles and the spider-bots (but make them smaller and less conspicuous, the same size of a common spider).  But the SpOck gadget I really like for Parker to keep is the retractable mechanical spider-limbs.  That gadget is pretty sensible and awesome!  He might also want to keep maintaining a secret lab or “hide-out” (maybe within Parker Industries’ premises), with the Living Brain still on hand.        

I’m extremely excited to learn the answers.  Can’t wait for April – for the culmination of Superior Spider-Manand the relaunching of Amazing Spider-Man.   So see you in Part 7 for my final evaluation of Superior Spider-Man.  Till then.  

Now, that’s what Spider-Man is all about. That’s why Peter Parker is the one and only Spider-Man!

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