My pick for Lex Luthor in Man of Steel 2...

Okay - I've already given my treatment of MoS2, and others agree on at least one point - Lex Luthor will appear.

Now it's about who should play the part.

See, the problem with DC is that there's been many versions of their characters over the years, so before one can pick an actor for a given role...they have to pick their version of that role.

I haven't read a single issue of the New 52 stuff...and I refuse to on principle...but I did read 52 -

which has a rather nasty take on the character.

There's only one guy I think of when I read this story. One actor who can pull off smart, dangerous and cool at the same time:

Billy Zane.

Yeah, the guy from Titanic...

...and The Phantom...

...and Back to the Future...

...and other things.

Just look at the guy and tell me I'm wrong.

There's already talk of Phase Three?

I've heard that Marvel Studios had announced dates set aside for future episodes of the MMU...May 6 2016 and May 5 2017..., but I hadn't put together the fact that these are for after the release of Avengers 2 (May 1 2015), making these the first newsy bits of "Phase Three".

I'm a little concerned that Marvel's looking that far ahead.

I get that they've locked up the first weekend of May...which coincides with Free Comic Day, the first Saturday in May...for the next four years.

But is this a good idea?

I mean, I read that Louis Leterrier had commented about the pressure of finishing The Incredible Hulk in time to meet the release date...without a completed script.

To be fair, that happens a lot in Hollywood. But my hope was that since Marvel Studios was kind of it's own entity, there wouldn't be any "self-imposed" stress.

But I guess that's not the case.

It is possible that since TIH, Marvel's learned from their mistakes. Whedon's already working on Avengers 2, and whatever other projects Marvel Studios have in their House of Awesomeness must be at various stages of development.

So now it's up to us to discuss which characters are due to appear when.

I guess Ant-Man will be the first post-A2 film, followed most likely a Doctor Strange.

One thing's for sure, Marvel's really got people thinking about the future...

...I just hope it all goes according to plan...

WTF? Fridays...The Tourist Edition...6/28/2013

What took me so long to see this film?

I had it in my Netflix cue, and I put it there for two reasons...

...which is what this film is noted for - being the only time these two leading actors shared the screen - but now that I've finally seen it, there was oh so much more.

I mean yeah, the European countryside is beautiful, and Venice as well, but what got to me was the cast:

There's...

...J.A.R.V.I.S. from the Iron Man series...

...the bad guy from A Knight's Tale...

...one of the bad guys from Octopussy, and for good measure...

...one of the Bonds...(and am I the only one who thinks Dalton looks like Patrick Stewart's son? Just imagine Dalton bald...see?)

This film was great. Suspenseful, funny, and classy. Depp made the "Stranger in a Strange Land" thing work, and Jolie still looks like a woman who'd make me feel like a male praying mantis if I ever found myself in a room with her.

...

Have I mentioned that Brad Pitt and I share the same birthday - only I'm 8 years younger?

I won't give away the ending, but that last line of the film was perfect!

Guess I have to add this to my ever-growing Blu-ray list...

So, this is cool...

Over at nottonyharrison's deviantART page, there's a bunch of cool Marvel-inspired fan art - like these:

But what's also cool over there is that there's some Rule 63 stuff...which I guess is: "If a character exists, you can gender swap it."

Not like I haven't seen that before...

Post-poned due to illness...

It could be because of the hot/cold temp changes between the weather outside and high air-conditioning, or it could be because I've been running around at work too much...but I've got a summer cold.

And it sucks.

Man of Steel...Weekend #2...

Okay, let's take a look at how MoS did over it's second weekend...

Compared to last (opening) weekend's total of $116.6, it made only $41.2 million as of June 23rd.

Yeah, that's a drop of over 64%, but get this - since it opened, MoS made over $210 million in the States and roughly $188.3 million in other countries, making the grand total just over $398 million.

Not the same numbers as Iron Man 3 to be sure, however...

...it's made more that Superman Returns as well as Superman 4, 3, 2, and 1.

That's right - MoS is the top grossing Superman film...of all time.

Not only that, it's the fourth top grossing film of a DC character.

Ever.

And yes, it is behind The Dark Knight ($533.3 million), and The Dark Knight Rises ($448.1 million), (and Michael Keaton's Batman at $251.1) but it's done better than Batman Begins, which made $205.3 million in it's run...

...and we're only in Week Number 2!

So it's no wonder that WB and DC are going ahead with a sequel.

Now do I think MoS will beat TDK?

Absolutely not.

But if it did beat 1989's Batman...

...it would be a whole new ballgame!

Excellent News!!!

A deal has been made to keep RDJ as Tony Stark for a while longer.

It seems he'll return in The Avengers 2 and A3...but as of now there's no talk of an Iron Man 4.

I'm not sure how to feel about this. I'm grateful that everyone involved has agreed to keep RDJ, and that there will in fact be an Avengers 3...

...but no IM4?

I will say that keeping Iron Man out of the cinemas does clear the way for other characters (like Black Panther, Daredevil, Elektra, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Ghost Rider) to enter the scheduling.

This is good.

It also makes sense for all of the other current characters in the movies (Thor, Cap and Hulk) to have a "limit" if you will - although I'm still waiting for Incredible Hulk 2.

What's bad about this is the lack of future Iron Man...and therefore Thor, Cap and Hulk...films in the distant future.

However...

What this could mean is that RDJ may appear as Tony in other Marvel movies...such as Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and so forth.

So it's possible that both Chrises, Mark, Tom and other actors may show up throughout the MMU.

And that's not bad at all.

Besides, JG-L's gonna need a few years before he can take over the role...

I just don't get it man...

I spent the day with Adorkette in South Portland at PortConMaine, and I bought a used Blu-ray of The Princess Bride for about $10. (I know, it's not anime, but I've mentioned before that it's really not my thing)

I've gotten into the habit of buying movies and music second hand to help save money and to make sure I want what I buy.

Anyway, my problem wasn't with buying Princess, my problem was finding out after the fact that the case was damaged.

This wasn't the first time I had an issue with damaged cases, the same thing's happened with CD's and DVD's, but for some reason, Blu-ray cases are hard to come by.

So when I came across a 10-pack for $15 at Best Buy, I got them...but there went the rest of my money.

WTF?

Just a reminder...

They're having a cosplay parade/fashion show at The Maine Mall in South Portland this morning at 10 AM.

Get out there if you can!

WTF? Fridays…The Man of Steel Review…6/21/2013

I’ve given you a week to see the movie and I can’t wait anymore

I’ll go into further detail after I get the Blu-ray but for now, it’s time for my SPOILER-FILLED review after the break.

You’ve been warned.

Summer Reading...such as it is...

When I was a kid, one of the best things I did over a summer involved a reading program promoted by the local public library.

They gave out a list of books to kids, and at the end of the summer handed out rewards to those who read the most.

I can't remember how they recorded who read what (probably through the parents), or even what the prizes were, but I remember checking out the books and having the ability to read what interested me instead of what was required during the school year.

At that time, I was heavily into Stephen King...and this is back when The Stand just came out.

Now I barely have time to find a book to read during the summer, let alone read it, but I've become hooked on an author who's latest novel came out recently...

When The Da Vinci Code came out, I thought it was ridiculous. Then Mrs. Adorkification...who read it in like two days...recommended it to me.

So, being a good husband, I read it.

Five weeks later, I agreed with her that it was a very good book. Granted, I think Stephen King is a better writer than Brown, but I grew to love Robert Langdon and the hidden clues and such scattered throughout the story.

(Which goes back to my afternoons as a kid glued to the tube for 3...2...1...Contact - more specifically The Bloodhound Gang)

Then I heard about this other book...Angels and Demons...which is the first of the Langdon novels. And as usual with me and a series, I had to get that one too.

Then came The Lost Symbol...

...and finally Inferno.

Aside from the codes and such, the locations, artifacts and history make for good reading - even though there's a lot of artistic licence involved.

I have seen both films, and no doubt will see the rest when they come out, but this series is one of those times where the book's been better than the movie.

I wonder, however, if we'll ever see a comic adaptation...

Hey Kids...Anime!

Just a reminder that PortConMaine starts this afternoon and runs through Sunday at the DoubleTree Hilton in South Portland.

There'll be a Costume Parade through the Maine Mall at 9:30 Saturday morning as well.

I'm not big on Anime, and reading Manga makes my head hurt, but I'll always support fans who love their stuff and it's another excuse to get me to the mall for some movie, music, comic shopping.

So if you can, swing by for a day.

Maybe I'll learn a thing or two about Shinegami...

WTF? man...

I had to work late last night...like until midnight late...and I just woke up and am fighting my way through my first cup of java.

Work is seriously beginning to impede on my hobbies...

I've been slacking in my Robin chronological review, my Marvel: Avengers Alliance gaming, and my A Dork(ification)'s Movie Reviews.

Balls.

Symbolize Yourself...

We are a world of symbols.

Icons…Avatars…Profile pics…Dashboard pics...

Whatever you call them, we use them as a means to describe and define ourselves.

I’m amazed at how we manage to take lifetimes of experiences, interests and preferences and boil them down to a single image.

So what’s my symbol?

What’s my definitive pic?

Easy…

Now I can hear some longtime readers ask: How can I, a self-proclaimed “Marvel Zombie” use this particular image?

First of all, Superman was the first super-hero. Without Superman, there’s no Batman, Spider-Man or Captain America.

He pre-dates Marvel Comics, pre-dates DC comics, he pre-dates comics. You could say that without Superman, there’d be no comics.

Then there’s the fact that Superman: The Movie was the first successful super-hero film. It set the bar for an entire genre of films to attempt to achieve.

Speaking of the movie, how about that music? The theme, by musical genius John Williams, is legendary. You don’t even have to see the film to know that that song is connected to this character.

Let’s talk television. Two words: George Reeves. ‘Nuff said.

Now, I also like football. Depending on which version you look at, Clark either worked the sidelines or played the sport back in Kansas.

And let’s not forget, Clark’s something of a dork.

As for Kal-El, yeah he’s strong but he's not the smartest person out there. He tends to trust people without prejudice and help those around him without going around solving all of the worlds’ problems.

He’s not a leader of others, but an inspiration for others.

So…comics, movies, music, television, sports, dorkiness, trust, inspiration, and dare I say it: Hope.

Is there any other single image that unifies all these things?

Probably…

…just not for me.

First Impressions: Man of Steel

Here's my Spoiler-free review...

Adorkette and I saw this yesterday in IMAX 3-D and while awesome, I can't say it was perfect.

This was a great Father's Day film, and I'm not alone in that way of thinking because the 3:45 showing was basically full...which is a good sign for the movie.

The special effects were great, but where it lost me a bit was with the 3-D aspect. This film was converted in post-production - like The Avengers - and along with that movie, there were some points where it was unnecessary...and some points where it could have been done more.

It's so hard for me not to go into detail, thus revealing spoilers, but I will say that this is a worthy successor to the classic Superman: The Movie.

Let's look at how it did financially:

To start with, it set a record for the highest (domestic) opening weekend for the month of June with $125.1 million (including Thursday's showings). This puts MoS right behind IM3 for top grossing films of 2013 so far.

When we add in the Foreign grosses, MoS made almost $196.7 worldwide.

Putting it in perspective, 2006's Superman Returns made just shy of $200.1 million in the States...in it's entire run.

MoS had a budget of $225 million, so it has a ways to go to break even...but we're only talking about $29 million give or take, which I can easily see it doing over the course of this week.

Hopefully, this will mark the beginning of a DC Movie Universe...which we sorely need.

I got a beef…

…with comic shops.

Specifically the way they handle back issues.

I understand that when attending a convention, retailers have limited table space with which to maximize profits.

I also understand that lately, the customer base likes to hunt for deals, digging through box after box of .50-cent’ers for that “diamond in the rough”.

Plus, it gives retailers a chance to get rid of stuff.

I get all of this – at conventions – but in their own stores, on their own un-rented turf, things should be more organized.

To me it’s simple: the high end product (say $20 and up) is in one area, the middle ground (roughly $5 - $20) in another place, and the garbage…in all their “5 for a BUCK!!!” glory…somewhere else.

All well and good, but why oh why can’t they be alphabetized?

When a customer, say me, is looking for a specific book, say Demon #23, he doesn’t want to dig through seven or eight longboxes on the off-chance I might find it.

They can be unbagged.

They can be unboarded.

Just use the damn alphabet. That’s all I’m sayin’.

WTF? Fridays...The Man of Steel Edition...6/14/2013

I didn't go to the midnight showing...

Not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't.

See, I closed at work last night - just as I did the Thursday Iron Man 3 opened - but I have to close this afternoon too - unlike when IM3 opened.

So I had to choose between sleeping last night and skipping the movie, or seeing the film and skipping on sleep.

If I was twenty years younger, this would have been a non-issue...

If I had friends who wanted to see the film with me, this would have been a non-issue...

If I was able to alter my work schedule, this would have been a non-issue...

But I guess I must come to realize that, like Stringfellow Hawke, I can no longer bounce back after only four hours sleep.

So does that mean I need to turn in my Dork card?

I think not...

 ...because this is still cool...

...and this is still awesome.

On the upside, Mrs. Adorkification and Adorkette plan on taking me out on Father's Day...which I have off.

More Captain America 2 info...

I'm really looking forward to this film.

Not just because of Steve's new suit...

...but because of the other main character we're gonna see:

Sebastian Stan playing Winter Soldier. Here's what he'll look like...

I haven't read a single issue of this character...because throughout my entire childhood, Marvel Comics had one rule: Bucky stays dead.

I stopped reading comics over a decade before Marvel brought Bucky back, so the fact that it happened wasn't so much

as it was

Now, Stan did a great job as Bucky in Captain America. The writers made him interesting, cool, and more than "just a sidekick", which is why I'm looking forward to what is done with him this time.

But I'm sure he'll fight Steve first, before joining him in the end along with 

and

To go against 

and

There's a lot going on, but...

In Marvel Studios I Trust