Cool Tunes #4

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich - Hold Tight

Casting Call: Superman

Didn't feel like waiting for next Tuesday to so this. In casting Superman, you hear A LOT of terrible suggestions. Once you get passed the wrestlers and bodybuilders that people cannot help but bring up for God knows why, you can find some people who have actually acted before. Except, of course, for Brandon Routh, who although has appeared in movies, I'm not sure I would actually call it acting. Henry Cavil and Michael Trucco are strong suggestions in my opinion. Both have found niche performances that have put them on everybody's ears. If had to pick one of the above I would certainly pick Cavill.


But I have a different idea of who should play Superman

Don't laugh, bare with me.......



RYAN REYNOLDS

manip by MOS86 of Bluetights

Yeah, he's known for a goofball, but he has more than proven that he is capable of actually acting when necessary.

First of he's tall, fit, handsome, and has dark hair (although it would probably need to be made darker).He doesn't look like Brandon Supes-jumped-off-the-page Routh, but he easily outclasses Routh in terms of acting. Not that is a hard thing to do, Routh could easily be substituted with a Superman cardboard cut out and no one would have noticed. I really think people get hung up too much on looks, and his looks are the only reason Routh is even still being seriously considered. It is this hang up that has led most suggestions to be completely debunked by the fanbases because a hair was out of place. There's also sweeping generalities like "his face isn't right" that gets dropped for so many actors

First of all, Clark Kent is a bigger part of the Superman character than I think many realize. He's not just a bumbling fool act Kal-El puts on to avoid suspicion. The private Clark Kent is the groundwork of Superman. He is the blue collar, honest, hard working, and productive member of society that has laid the foundation for the strong, confident, and just superhero, Superman. Ryan Reynolds is naturally a nice guy and there is no doubt in my mind that he could very well already be the private Clark Kent. But the public Clark Kent (the fool) would probably be a stronger performance. Reynolds' experience with comedy and light-hearted characters has granted him the ability to depict funny, endearing, loveable goofballs. No more over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek Kent, where pieces of food stick out of his mouth when he is eating a sandwich (Oh Singer!). It is the one thing I hated about Donner's original flick, and I was incredibly disappointed for Singer to bring it over. Just watching the trailer for The Proposal I feel like I see Clark Kent more naturally than anyone else has been able to perform, albeit more sarcastic.

There is also no doubt in my mind that Reynolds could pull off Superman. He is charismatic. He has great screen presence. And most of all, he has approached just about everyone of his characters with an air of confidence. Now, because the bulk of his more popular movies have been comedies this usually becomes something more of arrogance, but the simple act of being able to command the screen is translatable. I have already seen it. In Foolproof, he plays a one third of a group that likes to create foolproof heist scenarios, confident but as a member of a ensemble he did not command as much as usual. In Finder's Fee, he plays a member of a regular poker game gone wrong mainly because of his jump to action, much more of an introverted character than Superman though. In Smokin' Aces, he plays a junior varsity Fed turned varsity when he takes lead at a hotel to stop a chaotic shootout. In The Nines, he plays 3 different characters with great range, and each were creators in a sense and when it came to asking the difficult questions and fighting for his material, he did so strongly.

To me Reynolds has a good enough look and is more than capable of giving both a great Clark Kent and Superman performance. Most will say he's already associated with superhero movies, he shouldn't do another. Well, his character from Blade is definitely not going anywhere. And I admit, if there was anyone he was BORN to play its certainly Deadpool, but I don't see a problem playing more than one character, especially when they are from two different publishers thus from 2 different shared universe theoretically. Plus he's an actor. That's what they do: play other roles.

Some will say that, if anyone, he should play the Flash. There was a time I wanted him for Flash, but as an actor, he seems to have grown out of that character, and he never seemed as gung ho about Flash as he did Deadpool. When asked about the Flash it was like, "Yeah it would be nice to do," and Deadpool was like," Fuck yea, he's the merc with a mouth. How could I not?"

If there is anything concrete that would say Reynolds as Superman would never happen, its Reynolds himself. From the Blade Trinity Message Boards:

"It´s been brought up a few times. I´ve loved this character my whole life - in the same way that I´d be intimidated to play Superman, the character would require far too much of a responsibility to the fans. I´d be too in my head trying to get it right instead of just letting it flow. Not to mention, it´s been done," said Reynolds.

Which is really too bad, but like I said, he has grown as an actor, proven his mettle in my opinion, and could easily embody the character despite the stubborn fanbase hung up on looks.

If someone actually reads this, I already know that people will have a pretty passionate response, and almost all will be negatively. I'm sure plenty will make up their minds and even comment without even reading too much of the post in general.

Hidden Gems #4

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

George Clooney has many accolades. Sexiest Man in Hollywood. Academy Award winner. Every guy wants to be him, and every girl wants to be with him situation. All-around nice guy. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was his first chance at directing, and in my opinion was a grand slam. The overall look of the film looks like a '70s flashback with a very distinct color shceme and camera filter, which complemented both the gritty and whimsical settings appropriately.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind chronicles that ambiguous secret life of real life television producer Chuck Barris. By night, Barris was depicted as a CIA hitman taking missions on his game show winners prize trips.

Outside of the uber-cool spy world premise, the movie also showed the personal bird-dogging lifestyle of Chuck Barris and his internal thought process of trying to make new shows. It was also edited together with testimonials from Barris' close friends including famed TV personality Dick Clark and Gong Show regulars like the Unknown Comic.

CODM's greatest achievement is spotlighting Sam Rockwell, who until this time was mostly comic support. He takes the lead role of Chuck Barris and plays him as the tragic hero the story depicts him as. He's witty and depressing, crazed and likeable, all at the same time.

This is also one of the few movies I liked BETTER than the book. The book dragged and was much more of an old style, surveliance area of spy work and Clooney's character, Barris' boss, was much less intimidating.

Casting Call: Marvel Knights

Over the course of the last year (at least), I have had a higher interest in the street level Marvel Knight characters, especially Daredevil and Iron Fist. And while Daredevil had one go, I really want to see Marvel tackle movie adaptations of these characters.

Daredevil- Michael C. Hall


I love Dexter. I think Michael C. Hall is fantastic on it and has been getting robbed at the award shows. He is in good shape, his hair is more naturally red than Affleck's bad dye-job, he has plenty of acting chops as proven by Dexter, and he would probably come relatively cheap considering Marvel has had a hard time getting their high profile actors to stick around. Michael C. Hall has already gotten used to a dual performance as mild-mannered daytime and vigilante nighttime.

Iron Fist- Charlie Hunnam


Iron Fist has gone way beyond Heroes for Hire. There's no going back. If a movie were to be made I would want it based on the material in Immortal Iron Fist, rather than one half of heroes for hire. Charlie Hunnam is young, good looking, blonde, and has the perfect build for Iron Fist. I think he is a budding talent. I thought he was great in Sons of Anarchy and Green Street Hooligans, and has a lot of potential.

Luke Cage- Idris Elba


Elba has played plenty of street-wise tough guys, but his role in RocknRolla got him a chance to play a street-wise tough guys with actual wit and charm. He could easily hold his own movie. He is also a pretty big guy with a decent build that could easily get to Luke Cage size.

Misty Knight- Sydney Poitier


Misty would make a much better partner for Luke Cage than Iron Fist, considering IF's new scope. I tyhink Sydney is another up and comer. I thought she had a lot of charm and screen presence in Grindhouse, and should be getting better roles than a supporting character in a lame Knight Rider update. Plus she's smoking and has some impressive acting pedigree with having Sidney Potier as her father.

Dream Roster #2

WITHIN CURRENT CONTINUITY (no resurrections and such)

The Thunderbolts


This is based on the original concept of villains trying to redeem themselves. Songbird seemed the most redeemable out of the Civil War era team. Radioactive Man was obviously attracted to her and also seemed to be giving the hero thing a good shot. As long as Baldwin is being guilty might as well keep Penance on the team. Prodigy has been getting flack for his anti-Registration tactics as seen in Avengers Initiative. Ant-Man and Toxin are pretty cool characters that really on the fence hero wise. Nightshade, Puma, and Armadillo are among villains who have flip flopped before and built a frinedship during MODOK's 11. Sandman falls into that flip flopping villain designation as well

Missing Biopic

Last week, I made a list of the top 5 biopics that I'd like to see, but left out a HUGE one that is easily number 1.

Paul Revere

Paul Revere was present for most of the American Revolution incidents as a resident of Boston and has become a symbol of patriotism. As a Freemason, he is forever attached to the architects of the United States of America.

In addition to being part of the Freemasons, Revere was also involved with the Sons of Liberty. There is strong evidence that Revere was present at the Boston Massacre due to his highly detailed engravings used in the trial against the British soldiers. The Boston Massacre was an incident where British Soldiers used lethal force against Boston colonials who were throwing snowballs at them and taunting them. Revere was also involved with the Boston Tea Party, where the Bostonians dressed as Native Americans and threw the British tea imports into the water in protest against the rising taxes.

Then of course there is the more famous story, "The Midnight Ride." Revere was signaled how the British were traveling to the colonies for the beginning of the Revolutionary War so he could ride to Cambridge to notify people. It should be said that there were 2 other riders, Israel Bissell and Sybil Ludington, who had much more impressive rides, but it was Revere who notified a number of patriots who fanned out across Middlesex County and theoretically the secret Freemasons who had a series of underground tunnels throughout Boston.

Revere was then a soldier during the American Revolutionary War, notablyas an officer in the Penobscot Expedition, the most disatourous campaign of the war.

As you can see, Revere is the best point of view to take the audience through the American Revolution. In very well could be the Gangs of New York for the city of Boston, and could be the sweeping period epic that has been relatively favored by Hollywood, The Academy, and audiences alike.

Top 5 Romances

Should have done this last week for Valentine's Day but here are my Top 5 favorite Romances.

5. True Romance

Tarantino's hybrid of Romeo and Juliet and Bonnie and Clyde for a modern time.















4. Grosse Pointe Blank

Cusack as a depressed hitman who goes to his highschool reunion to check on his ex-girlfriend

















3. High Fidelity

Cusack as a depressed record store owner who goes through his Top 5 break-ups to find out what's wrong.














2. The Fisher King

Gilliam's most understated. A shock jock and a homeless man find common ground and help each other find love. Not as sappy as it sounds.















1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Easily the most creative movie in years, nothing less for scribe Charlie Kaufman who brings really interesting perspective to the philosophy, "you can't keep love down."

Movie Trivia of the Week

The original Assault on Prencinct 13 got a NC-17 rating from MPAA because of a scene in which a young girl is shot. John Carpenter, the director, took out the scene, got the R-rating, and then put the scene back in before it was released.

Quote of the Week

"Every red-blooded American knows that the only condiment that you are ever supposed to put on a hamburger is KETCHUP!"
- Jimmy (Bruce Willis) from The Whole Nine Yards

Hottie of the Week

Olivia Wilde

Dream Roster #1

I decided to try this because I was especially bored today. Put together my dream roster for a comic book team that I'd like to see. Its not one of those things where its like O'Neal's Batman and Reeve's Superman. It is my dream roster within current continuity.

Here is my dream roster for

The Outsiders

Geo-Force as the leader. Metamorpho as second in command. Halo, Katana, Grace and Looker are traditional members. Batgirl is a member of the Bat-family with no team, her darker, more gung-ho attitude seems to fit Outsiders more than Titans. Riddler for his detection and ties to the criminal underworld. Creeper for his fear factor. Plastic Man for his thief skills and shapeshifting abilities.

Cool Tunes #3

Flobots- Handlebars

Thirsty Thursday #3

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Appearance- Dark, very dark, foamy brown head, maybe a little too foamy

Smell- A coffee/chocolate blend, nutty and smoky notes too

Taste- Coffee and chocolate obviously but also a roasty nutty finish

Mouthfeel- Heavy, thick, syrupy at first but still a smooth finish

Drinkability- Very tasty. This was suggested to me after I couldn't find a Sam Adams Chocolate Bock and I was very satisfied. I would definitely have another. But it is heavy and filling so be prepared.

Make a Good Crow Sequel!

The Crow was one of the first movies I watched habitually and led to my interest in all things film (and later all things storytelling). The Crow was just so great. Brandon Lee, RIP, gave a fantastic performance that balanced dark poeticism and gloomy personality. His lanky build and martial arts pedigree gave a very distinct movement. The mix of Gothic architecture a la Batman and pop art 70's dinginess a la Taxi Driver provides an atmosphere and setting that will never be forgetten. And this is just one movie.

The concept of a victim coming back from the dead to avenge the death of himself/herself and his/her loved one(s) is a simple plot line to get. And you could easily go above and beyond the first one in terms of creativity.

The Crow series is such horrible shape that they are even thinking about remaking the first one. The crow isn't even 20 years old. If it was a person it wouldn't be able to drive, and they already want to do it over. Where did they go wrong?

The Crow: City of Angels got creative, but only with the concept, not the story. Too much magic and celestial tampering. Crow Salvation was better than City of Angels, but still too much retread. Darkly poetic boy goes after the murderers of his lover. Plus the acting wasn't that great. Too much to even talk about in The Crow: Wicked Prayer. The acting was horrible. The bad guys were horrible. And again to much magic.

They are going in the wrong direction in my opinion. Do not build upon the concept, build a new storyline around it. I want a female Crow! I want a Prohibition era noir-ish Crow where he's a detective and he's using the clues! I want a group of Crows (What's that called? Oh yeah! A Murder!)! I want two Crows going after each other! Come on Hollywood, you can be better than this. Stop rehashing the concept into b-movie straight to video bullshit. B-Movies are actually embarrassed to consider the Crow sequels members.

Hidden Gems #3

Way of the Gun

Way of the Gun is probably my favorite underrated classics ever. Christopher McQuarrie creates a fantastic film that combines a Tarantino-esque cool crime caper with the grit and attitude of classic spaghetti westerns. McQuarrie effectively uses the yellow, brown, and gray color scheme against a dusty western backdrop to make modern day feel like 1880.

The title refers to the "way of the sword" which says, "you live by the sword, you die by the sword," a classic samurai philosophy that sets up the gung-ho lone gunmen mentality of the characters and continues the comparison of samurais and gunslingers started by the spaghetti western originators. The two main characters are played to perfection by Ryan Phillipe and Benicio Del Toro who did such a great job of "talking" to each other without words that their long lines of dialog written by McQuarrie were written out for their symbiotic relationship. This was partly in thanks to McQuarrie's trick of leaving the camera rolling after the scene finishes and allowing the actors to stay in character and continue the scene naturally leaving much of the scripted work on the cutting room floor.

Overall, McQuarrie sews a very cool crime yarn in a world where all of the characters are amoral and everyone has a secret, not all of which are revealed. A modern cult crime flick with heavy influences from classic westerns is always good in my book.

9/10

Casting Call: Cowboy Bebop

Keanu Reeves as Spike Spiegel pains me. 40 something wooden actor plays coolest character in anime who's 27 years old. This is how I think it should be.

James Franco- Spike Spiegel


Young up and comer. Pretty lanky but capable. Really laid back and has a good sense of humor.

Ron Perlman- Jet Black


Cult favorite actor, Consistent, Gruff, Definitely feels like retired cop. LOL

Christina Ricci- Faye Valentine


Spunky, Can balance attitude and keep up the appearance of naivity, I'm not 100% on her, but I think she is the best choice I can come up with now.

Top 5 Biopics I Want to See

Biopic, or Biography picture, are movies about real people.

5. 2004 Red Sox


First Red Sox championship in 86 years with a brand new superstar, who works as a the audience POV to a new group of characters, and a motley crew of big personalities.

4. Hunter S. Thompson


Gonzo journalist has had one movie and an adaptation of one of his books with one more on the way, but the guy is seriously interesting outside of his psychedelic novels. He spent time with the Hell's Angels and ran for public office in Colorado.

3. St. George


A brave Roman solider who in reality stood against his leader, Diocletian, for discriminating against Catholics, and in his golden legend slayed a dragon and saved a city. It could combine pretty good for something a little less realistic than Troy, a little less trippy than 300.

2. Nikola Tesla


Was an inventor, an electric engineer, and plum crazy. He had a Hatfield and McCoy relationship with Thomas Edison in what the history books called "War of Currents."

1. Robert F. Williams


RFW was a civil rights activist left out of the history books because he was more aggressive than Martin Luther King and was more passive than Malcolm X. He had a number of interesting events during Civil Rights Movement before being exiled to Cuba under suspicion of Communism sympathizer.

Movie Trivia of the Week

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle is the first R-rated movie with a fast food endorsement.

Quote of the Week

"I'm fairly sure that if they took all the porn off the Internet, there'd only be 1 website left, and it would be called Bring Back The Porn."
- Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) from Scrubs

Hottie of the Week

Michelle Monaghan

This Week in Movies

Bret Ratner signs on to Youngblood adaptation. No one cares.

Thanks to newest CGI, Arnold's original Terminator appearance might appear in Terminator: Salvation.

Aaron Eckhart signs on to The Rum Diary, another Hunter S. Thompson adaptation with Johnny Depp in the lead. I'm just excited it's finally happening. Eckhart is a cherry on top.

Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James and Rob Schneider team up for the first time together as actors since Saturday Night Live in a new movie. I'm on the fence.

Josh Brolin continues a director hot streak landing a role in another Woody Allen movie.

Bret Ratner promises to an R-rating if he actually gets Beverly Hills Cop off the ground.

Full Inglourious Basterds trailer hits. It looks fantastic.



Christopher Nolan's next project is Inception at WB. Don't expect the next Batman for at least 2 years.

Wachowski Brothers tipped for new Superman movie. Hopefully they leave Routh out of the picture.

Malkovich signs on as bad guy in Jonah Hex opposite Josh Brolin as the titular hero.

Miss March red band trailer hits starring 2 of the Whitest Kids You Know. Looks good.

Black Freighter trailer hits. Looks very cool.



New stills of Wolverine solo movie look horribly photoshopped


Scarlet Johanssen has been tipped as Black Widow in Iron Man if Emily Blunt doesn't take it. I think they could do better.

Top 10 Comic Adaptations I Want to See

10. Beware the Creeper
When Bruce Timm reintroduced the character in his animated series, I fell instantly in love. Of course DC wasn't as lovestruck until Steve Niles reintroduced the character. The way I envision it is The Creeper, a horror slasher type, is hunting down the mob and a GCPD police officer, like Crispus Allen who probably won't appear in Nolan's flicks, is trying to find. Hit up Sam Rockwell for the Creeper and you have a sleeper hit/cult classic.











9. Daredevil-redux
I tried to leave the remake type stuff off the list, but I have been reading Daredevil more often again and the comic has been consistently awesome. It captures the noir-ish grit and gothic tone Daredevil has come to be, and what the movie was the opposite. Michael C. Hall for Daredevil.













8. Nick Fury/SHIELD
I love Samuel L. Jackson, but I am not excited about Ultimate Nick Fury because he makes chances slim that Hasselhof will be the closest to getting a great Steranko Fury movie. Steranko's Fury was just so cool. It would effectively balance the modern blockbuster sensibilities with the dingy, edgy 70's exploitation movies a la Taxi Driver and Easy Rider













7. Aquaman
When Marvel was first making movies and described Namor as Star Wars underwater, I have been absolutely sold on an underwater Atlantis adventure. I think I'd prefer Aquaman as the subject though. The paralells to Arthurian legends are too good to pass up.













6. The Inhumans
The Inhumans are the result of primitive humans being experimented on by an alien race thus creating a new spieces devoted to isolation and peace. While depicted mostly as antagonists in Fantastic Four, I think the Inhumans present a great oppurtunity for great "science fantasy." It would look like a sci-fi movie, but feel like a period piece. Think along the lines of Dune.













5. Wally West as The Flash
It has gotten to the point in the genre where origin stories just don't cut it anymore. So and so gets power, is clumsy with power, beats the bad guy just bores me now. I'd say it was lucky Downey was so charming in Iron Man, or else it would have been a bore. Seeing Kid Flash graduate to Flash and deal with the pressure of living up to a predessor would present a much more dynamic superhero story.











4. Green Lantern Corps
Emphasis on Corps. I want the whole team fighting battles in space. With the absence of Star Wars and a bland expanded universe and not up to snuff copycats, a big budget space opera would be a welcome version. With 4 very different Earthling GLs who have great chemistry between each other, the audience should find it easy to relate to one of them.












3. Deadpool
Deadpool is easily one of my favorite characters. Cable and Deadpool series certainly made him something so much more than a movie quoting mercenary. He is ripe for a thrilling action movie with a funny memorable hero. Look for a spin off from the Wolverine flick because the Fox producers, the Marvel producers, Hugh Jackman, and Ryan Reynolds (who is cast as DP) seem completely in love with the character.












2. Hitman
Hitman is another one of my favorite characters. Superhero (sorta) who hates his superpowers. A hitman with morals; only going after the bad guys. Think Gross Pointe Blank with superpowers and less romance. Fun Hollywood fluff. It probably won't break any grounds but certainly be fun as hell. Dean Winters IS Tommy Monaghan (The Hitman).












1. Iron Fist
Haven't really been into Iron Fist until his most recent run Immortal Iron Fist. It takes the martial arts superhero from the street level to something much more grand. The tournament for the 7 Cities, the Iron Fist serial killer, and now the Eight City adventure. I just can't see Iron Fist going back to Heroes for Hire after all that. The series has proved to be quite stunning visually, and absolutely thrilling and dramatic without forgetting to be charming and quirky when necessary. I think this would be the groundbreaking comic movie that could follow something The Dark Knight. Upstart Charlie Hunnam would be perfect for Iron Fist, but please no Ray Park or Cyril Raffeli. Fantastic martial artists, but do you really think they can act?