Batman Arkham Origins TV Spot #1: Good (And Slightly Unbalanced) Guys Wear Black…

I’d say by now that the older 60’s era campy Batman is no longer the “ideal” version of the character (and hey, I’m old enough to have been around for that original series), so it’s good to see the darker Dark Knight get so fully embraced by the bulk of the fans out there. OK, mostly embraced, as I know there are some REALLY stubborn die-hards who refuse to submit to “gritty” being the new black for their favorite hero. Granted, there IS that exclusive Adam West skin for the PS3 version that’s going to be fun to dink around with (although, I’d also want DLC that adds a ton of those campy full screen sound effects for the combat and you KNOW you want those as well), but I’m going to stick to the cranky newer guy I’m more used to these days. Sometimes, nostalgia needs to have a seat in that comfy chair with its feet up and sleep for a bit in front of whatever old stuff it used to watch on TV…

Two For The Road: James Gandolfini and Slim Whitman…

I actually didn’t like The Sopranos the first time I saw it (coming into the middle of an episode in the middle of a season has that effect on some people), but I wised up and stuck with it, enjoying the ride over the last four seasons or so and going back to catch most of the episodes I missed out on. For me, that final episode was quite a nice surprise but not too surprising, as it didn’t go for the expected. Of course, neither did the show on many occasions where stories were layered with hidden and not-so hidden depths mixed in with some shocking deaths just to hammer home the point that Tony’s world wasn’t a very nice place after all. I liked James Gandolfini’s work in most of the films he was in, but like many fans, he’ll always be Tony Soprano, driving down that highway through New Jersey on the way to raise some hell or suffer through some of his own creation. He’ll be missed…

As an impressionable teen, these commercials for Slim Whitman’s albums had my friends and I always laughing (and occasionally warbling awfully mangled versions of his tunes while strolling down the street), but I think they also made us appreciate other musical styles. Granted, I’m a nut with wild musical tastes (AM radio USED to play great music before it became home to the insane, incessantly annoying “opinions as facts” and “I’m famous because I have a radio show and people who believe my crazy BS!” talkers), so I think I came to see the man’s genius a bit more over time. But I do recall having the stupidest yet most amazing dream where Slim was covering The Ramones and yes, it was a spectacular a vision indeed. “I Remember Yoooooooou-ooooooooou-oooooooou!” (I still can’t listen to that song without laughing, by the way).

That and hell, Slim Whitman saved the earth, dammit. Go watch Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! if you don’t believe me…

So, Um… Whatcha Doin’ This Weekend? Superman’s Free For Some Quality Time…

Well, not “FREE” free (or is it FREE “free”?)… you’ll have to go dutch or whatever and buy a ticket to see him (or play illegal mall mega-plex tippy-toe, you cheap bastard) and sadly, it’s look but don’t touch once you meet up. That said, I think you’re guaranteed some exciting times, a few laughs and maybe some tears before the break-up just over two hours later. Hey, he’s Superman, folks – he has to move faster than you.

Anyway, go see Man of Steel if you haven’t yet – it’s pretty darn good.

Man of Steel TV Spot 12: Truth and Consequences!

Man of Steel - LSo, the reviews are rolling in and it’s pretty much official that this one’s a solid flick that does a great reinvention of the character (the sequel was greenlit as soon as the earliest praise rolled in), so the onus is all on Snyder, Nolan and co to do the next film up as good or even better than their first effort. Granted, Man of Steel is probably not going to convince that small group of Donner-only diehards, but I’ll bet they can’t deny the power on display… That and if you hate this film for doing things differently, you’re probably more of an Otis fan…

Man of Steel Walmart “See Steel First” TV Spot: Well, If It Isn’t The Red Cape Special…

 

Act-ually, I hear that the military get first dibs on a screening, so I guess that’s something of a fib Walmart is telling. Oh well – it doesn’t matter all that much anyway, as it looks as if everyone who loves movies and has an eye or two will want to see this flick. I guess if there were Walmarts located on military bases (so much for the old PX, huh?) next to those movie theaters, hearing “Attention Walmart Shoppers!” booming over the speakers ever few minutes about some sale items (“Ten-Huts are now half off!”) would have everyone on that base saluting with one hand while pushing an over-packed cart with the other…

Corona’s Humorous “Summer Cooler” Ad Needs a Horror Remake…

Not that I have a twisted sense of humor at the ready or anything (OK, it’s active at all times, folks!), but as soon as I saw this new Corona ad, I started laughing probably for reasons the company hadn’t planned. Yes indeed, I can see some YouTube genius re-editing this one with quick shots of plastic wrapped (and fake) body parts getting tossed into that dented cooler at one point. Yeah, those summer memories can really be fun… until you start remembering TOO much. And nope, it was drinking too much Corona that caused those blackouts and memory loss, either…

Random Film of the Weekend (Too): Time After Time

(thanks, warnervod!) 

time after timeAmusingly enough, this RFoTW post was going to be about Somewhere in Time, but I’d mistakenly typed in Time After Time as the title of that film when doing a search for the poster, looked at the results and remembered that while SoT is indeed a fine (and highly underrated) gem, TAT is more pure fun to watch and does a few more interesting things with its characters and plot as it takes them from past to present.

Adding some unique twists to the time travel and Jack the Ripper mythologies, it combines mystery, drama, action and romance with bits of comedy that work despite some first time director flaws in the ointment. Oh, and it’s a grand little science fiction film that works because you’re sucked in so quickly and completely forget the fantastic elements being so farfetched thanks to the story, characters and direction making it so real…
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Man of Steel TV Spot 10: So Much For The Talking it Out Stuff, Huh?

Well, so much for the small crowd that thought this was going to be too talky or *dull* because of some misconceptions floating about since that original languidly paced reveal. Balance seems to be key here, as the trailers and ads have gotten all the more intense. I’d say both camps should be pleased at the end of the day and as tickets are already on sale (a move guaranteed to pump up the box office receipts for that all important opening week/weekend), I’m betting “sold out” shows will be the thing to deal with in a few places. Actually, WB only has to “worry” about those early bird reviewers who nitpick the films they see to death and consider the first two Chris Reeve Superman films “untouchable” for some reason (they’re great fun, but not beyond criticism for their flaws). As usual, we shall see…

Random Film of the Week (Trois): Sisters

Sisters“There was NO body because there was NO murder!”  is a great line, folks. Use it wisely, as it’ll either get you in or out of a lot of trouble depending on when and how it’s spoken.  Anyway, I must be losing my mind because I really thought I did this one as a RFoTW already. But it was either a dream I had about writing it up (hey, it happens every so often!) or perhaps I’d referenced this great 1973 flick in another film article from a while back.

Before we begin, a note (la!): there’s a 2006 remake of this Brian De Palma horror classic that’s a must to avoid, as it reworks too much, has some odd casting choices that don’t work and ends up being more annoying than scary. See it if you must, but not before checking out the original first. Of course, If your eyebrow has locked itself in a stiff “Oh Really?” position (meaning you’ve seen The Black Dahlia), trust me – from the second that incredibly loud (and incredibly brilliant) Bernard Herrmann main theme kicks in, you’ll be shocked into your seat and unable to look away… Continue reading

Man of Steel TV Spot 9: All Your Secrets Will (Not) Be Revealed…

It’s actually pretty funny to see a small (yet vocal) mini-backlash building against all these TV spots by some that feel WB is “ruining” the film by showing “too much”. Well, let’s see now… some research shows that the movie is about 2 hours and 23 minutes long and we’ve seen maybe five minutes total or less of footage that hasn’t been repeated in other ads and trailers. Add to that the fact that most trailers end up using footage not in the final film (this happens way too often and often on purpose) and even more important, the bigger fact that those whiners can (and should) CHANGE THE DAMN CHANNEL when these ads run and well… “Nothing to see here… move along” makes for a more calming mantra for those folks. My good deed for the day is now done – where’s my cape? Oh, in the laundry (yuk), which actually needs to get done, as it’s walking around the room again…