Just watched Gravity

So, I caught the upcoming Oscar hopeful and fantastically reviewed space thriller 'Gravity' this weekend and I have to say, I was blown away by the special effects. Not to dwell on a point that has been dissected every which way by other 'Professionals' but I have to say, that the movie looked stunning. The only movie that made the post 3D headache worth it.

Not to be too cliche, but it was like I was there, literally floating in space. It was breathtaking and terrifying at the same time. Which is exactly what I was hoping to experience from 'Gravity', and I have to say it did not disappoint.

The George Clooney shoutout to the Ganges was a nice touch, (George saying that the sun hitting the Ganges was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen made me beam with pride. Now, I have to say, (I know I'm over using I have to say, but please bear with me), the movie was far from perfect.

Here are a few nitpicky gripes I have with the otherwise excellent movie 'Gravity':

Spoiler alert

1. YOU CANNOT CRY IN SPACE. In microgravity, says astronaut Chris Hadfield, "your eyes make tears but they stick as a liquid ball." As told to TheAtlantic. Your tears sure as hell won't float like 3D globules through the air. 

2. Sandra Bullock performs a Wall-E maneuver, she literally flies through space using a fire extinguisher. Just like Wall-E does in the movie Wall-E.

I have more, but I'm just going to stick with these two gripes for the time being. anyway, catch the movie, it's awesome. 

Ben Affleck is the New Batman

Just found out that Ben Affleck is the new Batman. It was announced by Warner Brothers.

Now I don't know how to take this news. Ben Affleck, is a better director than an actor, and his last superhero outing wasn't all that memorable. Hopefully this time it'll be different. But what he needs to keep in mind is that though this new Superman/ Batman team up movie may turn out to be a bonafide hit, but that will be because of the reputation of the iconic characters that will be portrayed and the fact that this will be the first time they will be sharing screen time. And if his performance as Batman tanks, not even Superman will be able to save him.

What do you think? Is Ben Affleck the right choice to play Batman? 

Just watched World War Z

I caught Max Brook's book on the big screen this weekend, and I have to say Brad Pitt's version of Max Brook's vision does the original source material justice, especially if they're planning sequels like I heard they were after it's glorious opening weekend of 112 million  dollars.

World War Z is an evenly paced movie with enough thrills to keep you jumping back in your seat, and for a movie of such a grand scale to have such itimate horrors is commendable. Not to say that it's broad scope diminishes its scare factor, quite the contrary, one of the most memorable sequences in the movie is the assault of Jerusalem by a massive zombie horde.

I would also like to say that India gets quite an honourable mention here. In the movie it is believed that India was the first place to identify and fight the zombies, and its an Indian general that sends out a communique to warn the world that they were fighting Rakshasas or demons of hindu mythology, which prompts israel to take premptive measures against the zombies. This is where the movie borrows from the book, the rationale behind the actions of humanity against the zombies. The mindless running around and the explosions are used at the liberty of the director and the production team, explanations to those actions, refer to the book. Now at this point Brad Pitt's character wants to go to India to see if he can find patient zero there, but don't hold your breath. You won't be seeing any zombies hurtling towards the Taj Mahal. If only we had given Plan B productions some kind of tax break or something, but we still have hope for the sequel.

wikimedia.org

fansided.com

Spoilers ahead

Brad Pitt's character comes to a startling realisation during the siege of Jerusalem, that the zombies cannot sense humans who are terminally ill. Which causes him to go to the nearest medical research facility he can find, which is in Cardiff by the way. And why does he need to go to a medical research facility. I'll tell you why, to infect himself with the deadliest diseases known to man.


I won't spoil it further, all in all, the movie is a good watch, and you should definitely watch it.

Just Watched The Man of Steel

First of all, let me start of by saying that the Man of Steel is a successful reboot of an iconic character, the 125 million dollar opening reaffirms this.

The movie is dark, gritty and full of Super action, though CGI heavy, it is worth your buck. Its the action Superman deserves and the one he needs right now. The changes to characters are minuscule and do not register in the over all scope of the movie and the larger DC universe. For example, Jimmy Olsen is now Jenny Olsen, and from what I could make out, shes not even a photographer, shes an intern. Lois Lane takes her own photographs in this one. And this movie also answers the age old question, If Lois Lane is such a good reporter, a Pulitzer Prize winning one even, how does she not figure out Clark Kent is Superman?

This was also a question Batman has asked himself, If Jim Gordon is such a good detective, Why hasn't he figured out who Batman is yet? Well, the answer in that case would be much simpler, because he doesn't want to, he supports Batman's actions and wants some kind of plausible deniability when push comes to shove I guess. But moving on.

Spoliers Ahead

She does, In the beginning of the movie, Lois Lane is rescued by Clark Kent and he uses his heat vision to cauterise her internal bleeding caused by the security drone of the Fortress of Solitude. She then goes on a painstaking journalistic endeavour to track down her "Rescuer".

This movie kind of plays like Spiderman 2, where the entire world knows who Superman really is, in fact, he outright tells a US Army colonel who is trying to track down Superman's relocated Fortress of Solitude, that he was raised in Kansas, now in a town with a population of 3 people, I don't think it will be very difficult for the military to zero in on the Kent farm. Now if the military has such a lead, do you think, it will be a stretch for Lex Luthor to figure out who he is? I'd like to see them tackle that in the sequel. Which is another question, this movie was a toe in the water, it has been said that there will be a Man of Steel sequel, and I'm guessing the setup to the Justice League will be tackled in it.


One of my favourite scenes in the movie is the final showdown between Zod and Superman, where the latter pleads with the former. In this scene, I think Henry Cavill pefectly captured Superman,
Zod is trying to kill a family of tourists with his heat vision, while Superman has him in a headlock. Superman pleads with him, don't do this, please stop. The emotional angst and the inner turmoil of what Superman will have to do if Zod doesn't stop was captured beautifully. In the end, Superman has to make the tough choice, he kills Zod. Yep, Superman kills.

This development makes me all the more excited for the Justice League movie, because now, Batman is quintessentially, THE MOST IMPORTANT member of the Justice League, especially with his stand against killing, no matter what the stakes. And now that Superman has killed once, it will make him all the more vulnerable. And it he will be all the more reluctant to kill again. It would be great o see that dynamic, where Batman can literally accuse Superman of being a murderer if he pisses him off or the more likely where Batman defends Superman's actions by saying that it had to be done. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

The wait maybe a real long one if DC and Warner Bros. need to get it right.

The most important thing they'll have to get right is the Batman reboot. Which may need a three year hiatus atleast. In the meantime, they can get intro movies for the others, like The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and The Martian Manhunter.

I guess, they could introduce the Martian Manhunter in the Man of Steel sequel, just like they brought Nick Fury and the Black Widow in Iron Man 2. Th rest of them will need standalone movies. No word from Warner Brothers on those yet.

All in all, the movie is a great watch.

Superman's new suit, a giant Underwear?

So I just read on the interwebs about Superman's new suit in The Man of  Steel.

comicbookmovie.com

livewellnetwork.com

comicvine.com

According to the the costume designers of the movie and the Director himself. To re-imagine Superman's costume for 2013 meant that they would have to tweak the Kryptonian mythology that goes with it.

Previously it was believed that Superman's suit was made from the cloth found in his spaceship, or the cloth he was wrapped in when he came to earth. And now for the new movie, it is being re-imagined as an undergarment that almost all Kryptonians wear, armour can be added on top of it, so that essentially makes Superman's new suit a giant underwear.

Don't get me wrong, as it is evident for all to see, the suit is amazing, completely in tune with the new 52 reboot of DC sans the red underwear, but the explanation the moviemakers are giving for the re-imaging can open it up for interpretation. One can also argue that the stretchy body suit serves as a kind of Kryptonian chain mail. But the creators of the movie are essentially calling it underwear. Hightech stretchy underwear, but underwear nonetheless.

This in no way is going to even remotely diminish or hell even register on the legend that is Superman, but the movie makers need to be a little more clear when describing iconic pieces of clothing. Especially something as iconic as the Superman Suit and cape.

On a related note, I also noticed that Zack Snyder switched Superman and Clark Kent's hairstyles, Superman doesn't have the signature curl on his forehead while Clark Kent does. Ever since the characters inception, the curl of hair on Superman's forehead has been as important to his identity as Clark Kent's spectacles. So, Zack Snyder, what gives?

Fastlanemag.com

Just watched The Lego Batman Movie

I just watched The Lego Batman movie and I have to say, it was delightful. Right from the opening credit sequence which has a lego Bat-sign unravel in front of you. Add to that the goose bump inducing theme from the Batman animated series of the nineties, and the movie was off to a good start.

Now, I can't emphasise enough how good it felt listening to the music from the 90s TAS. It really did.

The movie starts with both Batman and Superman, apparently getting killed by the Joker and Lex Luthor. And by killed I mean Lego'd. It was a really good move, and the scene would have really grabbed a person and put him on the edge of his seat, if that person was not indoctrinated in comic book mythos, lore and the general invulnerability of the greatest superheroes on earth, and maybe even the universe.

Thehollywoodreporter.com

Spoiler alert

But any way, as expected, the superheroes are not dead (surprise), and they, along with the rest of the Justice League go on to thwart Lex Luthor's evil plot to become President by using Joker's toxin to make people like him. (I know, but c'mon, it's a Lego Batman movie).

The story is intense and has all the hallmarks of a good Batman animated feature. The pacing is strong and fast. The plot has enough thrills and serious action that the creators interspersed it with classic Lego humour that reminds you that you're watching a movie rated G. The Lego set pieces and their execution is gorgeous. The voice work is surprisingly good. especially the Joker, which seems different at first but as the narrative continues, seems to meld  into a smooth rendition, that comes quite close to that of the classic TAS Joker (portrayed by the ever popular Mark Hamill).

All in all The Lego Batman movie is good fun all the way and you should watch it. 

Preparing for the Man of Steel

In Preparation for the Man of Steel, down below, I've cobbled together almost all the trailers of the latest Superman outing. So enjoy and see if you can spot the Batman easter egg hidden in them.