Shmee Decides The New Batman!

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So with Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan done with Batman, and DC/Warner Bros planning a Batman versus Superman movie it begs the question, “Who will be the new Batman?”  I have made five choices for Warner Bros, and I expect them to use one of them to make me happy, so here they are in descending order.

5: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

15th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards - ArrivalsThey all but set him up to be the new Batman in the Dark Knight rises, so even if they throw out the Dark Knight trilogy of films, I think audiences would except JGL as the new Batman.  He is a little short, but he is young and could wear the cape and cowl for years to come.

 

4: Jon Hamm

Jon-HammIt might be hard to see Don Draper as Batman, but he would make one heck of a Bruce Wayne, and everything I have seen Hamm in leads me to believe he is a great actor and he figure out how to be Batman as well.  Plus he gives off an aura of wisdom that Bats would need to beat the crap out of Sups.

 

3: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Nikolaj-Coster-WaldauYou man not recognize the name, but you may know him as Jaime Lannister.  He is kind of the opposite of Jon Hamm in that he is easy to see as Batman, but harder to picture as Bruce Wayne, I think that is because he is blonde, but he would do a good job, and do fellow blonde Bruce Val Kilmer proud.

 

2: Jack Huston

Jack_Huston-4He is probably the least recognizable name on this list, but I think that works for him instead of against him.  He has proven to be a very talented actor on Boardwalk Empire as the disfigured Richard Harrow, and it has given him practice behind a mask, and even as a guy I am willing to say that he is a good looking fella, so he would be able to play Bruce Wayne.

1: Karl Urban

karl-urbanHe already did the ultimate test screening for Batman in Dredd.  The emotions he can bring with just his jaw are amazing, and considering his resume: Lord of the Rings, Start Trek, he was the best part of Doom, and of course Dredd, I have no reason to doubt anything he does, and if I am going to believe Batman can trash Superman, he is the Dark Knight to do it!

Since this is the internet, I am sure you think I am wrong, so please leave your pick for the new Mr. Wayne.

Its The Rocketeer!

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The Rocketeer was released in 1991, and it was directed by Joe Johnston.  It is based off of a comic book character of the same name that came out in 1982, and it also one of my friends’ favorite movies, and it is easy to see why.

The story starts with some FBI agents following a couple mafia members that have some sort of package.  During the chase they shoot down a pilot Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell), and at the end of the chase one of the mafia guys stores the package in Secord’s hanger in his mechanic Peabody’s (Alan Arkin) old World War I duffle bag.  The feds catch the mobster, but miss the package.  Secord of course finds it and it turns out to be a rocket pack created by Howard Hughes, and Secord uses it to become the Rocketeer, and defeat the Nazis.

The plot is simple and fun, and it is easy to tell Johnston was trying to relive the simple fun of the old serial shorts like Flash Gordon.  The good guys are good, and the bad guys are bad, and everyone is super patriotic.

The actors look like they are having fun especially Timothy Dalton playing the villainous actor Neville Sinclair, he channels Errol Flynn quite well.  The film also features Jennifer Connelly as Secord’s actor girlfriend Jenny Blake, and any movie she is in is a plus for me (sorry Lindsey).

The special effects were great for 1991, and even thought they show a little age now, they mostly hold up and do not distract from the campy fun of the film, and Joe Johnston’s steady hand as a director keeps this film focused, light hearted and fun which a lot of comic book movies of today have forgotten.

I loved this film growing up, because it filled me with a sense of awe and wonder, and it is easy to see why my friends adore it.  If you are looking for a little good hearted fun and action look no further then The Rocketeer!

Abide With The Big Lebowski

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The Big Lebowski was written and directed by the Coen brothers, and it was released in 1998.  Like most of the Coen’s movies it was not an instant success, but has become a cult classic.  It is a ridiculous movie, but still quite good.

The movie at is heart is about Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) trying to replace his rug after an Asian man urinated on it after confusing him with another Jeffery Lebowski (David Huddleston) who happens to be a millionaire.  The Dude teams up with bowling pals Theodore Donald “Donny” Kerabatsos (Steve Buscemi) and  Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) to try and work everything out, but they are in hopelessly over their heads.

The story is amazingly complex, but in the end matters very little.  The story is really about getting know the characters in this movie, and how they react to the ever changing quest that they are on.  It is hilarious to watch it all unfold.  The Coen’s know how to write a movie.

It would not have worked without the great performances of Jeff Bridges and John Goodman.  The Dude is a role that will define Jeff Bridges probably for the rest of his career, and Goodman’s Walter is the perfect foil for him to bounce off of.  The rest of the actors do their jobs well, but they mostly just set the stage for Bridges and Goodman.

The movie contains quite a bit of strong language, so that may be off-putting for some, but I think this movie is great.  It is also a good movie for repeat viewing since the Coen’s jam packed the movie with so many little quips and nods that you will probably miss them the first time through.  The Coen’s have continued to make great films, and The Big Lebowski is no different.  I think it is well worth watching just to see Jeff Bridges be The Dude, and to know that The Dude abides.

Observe The Life of Brian!

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Monty Python’s Life of Brian came out in 1979, and was directed by Terry Jones.  It may not be quite as well known as Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but it is on several best comedy of all time lists, and it is very funny.

The story is about a young man Brain (Graham Chapman) that is trying to help overthrow the bonds of Roman oppression in Israel, but along the way is mistaken as a possible messiah.

The story is pretty much just a way for Monty Python to have a good time, and make fun of just about everything, and considering the sheer number of jokes they throw at you it is amazing how many of them land, but the humor is very British, so if you don’t like British humor than this probably isn’t for you.

The acting is all top notch with the Monte Python cast all playing several roles.  The Monty Python crew included: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.  It is great to see them all take on very different characters, and even be two people in the same scene.

I love watching this movie.  It is still funny every time I watch it, and it seems like I find one more joke that I didn’t see before because I was laughing to hard.  The Holy Grail is probably still my favorite Monty Python movie, but the life of Brian is a very close second.

Don’t Watch The Watch!

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The Watch is a movie that came out in the late summer of 2012, and it was directed by Akiva Schaffer.  This movie is all kinds of awful.  It is so bad that people in it should feel bad.  They are funny people, but this in an incredibly unfunny movie.

The film starts with a security guard getting killed at a local Costco, so Evan Trautwig (Ben Stiller) decides to start a neighborhood watch.  Bob McAllister (Vince Vaughn), Franklin (Jonah Hill), and Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade) all sign up, and they soon find out what killed the guard: aliens.  At some point during this movie I think it was supposed to get funny.

The story setup was fine, but as always the devil is in the details.  They just didn’t write very much if any funny dialog, and you can tell that anything that is funny in this movie is just the cast giving up and improvising to try and make it better, but it didn’t happen enough.  I would have literally rather watched the actors just go to the bank and cash their checks, which is what they are doing on screen anyway in this movie.  It probably would have been funnier too since I am sure Stiller could get some funny lines in with the bank teller.

You can also tell that this movie started out as PG-13, but then someone told them that ‘R’ rated comedies are doing well now, so they just tried to swear more, and again improvise some dirty jokes in an effort to try and ‘R’ it up a bit, and it didn’t work.

Like I said in the intro, all these actors can be very funny, but this movie isn’t, and they should feel bad for letting the studio release it.  Whatever you do, learn from my mistake, and do not see this movie.