Iron Man is one of my favorite super-heroes. I used to love the whole playboy millionaire / super-hero / flawed individual thing he had going. And his armor suits were freaking cool!
On 05-02-08 Iron Man will burst onto the big screen. Robert Downey Jr. is an inspired casting choice to play Tony Stark aka Iron Man. John Favreau directs ol' Shellhead's debut picture. Many other big name stars are also on board: Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Hilary Swank, Jeff Bridges, and the incomparable Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury!
I'd advise going to Apple's website to view the trailer in a crisp, clean Quicktime or HD format.
If you don't wanna go there, the trailer has already shown up on YouTube. Not sure how long it'll be available, but here is a link to one below:
I love how Black Sabbath's Iron Man made it into the trailer. Makes me wanna see it even more!
Iron Man's arch-enemy Mandarin is in this one, though continuity is much different than in the comics. His origin, battles with powerful magic imbued statues, a love interest, and more armor action than you fire a repulsor at will keep you glued to your television. Easily one of my favorite super-hero movies ever.
I'll likely watch this once or twice before next May. My anticipation level for the Iron Man movie is running high! I can't wait!!
Monday, 10 September 2007
Iron Man Trailer
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
My Top 5 Favorite Super-Heroes
In response to a couple super-hero related posts made in the last week or so, Jason (Steel) from the Man of Steel blog asked me who my favorite super-heroes are. So, here are my Top 5 Favorite Super-heroes ... and Why!
I loved reading Spider-Man comics growing up. The adventures were exciting, the villains were nefarious, and the message of "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" spoke to me even at that young age. (I read Spidey comics from the late '70s up until even now ...)
From Spidey's comics I learned that even though some choices are tough, and the easy way is often the wrong way, you still need to do what is right. And you need to do that even when no one is watching, or knows who is doing it. I learned to stand up for myself, and to stand up for those who cannot, even if it means discomfort, being scared, or even risking what others may think of me. It directly influenced me to help teach a Sunday School class for retarded citizens when I was 14 to 16. I wanted to help others who needed it, who couldn't help themselves, despite the teasing and taunts from my so-called peers in church.
I couldn't crawl walls, or sling webs, or punch out bad guys, but I could make the special citizens laugh with my puppets, help them color an Easter picture, patiently listen and try to understand their limited speech and desires, or calmly shrug off a violent outburst now and again.
Of course, my parents, my teachers, and my church all helped teach me these things. But kids don't like to listen to those in authority, or heed their advice ... but a comic book, something on my level ... now that I could emulate. I'd like to think in my recent life, when my sister was murdered and my mother became needful of in-house care, that those lessons were what allowed to unhesitatingly leave my high-paying job and move in to care for my mom and my nephews. Spidey would have ... except he maybe would have socked a villain in the jaw as he did.
Of course, some people would say that what I probably learned most from Spider-Man was how to be a smart-ass with the funny lines! ~.^
Counter-point to Spider-Man was the Hulk. The beast-within mythos appealed to my young psyche. I have always felt a deep, burning rage inside me. A dark anger I dare not let loose. I didn't know its cause. I didn't know its reason. I only knew that were I to let slip the beast within me, I'd never be able to go back.
Bruce Banner exemplified these internal struggles, but he would unleash his inner monster. Destruction, confusion, and chaos reigned as the Hulk rampaged. Only the love of Betty Ross, the friendship of Rick Jones, and the compassion of others he has met along his conflicted journeys would reign in the raging monster. I vicariously romped about with the Hulk, my inner beast satiating itself on these excursions. Yet, I also learned that no matter what I became in life, no matter if I let my inner beast loose, there were people who would still love me, still care about me, still help me.
In my late teens I learned these feelings I was experiencing were from a severe chemical imbalance compounded by bi-polarism. And true to the tales in the pages of the Hulk comics, my family, my good friends, and God stuck by me, supported me, and loved me, even when I was at my worst.
Batman is just plain cool. He has no super powers. He's not invulnerable. He can't fly. He's not super strong. But he is smart, he is dedicated, he is passionate. It helps that he is also filthy, stinking rich.
I always liked that even without any super powers, Batman went out and fought crime. Tried to make a difference, to protect others. The gadgets were always cool, of course, but it was his sharp mind, his reasoning skills, his sheer intellect that truly drew me to his comics.
As with Spider-Man and Hulk, I learned something from Batman growing up. I learned to use my mind, to think. To look at things from different angles, from different perspectives. To utilize available resources to accomplish my goals. And I learned to never give up. When the chips were down, when all seems lost, there is always an option.
Shadowcat, Ariel, Sprite ... Kitty Pryde has used a number of codenames through the years, but most people know her as plain Kitty Pryde. A member of the X-Men since 1980, she quickly became my most favorite member of the team. Her phasing ability was cool, she was smart, she was pretty, and she had a little purple dragon as a pet!
Kitty was never the most powerful of the X-Men, but she held her own. She was the heart and soul of the team. A kid-sister to many members, a friend to others, a lover to one or two. She grew from an awkward, shy, insecure waif into a confidant, intelligent, courageous leader. She was fun-loving, compassionate, and honest.
From Kitty I learned that it was okay to try new things, to grow and to change, that friendships are precious, and that you could still be a leader and have fun.
Plas may seem an odd choice to be a favorite super-hero, but there he is. He's been around since 1941; a long time for any super-hero. He's undergone several revisions since DC got rights to him in 1956. Plastic Man is a fan favorite of many, has been in several incarnations of the Justice League, had his own Saturday morning cartoon, and the occasional self-titled comics.
He can stretch to seemingly indefinite lengths, into any shape, any size; even intricate constructs with moving parts. However he almost always stays his colors of red, yellow, black, and flesh colors. Plas is nigh indestructible, and possibly immortal. He may be one of the most powerful super-heroes ever.
Plastic Man used to be criminal until he was wounded and gained his powers in an acid bath. He is always cracking wise; sometimes with inappropriate comments. (Something i can relate too! ^.^;;)
I can't say I "learned" anything from Plas while growing up; I just liked him for his jokes, funny shapes, and interesting character. I suppose one could say, however, that even a bad person deserves a chance to become a good person. And, no matter how much you change, you'll always be who you are.
There you have it. My Top 5 Favorite Super-Heroes. Hulk and Spidey were hard to place, but Hulk was barely edged out as I though of this list. If I were to do a Top 10, the remaining 5 heroes would be (in no particular order): Iceman, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Daredevil, and Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman. My favorite comic to read currently, and a super-hero making a bid to join the Top 10 ranks, would be She-Hulk!
Who are YOUR favorites, and why?
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Superman Doomsday
Superman Doomsday Trailer
I cannot wait for this!
I have the original Superman Doomsday graphic novels (somewhere), and eagerly read the story when it first came out around 1993 starting with "Death of Superman", then "A World Without Superman", and then the return of the Man of Steel. This Direct to DVD movie follows all three major plot lines from the comics, covering three years of comic continuity.
There are changes from the source material, however.
Doomsday doesn't beat the snot out the Justice League before tangling with Big Blue. And, we will not see the four pretenders who take up Supes' mantle (Cyborg Superman, Steel, Superboy, and Last Son of Krypton). Those two are the biggest deviations. Apparently, in this version, Superman is the only hero on Earth.
The DVD will also be PG-13, so expect more visceral violence than in previous DC animations. It should be interesting to see what they show and do.
Villains in the DVD will be Lex Luthor, Doomsday, and Superman himself. (He fights his darker side). Toyman is also listed on imdb.
Casting includes Adam Baldwin as Superman, James Marsters as Lex Luther, Anne Heche as Lois Lane, and a few other voices you might recognize from numerous voice overs in animation.
I have high hopes for this movie. It has got to be better than the enjoyable, yet lackluster Superman Returns. We'll find out in a couple of months.
Superman Doomsday will be available on 8.17.07
You can see more at the Official Superman Doomsday Website!
You Won't Like Me When I'm Angry!
I love comics. I love super-heroes.
Hulk is one of my most favorite super-heroes. Sometimes on the side of angels, sometimes not. Always looking out for himself.
Hulk has gone through so many incarnations, so many vastly different looks, it can be difficult to decide which one to do a particular movie on. 
They got one thing right, however ... the facial features. Savage Hulk is my absolute favorite look for the Emerald Giant. Lou captured the bestial Beast-Within appearance I have always felt Hulk was best suited for.
The 2003 movie, Hulk, used pure CGI to create Hulk's face (and body), though it did seem extrapolated from actor Eric Bana's actual facial features.
The fight scenes, excepting the final battle, were fantastic. Pure super-hero beauty on screen, pure Hulk. I was even excited to see they kept Hulk's leaping miles at time in. The middle of the movie was the best, while he fights the Army and escapes from the underground bunker. I even enjoyed the comic-style transitions between scenes Ang Lee utilized.
Unfortunately, Hulk didn't do as well as hoped, and was panned by many critics, both film and comic buffs alike.
The upshot is a new, Hulk movie is going forward. Not a sequel, but a re-start. A re- imagining of the Verdant Behemoth with new cast, and radically different look for the eponymous title character, The Incredible Hulk. I'm stoked after seeing this clip from Comic-Con!
Edward Norton will be playing Bruce Banner, with Liv Tyler as Betty Ross and William Hurt as Gen. "Thunderbolt" Ross. Tim Roth will be playing Emil Blonsky, which means we may actually see some hero vs. villain action in this movie with Hulk going up against the Abomination!
The Incredible Hulk is currently slated for a July 13th, 2008 release.
Friday, 15 June 2007
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
I enjoyed the movie. Even though most of the critics and comic geek purists said I shouldn't, I did.
I went in without any expectations except to enjoy myself, drink my freezie coke, and ogle super-hero antics on the big screen.
The movie is much better than the first, in my opinion.
First, it was a mere 85 minutes long. There was plot, story, and action ... no tedious fluff that tends to pad out and bloat more recent movies. I felt almost as if I were watching a comic book come to life. (Well, okay, comic books from a few years ago, not these melodramas the comic industry seems keen on churning out lately. I'm all for backstory and seeing the inner workings of super-hero, but 20 of 24 pages of standing or sitting around chewing the fat gets old, fast.)
With the origin of how the Fantastic Four came to be already told, the story could focus more on ... well, the story.
It was lifted from classic Fantastic Four comic mythology.
A being of cosmic enormity which devours worlds to sustain itself is on its way to Earth, sending its Herald (Silver Surfer) to prepare for its arrival. This being is Galactus.
Of course not! He wouldn't even have to destroy life on Earth before he ate it. We'd already have laughed ourselves to death at first sight of him.
Instead, we get this destructive, cosmic nebula-type thing, with vague shadows of the classic horned helmet and other anthropomorphic details here and there. If you aren't looking for them, you may not even notice them.
Could Galactus have been designed better for the movie? Possibly. But I feel this was a decent choice given the absurdity of the original (yet classic) look of the Devourer of Worlds. (Early appearances of Galactus even had a huge G emblazoned across his chest, while latter showings added blue pants to his outfit).
I suppose the film writers could have opted for the Ultimate version of The Devourer of Worlds, Gah Lak Tus. An immense, 100,000 mile long hive mind conglomeration of city-sized robots. It may have worked on screen, but I do prefer the more simplistic (possibly shrouding?) space cloud used in the current film. The novelization of the film does refer to Galactus as Gah Lak Tus, however, so ... who knows?
Maybe the shrouded mystery is what it should be. A being so immense, so powerful, so far beyond mortal comprehension that we can only see a swirling vortex of cosmic nebula.
Victor von Doom is also back again. The cosmic power which gives the Silver surfer his abilities as Galactus' Herald, revive and restore Dr. Doom. He plays a typically villainous role in the film, one suited to the comic book style. He wants to steal the Surfer's power. I am not a big fan of Julian McMahon as Doom, though he is less stiff and annoying than in the first film. He does pull off the smarmy, egotistical persona fairly well, however.
The titular heroes of the film, the Fantastic Four, are played with more familiarity then in the first one.
Thing is more at ease with his grotesque appearance. Even in love with his blind lady friend, Alicia Masters. Michael Chiklis seems to be the comedic side-kick of the series. Much more so than in the first, or in the comics. It is not overly distracting, but it is slightly overdone. I missed him bellowing his signature battle cry in the film, though he does quip it once. He makes a darn good Ben Grimm, though I always envisioned the Thing to be taller.
The Human Torch is as arrogant and greedy as ever, yet still with the strong core of love for friends and family. Chris Evans plays him perfectly, I think. He has the looks, the build, and the attitude to carry off the disaffected sarcasm and hot-headedness of Johnny Storm.
The Invisible Woman has the best powers of the bunch, in my opinion. Force fields, invisibility, and telekinesis (basically). Jessica Alba is a credible Sue Storm, though she too has gotten bashed for her portrayal of Invisible Woman.
Mister Fantastic is as pliable as ever, and he seems to be loosening up in this go-round. He even steals a page from ol' Spidey and gives us a dance number, Fantastic style. Ioan Gruffudd comes into his own as Reed Richards in this movie. I did not care for him in the first one, but he really made the part his own now.
All the characters' powers were showcased, more believably than before, and with more versatility. I particularly enjoy seeing the powers used in everyday circumstances. I mean, c'mon, who in their right mind wouldn't use their super-powers to make life easier for themselves?
Lastly, we have the Silver Surfer.
An iconic character from Marvel, who got his start in the pages of the Fantastic Four.
He was portrayed nicely in the movie, much as I imagined he would be were he a real entity. You'd think a big silver man flying around on a surfboard would be ludicrous, but you somehow buy into the fantasy without question.
The great Doug Jones plays the non CG-body of the Surfer, with a melodramatic Laurence Fishburne providing the voice. Jones was fantastic, Fishburne was adequate. I'm not sure who's voice would have fit the character better, but the stilted enunciation of Fishburne, coupled with the attempted other-worldly deepness of voice just didn't quite fit for me.
On second thought, I think I would have rather seen Doug Jones provide the voice, as he did for his portrayal of Abe Sapien in Hellboy. But then the producers may have feared for too much comparison between Jones' Ape Sapien and the Silver Surfer.
It's bad enough everyone is saying the Surfer looks too much like the T-1000 terminator from Terminator 2.
I say the T-1000 looks like the Silver Surfer.
Speaking of which, the look was dead on to what I expected he would appear as. The CGI was a bit stiff, a bit other-worldly, but that may have been what the SFX guys were going for. Still, I feel the Silver Surfer was the best part of the movie, and the rumors of a Silver Surfer movie make me very happy.
I'm definitely getting this on DVD when it comes out. And I would love to see a third film, perhaps one featuring Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner! (Who has his own movie in the pipe-line, but I'd like to see him in a FF film first).
If you didn't like the first movie, you may not like this one. It is an improvement, and as I said, more like a live-action comic book than a typical super-hero flick. Try it and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.
If you liked the first one, you will really like this one. Less fluff, more stuff. Brighter, faster, and more fun than the original. A very good successor to it's progenitor.
It's not the best movie you'll see this year, by far. But, by far, it's not the worst.
I recommend seeing it at the theater for the big screen experience and the great surround sound effects. Especially if you can suck down a freezie coke while you watch! ~.^
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Laser Fart - Ep. 2 (w/ Jack Black)
Yes, Jack Black is indeed in this episode. The real guy. The guy from "School of Rock", "King Kong", and "Nacho Libre". Take a peek:
Laser Fart's choice of super-hero costume is odd, but by the charred "stain" on the butt of his bike shorts, we now know those lasers do some damage to textiles.
I'm not sure if the diatribe at the end of the episode is supposed to be part of the humor, or if it was meant as a real message. It was an interesting choice to end the episode, either way.
Oddly enough, I kinda like this super-hero parody show. There are more episodes available ... Do you, my discriminating readers, want to see more Laser Fart?
Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 136 days is:
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Laser Fart
Farts. Must be a filler.
I was going to do a nice post today, but ended up running errands from 8am until now, which is ... 2pm. So I'm fairly wiped out. (No fart pun intended).
I decided that I would show a super-hero movie for those of you who missed seeing Spider-Man 3. Rumors are this guy will be in the fourth installment as Spidey's side-kick. Okay, not really, but it couldn't be worse than Sandman, Venom, and New Goblin. *sigh*
Good thing the lasers seem to coalesce outside his pants. Can you imagine the wardrobe bill this guy would have other wise? And, just throwing this out, if those are dry farts, I wonder what a wet one would be like?
Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 135 days is:
Monday, 7 May 2007
Marvel vs. DC
Well, I was going to give you guys something to look at besides my vague descriptions of my gastrointestinal difficulties. (It was going to be Spider-man farting, if I could find something). But I found these videos instead.
They're riffs on the Mac vs. PC commercials, and they are funny stuff. Have a look! (But give it time to load, there are 6 of them! Wohoo!)
Hi, I'm a Marvel ... and I'm a DC (Mac/PC Parody) #1
Hi, I'm a Marvel ... and I'm a DC (Mac/PC Parody) #2
Hi, I'm a Marvel ... and I'm a DC (Mac/PC Parody) #3
Hi, I'm a Marvel ... and I'm a DC (Mac/PC Parody) #4
Hi, I'm a Marvel ... and I'm Batman (Mac/PC Parody) #1
Hi, I'm a Marvel ... and I'm Batman (Mac/PC Parody) #2
You can also find these videos at ItsJustSomeRandomGuy's YouTube site. Check back there in case he does more of these great parody videos!