The Dark Knight Rises To Face Superman (An Insane Hypothesis)

Hypothesis - Superman, played by Tom Hardy will be the "villain" in the recently announced "The Dark Knight Rises"

Facts:

1. Tom Hardy is the only announced new actor in the Batman film (source)
2. Reports indicate that Superman Producer / The Dark Knight Rises Director is looking for a "middle aged" Superman (source)
3. Tom Hardy is 33 years old and resembles Clark Kent/ Superman in middle age (photo)
4. WB is trying to re-launch the Superman franchise and there would be no better to do that to introduce the Superman character in The Dark Knight Rises a movie that every person on the planet is going to see. (source>my mind brah)

As much as I want this to be true, Nolan has said that there will be no crossover in the past, yet I have always wondered just how factual that statement could be when Metropolis is mentioned in "Batman Begins" and Nolan is the mastermind behind both series.

I also imagine that the shooting dates wouldn't line up with both films slated to come out in 2012 with "Dark Knight Rises" in the summer and "Superman: Man of Steel" in the winter.

As you saw in my title, this is clearly an insane hypothesis, but it would be mind meltingly awesome if it was true.

Movie News Avalanche (The Dark Knight Rises & Avatar 2 & 3)

I hope the avalanche rescue teams are ready, because Hollywood is burying us with epic news today. Just this morning my friend was asking me about "The Dark Knight" sequel and today we have a title:

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

The news comes from the always wonderful playlist blog (via LA Times Hero Complex Blog). Nolan also states the film won't be shot in 3D. However, a quick note here, I don't know if this is completely final. Nolan is a very technical director and I think he still might be intrigued by shooting in 3D further down the line. Also, he didn't confirm or deny the rumors that he will totally be shooting the whole film in IMAX. People salivating for any details about plot or characters should know that he did say THE RIDDLER will not be the villain.

Not content with Batman stealing all the thunder, FOX and James Cameron announced today that they will be shooting AVATAR 2 & 3 back to back next year. This is actually pretty news considering just weeks ago Cameron was considering making Cleopatra with Angelina Jolie. But now we will have the Avatar sequels in 2014 and 2015 and they will star Justin Bieber, I'm just kidding. One also has to wonder why Cameron is releasing these films in 2014 and 2015 because being such a nature-science-hollywood diety he probably know the world will end in 2012 anyway.

My Tron Hype Machine Begins Now

I've been holding off a little bit with my hype for this film, but this trailer really gets techno robot battle part of my brain going. Family members, we will be seeing this at Christmas in IMAX 3D.

This ALS Life

On October 11th my mother Deborah Goessling passed away. I have been back East with my family. My Mother had ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. She was the biggest fan of my writings and one of the biggest reasons why I continue (don't worry, I will continue) to blog. She was an avid reader and commenter on this site. She too had a blog: called "THIS ALS LIFE." I encourage all of you to read it, it will help you learn about the disease and also see a incredibly awesome woman my mother was. 

Under The Boardwalk: "Anastasia"

Gather round folks and come witness the great marvel of storytelling called "Boardwalk Empire." By now I imagine many of you have been watching HBO's new series and I've decided that I'm going to get back in "Lost Compass" and "24 Points" mode by doing a weekly recap called "Under The Boardwalk." I chose this name for because it is under the boardwalk that everything lands, and it will be my job to collect it all and make sense of it for you.

Last night's episode was titled "Anastasia" and no, I don't think they were referencing the 1997 animated film. Rather, our story last night used a newspaper story about a famed Russian princess maybe being alive to present the soaring dreams and the harsh pull of reality on our characters.


1. Let's focus on the coolest guy on the show: Chalky. Seen here on the left rocking a mean bowtie, he shared a similar fairy tale like story about his father. According to him, Chalky's Dad was a master artisan, capable of creating beautiful wood carvings, however, reality struck and his father was lynched. Chalky, trying to determine who lynched one of his bootleggers tortured the wrong man, a twisted way of the truth hitting you hard. The show is intense every time this character is on the screen, and you can thank Michael Kenneth Williams for that.

2. Can we please talk about Kelly MacDonald. This actress who plays Margaret Schroeder dominates every single scene she is in. Her story last night started off princess like with her doing well professionally and with her family. But by the end, once she got a taste of the high life, she was stealing clothes right off the rack. Her character's change is central to the show as it is in her that we see how the toxic shores of Atlantic City can corrupt even the purest of hearts. After all it was only two episodes ago she was refusing charity for Nucky.

3. The title of the show may change but everyone knows that Max Casella who plays Leo D'alessio on the show is the kid from "Newsies" and "Doogie Howser." Granted his outfit hasn't changed much but good for him to get back into the vest game. Now, if only he can bust out a sweet version of "King of New York" on HBO, that would truly be something.

4. For a gritty show about gangsters, booze, sex, and violence "Boardwalk Empire" certainly has tons of kids on it. Both Margaret and Jimmy Darmondy's wife have kids that get serious screen time. I think they're there to remind the viewers of both what is at stake and how childish people on the show can be. Darmody & Capone are basically men behaving like children, complete with zany pranks like firing guns next to each other's heads and bromantic dates like getting fitting for suits together (note to my bros, getting fitted for suits together is cool, firing loaded weapons next to my ear is not).

5.  Martin Scorsesse only directed the pilot episode of the series, but that hasn't stopped the show from having a top malt of directors. Last night's director Jeremy Podeswa continued with the subtle trend of showing the ceilings and high walls of every interior, a very subtle way of showing how trapped the characters of the show are.

6. I've been really enjoying the slow burn of "Boardwalk," sure sometimes the dialogue is a little watered down and there could be more action, but each week I return back to Dirty Jerz to my weekly drink.

The Way Back Trailer

I've been into this since the early reviews and this trailer looks like it's delivering great drama from an amazing cast.

Racing Secretariat To The Oscars

I was going to write a review of the highly enjoyable film "Secretariat," but Andrew O'Hehir at Salon.com has already written the only review that needs to be read. In one length he tackles the story, the direction, the acting, and how the whole thing is highly disturbing in it's portal of race and social unrest. Here is a sample:

"Secretariat" actually goes much further, presenting a honey-dipped fantasy vision of the American past as the Tea Party would like to imagine it, loaded with uplift and glory and scrubbed clean of multiculturalism and social discord.

Not everyone agrees with this assessment of the film, LA Times critic has a great editorial piece on it on his blog "The Big Picture." He argues that while the movie's subtext is there, it also is a movie about the white dominated horse racing world of the seventies, and that's all. Both reviews are though-provoking and touch on an interesting problem that other critics have brought up regarding this year's Oscar season: race

According to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter this is going to be the whitest Oscar season ever. The article points out that  the Academy can only award the films that get made, so if that's true, does that mean that there are not as many parts for non-white performers? After reading the Salon.com review of "Secretariat" one would think that the reason for the vanilla Oscar race is some nefarious tea party take over of hollywood. I'm not buying it, it sounds a little too much like a whacko script idea and not a reality.

Nevertheless it remains to be seen if "Secretariat" will stir up any tensions regarding it's golden portrayal of a turbulent time or if it will just be another good horse movie. If you enjoy horse films, you should see it, it's fun heart warming stuff, just watch it with an open mind, and think about what you're really seeing.

127 Hours Trailer Will Make You Believe In The Human Spirit

What's that? That's the sound of the hype train on this movie leaving the station. I'm in the first car with a trumpet. This is gonna be amazing.

SLAM! BAM! POW! Comic Book Movie Update

Over the past two weeks, there has been flurry of news about upcoming comic book adaptations. Considering that I'm sitting here in my HQ monitoring every thing on my sweet monitors that Lucius Fox set up, I figured I'd put everything in one place for you

Zack Snyder To Direct Superman 

The Man of Steel is coming back to the big screen, hopefully as a heroic badass, not the whiny emo pansy that he was in "Superman Returns." Batman mastermind Christopher Nolan is producing and this week it was announced that Zack Snyder will direct. Audiences know Snyder as the director of "300" and "Watchmen." Reports indicate the script is pretty much the exact same as "Batman Begins" with Clark Kent traveling the planet figuring out his self worth and then returning to Metropols to regulate on everyone now that he knows he literally is the boss of all bosses.

Should You Be Excited?

Apprehensively yes, Snyder may not be the best storyteller, but his action sequences deliver, so if anything this film will be entertaining. Nolan should keep other story problems in check too.

Darren Aronofsky Might Direct Wolverine 2

"X-Men Origins Wolverine" is one of the most disappointing movies I have ever seen in my life. Nevertheless it was a hit and FOX is serious about making the sequel succeed where the original failed (which was everywhere). Apparently acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky, who people are loving right now because of "Black Swan," is the frontrunner for the directing job.

Should You Be Excited

Yes! Aronofsky known for his films "The Wrestler," "Pi," and "The Fountain" (which starred Jackman) is visual director who will bring some serious merit to this franchise. The script will also take Wolverine to Japan, so let me translate that

Aronofsky (very cool director) + Wolverine + Ninjas = SIGN ME UP GUY

Christian Bale is Bulking Up For Batman 3 Which Will Shoot in New Orleans in April

Last week Nolan confirmed that he  is definitely directing Batman 3 and now more news that Bale is bulking up (he was dayum skinny in "The Fighter" (trailer here)). Other news reporting the film is getting ready to shoot in New Orleans. This is notable news because soon we will start getting the casting announcements that people crave like a need for order in Gotham City.

Should You Be Excited

Excited? I already bought my tickets for the midnight show!

David E. Kelley Is Developing A Wonder Woman TV Show

David E. Kelley made a name for himself with the TV Shows "Ally McBeal" and "LA Law," so it's obvious he knows what he is doing with television shows. So I guess it bodes well that he is developing a new Wonder Woman series. I know little to nothing about Wonder Woman so that's pretty much all I can say

Should You Be Excited

Honestly? I have no idea if you should be or not? Does Wonder Woman excite you? If yes, than you're more money than an amazon at a weight lifting competition.

Catfish & The Catch 22 Of Social Networking

"Catfish" is the other "facebook movie." Picked up at Sundance last year, the film is slowly updating it's profile in an attempt to become a much buzzed about thriller, similar to last years "Paranormal Activity." The trailer above seems to imply some kind of dangerous element to the film and while some parts of it are suspenseful, on a whole it's not that terrifying.

The big secret of the whole movie is that Megan and that "facebook family" they talk about isn't real. The whole family is basically created by a very lonely Michigan housewife named Angela. That's it, I like other writers before have spilled the beans. I hope no one hates me for it.

What interests me the most about "Catfish" is unlike the highly negative view of social networking purported by "The Social Network," facebook and the internet is actually portrayed as positive in the film. Sure, it's damn shocking Angela creates this fake reality for herself on the internet, but in the film it comes across as some type of depressing therapeutic release.

Yet at the same time, Angela ultimately is deceiving Nev and the the filmakers about who she is. This begs the question: Does social network make us more dishonest or does it allow us to come across as who we really want to be? Think about it, your facebook profile is a projection of yourself. You can say you like "Lost" in your favorite TV shows, but how would people know that you really wish you had longer hair so you could dress up like Desmond for Halloween and search the city for your Penny. Whoah, too much information there, but you know what I mean.

In his excellent review of "The Social Network," New Yorker critic David Denby points out that with social networking we as people are now "packets of information." "Catfish" and "The Social Network" both show us how these information packets function in real and digital life. Zuckerberg desperately wanted to be in a Harvard Finals club and creates a site to destroy the social structure of Harvard. Angela wants romance and creates an online world to satisfy her need. Both of them have a need and use the internet as an escape to what they hope is a better life.

Forget the army, the internet can make you be all you can be, just make your online profile is up to speed.

What Exactly Is Social About "The Social Network?"

"The Social Network" is the incredible movie that the critics are saying it is. People know me as an "action movie" guy and I can say that this is film is "action-movie" without any guns, explosions, car chases, or aliens. Rather than those fantastic elements, director David Fincher has crafted an fiery concoction of drama action and emotion.

Fincher has such a strong team working with him here, it is not surprising that the film is so brilliant. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin keeps the plot zipping along with dialogue that pops off the screen. Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, and Andrew Garfield (the future spiderman by the way) all turn in great performances. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross contribute a highly memorable and original score and Kirk Baxter and Angus Ross edit the film with knives as sharp as the dialogue.

So alright, you know the movie is great, but what surprises me about the film is how much it hates facebook. For a film about the biggest website on the planet, Fincher clearly is telling us that we are shallow people for using it. In the film, main character Mark Zuckerberg, scorned by his girlfriend, goes online and exposes personal details about her and then creates the basis for facebook out of spite. As the film progresses the facebook or "social" network becomes a blackhole draining the happiness out of everyone involved. People lose money, love, sanity, and real friends all over this site that is supposed to connect us. Make no mistake, in Fincher's eyes, facebook is a dark and sinister thing.

He's probably right too, just take a look around. We are living in a time where social networks like facebook and twitter are supposed to be bringing us together, but in my view they are pushing us apart. Look no further than the recent tragedy at Rutgers, to see the the outcome of a "social" network at work. We are living in a time of tremendous and dangerous connectivity, and David Fincher and his excellent film are warning us of the dangers of it. I just hope that his red flag doesn't get lost in our status updates and tweets.

Stay tuned tomorrow as I tackle another "facebook" movie: Catfish

Sad News: Spartacus Being Re-Cast

Sad news today, STARZ is seeking a replacement for Andy Whitfield, the star and titular hero of the underated "Spartacus: Blood & Sand." Whitfield who is the soul of show is currently being treated for cancer which has reappeared after once stating that he thought he had beat it. My thoughts are with Whitfield and his family.

True Grit Trailer Strikes Again

I saw this trailer on the big screen when I saw "The Social Network" this past weekend and the theater was going nuts. Check it out and stay tuned for my Social Network review coming later today.

Paranormal Activity 2 Trailer

I wanna say that this won't be freaky, but I know that I'm going to watching Glee on repeat for hours after I see it to cope.