DarkMatterLive heads to MetaCon in Minneapolis!! (Part 2) Academy Award Nominee Eric Roberts

Ok, I admit something here...I was completely starstruck on this one! How many people have meet Academy Award Nominees? I have never meet one, until Eric Roberts came walking into Panel Room 1 asking how we are doing. My heart stopped! To be honest, he was running late (stupid traffic, slow elevators lol) and I thought he had cancelled for some reason. Well, there he was! Walking with all the swag of a normal guy and the effect of a superstar!

I want everyone to know that I did try to keep down the gushing with meeting him. I hope I succeeded! LOL I tried not to take much of his time, but boy did I ask a lot of questions!

"How are you? How was your flight in?" - To Eric Roberts
     Eric Roberts: I'm great, thanks. It was fine, actually I slept through the whole thing.

"You have been in movies with Jon Voight, Mickey Rourke, Dennis Hopper, Alec Baldwin. That's heavy casting! How do you handle that type of thing?" - To Eric Roberts
     Eric Roberts: It is heavy casting. You mentioned Jon Voight, he is a Buddhist...so everything to him has to be perfect. Alec Baldwin loves being a movie star! But when he gets grumpy, he gets really grumpy.

"What do you think about what he did just recently?" - To Eric Roberts referring to Alec Baldwin pinning a paparazzi member to a car.
     Eric Roberts: How many of you are parents? (to the audience) Well, as you know, when you have a new baby in the house, you get no sleep for the first two weeks and you get a little grumpy. With Alec, he got really grumpy.

This next question didn't come from me, this question came from Kristen! Yup, I made her ask this one.

"How long have you been studying Taekwondo?" - To Eric Roberts
     Eric Roberts: Off and On since the second grade
(Kristen dropped her phone in shock)

"Ya, this next question is about a rumor that keeps coming up. I was wondering if it was true that you helped launch Julia Roberts career with getting her cast in the movie Steel Magnolias?"
     Eric Roberts: Ok, you got the story right...Just not the movie. Steel Magnolias was the film she got her first Academy Award nomination. The film she got her start in was Blood Red. The director was having trouble casting my sister, in the film, and I suggested my sister Julie. The director wasn't buying it and I was like, It's my sister! I also introduced her to her first agent, director. She did say thank you. I'm very proud of her.

"What's it like being married to Eric Roberts the actor and Eric Roberts the man?" - To Eliza Roberts
     Eliza Roberts - It's like any other marriage. I mean, you have the ups and downs. When I watch a movie that he is in, I'm stunned at how good he is in the movie...and then he comes walking down the stairs.
     Eric Roberts - It's great being married to me!

To be honest, there were a lot of great questions that came from other audience members. I don't remember them all but I will mention the question about the film, The Expendables.

"You did the film, The Expendables. What was that like?" - To Eric Roberts
     Eric Roberts: It was great, with the exception of the farting contests. There was one pre-madonna on the set. Sly is all work! He is a great guy. Steve Austin is a sweetheart.

I do want everyone to know that I did try to remember what the answers were. If I got it wrong, I do apologize. This is why I didn't quote them.

Later that night I did go to his autograph session and received another surprise! He signed an autograph for my mother! When I took it back to her, she laughed and thought it was cool and a big surprise! A close friend of hers is now jealous of the autograph! LOL I had to laugh on that one. Eric Roberts made my moms day with that surprise.

Oh yes, since it seems unlikely that I will ever meet him again. This next message is to Eric Roberts!

To Eric Roberts,
     Thank you very much for the autograph. I'm completely surprised by this! The name of the television show I watched, with you in it, was called "Less Than Perfect." I thought you were hilarious! You played the part of the Will Butler. Thank you again for the autographed picture!

So, to anyone out there, if you happen to know Eric Roberts or if he is reading this, Thank You!

I did run into Eric Roberts two times after the panel. Once, he was walking around the corner near the elevators and said, "Heey! It's Eric Roberts!" He gave me a fist bump and said "Salute." The other time was on Sunday morning. I went up to him and said, "Thank you for coming to this." He said, My pleasure and bent over to pick up his bags. (He put them down to take a picture with a lady and gave me another fist bump.)

Near the end of the first panel, Kristen turned to me and said, "Yeah, that's how your going to be in a few years."

I have to say that Eric Roberts is a class act with a twinkle in his eyes! He is great to talk too and will answer any question you have to ask him.

It was great meeting him and I wish him all the best in life!!

p.s. Oh yeah, for those who are interested. Eric Roberts put Kristen and I on too a few things that he supports and does in his life. First off is the musician, Keaton Simons!

Here is the link to his website: http://redbootpr.com/featured_artist/featured_artist.html

Also, Eric and Eliza Roberts support The Natural Child. Here is the link to this:
http://www.naturalchild.org/book/audio/

Eric Roberts is also an animal rights activist, here is the link to the organizations he supports: http://www.preciouspaws.org/ and http://600million.org/?r=ericroberts

If you cant get to these sites by the links given, I apologize. You can find all the links on Eric Roberts website! http://www.ericrobertsactor.com/

DarkMatterLive heads to MetaCon in Minneapolis!! (Part 1) Power Rangers and the Hyatt Regency

Ok, this is going to be a long blog! I promise. Do you want to read it? I know I would! LOL Anyway, brace yourself, Icarus went to MetaCon!!!

To tell this story, I have to go back a couple of months to about May 2013. Kristen/DJ BeatsPoint mentioned to me that there was an Anime Convention in Minneapolis and she was interested in going. My first thought was, "Gosh, I don't know." Anyway, she asked me to check it out and get back to her about my thoughts.

DML doesn't typically go to many large conventions. The reason? Well, we feel that the larger the con, the more confusion and chaos there is at that level.

I looked over the website and was stunned at what they were lining up for guest speakers! Billy West, Academy Award Nominee Eric Roberts, Erin Cahill, Jason Faunt, Nakia Burrise, Michael Copon, Leif Ganvoort, Chris Patton, Sonny Strait, Chuck Huber and Terry Pavlet!! This is some high profile people to be bringing to a convention in the mid-west!

So, I decided to notify the other members of DML or our intention to go to MetaCon and see what was up with all this awesomeness!

Go forward a month or so and SoDakCon happened in Rapid City! We had a great time and Kristen/DJ BeatsPoint brought the house down. We had so much fun at SoDakCon, I decided what the hell! Bring on MetaCon!

The passes were bought and the room was reserved at the hotel!! (OMG, the hotel)

A few weeks later, I'm sitting in my apartment packing up the rest of my stuff! Sadly, business had to intrude and a quick trip was made to my parents house. I mentioned to my mom that I was headed to Minneapolis for a convention and she asked who was going to be there.

When I mentioned Eric Roberts, she looked at me and said "I know him! He is on that sitcom that I love!" Not telling me much else, I left and went to meet Kristen/DJ BeatsPoint at my apartment to pack up the car and head to Minneapolis!!

Sadly, we missed the opening ceremony with a few of the small panels. Stupid construction!!! Oh well.

We get to the hotel and was shocked by what we saw:

The Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis had just finished a huge renovation process and what we saw was nothing short of amazing!!! OMG The entry way was enough to make your jaw drop!

I ran up to the check-in counter and my reservation was all ready to go! We got a cool room on the ninth floor and just stared at the size!

Phil and Sam Firefox came with us and immediately took over the couch. (Silly guys)

I helped Kristen sign up for the Cosplay/Masquerade contests and we got a few moments to relax and enjoy the convention! Little did we know that this would be the last time we got to breath...or eat!

As we were going through the vendors area, which was huge, Kristen saw four people walk in and didn't mention it to me until I almost passed right by them...I stopped and turned, yelled "OH MY GOD...IT'S...IT'S!!"  Nakia Burrise turned, smiled, and waived at me. Erin Cahill said, "Hiiiii!" I turned back to Kristen and she said, "Yup, it's the Power Rangers."

To clarify, Power Rangers Time Force and a Power Ranger Turbo! Jason Faunt = Red Ranger, Nakia Burrise = Yellow Ranger (Power Ranger Turbo), Erin Cahill = Pink Ranger, Michael Copon = Blue Ranger

I went up to there table, after they set up, and proceeded to talk their ears off and ask a ton of questions!!

They were very happy to answer questions and took their time to explain as much as they could about being celebrities! The questions you ask? Well, here are the questions with the answers as best as I can remember them:

"How does it feel being apart of something that just keeps going?"
   Jason Faunt: It's cool!

"How does it feel to come up after Jason David Frank, Austin St. John and the rest?"
   Nakia Burrise: I worked with Jason David Frank.
   Jason Faunt: I never felt the pressure because every season they changed the plot, characters. Our team                            was in the way future.
   Erin Cahill: I think it's cool!

"What was it like working with Jason David Frank?" - to Nakia Burrise
     Nakia Burrise: He is a sweetheart but he can kick some ass

After I found out about the other projects that the cast had done, I started asking questions:

"What's it like doing the horror film, Boogeyman 3?" - to Erin Cahill
     Erin Cahill: It was a lot of fun! There is such a wide range of emotions to bring out.

"Did you know about the Alexander the Great film, while you were doing the documentaries?" - to Jason Faunt
     Jason Faunt: Yes, I did. It was a challenge but a lot of fun learning how to do the weapons and all that                              cool stuff.

"What's it like doing a video game?" referring to Resident Evil 6. - to Jason Faunt
     It was cool. When I went in for the game, they scanned my face with an image machine so the character        looked like me.

"What's it like being in all the teen magazines?" - to Michael Copon
     It's cool! I mean, in this one, I'm on the the top 50 sexy men list!

"When you go to other jobs do you find that people, you are working with, are fans of Power Rangers and what you have done?" - Entire cast
     Michael Copon: All the time! For me, what sells it is: Dude, You're an action figure!
     Rest of cast: Oh yes!

I want to thank Erin Cahill, Jason Faunt, Nakia Burrise, Michael Copon for their patience and for taking the time for all my questions! I had a lot of them.

(I do want everyone to remember that I didn't quote them because I didn't have a mic and I am trying my best to remember what they said as answers, so if I got it wrong, you will have to forgive me)

Ok, now I have to inform everyone of a weird coincidence that occurred during the whole convention! For some reason, Kristen and myself, kept running into them during the event! It was not planned nor are we stalkers. (We swear!) We didn't run into anyone else but these lovely people! Fortunately, they were good sports about the weird coincidence.

Ok, Ok. I probably did the fanboy thing a little too much. I made such a big deal about them! I couldn't help it, these great people were so nice and from a beloved show that just keeps going! Ok, I'm sorry for fanboying too much LOL still, they were super nice and great to meet! I even got an elbow bump from the Blue Ranger! (I hope I didn't bump him in the face with his juice LOL)

I want to send hugs and happiness to Erin Cahill! She is a classy lady and a complete sweetheart! I was so surprised at how excited she was about meeting all of us, attendees, at MetaCon! She seemed so happy to be there and thought that Kristen and I were cool (I guess). At the end of breakfast, on Sunday, she came over and gave us hugs and said goodbye! Wow! I will always remember her kindness and understanding over us being complete goofs!

A big shout out to Nakia Burrise for remembering my name during the panels they did for the attendees! I think she is a class act and super talented.

Sending respect to Jason Faunt for not only being a nice guy but also a Jeet Kune Do student! He was surprised when I got him and Kristen into a conversation about the martial art. He was also surprised when I told him that her instructor was a 4th generation instructor. Now, her instructor is famous! (That's Jason Faunt on the phone in the pictures above.)

From left to right: Jason Faunt, Nakia Burrise, Erin Cahill, Kristen, Michael Copon.

Thanks to you guys for making, what will become, memories of a lifetime! We will always remember this convention and thank you all for being super kind and understanding to Kristen and I for being overly excited dorks and taking the time to answer all our questions.

Ben Affleck vs Batman fans!!

This morning, I woke up to read the news that Ben Affleck had been cast as Batman in the upcoming Superman/Batman live action film. This is very shocking to me for obvious reasons! I was not ready for this ulcer to occur...ugh!

What I am going to do with this blog entry is explain my reasons why this is NOT a good idea with a more open mind than "Daredevil." So, brace yourself folks, here comes my opinion on the new Batman casting!

Lets go all the way back to the late 80's to make my point...specifically, the press release of Tim Burton casting Michael Keaton as Batman in 1989. Yes, there was a lot of controversy on that one. First, you have to take a look at the public of the era and how they received their information on upcoming films. There was hardly any information at all. If you didn't subscribe to any of the L.A. based newspapers, the only information you got was from "Starlog" or "Fangoria" magazines. Back then, the writers of movie magazines had the public attention and that is where the controversy began to take shape in the American public.

During the 80's, Michael Keaton was an actor with a lot of television but very few films under his belt. Most of what he had done were in supporting roles with the leads being given to whomever was good for the role, or popular of the day. The most notable thing he had done back then was a series of comedies, most of which became nothing. However, there were two that helped define his style of acting in that genre, Beetlejuice and Mr Mom. This is where the public based all their attention on. Mr Mom was going to play Batman?!! WTS!! This was completely unfair of the public. To base future roles on a single film does a serious injustice to all actors. What the public did not see, probably because of the limited release, was a dark drama starring Michael Keaton called "Clean and Sober." This film is considered one of his best performances to date. The film centers around a drug addict who enters a rehab center to get away from legal problems only to discover that he needed to clean his life up. Director Glenn Gordon Caron got a very dark and riveting performance from Michael Keaton that the critiques love but the public never saw. In fact, he got a NSFC Award for his work in the film. Enter Tim Burton and his black comedy about an insane ghost who gets rid of people using his abilities from the netherworld.

Beetlejuice introduced the world to many new faces. Alec Badwin, Winona Ryder, just to name a few. Michael Keaton turned in a role that was very dark, moody and most of all dangerous! Beetlejuice was not a nice guy...er, ghost. He was borderline crazy and was convinced that he was doing the right thing for the spirit world. Add to this that all he wanted was to marry Winona Ryders' character, so he could live in the human world and you have a very manipulative character. Then you add all the different creatures he becomes in the film and you can see how dangerous he has the potential to become for the other characters.

Tim Burton probably saw "Clean and Sober" and thought it would be a great idea to cast Michael Keaton in his dark comedy about a supernatural "Human Buster." I would have to agree with Mr. Burton! The film was a huge success, for the day, and helped launch all kinds of careers with the most diverse cast. Michael Keatons' perfomance won him another NSFC award and his career took off like a rocket!

Tim Burton, hot off his success with Beetlejuice, decided to see if lighting could strike twice and cast Michael Keaton as Batman. This is where the public went "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" at first and then after the film came out, Michael Keaton was being praised as a great actor turning in a great performance. In fact, Batman went on to win multiple awards including an Academy Award for Best Set Design by, the late, Anton Furst. To keep this article short, I will not post all the awards and nominations that Batman received in 1989. To make my point, please check out the IMDB page where they do list them all:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895/awards?ref_=tt_awd

For that time period, there was only one other film based on a comic book that made that much money with such critical success, Superman The Movie directed by Richard Donner.

Now we go into, Batman Returns! Once again, Tim Burton in the Director's Chair with Michael Keaton starring in the lead role. This film introduces a love interest to Bruce Wayne and the villain being played by Danny Devito with Christopher Walken being the manipulator of the whole scenario. To be fair, I love the film but thought there was just too many stories going on to make it great. Enough said.

A few years later, Michael Keaton stepped off the role and passed it on to Val Kilmer. This time, Director Joel Schumacher turned out a near flop of a film. Was this because of Val Kilmer and the title role? No. Val Kilmer is a fine actor with a really damn good range of acting abilities. For those who doubt Val Kilmer, check out Spartan, Heat and Weird Science. Three movies with three completely different characters. The reason Batman Forever failed is because there were too many stories with too many people putting too much input into a film that had potential but collapsed before it began filming.

Val Kilmer gives way to George Clooney. I think just about everyone will agree that Batman & Robin was just plain awful. However, there were bright spots in the film. The conflict between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson was pretty good! Also, casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze was a good idea but we never saw the real Mr. Freeze until the very end of the movie when he introduces himself as Poison Ivy's cellmate. Keep in mind that she tried to kill Victor Freezes' wife.

After that mess of a film, DC and Warner Bros. decided to take Batman back to his original dark roots. Something that Tim Burton tried in 1989 and almost succeeded.

Christian Bale, in a life changing performance, turns in the "younger" Batman.

Batman Begins takes a whole different direction and explains the years it takes for Bruce Wayne to become Batman. This evolution of this character is thoughtful. The casting is nothing but brilliant with a script that is almost a Shakespearean tragedy! However, Bruce Wayne will not give up and Batman enters the screen with all the dramatic flair of the comic books.

Two more films follow with Christian Bale in the lead role and the public is introduced to the method behind Bruce Wayne, to become a legend that others can follow! At the end of "The Dark Knight Rises," we catch a glimpse of a young man walking into the Batcave, his name is Robin.

Each of these men have turned in performances, some good some bad, that helped shape the various aspects of a very complicated character. Michael Keaton played the older, but not to old, Batman who has been around for awhile. His Batman was more seasoned and knew what was going on. Very little surprised Mr. Keatons' version of the character. Val Kilmer presented the rich, powerful, Bruce Wayne who took his job as Batman seriously, but had a value system that was confused and was in search of something to define his morals. George Clooney gave us the humble, wise guy, Batman. His version was more a man in desperation, trying to save is best friend. Christian Bale gave us a younger more brash Batman. His Batman was young, rough and full of "bringing the pain back to the criminals." To be honest, all the various characterizations are right...and all are wrong!

The character of Batman is a very complicated part to play. Tragedy runs in his past with more pain and sorrow on the way. This character has lost his parents, friends, allies and loves. Bruce Wayne is all about the mission of justice, very little else. Batman is all of the various interpretations at the same time! There is no one aspect that that could define how Batman truly is during his life.

What does all this have to do with Ben Affleck playing Batman? Everything!

Ben Affleck is a good actor with a so-so range. He does understand comic books and the meaning behind them, very well. I am reminded of a comment that Jennifer Garner said on the set of Elektra, "I wish Ben were here, he understands this." However, this does not mean that he can translate his understanding to the big screen. When you understand something, you can "infer something from information received." Sadly, in this world, very few people can actually translate what has been discovered, or learned, and pass it on to others in a form that can be understood. His string of failures come at the hands of other directors. Ben Affleck seems to only have the ability to pass on what he has learned, if he does it himself. The films he has directed have gone on to become successful, but he surrounds himself with actors that can pick up the slack that he fails to do. This is not the persona of an actor playing the most dynamic character in comics.

Since it seems that Ben Affleck is the final choice for Batman in the upcoming Superman/Batman film, I offer this advice to Mr. Affleck on his move back to comic book movies.

To Become Batman:

1. You have to throw out every portion of your personality. Nothing must remain. The "good guy" thing the press puts on you, the comic nerd. All of it must go.

2. You have to put your mind set in tragedy. You have to live like you will lose everything in a second.

3. You have to live like you have no friends or that no one understands you at all.

4. You have to approach others like your their best friend, all the while you are investigating their whole life. Your point is to put them in jail, for justice sake.

5. Noone can even come close to who you are in real life. Not a soul.

6. You see nothing but the worst in people, but still be able to smile for the cameras.

Can Ben Affleck do any of this? We have not seen it at all. In order for Ben Affleck to utter the words, "I...AM...BATMAN!!" he would have to turn in a performance for the ages, worthy of an Academy Award and spend the next six months, after filming, seeking professional help for stress. Why? Very few actors can pull that kind of performance out of themselves. Even fewer, can come out of it mentally healthy. Sadly, we have lost one actor to that kind of thing...may Heath Ledger rest in piece.

I wish Ben Affleck, Zach Snyder and Henry Cavill well with this future en-devour! In the back of my mind, I hope it works! I mean, come on...Superman/Batman...LIVE ACTION!! Holy box-office! I will anxiously await to see what happens and will be one of many to buy tickets!

-Icarus

THEM! (1954) A review

Them! (1954)

This review, of the now classic 50's films, has stood the test of

time and with this review I hope to explain why the film has done

so well, with American audiences.

     Right at the beginning, the film grabs the viewer with a search going on in the New Mexico desert! A

small girl is reported as missing and the State Troopers along with the local police department have begun the

search and with luck they find her. She is in complete shock and will not respond to any attempts to get her

to talk. The police air support spot an abandoned trailer and recommend a further investigation. What they

find, shocks them. the trailer has been completely destroyed with no sign of people. This portion of the film

comes off as a murder investigation. There are few clues, a bloody mess of clothes and strange footprints in

the sand! The senior officer opens a homicide investigation complete with a call to the F.B.I. for help. During 

the initial investigation, strange sounds are heard in the distance which leads to one of the creepiest scenes in 

film history.

     The senior office decides to drive to a local convenience store to get any information on the trailer and

the little girl...only to find the shop has been destroyed and the man working the store has been killed by

being crushed to death.  Strange clues are being discovered as the police find no money has been taken

from either crime scene and sugar has been spilled around the area of the shop. The senior officer leaves his 

partner to go for help and while he is gone...

     This film is a great suspense film, from the start. The audience is kept guessing on what will follow and

whether the films stars will succeed in destroying THEM.

     The cast is a, legendary,  group of film and television actors and actresses. Leading this impressive team is 

James Whitmore who plays Sgt. Ben Peterson. James Whitmores' performance as the straight laced police 

officer is nearly perfect. His character is just trying to find out what is going on. He has no real ambition other 

than solving the problem. Of course, his character becomes more than just a man...he becomes a hero.

     James Arness portrays Robert Graham who is on loan from the F.B.I. to help the local authorities with

a possible serial killer. Mr. James Arness is most know for his westerns and portraying the creature in the 

now classic film, "The Thing from Another World." James Arness's portrayal of the frustrated F.B.I. agent

is excellent! He asks the right questions, but keeps getting a lot of technical jargon and being pushed aside

by the two doctors that were sent to help the case.

     Edmund Gwenn & Joan Weldon play the father/daughter team of scientists that know more than what

they are telling. When you first meet these characters, you are left with nothing more than a stubborn old

man and his daughter. These characters, are played to near perfection. As the film goes on, you discover 

that they not only know what is going on but they have a plan on how to solve the problem.

     During the investigation, they begin to look for strange sightings in the air. This is not only a little odd but

introduces one of the great cameos on film. Fess Parker enters the story as an amateur pilot who witnesses

the arrival of THEM to a major city. He is frightened and is thought to be crazy, so the local authorities have 

him committed.  During his interrogation of  what he saw, the team of investigators decides to keep him in the 

asylum until a final solution can be brought into play.

     From this point on in the film, it becomes a race against time! Them has begun to set up a colony under

the city of Los Angeles and the sewers become the focal point. Some of the best special effects happen in

the portion of the film as the cast of characters race to not only destroy THEM, but also find two missing

young boys who were lost in the maze of sewers under the city.

     Why has this film lasted for so long? Well, to be honest, everything came together almost perfectly! The

acting is nothing short of superior. The cast takes the source material very seriously and you feel tension build

as the film moves along. The direction of the film is nothing short of amazing! Gordon Douglas had a very

incredible task to not only bring the human characters to life but also the stars of the film, THEM. The special

effects were superior, for the day. Keep in mind there were no companies that dealt in C.G.I. in any form. In

fact, the effects were so good, the crew got nominated for an Academy Award. The sound engineering crew

had a difficult job in bringing the noises of the creatures to film. Since no one knows what an ant sounds like,

the sound crew had to invent the noises and make it credible.

     Then you have to give credit to the writers for making the idea up! Ted Sherdeman (screenplay), Russell 

S. Hughes (adaptation) and George Worthing Yates (story) are the men behind the film. Their idea was 

nothing less than apocalyptic, the end of the world and the people who tried to stop it from happening.

     I recommend this film to anyone who likes science-fiction or just wants to have a moment to smile at 

what is now considered a "B" movie.

        

             

Superman Lives! (the leaked script) Review

    


     First off, I do want to thank whoever leaked the script to the Internet for this rare moment for me. I have never written about a film that was never made! LOL To be fair to all those people involved with the project, I will not talk about the behind the scenes stuff or what could or could not have been with the film. This blog will only focus on what I have read and what I thought of the script. That is all. So, here we go!

     I woke up this morning to find that the script to "Superman Lives" hit the Internet and me being me, I had to get a copy! I want to send out a heart filled thanks to comicbookmovie.com and Superman Homepage for getting their hands on this one.

     After I read the script, I was struck by two things immediately: First, it wasn't that bad of an idea! Second, the cast might have worked for the style of film making they were intending

     The story picks up with Jor-El of Krypton discovering that his home world is about to be destroyed. In a panic, he refers his findings to Brainiac and discovers that the living machine is behind the whole thing! (Something new) After a brief fight, Jor-El escapes his creation to save the life of his son & wife, while putting a surprise into the ship Kal-El. During the launch of the rocket that housed Kal-El, Brainiac breaks into the launch area and we are not quite sure if Jor-El dies or what but during the second fight, the planet Krypton explodes.  Brainiac tries to follow the trail left by Kal-Els' ship only to be lost in the aftermath of the explosion. (Awesome Superman theme begins)

     This is a great opening!! I loved it! I do have to nitpick a little...sadly, this is a review! First, I never read in any comic book that Brainiac was responsible for the destruction of Krypton. I will point out that I have not even come close to reading all of the Superman stories, so I might have missed something.

     While I was reading the opening of the story, I kept hearing the Superman score in my head!

     Lots of time passes and Brainiac is introduced again as a kind of mech-spider thing. The living machine has also been traveling around alot gathering information and making a kind of interstellar zoo. Just when he is about done with a certain galaxy, he discovers that a world has harnessed the atom and is making nuclear energy. He sets his ships course for the planet called Earth and has his crew find the largest nuclear reactor, which is owned by...(drum roll) Lex Luther!
    
     Meanwhile, on earth! Lex Luthor is on the trail of a huge discovery. He has discovered a series of atmospheric disturbances that go back about 30 years. The areas most disrupted are a town called Smallville and a region in the North Pole. He sends his scientists to discover the source, which he believes to be an alien ship, and to reveal to the world that Earth has been visited by aliens. Of course, what he doesn't realize or care about is that he just discovered the trail left by Kal-Els' ship. Perry White, wanting to out scoop the other papers, sends Lois to the North Pole aaand sends Clark to Smallville. A kind of "Local Boy Makes Good" angle on the alien ship story.

     Super-cool, huh?

     In the life of Clark Kent, things are more real world. Clark decides to reveal his secret to Lois Lane during a dinner. Only to have it kind of backfire...of course. Clark is also dealing with feelings of alienation (no pun intended). To be honest, who wouldn't feel alone! Clark goes on a kind of emo trip trying to figure out what he is actually going to do and whether or not he wants Lois to be part of the journey in his life. While Clark is in Smallville, following the story, he visits the grave of his parents and confides to their spirits and himself that he is just not happy no knowing more about his own origins. He then leaves Smallville to join Lois at the North Pole.

     This area of the script needed a little more work, in my opinion. The story left me with the impression that Clark Kent didn't know anything about being from a different world. This is in contrast to the Superman The Movie and Superman II. Also, the whole angle on Lois Lane kind of took out what happened in the previous films. Also, i do believe that Clark Kents' parents are still alive! They did meet Supergirl, after all!

     Meanwhile, in Metropolis! Brainiac has decided to drain the power from LexCorp and starts a confrontation with Luthor. The fight doesn't last long and they both discover that world domination is what they both want most in life. This leads to a kind of agreement between the two characters aaand Luthor devises a plan, with Brainiacs' help, to destroy Superman.

     Brainiac is not stupid, he is going to observe Superman to discover his weaknesses and try to build a plan of action. During these observations, he discovers that Superman is not from earth but the very Kryptonian he was looking for! Why? Well, it seems that surprise that Jor-El hid in his sons rocket was another living machine called K. Think of a kinder version of Brainiac. Brainiac wants the information that K has to expanded his mind. Where is K? Well, remember that trip to the North Pole that Clark Kent took? Turns out that the Fortress of Solitude is where K is located.

     Again, this area needed a little work. The script leaves out the fact that Superman built the Fortress of Solitude. Also, I have never heard of Jor-El making a living machine called K. Then again, I have not read all the Superman stories. I know, I know...I nitpick to much!

     After discovering the source of Supermans' powers, Brainiac and Luther hatch a plan to hide the sun and unleash Doomsday upon Metropolis. This in turn, will cause Supermans' death and make the world easier for Brainiac to take over. The removal of the sunlight has an immediate effect on Clark Kent. His memory and strength are beginning to fade, causing him to become feverish and slow. Kind of like how a human gets the flu. The Doomsday creature is described as a type of furry creature, until the growth hormones take over and cause him to become a huge monster that takes apart everything in its path.

     The Doomsday creature is released after several days and those of you who have read the comic know where this story is headed. The "death" of Superman is very action packed filled with lots of heart from the hero as he begins to realize that he is seriously outmatched on every level. Then there is the issue of the sun not helping with his power loss. The Superman/Doomsday clash ends with each character hitting the sweet spot and the iconic picture being taken by Jimmy Olson.

     This portion is close to the source material. However, the history of Doomsday is such a long and complicated story that I won't go into the background. Suffice to say, I would have loved to seen the fight between the two on screen! Wow!

     The burial of Superman is kind of melodramatic. There is no mention of any other heroes being at the burial. Interesting Easter egg though, the story does have a reference to Gotham City and how it's plagued with crime.

     In a moment of madness, Lois Lane discovers that Superman may not be dead but in a type of coma. She drags Jimmy Olson along and takes Superman to the North Pole, where the body is kind of accidentally dumped into a kinda of catacomb. The sun is still blackened out.

     Weeks pass and Superman is finally revived with the help of K. Much of Supermans' memories are gone. His ideals and sense of purpose are still there but friends, family and loved ones are all wiped out. His powers are still gone! K comes up with a plan to help him out with a type of mechanoid suit until his powers return. This is where the dark, brooding, Superman comes into play. This, film noir, Superman has little fanfare as he goes around trying to help but not really knowing why. When he finally comes to Lois Lanes' help, the script has it as a kinda of "lost in darkness" feel to the whole setup.

     This whole area is all wrong. The return of Superman is not an easy story to tell. There are clones, cyborgs, posers and one long event that covered so many issues it's difficult to put it all together unless your a really hardcore reader of the Superman titles. To make it short, Superman had a long physical healing period and he had to deal with the emotional trauma of being beaten by something he didn't understand. Then you added all the poser Superman types into the story and you get an almost mess of writing. In the comics, it all worked out! In this version, the story falls flat. The suit, however, is correct. In the comics, Superman did have to wear a special suit until he regained full strength. In the film, the suit is more like what Batman wears. LOL Personally, I thought it was wrong to do this to him. He had to really completely on suit to do everything.

     Superman finally figures out what is going on and heads to Brainiacs' ship to force a final confrontation. During the trip, Lex Luthor fires a weapon powered by earths' sun and whoops! gives Superman his powers back. Superman fights his way through Brainiacs' ship to find that Lex Luthor and Brainiac have bonded together to become a hybrid mind!

     This area is almost all cheese! However, there is one bit of writing that does make me wonder. The bonding of Brainiac and Luthor is something that has been explored in the comics and in the animated series. I would have liked to see how this would have been done on film. To have the over ambitious Luthor combine with the cold, living machine of Brainiac would have been a sight to see.

     During the fight, Superman uses every trick in the book to defeat Brainiac and eventually it does work. I get the feeling that Brainiac and Luthor are both killed in the final battle. Superman hurls the ship into earths' sun and the fight is over.

     Superman returns to earth to a huge fanfare! People rejoice and thank him for being their savior! Then Superman pops the question (sort of) to Lois Lane. This is kind of accepted and rejected by Ms. Lane as she is an adventurous sort. Then they walk off into the sunset.

     Ummm ya, the ending is terrible! In this type of film, you don't have such a cheesy ending. The hero always goes on with mission! Walking off into the sunset is not what I would call a heroic ending.
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     This script had alot of potential to make a great film! First, it's only time Brainiac has come to the Hollywood script of Superman. Second, it does a pretty good job overall of telling the death of Superman. To me, where the script falls short is where I believe the writer was running out of steam.

     On the negative side, the humor was seriously misplaced. Doing Don King impressions is not cool, neither is the humor? of Brainiac. Humor is a fine thing, but not on something like this type of film.

     Since so many people like the star review thing, I would give it 4 stars out of 5! I do believe that they were on to something with this story, they just needed to work on it a little more. Sadly, we will never see it go to the silver screen.



     Script by Wesley Strick based on the original idea from Kevin Smith

    

Why they need him, badly!

     When you are a Teacher, Coach, Military Officer or running a business, there is one thing that you always have to keep in mind. You have to be able to inspire and lead the people, working for you, to do their absolute best at their jobs.

     No more is that the case than at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

     When I heard the Coach Mike Brown was headed to L.A. to coach the Lakers, I had my doubts. When he released Lamar Odom from the team and caused one of basketballs best players to begin to doubt his status, I began to worry...a lot!

     Then Coach Mike Brown began to restructure the team, making it a team of Legends! I thought, oook...but can he inspire them to become greater than they already are in the NBA? I guess not. The opening record with the Lakers was 1 - 4 with a whole bunch of home games coming up and even Kobe Bryant was beginning wonder. (Anyone remember that look he gave Mike Brown following their last game loss?)

     Let me back up a moment to be clear on a few things. Coach Mike Brown is a capable coach but only if he has certain people around him. In Los Angeles, the people are different...in L.A. it's either win or get out of the way!

     Also, let me give the definition of  "inspire." According to the dictionary, inspire means "to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence." or if you need a better idea of where I am headed with this one..."to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc."

     Clearly, Coach Mike Brown was not doing either on the basketball court...or off the court.

     This situation kind of reminds me of teachers doing, or in this case, not doing their job. When students walk into a classroom, they have to be inspired by what they are saying to learn more about whatever the teacher is trying to convey to the class. If the students don't want to learn or have problems at home that make them apprehensive about learning, then nothing will be accomplished in the classroom.

     Take that last paragraph and adjust it a little for what is happening at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Now, think about how the "teacher" has failed his students in that classroom. Of course, the "classroom" is worldwide stage. On this stage, there is no middle ground...it's a pass/fail type of scenario. The students, in this scenario are full grown men who know their jobs, but need the guidance and inspiration to overcome the opposing team. They also need to learn how to pass their final exam with no cheating but the ideals of overcoming their own insecurities.

     Mike Brown did none of these things for the Lakers...sure, give him credit for building a superstar team! However, you have to ask the question, was he able to fulfill the definition of inspire? No.

     A great film director once said, "When you cast your film correctly, half your job is done and you can concentrate on what you are trying to put up on the screen."

     This film has been cast, the stage they are performing on is all over the world...The Lakers need the perfect teacher, that leader is the Legendary Coach Phil Jackson!!!

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Part 1)

OK, first of all, if you are looking for a literal translation of the graphic novel to screen...you are going to probably be disappointed. If you are looking for the spirit of the graphic novel through fresh eyes, made by a fan of the graphic novel...You have come to the right place!

Here we go!

It's been several years since the last sighting of Batman & Gotham City has moved on...down the criminal ladder. While the debate rages on, a new menace has come to Gotham calling themselves, "The Mutants."

The movie opens, much like the graphic novel, with Bruce Wayne in a battle for first place in a Formula 1 style car race...of course, it ends much like the graphic novel...Explosively!

As time goes on, Bruce Wayne begins to realize that Gotham is not better, it's getting worse! Much worse. The new gang decides to declare an open war on Gotham residents and the soon to be retired Commissioner Gordon. As the talk of war becomes real, Bruce Wayne puts on cape and cowl to become Batman. What follows from here on is the story of a man trying to find his place in a world that has moved on and may not need him anymore. However, as the story progresses, Gotham does need their hero and slowly comes to realize how badly.

The introduction of a new Robin is also explored in this first installment. A young teenage girl, inspired by the sight of Batman, puts on a Robin costume to become the dark knights new protege.

Back in the 80's there was controversy about a ?girl? becoming Robin...Well, 20 years later, that's not the case anymore. What may seemed controversial back in the 80's is no longer relevant in the new century.

For those of you reading this, who know the story, I won't say anything more about the storyline except that everything is covered from the graphic novel. There are even some extra scenes in this film that I have no idea where they come from, but add very well to the over all story.

Having said all that, lets take a look at the cast. Andrea Romano has proven, once again, why Warner Bros. keeps her in mind for just about everything! She has put together a cast that is near perfect for the aging heros and the noobs! (LOL) Here is the cast:

Peter Weller - Batman/Bruce Wayne

 

 

Ariel Winter - Carrie Kelley/Robin

 



David Selby - James Gordon

 

 

 

Gary Anthony Williams - Mutant Leader

 

 

 

 

Wade Williams - Harvey Dent/Two-Face

 





 

 

And of course, lurking in the newly remodeled, Arkaham Asylum, is the Joker

 

Michael Emerson - The Joker

 

 

 



The film leaves you hanging with what will happen next!! Those of you that remember the original graphic novel will be pleased to know that the director has kept with the story line and no doubt will include all the shocks that follow in the novel.

Somewhere, right now, Bob Kane is smiling at what his creation has become in the world of literature. I hope that Frank Miller is pleased at the adaptation of this epic masterpiece.

See ya soon, everyone!