Start with Danny Elfman's Batman theme + Heavy Metal + 8 bit platformer = Epic Fun!

I have not laughed that hard in a really long time.

Did they stop at Batman? No!  They covered all the classic:

Their cover of the X-men theme is amazing, and the Transformers, wow.  I feel guilty I didn't know about this sooner. 

Thanks to Badass Nerd for sharing the video.  This is in rotation for me now.

A couple of people took me to task for my take on Iron Man 2. I like to think of myself as a simple man, but maybe that isn't true anymore.

Rethinking my expectations

I started reading comics as a kid.  Batman, Green Lantern, The Hulk, and the X-men were some of my favorites.  Growing up, superheroes were pure escapism.  Granted some of the characters had family problems, personal problems, and even Batman lost a Robin, but the stories were all larger than life.

Superhero flicks are still larger than life, but they have more "realistic problems."

• Batman is a male Paris Hilton who fights crime.


• Peter Parker wouldn't know what to do with the girl if he got her.


• Tony Stark is rotting away from a self-inflicted disease + he is a male Paris Hilton who doesn't fight crime, he is bringing about world peace.

Holding out for a Hero!

Ok, everyone knows that I am a huge Bonnie Tyler fan, but every time I watch one of these movies, I hear her in the back of my head:

Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and turn and dream
of what I need

I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life

I want a superhero who is, well a hero.  They don't have to be perfect, and well they can have basic human flaws, but at the end of the day, they need to be a hero!

Returning to Iron Man 2, I thought Whiplash made a good case against the Stark family, and Tony just acted like the spoiled brat Whiplash thought he was.  I actually found myself wanting Whiplash to win.  I can't stand whiny, self-important bitches, and that is all I saw in Tony.  His womanizing turned me off, and his self-pity made me roll my eyes.  He dug his own grave, and I was ready to see him lay in it.

Escapism and Realism

I think my biggest issue with the film is that I was really looking for some pure escapism from the movie. That is what I look for in a superhero movie.

I watch a superhero for action, mystery, and pure escapism. Watching a super hero struggle with illness was outside the realm of what I wanted to see, especially with people in my life actually struggling with various illnesses that do not have a magical deus ex machina serum.  It felt like salt in the wound.

The illness reminded me of my real life, and the magic cure just upset me.  I went to see a movie where a superhero and super-villain tangled with each other until the film climaxed in a super-mega-ultra battle.

The movie, like all (not so) superhero movies since Batman Begins, opened with scenes of stark realism... but it is a superhero movie!!  Superheroes just aren't realistic, and films cannot serve two masters.

I am not sure exactly when escapism became a bad word, but my life is complicated enough.  Sometimes I just want to walk into a dark cave and forget about my real life for a couple of hours.  It might sound petty, but that is it.

I want a great, escapist spectacle from time to time, but more than anything, I want filmmakers to be honest with me and with their material.  If the movie is not an action movie, don't tell me it is.  If the movie is not a smart, well written think piece, be good with that.  Just don't pretend one is the other, and stop telling yourself you can be both at the same time.

A half-assed story with half-assed action is just a half-assed movie.  Two half-assed jobs never make a whole.

I know some of you liked the movie.  Great!  I wish I was one of you.  Keep having fun, and sharing. It is good to hear contrary opinions.  Just remember, we don't have to love the same things, we just need to help each other find more things we can all enjoy.

IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc., announced today that they have completed an agreement to release up to 20 Warner Bros. films in IMAX’s format over the course of the next three and a half years from 2010 through 2013.

This agreement will bring more 2D and 3D movies to the IMAX format.  The two companies have already been working together on many projects so it came as no surprise to hear the news but why make it a formal announcement?

Other exciting news from the announcement included mention of several movies along with their tentative release dates.  Some of the movies we already knew of and others moved from the realm of rumor into real projects.  Please keep in mind some of the dates are just hopeful ones and not set in stone.  Take for instance the Hobbit, they are still in script work and at the time of writing this they probably don't even have a finalized budget yet.  Though with out any hiccups they could have the movie out by the date listed.

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (3D) November 19, 2010


• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (3D) July 15, 2011


• Hobbit: Part 1 December 2012


• Hobbit: Part II December 2013


• Batman 3


• Superman

Since Batman 3 is in the early stages of development please do several things for everyone's sake.

• More detective elements like in the last Batman movie.


• Study the Levitt Paridigm, please!  We can handle several plots going on in a movie but give us one main plot per movie.  Don't try to cram two movies into one!  This one should be about Harvey Dent who should have been introduced and set up in the last one but now what?

Don't reboot Superman again I liked the last one which says a lot since I usually don't like Superman.  Maybe for fun make Solomon Grundy the villain for this one.

What would you want to see in the next Batman and Superman film?

(via /Film)

Riddle me this and answer below:

Is the Punisher a vigilante or a serial killer?

What is a vigilante

A vigilante is someone who illegally punishes someone for perceived offenses, or participates in a group which metes out extrajudicial punishment to such a person. Often the victims are criminals in the legal sense, however a vigilante may follow a different definition of criminal than the local law.  (wikipedia)

What is a serial killer

A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people over a period of more than thirty days, with a "cooling off" period between each murder, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification.  Often, a sexual element is involved with the killings. The murders may have been attempted or completed in a similar fashion and the victims may have had something in common; for example, occupation, race, appearance, sex, or age group. (wikipedia)

[poll id="20"]

The fine line between hero and villain

It's a fun questions because this raises the question between when does a hero cross the line and becomes a villain.  There is the fine line between someone doing justice for their society and when someone crosses the line still currently convenient because they are removing other dangerous elements but are a danger to the society.  A lot of the distinction is born out of their motivations that gets them started, their intentions at the time of confrontation, and how they resolve their conflict.

The Punisher is a serial killer.  He started as a vigilante moving beyond the law driven by revenge for his lost loved ones.  This motivation has no difference from Batman.

The Punisher's intention at the time of apprehension is that of murder.  He judges and then executes one of the most severe sentences upon his opponents and that is what stands him apart as a serial killer.  Batman's intention at the time of apprehension is to stop the crime not destroy the criminal.

Thus The Punisher has murdered more than three people, does so purely for his psychological gratification, revenge, and the victims have something in common being perceived by him as criminals.

Continue the conversation in the comments below.

Does making a distinction between the Punisher's portrayal in movies versus the comics make a difference?

Thanks to dashPunk Member John the Rogue Demon Hunter for bringing this weeks question.

This is just great!  For all of us who wonder what Neil Patrick Harris would do in a musical Batman, he would play a villain named Musical Meister.  Listen to the video above to his song "Drives Us Bats".

I have no strong feelings one way or the other about Beyond Batman.  The look and feel of this incarnation of Batman has not stirred me enough to go through the hurdles to watch the show.  Coupling that with Cartoon Networks lack of respect for those decabled fans and I just don't care.

This position has changed slightly.  With Neil Patrick Harris in a musical episode I will have to watch this.

The full musical episode of Beyond Batman: The Brave and the Bold will premiere on Cartoon Network on October 23rd.

(via  EW)

When asked "Do I love Speculative Fiction?"  The answer is yes I know in my heart that I love Speculative Fiction and would consider myself a fan.  If that question is followed up with "How do you know?"  Then the answer is more difficult and involves a man in a batman suit playing guitar at a street light but more on that latter.

One could just claim "I know because that is how I feel."  It is my first answer to this question but people feel many different things throughout the day and even have feelings that contradict previous feelings or their own believed position.  This does not belittle the gut check but it does reduce it's value to one method of discerning one which should be tempered with something else.

Actions speak louder than words.  A phrase that has so much truth to it and is very applicable to this process of discovery.  Our actions toward Speculative Fiction gives us evidence of our true feelings toward it.  Take this real life experience as an example.

Friday, traveling in my car through town I noticed a man standing in the grass near a three way intersection.  This was not ordinary man for he was wearing a Batman costume and jamming away on a guitar with a smile of joy on his face.  I realized by my own thoughts that this is the moment of truth, what are your thoughts about this man?

My thoughts first went toward protection of Speculative Fiction by discerning if the man was doing this out of mockery.  Satisfied that he was not, my mind turned toward fraternal thoughts.  I celebrated in his expression, became excited, thought about which Batman suit he chose and found myself wishing he could have a catwoman singer and a robin playing drums.  If your thoughts turned destructive, toward mocking this man tearing him down and robbing him of his joyous moment then your feelings are in question because your actions say your  not a fan.

How Do You Know If You Love SF?  You know that you love Speculative Fiction if you celebrate it, cherish it and express those feelings in fraternal /constructive actions.  If your actions are hateful, mocking and destructive than you do not love SF.  You are not a fan.

By the way his Batman costume was blue and grey 1960’s style Batman costume.

Batman’s Symbol | Hulu Awards | Fanboys | Doctor Who Fan Film | Star Wars Fan Film | Marvel’s Move | Black Widow Revealed | Last Airbender | Marvel’s Movie Move | Ghost Hunters | Ghost Hunters International | Chuck | legend of the Seeker | Stargate Atlantis | Type o Negative | and Community Comments Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• The Evolution of Batman’s Symbol (dashPunk)


• Hulu Awards: The SF Winners (dashPunk)

Movie

• Fanboys Hits More Theaters: March 13 (via Star Wars)


• Doctor Who 2009 Trailer (dashPunk)


• Fanfilm: Star Wars: Threads of Destiny Trailer 3 (dashPunk)


• Marvel Swears Off Future R-Rated Films (via SuperheroFlix)
  
  
  
  • This Film Is Not Yet Rated
  
  
  
  


• Scarlett Johansson is the Black Widow (dashPunk)


• More are cast in M. Night Shyamalan's Last Airbender (via SCI FI Wire)


• Captain America, Thor, The Avengers, and Spider-Man 4 Get New Release Dates (via /Film)

TV / Series

• Ghost Hunters: Betsy Ross House (dashPunk)


• Ghost Hunters International: Karosta Prison (dashPunk)


• Review: Chuck 216 Versus The Lethal Weapon (dashPunk)


• Review: Legend of the Seeker 114 Hartland (dashPunk)


• Stargate Atlantis Season Five on DVD June 30 (via GateWorld)

Music

• Type O Negative Preorder! Hard, deep, and slow remastered (dashPunk)

Webcomic

• Girl Genius

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I love Batman, and it is really cool to watch the Bat Symbol as it changed over the years.  I have a couple favorites, but I am curious which ones you all liked best.

(via Bowing to the Future)

Fandom as Culture | Star Trek Experience | Map Making Zodiac | Transformers 2 | Superman Reboot | The Gate Remake | Nightmare On Elm Street Remake | Star Wars: Clone Wars | Dollhouse Progressive SF? | U.K.’s Day of the Triffids | John Barrowman | Lesbian Batwoman | and Community Comments Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Fandom as Culture (dashPunk)


• Star Trek The Experience To Re-open in May? (Maybe) (via TrekMovie)


• World maps as Chinese zodiac (via Pink Tentacle)

Movies

• Transformers 2: Devastator and Fallen Revealed (via /Film)


• The Wachowski Brothers to Direct Superman Reboot? (via /Film)


• Alex Winter to Remake The Gate in 3D! (via /Film)


• Samuel Bayer to Direct Nightmare on Elm Street Remake (via /Film)

TV / Series

• Star Wars: Clone Wars: The Hidden Enemy (via Wikipedia)
  
  
  
  • Coming up Blue Shadow Virus & Mystery of a Thousand Moons (Watch the Preview)
  
  
  
  


• Joss Talks About Dollhouse and Fox’s Concerns (dashPunk)


• Stellar cast signs on to U.K.'s new Day of the Triffids miniseries (via SCI FI Wire)


• Get ready for a whole lot of gay TV coming from the UK (via AfterElton)

Books

• The Batman is dead; long live ... the lesbian Batwoman? (via SCI FI Wire)

Webcomic

• Looking For Group

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Why so Curious | Watchmen Bearbricks | Transformers Toy | Hulk Vs. | Right age for Moviegoers | Stargate Universe | Red Dwarf | Doctor Who | Clone Wars and Community Comments Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Why so curious, George? (dashPunk)


• I Hope You Didn't Pre-Order Those Watchmen Bearbricks (via Topless Robot)


• New Bumblebee Toy Contains Your Daily Recommended Serving of Shia the Beef (via Topless Robot)

Movie

• DVD Releases: Hulk Vs. (dashPunk)


• Is Coraline right for (insert age here)? (Neil Gaiman)

TV / Series

• Michael Shanks on Stargate Universe? (dashPunk)


• Red Dwarf gets new series! (dashPunk)


• Doctor Who:  Turn Left (via wikipedia)


• Star Wars: Clone Wars Defenders of Peace (via Star Wars)

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Netflix lets you rent, watch and return DVDs from home - Try free for 2 weeks

Don't wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and  avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

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