Hollywood Kryptonite?
So, if you're Superman, and you heard this week that ThorThor!got a release date for his movie, do you wonder what on your adopted planet you have to do to get on the calendar?
The answer might be: Be a Marvel character.
This week, hot off Iron Man's $102-million opening weekend, Marvel issued a "partial" list of eight upcoming superhero movies, everything from Iron Man 2 to Thor. All but Ant-Man had scheduled release dates.
Meanwhile, rival DC Comics' characters, from Aquaman to Wonder Woman, and with the very large exception of Batman, remain in various stages of, if you'll pardon the vulgar Hollywood expression, development.
"I really don't see a big difference between the potential of Marvel versus DC characters on the big screen," wrote Mike Voiles, editor of Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics, in an email interview.
Well, actually, there is one big difference, as comic experts like Voiles are quick point out: Marvel is its own entity, cutting its own deals, and even financing its own movies. DC Comics is a subsidiary of Warner Bros.
"Even higher profile DC properties have to fight through other Warner priorities and projects to get made," Voiles wrote.
To Jim Littler, webmaster of ComicBookMovie.com, the long-planned Wonder Woman movie is a prime example of the superhuman challenges a DC superhero can face.
"Warner Bros. was able to get Joss Whedon at the helmAND THEN THEY REJECTED HIS SCRIPT! Joss Whedon of Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more!" Littler wrote in an email. "I'll bet the DC people were crying when that fell apart."
More than a decade ago, it was Marvel heroes who were having all the rotten luck in Hollywood. Spider-Man wasn't much more than a 1970s TV washout. The Fantastic Four were fit for an unreleased Roger Corman B-movie. Captain America was singed in a direct-to-video bomb.
Now, it's DC's turn. While the comic giant's characters continue to be huge small-screen players, on Smallville and in various animated series, they're getting swamped by Marvel's gang at the multiplex. Superman vs. Batman was scrapped. Justice League of America fell apart. And all sorts of cape- and tight-wearers are cooling their bootseven Superman, who's doesn't yet have a definitive start date for his next movie, two years after Superman Returns grossed $200 million.
According to Littler, DC's troubles have nothing to do with DC's characters.
"Many comic fans think DC has a much stronger lineup than Marvel does," Littler said. "I can think of at least three or four more franchises that they haven't even touched yet that could be as big as anything Marvel has put out."
Few, in fact, expect any comic-book movie to be bigger this summer than The Dark Knight, starring DC's own Batman (with an assist from Christian Bale). Filmmaker Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated Batman Begins sequel opens July 18.
Even in star-crossed times for his JLA colleagues, the Caped Crusader reigns. "I've never run into any comics fan who doesn't like Batman," Littler said.
Now, if only some of his mojo could rub off on the Green Lantern.
Here's a look at some of the upcoming Marvel-based movies, and their scheduled release dates, per the company:
- The Incredible Hulk (June 13)
- Punisher: War Zone (Dec. 5)
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 1, 2009)
- Iron Man 2 (April 30, 2010)
- Thor (June 4, 2010)
- The First Avenger: Captain America (working title) (May 6, 2011)
- The Avengers (July 2011)
- Ant-Man (no announced date)
And here's a look at the statuses of some of the planned DC-based movies, per ComicBookMovie.com:
- Aquaman: "According to Comic Book Resources, the producers want to make a screwball comedy of it."
- The Flash: Wedding Crashers' David Dobkin was signed to direct last year.
- Green Lantern: Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters, Eli Stone) is writing a script; Jack Black won't starat least he promised as much back in 2006.
- Justice League of America: "Tabled."
- Superman: The Man of Steel: Director Bryan Singer's on board. Superman Returns star Brandon Routh's on board. Filming might begin "early next year," per Routh, who admittedly doesn't have the power to schedule such things.
- Wonder Woman: "Sitting uncomfortably on the backburner."
Samantha Who?: The Girlfriend
(S01E10) “I love you.” - Todd to Chloe
First, I must thank ABC for the fun Samantha Who? marketing campaign they did these past two weeks or so. I know that the fun ads during which Samantha and her mother talked about a song that meant a lot to Regina, or during which Samantha presented her boyfriend, er, ex-boyfriend, Todd, had an effect on some non-watchers (a few of my friends asked me what the show was about and planned on watching the show this week). Let’s hope more join the fun.
Secondly, our favorite amnesiac is back on TV! Yay! This cutesy series is definitely one I enjoy watching a lot thanks to Samantha’s duality (evil-Sam versus good-Sam), very well played by Christina Applegate, and thanks to Jean Smart and the devilish Andrea, played by Jennifer Esposito.
That said, let’s get to the important part of this post: the review.
Reading the episode’s official description a while ago made me look forward to it. I expected this episode to be a positive turning point for Samantha and Todd. I thought that living with good Sam would show Todd what he’s been missing and that he would ditch Chloe. Okay, maybe not call it quits with Chloe instantly, but at least have him start pondering a possible reunion with Sam down the road. I know shows strive to keep apart for a long time two people who fans want to see reunite in order to keep people coming to the show (see Friends’ Ross & Rachel for a prime example). So, I wasn’t expecting my fairytale ending to happen in a snap. However, I didn’t foresee what really happened: Todd saying “I love you” to the Freak Fairy.
Sam couldn’t say it better when she warned Todd that Chloe is exactly who Sam used to be. We don’t know yet if Chloe is really as evil as Sam was, but Chloe did show us she is a force to be reckoned with and is willing to do pretty bad things to keep her man. As I watched Kiele Sanchez portray Chloe tonight, I couldn’t help but wonder if fans of SW? and Lost hated Chloe more than they hated Nikki. The latter was mostly hated because she was poorly introduced on Lost while Chloe is hated for being the other woman. I think I dislike Chloe more since she’s getting in the way of a Todd/Sam reunion while Nikki was just getting in the way. What’s your take on Chloe? Do you want her to stick around for more episodes? Let your voice be heard in our poll and in comments!
Even if things didn’t go my way in “The Girlfriend,” I must admit that this was a big turning point for Sam. Having seen Todd with Chloe and witnessing him say that he loves her will allow Sam to move on. She will be able to focus on herself and maybe hook up with other guys without always thinking that Todd is waiting around the corner. Of course, I expect them to patch things up and hook up eventually but I guess I’ll have to wait a few more episodes if not a season.
Regina rocked as usual this week! As we learn more about her each week, I can see where old Sam got part of her evil side. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, eh? The way Regina manipulated Dena in playing makeover was so damn sneaky! “Your mother’s dead, right?” was as low as one could go. I’m looking forward to each episode to see what Regina has in store next. Imagine what she and Andrea could do together! Satan would surely blush!
What Samantha learned about herself this week:
- Evil Sam had 50 ways of getting rid of a man’s girlfriend when she had her eyes set on him.
- Sam can’t play with jump ropes.
Other tidbits of interest:
- “Daughters who refuse to do one thing that would please their mothers club.” - Regina
- Regina admitting she was the runner up at the Walnut Valley Beauty Contest and saying the acceptance speech she had prepared.
- Regina telling Dena that she would be a great doctor’s assistant, then a fantastic lawyer’s assistant. This could become a nice running gag on the show.
Nip/Tuck: Lulu Grandiron
(S05E12) “There are seven signs of the apocalypse, right? Not two?” - Christian
One of the things that I’ve always enjoyed about Nip/Tuck is the way that Sean and Christian are constantly compared to each other. No matter how much they fight, no matter how much the writing may lead you to believe that they clash, no matter how much you juxtapose them in any number of varying scenarios, they always turn out looking far more similar than different. This episode was a prime example.
As Christian put it, the two of them are both guilty of enjoying a “mental blow-job.” They like to have their egos stroked, to be told they’re different and unique and special. Why? Because they know they’re not. As a result, they trust too easily, act naïve, and generally seem to accept things that anyone else with half a brain would be all over. It’s not the first time either of them has been duped. There’s a laundry list, but it will always start with Escobar Gallardo.
This time, you had Christian trying to prove he’s worth a damn by taking on the duties of plastic surgeon to the socialite scene. While it was hilarious that whipped out his junk as part of his “job interview,” you still knew this was going to end badly. These woman were rich, uppity, plastic surgery/money/sex addicts and that means issues. In the case of Lulu Grandiron, it meant bi-polar disorder with a tendency to forget her meds. Had Christian checked her medical records before making her look like a cat in the operating room, I wouldn’t be writing this paragraph.
I’ll be honest though. I believed her. I didn’t think she was crazy and I honestly believed this was something Lulu just needed to do. That was until Christian took off her bandages and she started hissing and waving her hands like some sort of rabid barn animal. Crazy! I liked Sean’s comment differentiating between a sculptor and a surgeon. If you screw up the marble, it won’t sue.
On the flip side, we still had Sean dealing with Colleen. We knew the truth about her well before he did and it took Bliss’ shopping addiction for him to see the light. She found Colleen’s teddy-bear kiosk at the mall. Devastated, Colleen broke into Sean’s condo and slit her wrists right before he got home. Too many questions though. What about the CAA agent she killed? Did she do or set-up anything else before she killed herself? I just hope her passing (is she dead?) has some meaning or repercussions. And for the millionth time, why does the theme from The Exorcist play whenever she’s up to no good?
More than Christian, I was more surprised by Sean for not putting the puzzle together. Colleen had no office. No other clients. As far as I can tell, Sean never signed any contract with her. Plus, she was seriously pushing his involvement in an ad campaign for Sizzler’s new salad bar. How much more obvious could it get?
More ramblings…
- One of the things I’ve liked about this season is the way characters aren’t forced back into the story. Everyone pops in now and then, but nothing feels out of place. Bliss and the return of Eden in this episode are good examples. So are the way Matt and Julia (is she dying still?) have been used this season.
- Speaking of Eden, did anyone else assume she was going to commit suicide? I did. After Colleen’s “Sean doesn’t love you” chat, I thought she was going to mow down a few bottles of pills. Instead, she’s back to doing porn with Ram and Kimber. How unfortunate.
- And speaking of Ram, what was baby Jenna’s first word? Not Daddy. Not Mommy. “Ram.” Her first word was the name of a porn king-pin. Adorable.
With only two episodes left, I’m really not sure if this season is building up to anything. Other than Hearts and Scalpels, there really hasn’t been any season long plot other than “Hollywood” itself. That being said, I suppose anything could happen.
Keanu Reeves Says No to Constantine 2, All Other Sequels
“Is that a sequel?”
Constantine is a prime example of an R-rated comic book movie that almost nailed it but stumbled into an abyss of mediocrity. Like Hellboy, which wasn’t too great either but had an equally killer premise lingering in the dark side, Constantine could actually benefit from a sequel. Unlike Hellboy, which has a very cool-looking sequel at bat this summer (speaking of which, it’s rather quiet, no?), Constantine‘s title star Keanu Reeves says a once rumored second installment to the Hellblazer Vertigo comics series, Constantine 2, isn’t going to happen. The original film’s director, Francis Lawrence, has been pretty vocal about his desire to do a sequel since its release in 2005, and you may recall that Lawrence just had a megaton hit on his hands with I Am Legend.
Reeves, who is currently talking up his December 2009 sci-fi remake epic The Day the Earth Stood Still, went on to tell IESB that he sees no sequels in his future. So, not only can you ixnay an ideal Bill & Ted’s reunion, but those hoping for a cameo by a certain agent Johnny Utah in Peter Iliff’s Point Break 2 (which is presumably still on for 2009 in lieu of Patrick Swayze’s cancer diagnosis), should take a deep, enjoyable sniff off some Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax and get real. As always, Slashfilm will keep you updated as the World of Keanu spins round and round.
Discuss: Constantine 2, was there something there? Point Break 2 without Keanu? Worth a watch? Would you watch Bill’s Journey?