'Justice League' 2021 - "There's No Us Without Him." [MAJOR SPOILERS]

Directed by ZACK SYNDER
Starring BEN AFFLECK, GAL GADOT, JASON MOMOA, RAY FISHER, EZRA MILLER, 

JOE MORTON, and AMY ADAMS

I WAS WRONG. 

I had very low expectations for the highly anticipated Synder cut of the 2017 'Justice League.' I'm not one who thinks "director's cuts" will magically make a better movie. If it wasn't a good movie to begin with, I don't know how much a director's cut can do? I was especially doubtful of a new Zack Synder cut. I kinda enjoyed his previous superhero films 'Man of Steel' and 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,' but I wasn't impressed. Synder is hit or miss for me. His bloviated style of spectacle over substance isn't something I usually enjoy, but this time he combined both style and substance. 

When it was announced that Synder was stepping down from the film I hoped Joss Whedon would bring a fresh look and style to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Please note I don't want to diminish Synder's reasons for stepping away from the film in 2017. He suffered a terrible loss. As a fellow human being and a parent, I empathized. 

But despite Synder's flaws, his films were rich with world-building. When his original film was recut, all of his flaws were still present, but none of his charm. Whedon replaced all of Synder's appeal with his own signature cutesy style and cheeky banter. Sadly, Whedon left most of the character development on the cutting room floor. The combination of Synder's flaws and Whedon's humor WAS A DISASTER. The 2021 version of the film corrects this mistake. 

Synder's cut still has flaws, but when placed in context IT FINALLY MAKES SENSE. Whedon tried to create 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' lite, which in itself was a bad movie. From what I read this was done at the behest of the studio. It's fair to say that Warner Bros. Studios is the absolute worst. They've repeatedly tried to destroy their 'Wonder Woman' franchise, they reboot Batman every few years, and they cut Synder's films to pieces. 

Instead of the formidable villain Darkseid, Whedon reorganized the film to make Steppenwolf the main bad. THIS MADE NO SENSE. Removing this extra layer of villainry was a huge mistake. Without Darkseid, Steppenwolf was just another villain with no character development beyond "hey let's conquer earth."  

In the Synder Cut, Steppenwolf is a means to an end to what Darkseid has in store for earth and its inhabitants. Whedon also made the mistake of showing too much of the film's villain, giving him flirtatious banter with the Amazons, and quips with the Justice League. It was a typical Whedon plot point (most of his films and tv shows include tongue-in-cheek villains), but it didn't work in a Zack Synder film. 

DA' MOVIES ON HOLD, ANTEBELLUM, THE STAND MINI REMAKE, + SYNDER CUTTING IT UP

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Happy May I guess. It's been tough. The global Coronavirus pandemic has changed everything. In the states, we've lost 100,000 people in less than four months. It's an absolute nightmare. It's hard to think about anything entertainment related when there's so much suffering going on. I'm hoping things get better soon. 

My last post was a review about 'Birds of Prey' in February. It's amazing how much can change in a couple of months. If you're reading this, I hope you're well and staying safe. My family has been fortunate enough to be sheltered at home. While homeschooling my daughter and wrangling my toddler, I've been watching a lot of movies from the 90s and the early 00s. It's somewhat soothing to see what life was like before 2020. 

I haven't been to the movies since February, but I hope things improve enough for a proper summer movie season. I'm hoping to support my local theater while properly socially distancing. We certainly need some good news. Most 2020 films have been delayed. Thankfully the films on my must-see list, like 'A Quiet Place II,' 'Wonder Woman 1984,' 'Lovebirds,' and 'Antebellum' will be released later this year.  'Lovebirds' has already been released on Neftlix. 

Then there are some films like 'Fast and Furious 9' and 'Mission Impossible 7' that I can do without. How many Fast and Furious and Mission Impossible films do we really need? But there are some neat things going on in enetertainment news this week.

'WONDER WOMAN' REVIEW - "ONLY LOVE WILL TRULY SAVE THE WORLD"

Directed by PATTY JENKINS

Starring GAL GADOT, CHRIS PINE, DANNY HUSTON, 

CONNIE NIELSON, and ROBIN WRIGHT

I am on hiatus or semi-retirement (haven't decided which). I'm still active on social media and I visit blogs, but I no longer review films as I once did. It's partially because I don't have much free time. I work, have a family, and I'm in grad school. Once grad school finishes (in 2018) I planned to review films again, but I don't know if I will.

I don't want to waste 2 hours of my life on a bad (or semi-bad) film. I also don't want to feed the monster. Hollywood has serious problems with representation, which I've discussed in previous blog posts. I still watch movies via streaming, but I rarely go to the theater. So before watching 'Wonder Woman' I only saw two films in theaters this year-- 'Logan' (which was one of the best comic book movies since the 1978 'Superman') and 'John Wick 2.' That's it.

"Given that this is a WB/DC Comics film, I prepared myself for the worst." 

SDCC DAY 3 FROM HOME - FINALLY! BATMAN V. SUPERMAN TRAILER...FEATURING WONDER WOMAN

#SDCC Day 3 has brought some fantastic things...namely the 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice' trailer, which briefly features Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). This is the first time I've seen Wonder Woman in a trailer for a feature length film, so please forgive my fangirling. I wish there was more of WW. Alas, the film is 'Batman v. Superman,' so there are plenty of cheesy 'Superman' scenes in this trailer, but it's Zack Synder...yeah...I'm not a fan of his. Then there is Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Seriously, who thought that was a good idea? Overall, I'm not impressed with the trailer, but I am excited to see WW. To top it off, Zack Synder arrived at SDCC in the batmobile. Some people may think that's cool, but I think it borders on "douchey."

Wonder Woman The Movie--Finally! + More

I can't believe this day has actually come. Wonder Woman is finally coming to the big screen on June 23, 2017. It's happening, it's finally happening. I just can't believe it. Yes, 2017 is a while away, but I'm just glad that it's on the books. DC Comics, you have restored my faith in comic books. I would say thank you, but the only thing I can say is "it's about time." I'm a DC fan, but I've admired how dynamic Marvel has been in recent years. For the past 40 years, DC's focus has primarily been Batman and Superman--and that's it. I'm glad DC has finally taken a page out of Marvel's playbook and cracked open their woefully underused catalog. Now Marvel can finally take a page from DC, stop making excuses, and make a 'Black Widow' film. Rant over. Now, if only DC can hire a director that is "not" Zack Synder. That is all. The full DC film schedule is listed below:

Yes to Lee Pace, DC Comics Scared of Marvel?, Vampire Chronicles Redux, + More

Lee Pace on his cell phone during the filming of 'Guardians of the Galaxy' via twitter

Similar to Matthew McConaughey in the early 2000s, Lee Pace seems to be one of the most underrated actors around. Amazingly, Pace still doesn't seem to have the name recognition to lead a major film...until now. Yay. Pace will be starring in his very own alien v. human action movie called 'Prisoner of War.' Pace has seriously been upping his game over the last few years with roles in 'Lincoln,' and now most in the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and the Hobbit films.

GG is Wonder Woman,! New Interstellar Trailer, Dr. Who S8 Set Photos + More

It's official. Gal Gadot is the sexiest woman alive...this week. Oh...my...goodness. She looks incredible as Wonder Woman. Admittedly, I'm super excited with the idea of Wonder Woman coming to the big screen, as most people who visit my blog can attest to, but Gal's pic as Wonder Woman is so exquisite it's just too much to bear. I didn't care to go to SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) this year, for various reasons, but if there's one thing that I'm grateful to #SDCC for, it's for a sneak peak at new films.

New 'Gotham' Series, 'Godzilla' Growth Chart, + Cool Stuff!

Via Neatorama

See how 'Godzilla' has grown through the years. Yes I'm a little obsessed with 'Godzilla' right now, but I'd rather see a million Godzilla's than the new monstrosity from Bryan Singer, 'X-Men: Days of Future Past.' And no, I'm not referring to Singer's recent legal troubles. I never comment on such things. I have not liked Bryan Singer for years. Singer routinely butchers comics, throws them in the trash, then proceeds to burn them. He also has no brand loyalty. He is open to destroying both Marvel and DC Comics alike. I do like Marvel ok, but I'm a DC fan through and through. If you're a comic book fan, you will eventually develop some sense of brand loyalty or preference. Ergo, Singer is not a comic book fan, and he has said as much. Hugh Jackman said that Singer banned comics on the sets he works on. I don't know. It's kinda important to know the source material in my opinion. It doesn't have to be exact, but it should capture the spirit the comic book. A good balanced example is Joss Whedon's 'Avengers.'

Rabid Fandom, 'GoTs' AutoTune, Reboots, Spoilers, + Trailers

This is my favorite 'Game of Thrones' autotune from @musicalscience, appropriately titled, 'The Dragon's Daughter.' It has all of your favorite characters singing their little hearts out. Yay. It actually has a cool little beat to it.

'Rosemary's Baby' Remake, GoTs Exhibit, Wonder Woman Shoes! + Links

Bleeding Cool

Ok, I'm working on some really great posts, but I haven't quite finished them yet, so in the meantime, I'm going to recap 'My Favorite Things' today...again. I've just seen so many great things lately!

Zoe Saldana is the new Mia Farrow in the made for television remake of 'Rosemary's Baby.' You know I like Zoe Saldana, but I don't know how to feel about this one. I'm not a Mia Farrow fan, but this goes into that (very plentiful) category of: DID THIS REALLY NEED TO BE REMADE? 'Rosemary's Baby' is a classic horror film, like 'Carrie.' Which was also (unsuccessfully)  remade last year. You can see my take on last year's 'Carrie' here. I of course will still watch it. Patrick J. Adams of 'Suits' plays Rosemary's dastardly husband in this version. It will be a four-part mini-series, which seems a little long to me. Ok. I really need to stop complaining. Moving on...

Does Hollywood Hate 'Wonder Woman?'

Alex Ross' 'Wonder Woman'

We finally have a 'Wonder Woman' in the form of Gal Gadot. Gadot will play 'Wonder Woman' in the new 'Batman versus Superman' movie in 2016 (which has already been delayed) and will hopefully get her own feature film in the near future. Yay! Right? Well...the latter part is iffy. The standalone film has not yet been confirmed. So our best hope for seeing 'Wonder Woman' will be as a third wheel in a Zack Synder film. The same Zack Synder who did 'Sucker Punch.' Not so "yay."

Now the CW has recently announced that it is dumping the 'Amazon' television series before it begins. 'Amazon' was supposed to be an origins series for 'Wonder Woman,' similar to 'Smallville.' This is the second 'Wonder Woman' series to fall flat. There was also a NBC 'Wonder Woman' pilot in 2011 that was cancelled before it aired.

Renaissance Art with Superheroes

Artist: Flash Daz

Source: Design.org

Superheroes are really "in" this year. Especially "in" art, modern or otherwise. Worth1000 held a Superhero ModRen photo-editing contest in which participants inserted modern superheroes into classical art pieces from the Renaissance. The mix of old with new is a beautiful contrast. Some of the entries are better than others. Meaning some are really good and some are?? The portrait above by Flash Daz won first place. The others are worth a look too. Clearly 'Wonder Woman' was a popular choice! All the more reason we need a Wonder Woman movie-- RIGHT NOW. Design.org has posted a sampling of finalists below:

http://design.org/blog/modern-renaissance-superhero-designs-altered-art#g

It's Time For A 'Wonder Woman' film

Alex Ross' 'Wonder Woman'

I love 'Wonder Woman.' I love everything about 'Wonder Woman.' She's an Amazon, she's beautiful, she's tough, she's moral, she's dating Superman, and she kills evil things. Wonder Woman is literally the perfect fictional woman. Growing up as a geek, Wonder Woman was my favorite fictional role model, not Barbie. A fan-made short film by Rainfall Films reminded me just how badly we need a 'Wonder Woman' movie. It also made me ask myself why have we not seen anything Wonder Woman-esque since Linda Carter? Mind you Carter donned the skintight leotard in the late 70's. In tv and movie land, that...was...a...long...time...ago.

Yay, The 'Justice League' Movie Is Happening!

No more Lois Lane. Superman's new love interest is Wonder Woman.

If anyone knows me, they know that I'm a huge DC fan (Detective Comics). I love Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Whereas, Spider Man is ...eh...ok. Marvel fans, you'll be glad to know that my husband is a huge Marvel fan. We have quite a few spirited debates. So when I read that Warner Brothers is preparing to do a Justice League movie, I got excited...and scared.