Thoughts on the Batman v Superman Official Trailer

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

ahletwx18dkogwhiihxqIs Superman a false god or a prophet? Just who is he and what is his purpose on Earth? These are the questions raised in Zack Snyder’s reimagining of the DC Universe. In fact, this comics company has this “New 52” in place for sometime. and this director has been following along a similar line of themes for DC’s theatrical presentation and reimagining of some iconic heroes. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, not everyone approves of this new mighty man of steel poised to look like Atlas holding the weight of the world upon his shoulders. In the voice-over, one individual asks if the biggest demon might be someone who fell from the sky — is this an allusion to Lucifer, the Morningstar? We’re not talking about the devil here, but that’s the feeling some folks might get. Literary analysts might wonder if this person is playing on the idiom, “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”

Given another frame where there are soldiers bowing to Superman, some may wonder just what kind of hold he has upon the fair people of Metropolis. The city has recovered from the events of Man of Steel, but not everyone approves. And is it a vault that he’s entering into?

lpbcqhlgvlgueorjspfw

By the time Bruce Wayne aka Batman emerges, this version of the caped crusader is going to be nothing like former iterations seen on-screen. He’s staring at an old costume and is perhaps wondering if its time to put it on again. The dialogue is sharp as a new narrator speaks about how dark feelings can turn a good man to bad. There’s this fever and rage that festers, and that’s essentially Batman as visioned by Frank Miller. Viewers of this trailer get to see this version don some mechanical threads that gives him a wicked glowing eye look. Wayne is going to need it if he’s going to fight Superman.

Perhaps the biggest question here is just how far gone has Batman become? Is he there to do what’s right for the people of Earth? Does he even know about Superman’s weakness to Kryptonite? When this film’s subtitle is known as Dawn of Justice, that means other types of superheroes could potentitally emerge to side with either the caped crusader or man of steel in hopes to find freedom from being ostracized. The villain is not so clearly defined yet. As any follower of DC’s films will know, Lex Luthor is waiting in the wings.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwfUnkBfdZ4%5D

New Terminator: Genisys Trailer Plays Good Cop, Bad Cop with Fans

TerminatorGenisysBy James Robert Shaw
(The Wind up Geek)

**spoiler alert

Is it just me or did Paramount Pictures just drop the biggest bomb with their latest Terminator: Genisys trailer?

You’d think lessons were learned after how Terminator: Salvation was poorly marketed. The trailer for that 2009 film revealed the fact that Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) was not human. Not everyone needed to know that fact despite the bigger news about a computer rendered model of Arnold Schwarzenegger was to appear in the film. It’s still hard to accept that John Connor (Jason Clarke) is himself a Terminator … of sorts. As Connor proclaims, he isn’t a man but he is not machine either. Underneath his skin is an exoskeleton of a T-800. And with this knowledge of what Connor is, I’m beginning to worry. With the second trailer focused on John Connor and not on the T-1000 (Byung-hun Lee), am I to understand his time in this film will be all too brief? I hope not.

Continue reading “New Terminator: Genisys Trailer Plays Good Cop, Bad Cop with Fans”

Lazer Team: First Trailer!

By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

przv0rwynaloieza951h

The company of Rooster Teeth — which has over 8 million YouTube subscribers and has produced the ever popular Red Vs. Blue (a comedy series based on the HALO video game) — released the first trailer of their first feature film.

The film was financed by a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo and it will see release sometime this year. It’s a sci-fi comedy that will see present-day Earth under yet another alien threat. The good news is that a protective alien race has sent a super suit for a special individual to combat this threat. The bad news is four complete morons discover the super suit after the delivery is interrupted. With the fate of the planet in their hands, is Earth doomed?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI455Z37o30&w=560&h=315%5D

 
The film stars Burnie Burns, Gavin Free, Michael Jones, Colton Dunn, Allie Deberry and features Alan Ritchson.

Tying the Strings Back in Avengers: Age of Ultron’s Three Trailers

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

avengers-age-of-ultron

Just what can fans of Marvel Entertainment’s Avengers: Age of Ultron learn about this movie, due in theatres May 1st, now that all three trailers are out? One fact is certain: someone is pulling the strings that will see a new dawn (of enslavement) for all of humanity. Mutants will be revealed and a global watch dog system built by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) shows that Ultron will keep an eye at all the problems plaguing society.

However, there’s a secret figure who will emerge and it’s face looks like a red faced vision of hope — perhaps. This android was created by Ultron (voiced by James Spader) in the original 60’s comics to use against his creator, Dr. Hank Pym (Ant-Man). When considering that there is an Ant-Man movie being developed, just how much crossover potential will happen depends on how much retconning writer/director Joss Whedon has done to the Marvel Universe.

Continue reading “Tying the Strings Back in Avengers: Age of Ultron’s Three Trailers”

The Minions, One Trailer, Two Trailers … An Analysis — Will There Be a Third?

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

despicable_me_2_minions-wideThe Minions has an all-new trailer and the happy banana-loving trio of Stuart, Kevin, and Bob are headed to Villain Con! Unless they have a leader soon, they are going to wilt into less than the single-celled organisms that they are.

In what fans will see is them discovering that the human world needs bad guys in their lives. As strange as that sounds, it will have some viewers wondering just what kind of crazy mixed up world is this? Are there any saviours?

Whatever the reason, the Minions are no doubt going to be the unlikely heroes of this film and series. Their innocence will turn the tables on Scarlet Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock), who takes the three on as her aides. In this trailer’s case, perhaps to adopt them and to teach them the ways of how to be evil. Shades of what made the Despicable Me films wonderful are noticeable, and the relationship dynamics are amped up. Some may wonder if Overkill is the mother of Gru. They both have a tell-tale long and pointy nose.

The humour is fantastic, and hopefully this two and a half-minute short does not give the best scene away. The first two trailers pretty much establish what the first two acts are going to be like. Minions is due in theatres July 10th, 2015.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9-FCC6I7u0%5D
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcRAnhcEYLY%5D

Some Genisys ideas should get Terminated

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

terminator-5

Sometimes it’s hard not to groan at news of some beloved part of my young geekhood getting remade. I’m not entirely sold on Terminator Genisys just yet. Is it supposed to be a continuation, sequel, reboot or what? The producers are saying this movie is going to reinvent the wheel and I can see it in the latest trailer — this film is going to revisit the first two films from a different perspective. Just what Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) experiences is not what original fans are going to see. He will be meeting Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) under very different circumstances.

Although this full on trailer looks good with its hints of story to come ala X-Men: Days of Future Past, a sequence borrowed from The Dark Knight (flipped bus) and a ninja that’s evolved from the T-1000 mold (from Terminator 2), I find that the issue of jumping around time as a plot device problematical. Just the thought alone is enough to make the Doctor Who fan in me cringe. Matt Smith has an important role in this trilogy and no one is talking about what it is. I suspect that he may be a tech prodigy who created this new version of Skynet and he will be pivotal to how this artificial intelligence will finally go down by the end of these new three films.

Continue reading “Some Genisys ideas should get Terminated”