Movie Review - Batman: Under the Red Hood

"Batman: Under The Red Hood", based on Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke's comic book series "The Red Hood", tells the tale of Jason Todd, his return from death and the havoc he reeks on Gotham City as a hero that punishes villains with deadly consequences. In short, he's a Batman that kills people.

This was a fairly good adaptation from the comic book series, staying true to the nature of the story. I'm actually surprised at how dark they made this film. However, DC Entertainment been upping the maturity level of their animated films recently, which gives the animators more elbow room for more compellingly violent scenes and stories. Right off the bat, you see Jason being beaten to death by the Joker. From there the story line treads lightly until the end of the film when Red Hood and Batman face-off. The final scene had me sitting on the edge of my seat because Batman was posed with a great question, challenging his own personal morals and beliefs.

A few things the movie could've improved on. It would've been more effective to see exactly how Jason was captured by the Joker. In the comics, it was a much more elaborate plan put together by the Joker with a strong emotional twist, rather than a mishap of chance as explained during the film. Also, as much as I like Nightwing, it would've been great to include Tim Drake in some way. He's not even referenced by name.

Overall, good film, highly recommended for DCU fans. The more they continue to stay true to the source material, the better these films get.

Green Lantern Promo Posters!

Promo posters for the Green Lantern movie. Wow!





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Movie Review: Inception

Christopher Nolan’s Inception blew me away! This is his latest film since the Dark Knight. It goes to show his film making integrity has wavered unshaken, despite having one of the highest grossing films of all time under his belt. In other words, I’m glad he didn’t take the M Night Shyamalan route.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film from beginning to end. What I liked about this movie was that dreams were brought into reality, as if they were tangible objects you could see, touch and smell. It then asks you the question, what is the definition of reality, and does it make a difference if one or the other makes you happy?

Nolan's famous for being able to layer character development, and there is no exception with Inception. An original story, that he wrote and directed, I was kept on the edge of my seat at every turn. In addition, the visual effects were top notch in it's own subtle matter. Another signature film style of Nolan was to keep special effects as organic as possible. If there was an opportunity to forgo CGI, Nolan did, and it paid off very well in this film. Combined with a perfect cast to deliver, you’ll be wanting more up to the very end.

Dude, was it really worth it?

If you haven't heard by now, SDCC 2010 witnessed it's first stabbing as far as I know. Apparently, this guy was in a heated argument with another attendee regarding a seat in Hall H. A friggin seat! He then stabbed the guy in the eye with a pen. A friggin pen!


The initial thought that came to mind was the Joker "pencil trick" scene from The Dark Knight.


In all honesty, it doesn't surprise me that this happened. The conditions SDCC attendees go through combined with the shear number of people in a confined space could make anyone go crazy. Is it possible this guy was acting out due to camping without sleep, only being fueled by Power Bars and 5hour Energy's? Still, a pen to the eyeball is pretty insane under any condition. I hope they throw the book at this guy! You can see video of the attacker being escorted by police here.

Allison Mack jumping from Smallville screen to comic ink

Well, her character Chloe Sullivan will be. Chloe has been an integral part of the Smallville storyline from as far back as season one. She will be introduced to the DC Universe in comic form in Action Comics No. 893. Only in recent seasons have they addressed Chloe as not being character in the DC Universe, most notably during the Legion of Superheroes episode. I believe it was Saturn Girl mentioning that archives didn't show any record of Chloe Sullivan in Superman's life. The last character to jump from screen to ink was Harley Quinn. It will be interesting to see how Chloe is written in.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters

SDCC announced a Green Lantern video game to be released alongside WB Entertainment's Green Lantern movie. Posters promoting the game were handed out at the convention.


Batman Arkham Asylum raised the bar for superhero video games. I'd like to think this Green Lantern game will carry the same caliber of game play. Unfortunately, history has a habit of repeating itself in comic book movie/game adaptations, so the odds are highly stacked against it. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed but won't be holding my breath.

DC Universe Online - My socks have officially been knocked off!

The trailer below for DCU Online debuted over the weekend at SDCC 2010. Looks like the $15 per month may be worth it!

500 Days of Riddler!

Joseph-Gordon Levitt is apparently rumored to be "in the running" to play The Riddler in Christopher Nolan's third Batman film. We all know Nolan keeps a tight lid on things so I'm sure this rumor is pure speculation. This would be an interesting casting choice if it does come to fruition.

Russell Brand and Luis Guzman as the dynmic duo!

Russell Brand and Luis Guzman have been spotted parading around as the dynamic duo in New York city for their upcoming film "Arthur." Brand actually fits the batsuit fairly well. Val Kilmer's batsuit design was obviously used if you couldn't tell by the built in nipples. Guzman, on the other hand, looks like he raided Burt Ward's closet. Dressing up as Batman and Robin, I'm wondering how this will fit into the context of the film. They even have the Batmobile!

The Joker from Joker

Inspired by the graphic novel titled "Joker" written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo, is the latest DC Direct black and white statue of the Joker. This is one of my favorite Joker designs. Mistakenly modeled after Heath Ledger's Joker, it was actually the other way around. The graphic novel was written and illustrated five years before Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight was released. The Joker bares an eerie resemblance to the razor-lipped Heath Ledger. This is a definite buy for me!