Superheroes and Their Oscars — DC Edition

March 3, 2014February 27, 2017 Keith Chow

File this under “Things You Didn’t Know You Needed.”

Since another Oscar season has come and gone, and since — once again — nary a superhero flick was even in consideration, I’m sharing my Superhero Oscar list with you.

For the last several years, I’ve been keeping a running tally of all of the Batman and Superman alumni who have either won or been nominated for an Academy Award. This all started in 2006 when Nicole Kidman handed George Clooney the statue for his supporting turn in Syriana, and I realized, “Hey, these two were in (admittedly crappy) Batman movies!”

So I did what any Batfan with an internet connection and access to IMDB would do, I compiled a comprehensive list of all the cinematic Bat-actors and their Oscars. And it’s a long one! Last summer, in advance of the release of Man of Steel, I created a similar list for the cinematic Superman alumni as well.

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Comics, DC Comics1 Comment

Maybe DC Can Reprint John Ridley’s American Way

January 16, 2014May 23, 2019 Keith Chow

(UPDATED March 2, 2014: Ridley actually won the Oscar, so what are you waiting for, DC?)

This morning, acclaimed screenwriter John Ridley scored his first Academy Award nomination for his adapted screenplay of 12 Years a Slave. If Ridley wins, will he be the first comic book writer with an Oscar?

That’s right. If you didn’t know, while John Ridley is known primarily for his work on the big screen (in addition to 12 Years, Ridley’s filmography includes writing credits on Undercover Brother, Three Kings, and Red Tails), he also has an extensive resume in nerdy television (Justice League, Static Shock) and comics (The Authority, The American Way). Unfortunately, collected editions of his work on either book is out of print.

That said, individual issues of The American Way are still available digitally on ComiXology. But I’m old school and still prefer holding a book in my hand instead of an iPad.

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Movies, Sci Fi2 Comments

Gravity Aims for the Stars, but Falls a Little Flat

October 10, 2013March 8, 2014 Jenn

The critics have been salivating over Alfonso Cuarón’s latest effort, the ambitious science fiction thriller Gravity. And don’t get it twisted: Gravity is pretty darned good. It’s visually and narratively haunting — one of the few contemporary movies that succeeds in marrying a high-concept story with the audience’s (admittedly low-brow) yearning to see things blow up. Also, Gravity is one of the year’s few films that fully takes advantage of 3D technology to establish the various environments that the characters encounter (although I confess I chose to watch Gravity in standard projection because 3D makes my head hurt).