Tag: Man of Steel

Marvel, Movies12 Comments

How Avengers is Ruining the Superhero Movie

Jenn

As of April 2013, The Avengers had grossed more than $600 million dollars in the US, a box office performance that has nearly tripled its (already bloated) production budget. It would be fair to say that if you’re a Hollywood movie producer, The Avengers makes you very, very, very happy. In fact, you’re hoping to make as many Avengers franchises as you possibly can.

Against this backdrop of undeniable success, it seems major Hollywood production companies are hoping to do just that. For the last few months, the Internet has been a-buzz with casting rumours for Man of Steel 2: first with news that Ben Affleck was being tapped to play an aging Batman, and last week with the announcement that virtually unknown actress Gal Gadot (of Fast and Furious franchise fame) was assuming the mantle of Wonder Woman. Although fans have long clamoured for a live-action Justice League adaptation, the fact that all three members of the heralded DC Trinity will be making an appearance in Man of Steel 2 — a movie that we all expected would be just another Superman solo vehicle — is clear indication that WB/DC has drawn inspiration from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is looking to fast-track the Justice League movie by rapidly introducing other characters to the silver screen. Fans have since speculated that while Gadot might make a minimal cameo in Man of Steel 2, it’s likely that she will subsequently headline her own Wonder Woman movie that would further stoke the fires for a full Justice League film.

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Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies, Television1 Comment

2013: The Year in Review

The Nerds of Color

As we barrel toward the end of the year, we figured it was a good time to go on hiatus and take stock of Hard NOC Life before returning on the other side of the new year with a better experience for the viewers. If you have any suggestions on how to improve the show, please feel free to let us know in the comments!

For our special year-end wrap up, Keith (@the_real_chow) has asked a roster of panel all-stars to come back one more time to the topics of the day. Joining the show are Raymond Chow,  Julie Kang (@JulieKang), N’Jaila Rhee (@BlasianBytch), Shawn Smith, and Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria (@rscspokenword). As always, Hard N.O.C. Life is directed by the indomitable Nelson Wong (@aarisings).

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DC Comics, Movies38 Comments

The Conversation We Should Not Have About Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman

J. Lamb (Snoopy Jenkins)

Gal GadotZack Snyder cast Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman for the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, thereby ending months of speculation about the possible portrayal of DC Comics’ oldest nod to feminist virtue and grrl power. Previously seen by American audiences in the recent Fast & Furious movies, Gal Gadot’s casting has been met with equal praise and derision. My initial response is hearty, heartfelt, and honest.

I told you so.

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DC Comics, Movies15 Comments

Nolan’s Batman Should Be in the Man of Steel Sequel

Keith Chow

Let me start by saying that this post is not intended to be a rant against Batfleck. I’m actually on board with the idea of Ben as Batman, so his fitness to be the new Dark Knight Detective is not what the headline of this article is implying. Instead, as the rumors continue to swirl about the Man of Steel sequel (I refuse to call it Batman vs. Superman because that’s just a dumb title — though these are even dumber), I keep feeling less and less inclined to be happy with the movie. It’s not the sequel we deserve, but it’s the one we’re getting right now. And this from someone who actually really sort of liked Man of Steel. 

Of course, all of the leaks and rumors that are currently flooding the tubes right now could all turn out to be massively wrong. But there was one report that surfaced last week that really made me reevaluate just what DC and Warner Bros. are trying to accomplish with this new, shared cinematic universe.

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DC Comics, Movies6 Comments

Tweets About Man of Steel on Blu-ray

Keith Chow

So Man of Steel was released on blu-ray and DVD today. As I do whenever a superhero movie is released on home video, I went to the store first thing in the morning and bought it.

Since dispersing special features across multiple retailers as store-exclusives is now standard practice, I had to make the tough decision of where to get my copy. Should I go with the Wal-Mart exclusive in steelbook packaging with 30+ minutes of additional extras? Or go with Target’s lenticular digi-book with a different set of special features (also 30+ minutes)?

So I did what any good fanboy would do. I bought both.

Full disclosure: unlike most of the fanboy intelligentsia, I really liked Man of Steel when it came out in June. While I agreed with some of the critiques — namely, the overindulgent third act — I thought the positives outweighed the negatives and was really excited about how Zack Snyder and company were going to follow up the events of this movie in a sequel or two. Now that we know the sequel is going to Gotham, I’m less enthralled with how they intend to follow through on what’s set up in Man of Steel.

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DC Comics, Movies14 Comments

Affleck? At Least He was the Bomb in Phantoms

Keith Chow

Around 9pm last night, the internet basically broke in half upon news that Warner Bros. had cast Ben Affleck as Batman in the still-unnamed sequel to Man of Steel (now officially scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, 2015). My initial reaction was surprise, but not anger, and especially not the seething fanboy rage that took over my twitter and Facebook feeds shortly thereafter. Sure, #Batfleck isn’t the most obvious choice, but if Bat-history is any indication, the success of any actor’s ability to play a Batman role is inversely proportional to the amount of internet outrage that occurs during the initial casting announcement.

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