Movies

Batman: Under the Red Hood Review

It was one of the most controversial decisions in the history of comics. Back in September of 1988, DC Comics opened up a 24-hour vote where fans would decide the fate of Jason Todd, the second Robin in the famed Batman canon. By less than 100 votes, fans decided that Batman would not make it in time to save Jason from the clutches of the Joker and thus complete the now legendary “A Death in the Family” story arc. Flash forward 20 years now (about four or five in the actual DC Universe) and DC decided to find a way to bring Jason back. Batman: Under the Red Hood is the story of how Batman’s greatest failure comes back to haunt him in ways he never could have imagined.

Nick Cave to rewrite “The Crow” remake

A revisit to Brandon Lee and Alex Proyas’ cult classic, The Crow, might be the last thing its fans desire, but a report from The Wrap reveals an interesting choice for the writer’s role: Australian singer/screenwriter Nick Cave.

Repo Men Review

Movies such as Repo Men — which comes out on DVD and Blu-ray today — are those that take interesting, even fascinating premises and butcher them to the point of disfigurement; a bland cookie- cutter version of how the plot could have unravelled. In addition to the obvious plot arc that can easily be surmised from the trailers, any good will built up over the running time is similarly bastardized by a horrendous final twist that is not only nonsensical but cheap. This reveal is blatantly alluded to early on but even for those who did not pick up on it will not be surprised by the finale.

DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 7.27.10)

This week’s DVD and Blu-ray releases offer us violence galore. We have the release of the hit Clash of the Titans, which has fights between men, gods and monsters and the very bloody Repo Men that consists of Jude Law with knives. There is martial arts in the form of Hong Kong film Ip Man and the slightly more family friendly but very artistic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. We have animated offerings with a new Batman adventure and the re-release of G.I. Joe: The Movie. And finally we have the Blu-ray release of all the very violent Rambo films that gives us a mix of good and bad films.

Daniel Craig officially joins “Dragon Tattoo” remake

The news continues to pour in from Comic Con as Daniel Craig, representing his upcoming John Favreau project Cowboys & Aliens, has been confirmed to play the male lead in director David Fincher’s remake of the hit Swedish film of the same name.

The British actor, known for portraying the most recent incarnation of James Bond, will star as Mikael Blomkvist, a newspaper reporter investigating the decade old disappearance of a young girl.

Green Lantern character posters reveal Sinestro, Hector

Just because Comic Con is over doesn’t mean that we have to wait a while to see anything big from next year’s anticipated blockbusters. Warner Bros. has released four new character posters (that fit together) featuring Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), Sinestro (Mark Strong) and Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard). In addition to the faces, the posters, all together, contain part of the Green Lantern oath, which ought to get any fanboy giddy.

“Salt” adds flavor but “Inception” has more kick

Angelina Jolie proved she’s still got box office allure this weekend but it wasn’t enough to knock fellow Academy member Leonardo DiCaprio off the theater throne. Inception had a win within a win; rather, the layered cinematic experience came in at number one for the second week in a row. Salt put some zest in the top ten lineup, finishing at number two this weekend. Ramona and Beezus, a children’s tale based on a popular book series, was easily trumped by fellow family competition; it landed at number six.