Review: Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Budget 250 million Box office 1.153 billion 

Starring

Chris Evans - Steve Rogers / Captain America

Robert Downey Jr. - Tony Stark / Iron Man

Scarlett Johansson - Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

Sebastian Stan  - as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier

Anthony Mackie - Sam Wilson / Falcon:

Don Cheadle - James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine

Jeremy Renner -  Clint Barton / Hawkeye

Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther

When I first had this film (dvd) I wondered if it would hold well in comparison with the previous Captain America movies.  But then there it was and I as pleasantly surprised.  It foremost added some debth to the characters.  This took the shape of out and out anamosity between members.  Stark continues to be abrasive as always which goes quite far towards alienating other members.  

The conflicts and the motivation are not to believe. Downey reprises his role as Tony Stark / Iron Man as does Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Scarlett Johansson - Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Stan  - as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Mackie - Sam Wilson / Falcon, Cheadle - James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine, Renner -  Clint Barton / Hawkeye

Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther as well as others.

This lends itself to a much more three dimentional character.  Overall I give the film an 8.  The returning heroes add a confort level that I had not been aware of in earlier.  Fans of Cap will not be disapointed. 

Supergirl Oked For Production

News is exceedingly sparse, but it would appear that CBS is about to jump onto the superhero bandwagon with the long anticipated Supergirl. 

Arrow and The Flash director director/cinematographer and longtime Smallville director of photography Glen Winter was tasked with calling the shots on the Supergirl pilot which wrapped production at the end of March. 

Speculation has it that CBS will hold the pilot and regular episodes back until the fall season.

More @ Screenrant.com

Super Hero Voice Over Artist Support Groups?

Here we have a recent episode of Ben Shelton's web series The Daly Show we are witness to the effects that doing super hero voice over work does to the likes of Tim Daly, Nathan Fillion and an absolutely hilarious walk on by Michael Rosenbaum all of whom have done super hero voice over work. This is just plain silly fun and I applaud the gentlemen who participated!

Thanks to Topless Robot

Sci Fi Mondays on NBC this fall

NBC announces Sci Fi Mondays. NBC will air Chuck, Heroes and Journeyman. Expect the premieres of most of these series in September. "Chuck" is about a tech support guy for a Best Buy-like store who unwittingly becomes the holder of important government information and a pawn for the CIA and the National Security Agency. "Journeyman," about a time-traveling newspaper reporter.

Masi Oka gets movie deal

In a recent TVSQUAD blog article - Masi Oka the breakout star of the 2006-2007 television season (Heroes). From The Hollywood Reporter comes word that he is in talks for a gig in the Robert Luketic film 21.

Based on the Ben Mezrich book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions," the movie will also star Jim Sturgess.

The book tells the story of the MIT Blackjack Team. Organized by a former math instructor, and backed by anonymous investors, the team used a system of card counting, disguises, and secret signals to take Vegas for nearly $4 million before they were found out.

Is the new "leaning" for tv towards the Super Hero?

It's an interesting question. I first heard this idea put forth by Karen, BMU's hunter of oddball news items that often tweek the interest if not a complete suspension of credulity. It seems Karen found a story in the local press that posited the notion that television was programming and considering more and more story lines that contain a protagonist with an unusual power. Some are obvious - Heroes for example but consider staple shows like Medium, Ghost Whisperer or even Num3ers. All the major networks and many cable channels have one or two shows in the lineup that have the main character having an unusual ability. However - is this a "trend"? Well reading Julia Huston's sci-fi/fantasy blog this morning, I see: ABC has ordered a pilot for Pushing Daisies about a man who can revive dead people, TNT has decided to go with Fox Television Studios' project, Grace, in which police officer Holly Hunter talks with an angel, who presumably helps her solve crimes, just to name a couple. Plus Heroes has been renewed even if DayBreak has passed into the darkness - Smallville and Supernatural seem to have a great deal of "legs". As unusual as it sounds, there just may be a trend of a sorts. I would hope for more "super hero" types though and less of the "I can see angels, ghosts and people that arn't there" type.

Retirement Home for Super Heroes

here is a totally irreverent look at how a normal day at the "home" would look like if it were populated with superheroes. By way of Artist Martin Margulies (click photo or article title to enlarge picture)

Heroes review for 12/04/06

This review is for Heroes that aired 12/04/06

I pity the fan that missed this season ender. As you know, Heroes is taking a break until the end
of January. This week's show was loaded up with weirdness. Some things just don't make sense.
The first thing that didn't make a whole lot of sense was this Sylar character. Claire's father, it would seem, has him well under wraps, in a glass and concrete bunker. It would appear escape proof. As you know, Sylar is the ultimate copy cat. Able to absorb anyones ability and make it his own. He is brought low by Eden and the brain drainer and shuffled of to his present abode. He is informed by Claire's father that “we're going to take you apart”. That was rather creepy. Shortly there after Eden shows back up at the “bunker” with a gun. Eden uses her “voice” to tell Syler that he is going to take this gun and shoot himself in the head. Where upon Syler shatters the glass or whatever it is and manages to get Eden in a strangle hold....The confusing part? Well, how did they manage to catch this guy if she had no effect on him in the first place? This Syler doesn't impress me as having any umm “long range plans” if you catch my drift. He seems more the maniacal hell bent on destruction type to me. Then we have Claire wandering through a world that doesn't seem to remember that she has the ability to heal. Seems the brain drainer has been going around making everyone forget anything they knew about Claire. But when he finally get to Claire, he seems on the verge of telling her something very important....Which again doesn't make any sense, because up to this point, he has been more of an appendage of Claire's father. More of a tool than anything....so now all of a sudden he has an agenda? Woven through all these snippets is Isaac who now with the help of Hiro can draw without umm using rocket fuel....Jessica turns herself in to the police after shooting DL, Parkman kind of fumbles around trying to figure out his own powers and unravel how Claire's father and Syler are connected, Mohinder is told by Eden that she is not all she has purported herself and he is even more determined to contact the rest of the people on the list and Peter who if we are to believe the last few minutes has a very “explosive” personality. Oh and Hiro's ending comment...”I really need to find that sword!” ok...I laughed...I admit it....

Look for Heroes to return January 22^nd 2007

Heroes review for episode 11/27/06

You know this episode could have been run as the”answer” episode. There were many more answers this week than last. Though if your like me, there were fleeting impressions of the first Star Trek episodes mix up with Heroes this week. Ok, before you glaze over, let me explain myself. The first “true” episode of Star Trek didn't get air time until well into mid season. Reason? It was too long and confusing or so thought the powers that be. Oh and Tab Hunter had the bad timing to kick off.....So Roddenbery recut the original into the 2 part “the Cage”. Well how does this apply to Heroes? Well just look at what we learn and tell me that this show should have been the original first episode? Am I right? So lets take a closer look. Heroes this week was a “prequel” or maybe a sideways episode. The premise is the Hiro jumps back to save the waitress but jumps too far, 6 months too far to be exact, right to when people's “powers” really began to manifest. We find Mohinder's father not only working but finding and contacting a perspective. Unfortunately he contacts the soon to be Syler (the name of a watch we find out) who it seems can do what Peter can do and that's to “copy” a person's ability but Syler takes it a gruesome step further and kills off the competition. Definitely a “there can be only one” mentality here. We see Nathan fly out of a car just before an accident. ( one it seems that paralyzed his wife) Matt, starting to hear voices in his head ( though, if you ask me those clips were the most confusing because the writers never made it clear if that was what was happening or was he having relationship angst, and and excuse me... the doughnut thing with him and Eden....excuse me?) Claire cutting her hand rather badly and discovering it healed shortly there after and in the middle of this we have hapless Hiro desperately trying to save the waitress only to accidentally jumping out at the critical moment and shows up back in present day at the chafe with the chilling realization that time isn't as easy to manage as once thought. Claire's father is still an enigma. It seems even at this early date, he was well aware of people with abilities and has openly recruited the “brain drainer” and works to have Eden come on as well. One more curious note...when Eden tries to use her “voice” on him he retorts, “ You have never come across someone that could say NO to you before Eden, now you have.” Does he have “abilities”? Can you see how this would have been a great first episode? Yeah maybe it tells too much. Oh one thing that was made eminently clear this week was the fact that next weeks episode is the last until some time in January....supposed to be a good one...but then, NBC has made that promise in the past...

Heroes 11-20-06

Well this this episode of Heroes, we were enticed with the possibilities of answers. Did we get any? Nope – nada, if anything I am a bit more confused. Hiro is still missing, except for the enigmatic Polaroid on the bulletin board. Claire's father continues to be a difficult person to figure out. He continues to strong arm the painter Isaac into painting. The sole motivation seems to be to save Claire from being brutalized by the same shadowy killer that took the back of the waitress' head off. We are privy however to a little break in the ranks when one of Claire's father's “toys” Eden openly revolts when ordered to drug Isaac again to get him to paint. But practically the next scene we have her and the “mind wiper” playing well together to take down the “shadow man”. You know, that bothers me too. Here we have been set up to think that there is a true and present danger to Claire at the very least and here we are show Eden saying when the killer show up in the woods....”sleep” and as he wobbles the “wiper” puts some sort of Vulcan nerve pinch on him and he is out like a light. Sheeeeeeeesh! The writers and special effects people at NBC/Heroes need to watch a couple of episodes of Fox's Mutant X. As campy as that show was, when it came time to “git bizzy” you could just about hear “Lets get ready to rumble!” This was lame. Ok, Heroes is suppose to be more thoughtful and noir, but it came across as an after thought. Yeah we see Claire get seriously pummeled and some shelves flung about, but I thought this was just a warm up....nope. “Shadow Man” looks to have ALL the powers and I was thinking there is going to be some whoopin goin on, next week I think. Though for teasers, we see Hiro pop into the diner in the past and blithely say “I am here to save your life” I don't think he has ANY idea just how far back he went. The Heroes site on NBC says 6 months – before their powers were known..- uh...wrong.... Mohinder's father was doing research and “found” them long before. But it should be interesting how this plays out. Also “dark Niki” has bought an ubber rifle and “goes hunting” and we are left with DL in the cross hairs.... Peter is arrested despite his brother's best efforts to keep him out of trouble. Ok, Nathan cares about his brother. So he doesn't want him hurt. Does he have to be so slimy about it?! Yeah I get the idea, Nathan is interested in Nathan and getting what Nathan wants, but this scene came across as more Snidely Whiplash than a self serving politician. But if the writers intentions were to dislike Nathan Pertrelli and question his motives no matter what he does, well then they have succeeded at least in that. I think Matt is a much more interesting part of the show, lol put him on more would be my suggestion. Anyway, this episode was more about misdirection than clearing up loose ends. We will be waiting at the very least until next week to find out if this “save” was the one to save the world.

Heroes: Main Ten Characters' Profiles

From the ABOUT sci-f & fantasy blog

NBC's new Monday night show features a cast of dozens, but let's get started with the main ten people. Here are their vital stats, the connections to the other characters, and their current situation.

Hiro Nakamura, "Bend Time and Space"
Claire Bennet, "Indestructible"
Nathan Petrelli, "Flyer"
Peter Petrelli, "Borrower"
Niki Sanders, "Dark Niki"
D.L. Hawkins, "Walk Through Walls"
Isaac Mendez, "The Pre-Cog"
Mohinder Suresh, "Following Scientist-Father's Legacy"
Matt Parkman, "Mindreader"
Micah Sanders, "Boy Wonder"

Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman Go Postal

According to Fox News, the United States Postal Service will begin selling stamps with your favorite comic book hero printed on them. The new 39-cent stamps and 24-cent postal cards will be made public at a comic book show in San Diego, and will go on sale nationwide Friday. Characters featured in the stamps are:

Batman: Young Bruce Wayne He made his debut in 1939 and was joined by Robin a year later.
Wonder Woman: first appearance in 1941.

Plastic Man: debuted in 1941.
Superman: The Man of Steel first appeared in 1938
Green Lantern: First appeared in All-American Comics #16 (July 1940).
The Flash: transformed into the fastest man alive in 1956
Aquaman: first appeared in More Fun Comics # 73 (November 1941).
Hawkman: originally first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940)
Supergirl: first appeared in Superman #123 (1958)
Green Arrow: First appearing in 1941,

Heroes Episode 4

Heroes took a big leap (no pun intended) this week. Nothing gross happens to Claire the indestructible cheerleader. No sir, we went from oh man that’s gross to oh cool! And I want to tell you the CGI used for the flying stunts should make the guys at the Superman franchise go “how dey do dat?” And I mean it. When did you EVER see superman break the sound barrier and do it within say 100 feet of the ground? Well the computer geeks at Heroes must be working overtime. 0 to faster than a speeding bullet straight up with the accompanying vapor halo and sonic boom. Yeeeeeeeee haaaaa. Oh and no candy .a.. 2 point landing…going from supersonic to 0 I want to tell you this guy does some serious skidding when he touches down…You can tell they pretty much blew their CGI budget on that piece because the rest of the hour is pretty low key.. Isaac who sees the future still paints, Claire is still indestructible, Hiro can control time, Nathan flies…oh boy does he fly, Matt is reading mind like crazy…and may be going there too, Niki still doesn’t know that her alter ego seems to be a crack assassin, but the biggest surprise this week outside of Nathan leaving contrails over the Midwestern skies, is his brother Peter. See, Peter thinks he can fly and has…cool…but….when push comes to shove, he finishes Isaac’s painting of the future with the same glazed ghost eyed look and style…so Peter is deficiently the wild card for next week along with Niki. I have a feeling that someone has a serious ass kicking in the very near future served up by Niki’s alter ego. If you haven’t caught this episode yet, Look for a encore on the sci-fi channel or download the episode from NBC.COM. Save the Cheerleader Save the World….