The Eight Superhero Movies I Want to See Most

I love comics, and comic book superheroes. Some obscure, some pretty commonplace, and in an ideal world the DC and Marvel Universes would be fully cinematic, and feature every character that's cannon. But we're not there yet, in this day and age it's still surprisingly hard to get a movie made for anyone that isn't already an A-lister in the comics world (and even then it's still hard). I mean, things are a little easier on the Marvel side of the coin, but there's still some characters there I want to see get a film... and I guess that's as good a place to start as any on my list of the top 8 superhero movies I want to see the most!

#8 Ms. Marvel

Ms. Marvel is a great opportunity for Marvel to really tap into the female superhero concept with a character who's powerset rivals that of the mighty Thor. Instead of their current female cinematic lead, Black Widow, who's main power is 2 sigs and a skin tight "combat" suit. Ms. Marvel would also be easy to build into the expanding marvel universe that's getting ready to jump to full "Jack-Kirby-Space-verse" with the launch of Guardians of the Galaxy next year (Ms. Marvel's powers are the product of alien technology in the comics... most of the time).

As for which Ms. Marvel (there has been a lot), I think that it should either be Carol Danvers (the original Ms. Marvel) or Kamala Khan (The currently rebooted Ms. Marvel). Carol Danvers is a great character and it would show a lot of faith to the original comics produced in the 70's, But Kamala Khan is an opportunity to not only produce the first good female superhero movie, but the first good female Muslim superhero.
Which I think is really interesting. It provides so much to work with, from a character standpoint, but also I think it would show a much needed wave of diversity to the Marvel Cinematic universe, seriously, enough with the white dudes.

#7 Shazam! (Captain Marvel)

Shazam is a character I absolutely adore. I think it captures the purest essence of a comic book superhero. Billy Batson, an orphan boy is given magical powers by an all powerful wizard, every time he says the word "SHAZAM" (I don't know if it always has to be in all caps, but I feel like it should be). In the most recent incarnation of the character (written entirely by DC creative head Geoff Johns) Billy is in foster care and has a hilarious and heartfelt cast of supporting characters that keep his story fresh and energetic. I also think it might be a good idea to go with the Flashpoint version of the character, where it takes an entire group of kids to say the word together to transform into Captain Marvel (Although it's alternate universe so he's known as captain thunder, but whatever). I think it's the perfect blend of The Goonies and Man of Steel. It'd for sure be a great one for kids, who would also finally have someone to identify more directly with.

Plus the character's got a great look which I think would come across even better on screen and a giant talking tiger named Tawny. I mean, come on! Black Adam as a main villain is one of the strongest ones out there, and is a really easy baddie for kids to digest, while at the same time having a great amount of depth for the adults.


#6 Swamp Thing & Animal Man

I put these two together because I think this is, in a way, the best superhero "buddy-cop" DC could possibly spit out. With the two characters being so related (Swamp thing as the Avatar of all Plant Life, "The Green" Animal Man as an Avatar of all Animal life "The Red") it seems only fitting that their stories be told together. I mean, you don't have to call the movie "Swamp Thing and Animal Man" maybe just Swamp thing or Just Animal Man, but feature the other heavily. I think last year's crossover between the two of them (Rotworld) is the perfect example of how their story should take place both fighting The Rot separately, and in their own way, only to find that they need each other to finish the fight.

OH MAN! So cool!

But seriously, either of these characters would make for such a unique movie. Both are "Superheroes" but not at all in the traditional sense. Swamp thing, a monster by all appearances, fighting to preserve nature's place in the world, and Animal Man, a father and husband forced into the service of animal life, often at the cost of his family. Neither "fight crime" but that's okay. We see that in every other superhero film, this is a real chance for DC to build a fuller more complex and rounded cinematic universe.

#5 Spiderman 2099

Now, I'm going to get this out of the way, I don't know if this would technically be under Sony's Spiderman film rights, or Marvels, and I suspect neither to either of those companies, so the likelihood of this happening is slim. But I think It would be a supercool departure from the awkward, teenage spiderman we've all seen so much of recently. Spiderman 2099 is a geneticist by the name of Miguel O'Hara who accidentally turns himself into a Spiderman and fights crime with all the powers of Spiderman (and a couple small additions) in super corrupt future version of New York. As a sci-fi lover this concept jumps out at me as much as a Batman Beyond movie. Imagine Spiderman fighting giant future laser robots! Awesome!

But speaking of Batman Beyond...

#4 Batman Beyond

Created by the legendary duo of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm in the wake of Batman: TAS Batman Beyond was simple, and awesome concept. Taking place in a future version of Gotham City, Batman Beyond follows Terry McGinnis who, under the tutelage of an elderly Bruce Wayne become's Future Gotham's new Batman. The suit had such an iconic look and the character of Terry was so well written that fans have been begging for this movie for years.

Ironically, it actually almost did get made, in the early 2000's Paul Dini wrote a screenplay for the film while under a screenwriting contract with Warner Brothers during the long development process of Superman Returns. The studio passed on the script however, and that may be the closest we'll ever come to seeing Terry up on the big screen, which is really unfortunate.

#3  Aquaman

Yes, it seems my list is predominantly DC characters, but that's mostly because Marvel is doing such a great job of rolling out their characters on the big screen with plans in the works for most of the big hitters. DC on the other hand has so many of it's A-listers just waiting to be filmed, not least of all is Aquaman.

The thing about Aquaman that many people don't understand is that Aquaman (in the right hands) is one of the most interesting and badass superheroes on the entire Justice League and has been around for almost as long as Batman and Superman. Making him one of the oldest comic book characters currently still featured in his own book every month.

But let me lay it down for the casual fan. Aquaman is a warrior king, bearing Poseidon's trident that is his birthright, Arthur Curry fights to protect Atlantis from threats external and internal, as well as serving to protect the surface world. With not only the ability to command all sea life, Aquaman has super strength, heightened agility, extreme durability and the ability to survive indefinately on both land and in the water. Aquaman is not affraid to dole out his own brand of sea-justice on the criminals of the world. Geoff John's most recent arc with the character is a great example of how interesting and dynamic this character is, torn between his life on the surface and his kingship of Atlantis.

This is a movie Warner and DC desperately need to make to shift the reputation of this truly awesome character away from his comical misconceptions.

#2 Cyborg

With Green Arrow having a hit show and The Flash about to finally receive his due in his own, sister show, the next biggest gaping hole in cinematic representation on the Justice League has got to be Cyborg.

Cyborg, like Ms Marvel is a great opportunity to break from the predominantly white superheroes heading today's movies. But more than that, Cyborg is another very well written and identifiable character ripe material to turn into a movie. Victor Stone, a high school senior, is a star quarterback vying for his scientist father's attention when suddenly and unexpectedly he is seriously injured by alien technology. Seeing how dire the situation is his father attempts to heal Victor with experimental nano-technology which inadvertently combines with the residual alien particles in Victors body creating the first ever Cyborg. A hero whose highly adaptable body and mind form all kinds of cool weapons and tools to take down evil.

Cyborg was originally only a member of the Teen Titans, but DC has finally given Vic the promotion he deserves and he's now a fully fledged member of the Justice League. It's my opinion that they should continue elevating Cyborg in their universe with his own movie. Or at the very least an appearance in the surely upcoming Justice League movie.

#1 Zatanna Zatara

Magic. That's what's been missing from my superhero movies. Sure Thor gives us a little but they're very quick to liken the Asgaurdian technology to real science. I want bonafied magic. And I want That magic to come from the wand and words of Zatanna.

Zatanna is a stage magician, the best in the business, who blows every audience member away with her seemingly impossible illusions. But here's the catch; It's real magic. Zatanna is the daughter of Zatara, a famed magician himself who taught her all the ways of the Arcane arts which she uses to battle embodied evil across the astral and mortal planes. With flick of her wrist, a few backwards words, and a witty quip, Zatanna sends evil back to where it belongs both on her own and as leader of the magic focused Justice League Dark.

I think it's become clear in the course of this article that I really want there to be a greater amount of diversity among the cinematic heroes. But that's not the only reason any people on this list are on it. Least of all Zatanna. She's just the kind of character that I love to see on screen. Someone who can face very dark tragic themes with a sense of humour and the power to back it up. She's such a unique character as well, seeing as there's yet to be any superhero movie that has it's main character really rely on magic this much. Just think Hermione Granger meets Spiderman and that's what this movie could be, whimsical, magical, comical fun.








Honorable Mentions

There are a few characters I would have put down, but it looks like a movie featuring them is actually in the works, those being Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Ant-man and Doctor Strange. I would also love to see a Flash movie, but he;s getting a TV show so I can't be too greedy. Green Arrow would make a good movie, but I've been enjoying the heck out of Arrow on The CW so I think if anything they should just slot that character into the Movie universe.

I also would have said Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, but they've all been confirmed to have shows in development for Netflix, so it looks like they're finally getting their due.

I'd like to see Supergirl and Nightwing, but those characters have such strong ties to their mentor characters that DC has to really universe build for a while before we'll see them, even though Nightwing is probably my favourite character mentioned in this article.


See you later, true believers!

-Matt

My Top 13 Songs of 2013

Music is one of the greatest things around, it inspires us in ways no other medium can. It can be just what we need to hear, or something we've never heard before that changes our outlook. It can score our journeys and underline our lives. And sure, there are lots of award shows that will talk at length about what the "Best" songs/albums/artists were this year, I've found that the opinions of things like the Grammy's rarely line up with what I thought about music, I'm sure there's a lot of people who agree. The Grammies and other award shows are based on peer-review and that's fine, but that's not how I consume my music. I don't consult a panel to tell me what to listen to, and I would never presume to tell anyone else what to listen to either. Music is such a personal thing, like any art, it's quality is entirely in the eye of the beholder.

That being said this year had some awesome music in it, and I couldn't not talk about some of my favorites. So, in no particular order here are the 13 songs that made the biggest impact on me this year. Please check 'em out for yourself.

13: Sweater Weather- The Neighbourhood

The Neighbourhood are an alternative rock band from california who released their first full album I Love You This year. This song, Sweater Weather,  is the second single off of that album. It's a dark melodic tune that conjures up visions of hanging out at the beach at night with a girl the singer seems to care only marginally about. To me it's a song about the banality the singer finds in doing the same routine over and over again. I love the beat and the echoey guitar. It's the kind of driving melancholy that's perfect for a rainy day.

12: Get Lucky- Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams

Yes, I'm aware it's probably on every end of the year list. Yes I know the whole point of this song is just talking about going out getting hammered and, well, getting lucky, grounds thoroughly covered by every other pop song this past decade. But I can't help it. This song is just the right blend of funk, electronic and r&b that never fails at making your toes tap, your liver quiver and your butt on the dance floor. That guitar riff just won't quit. This song is pure fun from beginning to end.

11: Gang Of Rhythm- Walk Off The Earth

Honestly, this band stole my heart and loyalty as soon as they put out the famous Somebody I Used to Know cover on youtube three years ago. I've followed them since and to be honest thought of them as a cover-exclusive kind of band. But as it turns out their original stuff is really great as well. This song in particular is right up my alley, it's happy, fun and doesn't take itself to seriously. It's a song about making a song, and a good one at that. Keep it up WOTE. I want more!

10:  Full Circle- Half Moon Sun

This is a song I heard a lot of in November it's solid harmonies are what drew me in at first and the melancholic beat and dark, subtle guitar is what kept me around. This Montreal based band has been quickly climbing the Canadian charts ever since this song was used in a Assassin's Creed IV trailer earlier this year, and I can say I'm very excited to see what they've got coming up next.

9: Dreaming- Smallpools

This LA based band only just formed this year and if their debut EP is telling at all, we're in for some great tracks from these guys in the future. Dreaming is a song I only discovered a few weeks ago and it's already climbing my "Most Played" list in my iTunes very quickly. I love the poppy beat, the combination of synth and guitar and the lyrics themselves, that are seemingly at odds with the bouncy beat and chorus. For some reason I can not get this song out of my head. 

8: Touch- Daft Punk

Get Lucky got me to buy Daft Punk's newest album, Random Access Memories, but it was Touch that turned out to be my favourite track from it. It's got a really weird and otherworldly intro which disuades some casual listeners, all to eager to get to the music who'll press "skip" all too soon. But those people are missing out on possibly one of the best songs I heard this year. Off the charts instrumentally this is one track I keep coming back to again and again.

7: Starting Over- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Ben Bridwell)

This year marked a special occasion for music. It was the first time an independent artist topped the charts in America. Thrift Shop was the song and that propelled Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' album The Heist to being one of the top twenty highest grossing albums this year, and three more singles off of it including Same Love, White Walls and Can't Hold Us. And those songs are all great but to me one of the bigger stand outs from The Heist was Starting Over a heartfelt song in which Macklemore talks about this very personal struggle for sobriety. It's a song I like to show to people who think that all rap is about is Sex, Violence and Drugs. I really love this album and it's not the only time it'll be talked about on this list but Starting Over is a track that really stuck me with it's honesty and down to earth-ness that's very appealing for me in a rapper. I'd rather hear about someone's real struggles and challenges in their music than something they've contrived to sell records (looking at you Kanye).  And that's a trait that I think has drawn a lot of people to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis this year and a big reason why they've been so successful. It's a realness you don't get from a many top 40 artists these days.

6: Pompeii- Bastille

Bastille, a band from London England, really captured my imagination with this single off of their album, All This Bad Blood. As a bit of a history buff it's really cool to hear a song that, for all intents and purposes is actually about the Roman city of Pompeii which was consumed by a volcano. It's a song about going to see Pompeii, that's just cool. It's also got some killer harmonies and a pounding drum beat that holds it all together.

5: Ways To Go- Grouplove

I mean, first off it's hard not to love this video. It's just about as much fun as this song is. Poppy and bright it's got some great instrumentals and I'm always a big fan of having both male and female lead singers in a band. This song is a great one to throw on when you're in the mood to get a'dancin.

4: Wing$- Macklemore &Ryan Lewis

 I said earlier how much I adore this album and why, I love every track on it but I find it so weird that this song hasn't seen as much radio play as the other ones off the album. Wing$ is all about shoes. Something that you'd think wouldn't be as profound a topic as Macklemore makes it in this song. But he uses them to talk about things like materialism and self identity. It's a really tight track that makes you really think, and that's what I like in a good rap song.

3: Sleepwalking- The Chain Gang of 1976

Yep, it's the song from the GTA V trailer. Yes that's where I first heard it too. But after hearing it a couple times in the trailer (and game) I started to really really dig it. It's got probably one of the best hooks on this list, and just always makes me feel like a badass inside when it comes on. It's just full of swagger and punch and I just love it.

2: On Top- Flume feat T-Shirt

This is probably one of the coolest music videos to come out this year. I love how video game-y it is. Same with the song. It's got tons of arcade-y sounding hooks and even though it's a song I only very recently discovered, I really, really dig it. Although it'd be nice if there was a little something more to the lyrics.

1: We Think We Know You- Bo Burham

This. F*&$ing song. Bo Burham, for those unaware, is a young stand up who incorporates a lot of funny songs (amongst other things) into his act. This song comes at the end of his most recent special what. and it's really sweet. Sure the intro's all talking and a big, huge part of what makes the song great is Bo's actual performance in this bit. But that doesn't make me love it any less. Easily the one song that blew me away the most this year. I didn't expect it to exist and when it finally kicked in I lost my brain. The other great thing about it is that it makes the transition from comedy bit to real introspective song so seamlessly, once it starts really going you understand what Bo's singing about and how it's a real thing to him, not a bit. 

Thanks for reading, go watch all the vids then disagree with me. Because that's the beauty of opinion. You always get to have your own.

Who Watches The [2009] Watchmen: A Retrospective.

This blog post contains both major plot spoilers for The Watchmen Movie and Book. 

If you haven't experienced either and still want to be surprised by things like character deaths,

stop reading now.

You have been warned

In 2009 Warner Brothers pictures decided, in the wake of the success of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, to draw deep from comic book lore and attempt the impossible. A big screen version of Alan Moore's seminal work, The Watchmen. Known to most people as the only graphic novel to be included in Time Magazine's  100 Best Novels of all Time list as well as the book your nerdy friend keeps desperately trying to get you to read. And for good reason. Among comic book fans it's widely considered to be the best superhero graphic novel ever written,  and even those who wouldn't say that would agree that when this thing hit the shelves in 1987, it changed the way comics where made. At 101 pages, it's exceedingly long (bearing in mind of course that comics use larger pages than your average book) and ludicrously detailed with diverse, immersive supporting subplots and tangents that grab the reader by the cajones and refuse to let go. Telling the story of a retired team of crime fighters in a heightened version of the cold war of the 1980's, it raised the bar for both writing and art in comics. It's also one of my personal favourite works of fiction. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's Watchmen is peerless, and was widely considered unfilm-able by anyone who read it.

Which is why when Warner Brothers announced their plans to do Watchmen as a motion picture surfaced around 2007, all of us comic book geeks took notice, and most of us were instantly skeptical.

Warner reported that the film was to be directed by Zach Snyder, who had just come off the wildly successful 300. It seemed like a great idea at the time, he hadn't directed Sucker Punch yet at any rate. Even the trailer looked great. But when the film came out in 2009 it was widely rejected by many comic book fans who maintain to this day that Zach Snyder's Watchmen is just another example of Hollywood ruining a beloved comic book series.

But is it?

I'll admit, for a while, that's what I thought, but recently I picked up the director's cut of the movie, and had to wonder; Have we, the nerd-populace, misjudged this movie?

It's been 4 years since it came out. The initial shock and awe has long since worn off, so I think it's time to look at this movie with some fresh perspective and give it perhaps the credit it's due. Lets see how it really is as a stand alone movie, and take another look at how it stacks up against the source material.

That's right it's my first Movie Review on my Blog, I'll try to keep it mostly short.

Let's Dive into Zach Snyder's Watchmen.

Look

If there's one thing we can say for sure, it's that Snyder clearly cares a whole lot about what his movies look like.

His films have been noted across the board as being incredibly strong in the visuals department. Everything he's done from Man of Steel to Dawn of the Dead even, Sucker Punch  have amazing visuals to them. Described by Snyder himself as "Somewhere between a comic book and a heavy metal album" (Taken from this interview for Man of Steel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2U9R-cXxbY).

Watchmen is no exception, it's visuals are incredible, everything from the cinematography to the visual effects to the costumes in this movie are nothing short of top notch. What's even better, from a fan's perspective is the direct and deliberate visual lifts from Dave Gibbon's artwork on the original comic. Things like The Comedian's legendary window exit:

Rorschach's death

Rorschach's unmasking:

The character designs themselves are also extremely well done. 

Each one of these character designs remains, in my opinion faithful to the comic itself while also updating the look for a motion picture. I mean sure Spectre's sleeves look fine in the book, but it'd look pretty impractical to have flowing 80's sweater sleeves while kicking the crap out of prison guards as soon as you turned the cameras on. Everything in this movie somehow manages to walk the fine line between updated look, and source faithful interpretation. All while keeping everything looking very 80's chiche. 

The biggest departure between the look of the movie and the book is actually the colour palate. Dave Gibbons's work has a legendary and iconic style to it. Extreme prevalent oranges, reds and yellows and he often works with as few colours as possible in any given panel. Where the movie takes on a more balanced colour wheel and instead go for a more muted metallic look. Replacing vivd colours with shine and glimmer.

Ultimately I think that's a choice for the better, Gibbon's art really only works on the page, a movie, especially one trying to welcome in newcomers has to have a palate that's... well palatable. I also really appreciate a darker turn with the colours, to me it seems to match the tone of the story really well, it's a dark, dark story, so I think Snyder's call for the colours to echo that is a no brainer.

Overall the look of this movie is a stand out. Even at the time of release amongst all the fan commotion about it's inaccuracies and the absences, everyone seemed to agree that Snyder at least got the look right. 

Cast

Just for funzies lets do a quick rundown of the main cast, complete with some IMDB links so you can dive even deeper into this internet hole you've dug your way into.

Laurie Jupiter/ Silk Spectre II- Malin Akerman

John Osterman/ Dr. Manhattan- Billy Crudup

Adrian Veidt/ Ozymandias- Matthew Goode

Rorschach- Jackie Earl Haley

Eddy Blake/ The Comedian- Jeffery Dean Morgan

Dan Drieberg/ Nite Owl II- Patrick Wilson

Sally Jupiter/ Silk Spectre I- Carla Gugino

Each one of these actors is relatively unknown, having maybe one or two notable roles before this movie. Not complete Unknowns but largely supporting actors. There's not big "Stars" in this movie and I think that works for the best.

The acting in this movie is great across the board but there are a few stand outs, Billy Crudup's Dr. Manhattan is as detached and seemingly cold as I'd imagined from reading the books. I think Jeffery Dean Morgan knocks The Comedian out of the park, the nihilistic narcissistic scumbag anti-hero from days gone by could have easily been hammed up to the point of absolute camp. But, Morgan gives the character a huge does of believability. Jackie Earl Haley's Rorschach is fantastic as well, it's a character who's face we don't even see (or at least don't realize we see) until the last third of the film. Instead, just like the book, we're treated to monologues delivered to both deliver exposition and develop character, and Haley kills 'em, his dark and malevolent vocal performance is a real treat.

The rest of the cast do very well with their roles as well. A lot of the time poor performances can really take me out of a superhero movie, but, not for a moment was I ever taken out of Watchmen by a performance that was either too over the top or just plain bad like in other superhero movies. 

I was actually most surprised by Malin Akerman's performance. Last time I saw her was as the bimbo blonde southern housewife in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. In which she was.... well clearly only there for one reason... or, two... But in Watchmen I think she gives a great performance, she gives Laurie a lot more strength than I read her as having in the books, which was a positive change in my opinion. 

 Music and Score

This movie all the way through, uses some awesome, period accurate songs. First off take a look at the opening credit sequence, all done to Bob Dlyan's Times They are a Changin' Right Here.

Snyder also throws in some Simon and Garfunkel...

Leonard Cohen... 

I couldn't find the actual scene on youtube... well I'm not surprised... given it's content...

Jimi Hendrix...

Nat King Cole sings his way through the opening fight...

There's also songs by Janis Joplin, KC and the Sunshine Band, and a whole bunch more as well. Snyder really knows how to put songs well into his movies. Watchmen and Sucker Punch are both great examples of how he likes to use licensed songs as a score for the movie, instead of the more traditional strings 'n' things that make up the majority of summer movie scores.

Watchmen also leans pretty heavy on Bob Dylan as well, it uses three of his songs.

And more Bob Dylan really is never a bad thing.

Plot

It's tough to adapt any great book into a great movie. And during this film's production Hollywood seemed to be having a lot of trouble adapting comics. Sure, Ironman, and The Dark Knight were good, The Incredible Hulk seemed to hold a story together, but we were also getting... well... these:

I could go on... and on... oh boy, I just stirred up some bad memories there.

Anyway, we were getting those, movies written by people who seemingly never heard of the source material for the characters, OR of the idea that movies shouldn't be the worst thing to happen to your week. 

Hollywood seemed to still be on pretty shaky ground when it came to doing adaptations, and the nerds, we were hurt too many times. We all paid money to see Ang Lee's Hulk. Which is why I think a lot of people lashed out at Watchmen when it came out. We were like scorned lovers. We'd be damned if we were gonna let that dizzy harlet walk out of the house with our favourite book. 

Of course we didn't factor in that perhaps this harlet (...Snyder) was maybe just getting all the food stains and dust off of it so we could show it around like we used to.

That's what Watchmen feels like to me. It's not the book, but it's an easy to digest way to introduce someone to what comics maybe can be.

I think the movie's plot moves really well, the pacing is right where it needs to be, although it's much better in the Directors Cut. The movie's not the book, and I think it knows it. Things like The Tales of the Black Freighter or the alien... mouth monster aren't in it. We don't get to read passages of Under the Hood or really spend much more time than we need to with the Minutemen, there's no inclusion of the Rorschach's psychiatrist's story and we're missing Captain Metropolis II entirely. Ozymandias' plan has been altered from kidnapping scientists and artists, and making them create an alien... mouth monster... on a deserted Island to instead be just hiring scientists to create "Dr. Manhatten Nukes" and then just murdering them after. 

There's a lot missing here. I would have liked to see more, I think we all would have. BUT I think we always would have wanted more. You couldn't have put "enough of the book" into the movie to make it into the book without making a shot for shot recreation. And that would actually be pretty tiring to watch. How do I know that? Well, they actually did it just after the movie came out, sort of, you can watch it here if you want to kill your afternoon off (Please don't). A movie can only really be about 3 hours at the most, and how much can you do in three hours and STILL have a watchable engaging movie? 

Well I think Snyder's film answers that question for us. It is exactly how much content you can do. It's got almost every iconic moment you remember, played well and with an incredible earnestness. It's got great character work, from the characters you loved form the books, all portrayed well, and it's got this sweet-ass action sequence:

All in All

All in all, I think it's a solid movie. And one of the better Superhero movies out there (the best of which I think is Man of Steel another Zack Snyder film). Snyder's Watchmen is made with so much clear love for the original work, something not always seen in a superhero movie. It's also the only comic book movie out there to be a direct  adaptation of a single graphic novel. That makes it actually unique. I can't think of a single other superhero movie that's a direct adaptation like this. Sure Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight draws heavily from things like The Long Halloween and Year One but it's not those books it's a totally original story. Watchmen strives for a lofty, lofty goal here by attempting to do justice to the most celebrated graphic novel of all time without creating a new story from it.

Does it achieve that?

That's still a matter of opinion, but mine is that Snyder's Watchmen is not the book, and not as good as the book is, But I think it comes pretty close. Furthermore I think it's as close as one can get to doing the book justice in a film. Alan Moore's original work defined an entire genre of art and fiction, as well as being one of the truest examples of it, how could a movie ever replicate that? It's like trying to do the entirety of the A Song of Ice and Fire series two or three movies. Not do-able.

Watchmen, the movie, as a movie though, for someone who hasn't read the book? 

Great. Really it is. As a stand alone film it works from beginning to end. It's engaging and full of great action, great visuals, awesome characters and a plot that's more than you'd expect from your typical hollywood superhero movie. 

And at the end of the day isn't that what really matters?

Who watches the Watchmen?

Maybe we all should.

-Matt

p.s. If you are going to check out this movie, and I recommend you do, make sure you pick up the directors cut. It's a vast improvement over the theatrical release.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Violence In Gaming, but Were Too Afraid to Ask

So, the holiday season is upon us. Sugar plums are... roasting? Not sure, the point is that around this time millions of people will be desperately combing through every catalogue and store shelf to find the perfect gift for every person on their list. Many of those people will be parents buying for their children. And here's the thing, many, many kids want Video Games in some form or another, in fact I'd say most of them do. Parents, wanting to please, will of course want to get the exact game their little bundle of joy asked for, and without knowing much more than what title will buy that game for them.

It's understandable, often I've got no idea what to buy for a particular family member, and have to refer to their wish list to make sure I get it right. There's a lot of gifts to buy, you know. But here's the thing, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas, very often these kids will be asking for things that are wildly inappropriate for them to be playing, just today, I had to explain to a woman at the store what GTA V was, and then when she told me it was for her 11 year old son, I had to really tell her what it was.

Pictured above, torture, a key story element.

See, I assumed that everyone understood that games have a rating system attached to them, just like movies, and that people would understand what each one meant. 

But you know what they say about assuming.

Without my telling this nice lady about how most of GTA V revolves around robbing banks, holding people hostage, urban terrorism, car jacking, and prostitution engagements, she would have no idea. That's not a slight against her, I feel like there's a lot of parents who are in the same boat. Unfortunately I think that many of these misunderstandings take very ugly turns afterwards. 

Pretty much every time a new Call of Duty, or Grand Theft Auto, or Halo  is released it's followed almost instantly by a mainstream media storm of  "ARE  GAMES TOO VIOLENT FOR OUR KIDS?" to which the simple answer is actually no.

But also yes.

Allow me to explain.

There are violent video games, incredibly violent video games, that half the time come coupled with Game of Thrones style soft "Personal Encounters" thrown in all over the place. Games witch give you the ability to just walk up to a pair of police officers and beat them to death with a giant veiny purple... um... Instrument?

Games can be freaking crazy.

But, those games are not made for "kids." They're made for the adult gamer demographic of 18-35 year olds that's responsible for over half of total video game sales. In fact Kids aren't allowed to buy them themselves. Almost every reputable game retailer will refuse to sell them to anyone under 17, because of this image:

There can be many more things written there as well. "Cartoon violence"

is always a funny one for me.

That's a rating from the ESRB or, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. "M" for Mature. It means the game can not be purchased by peoples under the age of 17. It's exactly like a movie rating. Pretty much an R. Ratings like this one can be found on every single game's box, in the bottom left corner plain as day:

Games with a "M" rating like this include:

Battlefield

Call of Duty

Grand Theft Auto

Tomb Raider

Borderlands

Last of Us

Uncharted

Halo

Assassins Creed

Saints Row

Bioshock

Notice something? Those are some of the highest grossing games this year. That means it's more than just the adult market who end up playing them. As anyone who plays any of these games online can tell you, there are so many young kids playing these games. A disproportionate amount. Especially since they're restricted titles. 

This is why it's important that parents and other people, considering buying games for their kids this holiday season understand what they're buying. You wouldn't but your 9 year old I Spit on Your Grave or Hobo With a Shotgun, Rambo, Dawn of the dead. or any other R rated movie, so why would you buy him this:

Instead of something like this, intended for kids:

Side note: I'd rather play this one myself, but that's just me.

Visit the ESRB's website: http://www.esrb.org/index-js.jsp and read up on all the different ratings symbols to find out what they mean if you don't know. And if you do know, then why don't you actually help dispel all of this "VIDEOGAMESAREEVIL" media hyperspin that we all hate by telling parents you see in the store, what they're buying 9/10 times they have no idea and are greatfull you told them, and even if they still buy it, at least they know they've only got themselves to blame when the kid comes downstairs spouting 18 new racially sensitive curse words and holding mom's.... instrument...

'Tis the season for understanding people. Let's make games fun for everyone, except the media.

Excelsior!

Matt

An In Tents Weekend

There's nothing quite like catching up with old camp friends. There's just something different about them, anyone who's ever worked at a summer camp will tell you the same. Every time you see them, no matter how long it's been the same things become funny again, the same stories re-told for the umpteenth time are imbued with the hilarity of the first telling, and inside jokes that you couldn't stop doing for months after camp (that none of your other friends found funny, even after multiple explanations) finally, deliciously, flow like spirits.

Just for a moment, all your "maturing"and "normalcy" is stripped away and you're that wild, weird, and probably awkward teenager you once were (and really, kinda had to be to do camp at all) all over again.

They're probably the cheapest time machine you can find.

And this past weekend I got to ride in the DeLorean of old friendships, as I watched, and stood by, one of my oldest camp friends tie the knot with the girl of his dreams. It was a great time, not only for the two of them, but also me. As, like any great wedding, there was a great opportunity to see friends long gone once again. This of course lead to much joking, awkward dancing and deep conversations.

The three hallmarks of every great camp friend relationship.

I did camp during the summers for 6 summers as a staff member, then three more as an actual camper, in total 15 and a half months of my life if you were to put it all in a row, but that's the thing about camp, it's never all in a row. It's an environment that is constantly almost here and almost over, where you're never sure which goodbye is the last one, and where you say new ones every week, and where people you've know for two weeks can seem as close as family.  It's the one place where weeks pass faster than days.

That's why it's so weird seeing camp friends get married. I've seen it a couple times now, and it took me until now to understand why it's always such a surreal experience. Why does it always seem so preternatural?

Because it denotes change.

Marriage changes your life in many ways. Of course, we all know that. Just ask any stand-up comedian from the 90's, they'll all tell you. Marriage is one of those big things in life, that comes along (statistically more than once), that changes the lives of those two people forever.

But, how about the rest of us? The ones on the sideline?

I think it's weird for me to watch my old camp friends proceed in the noted tax-haven that is marriage, because the little tiny voice in the back of my head that always thinks "Can't wait to see them next summer!" is finally shut off for good. Which is ironic, because I'm not even going this year myself, but I mean I always could. And so could they. Until they tie that knot.

Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing at all. But it does mean that I'm probably not going to see my friends in that context, ever again. It's the end of an era. But instead, the beginning of a new one.

That kind of transition does tend to give someone an added layer of perspective. For me, it meant seeing a very clear picture of the kid I was 6, 7, years ago, and the person I am now, all at the same time. Clearly laid out in stark contrast. For me, this is yet another transition, another change, another piece in my misshapen existential puzzle of self identity.


But nothing throws your mind in for quite the same trip as finding out that you've had a friend almost disappear for good. A separate event this weekend, that needs no more attention here, but was none the less, impactful.


Everybody knows, it sucks to grow up, So weird to be back here.


-Matt

Grey Days Full of Promise

If there's one thing I know about Orangeville right now, is that it's covered in snow. Some people would miss that I guess, snow seeming to symbolize the impending inevitability of the Christmas season, and therein exciting the child inside all of us awaiting presents of the morning of December 25th. But not me. Snow, while, sure, ascetically looks great, is never something I'm really all that happy to see. Some people think Christmas when they see snow, I think of freezing toes and fingers, and long, uneven ice and snow covered driveways in need to be cleared, as well as the constant annoyance of perpetually damp socks.

And, no, I'm not "Scrooging" or Grinching" or "Jim-Carrey-as-Dr.-Suess'-The-Grinch-ing" I love Christmas, and I'd love to have snow on it, just never at any other point. Ever.

Seriously, snow is the worst.

Which is why I'm ecstatic about the weather I've been enjoying in Halifax lately. It may be cold, it may be extremely wet, and there may be winds so strong that they seem like they might actually shift your house off its foundations, but there is no snow. Not a flake so far. But I mean, now that I've said that I guess I'm dooming the rest of the city to a white blanket of overhyped annoyance in the near future. But I guess that's a risk I'm willing to take.

It was grey overcast wet weather that set the stage for our journey on Monday. A shoot inside an abandoned Youth Training Centre which, while it was active, served as a boarding school of sorts for people with intellectual disabilities. What a location. Paint decades old peeling off the walls, windows shattered, drop ceilings in decay, cabinets left either eerily empty or suspiciously locked, as well as miles of files and torturous looking bathrooms. All in all it was a cinematographer's dream.

The shoot was for A Flow Productions documentary, The Freedom Tour which Brad has been working on for some time and which I was lucky enough to be invited to do some camera work on.

We followed around Al, a former student at the facility who told us all about all the things that went on while he was there, both good, and particularly awful. He also took us through some of his old yearbooks, while sitting in an old dorm room of his. It was really powerful shoot that really captured well all his emotions and opinions of the kind of facility that that place used to be.

(Such institutions were shut down country wide in 1996)

The Freedom Tour looks to be a big film for the company. The subject matter is compelling and well captured, and will likely be a big stepping stone for us in the future.

The future. That seems to be the place where all our best projects are having their success. We should see about taking a trip there sometime.

But for now I can just look at those things and not touch them.

Things like The Flow Show, as well as the corporate blog, launching in the next week hopefully. We've got my short film Wicked Smart in preproduction as well as a couple potential short subject documentaries and a completion grant for Bottom Feeders (AKA Lobster Inc.). All things that have the potential to be big payoffs in the future but for now give us only lip service, and long work days.

They're the things I think about while I flip burgers at Mcdonald's. Yes I'm still working there. Unfortunately it's still necessary, but I always figured I'd be working somewhere pretty terrible for the first 6 mouths to a year out here on the part time until things get going. With the way things are looking I might be lucky, it might be more in the 6 month range. Which would be much better than a year.

Mcd's gives me two things: money and material. Wicked Smart, the short I've been writing for the last month and a half centres around a character who works at a similar fast food place, so at least i get plenty of ideas for that.

Keep an eye out for updates on all these things and more coming up soon. For now they're mostly all I have to talk about because working on them is taking up the majority of my time for the moment.


So, I guess I better get back to it.

Nose, meet grindstone, population: you.


-Matt.

We'll All Flow-t On

So, November has arrived. My third month on the other side of the country. Hard to believe it's been two whole months since my long awaited journey out here, and it already feels like home. However, that particular sentiment was thrown for a bit of a loop come the October 31st.

Halloween, it marked the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one as our previous roommate, Jaime, finally made a trans-Canada move of his own, by driving out to Fort McMurray, Alberta, to chase down some better work. Jaime had become one of my friends out here, and when you're in a new city, loosing even one of those new friendships is less than preferable. In his stead we were provided with our new roommate, Adrian. A man so totally different from us that we've dubbed him our "Straight Man" aka the Steve Martin to our collective John Candy. However so far things are very amicable, and Adrian has brought a substantial amount of furniture and kitchen ware, so that's a real big help.

Aside from that we also changed landlords, internet providers and have had to start thinking about the costs of heating the house for the first time. We're on an oil furnace so, as you can imagine, it can be quite expensive to fill, which only pushes us to hold off on heating the house for as long as we can, via usage of warm teas, coffees, blankets, house coats, winter hats and coats and our one, single, space heater. Which I think I probably hog the most.

The company is going well. Flow has been busy chasing down grants for projects, new contracts and building the website as well as our collective brand so we can be ready to start going after top contract prospects in the near future. We've also had some cool video work, including some videos for local non-profit organizations. But by far and away my favorite thing we've got going right now is The Flow Show our soon to drop podcast that focuses on the film making process and showcasing local film makers and artists, especially documentarians. We've spent the last couple weeks recording our first two episodes and are set to record the third and fourth ones tomorrow and the day after. Then shortly following that we're going to start releasing each episode on our website, free to download, so be sure to check that out, we're going to have a lot of very interesting guests on, including a man who visited every music festival in Canada, an award winning documentary film maker and a Holocaust survivor and his film making son. It's going to be a really cool thing and we're very excited about it.

Apart from that, one of the bigger things on the Flow-rizon is coming near the end of the month when Brad, and myself as well as our fellow Flow-stranaut Alexa head to the south shore of Nova Scotia once more to hopefully wrap up filming for our lobster documentary (formerly known as Lobster Inc.)  which is coming back with a vengeance and a new title (yet to be revealed). We've learned so much about the subject matter over the last year and this time we're finally going down there to shoot with what we feel is a fully complete understanding of the issue we're trying to cover and the ability to tell the story we want to. A story that does not shy away from the uncomfortable truths of the lobster industry and paints as honest a picture as we possibly can. We're going down with more experience, better equipment and a plan. It's going to be magical.

Personally I've been really trying my best to acclimate to my new situation. It's weird. I think because I feel simultaneously out of place and that there's no where I'd rather be. It's really hitting home lately how long things are really going to take before I can finally do what I want to do full time. Work. You gotta do it. But I feel like, so long as you're down for the long haul, this is the city that's going to reward you the most. It's like Halifax just wants to make sure you're really committed to the relationship before moving in with you. But once it does... well there's a good chance you'll enjoy yourself at the expense of your mother's approval.

Not sure why I went for that particular metaphor...

But my point still stands. We got Irons in the fire, now we just gotta wait for them to be soft enough to hammer into something dangerous.


Tarah for now,

Matt

P.S. This month is probably going to see me doing some posting over at The Lobster Tail, my production blog for our Lobertin' doc as well as starting a tertiary corporate blog over on Flow's website (www.flowproductions.ca) so keep an eye out. It's going to be a lot of writing for me so please forgive me if there are some waits between posts.