Entertainment: The Dark Knight Trilogy

NOTE: This review WILL contain spoilers. If you haven't seen any of these flicks, you should really climb out from that rock you live under and watch them. Now. If you've seen the first two, but haven't seen the third, stop reading this and head down to the theatre and treat yourself to something nice. Then come back and check this article out.

July 20th, 2012 saw the thrilling conclusion to the best comic book movie franchise ever. You may note that I didn't say "arguably the best", because there is no argument here. You might even go so far as to say that this may even be the best trilogy of any kind, but let's not forget the awesomeness that is LOTR.

What made this series so accessible to so many can be directly attributed to the fact that it's deeply rooted in reality, despite the fact that it's a superhero franchise. Director Christopher Nolan took the series as far away from the debacle that the previous Bat-franchise became that started strong with Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) and just fell to pieces with Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995) and the just horrible Batman and Robin (1997), the later of which can be summed up with the words, "Bat-nipples". I mean, is it any wonder that Batman creator Bob Kane died shortly after Batman and Robin? A little piece of all of us died with that steaming pile of suck.

Batman Begins (2005)


Back in 2003, after a series of unsuccessful attempts to bring Batman back to the big screen, Warner Bros. tapped director/writer Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer to begin work on rebooting and retooling the Bat-franchise. 


Drawing heavily from the comic stories of Batman: Year One, The Man Who Falls, and The Long Halloween, Begins tells the origin story of Batman in a way that went far deeper than previous incarnations had. Sure, there's the requisite scene when Bruce Wayne's parents are shot and murdered in Crime Alley (spoiler alert: his parents are dead), but we also see the long road and struggle Bruce faces before finally donning the cape and cowl. 


To further the "gritty realism", Batman Begins gives us a brand new, nipple-free Batsuit, which is designed with a more utility mindset than previous costumes, as well as a new Batmobile called the Tumbler, which is more tank than car. I will admit that when I first saw the Tumbler in early trailers for Begins, I was initially sceptical, but was immediately sold on it when I finally watched the flick in theatres. If you check out the special features of the DVD, the film makers take great pride in the real world tech involved in how this Batman fights crime, making absolutely everything about this series completely believable.


Batman Begins gives us a wonderful ensemble cast featuring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Laim Neeson as Henri Ducard/Ra's al Ghul, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes and the impeccable Michael Caine as Alfred.

ITHoG Rating: 4.5/5

The Dark Knight (2008)


In the second part in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets of Gotham City. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

Many actors had expressed interest in playing the Joker, but it was Heath Ledger's chaotic interpretation of the character that Nolan took to - a role that was one of Ledger's last and one that won him a posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. When Ledger saw Batman Begins, he had realized a way to make the character work that was consistent with the film's tone: he described his Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy." Throughout The Dark Knight, the Joker states his desire to upset social order through crime, and comes to define himself by his conflict with Batman.

The once shining "White Knight" of Gotham, DA Harvey Dent is horribly scarred in trap set by the Joker, becoming Two-Face, upping the ante for Batman as he battles to save the people of Gotham. TDK ends with Dent falling to his death, and Batman telling Gordon that he'd take the blame for Harvey's crimes and ultimate death, because Dent's image as the White Knight needed to remain untarnished to maintain all the work they did to clean up Gotham, leading to Gordon's closing lines as Batman disappears into the night: "He's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight."

With the principal cast of Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine returning, alongside series newcomers Aaron Ekhardt as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes was likely unavailable/unwanted because Tom Cruise) and of course, Heath Ledger as the Joker, TDK became the highest grossing film for 2008, and twelfth highest of all time with a box office gross of over one billion in ticket sales.

ITHog Rating: 5/5

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)


Set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Batman has long since gone into hiding, and Bruce Wayne has retired to a life of reclusiveness, withdrawing from the public eye of Gotham. He's become haggard, and walks with a cane after years of punishment as Batman. Gotham City is in a state of peace, brought on by the Dent Act which allows police greater powers to clean up organized crime. At a ceremony celebrating Harvey Dent, Gordon is about to reveal the truth about Dent and Batman, but decides against doing so, believing that the people of Gotham aren't ready to hear the truth.

Rises introduces some new characters to the Nolanverse: Selina Kyle, a highly skilled cat burglar, and the relentlessly unstoppable Bane, whose intellect is as vast as his physical strength, setting forth a chain of events that brings Batman out of retirement. Also introduced is Maranda Tate, the potential love interest for Bruce, and John Blake, a straight laced cop who manages to figure out Batman's identity. After the arrival of Bane, both Gordon and Blake encourage Batman's return, but Alfred objects, feeling that Batman's time has long since passed and that Bruce will be risking his life in returning to the cape and cowl.

DKR ties more closely with Batman Begins, than it does with The Dark Knight, with many references to Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows. In fact, when Batman confronts Bane, Bane claims to be the new leader of the League of Shadows and that he will finish the work that Ra's started. In this confrontation, Bane overpowers Batman, breaks his back (was there really any doubt that he wouldn't?) and throws him into a prison known only as The Pit to suffer as he watches Gotham crumble to ashes. The inmates tell Bruce of the only person to have successfully escaped from The Pit: a child born into the prison who escaped out of sheer force of will. Bruce assumes this child is Bane.

Bane lures most of Gotham's police force underground and sets off explosions across the city, trapping the officers underground and turning Gotham City into an isolated city-state: any attempt to leave the city will result in the detonation of the Wayne Enterprises fusion core, which has been converted into a bomb. Bane publicly reveals the cover-up of Dent's death and releases the prisoners in Blackgate Prison. The rich and powerful are forcibly brought before a show trial presided over by Jonathan Crane. After an attempt by Special Forces soldiers to infiltrate the city fails, the government blockades Gotham and the city regresses into a state of lawlessness.

While chaos and terror run rampant over Gotham, Bruce recovers from his injuries and retrains himself to be Batman. He successfully escapes the prison and returns to Gotham, enlisting Kyle, Blake, Tate, Gordon and Lucius Fox to help liberate the city and stop the fusion bomb before it explodes. Batman subdues Bane, but Tate intervenes, revealing herself as Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. It was she who escaped the prison as a child, before returning with her father and the League of Shadows to rescue Bane, the one person who aided her in prison. She plans to complete her father's work by destroying Gotham and avenging his death at Wayne's hands.

The Dark Knight Rises draws the trilogy to a thrilling close, with a story that is masterfully told, drawing heavily from the comics story arcs of Knightfall and No Man's Land, and includes so many twists and turns that it will leave you reeling for many hours after. The first hour of the 2:45 run time feels very claustrophobic and suffocating, as Bruce struggles to become Batman once more, only to find himself crushed and broken. The tension rises as we're drawn to an exciting climax in a truer battle of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. It's hard to tell who is which as Bane and Batman fight to the last.

Once again, Bale, Oldman, Freeman and Caine round out the recurring cast, joined by Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, and Tom Hardy masterfully portraying Bane. In my opinion, DKR closes the Dark Knight Trilogy in the only logical way possible, and ties up any loose ends with a clever and exciting script. To compare it to TDK in terms of which is better is like comparing apples to orangutans. Both are awesome.


ITHoG Rating; 5/5

Entertainment: Green Lantern Review

NOTE: There are no spoilers in this review. If you haven't seen it, don't be afraid to read on!
 
I had the fortune yesterday of taking in a advance screening of Green Lantern two days before it's official release tomorrow.

I have to say, that with my fanboy tendencies towards this character, and the Green Lantern Corps in general, I counted myself as one of those who needed to be awed. And I was. Mostly.

The screening I saw was in 3D, and while it wowed me in a lot of ways, in others, not so much. That being said, unlike a movie like Avatar, I don't think that Green Lantern was designed for 3D, and as a result, some visual effects fall short. I'll be taking the flick in again in a week or so in the good, old 2D, and I'm predicting that the few things I didn't like before will end up blowing me away.

Yeah, I know a few things
about Green Lantern.

Staying true to the source material, the story follows the general comic book origin story, where a cocky test pilot is given a green power ring from a dying purple alien, who crash landed not too far from where said cocky test pilot happens to be. That was no spoiler, that's just general knowledge. The only way you wouldn't know that bit, is if you lived under a rock. You don't live under a rock, do you?

The next little while follows Hal Jordan, the first human to be inducted into the Green Lantern Corps, and his training to use the awesome power he now wields.

Ryan Reynolds was perfect for the role of Hal Jordan, due to his own natural wit and cockiness that meshes perfectly with the character. Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong also are wonderfully cast in the roles of Hector Hammond and Sinestro, respectively. All in all, the whole film was cast to perfection. I had my druthers going into this with Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, but she pulled if off nicely, and yes, I spent a fair bit of time imagining her in the tight, skimpy, pink Star Sapphire suit.

A Gatling gun made out of light? Awesome.

There were a few divergences from the source material, but nothing that would make this fanboy jump up and cry fail. But the trouble is, with movies like this, you're never going to please everybody, but you can do an honest, and entertaining piece of film making that hopefully a lot of people will like. Director Martin Campbell has done a beautiful job balancing this tightrope, and made a highly entertaining flick that will hopefully open the doors to more of DC Comics' properties in the future.

Ultimately, I give Green Lantern a 4/5 power rings.

Technology/Entertainment: Sony Pictures Hack

Sony just can't seem to catch a break. Today marks the first time that Sony has been able to get the PlayStation Network fully up and running since the major hack in April (SOE has been back up since a few weeks ago). It also has significance for Sony in a wholly different way: the Sony Pictures site has been hacked, and the integrity of information for more than one million users has been compromised.

Hacker group LulzSec claims to have successfully hacked SonyPictures.com, managing to gain themselves access to user accounts including passwords, e-mail addresses, full home addresses, and date of birth.

On top of that, Sony Pictures accounts also have a number of opt-in features that contain further information about each user depending on what each signs up for. LulzSec state all of that detail was available to them. They also managed to get the details of all admin accounts for the website.

But unfortunately, the pain for Sony doesn’t seem to stop there, though. 75,000 music codes and 3.5 million music coupons are thought to have been taken. We believe these are codes that allow you to purchase Sony music tracks at a discounted price, or in some cases even for free.

The most shocking and possibly damning thing revealed by this hack is the fact that Sony stored all the Sony Pictures account passwords in plain text. No encryption means no work for the hackers, beyond gaining access to the server.

This is an excerpt from a post by LulsSec on Pastebin.com

Our goal here is not to come across as master hackers, hence what we're about to reveal: SonyPictures.com was owned by a very simple SQL injection, one of the most primitive and common vulnerabilities, as we should all know by now. From a single injection, we accessed EVERYTHING. Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks?


What's worse is that every bit of data we took wasn't encrypted. Sony stored over 1,000,000 passwords of its customers in plaintext, which means it's just a matter of taking it. This is disgraceful and insecure: they were asking for it.


This is an embarrassment to Sony; the SQLi link is provided in our file contents, and we invite anyone with the balls to check for themselves that what we say is true.

This is sure to cause yet more upset for Sony in the press and with users. It also means they have millions of codes to mark as unusable on their system asap.

Entertainment: The Hobbit's Return to Middle-Earth

Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit is underway. And despite some production setbacks, everything now appears to be rolling full steam ahead. So much so that they are confident in revealing titles and release dates for the two Hobbit films. The two parts will be called will be called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. The first of which will be released on December 13, 2012, while the latter will hit theaters December 13, 2013. For all those J.R.R. Tolkien fans out there, that’s two straight years of Christmas presents from Jackson and crew.

Much of the cast from The Lord of the Rings whose characters appear in The Hobbit will be returning to Middle-Earth, including Elijah Wood as Frodo, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Sir Christopher Lee as Sauruman, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel and Andy Serkis as Gollum. New comers to the world the Jackson has built are Martin Freeman, of Hitchhicker's Guide To The Galaxy fame, as the young Bilbo Baggins - Ian Holm will return as the older Bilbo - and Stephen Fry as the Lord of Laketown. Rumour has it - and this in only rumour at this point - that Leonard Nimoy will voice the legendary dragon, Smaug.

I have to say, that as a fan of the LotR trilogy, I'm ecstatic that Jackson finally returned to direct The Hobbit, as I feel, he is the only director of truly giving Middle-Earth the justice it deserves. It was his vision that brought the other films to life, and it should never been in anyone else's hands.

Entertainment: Ryan Reynolds - King of the Comic Book Movie

It would very much appear that Ryan Reynolds is the unofficial king of the comic book movie genre. Not so much that he's starred in a super successful film franchise (although, we'll see what comes out of Green Lantern later this summer), but he is very much interspersed throughout the genre, appearing in X-Men Origins: Wolverine as Wade Wilson, which has led to a green light for a solo Deadpool flick, where Reynolds will reprise his role as Wilson/Deadpool, due out in 2014 - according to latest updates.

He's starring as Hal Jordan in this summer's Green Lantern, and has been in other super-hero related projects over the years, such as Paper Man (if you haven't seen it, DO IT!) and a voice actor for the short-lived, animated series, Zeroman, alongside the late, great Leslie Nielson.

All this aside, Reynolds is also starring in the upcoming R.I.P.D. (Rest In Police Department), based on Dark Horse Comics' limited run series by Peter Lenkov.that ran from October 1999 to January 2000. Ryan plays a deceased cop, killed in the line of duty, while still in the prime of his life. He is then recruited to join the Rest In Police Department, the ghost world police force. He signs up for 100 years duty in exchange for the chance to find his killer.


His co-star in this tale is non other than Jeff Bridges, who will play his ghost police partner, an old pro who's been on the beat since the 1800's.

Entertainment: Johnny 5 is Twenty Five!

Today marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of the 80s cinema gem, Short Circuit and Johnny 5! It was on May 9, 1986 that Number 5 first made us laugh and cheer on the big screen. We learned to say crazy things like, "Your Mama was a snowblower!," "Hello, bozo!," and "Nice software!" Hugely popular, sequel talks would begin a mere 2 weeks after the release of the first flick. By 1987, Johnny 5 was a household name. He was as recognized as Bugs Bunny. Short Circuit, was the #1 home video for the year. Thanks for all the laughs, Johnny. And, congrats to all those involved in the film. Number Five is still alive!

For a quick recap, let's take a look at the Wikipedia plot synopsis, shall we? The story revolves around a sentient robot labeled "SAINT Number 5", the fifth of a series of prototype robots built for the US military during the Cold War. While a demonstration takes place on the grounds of the developer's company, Nova Laboratories in Damon, Washington, a lightning storm forces an end to the presentation, while a power surge hits Number 5 while it is recharging and alters its program, causing a malfunction, and Number 5 is alive, dammit.

Johnny 5 is alive, bitch!

Fast forward twenty five years, and fans are just as in love with Johnny as they were when he first entered our lives. To commemorate the festivities, the studio announced the release of both films on Blu Ray to coincide with the anniversary. Although spectacular to watch, these discs don't really come with a lot of extra features that we've become accustomed to. Instead, we're treated to a relaxed audio commentary by John Badham and writers S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, on-set interviews with cast and crew (including some sharp observations by futurist Syd Mead, who designed the robot), a short "making of" featurette, behind-the-scenes footage, production stills and designs, and a trailer. Well, if that's all we get, that's all we get. I suppose some might argue that there were no such things as DVDs, Blu Rays and Special Features to worry about back in the 80s, so why would they shoot that? To this I say, Damn you, hateful Curr!

Even more questionable than the supreme lack of extras to be found on the Blu Ray discs is the word of a remake, allegedly due out sometime this year. I loved the first movie. I loved the second one, too. I just don't think we need to see a remake of it. According to sources online, there is no intent to change Johnny, but it's unlikely Mr. Guttenberg will be on hand to make an appearance. The only information that IMDB has to offer is that it's in production, with no cast listings, but the original creators are involved somehow. So, it can't be all bad, can it?

So on this day, I say to you, forget the lack of extra features on the Blu Rays and DVDs, and especially forget about the potential ruining of our beloved Johnny 5, and go and watch the awesomeness that is Short Circuit and bask in it's glory.

Entertainment: May the Fourth Be With You

Sure, there's plenty of debate as to whether or not this whole idea of a Star Wars celebration on May the 4th is lame or not. It kinda is, but nevertheless, Star Wars still remains one of the most epic sci-fi sagas of all time.

Who would have thought when the relatively unknown George Lucas began production in the spring of 1976 with a shoestring budget of $11million, a myriad of production delays, crew problems, pressure from the studio and a slew of post-production issues that this so-called "children's movie" was to become one of the most beloved and enduring film series of all time.

With his own special effects company, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) Lucas pushed special effects forward leaps and bounds throughout the years. What seems like dated effects by today's standards set the bar in the 70s and 80s, paving the road for the visual effects found in modern films.

Star Wars is essentially a great example of DIY film making, in essence, with 20th Century Fox not really seeing the vision of what was to come back then. Lucas founded his own production company, Lucasfilm Ltd., built an effects company, hired his own marketing team, and secured merchandising rights for the film's properties.

The original trilogy remains to this day as sacred within the geek community, and the prequels have allowed us to hand this down to a new generation of geek.

Entertainment: Green Day's American Idiot to Become a Movie!

This story is of particular interest to me, since Green Day happens to be be one of my favourite bands.

Universal has given the green light for American Idiot, the Broadway musical based on Green Day’s acclaimed album of the same name to be adapted into a full length feature film.

A concept album tackling the ideas of love vs. rage, "American Idiot" follows three characters: the aimless Jesus of Suburbia, punk rock freedom fighter St. Jimmy, and Whatsername. It was released in 2004 and quickly became one of the band's biggest albums. It also spawned Grammy Awards, as did the Broadway version.

The studio is in negotiations to pick up the screen rights and has set Michael Mayer, the director of the stage production, to helm the big-screen adaptation. It is also expected that Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will be courted to play the role of St. Jimmy, a role which he performed many times on Broadway and will be performing the role once more as the production nears it's close on April 24th.

Oscar award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who wrote Milk, is in discussion to write the screenplay. Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, who optioned the rights before Idiot began its Broadway run, will produce via their Playtone banner along with the band, Pat Magnarella and Tom Hulce.

Hanks and Goetzman were producers on the mega-smash "Mamma Mia!," the adaptation of the musical based on the ABBA songs. Universal was behind that musical, which got it on the hunt for other musical projects. Not all of them are created equal, however, and the studio recently put In the Heights into turnaround after it was deemed too pricey.

An American Idiot movie has been talked about since the album originally came out in 2004. Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt told us a while back that Armstrong himself has a vision for how he'd like to see it filmed: "Billie has full pictures in his head of each of these characters and, you know, their emotional turmoil and triumphs and every bit of what we believe should be the making of a good movie, and that is emotional investment."

Entertainment: Deadpool, Batman, Superman and Other Comic Movie News

It's no surprise that I'm a huge fan of comic-book flicks, so I was happy with the news on a few of the upcoming projects in the works.

20th Century Fox has tapped VFX expert, Tim Miller, to direct the upcoming X-Men Origins: Deadpool which will be his directorial debut. Fox has also closed a producing deal with Ryan Reynolds, who will reprise his role as the Merc with a Mouth from X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Josh Pence has been cast as a young Ra's Al Ghul for scenes rumored to take place 30 years prior to the present story line in Christopher Nolan's new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are all returning to lead the cast, which also includes Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Tom Hardy as Bane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Alberto Falcone, and Marion Cotillard.

The story line has been kept locked up tight, but for those wanting to read between the lines, Pence's casting throws a few crumbs to follow. Ra's Al Ghul was played by Liam Neeson in 2005's Batman Begins, paving the way for a possible return of the supposedly dead character. Also, while the studio has never confirmed Cotillard's character, it has been rumored to be Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Batman's mentor-turned-enemy, and once love interest of Bruce Wayne in the comics.

Although it was previously rumored that Viggo Mortenson would play the role of General Zod in Superman: Man of Steel, that role has actually found its way into the hands of Michael Shannon, who received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for Revolutionary.


"Zod is not only one of Superman's most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don't. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role," Snyder said.

Zod, like Superman, is from Krypton, where he commanded its armed forces. The character appeared in both 1978’s Superman and its 1980 sequel Superman II, where he was played by actor Terence Stamp who is also the disembodied voice of Jor-El in Smallville, which ends it's 10-year run this spring.

And while Green Lantern hasn't even hit theatres yet,  the writing team is already at work on a sequel to the highly anticipated epic. Blake Lively, who plays Hal Jordan's love interest, Carol Ferris has this to say: "There are lots of winks toward the audience, you know, if people like this movie then we will do more and, you know, my character Carol Ferris turns into a villain that challenges and fights Hal Jordan... with some CRAZY costumes."

In a recent interview for Green Larntern, Ryan Reynolds raved that this wasn't an Earth-bound super hero flick. When asked on the Justice League movie answered: "That’s a whole other conversation. That’s a whole business model and nothing to do with me at all," he said. "No one has ever approached me about doing a 'Justice League' movie. We’ll see if they do it in the long run."

But it seems he may have been lying, as his publicist has released a new statement that says: "Justice League is a continuation of the Green Lantern franchise, but will not feature Green Lantern on the team until after Green Lantern's sequel."

This maybe a little premature having any talk of a Justice League movie, but DC does have to compete with Marvel's Avengers rumor mill. And after all, Marvel needs all that Avenger hype, because what in the hell was Marvel thinking of when they made Thor?!

Entertainment: In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night

Okay, so many may already be aware that I am a HUGE comic book fan. No, not huge like the Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons, but I never grew out of them as I became a *gasp* adult. One of my favourite characters, of course is Green Lantern. Granted, I wasn't too interested in the character (or characters, if you want to get technical about it) until around the time of the Final Crisis/Blackest Night series from DC Comics in 2008/2009. I quickly found myself drawn to Hal Jordan, the major GL in the DCU, and he became one of my all-time faves.

So, it stands to reason that I was excited to hear they were finally making a full-length feature staring Ryan Reynolds as Jordan, Blake Lively as love interest Carol Ferris, Mark Strong as Sinestro and Peter Saarsgard as Dr. Hector Hammond.

The first trailer for this flick first appeared in November, 2010, before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, pt 1 and quickly spread across the internet. Last week, Warner Bros. debuted nine minutes of footage from the upcoming film at WonderCon, in San Fransisco, CA. The footage wowed the audience, and withing a few days, a four minute cut of the WonderCon footage was released online, much to the excitement of many a fanboy (yours truly, included). And yes, Ryan Reynolds does recite the infamous Oath.

Here is the WonderCon clip, so sit back and enjoy!

Green Lantern opens in 3D everywhere on June 17, 2011, which happens to be my birthday. Thanks for the Birthday present, Warner Bros!

Entertainment: Screen Starlet Elizabeth Taylor Has Died

It is sad news that has just broken that Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. Considered one of the great screen actresses of the Hollywood's Golden Age of film, Taylor was hospitalized last month with congestive heart failure, in addition to other health issues she had been dealing with over recent years.

Best known for her performances in Cleopatra, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and many others, in addition to her 8 marriages, and her friendship with Michael Jackson, Taylor leaves behind 4 children and 9 grandchildren.

RIP Elizabeth Taylor, 27 February 1932 – 23 March 2011.

Entertainment: The Man Of Steel Flies Again!

So, we all know by now that Zack Snyder is taking the helm of Warner Bros. new Superman film (will likely be titled The Man Of Steel, but it's too early to have that nailed down). But Snyder will not be repeating Bryan Singer's mistakes on Superman Returns. Sure, Returns was a pretty decent flick, but it drew too much from the first batch of Richard Donner/Christopher Reeves movies, instead of looking to the future.

Don’t expect that approach from Zack Snyder, who on Wednesday shared his guiding principle: "Respect the canon but don’t be a slave to the movies." Scheduled to hit theaters December, 2012 (just in time for the end of the world!), Snyder's vision will star Henry Cavill of Tudors fame, with Viggo Mortenson rumoured to play General Zod, Diane Keaton and Kevin Costner to as Martha and Jonathan Kent.

"Literally, the one thing that everyone can start to think about is that we’re making a movie that finally goes with the approach that there’s been no other Superman movies. If you look at  ‘Batman Begins,’ there’s that structure: there’s the canon that we know about and respect, but on other hand there’s this approach that pre-supposes that there haven’t been any other movies.  In every aspect of design and of story, the whole thing is very much from that perspective of ‘Respect the canon but don’t be a slave to the movies.’”

With Singer's movie still so fresh in our minds, and Donner's vision the cemented definition of Superman on film, Snyder has his work cut out for him.

"Superman is the one constant in the universe," Snyder said. "You know that if you do Superman right - or at least if you do him with respect - you know you end up with something great. … [but] in some ways [beyond] that is virgin territory. No one knows what that is. In some ways Superman is the most recognizable superhero on the planet but also the most unknown. Just what he can be? People have preconceived ideas about him but probably all of them are wrong.”

Geek Culture: Meet the Geek

I'm a geek.  I was born a geek.  I've lived my entire life as a geek.  I will die as a geek.  When I was growing up, the term "geek" was an inflammatory statement, meant to hurt.  Nowadays, it's a way of life, that is widely accepted, and even embraced.  Works for me!

I'm the son of a computer programmer, and for a laugh, I hacked into my father's company's mainframe when I was 13, with an old tank of a laptop (it was smoking fast for the time!).  I've been working with computers since the days of the Commodore64, and the Atari1030xt.  I've been playing video games since the days of ColecoVision and the Atari2600 (the old "wood-grain" model).  I'm also a musician, and so I've been working with Digital Audio Workstations (or DAWs) since I was 15.

I have a degree in Audio Engineering, with a minor on Broadcast Technology.  I was the Canadian support manager for a major international music software company.  I was a technical wireman for over four years, building a variety of television studios in the Greater Toronto Area.  I now work as a radio engineer for a major entertainment company in Canada's largest market.  I have 3 laptops of various degrees of awesomeness, a Mac, two iPods, an iPhone and a Blackberry.  And at my desk at work, I have a Cisco IP phone, and a computer with not one, or two screens, but three.  I also have a display of action figures on a shelf above these three monitors.

And I read comic books, and love superhero movies.