Weekly Box Office and Film Discussion Thread

[BobThePizzaBoy]

Remember that movie Free Birds, A poster has been released

 

[Drtooth]

I can't even find a trailer for that stupid thing. That's suspicious.

 

[jvcarroll]

In honor or Superman's 75th birthday (Happy Birthday, yaaaaay), heres the new trailer for this year's Man of Steel Superman reboot.​

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There will always be the naysayers and those with chronic negativity, but forget them. This looks good. It looks like what they should have done 7 years ago with Superman Returns. I enjoyed the 2006 film and the Superman casting was spot-on. It fared well at the box office, but it should have done much better. That's because the director opted for a moody homage piece over a more sustainable action picture. In short, that picture had a very weak engine.​

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They have been holding back showing much action imagery even though there's reportedly plenty of it in the final film. Of course there's the retelling once again and we all know the story...or do we? They seem to have made some rather daring creative decisions. Rumors and potential spoilers ahead:​

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Highlight Here:​

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• This film will contain no kryptonite. Superman's challenges will be rooted in the choices he has to make. That's interesting. They can always save it for later.
• Lex Luthor exists in this world, but he is not a player in this film. They can save that for later too.
• This is an alien invasion story. That likely translates into themes of patriotism vs imperialism. Earthlings are the Native Americans in this story. I wonder if Brainiac will take part in this picture or if they'll save it for the sequel.
• The filmmakers decided to embrace the god-like themes rather than run from them. There are portions of the trailer where Zod and his cohorts resemble gods looking down from Mount Olympus.
• Will they even call him Superman in the film?
• This is all supposed to set up a Justice League movie and there's a reported DC universe cameo. Some believe that it will be Bruce Wayne. That could mean new casting or maybe Christian Bale will return. There have been rumblings that Bale could have changed his mind. The claim has been made that Joseph Gordon-Levitt will not reprise his role and I'm happy about that. I really hated what they did with his character and he's the wrong choice for the franchise. The cameo might not even be Batman-related. They could set-up Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash or Martian Manhunter.
• It appears that the supersuit is Kryptonian armor and that means it was not sewn by Ma Kent. Makes sense.
• The rocks floating around his arm in the trailer suggest that the suit's bracelets could be responsible for creating the momentum that helps Superman fly. I kind of hope not, but we'll see.
• We get to see more of the Kryptonian world and one heck of a battle sequence.

Anyway, I'm excited.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

I'm super excited for Man of Steel! It looks like it will blow our minds. It really makes up for Superman Returns.

You just brought up 2 of my all-time favorite films. I can understand your criticism of JP, even though I loved it. I do feel there could've been more to the ending than just the survivors escaping, like Hammond explaining how he plans to deal with the gigantic mess he created or expressing sorrow for the people who died (Muldoon, Ray Arnold, Gennaro). I would scream like a little schoolgirl if they announced they were re-releasing Back to the Future in theaters nationwide. Unfortunately another sequel seems out of the question due to Michael J. Fox's unfortunate struggles with Parkinsons, but a re-release would be great too.

I loved Back to the Future the first time I saw it. Now, the sequels weren't the greatest, but they were still enjoyable.
I don't think I would want another sequel. The story can't possibly be so good, unless they release it for 2015 and that's where it takes place...can it be? Anyway, I think you're right. I doubt Michael J. would star in the movie if they were to make it. Maybe for the in the future scenes.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

You just brought up 2 of my all-time favorite films. I can understand your criticism of JP, even though I loved it. I do feel there could've been more to the ending than just the survivors escaping, like Hammond explaining how he plans to deal with the gigantic mess he created or expressing sorrow for the people who died (Muldoon, Ray Arnold, Gennaro). I would scream like a little schoolgirl if they announced they were re-releasing Back to the Future in theaters nationwide. Unfortunately another sequel seems out of the question due to Michael J. Fox's unfortunate struggles with Parkinsons, but a re-release would be great too.

I loved Back to the Future the first time I saw it. Now, the sequels weren't the greatest, but they were still enjoyable.
I don't think I would want another sequel. The story can't possibly be so good, unless they release it for 2015 and that's where it takes place...can it be? Anyway, I think you're right. I doubt Michael J. would star in the movie if they were to make it. Maybe for the in the future scenes.

Was it just me, or does Michael J. Fox make a cameo in Jurassic Park? I could've sworn I saw him on screen for about a minute. (When they first enter J.P., I could've sworn I saw him sitting in the car.) I must be losing my mind...

 

[Drtooth]

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There will always be the naysayers and those with chronic negativity, but forget them. This looks good. It looks like what they should have done 7 years ago with Superman Returns. I enjoyed the 2006 film and the Superman casting was spot-on. It fared well at the box office, but it should have done much better. That's because the director opted for a moody homage piece over a more sustainable action picture. In short, that picture had a very weak engine.​

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Superman Returns was doomed to fail because they put too many expectations on it. I can't believe that after The Dark Knight completely and utterly out-grossed Batman Begins, they failed to try a second Superman film before the reboot. They just said "it could have been better" and swept it under the rug. Especially after mercifully failed attempts to make absolutely terrible Superman films with giant spiders and gay stereotype robots with 'tude.

And then there's the unfortunate problem with Superman coming off as vanilla in a world of Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, and other super heroes more interesting than him. Superman could never hold down a cartoon series on his own. The 60's, 80's, and 90's series all disappeared quickly, while he managed to work as part of a team on long lasting shows like Super Friends and Justice League. His live action TV shows seem to last a decent amount of time. I just hope the upcoming film can bring back interest in the character. Though I still wonder why they needed to go back to the beginning with this one 9especially since a 10 year TV series about it ended not too long ago). As long as the origin comes off smooth and easy like in any Batman film and not the clunky, chunky, sloppy mess of Green Lantern... of course, Superman's origin is no where near as long and involved as GL. It was a mistake to make that film in the first place.

Still, there are too many expectations resting on this film. If it does well, we'll see more Superman films and that Justice League movie. if it fails, it's Looney Tunes BIA all over again. The character gets dumped for another reboot, and every plan they have for the character (outside of the comics) gets pushed under the rug.

 

[jvcarroll]

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Superman Returns was doomed to fail because they put too many expectations on it. I can't believe that after The Dark Knight completely and utterly out-grossed Batman Begins, they failed to try a second Superman film before the reboot. They just said "it could have been better" and swept it under the rug. Especially after mercifully failed attempts to make absolutely terrible Superman films with giant spiders and gay stereotype robots with 'tude.

And then there's the unfortunate problem with Superman coming off as vanilla in a world of Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, and other super heroes more interesting than him. Superman could never hold down a cartoon series on his own. The 60's, 80's, and 90's series all disappeared quickly, while he managed to work as part of a team on long lasting shows like Super Friends and Justice League. His live action TV shows seem to last a decent amount of time. I just hope the upcoming film can bring back interest in the character. Though I still wonder why they needed to go back to the beginning with this one 9especially since a 10 year TV series about it ended not too long ago). As long as the origin comes off smooth and easy like in any Batman film and not the clunky, chunky, sloppy mess of Green Lantern... of course, Superman's origin is no where near as long and involved as GL. It was a mistake to make that film in the first place.

Still, there are too many expectations resting on this film. If it does well, we'll see more Superman films and that Justice League movie. if it fails, it's Looney Tunes BIA all over again. The character gets dumped for another reboot, and every plan they have for the character (outside of the comics) gets pushed under the rug.

I don't think Man of Steel has a chance of failing. At worst it would fizzle. I just don't see that happening. Superman became so linked to Christopher Reeve that no one could do the character justice in film or animation*. And let's be honest, the animated program wasn't very good. Again, I do not believe its the character that failed the projects. No one had a handle of what makes him interesting. Well, with the exception of Smallville*. Some seasons were better than others, yet the character of Clark Kent was always strong and firmly rooted.

There's a consensus that Batman reflects regular people more than Superman, but I disagree. I love Batman, but Bruce Wayne is motivated by revenge and anger. He was a rich kid who didn't have to work for his money.

Clark Kent was an outsider without much wealth, yet had a family to point him on the right path. He could do whatever he wants with his gifts and he chooses to help others. The amazing thing about his personality is that he doesn't even view it as a choice. It's a duty. That's not to say the character is void of angst. On the contrary, he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is an extremely noble character who hasn't had a solid opportunity to shine in film since the days of Christopher Reeve.

While I'll miss the John Williams score and other trademarks, a reboot was in order. Of all the superhero reboots and retreads, this one is the most deserving. I think it will be a hit. The problem they had before was in depicting Superman as a hero and not a symbol of god-like imperialism. I suspect that's why they decided to begin the series with Zod. It creates the appropriate contrast without making him "dark" or giving him an illegitimate son.

 

[Drtooth]

I quite liked the 90's Superman series, but it paled in comparison to the Batman series. it's hard to get a handle on the character because he's so incredibly invincible for his own good. That's why every single Superman based video game sucked. They make him ridiculously weak as opposed to too strong to die. As for other media, half the time, it's impossible to have the villain get the upper hand without pulling Kryptonite out of their butts.

But I have a lot of faith in this film. It looks like the real kick in the butt the franchise needs since Smallville ended. Then again, the original Superman movies only had 2 good ones anyway. The third was an incoherent joke, and that set the stage for terrible third Super Hero movies.

 

[Scooterforever]

I loved Back to the Future the first time I saw it. Now, the sequels weren't the greatest, but they were still enjoyable.
I don't think I would want another sequel. The story can't possibly be so good, unless they release it for 2015 and that's where it takes place...can it be? Anyway, I think you're right. I doubt Michael J. would star in the movie if they were to make it. Maybe for the in the future scenes.

Was it just me, or does Michael J. Fox make a cameo in Jurassic Park? I could've sworn I saw him on screen for about a minute. (When they first enter J.P., I could've sworn I saw him sitting in the car.) I must be losing my mind...

I feel like I would know about that by now if MJF was in JP. I'm old enough to have ridden the BTF ride in Universal (how long has it been closed? At least six years), and at the end you travel back to the Jurassic and get attacked by a T-rex. Maybe the T-rex in JP is cloned from that T-rex's DNA. Wouldn't that be cool?

 

[Muppet fan 123]

I knew it was just my imagination..

Have you been on the Jurassic Park ride at Universal's Island of Adventures? (in Orlando) It's also a fun ride.
Like the movie, it takes a while to get into the excitement that is for the rest of the attraction, but the end of the ride is always very fun.

I wish the BTTF ride was still open! I don't know why they'd ever close that!