My Thoughts on ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’

I didn’t really know what to write about for my free post this week, but I just got home from seeing the much anticipated film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), so I figured that’d be as a good a thing as any to touch on. So get ready for the scatterbrained, spoiler-laden thoughts of an extremely jaded/bitter comic book and movie fan.

(AGAIN: from this point forward, it’s SPOILER City, baby. Reader beware.)

Okay, so let me start by saying, I liked the movie as a whole. The action was great, Hans Zimmer did a great job with the score, and the actors did the best they possibly could’ve done with the material they were given in the script. Shouts out Ben Affleck specifically, who in my opinion is now tied with Michael Keaton for second-best ever movie Batman. My favorite parts of the movie hands down, bar-none were the ones with him doing extensive things as Batman and Bruce Wayne. I also enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor much more than I thought I would, as I usually find that annoying little weasel-man completely detestable. As much as his performance was mostly a rip off of Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises, at least he wasn’t playing an overblown, annoying version of the guy who invented Facebook like he does in every other movie he’s ever been in.

As for what I didn’t like, there were quite a few things as well. For one, I’m finally accepting the fact that I will never like Superman as a character. Never have in any incarnation, more than likely never will. Can’t fault Henry Cavill (the guy who plays him in this movie) for a prejudice I’ve had against a character since I was five. On another note, while I did like the new dude who plays Alfred the butler, to my mind there’s just no beating Michael Caine in the role in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy of films. I truly missed him on screen. The other main thing that bothered me was how hard the movie obviously tried to shoehorn in other aspects of the D.C. Comics Universe. Like, I get it, we’re getting a Justice League movie, and hoorah for that, but constantly throwing in characters as a cash grab in these types of movies is getting a little tiresome. I get that it’s a necessary part of life, but I hate it when I can tell I’m being marketed to, and this flick and others like it (I’m looking at you, Disney/Marvel) are starting to feel more like long trailers for other movies instead of anything that can stand on it’s own two feet.

That being said, I did have a blast watching this movie. It’s a terrific popcorn flick, and the discussion we all had on the playground in school is finally put to rest: who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman? This movie does it’s best to answer that question, and the resulting battle is as cool as eight-year-old me ever could’ve hoped for. It also effectively paves the way for an exciting new universe of movies, even if it does so a little heavy-handedly.

Go see it and get back to me.

You can watch a trailer for this movie here.

You can buy tickets to see this movie here.

(Word Count: 364.)

The Eerie, Amazing Nature of ‘Twin Peaks’

I’ve mentioned before on this blog how much TV shows have affected me over the years. In short, I get obsessed. My hands-down, all time favorite show, Twin Peaks is absolutely no exception. The unsettling theme music (crafted by the Angelo Badalamenti, whose score is absolutely invaluable to the tone of the show as a whole) starting up in my apartment means that for the next week or so, I am doing yet another re-watch of the show via Netflix.

The plot of Twin Peaks kicks off when the dead body of local, popular high school girl Laura Palmer is pulled, wrapped in plastic, out of a lake. This stuns the tiny mountain town so much, the law enforcement team decides to bring in a little extra help on the case. Enter eccentric FBI agent Dale Cooper, and a web of creepy, funny, and questionable developments begin unfolding, not least of which include a dancing, funny-sounding midget.

The show itself is a product of the brilliant, off-kilter mind of David Lynch. Teaming up with the equally brilliant Mark Frost, together they managed to create one of the craziest and most often imitated/drawn from series of all time.

The show was cancelled in 1991 after premiering in 1989, but not before fans mailed thousands of logs to the head of Twin Peaks original home, ABC Network, as a form of guerrilla protest. It’s been credited with inspiring many other influential shows directly and indirectly, including The X-Files. As a huge fan of both shows, I can definitely see Files as being a spiritual successor. They’re also bringing Twin Peaks back for a limited run on Showtime next year.

I don’t want to say much about the plot of show itself, as I would never do anyone the disservice of spoiling anything. But, I will implore you to check this show out as soon as possible. You won’t regret it.

See you in the Black Lodge.

(Word count: 324).

You can read the plot of Twin Peaks here.

You can pick up the entire series on Amazon here.