I just heard of this extended cut today, a friend said the extended cut makes the film make sense, dunno if true.
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I just watched the extended cut this afternoon and now understand why it was supposed to be a Superman vs Batman movie as opposed to the Batman movie we got in cinemas.
Despite being 3 looong hours of film I actually prefer the extended version because it fills the gap of the storyline and the film almost makes sense. It is obvious almost all the Superman/Clark scenes were cut from the cinematic release.
Also there are a few spoilers in the extended version that may be clues to future films.
Yep anyone who hasn't seen BvS, I would recommend viewing the Ultimate Edition (extended cut), it's a lot longer but by far a more complete movie then the theatrical version was, it has definitely changed my opinion of the movie as a whole, personally found it heaps more enjoyable, however the version does seem to have been edited towards a more adult audience, hence I would recommend giving it a watch first in order to determine whether it would be appropriate viewing for your little tackers
Finally watched Ant-Man. It left me cold, could be a victim of overwhelming positivity but I just found it boring and not any more "funny" than the other marvel flicks. 5/10. Civil War is next I think.
On the other hand Zootopia was great. Perfectly executed, which is surprising considering how they had to redo almost half the movie to make it work. Yet you couldn't tell it had a troubled production. Loved it. 9/10
Had the same expectations regarding Ant-Man and like Guardians of the Galaxy I was blown away.
I agree on Zootopia. John Lasseter has a reputation for being the master when it comes to movies like this.
Independence Day 2: had low expectations, and those expectations were met. Got cheap tickets which worked out to be $11 for two people, so I can't complain.
I enjoyed the spacecraft designs and pew pew lasers, but boy did the story suck. Like Age of Extinction, the pandering to Chinese audiences with superficial insertion of Chinese characters and product placement sticks out like a sore thumb. If this is the way Hollywood is heading, then meh.
BFG spoilers ahead
Took my daughter to watch BFG today. It's a really fun movie for kids and a pretty faithful adaptation of the old Roald Dahl book (which my daughter is currently reading :)). But the main difference that stood out in my mind is that this movie makes the story more "geographically insular," and much of a the violence (i.e. giants eating humans) is implied rather than explicitly stated. In the book, the giants are kidnapping and eating humans, especially children, from around the world, whereas in this film it only seems to be happening in England. Also, while the human alliance with the BFG and military offensive against the giants in the book is spearheaded by England, it is still done with international collaboration with a coalition of forces from different countries invading giant country. In the film it's purely British forces. I wonder if the British Tourism board had anything to do with it. The fate of the giants is also more pleasant (and probably realistic) than the book; rather than being imprisoned in a pit in England and being fed snozzcumbers, the giants are instead dumped on a remote island and given snozzcumber seeds so that they can self-sufficiently grow the crops themselves for subsistence. Also, the final fate of the BFG and Sophie is different; there is no castle built for the BFG with Sophie's cottage next door - instead the BFG returns to giant country (as he is now the only giant there) where he has created a massive vegetable garden with new crops imported from Britain. Sophie now lives with the Queen in Buckingham Palace. Initially I thought that this wasn't as nice an ending, thinking that the BFG deserved to have his own castle... but upon reflection one could see it as an arguable improvement over the book's ending. The idea that the BFG need not conform to human societal standards (and odds are that if he did live in England he would be viewed as a freak, which the movie points out is one of the BFG's greatest fears in terms of human interaction), but rather he is allowed to live his own life and continue his work as a dream catcher. The Royal Breakfast scene is also different in that the BFG shares his frobscottle with his human hosts (with hilarious results). The generals are also far more receptive of the BFG than in the book. So there does seem to be a somewhat greater sense of acceptance and tolerance over any impetus for societal conformity. But otherwise the movie is actually really good adaptation, often with many lines being identical to what's written in the book.
Batman V Superman Ultimate
Wow, they really should have released this in cinemas instead. Turns out cutting major plot points hurts a movie, who'd of thunk it?
Studio interference screws another movie (poor Affleck, first Daredevil now BvS).
8/10 (fanboi score 9/10)
Star Trek Into Darkness
Bleh. First is good, but this was a mess. Boring.
5/10
Watched Star Trek: Into Darkness to get myself up to speed in preparation for Star Trek: Beyond. Benedict Cumberbatch does a brilliant job. Like Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, he steals the show. As for Zoe Saldana, I think that among current actors she's the queen of sci-fi.:D
1.Avatar (a smash hit)
2.Guardians of the Galaxy (a sleeper hit)
3.The Star Trek reboot (she's on a roll)
I watched this a couple of weeks ago on foxtel and thought it was pretty good, especially parts of the fight at the end where they cut from 'ant-level' to 'normal'. like the train set falling off the tracks. that was hilarious :D
i thought civil war was not too bad either but had a couple of negatives i've already forgotten haha. i bought the trade paperback collection online on sale and read it before watching the movie, first time i probably enjoyed the movie a bit more than the comic series it was based on.
I agree, Zootopia was pretty much perfect, lots of charm but low on schmaltz, with a positive message that wasn't spoon fed to children.
Yep pretty much, magic space blood indeed, nothing makes sense. Hope the new one is better.
The Killing Joke. Aces. I'll write up a better review when I can be bothered
Why not now. Well, there's plenty of spoilerific reviews online for those seeking them, so I will not say any spoilers. Sticks pretty damn true to the comic, padded out with extra story which worked well. A few easter eggs to look for too. One extra scene however will piss off alot of fans, and already has. Me, I didn't see anything wrong with it and even adds to character development.
Even before this movie was made, they knew there'd be backlash, can't please everyone. But a mate of mine, my wife and I all really enjoyed it and was great to see on the big screen. We also were treated with and introduction from Hamill about his personal back story a bit and how he landed the role ok The Joker in the first place
On the weekend I went to see Star Trek: Beyond and it's not as good as the previous two. For example, the villain (played by Idris Elba) just cannot compete with Khan and even comes across as comical at times. Overall this movie is good at best, mediocre at worst. I'm now looking forward to The Killing Joke which I know will be excellent.
I thought the extra "prologue" in TKJ shifted the focus somewhere it shouldn't have.
TKJ was always about the Joker demonstrating to Batman that all it takes is one bad day to drive a good man insane. The good man, in this case, was Commissioner Gordon (and yes, shooting his daughter was just a plot device to Gordon's deconstruction. The feminists can sit down now). I was fine with fleshing Batgirl's character out with her kicking ass but that sex scene just drew attention to a romantic relationship between Bruce and Barbara, away from Jim's paternal relationship and demolishes Batman as a mentor
It's a tiny scene but Bruce Timm's shipping fetish has thrown the balance way off.
Skip the first 20 minutes if you think this would bother you.
Personally I didn't see that scene as taking away from Gordon or Batman as mentor. I had no issue with the scene, but I knew a lot of people would
The Man from U.N.C.L.E
Loved it. I thought the casting was fantastic.
That is a great film. We did enjoy it too
Watching Terminator Genisys right now. What a mess, I should turn it off but I'm irrationally compelled to see it out. The whole time travel thing is out of control. Remember how confused people were by Back to the Future II - their brains would explode watching this!
On the other hand, I watched the Extended Cut of Batman vs Superman for a second time today and enjoyed it more than my first viewing. While I much prefer the Christian Bale Batman films, I thought this one was solid and obviously is setting the stage for Justice League, Suicide Squad etc.
Just finished watching The Killing Joke and all that can be said about this brilliant work based on a brilliant work has already been said.:D
Green Room
A band goes to a gig at a skinhead bar, things happen.
WOW! Very tense, brutal. Only 90mins but feels much quicker due to a very tight pace. No complaints here, it's just a great movie.
9/10
Superman has super speed. He could've totally restrained Batman before in the blink of an eye, and then attempted to negotiate with him. Batman would be completely immobilised (anyone who's ever been grappled will know how immobilising it is, imagine how much more so it would be if your grappler had super strength!) and incapable of using any of his weapons against Superman. The idea of Superman getting into a punching match with Batman made no sense to me.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psn3w38d7c.jpg
I woulda commented on your FB post, but am blocked from doing so for another 20 something days haha. Anyway here is my response
Read The Dark Knight Returns. As with this movie, it shows Batman to use gadgets and tricks to incapacitate Supes. Batman kicks his arse and rightly so
I find levels arbitrary and who beats who is at the mercy of the writer. I mean, look, Squirrel Girl beat Galactus FFS.
Very true. But that Frank Miller comic is too damn awesome lol
Yeah, but Batman can only activate his gadgets if he can physically move. By placing him in a restraining hold, it would make it impossible for Batman to move at all, thus rendering it impossible for him to use any of his gadgetry and tricks and allowing Superman to negotiate a truce with him without anyone getting hurt. And it doesn't have to be an arm bar, just any kind of restraining hold or grappling technique. And we know that Superman is at least capable of placing someone in a headlock.
Doesn't mean he doesn't have voice activated gadgetry 😉
I saw Suicide Squad (and it's great to pay $10 for a ticket) on Saturday and what an amazing movie because it's from the bad guys perspective with a good amount of time at the start to flesh out the character backgrounds especially for:
Harley Quinn who is outstanding just like in the trailers.
Dead Shot who is solid in the leadership role.
Apart from that, Batman just makes a cameo in the back stories for the above characters. While Jared Leto as the Joker is average at best which is understandable because it's hard to follow in the footsteps of legends like Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. The two main villains in this movie are quite impressive due to their sheer power and no the Joker's not one of them.
Overall I'm not going to compare this movie to Captain America: Civil War because this one is a dark and grubby affair compared to Civil War's clean cut, straight edge look and feel.
It's called a plot device... it wouldn't have the title of "Batman Vs Superman" if there wasn't an actual, somewhat balanced (remotely plausible), fight between them.
I think the movie should have just had "Dawn of Justice" as it's main title, as the "BvS" title was really just for early marketing hype, because it wasn't the main plot element (which was really Lex Vs Batman & Superman).
The entire movie was about the manipulation of Batman & Superman by Lex, from years of searching out supers, and learning the secret identities of Batman and Superman (to bring them together and have them both get the worst impression of the other to hope one will eliminate the other for him).
As such, having them fight each other, without it being just a quick neutralisation of Batman with Superman's super speed and strength, gives the Movie's title meaning... even it it wasn't too plausible in this version of them confronting each other.
Here's how the Honest Trailer sums up Lex's plan. ;)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psmiyvfapa.jpg
The plot device could've been handled better to make the fight more believable. Such as having Superman placing Batman in a hold, then we see a close up of Batman's hand where he hits a switch that activates some gadget that gets Superman off him. Like maybe having a Krytonite ring that has a lead cap which can pop open. The proximity to the Kryptonite would weaken Superman and make him loosen his grip, and also make the rest of the fight really easy for Batman.
And as much as Dawn of Justice may have it's flaws, it's still a MUCH better movie than any of the Transformers sequels. Because part of my brain can't believe how unsubtle the "seeding" for the Justice League movie was, with the Flash doing the time jump, Lex's database on the other Supers complete with video clips of each of them... I prefer the more subtle nods that the Marvel movies had. But then again, I'd much rather see screen time looking at the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg over the unforgivably embarrassing "Romeo & Juliet" scene from Age of Extinction. That's would have to be one of the lowest points in all Transformers lore (I hope that Bay doesn't surpass this in The Last Knight).
P.S.: Arguably one of the best fight moves in Dawn of Justice was not between Batman vs Superman, but between Batman and Luthor's thugs when he went to rescue Martha Kent. Here we see Batman fighting as a real fighter should, dropping each opponent as quickly as possible and with as few moves as possible. This includes the use of grappling in combination with striking, throwing etc., and a lot of these moves can actually be found in historically traditional martial arts. Although his super-bullet proof suit allows him to get in such close quarters with gunmen (which would otherwise never happen IRL) ;) Some of the more impressive techniques we see in this scene include:
* Grappling with this guy and making him shoot at the other baddies
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pswv433fgt.jpg
* Using his grappling gun to grapple and draw in an opponent from long distance. He then punches the guy as he's reeled in, using the combined forces to amplify the impact of his punch. This is actually used in many martial arts, one of which being Praying Mantis.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pscuwk5o8c.jpg
* Taking out this knife attacker; Batman immediate steps into the attacker's centre/core, driving his right shoulder up into the attacker's armpit. With the attacker's body locked and Batman now poised to use his attacker's core as a fulcrum, he then proceeds to throw the attacker onto the ground (IRL you wouldn't pick him up, it's just a direct drop to the ground). Again, this is commonly seen in many different martial arts, just one of which being Tai Chi.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psqbjabkft.jpg
* Fighting against multiple opponents who have surrounded him. This method is reminiscent of techniques dating back to Medieval times, including those used and refined during the Crusades. One such style that employs a similar looking technique would be Long Fist Notice how he keeps alternating between fighting forwards and backwards, as he is practising moves for fighting two opponents who have surrounded him on either side
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psk5nurywa.jpg
* Grappling one opponent (and you can hear bones being broken) while kicking out the leg of another attacker.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pswqj8yi5y.jpg
* Similar as above, only that the grappled opponent has a knife, and Batman proceeds to use the attacker's grappled arm to drive his knife into his own leg. Again, I've seen similar techniques taught in real life martial arts (usually driving the knife into the attacker's body as it's often faster and easier than trying to drive it into the leg; depends on the angle of the knife).
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psxxdvupdo.jpg
* Grabbing an attacker's throat and then driving him into the ground, then pounding him with punches. I've actually done this IRL in a sparring match, although the drop was much gentler than this and I didn't proceed with the punches. My opponent was actually a black belt in Taekwondo who had just returned from overseas after winning international tournaments; he was incessantly boasting about it over lunch with mutual friends and he agreed to a friendly fight afterwards. It ended with my hand wrapped around his throat and his back on the ground.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psn7imgogk.jpg
* Grappling this gunman before taking him down and breaking his arm.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psh1lyptxr.jpg
* Headlock, similar to what Superman used on Zod in Man of Steel. This is a very common technique used across many fighting styles, including the modern military.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps9btdcmuu.jpg
I still think instead of awkwardly watching the Justice League clips during the feature and killing the pace, Bats should've handed WW the mem card in a post-credits scene and all the clips on it could be viewed either online from an official site/YouTube channel or as Blu-ray/DVD extras.
I'd be interested in watching a David Ayers cut of Suicide Squad to see what the film was before WB got the railer editors to reshoot and re-edit it into the current ADHD incarnation.
Having the clips scene in the post credits alone would've been sufficient. The scene itself isn't that long. And apparently the Ultimate Edition includes additional scenes that help to improve the story (so I've heard, I haven't seen it) -- so I wonder if some of these scenes would've been better left in the original cut of the movie with superfluous Justice League foreshadowing scenes left for mid or post credits. It's also a really good gimmick to make audience sit down and read the credits! :D
I wonder if it was Snyder's decision to axe certain scenes in favour of the JL stuff or if it was a studio directive. It's also worth mentioning that I think that a lot of the fight and stunt work from Gal Gadot was also really good. And apparently she did most of her own stunts, unlike Cavill who heavily relied on a stunt double (not that there's anything wrong with that; stunt doubles are people who need work too ;)). For those who may not know, Gadot actually did military service in the IDF, so she actually has a military skill set (including training in the Israeli martial art of Krav Maga) which she brings to more physically demanding roles like Wonder Woman. Although Gadot has stated that her Krav Maga training was very limited, we can still see some fundamental martial arts basics in the way she moves compared to her co-stars, such as in scenes like this where we can see Gadot adopting what appears to be a relatively more realistic fighting stance as she is more side-on to her attacker (Doomsday) whereas Superman and Batman are standing front on and exposed. The side-on position also grants her greater stability. Should Doomsday charge at them at super-speed, Wonder Woman would be in a better position to absorb that incoming force by simply straightening her back leg to assume something similar to a Forward/Bow Stance (re: physics of a triangle); her comrades would more easily toppled over.
One could argue that Superman's super-strength negates the need to adopt a more defensive posture, but Wonder Woman is also super-powered but still adopts a warrior's stance. As a human mortal, it would absolutely make sense for Batman to adopt a more defensive position. Even though his suit is super-durable (being completely resistant to bullets); it probably wouldn't withstand a front on attack from a mutated Kryptonian.