The Curse of the Sad BatAffleck

When the first image of Ben Affleck from Zack Snyder's upcoming Batman Vs Superman movie was revealed yesterday, I can't say I was able to get too excited about it. But thanks to the internet's army of hard-working photoshoppers and gif-makers, there's at least some amusement to be had from the hilarious memes flooding in...

If you need a quick laugh, click here to see a bunch of 'em.

Friday Clips #8

Another selection of fine clips for your viewing pleasure this Friday arvo:

---

Everything is Samuel L. Jackson's Fault:

Everything is Samuel L. Jackson's Fault from Samuel L Jackson

---

Paul F. Tompkins has a chat with Breaking Bad tough guy Jonathan Banks - only for fans who are up to date on this show:

---

Ben Affleck addresses fan reaction to the announcement of his casting as the next Batman:

---

World War Z: The Honest Trailer - a bit spoilery but if you've seen the film, it's hilarious:

Fan-Made Teaser Trailer: Man of Steel 2

As the internet continues to process the idea that we're living a world where the next Batman is being played by Ben Affleck (via petition, via think-piece), a crafty fan out there has put together a teaser trailer of what the sequel to Man of Steel might look like. Note: Bryan Cranston hasn't been officially cast as Lex Luthor yet as of writing.

Man of Steel will be out on DVD and Blu-ray on October 30.

Honest Trailer: The Dark Knight Rises

If you haven't seen The Dark Knight Rises (which came out on DVD and Blu-ray last week), don't watch this, but if you have, this clip might give you a few chuckles and maybe force you to rethink the movie you've just seen. For the record, I'm not a Nolan/Batman hater nor am I a fan, but it's quite clear there are many massive logical inconsistencies in Rises that can't be ignored.

Trailers: The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

 In case you missed them, trailers for two of 2012's biggest and most anticipated releases have hit the web. I'm not too fussed about The Hobbit, I was never too attached to the world of Lord of the Rings - though I'm interested to see how much WETA's CG has advanced since Fellowship of the Ring, which just had its 10th birthday the other day. The Dark Knight Rises, on the other hand, already has my money for that one "Holy shit!" shot you'll see in the trailer (the 8-minute prologue that was shown before Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol looked damn promising too).

Piecing Together the Action Sequence

Jim Emerson, who runs the excellent blog Scanners at Chicago Sun-Times, has put together a great video essay taking apart a key action sequence from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. It makes for a nice follow-up to Matthias Stork's Chaos Cinema essays, cogently scrutinising how certain editorial choices have affected the way this particular action sequence has turned out. It's not something that I noticed, nor probably most viewers out there; if you watch it uninterrupted without Emerson's commentary, it seems to hang together fairly well. And that's what's cool about this essay, is that it's examining the flaws of an action scene that isn't actually all that terrible or incoherent - Nolan's fight scenes are much worse - but the problems with "spatial integrity" are still there, as he persuasively points out:
In the Cut, Part I: Shots in the Dark (Knight) from Jim Emerson on Vimeo.

Emerson also looks at the the Angelina Jolie chase scene in Salt, which comparatively has a better sense of on-screen spatial relationships, even though it drops the ball where logic is concerned in one crucial bit:
In the Cut, Part II: A Dash of Salt from Jim Emerson on Vimeo.

Notes:

• It's kinda interesting that he used Salt as an example. Noyce may have executed this sequence skillfully, but rest of the action in Salt is pretty forgettable and plagued with "Chaos Cinema"-style editing.
• Stork's essay made me re-watch Ronin - for the first time since its theatrical release - and it was simply a breath of fresh air and much better than I remembered. Frankenheimer really knew how to direct good, clear action.
• I'd like to see an essay from someone defending Paul Greengrass's Bourne films and how his use of shakey-cam can be argued as effective (or in the greater scheme of things, how this technique can be used well).
• Check out the comments under Emerson's essay. If you're really into this stuff, you'll lose yourself in it. Great stuff.

Teaser Trailer: The Dark Knight Rises

Ok, this one's a REAL teaser, so don't get your hopes up for any amazing footage. It shows next to nothing, starting off with bits cobbled from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, before giving us a small look at Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) on a hospital bed looking rather worse for wear talking to Bane (Tom Hardy), the new big baddie Batman has to contend with. The most striking footage is the one that's already been revealed in the teaser poster image above. Visit the facebook page to check out the trailer. The film's not out until 2012!!

Themed Geek Havens

This one goes out to both Batman lovers and lovers who are Batman lovers... click the pic to check out an amazing-looking Batman-themed room in Taiwan's Eden Motel (warning: not appropriate for minors):


And if you're a Lost fan, next time you're in Barcelona, be sure to stop over at Bharma, an all-Lost themed bar!!

FilmGeek: Man makes Go-Kart Batman Tumbler

I bet this guy is simultaneously the geekiest and coolest guy on his block. Next I want to see a Mini-cross Tron Bike!