Unused Footage From The Dark Knight

Apparently this video has made the rounds in the past but I had never seen it before!  It features alternate angles and some unused footage from The Dark Knight

Watchmen Prequel Art

These two pieces of art leaked out featuring The Comedian and Nite Owl II over at Bleedingcool.com.  They have since been asked by DC to have them taken down, but for now check them out in case I'm asked to do the same.  They are drawn by J.G. Jones for The Comedian, and Joe and Andy Kubert for Nite Owl II.  They are from the long rumored in the works Watchmen prequel comics due sometime in 2012.

Movie Of The Week: Alien (1979)

Welcome to a brand new  Movie Of The Week, a new weekly feature at the Blog!  How does this differ from Trailer Park, well one it is weekly and two I hope to get interaction from YOU, the Comicpalooza fans.  I want you to email me a pick for Movie Of The Week, and I will use them and post those picks as the weeks go by!  Email me your picks at comicpaloozablog@yahoo.com!  Start thinking of your Movie Of The Week and send it to me!

Alien (1979)


Synopsis:  A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.

Released  May 25, 1979
Director:  Ridley Scott
Domestic Box Office Gross:  $78.9 Million

Running Time:  1 Hours 57 Minutes
Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, & John Hurt

Why You Should Watch It: First off it's a classic.  Second, the Prometheus trailer just hit which is a prequel to this movie, so why not revisit where it all began.

Prometheus Trailer

Along with The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, and The Amazing Spider-Man, this film is also high on a lot of people's lists to see.  Ridley Scott's "Alien" prequel, Prometheus.

First Trailer For The Hobbit Is Here

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters a year from now and here is the teaser trailer and poster!

We Have Movie Posters!

Amongst all the new movie trailers lately, there has been new posters also.  Here we have posters for The Phantom Menace 3D, Ghost Rider 2, Prometheus, The Hunger Games, and more!

New Avengers Still

Everyone is talking about Batman, but The Avengers are still coming in May and Marvel Studios isn't leting you forget by releasing this new still images from the film!

Wrath Of The Titans Trailer

The sequel to Clash Of The Titans hits this March and here is the first trailer for Wrath Of The Titans!

Theatrical Trailer For The Dark Knight Rises

July 2012 can't come soon enough...

Marvel & Disney Launch New Toy Story Comic

This one is for our younger Comicpalooza fans! This March Marvel and Disney are launching a four issue mini series starring the characters of Toy Story!  It features writer Tea Orsi and artists Antonello Dalena and Teresa Quezada-Geer.

New Ghost Rider: Spirits Of Vengeance Trailer

The new  trailers keep coming, this time a new trailer for Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance!

New International Avengers Banners

These banners have been released for the International markets for The Avengers, which hits theaters next May!

Anime Contamine': Blu-Ray Review Evangelion 2.22

Anime Contamine' is back with a blu-ray review of a popular anime series and it's latest film in that series!  

Evangelion 2.22 Blu-ray Review

By LT Tran

 Grab your progressive knives, crank up your Eva, and strap on your plug suits because Hideki Anno's cinematic re-telling of the seminal anime tv series continues with this domestic Blu-ray release of Evangelion 2.22.

Story

If you remember all that's happened in the original tv series, prepare yourself for a wild ride!  The story of Shinji Ikari continues and revolves around his desire to find acceptance with his father Gendo.  Along the way, a new character appears who's name Mari Illustrious.  Also joining the cast is fan favorite Asuka Langley Soryu Shikinami.  Though the former has only made a few brief appearances in the movie, they are no less interesting and dramatic.  There are big hints in stored for Mari's role as the series continues.  While Asuka, different from her original TV motivations, plays a rather alternate role within Eva 2.0.  She's still rambunctious and maybe even more anti-social but her reasons for being so are subtle and unique to this Rebuild.  

Shinji is still Shinji with a tad bit more backbone.  The poor kid tries so hard to get closer to his father, Gendo and you can't help but feel for his plight.  As far as Gendo is concerned, he just makes you want to make a voodoo do1l version and stab it without remorse in response to the man's utter ruthlessness. 

Characters aside, the plot of the movie itself starts with a bang and the pacing is better balanced as compared to the plodding of the first Rebuild (re-hash) movie.  The quieter moments of the movie are peppered with humor and character drama.  However, when the action starts, elements that were mentioned during the serene moments are either put to the test, elevates a character's standing, or immerses the viewer into a moment of awe and emotional involvement.  Basically, everything that happens in this movie is relevant and moves forward in a way that benefits the quadrilogy as a whole.  

Animation

Epic, that's all I have to say.  Epic.  Anno is the master of conveying larger than life images and not because he uses giant towering Evas but also in capturing the ideas that are often bigger than our lives and of ourselves.  With the aid of computer animation and a sizable budget, you can really see that the animators under Anno were really having a go at uninhibited storytelling. 

On top of all this, it's in high definition!  The transfer is clear, colorful,  impeccable, and there are no signs of aliasing or jaggy jagged edges.  The lines are clean and the blu-ray format is ideal for the effects heavy and uber dramatic cg battles.  Oh, and speaking of CG battles, I have to give special mention  that each of the angel designs and battles are a glory to behold!  The CG animation is very fluid and the textures of the characters are detailed. The implementation of motion capture on the Evas are effective and convincing.

 

Sound

As expected, the Japanese voice cast is top notch and the sound mix is well balanced.  Though, personally, I was more curious about the English dub.  What's really interesting about this localization is the fact that they brought back the original voice actors of Shinji, Misato, and Asuka from the original AD Vision release!  My sense of continuity with these actors feels nostalgic and it's almost like a reunion with old friends.  Spike Spencer has mastered his role of Shinji and you can really feel the intensity in his voice more so compared to his earlier days back in the nineties.  The same can be said of Allison Kieth (Misato) and Tiffany Grant ([Asuka]No German spoken, unfortunately).

The English sound mix takes advantage of the surround sound effects much different from the original Japanese sound mix.  Let's just say that with the Japanese mix, its more oriented towards dialogue while the US mix is more suited for a home theater setting which allows for an immersive experience.   

Special acclaim should also be given to the film composer, Shirou Sagisu whose music drove and elevated the drama and action of the movie.  Particularly, the scene where Mari goes into battle with the tenth angel and the melding of animated fury and a choir accompanied orchestra comes into cohesion with great effect.  His inclusion of two popular Japanese pop songs were memorable due to their juxtaposition against some of the most violent and visceral images ever captured on celluloid.

“But Long,” you say.  “I see nothing but compliments and praise in this review!  Isn't there anything about this release you didn't like?”  Why sure there is!  The movie is too short.  The disc itself is an off-plum color.  Special features are limited (but the audio commentaries are interesting). There.  Those are my complaints. 

Overall, I've heard purists complain about the alternate path of the second rebuild movies being way too different.  It is and were are headed into territories unknown come the third and fourth movie. However, it really doesn't matter in the long run (though I  will acquiesce that the first movie was a re-hash).  They can't argue the fact that this re-envisioning is just as entertaining and substantial as the TV series.  In some way, due to a more limited time that they are allotted in the cinematic format, it seems more visceral to me.  So there you have it, the score is below and I am now ejecting from the entry plug.

Score 9.5 

Amazing Spider-Man Teaser Poster

This new poster for The Amazing Spider-Man has been premiered by Super Hero Hype.  The teaser trailer wasn't all that impressive, but this poster is pretty bad ass.

New Dark Knight Rises Teaser Poster

This is an incredible poster...next summer cannot come soon enough.

Men In Black 3 Trailer

The men are back next summer!

Movie Of The Week: Planet Of The Apes (1968)

 

Welcome to a brand new  Movie Of The Week, a new weekly feature at the Blog!  How does this differ from Trailer Park, well one it is weekly and two I hope to get interaction from YOU, the Comicpalooza fans.  I want you to email me a pick for Movie Of The Week, and I will use them and post those picks as the weeks go by!  Email me your picks at comicpaloozablog@yahoo.com!  Start thinking of your Movie Of The Week and send it to me!

Planet Of The Apes (1968) 


Synopsis:  An astronaut crew crash lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved.

Released  April 3, 1968
Director:  Franklin J. Schaffner
Domestic Box Office Gross:  $32.6 Million
Running Time:  1 Hours 52 Minutes
Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, and Kim Hunter

Why You Should Watch It: The new reboot/prequel hits DVD/Blu-Ray on Tuesday, so why not revisit the original classic film now and see where the phenomenon all began!

Dark Knight Rises Viral Marketing Coniinues

A new viral website has popped up for The Dark Knight Rises titled Operation Early Bird.  It features various coordinates around the country counting down to theaters showing early screenings of the 6 minute prologue on the 13th of the month.The  prologue for the movie  is showing on IMAX screens in front of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.  Other rumors suggest a new trailer is coming later today but nothing really to confirm this yet but we shall see!
     The movies official website has also launched at thedarkknightrises.com and features a sound bite with a woman repeating several numbers.  As I know more so will you!

Transformers #80.5 On Free Comic Book DAy

The Transformers return on Free Comic Book Day!  Not that they ever went any where but they are returning to their original Marvel Comics continuity, when IDW releases issue #80.5 on Free Comic Book Day 2012!  The story will take place right where the original Marvel series left off!  A lot of grew up reading those classic Marvel stories and now they shall continue!  Till all are one!

The Dark Knight Rises Viral Campaign Begins

Warner Brothers has kicked off the viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight Rises with a "CIA Bulletin" for a missing Russian scientist named Dr. Leonid Pavel.  A second document below also refers to the Dr.  No word yet on how these tie into the film but some suggest these clues will tie into a "major cultural event".  The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters next July!

Coming Soon To The CP Blog

Updates have been slow lately as news as been slow but look for a brand new Anime Contamine edition soon, as well as a brand new comic book column that is int he works.  Plus other small changes to make the Comicpalooza Blog better than ever!

Plus be on the lookout for big announcements from Comicpalooza itself as to what we have in store for 2012!!!

Batman Arkham City Costumes DLC Pack Trailer

Batman: Arkham City is truly one of the greatest super hero games ever made, and now you can play in Batman costumes through different eras in the game.  1970's Batman, Batman The Animated Series, Batman Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, Earth One Batman, Sinestro Corps Batman, and Batman Beyond.  The DLC Pack is avaiable now for about 5 bucks on Playstation 3 and XBox 360 and here is the trailer!

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Batman: Arkham City - Skins Pack Trailer, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Avengers Vs X-Men In 2012

    Are you ready to rumble? USA Today has revealed Marvel's big plans for 2012, with further information expected to be announced by the company tomorrow.  The throwdown will take palce over 12 bi-weekly issues with Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman and Matt Fraction all on writing duties, the heroic teams are set to clash over the arrival of the Phoenix Force on Earth and its target of Hope Summers. The art will be provided by superstar trio John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel and Adam Kubert.
      A "zero issue" prologue will kick off the event next March from Bendis, with the premise being that the X-Men want to prepare Hope to be the host of the Phoenix Force while the Avengers want the girl handed over to them in order to keep the world from potentially being destroyed if she fails to control the powerful entity.  

Smallville Season 11 Is A Novel?

Smallville ended last year after 10 seasons with a finale that some loved, and some hated.  The show is returning now but not on television, but rather in the form of a novel.  The story editor and writer for the series, Bryan Q. Miller, will be writing a novel showing what happen to the characters of Smallville after the finale.No word yet on when we will see this, but Comicpalooza will keep you posted!

Full Trailer For John Carter

IGN has debuted the full trailer for John Carter.  The film hits theaters in March, and this one looks good!