Randomly Related Slightly Salient Stuff 14

It may be a while until I have time to prepare an episode or record next.  I’ll be traveling for work, I have new additions for a new edition due, vacation plans, etc.  I’d like to do a Flash focused episode or Suicide Squad spotlight.  Maybe.  The courts get busy before people start disappearing on their Summer breaks, so my attention is a bit split.  There’s a ton of stuff to enjoy from the Ultimate Edition trailer, Rebirth, to Suicide Squad spots and merchandise, to Rick Famuyiwa filmography, etc. so you’re spoiled for choice!

Please support the DC TV Podcasts: Spinal Cort Research Fundraiser, this Saturday, June 11th.This is a great cause and a fun podcast event!

Here’s some RRSSS:


Why I Broke Up With The Little Mermaid | Jesse Eisenberg

This is a 4-minute skit performed by Jesse Eisenberg (and his sister Hallie). Written for the New Yorker.  It humorously injects modern reality into the Disney rendering, while still less dark than the original telling.  I love that this kind of funny askew view of life is in the actor bringing Lex Luthor to life.

I thought about Lex when reviewing some clips from Code Conference yesterday.  Two things jumped out: First, was Nick Denton of Gawker skewering Silicon Valley’s thin skin.  Irrespective of whether you agree with him or his position, at a minimum, it presents the kind of tension between some tech billionaires and some of the press.  You could maybe see Lex and the press at odds along these kinds of battlelines.

Existentialism – Philosophy #16 | CrashCourse

(a concise summary of existentialism to assist in understanding an existential crisis)

Second, I was struck by the amount of existential crises Elon Musk was confronted with from artificial intelligence, cybernetics, and simulation… and how seriously and sincerely he takes them.  In the clips:

  • On AI, Musk suggests malevolence is a likely outcome if not actively anticipated against;
  • On Cyborgs, I love the line where he says technology has made us individually more powerful than the President was 20 years ago (in terms of gathering answers or getting a message out); and
  • On Simulation, he uses the exponential accuracy of gaming to suggest it’s more likely than not that we’re in a simulation which is one way to resolve the Fermi Paradox.

Musk is an interesting study in an extreme blend of pragmatism, optimism, and cynicism which can apply to Lex in some ways.


Collisions: Crash Course Physics #10 | CrashCourse

Whenever there’s something scientific to explain, I try to see if someone said it better before I stumble my way through it.  Often, I’ll be amazed that something directly on point comes out days or even hours before I record (or as I’m editing).  Sadly, this video came a few days too late.  If you still need a refresher on momentum and impulse, let Dr. Shini Somara explain!


What Are You? | Kurzgesagt

We’ve done a ton of these Ship of Theseus videos by now, always raising Cyborg, the Positronic / Bicentennial Man, Clark’s humanity, etc.  Skipping the philosophy this time and just piggybacking on the idea of cellular replacement with the videos from SciShow and BrainStuff addressing the 7-year replacement story.

I brought this up ages ago to address the nature of the Kryptonian Codex being bonded to Kal-El’s blood cells.  I mentioned at the time that if his blood cells didn’t die they didn’t operate as blood cells (for reasons similar to the lack of an anus on some creatures).  BvS gives us some new data, but sometimes you’ve got to let go.

Like the way we have to pretend radiation is magic.  I sometimes wonder how many misunderstand radiation on account of Superman.  Apologetics aren’t always meant as actual answers but instead avenues to other understandings… take Flash’s phasing:

How Superheroes Phase Through Walls Is All Wrong! | Nerdist

Last episode, I threw some shade at Flash’s explanation for phasing in the 60s as dated, but even the update isn’t much more than technobabble.  Kyle points out the problems with a possible “solution” which doesn’t scale as easily as he like.  Nonetheless there’s value in curiosity (that’s another show).  Incidentally, he credits Kakalios as a precursor to this explanation, but Flash was proposed as a quantum-being even earlier in Stop Motion.


Returning Home From Life In Space | Great Big Story

A short series of videos (also: Event Horizon: How Space Changes Your Perspective On Life and This is What Outer Space Does to Your Body) about the impact of seeing Earth from space on an astronaut.  This account is particularly romantic and inline with the kind of impact it might have on Clark or insight it might give him, where he crosses international borders to help because he can’t see those borders from space.  There are less romantic accounts (The Astronaut Who Got Sued By NASA), of course, but I like to think that space has a largely positive impact on him.

Utterly random but I also like to think his self-effacing reluctance to seize power may bear some similarity to George Washington’s character.


Deciphering the Secrets of Codex Seraphinianus | Great Big Story

This is such a crazy exercise in world-building and artistic expression, likely inspired in-part by the Voynich Manuscript.  I’m a little more fascinated by the Voynich Manuscript (HowStuffWorks Podcast) due to its age and continued mystery.  Regardless, it shows the creative drive to create worlds.  Imagine if you have a big budget film to use as your canvas!  I’m so excited for our upcoming DC films and happy for the directors who get to build out into Themyscira, Atlantis, Apokolips, the Speed Force, and beyond!


BvS Word Frequency Analysis of Proper Nouns (Theatrical Subtitles)

If I had more time to do this more meticulously I would, but I don’t so I just threw the first available set of subtitles at a word frequency counter and noted the following observations:

  • Instances of:
    • Bruce + Wayne + Batman = 58
    • Clark + Kent + Superman = 58
    • Lex + Luthor + LexCorp = 40
    • Lois + Lane = 17
    • “Superman” (29) is said almost ten times more than “Batman” (3) and second only to the proper noun “Wayne” (34)
    • “God” (22) to “Man” (21)
    • Gotham (17), Alfred (13), Bat (14)
    • Martha (16)
    • Metropolis (13), Kryptonian (10), Kryptonite (3), Perry (4)

It’ll be interesting to see how these shift with the Ultimate Edition.


How Much everyone Working On a $200 Million Movie Earns | Vanity Fair

Insight into the rough division of funds for a film.


King Tut’s dagger was ‘made from a meteorite’ | CNN

The last episode dealt a lot with materials and their suitability for weaponry. Even access to a material did not mean the ability to immediately synthesize it. It’s one of the reasons that blades made of meteor metal have been romanticized for ages (I didn’t delve into Kryptonite history, so no comment a comparatively terrestrial origin versus being a meteor), even when material is almost essentially entirely understood.

One of the fun examples of that elusive, still somewhat secret process is the story of the Ulfberht swords, a special series of blades with legendary properties for their time.

A Sword Fit For Kings: Forging Real Life Valyrian Steel | Great Big Story

This is a short video on the swords, but NOVA did a more exhaustive look in “Secrets of the Viking Sword” back in 2012.

Another similar story is the experimental archeology into recovering the techniques for creating Damascus steel. How much more would a mystery material like Kryptonite perhaps confound those who would want to wield it?

It also touches on how Wonder Woman’s sword is ahead of its time. As a longtime Highlander fan, I had to reconcile certain characters predating their preferred weaponry. I think it’s the art book which mentions Snyder pushed for a more modern design of Wonder Woman’s sword than what would ordinarily be available at the time. Yet with the Ulfberht, Damascus, and legends like Masamune or Muramasa… there’s some wiggle room for weaponry futurists who saw fit to design something beyond their era. Maybe.

Even though I didn’t do the science of materials justice, I’m incredibly fascinated by it. I don’t think I’m alone. There’s a rise of blacksmith and bladesmith media on YouTube and original cable content. I’ll save the science of swords and cutting for an episode when we talk about Wonder Woman slicing off Doomsday’s arm (accounting for the arm is another episode idea… all the artifacts still left behind).

The recent Ultimate Edition trailer features a shot of the spearhead in the out-of-focus foreground right after it was forged. As I remarked, there was little reference material out there for the spear, yet Cosplay Chris did a great job reproducing a miniature one from memory for his Jakks Pacific Armored Batman custom-collectable makeover.


Solution to the Grandfather Paradox | MinutePhysics

An illustration how some of alleged paradoxes aren’t so much intractable but barriers in our way of thinking about things.

If you exercise your creativity and keep an open mind, you can find these kinds of lateral solutions or intuit explanations which would otherwise violate your preconceptions or expectations. I love these two examples by the PBS channel, Physics Girl, How does laser cooling work? (before you raise laser cooling as a possible avenue for Superman’s freezing breath to work, note that it requires lasers striking from all directions, not just one direction like it would with Superman… that doesn’t mean Bose-Einstein Condensates aren’t fascinating!) and Is energy always conserved? (Answer: No, click to find out when it isn’t.)

Multidisciplinary analysis can bring tools and answers from one field to another. Applying Computer Science algorithms can assist in your everyday life. Applying the law of triviality (an efficiency observation) can guiltlessly get you to drop intractable arguments about the Oxford Comma, pronunciation of GIF, and almost every comic book controversy. If nothing else, it’s an excuse to have my research assistants bring me anything interesting we can apply in law to a new edition of the book!


What’s the Value of a Life? | BrainCraft

A better understanding of what goes into the consideration of moral and ethical dilemmas.  Further, it cites research into the cognitive dissonance we feel about facing them and even the resentment we feel towards people who make these hard decisions (The Buried Bodies Case | Radiolab).  This addresses the discomfort some have with the in-story dilemmas and choices in the films even if they can be rationalized.  At the same time, it shows this kind of decision-making is vital.


The Dark Souls of Idea Channel Episodes | PBS Idea Channel

Quote: “Batman v. Superman is the Dark Souls of movies. . . . These things may be challenging polarizing and alienating, but no less rewarding. And just as an aside, I think that Batman vs Superman was one of the more interesting movies to come out this year… even if it was- technically speaking- bad.”

Hah, well I’ll take “rewarding” and “interesting” at least!


Superman vs Muhammad Ali – Neal Adams at SDCC ’12 | HeroComplex

As a boxing fan, I have multiple copies and editions of this as among my most treasured comics.  The Deluxe Hardcover edition is affordable and well worth it.  I don’t just adore for the sincerity of Man of Steel, I love all eras of Superman!  Even though this story preceded the Modern Era and contained a completely off-the-wall story, the reality of the celebrity renderings may have been one of the first things to make me want to see Superman in this world.  Ali was not always adored.  He shocked the world and the world came around.  Rest in peace.


Meet The Artist ’15: Rick Famuyiwa | Sundance Film Festival

There’s something perhaps amusingly prescient about Rick’s story at the beginning of this video and Barry Allen’s security camera cameo in Batman v. Superman.

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54 Comments

  1. I really hope you can record at least one “Suicide Squad” Episode before the premiere, and it may not be one of your topics for analyzing but I wonder if you are planning on digging into the presence of Superman’s impact/legacy throughout the whole film. I think it will be interesting to see how does Superman influences the world even if he isn’t physically present there.

  2. I will give commentary on Rebirth (no duds yet!) after the month ended but would like to share this video with the class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4uWbKsiynQ
    I have a more positive outlook on the man but the video is both constructive (!) and valid, especially the Sucker Punch remarks. I get where some of the disconnect between him and general audiences are coming from but he made serious money, twice and a row, for WB and his influence and contributions on the art-form as a whole are proving to have staying power.
    The man believes in his vision and very few film makers will ever be able to say that they created and shaped a billion dollar franchise! Just remember who all failed before… Time will prove to be on his side and he has a positive working relationship with the studio system (a true company man), so we will be blessed with auteur driven films by him for another 2 decades. He even directed 2 toon shorts and wrote one-shot comics.
    Snydra is a millionaire, he has a wife, 8 children and the trust of his pears. He will sleep just fine when all is said and done. I wonder if Gym Jones offers therapy?

    @Doc Regarding last episode. I am knowledgeable on the Star Wars EU and here are my cream of the crops in the varied media adaptations. Check them if you are unfamiliar with the wider universe and the new Marvel comic line is a joy.

    Best book: Tarkin by James Luceno
    Top of the line military fiction (i was in the military) in the vein of Robert A. Heinlein. The book is from the new cannon and it further restores parts of his “Darth Plagueis” into cannon.

    Best Comic: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison
    A surprisingly bleak and vaguely post 9/11 story about film´s favorite villain. These “story boards” scream for a near 1 to 1 film!

    Best Game: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
    More daring and thus more memorable that the famous first entry. Mods restored a lot of the missing content and the open ending (somewhat unsatisfactory resolved in a novel) is forgivable.

    All Dark Side focused stories, hm. And how awesome was the season finale of Rebels? Rouge One will further work out, screw the haters.

    Wait, you are a From Software fan? The internet is a small place…

  3. My 5 min window closed so i will proclaim Kentarō Miura´s Berserk (i have a tattoo) as the Dark Souls of manga. It is a leading influence on the games after all. Best (comic) book on the 20th century? This librarian says yes! Everyone who liked even a word i wrote here should give it the first 3 volumes. Beware of NC-17 content though.
    (Superman vs Muhammad Ali is kind of a mess, sorry Doc.)

  4. The most compressive info dump of the set visit for JL:
    http://collider.com/justice-league-what-we-know-so-far/
    Justice League has to dress 3,000 extras, it has 200 speaking parts and the (main) shooting schedule is 111 days long.

  5. Hi Dr,

    I’m kinda worried about debbie snyder interview of saying that they learn audiences don like superhero deconstruction. This is like she saying that audiences don like a deep retropections and deep exploration of the character and only wanted to view the movie at the surface level only. What do you think of that statement?

    • Unfortunately this is the consequence of the fact that the audience isn’t able to understand deep stories, they just want to laugh without even try to think at something during the course of their entire lifes. Is not a fault of Snyder or the producers if most of the audience is composed by superficial people, who have a mind so closed that they can’t even understand something different from their own closed point of view. Snyder, as an artist, has tried to make something different from the average directors who are making stereotypical movies with predictable plots. The “funny” thing is that most of the audience applauds the same old story all over again, with the same characters with different names, but they aren’t able to understand something that is different or unique, so they criticized it. Just beacuse something isn’t funny, doesn’t mean that is bad. The Godfather is considered one of the best movie ever made and isn’t not funny at all. Is a long movie with violence and deep themes. There are hundred of movies that they aren’t funny, and most of them are considered masterpieces. Why a movie based on a comic book need to be fun? There aren’t rules about that. Do someone remember when The Dark Knight was release? The “dark” style was the trend after the success of that movie. Then a lot of jokes-movies were successfull and the table turned around. Snyder is a reasonable person and now is trying to make a movie that can be great for everyone and even if I consider that is a shame that the tone of the movie will be “changed”, I guess this is the direct consequence of a world where most of the audience isn’t able to get something that is more smart than their.

      • Feel free to not panic, the DCEU is keeping it´s auteur approach:
        “Producer Debbie Snyder said one of the things they learned from the reaction to Batman v Superman is audiences don’t want their superheroes deconstructed. She also said the darkest part of the story has already been shown (which was the last film).

        BVS was dark and gritty but that’s not Justice League, according to Affleck. He told us the film has “room for more humor. It’s not going to be – DC movies I think, by their nature are a little more – gothic, or mythic rather, excuse me, than some comic book movies are. But that movie was very dark and heavy because it was really rooted in Dark Knight Returns which is a heavy, dark book. And this is not that.”

        Producers Debbie Snyder and Chuck Roven say that while each DC film is independent of one another, all the films are interconnected by bits of connective tissue. She said, ”All the films kind of fit in a timeline, but they’re independent films. You can see one and not need to see the other. They operate on their own. They all have their own tone and they deal with different characters. Yet they’re all in the same filmic universe and there is little bits of crossovers that we see. But that isn’t essential to the story.”

        From my link. Snyder is fiddling with the screws (his words) to adjust to the public’s reaction but our scheduled sequel is still on track. You can ´t go darker for twice and a row. A deconstruction NEEDS to be followed with a rebuild. Neither me (nor Doc) want a second Watchmen light. Been there done that! It´s time for Super-Christ to shine, confirmed mullet and all. Synder is the man who manged to make “Guardians of Ga’Hoole” (7/10) serious and a lot of the news was confirmed months ago.
        Batfleck´s Citizen Cape can´t a comedy either. Wait for Flash, Shazam and Cyborg for truly light entertainment.

        • And 2 more articles, to re-affirm that everything is ok:
          So when Collider’s own Steve Weintraub visited the London set of Justice League last week along with a group of reporters, Snyder was asked if he’s been under more corporate pressure this time around, and in response he spoke about the experience of shooting Batman v Superman:

          “Yeah, I don’t think so. I would just say that, for me, Batman v Superman, I think there is a slight misconception about the shooting, anyway, about how much pressure there was on us and the pressure on the movie to perform in a certain way. From my point of view, and maybe just because I don’t know how to do it any other way, we make really personal movies. For me, anyway, I love the characters. I love comic books—maybe to a fault sometimes. Like, I dork out on these hardcore aspects of the comic books, because I’m a grownup and I love that part of it. I had a great time making the movie, and I don’t think that Warner Bros., when we were shooting the movie, that there was some sort of corporate mandate to get Batman and Superman in the movie. Chris [Nolan] and I kind of had that idea, and then it just so happened that that was a way toward Justice League—and it came along at a great time for us, as the studio was moving forward with the other DC titles and getting the DCU to exist.”
          “Geoff and I have had a great working relationship, even on Batman v Superman, and on Wonder Woman we worked together really closely, and we have a project coming up that we want to do together… I can’t talk about that. His knowledge of comics is just crazy. He’s like an encyclopedia of comic books. Like I’ll be like, ‘Hey, is there a weird Lantern from –?’ and he’ll be like, ‘You know…!’ He’s just amazing about keeping everything in canon that I’ve not even heard of —he goes, ‘Yeah, it’s back!’ Like we’ll look through some archive. You know, there’s DC-pedia, but he’s even crazier than that.”
          http://collider.com/zack-snyder-justice-league-warner-bros-geoff-johns/?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=collidersocial&utm_medium=social

          How Zack Snyder Navigated ‘Batman v Superman’ Backlash:
          The journey following the Batman v Superman backlash has been a “rocky road,” the director divulged to USA Today. In the midst of it all, he figured his interest in the characters would wane. “But every day, I wake up and these characters still have tons to say to me about the world and about heroes. I feel renewed vigor to really get their voices heard,” Snyder continued.
          He admits the aforementioned petitions to remove him from Justice League did take a toll to some extent. “That part was a little bit distracting.” However, most difficult to overcome were the accusations that he wasn’t “true to canon” and didn’t love the characters. “That was upsetting and made me evaluate myself and where I was with the movies and what I wanted to say with them,” he added.
          http://www.geekfeed.com/zack-snyder-navigated-bvs-backlash/

  6. A shiny new Suicide Squad music video:

    What i like most about the well done video is that WB´s marketing remembers that the film won´t be a zany action comedy about the Fresh Prince of Belle Reve and co. I don´t want another “fun” debate (in reverse) due to miss marketing.
    The originating Ostrander comic run is my favorite team-up book of all time and i HIGHLY recommend to study up gang. The themes became way more relevant over time and it gave us modern Boomerang, Deadshot, Ivy and many more, while introducing Oracle. I wonder how long it will take till “The Authority” will be on the cinematic or toon film table?
    PS: David Ayer´s End of Watch is one of the best films of the last decade.

  7. Man, i am like the only one in this comment section… but am a librarian and research + retrieval is my job.
    Here is Mark Hughes´ report form his JL set visit (he gave BvS an A+) and he reveals before unmentioned details, as that Krypton also had a Mother Box. The comment section of the article is even more informative as he wrote a web novel about the production side of WB inside it. Some of these new detail are also hidden in it: http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2016/06/22/justice-league-set-report-the-story-the-costumes-the-villains-and-more/2/#418aa1d750a3
    A must read for fan! (His Batman report is fun too.)

    • I’m certain we all appreciate you sharing the latest news with us. And of all the websites in the internet, Mark Hughes’ articles from Forbes are the ones I know will be unbiased, so thank you for sharing this with us, I will read his article right away.

      • http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/06/25/justice-league-everything-zack-snyder-told-us-on-set
        is also of interest. Jim was hum-ho on BvS (i wonder how he will view the UC?), Watchmen and co. aren´t his cup of tea, but he conducted a highly professional interview and Snyder´s personality truly shines though. Could any of you image if we had had a “shooter” as Ratner commandeering the DCEU?

        I further recommend http://imgur.com/a/foSdR (It´s a tiny bit of a troll too.)
        The now Rebirth semi-canonized Watchmen (the UC has a few surprises…) and to a degree Batman Begins did Super Kino first though. The X-men also tried a bit here and there.
        The mentioned Excalibur 1981 (8,5/10) is indeed a must see to “get” what Snyder´s team was going for, while being the BvS of its day. Just read Ebert´s highly relevant 2,5/4 review:
        ”Boorman’s Excalibur is a record of the comings and goings of arbitrary, inconsistent, shadowy, figures who are not heroes but simply giants run amok. Still, it’s wonderful to look at.”
        http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/excalibur-1981

      • Quoth Mark in the comment section:

        ~*~

        I’ve always said the core difference in storytelling between Marvel Comics and DC Comics is mostly this:

        DC uses personal stories to speak to larger themes, and Marvel uses larger themes to speak about personal stories.

        The personal lives and flaws of characters are usually the driving force in Marvel stories, and the bigger events/themes tend to used as a framework for advancing the character arc and issues the character is dealing with (Spider-Man and Fantastic Four are typically maybe the most obvious examples, where Peter Parker’s true arch enemy is the stuff in his everyday life — he’s poor, he’s unpopular at school, he can’t get a date, he’s dealing with trouble at home, etc). In DC stories, the characters’ problems and lives tend to be representations of the larger issue and themes the story is really about. Not that DC characters don’t have their own arcs, or that there aren’t times when the larger themes are a metaphor of sorts about the character’s life/issues, but in a more general sense over the decades I think DC has tended to make stories that use the personal arcs as an example of the larger themes, and the larger mythical idea is what it’s really about.

        In other words, Marvel says, “Here’s a story about something bigger, to comment on this person’s life,” and DC says, “Here’s a story about this person’s life, to comment on something bigger.” Marvel’s personal stories might reflect truisms about the human condition and speak to broad humanitarian themes, but it’s still about this person’s life and problems, and how they deal with it in their own life is the real lesson and meaning. DC’s larger stories might reflect personal lives and issues that are common to all people, but the universal theme is less personalized and more universal as a concept — “absolute power corrupts absolutely” for example might have conceptual application to people (since it’s people who wield and abuse power) but it doesn’t feel very personal in the way Spider-Man’s life lessons feel, such as “putting aside personal happiness is sometimes necessary to protect people we care about.”

        When people talk about “Marvelizing” a movie, they often mean making a film more mainstream in its appeal, with sense of humor and relatable characters who — despite their powers etc — seem like regular folks with ordinary daily lives. This was also true when fans talked about comics, such as John Byrne’s run on Superman in the 1980s and the complaints that he “Marvelized” Superman by focusing too much on flaws and personal internal struggle and daily life events etc, as well as adding some lightheartedness and regular-folks feel to characters’ lives. In short, characters feeling “accessible” and relatable to the readers — instead of feeling idealized and unattainable to the readers — is often considered “Marvelized.” I think it speaks to the point here about focus on the personal and flawed, versus focus on the universal and idealized, which is what I see as the defining difference between Marvel and DC.

  8. How “Watch The World Burn” Villains Are Ruining Superhero Storytelling

    http://collider.com/superhero-

    Ok this article basically criticizes every superhero movie and TV that trying to to copy “some man just want to watch the world burn” famous tropes from the dark knight or should I say a poor attempt to copying that tropes and applies to other comic book villian besides from the joker.

    This is a very interesting quote from the article:

    “”When it comes down to it, unless you’re telling a very specific, nuanced, well-articulated story about chaos a la The Dark Knight, then Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn villains are not only lazy, bad writing, but they are also dangerous. They present the idea that there are lots of people out there who like to create chaos for chaos’ sake so, when something tragic happens in the real world, other than trying to understand what has led a terrorist or gunman or whomever to take such drastic actions, we explain it away as Evil or Crazy. People don’t make choices in a vacuum. They are often angry or violent or deranged because of cultural, social, and political influence that we can work to change.

    We will never be able to stop future “bad guys” from perpetrating villainy in the real world if we continue to accept this simple, black-and-white narrative — both in our fictional blockbusters and in real life — that some people just want to watch the world burn for the fun of it. No, these superhero stories are not real life, but they do inform our perspectives on it. Time to let the Some Men Just Want to Watch the World Burn trope die a fast, painful death. For the sake of good storytelling and for the greater social good.””‘

    Ironically isn’t it this is what we have been getting from BvS am i right?? And yet BvS still receiving all that backlash for trying to blur the line between reality and fiction

    • Thanks for the link @LEON. You’re right.
      Paradoxically, BvS is the film that tried to give more dimension to the two-dimensionality that now reigns in the cinema, but was criticized.
      BvS should be the turning point, an example for many. Unfortunately, “many people want to see the failure of DC” and this is the real problem. Although the DC were to achieve absolute perfection, something divine, magnificent and flawless, the hatred that dominates the psyche of people frightened and insecure, would take over. In fact too many people are just searching for something to criticize. Insecure people are so afraid that DC can become more successful than other companies, that they spread hate all over the places. I love what DC Films and WB are doing and I don’t care what little minds think. It’s funny because everyone is always ready to bush DC in any occasion, but when they have to criticize that other company, no one say nothing directly against that other company, they remain generic. Too many double standars, bandwagoners and to many hypocrites out there. No matter what, they will always criticize DC but I’m pretty sure that most of them they don’t know anything about it.

      • I have a lot to say about the journalistic hypocricity of bloggers but not now, as Snydra just got his resurrection from actual haters.

        No seriously, at least one of them wanted to see Snyder fired… DC´s “Titanic” is turning around!

  9. We were wondering some time ago if (and when) the general opinion on BvS would change. I hope that Ultimate Edition will substantially improve this opinion (or even diminish the hate). In the spirit of sharing links I would like to suggest three interesting pieces.

    A second review of BvS by a critic who didn’t like it in March but gave the movie a second chance, re-watched it and changed his mind (he also had enough integrity to issue an apology to Snyder):
    http://letterboxd.com/ddohertyfilms/film/batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice/1/

    Some thoughts on BvS – in retrospect, after the author watched CW:
    http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/mean-film-make-sense/

    An article mainly about Warcraft, but with some very interesting points about movies in general:
    http://www.audienceseverywhere.net/movie-wasnt-made-alienated-viewer-disengaged-critic/

    @Residentgrigo
    Do you, by any chance, know a site where people living in Europe can purchase the digital copy of UE? I was able to find sites that provide service in USA only 🙁
    I have already pre-ordered blu ray (with digital HD), but it will be released on August 1st. I would gladly pay for another digital copy if it would spare me a month of torture 🙁

    • FYI, I’m not around to moderate, but comments with links will tend to be held (like 95%) by the spam filter.

    • I am about two hours into the Ultimate Edition, and a theory occurred to me last night. While I have been enjoying the new footage, I don’t particularly feel like the movie is appreciably different than the theatrical cut. Yes, there is more Clark stuff, which is great, and a few more i’s are dotted and t’s crossed, but I find for the most part it is the same movie in look and feel and depth and weight.

      So my theory is that it is largely the act of watching the movie for a second time that is eliciting most reactions where the viewer finds the movie better or more enjoyable. I read several reviews from people who watched the theatrical cut a second time and changed their minds about the movie for the better. I think many of us here who even LOVED it the first time will attest to getting more and more out of it upon subsequent theatrical viewings.

      I’m not saying that the UE isn’t a better movie – it’s certainly more fleshed out and there are definitely a few scenes that I was surprised they cut (Superman helping after the bombing, the stuff about the lead lining), but I don’t think it is SO MUCH better that the cut itself is solely responsible for every person who has changed their mind or improved their opinion of the film. It is a dense, complicated movie, with a lot of subtleties, nuance, subtext, allegory, symbolism, etc. This is only my third time watching it and already I’ve picked up on several things I missed the first two times around, and I know I will have to watch the UE several more times to truly appreciate all the new stuff I’m seeing.

      So that brings up the question, would the movie have been received/reviewed better had THIS been the theatrical release? Maybe. There are a few things made more explicit that certainly would have made comforted a swath of the audience. And there are several things that would have neutralized a few of the more annoying criticisms (Superman’s line count, “choppy” editing, the deaths in Nairomi, the branding, etc). But I feel for the most part that the same people who didn’t like the way this movie made them feel the first time around would have had largely the same problem with this cut as well.

      That said, I think this actually makes this cut a brilliant marketing strategy – it will encourage even people who DIDN’T like it in the theater to give it another shot. And who cares if maybe they only THINK they like it better because there’s new material? Who cares if what they’re getting out of the UE was actually there the whole time? If there’s no Director’s Cut, there’s little standalone incentive to watch the movie again if you didn’t like it the first time.

      So after being rather angry at the rumor that the UE was originally meant to be the theatrical cut and WB balked at a 3-hour movie and forced Snyder to cut it down, maybe the silver lining is that this way will actually win over more fans than if it were released from the get-go. Regardless, I’m glad that people are watching it again and getting more out of it, whether it’s due to the edit or not. This is a movie that deserves and demands to be watched over and over again.

      • I wish I can share your optimism, but movies being vindicated in retrospect by DVD/Blu-Ray sales has only been seen as a silver lining or consolation prize; famous examples of it include “Fight Club” (a film without a Director’s Cut, mostly shunned in theaters for the violence and subversiveness) and “Kingdom of Heaven” (a film whose Directors Cut drastically elevates its quality) but then again none of those films are supposed to set up a franchise that stretches at least five years into our future. A lot of BvS’s “problems” are already leftovers from MoS (wah wah Superman is so depressed!*) and now with this less-than-satisfactory theatrical cut many people are never going to “waste more money” on the extended edition DVD.

        *Funny how some people are more willing to argue for changing Superman into a not-white ethnicity than accept that he can be characterized as being introverted.

        • Heart of Steel

          “Funny how some people are more willing to argue for changing Superman into a not-white ethnicity than accept that he can be characterized as being introverted.”

          You literally read my mind. It really baffles me how some self-proclaimed “fans” of a character that embodies acceptance can be so close minded and reject change. They complain that the Superman fanbase shouldn’t be divided, that Superman shouldn’t be controversial, yet at doing such things they themselves are dividing the fanbase and creating controversy! They would rather argue for days and days nonstop instead of respecting other’s opinions.

          Snyder didn’t created this “Us vs Them” mentality that currently controls a good portion of the fanbase, THEY did.

  10. I just watched the Ultimate Edition last night. I loved the theatrical release, but this is dramatically better. I feel bad for all the abuse Snyder has taken so hopefully this will help to alleviate some of that and get at least some critics to be a bit more fair.

  11. Here is a good response to the critics and haters of BvS:

  12. https://www.reddit.com/r/DC_Cinematic/comments/4qqgqx/after_failing_to_find_a_deciphered_version_of_the/
    A kind reddit fan transcribed the DP paper regarding Superman´s death. Here is the part about Lex:

    The arrest of Mr. Alexander Joseph Luthor yesterday has shed new light on recent investigations into the bombing of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Luthor, who is currently being held without bail, at the Belle Reve Penitentiary Prison has proved uncooperative when questioned by authorities according to our sources. Mr. Luthor has been arraigned on 36 Federal Charges. Federal and local law enforcement believe this number will rise as the investigation expands. Court-ordered search warrants were issued to Lex Luthor and the Board of Directors of his multi-billion dollar franchise LexCorp. Giving the FBI widespread access to his private residence, Corporate Offices and LexCorp Research Labs, Forensics has already linked a proprietary metallurgical compound specific to an undisclosed project developed by LexCorp with the attack. According to sources close to the FBI, a particulate found in LexCorp Research Labsduring the search matches the debris found at the crime scene. It is evident that a wheelchair made from this material was used as the vehicle to transport the bomb into the building undetected by the Capitol’s stringent security measures. It appears that a sophisticated plot devised and executed by Mr. Luthor to discredit Superman was the foundation of this subversive and deadly attack. The bombing at the Captiol has taken the lives of 12 senators including Senator June Finch of Kentucky and produced another 57 casualties, among those, some of the most respected members of the public and press. Senator Finch had called the widely publicized hearing to assess Superman’s involvement in the recent massacre in Nairobi, which killed sixty men, women and children and injured dozens more in Mali. Investigations into LexCorp’s involvement in this incident are currently underway. False claims that Superman’s influence in the region caused this collateral damage have since been dismissed too little, to late for our city’s hero. Superman’s fight for what is good in the world had come under scrutiny since the bombing. Many believed that he had become a vigilante, spurring protests across the city and nationally.

    Congress had summoned Superman to appear before a congressional subcommittee. The subcommittee, chaired by Senator Finch, had convened to ask him about his… OFFSCREEN … particularly during the alien attack over Metropolis. The list of his heroics grew every day. However, some felt that an unchecked power as great as Superman undermines the US government in its abilities to conduct the business of the people both at home and abroad.

    Other issues discussing the threat to the United States and its allies from other aliens whom may other be following Superman to Earth or who may already be here among us. We still have no idea how long Superman has been on the planet, how many other Super men and women there might be and what their intentions are. These are just a sampling of questions the Senate Subcommittee wanted to address. Tensions were high the day of the hearings to begin with… OFFSCREEN … doing more harm than good. They cite(?) the Black Zero Event as an instance were countless lives were put in danger, as one protestor was quoted as saying, “Because he brought his fight here, and bashed(?) a whole city into rubble in the process.” Luthor’s arrest throws the whole argument into question as he single-handedly cost the US public the lives of many of their loved ones and created(?) trajectory of fear entrenched in some humans, not aliens, are capable of. But the question is, who will save us now?

    This in hindsight seems petty and near-sighted given the ultimate sacrifice paid by Superman. Lex Luthor will surely be judged in history for his part in the downfall of one of humanities’ biggest assets. A peacekeeper in a world dying of a thousand cuts.

    The authorities now know that Mr. Luthor had made it his purpose in life to destroy the reputation of Superman and turn the tide of public opinion against the super hero. All for the narcissistic gain of a troubled young man.

    Lex Luthor, son of Lionel Luthor Sr., founder and CEO of LexCorp, a well respected and extremely successful businessman known for pioneering design and fabrication of industrial equipment. His sphere of influence and commerce spanned from mining equipment to aeroparts, from the US to the far reaches of the globe. Building a family fortune rivaling the Rockefellers, LexCorp became a Fortune 500 company in the early eighties. After his death Luthor, becoming the sole heir of his father’s fortune, inheriting vast holdings in real estate and business. A stock portfolio that is said to be in the hundreds of millions. Lex Luthor, following in his father’s footsteps, saved that fortune to create his own vision. ???? his father by ???? his own mega corporation after the biggest in Silicon Valley. LexCorp became known as the Google or Facebook of Metropolis, eventually building one of the largest skyscrapers in the east coast. The face of his 21st century corporate venture (?) was on the outside built on the ???? tech-savvy (the rest of the column was unreadable)

    The FBI has already secured statements confirming alleged kidnappings, attempted murder and coercion. Several of Mr. Luthor’s business associates, some say “hired guns”, are said to be ???? the Russian Mafia or have worked as violent mercenaries in the most dangerous conflicts in the world – conflicts where everyone involved had a total disregard for human life and human rights. Warehouse fires at both ???? ???? and ???? Docks by the Gotham Seaport uncovered a series of brutally mutilated bodies. As adjoining (?) part of the warehouse undisturbed by ??? was clearly used to hold hostages. This too had ???? talked (?) to an underworld and his associates (?) where Lex Luthor pulled strings. Hopefully all of these allegations will firm up ???? the ???? future investigations. Legal experts believe the ???? process will be long and drawn out. ???? Jaggars (?), a partner in the law firm ????, ???? and Jaggars (?) (Can’t decipher the rest/gave up)

    • “LexCorp became known as the Google or Facebook of Metropolis…”

      Ha, I knew they simply had to put a Social Network shoutout into this. 😀

    • Does Luthor say is father was also named Lex in the movie and named the LexCorp after himself?

      • @EBG2465 All official sources refered to Lex Luthor’s father as “Alexander Luthor Sr.”, including this interview from Fortune Magazine: http://fortune.com/contentfrom/2015/10/05/lex-luthor-jr/ntv_a/3dsBA58oDAfxgFA/

        Basically, even though LexCorp is indeed named after Alexander Luthor Sr., it wouldn’t be a necessity for him to be called “Lex” in real life as there are examples of companies being named after the abbreviated versions of their founders’ names. Example: Garmin is the portmanteau of Gary and Min, but Gary isn’t known as Gar in real life.

      • Yes, the male senator greeted him as “Man on the Marquee!” and Lex was quick to point out No, his dad was the actual “Lex in front of the Corp.”

        • “Dad started saying that he named the company after his kid at investor pitches. Rich old ladies, they thought it was cute, y’know…write checks for Lex!”

          Some of Luthor’s lines in the extended edition are bloody great.

          Also, I am BESIDE myself with anticipation at the next offering, Dr Awkward, with the release of the extended cut. Hope you can find time soon to entertain us!

          • Fawbish, regarding when you can expect the next episode, I haven’t seen the Ultimate Edition yet and am still traveling / working on the next edition of my book… the latter feeds my family so I’m essentially offline until I turn in a draft.

            I know my own limitations and know I can easily go down rabbit holes, so rather than distract from completion by tempting fate, DC Films is off-limits until my editor is off by back, haha. I have to stop myself from spiraling with inspiration, but the next episode will either be The Flash, Suicide Squad, Superman and The Justice League, Justice League Set Visits, Ultimate Edition, or… something else. Argh, I can’t think about this right now! 😛

          • hahaha, totally understand chief! There is a LOT to digest and take apart from this additional thirty minutes alone!

            I’ll eagerly await as long as it takes, whilst working on some thoughts of my own. Most of all, I hope you enjoy it when you finally get around to it (you will)

          • I also sincerely apologize if that Luthor quote has spoiled you in any way, I didn’t even think – I completely expected anyone in this area of the internet to have seen the extended cut. I’m very sorry!

          • @Doc You write books? Please elaborate.

            I also finalized my Imdb review for BvS due to the UC. Here it is, feel free to vote everyone: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/reviews-717

          • While we’re waiting for Doctor to find more time on his schedule for MoSAnswers, I’d like to point out that Shanlian On Batman has been recording a two-parter commentary track for the BvS Ultimate edition. There have been great review episodes on other shows like Suicide Squadcast, The Knight Light, HolyBatCast and DCOnScreen, but theirs have been the only show so far who have braved the challenge of doing a commentary track.

            (Part One ends after Lois sees Superman fly off.)

          • @Vermouth Shanlian’s BvS commentary is actually pretty funny; they make fun of the movie without snarks. Totally unlike the other commentaries of BvS I’ve skimmed so far.

  13. The fella being aware of this site yet genuinely disliking the film is indeed one of the “reasonable minds will differ” examples the Doctor reminds us every time.

    I wonder if he is a follower like us or a simple casual visitor?

    • I saw the whole video. I must say that even though I disagree with him he’s the very first detractor of the film that I’ve seen that isn’t driven by mere blind hate. Wonder what the Doctor would say to counter his arguments.

  14. NEW EPISODE WHEN????!!!!

    Come on Doc! I need it!

    j/k Thanks for all your work man, Your podcast is my favorite thing, only second tothe movies.

  15. Here are my promised opinions on the 1st month of Rebirth and a contrast to what Marvel is doing:

    DC bestselling Rebirth one-shot started it all on May 25 and is technically a sequel the just concluded Darkseid War (9,5/10) story in Justice League. I thus highly recommend to check out that arc first and to then follow the books you are interested in reading the most. Most of them got, and will get, an introductory one-shot.
    No duds came out in June and the “”worst” one is Aquaman, as it just retreads on this 1st arc in the New 52.
    My favorite are Detective Comics and Action Comics, as both remind me of the over the top 90s take on DC giants. Wonder Woman is another clear highlight and Green Arrow is probably the biggest jump in quality. You can´t go wrong with any and “The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 267” (just use google, i am a victim of the spam filter otherwise) goes over the whole June line. The inside-the-industry Comic Conspiracy is my favorite comics podcast (sorry Doc) and I highly recommend newcomers to listen to it first, to get a grip on the whole re-launch / half re-boot. The new ongoing will continue to be rolled out throughout the year and September will start giving us minis as Midnighter & Apollo, so don´t be a tool and complain about the lack of diversity.
    It is coming gradually. The 17+ Vertigo imprint is also being re-booted as “Young Animal” in the fall by the famous musician and acclaimed comic writer (!) Gerard Way.

    Marvel´s All-New, All-Different Marvel is even easier to get into. Few of them went past issue 10 by now, so just start with No.1 and “go back” in time if the particular author wrote the series before the renumbering(s). These books are technical sequels to last year´s Secret Wars (8,5/10) event, that featured a good main series and mostly nonsensical tie-ins. My highlights are Moon Knight, Old Man Logan and The Vision (it will end soon). The current Civil War II (6?/10) event is a mess though…
    Happy reading and both jumping-on-points lastly feature comprehensive wiki entries.

    • My three favorite from Rebirth so far are Detective Comics, Batman, and Green Lanterns not in that order I would probably Green Lanterns as my favorite.

  16. @BEA You needs a US service to view the film. My US PSN account has access to the film, for example. Just fudge your address with such services and i also dislike how the EU is treated as an aforethought.

    This visual guide has also been lost to spam/moderation so here i go again: http://imgur.com/a/foSdR
    Batman Begins, Watchmen + MoS and to a less degree some of the X-men (very so socially conscious) count as Capekino and Excalibur 1981 (8,5/10) is indeed a must. Ebert wrote a prophetic 2,5/4 review on the film, look it up.

  17. While i am here: Reddit play around with the color saturation of BvS with interesting results: https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/4smm74/what_if_batman_v_superman_wasnt_in_color/
    Black and white films are quite something and where is my Fury Road without dialogue or colors, eh WB?

  18. Hi all,

    This is another great meta article once again by the author who wrote an article describing BvS being a revenge tragedy:

    http://pulpklatura.tumblr.com/post/147292715954/why-superman-had-to-die

    This is a very good article addressing the complaint of superman death is too early.

    • Pulpklatura is such a wonderful and talented fangirl. Back when you linked to her “Modern Revenge Tragedy” essay I popped in to her AO3 account and asked if she knew about this blog and podcast, she didn’t, and responded to my comment, “Thanks for this recommendation! I absolutely love the website!!!” Later on she posted on tumblr about the MOSAIC site. — It sure feels nice to be useful.

  19. What do you guys think of superman and wonder woman respective ideals of black and white view in DCEU world?

    This raises me an interesting question after I read both Gal Gadot and Petty Jenkins interview:

    “”And that naiveté stems from her upbringing? She’s a young idealist who’s been taught that the world is very simple: it’s black or white, bad or good. It’s how she was raised. It’s what she believes in and there is something charming about the simplistic way in which she sees the world. But once she falls in love and starts her journey with Steven Trevor (Chris Pine), he educates her about the complexity of mankind. There is no such thing as only good and bad, black or white. It’s complicated.””
    – Gal Gadot

    How do you guys think superman and wonder woman ideals will play out in the gray complex view of DCEU world?

    • Well, in a rather rambly fashion, I think Superman’s journey in BvS was that he incresingly felt the weight of the world’s doubt and cynicism on him, until he was close to breaking point (to me, the most blatant part where he really meant to kill Batman and end it all was the time he leapt at Batman but got hit by the second Kryptonite powder grenade, judging from the fact that his *weakened* punch still took out half of Bruce’s metal cowl) but got brought back by a combination of the good people in his life (Lois, Ma and Pa) and his innate goodness and hope, thus completing this part of a hero’s journey and inspiring Bruce and Diana as well.

      As for Wonder Woman, I think she’d obviously be in for a rude awakening in her solo film (since World War I was really not a just war on either side) and would mature a lot by the end of it, even if it comes at the cost of her heart shutting off and leaving her role as warrior princess superheroine.

      • I can see there will be complaint of not muh wonder woman in the same vein as we are getting the complaint of not muh superman from MoS and BvS. I think people think of DC heroes being the most idealistic and perfect version of what we can be. It is gonna be difficult if the movie wanted to portray them having a flaws trait or almost succumb to the cynicisms

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