More Bat-news: Batman 4; Robin Williams as Hugo Strange (plus a Super bonus tidbit)

Holy Headlines, Batman! After the big reveals of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy as Bane in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises, it seems some more info about the Christopher Nolan series of Bat-flicks has come to light. Thanks to Nolan's own disclosures, we've always been under the impression that he intended his new take on the Batman universe to be a trilogy, and as such, Rises would be the last of his run with the franchise. And while we still don't know one way or another for sure, it seems Christian Bale would be very open to getting back into Gotham for a fourth film. According to a Huffington Post article, Bale told Empire Magazine that it was certainly NOT definite that Rises is the last flick, and Bale made it quite clear that if Nolan cooked up a fourth script, he'd follow along. Bale said, "if Chris goes, 'Hey, I've got another story I think could be interesting,' then yeah, great, I'd go do that. I always assumed it would be three, but I could be wrong." Not a firm guarantee either way, but it personally makes me VERY happy that Rises might not be the last we see of Nolan's universe.

The same article brings up another old rumor that appears to be coming back to the surface. A while back, Robin Williams outwardly expressed his desire to play a villain in The Dark Knight, and more recently he was rumored to have found his way into The Dark Knight Rises. This notion was always quite intriguing to me. Williams was a big part of my childhood for his comedic roles, but he has always had a firm grasp on the dramatic (Good Will Hunting, Dead Poet's Society, and his monologue towards the end of Mrs. Doubtfire come to mind). Some of his more recent roles have been incredibly twisted and creepy (check out One Hour Photo and Nolan's own Insomnia to see what I mean), and given the unstable nature of most of Batman's villains, Williams seems to me like a perfect fit. And now, according to a tweet from reputable Bat-info source Batman-on-Film, Williams may make an appearance in Rises after all, as Bat-villain Dr. Hugo Strange. For the uninformed, Strange is one of Batman's earliest recurring enemies, predating Catwoman and even the Joker. A psychologist of genius-level intelligence, Strange is equal parts brilliant and insane, and often uses his intellect to transform normal people into disgusting monsters, both mentally and physically. As IGN points out, this actually could work quite well given that we know already Bane will be a part of Rises. You see, Bane is a hulking, super-strong beast-man, who draws his strength from the fictitious "venom" serum which he pumps directly into his blood stream. Given Strange's penchant for messing with human DNA, it wouldn't be a long shot to imagine a scenario where Strange is enlisted to help track down Batman, and designs a serum to increase the strength of the police force, first testing it out on Hardy's Bane. Again, none of this is set in stone (in fact, it is all very ethereal), but a geek can dream, can't he?

As a final added bonus for you DC Comics fans out there, it seems the new Superman has finally been cast. For those of you who are following along, you already know that Christopher Nolan was recruited once again by Warner Bros to help conceptualizing the upcoming reboot of the Superman movie franchise. Many potential castings were tossed around (including True Blood's Joe Manganiello/Alcide), but according to Deadline, British actor Henry Cavill will don the blue-and-red tights as the next Clark Kent. Some of you may recognize Cavill from his role in Showtime's The Tudors. He was also previously considered to play the role of Bond in the Casion Royale reboot, and apparently auditioned for Bale's role when Batman Begins was in the early stages of production. I personally have never seen Cavill's work, but I have to admit I am a bit disappointed. You see, I have always been a bigger fan of the big, bulky versions of Superman we see in the comics and cartoons, not the more svelte live-action versions played by Christopher Reeves and, more recently, Brandon Routh. And from the pictures I've seen, Cavill is another lean-bodied actor. Perhaps its more an issue of age (presumably this reboot is an origins story, so Clark will still be fairly young), but to me, his small frame does not cast the commanding shadow of the more powerful takes on Superman we see in other mediums. Oh well, guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out.

Just For Fun: Guilty Pleasures for a Snowy Day

Well folks, Winter is here and has come bearing white, fluffy gifts. It's been a snowy season so far (at least for those of us in the requisite climates), and what better way to pass the time while hibernating than with a good book, movie, or video game? And while there is a lot to be said for catching up on the classics of cinema, literature, etc, sometimes we just want to turn off our brains and simply veg out. We can't always commit to the level of focus demanded by a season of Mad Men, a screening of The Godfather, a reading of The Great Gatsby, or another trek through Final Fantasy VII (yes, I believe ALL of those works are comparable in quality). And so, I have compiled this list. Below you will find my picks for some less cerebral but still immensely fun diversions to keep you busy on a snowed-in afternoon. You may not tout them atop your respective top-ten lists, but you will still most certainly enjoy the B+-quality rides they provide all the same.

Human Target: The Complete First Season (DVD -- $29.99)
Okay, so I know I've promoted the comic book-turned FOX action series Human Target before (see my 2/18/10 post "Better Off (Watching) Ted, and others"). But this show just fits too perfectly on this list to deny it a spot. And now that the complete first season is available on DVD for a very reasonable price, the original twelve action-packed exploits of bodyguard-for-hire Christopher Chance and his team make the perfect hibernation marathon. The premise is simple: Chance (Mark Valley--Boston Legal, Fringe), a highly trained security expert with a sordid past, takes on contracts from a wide variety of clients who need protection, and finds himself pushed to the limits to ensure the safety of those he's been hired to protect. But he isn't alone. Chance teams up with ex-cop Laverne Winston (Chi McBride--Boston Public, Pushing Daisies) and the seedy-yet-geeky Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley--Watchmen, A Nightmare on Elm Street), two loyal and indispensable friends and partners. The scenarios may be a bit unrealistic if not at times completely cliche, with Chance always managing to overcome the unspeakably high odds stacked against him by the skin of his teeth. But the action is well choreographed and an absolute blast to watch, and the light and comical rapport between Chance and his teammates is just icing on the cake. It all adds up for some great popcorn-popping television that any fan of James Bond or Jack Bauer will most assuredly enjoy.

Just Cause 2 (PS3/Xbox360 -- $40)
Yes, yes, I get it--not everyone is into video games. But I promise, this is one that even the most casual gamer can enjoy. Just Cause 2 is set on the fictional Southeast Asian island called Panau, where the old president was just assassinated and overtaken by the new president--his son, "Baby" Panay. You play as Rico Rodriguez, an "Agency" operative sent to help end Panay's dictatorship and reestablish the US-Panau trade relationship. But literally ZERO of that matters; the story is terrible, the voice acting sucks, and the plot development is nearly non-existent. Regardless, this game is immense amounts of fun. Essentially, Rico accomplishes his mission by causing "Chaos," a tracked statistic that increases with the more stuff you blow up. Chaos can be racked up by taking missions from one of the three criminal factions on the island or completely on your own whim as you see fit, and this results in lots of gunfire, hijackings, and stunning explosions. And, also, fun. You see, the more Chaos you cause, the more weapons, vehicles (of which there are over 100), missions and equipment you unlock. In other words, explosions beget more explosions. Don't you love it when things come full circle?

But what really sets Just Cause 2 apart from other open-world actioners are two key parts of Rico's arsenal that you will not find in any other video game. You see, attached to Rico's arm is a multi-functional grappling hook, and to his back, a parachute. And by combining these two devices, the fun gets ratcheted up about 500%. Want to grapple on to a passing helicopter, hijack it, fly it as high as you can, then jump out, releasing your parachute just early enough to avoid splattering on the mountainous terrain below? You can. Want to use your grappling hook to attach the pursuing police officer to the back of your car and drag him a few miles? You can. Want to grapple to a near by building, then release your parachute as you zoom towards it so you can float lazily around the towering metropolis? You can. You can combine the grappling hook and parachute in a near-endless number of ways, providing for some ridiculous stunts and creative combat sequences. This is sandbox gameplay at its most visceral. And thanks to Panau's varied and vast terrain (over 300 different locations to find and destroy), the fun and action is only limited by your own creativity.

(If you are intrigued but not sure you want to shell out the cash, I think you can still find the Just Cause 2 demo on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network--it gives you 30 minutes to mess around in a limited section of Panau, and is a great taste of what the game offers)

Speed/Point Break (DVD -- ~$30 for both)
Honestly, is there any actor out there that better embodies "mindless action" than Keanu Reeves? Sure, maybe The Matrix trilogy was pretty cerebral (if not unnecessarily convoluted), but most of his other vehicles (Constantine, Bill & Ted) require little-to-no heavy mental lifting. This fact is demonstrated in spades by this pair of flicks. On the one hand we have Point Break. Keanu plays an undercover FBI agent investigating bank robberies. His task is to get in good with a bunch of surfer dude-criminals (led by Patrick Swayze) and then jump out of airplanes with them. Well, maybe it's all not quite that simple, but between the bank robberies, massive waves, gun fights, chase sequences, and high altitudes, Point Break deserves a responding "Woah!" On the other hand, we have Speed. Keanu plays an LAPD SWAT explosive expert tasked with keeping the passengers of a bomb-rigged bus alive while traversing the busy streets of Los Angeles. He does this by driving really fast, be it on a bus, subway train, or elevator car. Oh, and of course, by answering a number of "pop quizzes" posed by the psychotic bomber, played effortlessly by Dennis Hopper. Double "Woah!" Both of these flicks are fantastic amounts of fun, even though the latter is much better than the former. When put together, they add up to a solid B/B+, and a back-to-back screening makes for some great action movie-escapism during a chilly winter's day. Plus, they are both set in warm climates!

Matrix 4 and 5?! Time to free your mind...

Never in a million years would I imagine returning to the world of the Matrix again after the two over-plotted sequels and their lukewarm reception--and that's coming from a man who holds the first Matrix film as his all time favorite movie. But according to Keanu Reeves himself, the Wachowski brothers have finished screen treatments for two more films set in the same universe that feature Reeves reprising his epic role as The One (aka Neo...wow, not sure I always realized that was an anagram). Apparently, the Wachowski's have been in talks with James Cameron about utilizing his groundbreaking 3D technology displayed in the visually stunning Avatar in the hopes of making these two films as revolutionary to the action genre as the first one was when it came out back in 1999. This is extremely intriguing news for anyone even remotely interested in action movies, as the original The Matrix completely and permanently altered the landscape of the genre. I can still remember how far my jaw dropped when the camera first panned around Trinity while she was mid-leap during that opening sequence. And the fight scene between Neo and Smith in the subway station was, at that time, simply unparalleled.

But as interested as I am to see two new Matrix flicks, many questions linger. Primarily, as far as we were lead to believe at the end of Revolutions, Neo, Trinity, and Smith are all dead, and the war between the machines and the humans is over. The fate of the Matrix and the people still plugged into it was kind of left up to interpretation, however, as we see the Oracle, the Architect, and few other key players have a somewhat ambiguous conversation about the fate of this simulated reality and its inhabitants. So what could this movie possibly be about? Isn't it all over now? I have a feeling these questions wont be answered for at least 4 or 5 more years, as these screen treatments haven't even been green-lit yet, but I'm willing to wager a few preliminary guesses. In my eyes, this could be done one of two ways. The first would to be to set the films in the time period between the first film and the second film, and could follow the exploits of the newly reborn Neo as he begins to adapt and develop his new "The One" abilities within the Matrix. Not sure what the conflict would be if this was the route chosen, though it'd be nice to watch as the Neo we know and love from the first film slowly progresses into the unstoppable superman from the second and third films.

The second, perhaps more likely option would be to set the films after the original trilogy, with the audience watching as more and more humans are being unplugged and brought into the real world. Reeves could play a program created by the machines in Neo's image in honor of his sacrifice in the third film, and this digital version of "The One" could be designed to help the humans understand and accept the reality of their situation before they actually get unplugged. If this were the case I could easily see some humans rebelling within the Matrix as this Neo-program tries to usher them towards freedom, with a war ensuing between rebel humans unwilling to accept that the Matrix isn't real and the unplugged humans trying to facilitate the change-over. The Neo-program must then try to keep the peace and save the lives of all the humans, rebels or not, still plugged in to the Matrix.

Confusing? You bet. But it could work, especially given how convoluted everything became in the second film (to this day I still don't completely understand everything the Architect was talking about). Either way, as a humongous fan of the first film, I am intrigued by this news, and would love to see the film series end on a more deserving note, without the icky feeling I got watching the first two sequels. Hopefully this project sees the light of day, and hopefully it doesn't suck giant robot tentacles.

For more information about this new project, click here.

UPDATE: According to Entertainment Weekly (via IGN.com), some of Reeve's reps have now said the information about these Matrix sequels has been greatly exaggerated. In fact, they are now saying that "none of it is true." Hmmm, I guess only time will tell. You can find the original story IGN got their info from here.

"The Dark Knight Rises" Character Reveal!

Woah! Big news day, folks. So, for a while now we've known that Tom Hardy from Inception was cast in a as-of-yet undisclosed role in Christopher Nolan's third Batman film (titled The Dark Knight Rises). Rumors fluttered around about who he may play: Edward Nigma/The Riddler, Hugo Strange, and the list goes on. Before that, people chattered about other possibilities for the villains: Depp or Leo as the Riddler, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin, etc. Well, today, we finally have some concrete details on the villain situation for Batman 3. According to a Warner Bros. press release, Tom Hardy will play Bane, the beefy villain best known for his strength-enhancing Venom serum and for breaking Batman's back. It will stand to be seen how Nolan adapts this fairly super-natural villain for his much more realistic take on Gotham, but here's hoping it is as far as possible from the version we saw in the despicably campy Batman & Robin flick. Yucko. My guess? Hardy's Bane is a beefy, well-trained thug who gets hired by the Gotham PD to track down the now-hunted Batman, but ends up taking matters into his own hands when the Bat slips from his grasp.

Bigger news still, however, is that Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada, Love and Other Drugs) has been cast as Selina Kyle/Catwoman! Great pick, if you ask me. Last time we saw Catwoman on the big screen was in the abomination Catwoman, played by Halle Berry in what was quite possibly the worst films of the past 10 years. However, Hathaway reminds me more of the Catwoman we saw in Batman Returns, memorably played by Michelle Pfeiffer, with her sexy leather catsuit and iconic "meow." Hathaway should bring a similar level of maturity to the role, and I am very excited to see what she can do. As for Nolan's take on Ms. Kyle, it appears Hathaway's feline fighter will have taken up the vigilante role left vacant since Batman's departure at the end of The Dark Knight, and this activity (presumably reckless and ineffective) is what incites Batman to return from the shadows.

Nintendo 3DS US Launch Details Revealed

Some of the more diligent of you may remember me gushing over the Nintendo 3DS after last year's E3 event. For those of you unfamiliar, the 3DS is Nintendo's upcoming hand-held gaming device that utilizes 3D imaging without the need for goofy glasses. It is said to have graphic fidelity that is on par with today's high-end systems. On top of that, the device takes 3D pictures and allows you to watch 3D videos on the go (again, with no glasses)! And perhaps the best part? Nintendo is remaking a large number of their old N64 classics (Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, etc.) to take full advantage of the 3D perspective. Other game companies are doing the same with their popular franchises, like Capcom (Street Fighter 4), Ubisoft (Splinter Cell), and Konami (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater).

For a while now, we've had information about the launch of the device in Japan, but had no specifics about the US launch or price. This morning, however, at a press event in New York, Nintendo finally announced their plans for the 3DS in the USA. The system will be released on March 27th, 2011, and will cost $250. Soon enough, but the price tag is pretty steep--a Wii cost that much at launch! Though some may argue that the 3DS's tech is more advanced than the Wii's, it seems odd to me that a hand-held system would cost as much as--and now that prices have dropped, more than--a full-featured home console. Heck, you can get a new XBox360 for $200! But either way, I am still extremely excited for the 3DS.

You can read more about Nintendo's 3DS announcements here and check out a live blog of Nintendo's press event here. You can also find a full FAQ released by Nintendo about the 3DS here.

Throwbacks for the New Year

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're back! Phew, feels good to be writing again. Wait, hold on. [Cracks knuckles] Ahh, there we go.

So new year, new look, new posts. Should probably start with something new and fresh, right? WRONG!

For some of us, the tolling of the new year leads us closer and closer to some undesirable landmarks--the final days of high school or college, the first steps into the terrifying working world, the time our children leave the nest, the moment you realize it is no longer okay for a man your age to play a never-ending lineup of video games (sigh). Yes, the joy and grandiose scale of New Year's Eve comes with a certain somber undertone in tow; a haunting feeling that you are on a runaway train heading further and further from the warm memories and familiarity of yesteryear. But we can reminisce, can't we? And what better way to do so than through the lens of popular culture? It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the fads and entertainment phenomenons of our youth stick with us as strongly, if not with more adhesion, than do our own memories. So here are my picks for some new pieces of pop culture that will help us remember the best of generations past as we begrudgingly move forward into 2011.

Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) (11/21/10)
Anyone who grew up with a Super Nintendo most likely remembers a few games with particular fondness: Super Mario World, TMNT 4: Turtles in Time, Contra III, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, F-Zero, Super Metroid, and the list goes on and on (and on and on and on). But if you are like me, one series stands out in particular: Donkey Kong Country. The original DKC was one of the first games to utilize charming pre-rendered 3D graphics, and it's visual prowess was matched in spades by unique and challenging 2D platforming gameplay. And though the sequel slightly edges out the original as far as overall quality in my opinion, few gaming memories resonate with me as strongly as collecting the K-O-N-G letters, crushing Kremlings, and riding Rambi the Rhino off into the sunset. Recently, Nintendo has handed over the series' reins to Retro Studios, who adapted this genius formula for the Wii's advanced hardware. And the results are truly jaw-dropping. This is a game that balances past and present with amazing precision, simultaneously reminding us of the original while introducing creative new elements in every level. Add to the mix gorgeous real-time 3D visuals, fun cooperative play, and a clever use of the foreground and background, and you get one of the best Wii games available, and a fantastic reminder of the Super Nintendo classics. Pick this up now and let the memories come flooding back.

Lights Out (FX) (1/11/11)
Sports movies have been a staple of cinema for a long time. Many of my favorite childhood films have been sports movies: The Mighty Ducks, Little Big League, Rookie of the Year, The Sandlot, Cool Runnings, etc. Yet while movies about team sports like baseball and hockey often have a lighter tone, boxing movies have always had a palpable level of drama and tragedy. Some truly classic films have been about boxing--Raging Bull, the Rocky series. And while recent flicks like The Fighter have been highly acclaimed in their own right, perhaps the best way to relive these classics is by watching the serialized drama of FX's new show "Lights Out". "Lights Out" stars Holt McCallany as Patrick "Lights" Leary, an aging, out-of-shape once-champion boxer who had his title stripped from him in a fight decided by a questionable judge's decision (a la De Niro's Jake LaMotta). Leary is now broke and struggling to support his wife and three daughters, forced to take demeaning jobs such as acting as a collector/thug for a local loan shark (a la Stallone's Rocky Balboa). The stakes are high and the drama is realistic as Leary decides to step back into the ring, making "Lights Out" the perfect small-screen adaptation of the themes from those big screen classics.

Episodes (ShowTime) (1/9/11)
If you are like me, multiple-camera sitcoms make up a substantial chunk of your DVR space. And while some are new--"How I Met Your Mother," "Rules of Engagement," "The Big Bang Theory," "Two and a Half Men"--my favorites are the ones I watched when I was a kid. My all time favorite? "Friends." Laugh if you will, but few shows captured the same level of comedy, chemistry, and relationship drama as the David Crane and Marta Kaufman classic. It's hard to believe that the show first aired in 1994, 16 years ago. And while the syndicated reruns still play on multiple networks, I also enjoy reminiscing about the show by checking out what the actor's are doing now. Most have enjoyed fruitful careers in TV and movies. However, one "Friends" star--Matt LeBlanc (Joey)--has kind of fallen off the map since his ill-fated spin-off series (not to mention that awful monkey-baseball movie Ed). However, LeBlanc has finally made his way back to TV in ShowTime's new series "Episodes," a vehicle that is probably 300 times smarter than the two terrible jobs I just mentioned. "Episodes" (created by Crane and "Mad About You"'s Jeffrey Larik) is about two British writers whose acclaimed BBC comedy series gets picked up for an American adaptation, and the nonsense that ensues as the US studio begins to bastardize their original masterpiece. The first bastardization? The choice of LeBlanc to play the lead role (which is supposed to be a quick-witted elderly headmaster of a prestigious boarding school). Watching LeBlanc play a caricature of himself is great fun (apparently his character has a humongous "little general"), and makes "Episodes" a nice lens through which to view his time playing the daft Joey on "Friends.

All You Need Is Now (Duran Duran) (12/21/10)
If my sister has taught me one thing it is that 80s pop music is just the best. How can you listen to acts like Men Without Hats, Wang Chung, Tommy Tutone, Hall & Oates, Outfield,  and Toto without feeling an uncontainable need to dance and sing along? You can't, I say! And what band better captures the sense of the 80s than pop paragons Duran Duran? Yes, with songs like "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio," Duran Duran all but defined 80s pop-rock, with their sophomore album Rio standing in particularly high regard amongst 80s aficionados. What's even more impressive is that the band has been consistently firing out albums ever since. And their most recent effort (All You Need Is Now, their 13th studio album) is a near-flawless LP of 9 original tracks that is a fantastic return-to-form for the band, mixing 80s musical sensibilities with some modern production values (thanks to Grammy Award-winning producer Mark Ronson). So hit the iTunes store and click download, then comb up your Flock of Seagulls haircut, sling on your pink blazer, pick up your keytar, and sit back and enjoy this trip down memory lane.

Honorable Mentions:
Tron Legacy (12/16/10)
Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) (Weezer) (11/2/10)
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (PS3/Xbox 360) (2/15/11)

Happy New Year from Poposaurus!

Dear loyal Pop-o-philes:


Happy new year! Hope you are all enjoying the first few days of 2011.

I know PopREX hasn't been updated in a long while , but I've been itching to get back into it, so keep your eyes peeled for some new content popping up in the coming weeks. And as always, if you are interested in a position as a full-time contributor, please shoot me an email at poposaurus@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!


Wishing you all the best in the new year,
The Spot