Batman 3 Rumors

The anticipation is literally killing me. As a long-time Batman fanatic, I am so psyched for the next (and apparently last) installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise. Every-so-often I find myself checking out sites for little tidbits and what I have found so far has been interesting and a little scary.

A few weeks ago I saw that IMDB was listing the character of Dick Grayson under "Untitled Batman Project". That was a bit scary, since Robin is not of any interest to me when it comes to the Batman universe. I assumed IMDB was messing with us.

Today I notice that that the character of Dick Grayson is no longer listed, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt is...as The Riddler/Edward Nigma. While I am not too thrilled that The Riddler is following so closely on the heels of The Joker, I have been talking up Joseph Gordon Levitt as one to watch for a while. Strangely, I am willing to leave this decision in the ever-competent hands of Mr. Nolan, but then again, I really have no choice.

I anxiously await another killer viral marketing campaign and more rumors to mull over. In the meantime, if you happen to stumble upon anything interesting, report back to me here at moviemegaphone!

Summer Movie Review: The Expendables

If you are looking for a fun "Dude Movie", The Expendables is it. Chock full of action heroes from the past and present this movie delivers a violent and explosive serving of pure man movie.

The testosterone is palpable as bones crack and guns rip through bad guy flesh. The fight scenes were CRAZY and amazingly choreographed. There were some great laughs and some good performances. Mickey Rourke was perfect, Statham played well with Stallone, Dolph Lundgren was perfectly creepy and Terry Crews' quips were downright hysterical.

Stallone is definitely the product of pushing the limits of the human body (and plastic surgery), but somehow he still has that presence on screen that is respectable. He pulled together an amazing cast of kick-ass dudes and made a movie that male audiences really reacted to. Guys in the theater were actually jumping out of their seats at times. Sly's machine obviously knows what dudes want, and with sold out shows, they delivered.

A few things were disappointing considering all the other over the top stuff in the film. The CGI was sloppy and obviously not a priority. The love-interest stories were lame and insignificant. There really was no need for Charisma Carpenter, as she is only watchable when she played Cordelia Chase on Buffy. You could argue that it helped character development, but the audience just wants to see these guys blow stuff up and bash some heads. Jet Li, though funny, seemed difficult to understand at times.

I predicted that the boys will win this weekend's box office fight against the girls with "Eat, Pray, Love" and the early estimates look like I am correct. The Expendables was a crazy ride and dudes everywhere will really dig it.


MM Rating: 2 Megaphones

Summer Movie Review: SALT

I love surprises. Actually, I REALLY love surprises, and Salt was one of those little summer movie gems that catches you off guard. I wanted to see this movie because I love Angelina Jolie and her movies of late always have over-the-top stunts and fight scenes. Little did I know that there would be an interesting plot as well.

Between awesome stunts and Angelina's signature kick-ass face (see below), there was a twisty plot-line that kept you interested. Who is Evelyn Salt? Is she a spy? Who's side is she on?


In an effort to not get too spoiler-ish, I will make this review short and sweet. The plot was interesting, Angelina was intense, the music was fitting (composed by James Newton Howard) and the visuals were as exciting and fast-paced as the story. It was a fun ride and I highly recommend you go see it.

MM Rating: 4 Megaphones

Pirates 4 Teaser: Epic Fail for Bruckheimer Machine

I had heard that there was a teaser trailer of sorts at Comic Con for the 4th installment of the Pirates franchise. My niece had also told me that it was among the previews for Toy Story 3 this summer, so I went foraging around the web and found it. What's on even stranger tides, I am not able to share it by embedding the video here. You Tube had a message that "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Jerry Bruckheimer Films." Why make it so difficult?

Talk about missing a possible viral opportunity. I am not sure I understand why Disney wouldn't want the "Jack Sparrow Recruitment Clip" out there circulating easily and creating buzz for the film. Considering it's going to be Jack-centric without the annoyances of Elizabeth and Will, it will be highly anticipated anyway, but some silly clips like this one would be smart marketing.

This link will set you on course with the teaser and behind he scenes videos of the shoot in Hawaii. Pirates 4 Teaser Etc.



Up this week: another summer movie review: "Salt".