This is the point where if this blog were a ship I would crack a bottle of champagne against its hull (although that always seems like a waste of a perfectly good alcoholic beverage). This blog is ready to set sail, with a few previous posts to give it a little bit of backstory. I considered upgrading its look with stylish graphics, but I decided I wanted people to read it because of what I write not how it looks. Black text on a white background is perfectly suited to that task and if you really want to look at pretty pictures, go read the comics I talk about or see the comics-based films I review. Now them's some pretty pictures.

Review: "Blade: The Series"

The first episode of Blade: The Series is like a really bad B-movie. Granted, the concept of Blade is basically B-movie fodder, but the comics and films were generally well-executed and entertaining. The television series? Well, not so much.

It's especially disappointing because the series was developed by David Goyer, who wrote all three Blade theatrical films as well as Batman Begins (though, to be fair, he also wrote the incredibly bad Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD television movie that starred David Hasselhoff). The first episode's script is by Goyer and Geoff Johns, one of the hottest writers in comics. The two of them can write much better than what was on display last night, as demonstrated in their past collaboration on the JSA comic book series. I see their names in the credits, but the end result doesn't display their touch.

Sticky Fingaz takes over for Wesley Snipes as the title character, but his acting range is limited to glaring and yelling, and he doesn't have the moves of Snipes. He looks cool but once he opens his mouth or tries to emote, the illusion is shattered. Snipes was a badass Blade and he could act. Most of the other actors seem to have stepped out of a high school stage production.

Peter O'Fallon's direction is either poor or it was shot on a very low budget, and the latter may be the case because O'Fallon has previously performed solid work on shows like House and Wonderfalls. May I also mention the hamhanded music by Ramin Djawadi blaring in nearly every scene? Perhaps this is why the actors yell so much.

If Blade: The Series showed any potential, I would give it a second chance. Unfortunately, it doesn't so I won't. My recommendation is to avoid it.

Review: "Superman Returns"

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Superman Returns - After twenty-six years, there's finally a worthy sequel to 1978's Superman: The Movie and 1980's Superman II, and one which takes the Superman mythology in a bold direction for a new generation.

This film uses Superman: The Movie and Superman II as a vague backstory, and some time after the events of the second film Superman journeys to Krypton to see what remains of his birth planet. Five years later, he returns to find that the people of Earth may have moved on without him; even Lois Lane is bitter about his leaving and now has a fiance and a young son. It soon becomes apparent that the planet and Lois still need him as Lex Luthor uses stolen Kryptonian technology to put in motion another devious plan to gain power and only Superman can stop him.

Director Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2: X-Men United) and co-writers Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris (X2: X-Men United) remain faithful to the vision of Superman explored by director Richard Donner in 1978 while modernising it and giving it some fresh directions to go in. The film explores the messianic hero aspect of the character, perhaps not as fully as it could have, but still it's something previous films and television shows have mostly ignored (although Smallville plays in the same field). The story is cohesive and wisely takes its time in setting up the characters before showing Superman in action, just as the first film in 1978 did. I won't spoil any of the big surprises, but one of them adds an entirely new spin to the Superman mythology, and does so in an emotionally satisfying manner.

This film was shot using the new Panavision Genesis high definition digital video camera rather than on film. How does it look? Amazing. It's the first film shot on digital video that doesn't look like it was shot on digital video. Earlier films shot digitally still had a bit of a video look and this film represents a huge leap forward in the technology of filmmaking. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel gives the film a polished, sophisticated look, perfectly blending live action and CGI effects into a cohesive visual whole. The creations of production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas and costume designer Louise Mingenbach harken back to both the 1930s origins of the character and the previous films while also looking completely modern. Although I had some qualms about the new costume based on still shots, it looks marvelous on screen. Composer John Ottman (also the film's co-editor) nicely blends the John Williams themes from the 1978 film and his own compositions into a satisfying whole (keeping the fantastic Williams themes was one of the best decisions Singer made). All of the personnel listed above previously worked with Singer on the X-Men films, giving them familiarity with both the director and superhero films, and the experience pays off. The visual effects are stunning. If you believed a man could fly after the original film, wait until you see this one. You'll feel like you're flying with him.

Although Christopher Reeve remains the best Superman ever, and newcomer Brandon Routh lacks some of Reeve's range as an actor, Routh still successfully re-interprets the character of Clark Kent and Superman for the 21st century and a new generation of fans. The film works because he is believable, both as Clark Kent and as Superman. I had doubts about 23-year-old Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, but she quickly dispels them. Kevin Spacey plays Lex Luthor like Gene Hackman did, but gives him more of a sinister edge in a showy performance that works wonderfully. I wanted to see more of him. Tristan Lake Leabu is charming as Lois' young son and James Marsden (Cyclops in the X-Men films) is surprisingly good as her fiance. Parker Posey plays Luthor's none too bright moll exactly right. Frank Langella as Perry White, Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen, and Eva Marie Saint as Ma Kent are all well-suited for their roles. Jack Larson and Noel Neill (Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane in the 1950s television show) have brief cameos, as does Sir Richard Branson as a shuttle pilot. It's nice to see a digitally resurrected Marlon Brando as Jor-El once again.

In short, this is the best Superman film since the first one in 1978. I went in with high expectations and wasn't disappointed once. It takes the Superman mythology and adds to it, while paying homage to its predecessors (the three dimensional opening credits and Superman's fly-by at the end). This film will take hold of you as soon as the famous John Williams theme starts playing over the opening credits and won't let you go until the theme plays again over the closing credits. It literally takes you up, up, and away, and the Man of Steel demonstrates that he remains the greatest superhero of all time. In case you don't get it yet, I'm highly recommending this film. Now I can't wait to see where the next film takes the franchise and the mythology.

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Side Notes: After seeing Superman Returns, there's no doubt in my mind that Bryan Singer is a great director of superhero films. Even when his films don't follow comics continuity, they still capture the spirit of the characters for the screen. He gets to the essence of the characters, and perhaps only Sam Raimi does it as well. I rank Singer higher than Raimi because Singer has done it with two franchises. How good could the third X-Men film have been if the studio had waited for Singer to finish Superman Returns?

I was eight years old when Superman: The Movie was released in 1978. I absolutely loved the film. One of the coolest moments in it was at the end when Superman flew into space, smiled, and flew past the camera to the strains of John Williams' theme. I felt like my eight year old self again when Superman Returns ended the same way.

Spider-Man 3 Trailer

Could this be the first superhero film franchise to avoid the dreaded third film curse?

Three more days until Superman Returns opens. I've already purchased my ticket for a Wednesday morning showing. It can't come soon enough. The other day, I was working in the kitchen with sharp objects and hot items when I hard the John Williams theme on the television in the other room. I was like, "Yay, Superman!", and nearly killed myself with said sharp objects and hot items trying to get to the other room to see the commercial.

On the other hand, I refuse to get excited by the resurrection of the on-again, off-again Watchmen film at a new studio. It's been in pre-production more often than it rains in Seattle and it's never actually made it into production yet. The current director attached to the project is Zack Snyder, who directed the Dawn of the Dead remake. If Terry Gilliam or Paul Greengrass couldn't get it made, can Snyder? I think Snyder is a good choice. He has a nice visual sensibility and I liked his version of Dawn of the Dead. Reportedly, Frank Miller is happy with Snyder's film adaptation of his graphic novel 300, which will be released next year. Still, I was disappointed that the previous attempt to get the film made with Greengrass didn't succeed, because his work on Bloody Sunday and United 93 have shown him to be a serious filmmaker with a knack for creating a heightened sense of reality that makes the audience feel like they're inside the film's world.

Iron Man is finally coming to the big screen with a release date of May 2, 2008 already set. It will be produced by Avi Arad, who recently resigned from his post as head of Marvel Studios to become an independent producer of Marvel-related films. Although his new production company will produce the film, Marvel Entertainment is funding it as the first of its self-financed productions to be distributed through Paramount Pictures. I'm not sold on Jon Favreau (Elf, Zathura) as director, mainly because his past efforts have had entertainment value but lacked the spark that can turn an okay film into a good or great film.

Futurama is coming back. Comedy Central has ordered thirteen new episodes to air sometime in 2008. "Such a show! I'd follow it to hell and back, I would!" (An imaginary cookie for anyone who guesses which Futurama character I'm paraphrasing.)