Tag: Batman

Ben Affleck: The Saving Grace of Batman V. Superman

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It’s funny how one TV spot can change fans opinion of an actor’s take on a role. The latest Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer focused heavily on Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman, finally unleashing the sinister nature of the new Bat. Apparently, Wayne doesn’t like the potential damage an alien can bring to Earth. Check it out.

Affleck will save this film from being a campy overstuffed mess. I said it then and stand by it now. When he was first announced as the next Batman years ago, the dawn of fan hatred began. They threatened everything close to Affleck except for his beloved Boston Red Sox and lovely ex-wife Jennifer Garner. It was a serious revolt and worse than the Daniel Craig/James Bond dirt talk.

Why? A number of reasons that all centered around one. Affleck sucked in Daredevil. There are other reasons people will list, but this one takes the cake. The last time Affleck put on tights and tried to be noble, the result was a flop and something Netflix had to clean up later(ironically, the new season of Daredevil premieres a week after Bat and Sup do battle). The reality is that Daredevil was terrible on a whole new level and not just with Affleck. Mark Steven Johnson’s directing was wretched, Garner wasn’t good at all, and the saving grace was Colin Farrell, having too much fun as Bullseye.

Affleck has made a strong comeback in the last ten years, getting nominated for Oscars and directing a trio of films(Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo) that stand up to any other director’s last three films. He has also become a better actor by mixing himself into ensembles and taking the right parts to properly utilize his talent. Love or hate the guy, there’s rapid truth to the fact that he can’t miss right now.

Warner Brothers seems to think his performance is pretty good. Many if not all of the recent TV Spots have focused on Batman and many of the trailers have as well. Director Zach Snyder’s Man of Steel was a good if not great film and the studio declined to give him another stand alone Superman film. Isn’t that telling?

Warner Brothers has dished out three Batman film per decade and only give Snyder one Superman film even after it made some good money. Why? They like Batman more and really like Affleck’s take on the character. Why else would you see Batman in Suicide Squad and there be confirmed rumors of a feature length stand alone Affleck Batman film? A studio doesn’t pour 200-300 million dollars into a guy they are not sure about. They all know Affleck is going to be fantastic as Wayne and do Batman justice as well.

It’s the perfect mix of actor and role, especially since this Batman is older, edgier and has something to prove. Affleck nearly didn’t take the role before Snyder told him what the world around Batman was and how he would fit into it. This is not your ordinary Batman. This is a mad man and someone who saw lives lost in the finale of Man of Steel, a huge plot point and basis of fan criticism that is playing a role in the new film.

Stop worrying about whether Affleck will be as good as Bale and check your hatred at the door knowing he won’t be as bad as Tobey Maguire was as Peter Parker. Ben Affleck will be the best part of Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. He will be the one you will be walk away talking about. The film, well, that is still a mystery.

Affleck is a reason for even the casual comic book movie and film lovers to take a chance with this summer tentpole.

“Batkid Begins” will tear you up in a good way

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Batkid Begins is going to make you cry, folks. Men, women, kids and even a few pets. You’ve been warned.

Dressed as Batkid, Make-A-Wish recipient Miles Scott spent the day fighting crime as San Francisco was turned into Gotham City, Friday. Scott, a 5-year old leukemia patient, had his wish fulfilled with the help of Make-A-Wish Foundation, San Francisco police chief Greg suhr and Mayor Ed Lee.
Dressed as Batkid, Make-A-Wish recipient Miles Scott spent the day fighting crime as San Francisco was turned into Gotham City, Friday. Scott, a 5-year old leukemia patient, had his wish fulfilled with the help of Make-A-Wish Foundation, San Francisco police chief Greg suhr and Mayor Ed Lee.

The story of Miles Scott, a five year old boy with leukemia who gets to dream big when the Make A Wish foundation grants his request to be Batman for a day. This wasn’t just a group of people making a costume, clearing a room out and having some cake. This was the entire city of San Francisco being swapped for a mythical Gotham city that captivated the entire world. People from countries around the world, including political leaders, wanted to be a part of Miles’ story. Everybody wanted in on this action because it was genuine goodness. President Obama, Ben Affleck, Adam West, and Michael Keaton all pledging a love for the little kid who wanted to forget about the disease that had wrecked him for so long and just be a kid again. Watching this movie, I kept thinking of David Bowie’s classic song, “Heroes”.

“We can be heroes. Just for one day.” Miles’ story reminded the world that goodness isn’t that far away if the right navigator is at the front of the line.

Director Dana Nachman takes you through the entire process, livening up Miles’ comic book like tale and geeking out with the visuals. This is a story that takes certain aim for your heart no matter what because of how improbable it was from the start and the spectacle that it became. It was impossible to not hear about Batkid back in November, 2013 when it all took place. Without being superficial, Batkid Begins just takes you along for the ride of how a simple family from a small farming town found their way into the center of global attention.

It doesn’t  happen without a marvel like Make a Wish maestro Patricia Wilson coordinating with the police, local theaters, various organizations and event planners from across the city and country. In order to get this moving, Wilson couldn’t take no for an answer. Mike Jutan and Eric Johnson teaming up to play Penguin and Batman. You will tear up watching Johnson connect with Miles at a gymnastics center as they train for their stunts. When Johnson lets Miles fly on a trapeze across the gym, it’s a comfy cool great moment that will fill you with the feels usually reserved for war films with men and sad romantic dramas for women. Batkid Begins will touch you all in a different way.

I wanted to be a superhero when I was a kid. Whether it was Superman or The Punisher, I wanted to roam the streets and save people and wear the costume. At some point in our lives, we all want to be the hero. Seeing Miles live out his dream, against all odds, made a part of me feel complete. That day, he saved a lot of people, not including the actors and staged action adventures that were placed all over the city. People held up signs throughout the day that simply said, “Save us Batkid”. In the hard knock of life, strangers felt their own tragic lives being steered towards a better safer place by watching a true fighter in Miles live out a dream. Sometimes, the world works in crazy ways and it connects people in the most unlikely of ways.

Batkid Begins is the story of a miracle. Something seemingly impossible that happened because of the work of several dedicated people. Miles Scott went into remission right around the event and is healthy now. As he gets older, my guess is he will never forget the day the world was his. Neither will we.

Batkid Begins is available on Redbox and On Demand.

Batkid Begins Trailer Will Break You

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Boys Batman WishTrailers have the unbelievable ability to touch you inside two minutes. Through a sequence of editing of images and scenes weaved together seamlessly, a movie or documentary can cut right to your heart. In the case of Batkid Begins, the documentary about Miles Scott and his day in the life as Batman in San Francisco via the Make A Wish Foundation, this trailer will move you and if it doesn’t, go have your pulse checked.

In the beginning, the Make A Wish Foundation would grant a trip to Disney Land or show a kid a great day away from his normal life. Occasionally, they can do something magical. There’s nothing more tragic than child leukemia and in order to provide Miles with a little dose of childhood fun, the city of San Francisco and its police force, population and the thousands that flew into the city helped create Gotham for the Batman fanatic Miles. This all took place on November 15th, 2013 and the event went viral and persuaded the world to peek in and witness it. Wherever you were, Batkid was on your mind. (more…)

Dark Knight Rises Revisited

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I wrote this over a year ago and I found it today while scanning through my drafts here. Wow. I did have a raucous debate with a fellow comic book fan and it led to me taking another look at a sequel that divided Batman fans. I wouldn’t look too hard at the writing. It’s back in the pre-sharpened Buffa days but please enjoy it. It is full and long and goes to the end and back. 

After a spirited healthy debate with a quality comic book fan and film fan on Twitter today, I wanted to retrace my thoughts about the Dark Knight Rises, the conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s sensational trilogy of films about Batman.  While doing this, I will answer a lingering question in the film world.  Is Dark Knight Rises Oscar worthy in the main categories and months later, what is the effect of Nolan’s film?

First, this movie isn’t perfect.   There are plot holes and certain threads that don’t completely work,  and any film fan can tell you that the length of the film is felt.   Bane isn’t as great of a villain as The Joker, but that was impossible.   That’s the best way to describe this conclusion.   It wasn’t as memorable or superb as The Dark Knight, arguably the best comic book interpretation ever put on film, but that doesn’t mean DKR wasn’t great.   In my opinion, it was.   The story was great because it wrapped up the three films in a satisfying and morally ambiguous manner, spinning a scene from Batman Begins and weaving it into the storyline of the final film, bookending the tales.   When you watch all three films, the moral of Nolan’s story either hits or it doesn’t.  Like any great film series, the take will be debated for decades.  Did Nolan do enough to capture the heart of comic book and film fans?  In my humble opinion, he did.   I have reasons for that.   I will lay them out here in detail.   The film was a blend of realism and fantasy.   If you go into this movie wanting to know why Batman didn’t pull out the tubes in Bane’s face in the first fight or why didn’t happen, you are clearly nitpicking.  No one can win there.  It is indeed a movie.  An interpretation that gains credible status by staging things in reality.  In the end, the fight for Batman was one made up of symbolism.   Watch this scene first before reading on.  It wraps the trilogy together quite well.

1.) Remember that Batman isn’t a superhero.  He is one man, flawed, human, breakable, fallable and far from perfect.   He isn’t chemically engineered like Captain America or carry a beast inside him like the Hulk.  He is a rich man who uses his intelligence and money for good and creates a suit of armor to protect him and puts together gadgets to help him outsmart and outlast bad people.   He makes a choice, as the moral of the story points to, to fight crime and stop the kind of people who kill innocents, like his parents.  In DKR, Batman ran into a physically and mentally strong opponent in Bane who was connected to Wayne through their past experiences.   A perfect villain for Batman to tangle with.   In the end, Bruce didn’t defeat Bane by himself but with help from reformed criminal Selena Kyle and John Blake.

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