Tarantino Writing 20+ Page Review of 'Superman Returns'

Quentin Tarantino is known for being one of the biggest film geeks in the world (and I mean that in a good way). He also is known for being, shall we say, methodical in his output. Suffice to say, the man is a perfectionist and he takes his time to make sure the job is done right.

So it should be no big surprise that QT is writing a 20+ page review of a single movie. And the fact that the movie came out in 2006 is hardly a surprise, either.

In yesterday's edition of the New York Times, Tarantino was asked about the time he served on the jury at the Cannes Fim Festival and he followed the answer up by saying that he subsequently held his "own little Cannes Film Festival."

• NYT: In your festival, who won best director?
  QT: Bryan Singer for ‘‘Superman Returns.’’ I am a big fan of ‘‘Returns.’’ I’m working on what is now a 20-page review of that movie, and I’m not done yet.

For my money, if anyone can write a more-than-20-page-review on one movie (and make it worth my time), QT would be among the very few that could. And I bet his review will be well worth reading -- regardless of how you feel about the movie.

Since I happen to be an admirer of "Superman Returns," I am especially anxious to read what Tarantino has to say (or write). I'm just not expecting to be able to do so anytime soon. You know how Tarantino can be.

Mike Dougherty: "Two Announcements Are Coming"

Mike Dougherty has some of "Geek Nation" shifting in their computer chairs and investigating via the inter webs after a simple four sentence statement on his MySpace page blog.

Two announcements are coming. One in June, the other at Comic-Con in July. Fun stuff that makes me smile...and finally relax. Thanks for all of your messages and support.

This post has web masters and forum posters licking their lips in anticipation for said announcements especially since the title reads "Keep Watching The Skies". There is some speculation that Dougherty is referring to a Superman project. Could Dougherty be reuniting with Bryan Singer on some type of quasi-sequel. Considering all that has happened that seems pretty unlikely. Could Dougherty take a turn behind the lens as the director of a Superman film? Anything's possible.

The announcement in June is most likely referring to the not yet officially announced release of "Trick R Treat" which will make it's way to DVD and Blu Ray. The possible Comic Con announcement is what is causing the most intrigue. If not Superman, then what could it be? With Mike's penchant for all things that go bump in the night, could we be talking about aliens and UFOs?

Bryan Singer's "Bad Hat Harry Productions" made some noise in July when it was reported that the company was involved with two comic book adaptations, "Freedom Formula" and "Capeshooters". Genetically enhanced racers that use exo-suits to act as fighter jets makes up the story line for "Freedom Formula" and "Capeshooters" focuses on two paparazzi nobody's who accidently discover a beloved superhero is actually a villain through the power of their lens. One of these projects could be headed for Dougherty's desk.

Superman: World of New Krypton #2 Review

Written by Greck Rucka and James Robinsion

Penciled by Pete Woods

Cover by Gary Frank

Up To Speed:

Kandor has been released from its bottled state. 100,000 Kryptonians inhabit the new planet fixed within Earths orbit.

Dubbed by its citizens as "New Krypton", Superman decides to leave Earth for a period in order to help teach the Kryptonians how to use their powers responsibly as well as keep the peace with both worlds.

Kal-El's aunt, Alura, has taken reigns as head of the planet. When Kal-El arrives he is asked to follow the Kryptonian rituals of joining one of the many guilds. He shows disinterest, believing that such customs are unnecessary and all should be treated as equals.

With Kal-El refusing to choose, Alura assigns him to the military guild which is headed by General Zod. Now free from the Phantom Zone, Zod is regarded as a great hero to all on New Krypton.

Kal-El is now addressed as "Commander El."

World of New Krypton #2

On Oa, the Guardians discuss the ramifications of New Kryptons existence. They fear that under Zods rule, the Kryptonians will once again seek conquest throughout the galaxy as it happened long ago.

Back on New Krypton, Zod assigns Kal-El to lead the Law Enforcement and Civic defense unit called "Red Shard". He's given a first lieutenant as well, Asha Del-Nar.

Non, the mindless brute that was once a brilliant scientist, is being teased by members of Commander El's unit as they release a Torquat,(some mixture of a porcupine and rabid dog) upon him. He stops the charade and orders the unit to report for flying drills for the entire day.

In the Artists Guild, Kal-El and Alura talk of how her now deceased husband was a member of both the science and art guilds. Kal-El then has a chat with one of the men in the Labor Guild who confesses that some of his colleagues are uneasy in their position and look to have their voices heard.

His cousin, Kara/Supergirl, drops in and they have a quick moment together before being interrupted by Zod. He tells Kal-El of rampaging Thought-Beasts loose on the plains of New Krypton and assigns him to deal with the task. When his unit attempts to simply kill the beasts, Commander-El suggests a better option in leading the herd into an enclosed pit for safe keeping.

Zod compliments Commander-El on the situation but is quick to admit that he would have handled it much more aggressively. Their conversation is interrupted with news of the Labor Guild holding Alura and others hostage at the Gala.

Commander Gor, who is responsible for the deaths of several police officers when the city of Kandor was on Earth, has a group of the labor guild together and warns that if the hostages aren't freed he will release fire on the workers.

Story:

This story continues quite well, setting up some new challenges for the Man of Steel. Even though he's placed in a position he disagrees with, he goes along willingly in order to fit into his home world.

Zod challenges him at every turn to be more aggressive but he is still Clark Kent at heart. He shows compassion for Non, while being stern with those who were teasing. His alternative to retaining the Thought-Beasts is very clever and shows exactly why he needs to be there in helping his native people learn the values he was raised upon.

The cliffhanger works well to lead us into the next issue and I feel that there will be possible violent altercations between Superman and Commander Gor as they've already shown a disliking for one another.

Art:

Pete Woods art is strong although some parts fall a little flat for me. It seems like parts of the lines are too thick in places and need to be toned down a bit. Most of the characters are drawn quite well but at times his Superman seems a bit off in the facial area. His spread of the Artists Guild is beautiful and his landscapes look nice as well.  Over all though, really good work from Woods.

Great cover by Gary Frank, it would've been nice to see him doing this art, but we'll have him and Geoff Johns on Secret Origins which will be out soon.

Bizarro return for Superman to the big screen ?

Superman...the name still equates headlines, sure the big blue boyscout has lost some ground on his cooler contemparies like Batman, Spider-Man and Iron Man as relates to the main stream, but any mention of news on a new Superman movie generates talk among fans of the comic book genre and a headline on any movie site worth it's salt.

The big talk these days is of where the movie franchise goes next after the underperforming Superman Returns. Terms such as reboot and reinvention have been thrown around with the occasional mention of the word sequel, all of which has been covered by our very own Peter Georgiou, so how about a totally left field approach ?

That is the basis for the spec script by Robert Gordon, the writer of sci fi comedies 'Men In Black 2' and 'Galaxy Quest'.
Latino Review have a script review of his spec which sees Bizarro as the lead character for much of the movie while Supes is off again in space doing the hero thing, there is an initial big battle between the two that Superman wins, sending Bizarro's "lifeless" body to the bottom of the Aegean sea, but from here the story leaps forward ten years and pretty much takes out the key ingredient of Clark/Superman and Lois Lane's relationship, replacing it with a Frankenstein-esque plot that sees Zod and Ursa bringing Bizarro back from the depths and using him to manipulate the US government, into giving them the chamber from Superman 2 that will restore their powers so they can take over the Earth, how the government have the chamber I don't know.

The script is described as comedic and the way Zod and Ursua use Bizarro is seemingly to set him off to attempt to help people but he is so clumsy he fails and ends up causing more damage and havoc than he prevents...high jinks ensue I guess, their bargaining chip is that they have blue kryptonite which is the only thing that can kill Bizarro (Yes I have no idea why he lay on the bottom of the Ocean for ten years if he wasn't dead either) and will use it to do so if the government give them the aforementioned chamber. Bizarro of course is an unwitting pawn who thinks he is doing good and will eventually realize he has been duped and turn on his manipulators.

I am a big fan of Galaxy Quest so I respect the writer, but I for one hope this is not an approach Warner Brothers even think of going when they get around to putting Superman back on the big screen.

Lois Lane: The Safest Way To Travel

While we all are usually marveling on how Superman gets around with the power of flight, as you know Lois Lane doesn't have that luxury, unless she is on a plummeting plane that Superman has to guide to safety. Some of you may not have heard of a car company called "Nash", I certainly haven't, but if you had the luxury of being around during the late 40's and 50s you might be familiar with the cars featuring seats that transform into beds. Nash first made their mark on the automobile industry in 1937 by introducing the first air conditioning system in their cars. Their most famous model is the "Rambler" as described by Examiner.com's Jim Cherry and pictured below:

Nash introduced a baby Rambler convertible in 1950. The early compact had side window rails that stayed fixed as the canvas top rolled back and was featured as Lois Lane’s ride on the original Superman TV series.

While Noel Neil might have been "Rambling" around in her convertible during the run of "The Adventures of Superman" Margot Kidder's Lois Lane cruised in a Ford sedan in "Superman: The Movie"

Courtesy of Caped Wonder

What car would your Lois Lane drive? Let us know.