Review: "Son of Batman" Has a Star in Batman's Son

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Son of Batman (2013) – straight-to-video
Running minutes: 74 minutes (1 hour, 14 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for stylized violence including bloody images, and some suggestive material |
DIRECTOR:  Ethan Spaulding
WRITERS:  Joe R. Lansdale; from a story by James Robinson (based on the comic books written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Andy Kubert; and based on Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger)
EDITOR:  Christopher D. Lozinski
COMPOSER:  Frederik Weidmann
ANIMATION STUDIO:  The AnswerStudio

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION

Starring:  (voices) Jason O’Mara, Stuart Allen, Thomas Gibson, Morena Baccarin, Dee Bradley Baker, Xander Berkeley, Giancarlo Esposito, Sean Maher, David McCallum, Diane Michelle, Fred Tatasciore, Bruce Thomas, Kari Wahlgren, and Andrea Romano

Son of Batman is a 2014 direct-to-video superhero animated film from Warner Bros. Animation.  Starring DC Comics’ favorite dark knight detective, Batman, this is also the 19th feature in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line.

Son of Batman is based on the 2006 comic book story arc, “Batman and Son,” by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert (published in Batman #655 to 658).  In Son of Batman the movie, Batman learns that he has fathered a child who is now an unruly pre-teen boy with a strong desire to ruthlessly kill his enemies.

Son of Batman opens in the secret mountain fortress of The League of Assassins.  There, Ra’s al Ghul (Giancarlo Esposito) and his daughter, Talia (Morena Baccarin), train the members of the league (who seem to be mostly ninja) in the art of terrorism and killing.  Without warning, Slade Wilson a/k/a Deathstroke (Thomas Gibson) leads an attack on the fortress.  Deathstroke, Ra’s al Ghul’s once chosen successor, has returned for revenge, and he succeeds in killing Ra’s.

Talia realizes that Deathstroke’s next target is her son, Damian (Stuart Allen), so she spirits the boy away to Gotham City.  There, she introduces him to his father, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Jason O’Mara), and leaves the boy in Bruce’s care.  However, Bruce Wayne and his loyal friend/butler, Alfred Pennyworth (David McCallum), soon learn that Damian is violent, disobedient, and unmanageable.

Damian is determined to find Deathstroke in order to avenge his grandfather, Ra’s, so it is up to Batman to help his son before he makes things worse or gets himself killed.  Dick Grayson/Nightwing (Sean Maher), who was once Batman’s original sidekick, Robin, returns to help Batman control his kid.

I find Son of Batman to be rather entertaining, mostly because of the character of Damian Wayne.  He’s a delightful, lovable brat, and his penchant for killing and maiming is scandalous in an appealing way rather than being edgy in a troubling way (although I guess that even a murderous fictional child should be troubling).  I wish Son of Batman had even more of the son of Batman; in fact, I wouldn’t mind watching a movie built around Damian Wayne.

The other characters are good, but, other than Batman, there aren’t enough of them.  Deathstroke, a most excellent villain, really exists at the periphery of the film’s story.  There also should have been more scenes depicting the obvious rivalry between Dick Grayson/Nightwing, Batman’s first “son,” and Damian, Batman’s “blood” son.  And Talia is a seriously messed up bitch; the movie needed more of her.

It is obvious that 74 minutes of runtime is not long enough for all the characters and subplots in Son of Batman.  This movie would be better if it were longer and little uncut.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, July 30, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites for July 27 to August 2, 2014 - Update #14

NEWS:

From RadarOnline:  Friends are supposedly warning Charlize Theron against marrying fellow actor, Sean Penn.

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From BusinessInsider:  Woody Allen won't cast black actors in his movies?  The famed actor responds.

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From UPI:  Emma Stone joins Joaquin Phoenix for Woody Allen's next film, an untitled murder mystery set on a college campus.

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From TheVillageVoice:  A review of the James Brown biopic, Get on Up.

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From CinemaBlend:  Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" gets a teaser poster; plus, more info on the film.

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From Yahoo:  7 new Avengers photos from the "Age of Ultron."

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From Deadline:  Quentin Tarantino is moving ahead with his planned Western film, "The Hateful Eight."

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From YahooGMA:  Freddie Prinze, Jr. on working with Kiefer Sutherland.  The former thinks the latter is unprofessional.

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From THR:  Lucy, starring Scarlett Johannson, leads the July 25th to 27th, 2014 weekend box office.


COMIC BOOKS - Movies, TV, and Comics:

From BusinessInsider:  Tom Hiddleston's email to Joss Whedon about Whedon's script for Marvel's The Avengers.

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From TheVillageVoice:  A "slight praise" review of Guardians of the Galaxy.

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From YahooFinance:  Guardians of the Galaxy's end-credits scene leaked; it apparently features Howard the Duck and The Collector (Benecio del Toro).

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From CinemaBlend:  Stereotyping almost derailed "Guardians of the Galaxy."

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From CinemaBlend:  Wesley Snipes wants "Blade 4."

LEROY SAYS: Although the original films were produced by New Line Cinema, the rights have reverted to Marvel.  I don't know if Blade is even on Marvel's radar.  I think if they relaunch that they will go with a new actor playing the character.  I want Snipes, of course, but I just have this feeling that Marvel will go in a different direction.

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From CinemaBlend:  Purported photos from set of "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

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From Stack:  "Avengers 2's" Quicksilver will be different from X-Men: Days of Future Past's Quicksilver.

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From THR:  Here are the details about Marvel Comics' new Star Wars comic books, as the company takes over the license.  Dark Horse Comics previously held the license for about 23 years or so.


TRAILERS:

Official trailer for new Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

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Official trailer for new SpongeBob SquarePants movie.

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New trailer for Chris Nolan's Interstellar.

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New trailer for The Maze Runner.


OBITS:

From Variety:  Make-up maestro, Dick Smith, has died at the age of 92.  He won an Oscar (with Paul LeBlanc) for his work on Best Picture winner, Amadeus (1984).  His other work includes The Godfather, The Exorcist, Scanners, and Death Becomes Her.  If you wonder why Smith only won one Oscar, the Academy Award for Makeup was not created until 1981.  Rick Baker, who has won an Oscar seven of the 11 times he has been nominated, was a protege of Smith's.  Negromancer sends condolences to Smith's family and friends.


MISC.

From Politico:  Nick Hanauer says the pitchforks are coming.  Remember, he had an insane economic plan?

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An August (2014 Negromancer) Event

Welcome to August 2014!  Welcome to Negromancer 2.0.  This is the rebirth of Negromancer, the former movie review website as a new movie review and movie news site.  Thanks for stopping by.

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.

Oscar-Winning "Forest Gump" Celebrates 20th Anniversary in IMAX

FORREST GUMP CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH EXCLUSIVE ONE-WEEK IMAX® RELEASE ON SEPT. 5

IMAX Corporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX), Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB), and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment today announced that Robert Zemeckis’ Academy Award® Best Picture-winning Forrest Gump will get an exclusive one-week IMAX® re-release, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the film’s original theatrical release in 1994. The film will be digitally re-mastered for the immersive IMAX® format and released domestically by Paramount Pictures in IMAX® theatres starting September 5.

Forrest Gump, which won six Academy Awards including Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Director, will also receive a special Diamond Luxe Blu-ray release from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment September 30. The Diamond Luxe edition features a new sleek and durable collector-style packaging, with a state-of-the-art sophisticated design.

“As a ground-breaking achievement in both cinematography and visual effects for its time, Forrest Gump has become a modern American movie classic,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “We’re thrilled to once again collaborate with our longtime friends and partners Bob Zemeckis, Tom Hanks and Paramount. This film deserves a platform like The IMAX Experience® to help make its 20th anniversary one to remember.”

“On behalf of the entire Forrest Gump family, it is with great pleasure and pride that we bring Forrest Gump back to the big screen using the latest technology for the ultimate IMAX experience,” said producer Wendy Finerman.

Originally released in theaters by Paramount Pictures, Forrest Gump stars Hanks in the title role, a man who — despite his sub-normal IQ — led an extraordinary life, with a ringside seat to many of the most memorable events of the second half of the 20th century. The award-winning film went on to gross more than $675 million at the global box office, of which nearly $330 million came from North America, making it the highest-grossing film of all time when it was released in 1994.

The film also stars Robin Wright, Sally Field and Gary Sinise in his Oscar-nominated role as the cantankerous Lieutenant Dan.

The IMAX release of Forrest Gump will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s home video, digital distribution and interactive entertainment businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees, as well as directly to consumers through WBShop.com and WBUltra.

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices
in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of March 31, 2014, there were 840 IMAX theatres (707 commercial multiplexes, 18 commercial destinations and 115 institutions) in 57 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAX nXos® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

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First Poster for Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" Debuts

This poster, according to sources online, is supposed to debut in Empire magazine.  The film is due late 2015.  Tarantino will shoot it in 70-millimeter Super CinemaScope, which I think was used for films like Ben-Hur and Lawrence of Arabia.   Negromancer will keep you updated.

Review: Sharks Rule "Open Water"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 159 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Open Water (2004)
Running time:  79 minutes (1 hour, 19 minutes)
MPAA: Rated R for language and some nudity
EDITOR/WRITER/DIRECTOR: Chris Kentis
PRODUCER: Laura Lau
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Laura Lau and Chris Kentis
COMPOSER:  Graeme Revell

THRILLER/HORROR

Starring:  Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Estelle Lau, Michael E. Williamson, and John Charles

The subject of this movie review is Open Water, a 2003 thriller and psychological horror film from director Chris Kentis and producer Laura Lau.  The film is loosely based on the story of an American couple who were accidentally left behind on a scuba diving excursion in 1998.  Open Water follows two scuba divers, from the beginning of their vacation to their ordeal after their tour boat accidentally leaves them behind, stranding the couple in shark infested waters.

With its estimated $130,000 budget and its little-engine-that-could spirit, Open Water has become a summer movie critical darling, one of those films that acts like counter programming in a time of the year when films are loud, dumb, and fast and aimed at boys and twenty something men still in a mental state of boyhood.  But is Open Water the scariest movie of the summer?  No, it isn’t.  Jaws does a way better job selling a similar subject matter, and Open Water’s other claim to fame, that it’s shot with digital cameras, is also not impressive, but this is still an entertaining little thriller.

In the film, upwardly mobile young couple, Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis), take a much-needed vacation that includes a scuba diving excursion.  However, during the dive, their tour boat leaves early after one of the tour guides miscounts the number of divers returning to the boat.  Susan and Daniel surface to find themselves stranded in open water and soon learn that they are also in shark-infested waters.  As the hours pass, the couples comes to the grim conclusion that no one realizes that they were left behind, and as darkness falls danger looms under each wave.

Open Water is based upon the real life events from 1998 when American tourists Tom and Eileen Lonergan were left behind by their diving boat off the coast of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  This incident became a stunning and horrifying news headline, and the tale does make great fodder for film.  Open Water does indeed payoff in thrills, dread, and scares.  However, the film has a major flaw in that the leads, Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis, are good but not strong actors and both them and their characters are not endearing or very likeable for that matter.

From the early moments in this film, Ms. Ryan and Travis seem like the kind of average actors for which low budget usually settle.  Early on, they don’t come across as being at all acceptable as actors, but as the film goes on, their performances markedly improve.  But as frightening as the film scenario is (and the idea of being stranded out in open water, let alone open shark-infested water is both hair-raising and spine-tingling), the best the duo can do is make you feel sorry for the couple.  There is a distance about the actors’ personalities, and maybe that carries over to the characters, as well as explaining why the boat left the film couple stranded.  Susan and Daniel are standoffish and don’t make themselves part of the diving group, so no one missed them when they didn’t return to the boat.

Still, I imagine how great this film would have been with two Hollywood movie stars chewing up the scenery and making a very good scary movie into a great, memorable scary movie.  That’s what Open Water is – not memorable.  It’s fun and scary, but as unremarkable as most film product.  It’s good enough to be seen in a theatre, but anyone who waits for home video won’t be missing out on a cinematic experience in the theatre.  Like a lot of good horror movies and thrillers, Open Water is out of your mind by the time you walk out of the theatre.  That’s a shame because what happened to the real life Lonergans and their fictional counterparts is sad and tragic.  Too bad Open Water is only a mild version of that tragedy.

6 of 10
B

Updated:  Monday, July 28, 2014

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

"If I Stay" Soundtrack Arrives August 19th, 2014

If I Stay: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Due August 19th from WaterTower Music

Standard and Deluxe Albums Feature Songs as Performed in the Film

Includes Music by Beck, Ben Howard, Tom Odell, Sonic Youth, Willamette Stone, and More

Fan-Voted ‘Heart Like Yours’ Available with Album Preorder

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music today announced the August 19, 2014 release of the soundtrack to New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ drama “If I Stay,” based on Gayle Forman’s New York Times best-selling novel. The film will be released three days later on August 22.

    “One of the best things about the movie is getting to hear all the great music you don’t get to hear when you read the book. The way they brought the music to life gives the story a whole new dimension.”

Music is an integral part of the If I Stay storyline, be it Mia’s (Chloë Grace Moretz) practicing cello to get into the prestigious Juilliard music school, her father’s (Joshua Leonard) punk rock past, or Adam (Jamie Blackley) performing as singer/ guitarist of buzz band Willamette Stone. The film’s director, R.J. Cutler, stated, “It was immediately clear to me that If I Stay needed to feature a soundtrack assembled from a wide variety of styles and genres and would meld together to form an emotional, symphonic whole. The songs would reflect Adam’s roots in punk music and his contemporary sensibility, as well as the classical canon that Mia would master to apply to Juilliard. As I would often tell the cast and crew, in the world of If I Stay, music is the air that people breathe.”

After viewing the film, author Gayle Forman, who also served as an executive producer, commented, “One of the best things about the movie is getting to hear all the great music you don’t get to hear when you read the book. The way they brought the music to life gives the story a whole new dimension.”

Through social media outreach, If I Stay fans were given the opportunity to vote on the Willamette Stone song they most wanted to see released early, and they chose “Heart Like Yours.” The track is now available at iTunes, and will be delivered immediately to fans that pre-order the soundtrack.

WaterTower Music will be releasing two versions of the soundtrack: a fourteen song CD and digital release, as well as a digital deluxe configuration that contains eighteen tracks. Both albums feature multiple songs as performed in the film by Willamette Stone, while the digital deluxe version features an additional Willamette Stone track, along with several solo cello pieces performed in the film by Mia.

Due out August 19, the soundtrack for If I Stay is now available for pre-order at iTunes and Amazon.

1. "Who Needs You" – The Orwells
2. "Until We Get There" – Lucius
3. "I Want What You Have" – Willamette Stone
4. "All of Me" – Tanlines
5. "Promise" – Ben Howard
6. "Never Coming Down" – Willamette Stone
7. "Halo" – Ane Brun & Linnéa Olsson
8. "I Will Be There" – Odessa
9. "Mind" – Willamette Stone
10. “Morning” - Beck
11. “I Never Wanted To Go” (Bonus Track) – Willamette Stone **
12. “Karen Revisited” – Sonic Youth
13. "Today" – Willamette Stone
14. "Heart Like Yours" – Willamette Stone
15. "Heal (If I Stay Version)" – Tom Odell
16. ““Suite No. 1 in G Major for Solo Cello, BWV 1007: Prelude” (Bonus Track) – If I Stay
17. “Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 33” (Bonus Track) – If I Stay **
18. “Sonata in B Minor for Solo Cello, Op. 8” (Bonus Track) – Alisa Weilerstein **

** Available on the digital deluxe album

About “If I Stay”
Gayle Forman’s best-selling novel comes to the screen in New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ drama “If I Stay,” starring Chloë Grace Moretz (“Carrie,” the “Kick-Ass” films), Mireille Enos (TV’s “The Killing,” “World War Z”); Joshua Leonard (“Higher Ground”); Jamie Blackley (“Snow White and the Huntsmen”); and Stacy Keach (“Nebraska”).

Mia Hall (Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate. Also starring are Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard as Mia’s parents, Kat and Denny, and Stacy Keach as Gramps. Rounding out the main cast are Jakob Davies as Mia’s little brother, Liana Liberato as her best friend, Gabrielle Rose as Grandma, and Aisha Hinds as Nurse Ramirez.

R.J. Cutler directed the film from a screenplay by Shauna Cross based on Forman’s novel. “If I Stay” was produced by Alison Greenspan, with Denise Di Novi, Forman and Brad Van Arragon serving as executive producers. Cutler’s behind-the-scenes team included cinematographer John de Borman, production designer Brent Thomas, editor Keith Henderson, costume designer Monique Prudhomme and composer Heitor Pereira.

New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures present a Denise Di Novi production, “If I Stay.” Opening August 22, 2014, the film has been rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some sexual material and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. ifistaymovie.com

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