Christopher Nolan by Liz Baylen | LA Times

In an interview with Hero Complex, Christopher Nolan has revealed the title of the third Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises,” set to be released in 2012. Another piece of news he let slip was the film will not be shot in 3D but  in 2D, with additional assistance from IMAX cameras and HD approaches. The best piece of news was his confirmation that the Riddler will not be the villain in the film. No word on who it will be. I say “best” because that puts to rest the rumors of Johnny Depp playing the Riddler, a casting choice that I believe would have been the biggest mistake. Depp is no longer a character actor and he would not be believable. So there you have it. Thoughts?

After six years, the relationship between Lois and Clark has reached a point that took the comics 60-odd years to reach. More on that later.

So with “Isis,” we get a mixture of humor and heart: Lois rehearsing how she is going to tell Clark she knows his secret, Clark deciding to tell his secret. Oliver has to deal with becoming a caricature of himself and Tess embraces her role as a “mother.” The myth of Isis and Osiris that was introduced in the second episode ,”Shield,” returns along with Cat Grant.

There are some nice moments of bickering between Cat and Lois that puts Clark in the middle of things and at times playing peace keeper. Both women have opposing views on the superheroes and both try to have Clark back them up. These scenes are excellent examples of the comedic abilities the actors have shown in the past; it was nice to see them exercised again.

Lois becomes possessed by the spirit of Isis, whom Carther Hall/Hawkman told her about in “Shield.” Isis must resurrect her dead love, Osiris, and she selects Clark as the perfect candidate to return Osiris to life. Not only that; doing so would raise the army that inhabits the underworld. One thing that I have noticed is the producers have no trouble having Erica Durance, Lois, dress up in some sexy outfits that do not hide how amazing she looks. I’m not complaining about that but this episode takes the cake with her Isis getup. Of course it was one she was going to wear to an event that exhibited the artifacts the Isis necklace was with. While Lois is possessed, Clark and Oliver come to the conclusion that neither of them know anything about Egyptian mythology or how to stop Isis so they reluctantly turn to Tess, who has a vast amount of information available to her thanks to Lex’s archeological excavations. It is she who discovers how to stop Isis and passes that knowledge on to Clark. After the defeat, Oliver and Clark offer Tess the opportunity to run Watchtower, the hub where all the heroes connect to work together. Tess is surprised by this in such a way that she cries, unused to both of them placing that much trust on her. Cassidy Freeman gives such a moving performance as Tess in this scene.

Along with humor came the subject of love. Tess is the focal point here. She had taken in a clone of Lex Luthor, who is a child in the season premiere. She has him tested and watched over by doctors, trying to determine if his rapid growth is a warning that he might be unstable. What that means we don’t know. What we do know is that after she is accepted by Oliver and Clark, earning their trust, she is moved to keep the young boy, called Alexander, against a doctors advice. She reads to him, as she reads she tears at the idea of loving the boy as her own, to perhaps change things and give this version of Lex something the original didn’t, true parental love.

Isis touches on love throughout the episode too: what a person would do for true love and what the consequences can be when all inhibitions are gone. I must note there is no mention of the dark force or Clark’s destiny. It was a fun episode and I’m glad to have seen the trust placed in Tess, who has worked hard to earn it.

And finally yes, Clark tells Lois he is the Blur; she jumps up and kisses him, asking what took him so long to tell her. Six years in the making and I’m sure it’s what readers felt when Clark told her in the comics.

This movie took things to the next level and showed what can be done with a new director. Alfonso Cuaron took over and in doing so allowed the actors to grow in their roles and bring small traits to their characters, to make them believable. One theme that was focused on was legacy.

Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were friends of James Potter, Harry’s father, and wanted to find the traitor in their group. The root out Peter Pettigrew and intend to kill him, but Harry convinces them not to do it. When told Pettigrew deserves to die, Harry replies that the truth would die with him and he feels his father wouldn’t want his friends to become killers. At 13, Harry shows maturity and insight with his handling of the situation. He was intent on killing Sirius, in discovering the events leading up to his parents death, but Harry held his emotions in check and got to the truth. This is something he does well, something that will continue to serve him as he grows older. Although he never knew his parents, with that statement Harry feels there are things he likes to believe his parents would approve and disapprove of, that even in the heat of the moment Harry knew a bit more than his father’s closes friends. Mature, indeed.

We see Harry and his friends move into adolescence, some going through the motions of what is typical, such as jokes, pranks, surliness, and awkward attractions, but as much as Harry would like to be typical he cannot be and here we can see why.

Last week’s episode was quite the shocker for fans, you could say the roof is on fire in the Supernatural fandom and theories are flying around. After Sam smirked his little smirk of evil instead of helping Dean, everybody only wants to know one truth: What is wrong with Sam? ‘The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth’.

Something is rotten in the state of Supernatural. Although the writers were telling us that Sam was going to be different this season, you were still able to excuse his behavior with the experience of hunting alone for a year. Sam was hardened, more focused on the hunt, very John-like but still the same Sam who loves his brother, at least it seemed this way. But after ‘Live Free or Twihard’ that possibility is, like rotten cheese, past his expiration date. I don’t think there is a better time for answers and the episode title ‘You can’t handle the truth’ promises to spill a few.  I’m certain that we will not get to know at this point of time why Sam is back or what the plan of the world’s alpha monsters is but I’m sure we will learn more about Darth Sam.

The CW Trailer

The CW webclip

The official CW description of episode 6.06 ‘You Can’t Handle the truth’:

How I missed Supernatural’s vampires. Fangs, blood and decapitations. ‘Blood lust’ (season 2) and ‘Fresh blood’ (season 3) were amazing but ‘Live Free or Twihard’ is definitely my new favorite vampire episode. A great ‘Twilight’ spoof, vampire Dean and drama between the Winchester brothers, what can a female Supernatural fan desire more? OK, maybe Castiel, Classic Rock and shirtless Sam but in a perfect world ‘Supernatural’ would be an hour long, have an unlimited budget and be on HBO with even more gore and blood. A little tip for the people of Mystic Falls (The Vampire diaries) if vampires give you trouble, you should call Dean Winchester – the new vampire slayer on TV, just saying. And be careful, if you’re young, beautiful and look like somebody from the ‘Twilight’ movies, they’re vampires out to get you!

If this episode would have been part of the previous seasons, I would have been worried. The writers would have raised interesting questions about monsters but drop them the following week in favor of the apocalypse storyline. But thanks to Sera Gamble and season six that’s no longer the case.  This episode reveals that vampires are recruiting with the help of ‘pretty Twilight vampires’, creating an army and are no longer afraid of hunters, what a devious plan. These fictional creatures being a pop culture phenomenon fits into the world of ‘Supernatural’ as long as real vampires take advantage of their fake counterparts popularity.

Never open THIS book! It’s evil!

This season ‘Supernatural’ introduced us to the concept of the alpha as the origin of monsters. The same as every story is supposed to have a grain of truth, every species has a legend about the first. Honestly, I found the shapeshifter and his breeding project underwhelming but the alpha vampire interests me. The psychic connection between him and his children was unexpected but interesting.  His ability to send visions suggests that he must be very powerful. Using devotion to ensure the little vampires followed the master plan was clever. It worked for the demons and the angels, so it is definitely good enough for your everyday bloodsuckers. Both, shapeshifter and vampire alpha, obviously want to increase their numbers, which made me think. Maybe all the alpha monsters have a common game plan this season – taking control again. Demons and angels left monsters literally in the same box as humans regarding the apocalypse. Normally monsters have control. They are stronger than humans and except for hunters; they don’t need to fear anything. When the end of the world was on their door step, they became powerless. Humans would have gotten to survive in a world of paradise/hell or die and go to hell/heaven but what would have happened with the monsters of the world? Their world evolves around humans – victims, food source, entertainment etc. – without them monsters don’t have a purpose. I think the alphas of the world are planning to become so powerful – while demons and angels have their little civil wars – that both parties can’t threaten their existence again. I suspect the guy in Dean’s vision was the alpha vampire. He looked African and I hope we find out that the first vampire wasn’t European but much older which would be refreshing from all the Dracula origin stories.

Mr. Alpha vampire

Sam is like the boy who can’t feel anymore. He sometimes does a great job at acting like he still feels something – smiles and jokes – but in the next moment his behavior makes you wonder if there are any real feelings in him. Sam obviously knows what he is supposed to feel and acts accordingly but that’s all it is, an act without real emotions. I previously thought the vampires were going to be the creepy monsters this week but I was wrong. Sam’s little smile, when he let Dean get turned, was scary as hell. Everybody loves Sam, even Dean Fans since Dean wouldn’t be himself without his little brother. Of course, fans also still remember good-old season one Sammy in the back of their head which makes his behavior such a shock. Although we were repeatedly being told that he’s different – sorry, Sam with a hooker only means he’s a guy and has needs – nothing drove the point more home than this episode and Sam risking Dean’s life. No demon blood to blame. No Ruby who made him do it. Just Sam. I can honestly say I didn’t expect the change to be so profound in his character that Sam even lost his emotional connection to his brother. After he said that the wanted to hunt with Dean again, I assumed that Sam still had a few feelings left, that he felt more alive in Dean’s presence. I was so wrong. Samuel hinted that Sam must have known about the cure and still to achieve his goal – the infiltration of the nest – Sam didn’t tell his brother a single word about it on top of letting him get turned. That was cold. The writers’ are playing with us this season like the devil with his fiddle and I like their tune.

This week’s talk show topic: Is my brother an alien?

So my ‘Sam theories of the week’ are:

Sam – the alien: Not the real Sam. It’s not only an act but Sam is not Sam at all. His body is used by an alien lizard of the planet V.

Sam – the cylon: Not the real Sam.It’s even worse than we thought. The cylons have found earth and now they plan on destroying humanity. Sam is the first cylon.

Sam – Lucifer: Not the real Sam.Maybe Sam is possessed by Lufcifer again but I trust the writers when they said that the whole apocalypse Lucifer-Michael storyline was over. So I hope Lucy is still in his cage.

Sam – Michael: Not the real Sam. Sam is possessed by Michael this time, although I think that the writers promising the whole apocalypse Lucifer-Michael thing to be over includes Michael being on lock down.

Sam – heartless: The real Sam. It will depend on the definition of the writers. If they see a human heart as the center of emotions than Sam is definitely without one. Maybe he does know why he is out of the cage. He could have sold his heart/emotions to a higher power (angel, demon, alpha) to break free. It would fit with Sam’s refusal to talk about his time downstairs and his comment about being a better hunter than he ever was that it was his choice rather than a ritual without Sam’s consent.

Sam – soulless: The real Sam. It will depend on the definition of the writers. If they see a soul as the part which gives humans emotions than Sam is definitely soulless. If they see it as what keeps you alive than my best guess would be that a part of his soul is missing. It would fit with Balthazar’s comment that souls are a commodity. If the little boy’s soul was a good investment for the angel, I have no doubt that Sam’s soul or part of it, is worth something. Maybe somebody made Sam the offer of freeing him in exchange for his soul. If you think about living without emotions compared to eternity in prison that’s a good deal. So far my favorite theory.

Grandpa didn’t have a lot to do in the episode but he brought the vampire cure and through Sam’s behavior, he actually became more humane. In the previous episodes, he was always acted shady but not this time. There is at least one redeeming quality about Samuel, he cares about his grandsons. He immediately confronted Sam about lying and using his brother. Grandpa was clearly concerned about Dean being a vampire. That’s more than we can say about Sam who doesn’t seem to be capable of caring about anybody at the moment. It will be interesting why Sam actually chose to hunt. He is not doing it to save people: Maybe to keep himself busy or because the prize for being free is to deliver monsters to somebody. Their conversation also revealed that Sam knows about Samuel hunting alphas.

Even grandpa wonders about Sam

Dean would have made Buffy proud in this episode. He sliced and killed until no vamp was left except him. I naively assumed that Sam and Samuel would get to help taking out the nest but no. They only killed two lousy vampires. Super-charged vampire Dean did the rest and on top the poor guy even got a major headache when the alpha slammed him with a vision. Dean’s changed perception as a vampire was a nice continuation of what we saw when Gordon got turned in ‘Fresh Blood’. Gordon didn’t turn evil; he only got more determined to use all his skills to kill Sam, even if that meant killing other people. The same thing was true for Dean, his character didn’t change but become more determined and he had to fight the bloodlust. Dean’s flashback when he got the cure was amazing. I was glad that it didn’t involve killing the alpha vampire or the vampire that created Dean. In ‘Supernatural’ vampires spread via blood exchange like a virus, so it’s fitting that the cure would be like an anti-poison which only works before you ingest human blood and make the effect irreversible. It looked like the vampire blood got bound in the blood stream and ejected. I assume the flashback was caused by the body nearly dying when turning itself back human. I was unexpected that Dean find out immediately about Sam’s betrayal. The next episode is going to be very interesting.

Dean – the vampire slayer. Buffy’s legacy lives on.

The phone call between Dean and Lisa was cuteness pure. Dean testing if Lisa hasn’t changed her mind about him and Lisa telling him to get his butt home was absolutely adorable.

Cute, cuter, Lisa and Dean

Their second talk was more dramatic but also funny since Lisa and Dean reenacted the book cover of ‘My Summer of Blood’ – the Supernatural version of Twilight. I hope we get to see her again but it will take a while since I doubt that Lisa is going to take it lightly that Dean attacked Ben.

Vampires and sleeping women. It’s like the moth and the flame.

New addition, Brett Mathews, writer of ‘Life Free or Twihard’, is either a Dean girl at heart or he hasn’t come across a prettier – I mean handsome – actor than Jensen Ackles. Sorry, but I have no other explanation for Dean being called ‘pretty’ so many times in his episode. Him and Adam Glass have been a pleasant surprise with the quality of their writing. It makes me look forward to Nicole Snynder and Eric Charmelo’s Supernatural’s debut as writers.

Don’t roll your eyes Dean! You’re pretty.

Was it my imagination or was the curly-haired vampire hitting on Dean? What else could the guy have meant by giving Dean ‘the private tour’ than having the sex with him? I understand, Dean is gorgeous, but it was like watching your cute little niece getting hit on by a gross old man. By the way I’m so disappointed. Vampires seem to be as terrible as humans.  It’s discriminating that they only turn pretty people now. I’m gonna write your alpha, this is against the law. Don’t you know that ugly people have tasty blood too!

Run Dean!! The freaky vampire wants to molest you!

Director Rod Hardy did a great job with his first ‘Supernatural’ episode. The only problem was that a few shots were a bit too dark – you couldn’t see anything. I preferred Kim Manner’s approach of playing with darkness but still showing parts of Gordon’s face in the shadow in ‘Fresh Blood’. E.g. He talked in complete darkness but we could still see his mouth. The decapitations of the Efron vamp and Robby looked awesome. It didn’t trump Gordon’s death scene but it was a good effect.

Don’t loose your head…

Unfortunately, the vampire teeth in ‘Bloodlust’ and ‘Fresh Blood’ looked much more threatening and realistic but since all the teeth shots were short, you could ignore it. Teeth what teeth? I didn’t see anything.

Don’t forget to brush your teeth kids!

‘Bela Lugosi is dead’ by Bauhaus is a popular gothic rock song from the vampire movie ‘The Hunger’ and was used in the first bar scene where Kristen and Robert aka Twilight’s Bella and Edward meet. What a pity that ‘Secret of Oz’ by G Tom Mac from the second bar scene from the web preview didn’t make it into the episode. You might remember G Tom Mac for ‘Cry Little Sister’ from the ‘Lost Boys’ soundtrack.

Minus points:

-The ‘Heroes’ fight scene. ‘Supernatural’, you don’t need to create tension by not showing a fight. We know Dean is a hunter, so he is obviously going to win when he’s a super-charged vampire like Gordon. It was absolutely unnecessary to cut the fight and make a big fuzz about Dean winning. It also looked ood and somehow out of character for Dean to have his foot on the vampire’s head.

Just one look!

-Not enough Meta. This episode was probably the one and only chance of ‘Supernatural’ making vampire jokes. Sadly, the episode only focused on ‘Twilight’. Don’t get me wrong, the episode was a great mix of drama and humor but I wanted a bit more variety in the mocking.

Shock! Supernatural’s Edward and Bella are cute

-Dark is not always good.  I like it dark but I want to see something as well, staring at a nearly black TV screen is not entertaining. There were several occassions throughout the episode were you only saw black. E.g. The scene where Dean is in the bathroom was weird. A flash to Dean’s eyes for a second suggesting his change of mind would have been better. Also the use of shadows while Sam, Samuel and Dean talked was a bit too extreme.

Grade: A-

That’s it. The first A of season 6. I didn’t really have any complaints about the episode besides some dark shots and the one fight scene. I expected more comedy, but it was definitely more fitting for ‘Supernatural’ to be dark with a hint of humor instead of trying to surpass ‘Changing Channels’ in hilarity. All in all, a great episode that was a nice mix of comedy and drama, showing how you can do a spoof but don’t get lost in it.

‘Supernatural’ airs Friday, 9/8c pm on the CW. 

Deadline announced today that Fox has officially greenlit a pilot of “Locke & Key.” The show will be produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and adapted by Josh Friedman (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”). “Locke & Key” is based on the IDW comic series of the same name, created by author Joe Hill. Here’s Amazon’s description of the series:

Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them, and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all! Acclaimed suspense novelist and New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box) creates an all-new story of dark fantasy and wonder, with astounding artwork from Gabriel Rodriguez.

If the television series is half as good as the comic, then we’re in for a real treat. “Locke & Key” has been consistently great since the series launched in early 2008. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Hill’s work, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of his first novel, “Heart-Shaped Box.” You won’t be disappointed!

Check back for more “Locke & Key” news here on Geek Peeks!

What was it all about and why did it matter? I can’t speak for everyone but I have an idea.

Behind the veil.

The entire film deals with realizing there is evil in the magic other than Voldemort. Here we discover there is racism in the wizarding world and those who would do evil things to further whatever interpretation they had of what Voldemort preached. This is best shown in one scene.

After the defeat of the Basilisk, a giant snake creature that is controlled by the spirit of Tom Riddle/Voldemort, Harry is called into Dumbledore’s office to discuss the events. That is when Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father and a secret member of the Death Eaters, storms in, shocked to find Dumbledore still there and the diary he snuck into Ginny Weasley’s cauldron destroyed. When he is told how the situation was resolved he looks at Harry, praising him but with hatred in his eyes. Harry returns the look, not backing down and determined to do what is needed in the future.

I saw a kid not afraid to face injustice and evil when he looked at Lucius. I saw that along with saving Ginny and defeating the Basilisk and Tom Riddle, Harry was a boy growing into his own. A boy who not only knows right from wrong but who has also learned the truth as to how the world works. There is racism, elitism, and those who will do what it takes to achieve their goals and spread their beliefs, or convert or remove the opposition. It’s a lesson we all learn at some time or other, but one that Harry faced with maturity and wisdom.

He was the first superhero in comics. One year after his debut came Batman, and a couple of years after that came the first team of heroes and so on. When Marvel debuted, it could be said that Superman’s influence was clear in the new organization’s characters. Simply put, there would not have been heroes as we know them now if not for the Last Son of Krypton.

In recent years the question has come up, how is Superman relatable? How does he fit into the 21th Century?

It is not Superman that we relate to but Clark Kent, who is the true character. Regardless of what was stated in “Kill Bill 2,” Clark is not a mockery of humanity but rather what humanity is capable of when it tries. It’s easy to say there is no threat to him but has anyone considered why Clark is not corrupted by the power he wields? Simple, it comes down to the morals with which he was raised: To respect, to understand, to help when it’s needed, to fight, and to never give up on anyone. Morals to which anyone may aspire. These are the principles Clark stands by.

So how does one relate? In each of our lives we have the power to make someone smile, cry, or seethe. Some know how to manipulate and some try to help while others kill. These may not be quite like catching bullets or flying, but in a small way it is power we all have.

Today, it’s easy to be cynical; anything that could inspire hope is meaningless. Like many I look toward what is easy, to focus on the darker side of things. Why? Because it’s easy. Clark knows what is easy but chooses not to. Each decision leads down a road and we all know what that’s like. The real question is, do we do what’s easy or try to reach our true potential?

Simply put, Superman is us, good and bad. Things are not easy for him but he tries as we do.

While promoting “RED,” Bruce Willis recently stated that he would like to do Die Hard 5 and 6 before he gets replaced and too old to do them.

“I want to do Die Hard 5, then one final Die Hard movie — Die Hard 6 — before finally hanging that white vest up for good. At the moment, I can run and I can fight on screen. But there will come a time when I no longer want to do that. That’s when I’ll step away from the Die Hard films. In the next few years they could easily find a replacement for me or call the character someone else.”

Awesome, just awesome. Like many, I grew up watching the Die Hard films, and if two more are in the works then I am there. At 55, Bruce Willis can still kick ass, as in “RED” at the moment, so he can still get the job done. As for being replaced? John McClane is Bruce Willis and Willis is Die Hard, simple as that. Thoughts?

A hero is made in the moment, not from questioning the past or fearing what’s to come. In this episode of “Smallville,” James Marsters returns as Brainiac; not as a villain but as Brainiac 5 from the 31st century and a member of the Legion of Super-heroes. Brainiac’s purpose is to help Clark get on the hero’s path Jor-El envisioned by showing him the past and taking him into the future.

This episode tugs at the heartstrings of any long time “Smallville” fan. We see what has become of The Torch and The Wall of Weird. During the festivities, Brainiac 5 and Clark travel through time, visiting certain points in Clark’s past.

Choice.

Brainiac tells Clark that both of them were created by Jor-El for a greater good. However, there is a downside: neither of them are immune to corruption. As an AI being, it was a small nanite that corrupted Brainiac; for Clark it was the death of his father, Jonathan Kent. They view his funeral, something that still causes Clark some discomfort because Clark blames himself. He altered time and fate, resulting in his father’s death. Brainiac asks him,”Are you sure?” He then takes Clark to the moment his father dies, and they watch as Jonathan beats Lionel Luthor for attempted blackmail. Along with the anger comes a heart attack.

Clark still blames himself, arguing that his father didn’t have a choice. Brainiac counters that everyone has a choice. His father chose to raise him, protect him, and do what is best for him, just as Clark chose to be Earth’s protector. No one forced either of them into such actions. Here Clark is told to let go of the past he holds onto, the sins and mistakes. It is something that he carries into his relationship with Oliver, who needs some support in the aftermath of his revelation that he is Green Arrow. Clark didn’t realize that he still holds Oliver’s mistakes against him and that he needs a friend. This is something that many people can relate to; there are things that we hold onto but the key is to let go. We can accept that mistakes were made, learn from them and move on toward the future.

Moving Forward.

With a twist of the Legion ring, Clark arrives in the future; 2017 to be exact. Here he runs into a Lois that knows his secret and protects it. He also runs into his future self, glasses and all. “Future Clark” tells him of an impending explosio and needs Clark on the rooftop of the Daily Planet. When an explosion goes off in the city, “future Clark” zooms by a window in a red blur, flies toward the fireball and creates a vacuum by speeding around it to control the aftermath. On the roof, Clark stops a helicopter that loses power from falling. In the helicopter, future Lois knocks out the pilot to protect his secret. They kiss and she leaves, reminding him of dinner, and Brainiac arrives.

The future can be bright and full of what we want as long as we are not afraid to face it. Not everyone gets to know what it holds but as long as we let go of the bad things and move forward, it can be what we want it to be.

This was such a wonderful episode. There were nods back toward the past, acknowledging where it’s been and alluding to where it’s going. Not many shows have the privilege to know they are ending and so far “Smallville” has not disappointed. They are using the time they have to address themes that will push Clark toward who he is supposed to be. He will need to be the supportive friend Oliver needs in order to address questions from a cynical reporter about why he does what he does. He will need to face his father’s grave, knowing he will carry the memories and what he was taught, but to also say good-bye in order to become the man his father always knew he would be. And he will be able to finally realize he can be a hero and still have Lois in his life as his love, his confidante, his rock.

As a longtime “Smallville” fan, I really loved this episode, and considering how long this show has been around, it’s comforting to know they can still move their audience.