Tag: DC

The Snyder Cut Journey & What We Can Expect

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Since 2015, the road for Zack Snyder and DCEU fans has been a rocky one. The one moment in Hall H, when the Batman v Superman trailer came on and everyone went nuts, was the moment that changed the hype level for this franchise. However, after the release of the film, things took a turn for the worse.

The criticism for Batman v Superman hit the fan base hard and for many years, they had to defend Zack Snyder and his film. 4 years later the film is still very much divisive and constantly raises a negative discourse online. After Warner Brothers took the damage from Batman v Superman, their next film, Suicide Squad, also faced harsh criticism online from everyone. The DCEU franchise has not had a very easy entry into the world of comic book films but the fans still had faith in Zack Snyder to deliver with Justice League.

PRE JUSTICE LEAGUE RELEASE

As they were filming Justice League, Zack Snyder would post updates on his Vero account, with storyboards, still pictures and behind the scene photos. In March 2017, it was reported by ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ that Zack and Deborah Snyder experienced a tragedy in their family, as their daughter, Autumn passed away from a suicide. It was rumoured, that Zack wanted to finish Justice League and asked Warner Brothers to postpone filming, but they refused and hired Joss Whedon to finish the film. Zack Snyder stepped down from his own film, to be with his family, as his work was slowly chopped up and left on the cutting room floor.

Joss Whedon stepped in and only used 10% of the Zack Snyder’s footage, which was already completed. The rest of the film was reworked and rewritten to fit Whedon’s vision of Justice League, which was released under Zack Snyder’s name for the final result. Joss Whedon had removed the heart of the Justice League, in his rewrite, as Ray Fisher’s Cyborg, was cast aside and given a much smaller role, as was intended. Whedon added a Russian family in the third act, which was apparently more important than the team development.

POST JUSTICE LEAGUE RELEASE

Fans could tell the difference from the very first Justice League trailer, which was all Zack Snyder’s footage, versus Joss Whedon’s version. The lighting was off, the atmosphere felt different, the humour was not the dark sarcasm, we were accustomed to in Man of Steel or Batman v Superman. It was a completely different film.

“Sources say “Justice League” reshoots have been used to punch up the dialogue. Whedon, the director of “The Avengers,” is well respected for his ability to create memorably wry exchanges between his characters.” – Justin Kroll, Brett Lang for Variety

The fans were skeptical with Joss Whedon’s vision because Zack Snyder’s vision, for the DCEU, was extremely different, than what the MCU had to offer and that was never seen as a bad thing. Whedon’s choices were very interesting and did not really capture the same essence that Zack Snyder had already put in place, in the previous two instalments of his Superman story arc. Majority of the final product felt forced and extremely rushed, leaving Warner Brothers with another bust at the box office. Justice League earned $228 million domestic and $656 million worldwide, as reported by ‘Forbes’ it cost Warner Brothers more money to make it, than  it brought in.

This collage shows the differences from Zack Snyder’s film versus Joss Whedon’s reshoots.

ZSJL reshoots

Source: @Deven_Wagner on Twitter

 

The social platform ‘Vero’ is something Zack Snyder used throughout his journey on Justice League. In the early stages when Warner Brothers asked him to cut down his runtime.

ZSJL early vero

Source: Zack Snyder’s Vero Account

As Zack Snyder continued answering fan questions on his Vero people began to question what actually happened with Warner Brothers and Justice League. Zack did not watch Joss Whedon’s film, he stayed away from everything after he was forced to give up his film.

Exhibit A: Fans Asking Questions About Joss Whedon’s Cut of Justice League 

ZSJL 2 Vero

Source: Zack Snyder’s Vero Account

Exhibit B: Zack Snyder Posting His Scene of Cyborg and His Family 

ZSJL 4 Vero

Source: Zack Snyder’s Vero Account

Exhibit C: A Photo of Uxas Which Was NOT Used in Whedon’s Cut 

ZSJL 3 Vero

Source: Zack Snyder’s Vero Account

 

#ReleaseTheSnyderCut Movement 

On January 7th, the attention for #ReleaseTheSnyderCut gained a new momentum. Fans of the Snyder Cut stood outside the Warner Brothers Headquarters with a #ReleaseTheSnyderCut sign, showing them that fans do care about Zack Snyder’s full vision.

Screen Shot 2020-07-28 at 2.31.58 PM

Source @BatmanNewsCom on Twitter

After this, the movement became stronger and fans of Zack Snyder continued to press on social media that his cut existed and was, in fact, real. There were multiple sources confirming and reassuring all of us that there was a cut and it would come out in due time. The hashtag went viral and the fans kept pushing for 4 years. It wasn’t until Zack Snyder posted this image on his Vero that fans really pushed the envelope on the movement.

ZSJL 1 Vero

Source: Zack Snyder’s Vero Account

Zack Snyder showed fans the film reels of his original 214 minute cut that he has kept with him. It is real and it does exist. During all of this, there was also merchandise that was sold through Ink To The People that fans purchased to support the Snyder Cut and all proceeds went to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The fans were so incredibly dedicated to making sure that Zack Snyder’s full vision would be seen in whatever form because of the poor circumstances that caused him to step back. The fans believed that it was mishandled and that he deserved justice.

On the March 27th, 2020, the 4th Anniversary of the often divisive Batman v Superman, Zack hosted a watch party on Vero and that night, something very unexpected happened. It was the day that united the whole cast of Justice League, which made for a very emotional evening. Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck all used the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag on their social platforms.

Ben RTSCGal RTSCJason rtscRay RTSC

Shortly after, the hashtag grew stronger and continued to be the Number 1 trending topic for a couple of days. Fans continued to push and they started questioning when the official drop would be. The rumours began to swirl, claiming that Zack was going to strike a deal with HBO Max. Zack then wanted to host a Man of Steel watch party to restore some hope in the world.

Screen Shot 2020-07-28 at 3.40.36 PM

Many people tuned in because there was a rumoured surprise at the end of the watch party. People claimed that Zack had some information on the Snyder Cut that he would share with us. He shared his storyboards and gave running commentary about the details he used in Man of Steel and then his wife, and executive producer Deborah Snyder, came and joined the party. After the film was over, Zack invited fans to ask questions on his Vero but what they did not expect, was Superman himself making an appearance. Henry Cavill showed up in his famous blue tank top and helped Zack Snyder reveal the official HBO Max poster for ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’. There is no set date but it will be coming out in 2021.

JL official

Source: Warner Brothers and HBO Max

Love Letter To DCEU Fans

Zack Snyder’s Justice League Teaser Trailer 

 

JUSTICE CON & DC FANDOME 

Justice Con is a fanmade event, created by three, very dedicated women on Twitter and YouTube, @TheNerdQueens and @ya_girlmeg/Wonder Meg on both platforms.

Justice-Con-Logo-Featured

The con was a complete success and it was filled with so much positivity during those 2 days! Ray Fisher had his own panel and discussed Cyborg’s arc in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, he also addressed the alleged toxicity on set, with Joss Whedon in the director’s chair. Towards the end of his panel, Zack Snyder jumped in and the views skyrocketed. Fans loved seeing Zack and Ray interact on the livestream!

Right after, Zack Snyder had his panel and taught the fans about aspect ratios because he is using a different aspect ratio for the Snyder Cut. Zack also revealed a new t-shirt in honour of his daughter Autumn and his dedicated fanbase.

zs ap

It will be released over at Ink To The People and all proceeds will go to The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  Zack didn’t stop there, he gave us a short, 20 second clip of something fans have been waiting for. This little teaser got everyone excited for what we could expect at DC Fandome!

You can expect a darker version of Justice League with Victor Stone at the center of the story. Zack Snyder always intended to have Cyborg as the heart of Justice League and there are plenty of more scenes with him at the forefront. There are possible Martian Manhunter scenes, more of J.K. Simmons Commissioner Gordon, a first look at Ryan Choi (Atom) working in Star Labs with Silas Stone and a possible Green Lantern cameo!

What we do know is that we are getting a full Zack Snyder’s Justice League trailer on August 22nd. So get your accounts ready, go schedule your panels and get ready to enter…. the SNYDERVERSE!

A Love Letter to DCEU Fans: We Did It!

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By: Amanda Guarragi 

To my fellow DC fans, I salute you, because we did it. The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement is a massive success and in 2021, on HBO Max, we will finally see our beloved Justice League come together as it was intended. Zack Snyder hosted a Man of Steel watch party today on the platform Vero, which he uses quite often. In his commentary, he discussed the choices he made in each scene in a very detailed manner and it showed how dedicated he was to bringing fans the best version of Superman. It was so much fun to watch because he gave his audience important information and pointed out a couple of easter eggs.

Zack Snyder has always created beautiful films that are deeply rooted in the source material. Most importantly, he has fun on set because he loves the material so much. Zack Snyder is a great director because he is also a fan of the content. When he was describing Superman’s first flight and showing his storyboards, you could feel how much love went into those scenes. Today was a very special day because towards the end of the film, Henry Cavill made an appearance and talked about how he felt putting on the suit. It was a great moment, considering we haven’t really seen Henry Cavill, let alone him speaking about the Snyder Cut, but I always knew there was a plan in place.

After 4 long years of being extremely vocal about Warner Brothers releasing the Snyder Cut of Justice League, it was finally confirmed from the man himself. At the end of the livestream, Zack and Deborah Snyder had a couple of fans join their Zoom call with Henry. This also proved that Zack has a very close relationship with his fanbase and loves having discussions with them. He answered all their questions, including the one in regards to the Snyder Cut. At first Henry, Zack and Deborah laughed. Zack awkwardly said, “It’s out of my control. It’s not up to me.” then he started talking about a tiny flash drive, that he left in a bathroom stall somewhere, to try and divert the question.

At that point, I thought we were duped. I thought there would be no announcement because he was diverting the question, but Henry came to the rescue. It fell silent for a moment and then Henry said, “You know what, I think I’d like to see it.” and Zack answered, “Oh, really? Well I can’t just show it but I can do this.” Zack then turns the camera to his big screen, where he was watching Man of Steel on, and this showed up.

JL official

courtesy of HBO Max

Beautiful right? The moment we’ve been waiting for and he announced it in the most Zack Snyder way. Everything started with Man of Steel and Zack’s version of Superman. It all started with Henry Cavill. Superman hasn’t risen yet because Zack Snyder’s Justice League hasn’t been released. It was only fitting that Henry, Zack and Deborah would all join together to make this announcement. The internet pretty much exploded today and all DC fans are beyond happy. My Twitter timeline took me back to a time where we were gearing up for Justice League and it gave me that same feeling today. All the friends I have made in the DC community and the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement has truly been amazing. We went up to bat for our director and now his vision will finally be complete.

It is a very emotional day for so many people. This community has been through so many bad moments but our love for these characters and these films helped us push through. We have constantly been under fire and we have had to defend these films for the past 4 years. It has been a very long journey but it was definitely worth it because today, today we made history. To everyone that used the hashtag, to everyone who defended these films and these actors, this couldn’t have been possible without you guys. We have been a team since SDCC in 2015, ever since we saw the footage for Batman v Superman. We went through all the criticism and the hatred together, but we stuck to our guns and made the impossible happen. Today is for all of you.

To Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller, on behalf of the whole fanbase, thank you a million times over for your love and dedication to these characters. The DCEU would not be the same without you guys. You have all made comic book films that deeply resonate with so many people around the world and with characters that have been iconic throughout history. You have all built the foundation for the future of the DCEU and we truly can’t wait to see what comes next.

Whether Zack Snyder’s Justice League, is a six episode television series, or a three hour epic released on HBO Max, we will all be there on the very first day it is released, watching it because it’s going to be a big moment. Hope is what got all of us here and that’s why today is overwhelming, especially by watching Man of Steel. It’s not an “S”, on Kal’s planet, it means hope. The definition of hope, the feeling of it and having it payoff, is what today is.

Birds Of Prey Review

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No one is doing it like DC.

Their lineup is so incredibly diverse and unique to each character’s world.

Birds of Prey has easily become one of my favourite team up films. EVER. Margot Robbie is undeniably Harley Quinn. No matter what other character she plays, (and we know how talented she is) this is her best. You can tell that she loves playing in Harley’s world and this film proves that she has understands her completely. From the very beginning it felt like we were inside Harley’s mind and the way Cathy Yan executed the story made it seem like we were apart of her thought process. It pretty much felt like Harley’s mind exploded on screen and we just happened to be in the room.

Are there Tarantino-esque elements? Yes and the one movie it reminded me of was Reservoir Dogs. Yan was able to structure the film that intertwined each character and their backstories, while moving through time at Harley’s pace. Everything just suited Gotham City and each character brought something different to the table. Renee Montoya, Dinah Lance, Helena Bertinelli and Cassandra Cain all had their own motives and working together made the most sense.

I loved everything about this, especially the fact that it focused on the many ways women can be mistreated by men. It definitely has a different girl power energy and maybe it’s because I’m older but this badass, anarchist, violent, r rated energy just gives off a higher level of empowerment. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced something like that. Seeing all those women on screen, harnessing their powers and setting aside their differences in order to take a villain out. It’s just refreshing to see women beating the bad guys up for a change, I know that sounds incredibly basic but it’s true.

I loved seeing these women kick ass so much that I almost started crying, actually I did cry. I’m not afraid to say it. I cried because I saw my favourite character on screen for the first time and she embodied her in every way possible, I could only dream of this Dinah Lance and Jurnee Smollett-Bell nailed it. THAT WAS MY BLACK CANARY. Everything about her was perfect; her fighting style, her attitude and most importantly her heart made me love her so much more. I’ve been waiting so long for a live action Canary and I truly hope we get a stand-alone and some sequels!

Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ella Jay Basco were all perfectly cast as well. Winstead’s ‘Huntress’ wasn’t as developed as I would have liked her to be BUT the good thing is, is that they left me wanting more of her. The mafia side of her story is really interesting and I would love to see my Italian Princess of Crime at the forefront eventually. Perez brought so much sass to Renee Montoya and she looked so done with everyone’s shit for majority of the film, so that was great! Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain was so adorable and really brought everyone together.

Last but not least, our villains for Birds of Prey... Roman Sionis and Victor Zsasz were fantastic in this. Ewan McGregor has truly never been better. He brought such high level energy to Sionis and it was different from his other roles, so I was pleasantly surprised. Sionis was sadistic, eccentric and managed to throw the best hissy fits. McGregor was so good, I would laugh while he was yelling, only to be silenced shortly after because of how dark he became. Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz was creepy and very twisted. Messina’s chemistry with McGregor was interesting, there’s so much more to unpack with their characters because of all the tension they had. They fed off of each other so well!

Birds of Prey is a lot of fun. I can see myself watching this time and time again. Cathy Yan and Christina Hodson did a great job bringing these character’s to life. The fighting styles for each of them were choreographed perfectly and the final fight scene was so well done! It’s also very brutal because Margot Robbie did not want to hold back one bit and she definitely kept her promise.

Joker Review

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I’d like to begin by saying, that this is NOWHERE NEAR a comic book film. Todd Phillips takes what we know and throws it out the window.

Joker has a very simple storyline and Joaquin Phoenix’s character study takes it to another level. It’s a vengeful take on how the government and society treat the mentally ill or those who suffer financially.

The first half of this film, analyzes the mental illness of Arthur Fleck. He is verbally, physically and mentally abused by people around him because he has a condition. It showed how society paints victims of mental illness and how they label them as less than humans. Joaquin’s performance in the first half made me sympathize with his illness, his vulnerability and timidness made me feel for Arthur. He lived with his mother, watched the Murray Franklin Show and went to work, that was his reality. Anyone can sympathize with Arthur Fleck in the first half of this film AND can understand his frustration when things keep getting worse for him as the film goes on.

Naturally, we know that Arthur Fleck becomes a villain BUT the human qualities and the education of mental illness makes audiences relate to that aspect of him.

The second half of this film highlighted Arthur’s descent into madness. His transformation into the Joker was slow but the build up was worth it. The reason why this performance was so incredibly stunning, was because his movements and facial expressions became more crisp and rigid. He went from timid poverty stricken every day working man, to confident, stand up comedian, who has A LOT to say about how society has treated him. His growth in this film is beautiful to watch but also incredibly unnerving to know that it leads him down this violent path.

The score by Hildur Guðnadóttir, is sinister and accompanies Arthur’s descent so well. There were soft moments and then booming ones, that made this ride so enjoyable from beginning to end. Phillips’ direction was his best to date and I valued the extreme close ups of Joaquin so much. Joaquin’s eyes were enough to sell audience’s on the fact that this man was crazed.

The character of the Joker has never been an easy one to play but Joaquin brought a human element that people could relate to. Arthur Fleck’s story is heartbreaking and it is a tragedy, until HE decides to change his story and turn it into a comedy. Comedy is subjective and what the JOKER finds humorous… well, we don’t relate to that.

This is not a comic book film, so do not compare it to any of them. This is a singular entity putting the government and society on blast. This is the most different and challenging film of the year.

Shazam! Advanced Screening Review

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Yes.

5 stars.

David Sandberg has created the perfect superhero movie.

We see 14 year old Billy Batson, played by the wonderful Asher Angel, trying to locate his mother. Billy has been to many foster care homes and has left every single one of them in order to find his mother. When Billy gets to Philadelphia, everything changes as he meets his new foster family. He is apart of a wonderfully diverse group of kids who are all genuine, feisty and innocent.

David Sandberg gave us a film that was based on love and magic. There was such a uniqueness to his direction and I can’t even explain how he executed this to perfection. The humour was witty and refreshing, it was integrated properly and didn’t take away from serious, heartfelt moments. This film was so well paced that I did not want it to end. From beginning to end, the story was so simple that it flowed effortlessly from scene to scene. The Shazam! score felt like the character… similar to wonder woman’s, aquaman’s and superman’s, it added so much more to the fight scenes. The combat choreography was imaginative and the special effects were incredible! Literal perfection.

The casting was genius. Asher Angel as young Billy Batson was comic book accurate and then having the ball of energy that is Zachary Levi as his older counterpart was perfect. Asher and Zachary both created their own version of Billy Batson and for the amount of times they came in and out of character, it was seamless. Both of them should get endless praise for this characterization because it is the best I’ve seen. I want to mention Jack Dylan Grazer who did a wonderful job creating Freddie, his chemistry with Asher and Zachary was so pure and natural! All of the kids were wonderful together and they have a bright future! Mark Strong was also a fantastic first villain for Shazam!

I won’t spoil anything but the ending made me so very excited for the future of Shazam! I haven’t left a movie this happy in a while and I know I’ll be watching this 50 times over. This is possibly my favourite cbm of all time and I know that’s saying a lot.