Who Is Best Superhero?

Comic-Con 2013 - Batman and Superman Man of Steel 2 Logo Revealed! Team-Up Officially Announced!

Warner Bros. has officially announced Man of Steel 2 will feature a Superman and Batman team-up, on screen for the first time, and the film will be released in 2015!

Actor Harry Lennix delivered an infamous quote from The Dark Knight Returns before director Zack Snyder revealed the official logo.

"I want you to remember Clark. In all the years to come. In all your private moments. I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you."

 

Christopher Nolan will executive produce, with director Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill returning. Here is the official PR:

On the heels of the worldwide success of Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder is bringing together the two greatest Super Heroes of all time - Batman and Superman - for the first time on the big screen. The announcement was made by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution,Warner Bros. Pictures.

The current hit, Man of Steel, has taken in more than $630 million at the worldwide box office to date, and climbing. Along with its star, Henry Cavill, the upcoming film brings back Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. The new Batman has yet to be cast.
Snyder is co-writing the story with David S. Goyer, who will then pen the screenplay. Production is expected to begin in 2014, with an anticipated release date in Summer 2015.

Greg Silverman released the following statement.

"Zack Snyder is an incredibly talented filmmaker, but beyond that, he's a fan first and he utterly gets this genre. We could not think of anyone better suited to the task of bringing these iconic Super Heroes to the screen in his own way."

Sue Kroll added her own statement.

"We are thrilled to be back in business with Zack and his team on this next movie. The success of Man of Steel is a wonderful testament to the love and support that both fans and new audiences, worldwide, have for these characters. We are very excited to see what Zack has in store for all of us."

Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment, had this to say.

"Superman and Batman together on the big screen is a dream come true for DC fans everywhere. All of us at DC Entertainment could not be more excited for Zack's continuing vision for the DC Universe."

Zack Snyder, who made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con, breaking the news to audiences there, had this to say.

"I'm so excited to begin working again with Henry Cavill in the world we created, and I can't wait to expand the DC Universe in this next chapter. Let's face it, it's beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest Super Heroes in the world."

The new film brings back Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder as producers. This time,Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas are serving as executive producers, along with Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan.

Emma Thomas offered the following statement.

Whilst our Dark Knight trilogy is complete, we have every confidence that Zack's fresh interpretation will take the character in a new and exciting direction. His vision for Superman opened the door to a whole new universe and we can't wait to see what Zack does with these characters."

The film is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and Batman characters created by Bob Kane, published by DC Entertainment.

Man of Steel 2 comes to theaters in 2015 and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams. The film is directed by Zack Snyder.

Heath Ledger's diary reveals extremes he took to play Joker

Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his performance in “The Dark Knight” (2008).

The diary Heath Ledger kept during the production of Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed 2008 film “The Dark Knight” is the subject of a new clip from the documentary “Too Young to Die” making the rounds online.

In the brief scene, the actor’s father, Kim Ledger, pages through his son’s journal, which offers an interesting glimpse into the reference points the actor used to help create his indelible take on Batman’s greatest foe.

The diary, seen here for the first time in this video, actually feels more like a scrapbook. On the cover it says simply, “The Joker,” with a picture of an elephant and a young girl in a hat. While there certainly are pages of written text inside, there are also many pages of pasted images including a couple of Alex from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ (with the caption “Got Milk?”), a few panels from Batman comics and, of course, lots of clowns.

The clip is from a German documentary, Ledger’s father speaks English and the dialogue is curiously overdubbed into French, but a translation provided by a YouTube user allows us to hear Kim Ledger’s words as he flips through the diary:

This is the Joker’s diary. In order to inhabit his character, he locked himself up in a hotel room for weeks. He would do that. He liked to dive into his characters, but this time he really took it up a notch.

The hospital scene is interesting because when he was a kid, his sister Kate liked to dress him up as a nurse. He was really funny like that. He also was in the movie. This is a make-up test which was done eight months before. Before the end of the shooting he wrote ‘bye bye’ on the back of the page. It was hard to see this.

             

The last words scrawled in his production diary for the movie are as haunting as they are tragic.

Ledger's father, Kim Ledger, said that it was difficult to look through his late son's diary.

But as his production diary reveals, Ledger was also deeply troubled by what he learned while preparing for the villainous role.

The last words scrawled in the journal are, "BYE BYE."

Ledger finished the diary before production wrapped up. Ledger’s death at age 28, months before the film’s release, didn’t dim the power of his performance — for many, Ledger’s twitchy, anarchic Joker remains the standard by which all other comic book villains are measured.

He was awarded a posthumous Oscar for “The Dark Knight,” which was accepted by Ledger’s father; his mother, Sally Bell; and his sister Kate Ledger. (Only one other actor ever has been posthumously honored with an Academy Award: Peter Finch for “Network” in 1977.)

Ledger also received a posthumous honor at the Golden Globes ceremony in 2009, a prize Nolan accepted on the actor’s behalf.

“With the extraordinary response to his work that we’ve seen all over the world, I, for one, start to be able to look a bit less at that gap in the future and a little bit more at the incredible place in the history of cinema that he built for himself with his talent and with his dedication to his artistry,” Nolan said in his speech.

On one page you can clearly see, “Why So Serious?” written at the bottom. Highlighted in pink is “HOSPITAL ROOM” and below it reads the Joker’s monologue from the hospital scene with Harvey Dent. “I don’t want there to be any hard feelings between us, Harvey. When you and Rachel were being adbucted, I was sitting in Gordon’s cage. I didn’t rig those charges.”

‘Man of Steel’ Star Wants A Batman/Superman Team up Movie

With the highly-anticipated release of Man of Steel just weeks away, the publicity machine is in overdrive and the rumor mill is in full force. We have featurettes, a new Zod-centric trailer, and an interesting, in-depth interview with director Zack Snyder, producer Christopher Nolan and star Henry Cavill on the deeper themes of their Superman reboot. Plus, there’s already speculation on what else could be in store for a proposed DC cinematic universe.

The bulk of all this attention is turning specifically to a possible Justice League movie. There are broad hints that Man of Steel will somehow launch DC’s movie continuum, and while there are certain problems with notion of a DC superhero team-up, Henry Cavill recently addressed a topic which, for some reason, has not been widely discussed (outside of geek circles like ours, of course): a movie pairing just Superman and Batman.

When asked by SFX about his thoughts on a potential film featuring the World’s Finest, Cavill stated that he found the age-old conflict between the two interesting because:

“…they are two different sides of the same coin and their methods are entirely different. And I think it would actually make for an interesting story as to why, first of all, they were going head to head and how. I think that would make a great story.”

It’s clear that Cavill is just stating his personal opinion, since he is in no position to deliver concrete reports on the studio’s development plans, soon-to-be-major-star or not. He goes on to say: “I’m sure there’s all sorts of ideas being thrown around at Warner Bros right now.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors of a Batman/Superman movie. Beyond the speculation from a year ago, Wolfgang Petersen was set to make Batman vs. Superman prior to Christopher Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins, and of course there’s the famous screenshot from I Am Legend, which was set in the near-future:

All the Justice League conversations appear to boil down to one major issue with launching this shared DC universe: there are too many characters to introduce in one movie alone. Marvel wisely took their time with solo-superhero movies, patiently (or not-so-patiently) teasing the eventual, inevitable, team-up in The Avengers. The idea of using Superman and Batman to set up DC’s world might just be the way to go… and Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinov has already teased the possibility of this kind of thing: “What Zack and Chris have done with this film is allow you to really introduce other characters into the same world.”

Audiences are already loudly wondering when we’ll see a new incarnation of Batman, and with Man of Steel likely to include some Easter eggs pertaining to DC’s universe, why not let these two go to eyeball to eyeball? Batman and Superman have always mirrored each other, and pairing them for one film might just be an ideal way to apply a common tone to future DC movies, bridging the lived-in realism of Nolan’s entries with the intergalactic sweep of much of the rest of the comic book universe.

While this is all just speculation, Warner Bros. might be more inclined to re-visit the concept if their star brings it up. They’re sure to have their own development track, but this feels like a good time to at least consider the idea.

STR and Akon - Love Anthem For World Peace.

Cannes Film Festival 2013: Opening Ceremony

Vidya Balan arrives for cocktails at the Martinez Hotel at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 14, 2013.

Amitabh Bachchan, Carey Mulligan, Leonardo DiCaprio and Elizabeth Debicki pose for photographers during a photo call for the film The Great Gatsby at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Jury member Christoph Waltz poses for photographers during a photo call for the jury at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Director Ang Lee, right, and Nicole Kidman speak during a press conference for the jury at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France.

Christoph Waltz, left, and Nicole Kidman speak during a press conference for the jury at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France.

Dancers perform on the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony and the screening of The Great Gatsby at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Audrey Tautou, left, presents director and jury president Steven Spielberg, centre, and actress Nicole Kidman during the opening ceremony ahead of the screening of The Great Gatsby at the 66th international film festival.

Audrey Tautou, left, and jury president and director Steven Spielberg speak during the opening ceremony ahead of the screening of The Great Gatsby at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes.

From left, actress and host Audrey Tautou, actors Amitabh Bachchan, Leonardo DiCaprio, director and jury president Steven Spielberg, actors Nicole Kidman, Daniel Auteuil and Vidya Balan acknowledge applause during the opening ceremony ahead of the screening of The Great Gatsby at the 66th international film festival.

From left, actors Amitabh Bachchan, Leonardo DiCaprio, director and jury president Steven Spielberg, actress Nicole Kidman and actor Daniel Auteuil stand on stage as the jury is presented during the opening ceremony ahead of the screening of The Great Gatsby at the 66th international film festival.

Actress and member of the Feature Film Jury Vidya Balan greets the audience on May 15, 2013 as she arrives on stage during the opening of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.

Freida Pinto waves on May 15, 2013 as she arrives for the screening of the film "The Great Gatsby" ahead of the opening of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.

Mallika Sherawat poses on May 15, 2013 as she arrives for the screening of "The Great Gatsby" ahead of the opening of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.

Sonam Kapoor poses on May 15, 2013 as she arrives for the screening of the film "The Great Gatsby" ahead of the opening of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes.

Austrian actor and member of the Feature Film Jury Christoph Waltz (C) jokes as he is surrounded by Australian actress and member of the Feature Film Jury Nicole Kidman (L), Indian actress and member of the Feature Film Jury Vidya Balan and Taiwanese director and member of the Feature Film Jury Ang Lee as they arrive for the screening of "The Great Gatsby" ahead of the opening of the Cannes Film Festival.

Tobey Maguire, director Baz Luhrmann, actors Carey Mulligan and Leonardo Di Caprio arrive for opening ceremony and the screening of The Great Gatsby at the 66th international film festival.

Cast members from left, Amitabh Bachchan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire pose as they arrive for the opening ceremony and the screening of The Great Gatsby.

Jury member and actor Leonardo DiCaprio listens, as fellow actor Amitabh Bachchan speaks during the opening ceremony ahead of the screening of 'The Great Gatsby' at the 66th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

"Man Of Steel" - New Posters

Michael Shannon as General Zod in "Man Of Steel"

               Russell Crowe as Jor-El in "Man Of Steel"

Henry Cavill as Kal-El (Clarke) in "Man Of Steel"

RealD vs IMAX Digital 3D: What's the difference?

The passive polarizing technology used to display 3D in most movie theaters is also similar to those found in passive 3D TVs. However, the fact that some movies are presented in several 3D formats in the theaters can be somewhat confusing. Most of us who've caught a 3D movie at the cinemas recently probably experienced the more common RealD 3D technology, while IMAX Digital 3D (as well as its analog counterpart) is a format presented at IMAX auditoriums. But is there any difference between RealD 3D and Imax Digital 3D? Here what we know.

First, the similarities

RealD 3D and IMAX Digital 3D both utilize passive 3D technology, which makes use of relatively lightweight eyewear. These passive 3D glasses use polarizing filters to allow each eye to see a slightly different image. This is why the glasses can sometimes seem darker in one eye than the other--it's meant to block out certain spectrums of light. The glasses at IMAX theaters are larger, to compensate for the larger field-of-view at those auditoriums.

Both these technologies are also digital, which means that you'll get a clean image and none of the image noise or "cigarette burns" that are visible from regular film projectors.

How they compare?

RealD 3D

The prevalent technology in 3D cinemas worldwide comes from RealD, an American company founded in 2003. The RealD 3D format is natively digital. This means that movies have to be produced in a digital 3D format for projection on film-less digital projectors. RealD cinemas also use a passive circular polarizing technique to achieve 3D which allows viewers a clear image even when turning or tilting their heads.Passive 3D TVs use circular polarizing technology, too. The first RealD 3D movie screened was Chicken Little in 2005.

IMAX Digital 3D

This is a competing format that's been around for a little longer. IMAX cinema auditoriums are well known for their massive, curved screens which fill a larger portion of your field-of-vision (FOV), or how much your eyes can see at any one time.

IMAX Digital 3D is an evolutionary improvement of the analog IMAX 3D theaters that have been around since 1986. Its long history is evident even in the much newer IMAX Digital 3D theaters since they still utilize the linear polarizing technology of its analog predecessors. Unlike RealD, IMAX 3D movies are less tolerant of head movements. Viewers have to avoid tilting their heads, though some turning--probably unavoidable due to the massive IMAX screen format--is possible. Also, IMAX screens are curved to fill an audience member's FOV, which enhances immersion while giving those sitting at the sides a better view of the action. IMAX Digital auditoriums also use two 2K projectors for 3D shows, which leads to a visibly brighter image through the glasses.

While many IMAX theaters these days are digital, there are still auditoriums with the analog IMAX 3D format in the US and some other countries. These auditoriums typically have a larger screen and correspondingly large projection equipment and tend to be used for documentaries instead of feature films, too. Omnimax theaters (recently renamed as IMAX Dome) are a variation of this analog format, but have a dome-shaped screen.

Why do IMAX Digital 3D movies cost more?

3D ticket prices vary across Asia but IMAX Digital 3D tickets typically cost more than their RealD 3D counterparts. In Singapore, a weekday ticket to a new movie at the Lido Cineplex starts at S$19 on IMAX Digital 3D while the average cinema with RealD 3D charges S$12 on average. At an AMC cinema in Los Angeles, a typical IMAX Digital 3D movie starts at about US$12, while the same movie on RealD 3D would be about US$2 cheaper.

Theater audiences are paying more for IMAX 3D movies for a few possible reasons. The first would be the consistent audio and visual quality across IMAX auditoriums, the generally larger screen (that's at a closer proximity to the audience) as well as a brighter image from the dual-projectors.

Of course, certain cinemas that use the RealD format for 3D scrrenings do have other selling points such as sharper 4K projectors, or better sound. An example of the latter would be auditoriums with Dolby Atmos setups, which can present more believable surround sound effects.

Just the facts

Aside from the larger screen size, there are other notable differences between IMAX Digital 3D and RealD 3D. RealD 3D projectors like Sony's 4K Digital Cinema models use a special lens to project 3D visuals which can provide viewers with up to four times the resolution of full-HD 1080p. However, not all RealD 3D auditoriums have 4K projectors--many feature 2K digital projectors--so you may have to check with your favorite cinema chain's Web site to find out which they use.

All IMAX Digital 3D theaters, on the other hand, use either Christie or Barco (since early 2012) 2K dual-projector systems which give twice the resolution of full-HD and a brighter 3D image. What this means is that RealD 3D auditoriums with 4K projectors can provide a visibly sharper image, especially with movies shot on similarly high-resolution cameras.

	IMAX Digital 3D	RealD 3D
3D technology	Linear polarizing	Circular polarizing
Projector	Dual projectors	Single projector (with 3D lens)
Screen	Silver coated	Silver coated
3D glasses	Large format (for larger screen)	Standard size
Audio	Uncompressed	Varies by theater

The 3D effect

To some, 3D movies should "pop" out of the screen, similar to what audiences experience with 3D rides at theme parks. Others prefer a more subdued 3D effect that stays behind the screen, adding a little more depth to the standard 2D fare.

Those who prefer the reach-out-and-grab-you effect might be partial to IMAX Digital 3D, which the company claims to excel at. Executive Vice President (Technology) of the IMAX Corporation, Brian Bonnick, says that Imax Digital 3D movies "can appear in front of the screen" which may be more lifelike. He also credits IMAX's "patented theater geometry", "proprietary wide-angle lenses" and brighter images for this effect.

If you're not a fan of props being hauled your direction or swords almost touching your nose, then RealD's 3D effects could be the alternative. While RealD technology is capable of extending beyond the screen, the screens used in these cinemas tend to be flat and positioned further from the viewer, which would minimize the coming-at-you effect. The 3D effect they produce would also be similar to what you'd experience on your 3D TV at home. Some videophiles also prefer the 3D effect to be behind the screen and not protruding from it, so that it does not serve as a distraction from the movie itself.

However, do keep in mind that some movies may be shot with effects coming out of the screen for dramatic effect--the James Cameron epic Avatar would be one example. Other movies, such as Prometheus by Ridley Scott, are shot with a more subtle effect, which can be equally believable. So it really isn't all about the 3D format, but which movie you're watching, too.

Is there a superior format?

IMAX Digital 3D vs RealD 3D movies, we'd say that the 3D effect is very comparable between these two formats. IMAX 3D does seem a bit more dramatic, due to the larger screen and closer viewing distance, but the way the movie was shot is equally important. There are, however, some notable differences.

IMAX screens are massive and curved, which should help improve your view of the screen and minimize ghosting--the appearance of a double-images that's prevalent on some 3D TVs. IMAX Digital 3D screenings should also be consistently brighter. IMAX says that its linear polarizing technology provides an "improved signal-to-noise performance over circular polarizers" and "allows more light through". However, keep in mind that this technology makes 3D movies less tolerant of movements, especially tilting your head sideways.

RealD 3D typically provides better viewing angles that allows viewers to tilt and turn their heads while watching. While 3D movie enthusiasts probably know that keeping their heads still minimizes ghosting or double-images, young children may not. RealD representative Rick Heineman believes that this flexibility is important for moviegoers who should be "free to sit comfortably".

Another frequently overlooked aspect is consistency. While RealD theaters are far more abundant, the venues only need to sport "compliant digital cinema projectors". This means that your moviegoing experience would depend on the type of projectors used by the cinema as well as the sound system installed--these can vary significantly depending on the brands of equipment used. IMAX theaters, however, have to meet standards for audio and image quality which means they'll look and sound more consistent across the board.