Batson's Blog

The Wolverine , which is sure to be yet another awesome super hero movie, will be released in theatres July 26. It's interesting to note that, counting his cameo in X-Men: First Class , this will be the sixth time that Hugh Jackman appears on the big screen as Wolverine. To put that into perspective, Christian Bale suited up to play Batman just three times, Tobey Maguire appeared in three Spider-Man movies, Christopher Reeve played Superman in four movies, and Sean Connery played James Bond in six movies. Roger Moore beats them all out, starring in seven James Bond movies. I don't know if those lists are impressive or just an example of Hollywood's habit of finding a formula and sticking with it. There are literally dozens of characters to choose from in D.C. and Marvel's libraries, yet there's always a focus on the same core group of super heroes. When an actor or director gets bored and calls it quits, they just do a reboot with a new actor in the role ...

I already talked about the best portrayals of super heroes and villains on the big screen. Today, let’s take a look at some of the portrayals that didn’t make either of those lists. These heroes and villains weren’t bad, but they could have been better. 10. Sienna Miller as The Baroness ( G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra , 2009) This one almost worked really well. Visually, Miller's transformation into The Baroness was pretty much impeccable. The look was updated enough to not avoid being too cartoonish in the movie, but The Baroness' trademark features were still present -- the glasses, the catsuit, and the dark hair. There didn't seem to be any attempt at The Baroness' accent though. I was disappointed in that. It didn't have to be perfect, but at least some kind of accent would have been appreciated. The producers, looking for a love story, I suppose, also provided us with a romantic history between The Baroness and Duke. 9. Hugo Weaving as The Red S...

After blogging about the best super villains come to life , I figured it only appropriate to come up with a list of the best super heroes come to life. Just like with the villains, some of my choices were made for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s the weaponry that makes a character. Other times it’s the costume. Sometimes it’s the physical Whatever the reason, the end result was successful. 10. Rachel Nichols as Scarlett ( G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra , 2010) I had to Google Rachel Nichols to write this blog post. I haven't seen her in anything before or since G.I. Joe. Turns out she's been in quite a few movies -- just nothing I've seen. She's proof that sometimes it's best to pick an actress that isn't as well known to play a role rather than going to the A-listers. She didn't set the world on fire with her portrayal, but she looked the part and captured the essence of the talented and confident (yet not arrogant) Scarlett. The only thing...

It’s been a while since I’ve been in the blogosphere. That’s because I’ve been busy watching the greatest sitcom since Seinfeld . I’m talking about The Big Bang Theory . Yes, I’m just realizing the awesomeness that is Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Wallowitz, and Penny (knock-knock, Penny, knock-knock, Penny). I’m usually a few years behind when it comes to TV shows. When a show hits syndication and starts airing on TBS, FX or some other cable channel is when I start watching it. With the exception of Lost, I’ve never really watched a television show as it was airing. It was always too much work to remember to watch it each week. Being able to set recordings on VCRs and DVRs made it easier, but, even then, I’d forget to set the VCR or my DVR would be too full to record. Anyway, I got The Big Bang Theory on DVD. Several people were telling me what a good show it was, so I decided it was time to catch up to speed. I caught up through the fourth season and now I’m thoroughly add...

Last week I'm at work and someone starts talking about people dressed up in crazy costumes. My first thought was, "Sounds like a comic book convention," but I figured I wouldn't be that lucky. What were the chances? A comic book convention in Charlotte? I immediately Googled "comic book + convention + Charlotte" though. Sure enough! HeroesCon was in Charlotte! A real comic book convention. I'd heard about Comic-Con and WizardCon, but they were usually in cities like Chicago and San Diego. I'd always wanted to go to one of them, but the opportunity just never came up. Well, I got the chance last Saturday and I took full advantage. I went to the Charlotte Convention Center , descended the escalator and walked onto the red carpet that was set up in front of me. At the end of the walkway, there was a large portrait of the Charlotte skyline. Immediately I saw, perhaps, the best part of my day: a giant Hulk -- painted green and everything...

Disclaimer: this review is written by an unabashed super-hero fan-boy nerd and may contain some bias. I finally broke down and went to see The Avengers at AMC last week. I loved both Iron Man movies, I own both of The Incredible Hulk movies. Thor was a good flick too. The Captain America film wasn’t my favorite, but I enjoyed watching that one too. I was really anxious to see The Avengers , but I made a decision to wait until it was at the Redbox. See, when it comes to super heroes, there aren’t many I don’t like, but my allegiance always has to go to Batman. I was reading so many articles about The Avengers doing so well at the box office that I figured I’d better make sure my money goes to The Dark Knight Rises . The predecessor, The Dark Knight , is already on the top ten list of the most grossing movies of all time. I don’t want to see the Batman series edged out by The Avengers . Seriously, this is an important matter we're talking about here. We're...