Second DOCTOR WHO Series Seven Trailer Debuts

Not a good time to be a Dalek, apparently.

Early this morning, the BBC released the latest trailer for Doctor Who Series Seven, which is still showing as returning in Autumn even though some sources believe the premiere date will be August 25, 2012.

Rory Williams finally meets the Daleks.  "So...how much trouble are we in?"  The Eleventh Doctor gives the Daleks some of his best Stonehenge smacktalk.  "You've got me...What are you waiting for?  At long last, here I am!"  "Dinosaurs...on a spaceship!"  The Ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti.  Times Square in New York.  "Today, I honor the victims first -- His, the Master's, the Daleks'...all the people who've died because of my mercy!"  "See, this is what happens when you travel alone for too long."  Weeping Angel cherub blowing out Rory's match.  "We'll get through this, I promise...Don't be scared."  "Scared? Who's scared? Geronimo."  River Song.  The same location on Alfava Metraxis that the starship Byzantium crashed in "The Time of Angels."  "Who killed all the Daleks?"  "Who do you think...?"

Here you go, fellow Whovians.  Enjoy...

DAMN Good Comics -- HAWKEYE #1

No, no way.  I'm not going to say this book was "on target" or "hit the bullseye" or some other lame archery-related pun.  You can't make me.

What I will say is that after several attempts over the years to produce a Hawkeye series actually worth your valuable time and money, Marvel finally got it right.  The first issue of this post-Avengers movie take on the character features Clint Barton in costume for only two pages, while the rest focuses on what happens all-too-rarely in Hawkeye comics, namely giving Clint a substantive personality.

In "Lucky," writer Matt Fraction reminds us what we loved so much about his run on Immortal Iron Fist and the first few years of Invincible Iron Man.  Once again, we have a classic Marvel hero somewhat down on his luck, with the entire universe seemingly stacked against him, but still forging ahead to Do The Right Thing.  Clint is seriously injured as Hawkeye early on, during some unexplained skirmish, and as soon as he leaves the hospital six weeks later, he's mixed up with Russian "tracksuit mafia" goons threatening to evict his neighbors from their building.

So essentially, Clint is the one looking out for the little guys who can't stand up for themselves, just not in the traditional Robin Hood way that his DC Comics counterpart Green Arrow tends to favor.  No, Clint's way is to try to make the Tracksuit Mafia problem go away with money and when that fails, only then does he step up and physically resolve the issue.  However, a dog that befriends Clint over a slice of pizza also ends up seriously injured in the process, making Clint extremely sympathetic as he becomes determined to save the dog's life.

Reuniting with Fraction is his Immortal Iron Fist artist David Aja, who alters his traditional style somewhat with thicker lines.  The resulting effect resembles David Mazzucchelli's work in Batman: Year One, with colorist Matt Hollingsworth reinforcing this style using a very similar color palette.  That's definitely not a bad thing, mind you, because it complements this gritty New York in August setting nicely.

Longtime Hawkeye fans should absolutely love that the character finally has a series that looks sustainable for the long term.  If this first issue is any indication, Fraction has done some considerable thinking about how he wants to handle Hawkeye and it's going to be highly entertaining to see where he and Aja take the series from here.

ARROW Cast and Creators Discuss Mythos Changes

Although not exactly a news flash, the cast and creators for the upcoming CW series Arrow, based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, confirmed there will be some tweaking here and there to the Emerald Archer's established comics mythos.

The Hollywood Reporter posted several comments made today during the Television Critics Association press tour.  Executive producer Marc Guggenheim remarked that that the main source material for the series are Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle and Jock and the classic Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters by Mike Grell.  "Green Arrow has an origin that's subject to a lot of interpretation," said Guggenheim.  "We always start with the comic as our source of inspiration."  The producers noted some obvious changes, such as keeping Oliver Queen's parents alive and giving him a sister.

The decision to go with star Stephen Amell instead of Smallville's Justin Hartley was also addressed, with Guggenheim explaining, "We certainly wanted to chart our own course and destiny.  Michael Keaton doesn't affect your love for Christian Bale and Christian Bale doesn't affect your love for Adam West.  Multiple iterations are possible."

Having read Superman, Lobo and Spawn comics as a kid, Amell was the first person to come in and audition for the role.  "After we met Stephen and he auditioned, everyone else paled by comparison," said executive producer Andrew Kreisberg.  "Every step of the way it was Stephen…He was always Oliver Queen to us."

Amell trained with Henry Cavill's Man of Steel stunt double on a course where American Ninja Warrior contestants work out, learning archery and the free running variation of parkour.  After ending his training, Amell and company sent executive producer Greg Berlanti footage of his capabilities, which led to the salmon ladder scene in the pilot.  "As a producer, it's a little frightening when your star is doing a quarter of his stunts," said Berlanti.  "It's a little daring but it's what makes the show unique."

As for the series' themes, Guggenheim remarked, "We're exploring the nature of vigilantism...and we'll get into those [moral] issues.  Arrow always gives the bad guy of the week the opportunity to do the right thing, that's one of moral guidelines we're allowing.  When he kills, it's for necessity.  It's not random violence.  He'll have characters come into the universe that question those."

Arrow apparently has a list of targets but the series isn't set up to be Villain of the Week.  "The list is the jumping off point," said Guggenheim.  "Circumstances aren't always the same.  Part of Oliver's evolution of a hero is moving from his mission of revenge to redemption and to help people and stop crimes and moving away from just the agenda of righting his father's wrongs to helping to save the city."

A touch of the character's traditional liberal nature will be brought into the series.  "The people that Oliver is targeting are the wealthy and corrupt," said Guggenheim.  "There are some echoes of the 1% and Occupy Wall Street...He's a man of the people and taking it back for the little guy."

Kreisberg revealed that Arrow is telling two stories, one set in the present day and the one set on the island where Oliver was marooned for five years and became Arrow.  "Every episode will be telling the chronological story of the island," he said.  "Ideally by the last episode of the series, the last shot will be the boat coming for Oliver and being rescued."

Where Does the Batman Movie Franchise Go from Here?

Now that the third and final film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, has arrived in theaters, it's only natural for Batman fans to start wondering when they're going to see another movie starring their favorite DC Comics character.  I mean, another film is going to happen eventually, right?

Of course it is.  Nolan's three films have pulled in a combined total of over $1.9 billion in worldwide box office, not including home video, so don't think for a second that studio Warner Bros. is going to just put Batman back on the shelf for another twenty years or more. Sure, they're trying focusing attention on reviving Superman as a replacement franchise with the Nolan-produced Man of Steel, and supposedly The Flash is still in development, but it shouldn't be too long before we see Batman back on the big screen...in some form.

So after three films with Christian Bale growling his voice to shreds, where does the franchise -- and yes, it is a franchise now, make no mistake -- go from here?

The initial thought is to continue right where The Dark Knight Rises ends, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character Robin John Blake inheriting the Batcave and, presumably, the role of Batman's successor.  Maybe he would become Batman II, maybe he'd be Robin, maybe Nightwing, or maybe something else entirely.  The idea of continuing on with Blake has merit, especially since we could watch Gotham City rise from the devastation caused by Bane and essentially find out What Happens Next.  However, when you think of seeing a Batman movie, most people probably go in expecting to see Bruce Wayne, and only Bruce Wayne, wearing the Batsuit.

Well, that probably means another reboot.  It's worked before, obviously, after Joel Schumacher's 1997 trainwreck Batman & Robin starring George Clooney put the franchise in intensive care on life support.  Yeah, it took eight long years before Warner Brothers came back strong with Batman Begins, but the important thing was that it worked and worked well.  Campy rubber Batsuits with nipples were replaced with tactical armor and cowls that actually allowed Batman to turn his head.  Camera shots of crotches and posteriors with scene angles right out the '60s Adam West TV series were dumped in favor of stylish cinematography and dark urban atmosphere.  In short, a complete 180 in terms of execution, with Batman movies becoming Batman films.

It would be nice if the next director carries on Nolan's level of filmmaking while bringing his or her own style to keep things fresh.  However, the list of contenders seems pretty short -- Guillermo del Toro, Neill Blomkamp, Darren Aronofsky, Ben Affleck, Guy Ritchie, or Peter Jackson perhaps -- unless Warner Bros. decides for go for a relative unknown with hopefully a talented vision of the character.

Personally, I wouldn't make the next Batman film an origin story.  After Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Begins, not to mention decades of Batman comic books and cartoons, I think it's a safe bet that most of us understand by now that Bruce Wayne became Batman after a criminal murdered his parents.  No, I think it's better to just dive right in as Burton did and briefly recap the origin in an early scene or a flashback sequence.  And if there is a considerable hiatus between films, fans will want to see Batman being Batman from the start without slogging through a mopey origin yet again.

Oh, and there's this tiny notion of a possible Justice League movie to consider.  Marvel Studios has had considerable success with separate character films building up to a big Avengers event, so it's not hard to imagine that Warner Bros. would love their own version of that.  If Man of Steel succeeds at the box office, and The Flash movie gets officially greenlit, it makes sense to reboot Batman in one film and then bring them all together with Wonder Woman, Aquaman and possibly Cyborg and/or The Martian Manhunter.  This would mean hiring a director that's not a protective artiste like Nolan, but one willing to play along with other directors and share his Batman for a Justice League movie.

Whatever ends up happening, I'm guessing we won't see the next Batman film until 2017 at the very earliest.  Let's just hope, for all our sakes, that it's a good one.

DOCTOR WHO: Memories of the First Romana

Another one gone now, far too many.

Just less than two months after the death of Doctor Who actress Caroline John, Whovians around the world are once again in mourning following news of Tom Baker era actress Mary Tamm, who played the first incarnation of the Fourth Doctor's Time Lady companion Romana.  Tamm passed away this morning at the age of 62 from a reported 18-month battle with cancer.

As I've mentioned in previous "Doctor Who Memories" posts, I didn't start watching the series until very late in the Tom Baker era, so I missed both Romanas the first time.  I had to wait until my local PBS station, WVIZ out of Cleveland, cycled through the entire Peter Davison era and then about halfway through a repeat showing of Tom Baker's era before watching my first Romana story, "The Ribos Operation."

I liked her right from the start.  Although deliberately cold and haughty at first, the character Romanadvoratrelundar quickly settled down into a clever and charming companion for the Doctor.  Here at last was a companion not only capable of being on the Doctor's level, but occasionally surpassing it.  However, because Romana was centuries younger than the Doctor and less experienced in fighting all sorts of alien monsters, the mentor/student relationship kept the character from taking the series' focus away from the Doctor.  And okay, it didn't exactly hurt that she was one of the most attractive companions in the series' history.

I was disappointed to find out that Tamm's Romana only lasted one season, the entire "Key to Time" story arc of Season 16.  There were some solid Doctor Who classics in this season -- the aforementioned "The Ribos Operation," Douglas Adams' "The Pirate Planet," "The Androids of Tara," and the final story of the first Romana, "The Armageddon Factor."  The less said about "The Power of Kroll," however, the better.

"The Androids of Tara" was the true spotlight story for Tamm, where she acted once again as Romana, but also as physical match Princess Strella and both of their android doubles.  Wearing a distinctive purple outfit that Tamm supposedly designed herself, she stole as much attention as anyone could away from Tom Baker.  She gets to do some very Doctorish things like facing the monster and finding the segment to the Key to Time early on, but because she's a companion, of course, it's not long before she's twisting her ankle and ends up on an operating table about to have her head cut off.  I did, however, quite like the bit where Romana tries to "start" a horse.

At the time, it was a little frustrating as a fan to see Lalla Ward take over as Romana at the beginning of "Destiny of the Daleks" and also a bit weird, considering Tamm and Ward had shared scenes together in "The Armageddon Factor" with Ward playing Princess Astra.  The idea of Romana being able to try on different bodies before settling on her second incarnation's appearance seemed pretty frivilous and convenient, but hey, you just have to roll with these things sometimes with Doctor Who.  Later on in 2007, I read that Tamm was willing to come back a film a regeneration scene but wasn't invited to do so, another tragically missed opportunity for the series.

So one season and done for Mary Tamm's Romana, apart from appearances here and there in Fourth Doctor novels and Companion Chronicles audio adventure stories from Big Finish.  Thankfully though, Tom Baker's recent agreement to create new Fourth Doctor audio adventures has resulted in seven new Fourth Doctor and First Romana stories, with Tamm reprising her role.  The first one, "The Auntie Matter" is scheduled for release in January 2013, followed by "The Sands of Life," "War Against the Laan," "The Justice of Jalxar," "Phantoms of the Deep," "The Dalek Contract" and "The Final Phase."

It's going to be a bit sad though, listening to those audio adventures recorded prior to Tamm's death and realizing these seven stories will be the last we'll get to hear of her Romana.  In the meantime, if you haven't watched "The Key to Time" season (and shame on you big time if you haven't), I definitely recommend seeing for yourselves what made Mary Tamm's Romana such a wonderful, and far too brief, addition to the series.

FRINGE Promises Series Finale Fans Deserve

You'd better enjoy those strawberry milkshakes while you can, Fringe fans.  The Fox science-fiction TV series is about to begin its fifth and final 13-episode season, jumping ahead to the year 2036, where the Observers have taken over Earth and the planet's only hope lies in the former members of Fringe Division (of course).

In a recent interview on TV Guide, showrunner J.H. Wyman discussed how Season 5 will pay off for longtime fans and moving the series forward to the world of 2036, last seen in the Season 4 episode "Letters of Transit."  He remarked that this episode was similiar to a backdoor series pilot, adding, "We had talked about this being a possibility.  We wanted to see how people would react to it and if they would engage with it."

Season 5's main objective, according to Wyman, is to pay off on the relationships of the show's characters.  "We've always said the show is this great family drama that is masquerading as this science-fiction show," he said. "For me, [Season 5] is a metaphor for how difficult it is to have a family in this day in age."

Concerning fans getting proper closure on the series' intricate mythology, Wyman remarked, "Another part of the challenge was to bring back things that you've forgotten about, some things maybe you haven't forgotten about, recontextualize them and make the series make sense, and that was a very big part of what I was after," he said.  "There's going to be a lot of those [moments] and one specifically that's going to be very impactful, I hope."

"I truly believe that the show has a natural end," he said.  "I want to see [fans] get what they deserve to get...I want to feel like what they get has been earned."

Executive Producer J.J. Abrams also weighed in by way of a pre-taped video.  "Fringe is a show that I'm enormously proud to be associated with," he said.  "Fox has been unbelievable, going far beyond any expectations allowing the show to be on the air.  Fringe has always been true to its name -- a little more of an outside-the-box series.  [Wyman] has come up with some remarkable stuff, and I think this is going to be far and away the best season yet."

Fringe Season 5 is scheduled to begin on September 28, 2012 at 9 p.m. EST.

DAMN Good Movies -- THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Yes, I'm back with another of my movie takes, this time on the film The Dark Knight Rises, based on the classic DC Comics superhero Batman.  As always, if you haven't seen the movie yet and you don't want it spoiled for you, then please step back from your computer or whatever electronic device you're reading this on and stop reading now.  If, however, you're wise enough to know that movie reviews with spoilers are always more interesting than the ones without them...well...time to turn on the Bat Signal...

It's been four long years since director Christopher Nolan crushed it with The Dark Knight, which earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his powerful portrayal of The Joker.  Initially, Nolan was hesitant about returning for another sequel at first, but signed on after his brother Jonathan and David S. Goyer came up with an ending to the series that he liked.

This film borrows elements primarily from two classic Batman comics stories, "Knightfall" and "No Man's Land," weaving them into leftover plot threads from the previous two films that aren't mandatory viewing but highly recommended.  As a result, the storyline is something of a patchwork quilt that isn't quite stitched at first and only comes together toward the very end of the film.  While not the convoluted maze of Nolan's previous film Inception, you spend a good deal of the film's first act wondering where the story is ultimately headed.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you.

Unfortunately, what we start off with is a bit depressing for Batman fans.  Set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, which ended with Batman taking the fall for Harvey Dent and becoming a criminal fugitive, Bruce Wayne has become a Howard Hughes-esque recluse hiding out in one section of the rebuilt Wayne Manor.  Years of punishment from crimefighting have taken their toll on his body, giving him a limp in his left leg and also some unfortunate facial hair.  Meanwhile, thanks to a piece of legislation called the "Dent Act," crime in Gotham City is at an all-time low, so who needs Batman around, anyway?

Well, along comes the muscular powerhouse Bane, masked throughout the entire film with a breathing apparatus that garbles his voice somewhat and makes him sound like Bond villain Auric Goldfinger dressed as Darth Vader.  Bane, it turns out, is a firm believer in the 99% crowd and is all about ripping Gotham City society to shreds before turning his attention on Batman after Bruce Wayne finally gets back in the Batsuit.

What was initially depressing turns even worse when Bane dislocates one of Batman's vertebrae and then dumps him into a deep pit that only one person -- a child -- has ever escaped from.  So Batman obviously isn't exactly overjoyed by this and neither is anyone else in Gotham City.  Commissioner Gordon is hospitalized early on and feels all kinds of guilt (as he should) for going along with the pointless lie of what really happened to Harvey Dent.  Catwoman just wants to be left alone and disappear using a handy device called a "Clean Slate" that erases all computer records of your existence.  Bruce's butler and surrogate father Alfred just wants Bruce to give up being Batman and go sit outside at a cafe somewhere with a chick, and even quits Bruce's employ in the process.  Lucius Fox just wants Wayne Enterprises to make some damn money now that Bruce Wayne spent it all funding Miranda Tate's project that really isn't a nuclear bomb, swear to God it's not.  Oh, and new character John Blake is the only other cop in Gotham worth a damn who just wants Batman to come back and for somebody -- anybody -- to actually give a crap about the orphanage where he grew up.

Nope, nobody is happy in this movie.  Okay, maybe Bane is, but that's only because he pretty much owns everyone's ass.

After about two lonnnng hours of Gotham City gradually being turned into the island of Manhattan from Escape from New York and everyone trapped inside going "Well, this sucks," Bruce Wayne finally heals and figures out how to get out of Bane's timeout pit.  At last, we have our finale, the ultimate showdown between Bane and the Dark Knight with a wicked but not unexpected little Gotcha moment from Miranda Tate thrown in for good measure.  Score composer Hans Zimmer cranks up all his musical highlights from the trilogy, while Nolan just lets everything fly in one big chaotic and screen-splitting hullaballoo.

And then suddenly, just like that moment right after a big fireworks display, things are pretty much over.  The characters quietly disperse, some fading abruptly without knowing what happens to them, while others get their endings that may or may not be entirely satisfying depending on your personal point of view.  But at least, thankfully, there is an ending to Nolan's Dark Knight saga.

So what about the performances from the cast and the characters they portrayed? Well, as you might expect, I have a few thoughts...

BATMAN/BRUCE WAYNE -- Yes, Christian Bale still insists on making his Batman growl as if he smoked twenty packs of Marlboros a day, but it's hard to deny his skill acting as Bruce Wayne.  Especially in the film's first act, Bale gives an especially nuanced performance as the reclusive and drained Bruce, then gradually ratches things up as the storyline dictates. Easily his strongest outing since Batman Begins.

CATWOMAN/SELINA KYLE -- Redeeming the character of Catwoman from The Film That Must Never Be Discussed starring Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway displays some very impressive physical skills beyond her sleek catsuit.  It sometimes felt that her part was a tad underwritten, but that's definitely not any fault of Hathaway's and I'd love to see her take on the character get a solo spinoff film.

BANE -- Tom Hardy had the thankless job of trying to act around a mask covering his nose and mouth the entire film, as well as the vocal distortion effect added to his line delivery.  Despite these limitations though, he makes Bane a formidable and worth adversary, second only to Ledger's Joker in the trilogy, and you have to give mad respect to the amount of physical bulk he packed on for the role.

COMMISSIONER JAMES GORDON -- In his least effective outing as Gordon, Gary Oldman gets treated like a punching bag both physically and emotionally.  His character has a moment to step up and admit his mistakes but ends up being turned into a coward instead of the Commissioner Gordon we respect.  A disappointing outcome for the character.

ALFRED PENNYWORTH -- Alfred isn't given much in the way of screen time, but he does help coax Bruce out of seclusion only to then turn right around and abandon him right when Bruce needs him most.  Michael Caine turns in another solid job as Alfred though, and thankfully, Alfred gets a happy ending of sorts after learning what ultimately happens to Bruce.

ROBIN JOHN BLAKE -- Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a strong outing as Batman's sidekick, Not Robin.  As the successor to the Batman legacy, his character gets to reassure Bruce that he can retire as Batman, although whether Batman would actually retire is open to fan debate, obviously.  I have to admit, I was a bit surprised that Nolan didn't have Blake suit up as Batman #2 when needed, but I'm kind of glad that he didn't.

MIRANDA TATE/TALIA AL GHUL -- Diehard Batman fans probably saw the plot twist of Miranda Tate coming a mile away, as I did, but Nolan still makes it pay off beautifully.  The timing of the revelation is perfect, literally twisting the knife in Batman's side even further and making the bleak situation even more threatening.  Marion Cottilard seems to be Nolan's go-to Bad Girl now and as excessively long as this film was, I wish we could've had more scenes with her acting openly as Talia.

LUCIUS FOX -- Once again, Morgan Freeman does his best Morgan Freeman impression.  It doesn't matter though, because all Lucius really needs to be is Batman's version of James Bond's armorer Q.  He gets to show off all the cool new Bat toys to the audience but it was interesting to see his reaction once Bane turns up to claim all those cool Bat toys for his own purposes.

All in all, The Dark Knight Rises is the satisfying conclusion to the Christopher Nolan trilogy that it needs to be.  Yes, it's about a half-hour too long, too overly depressing and Bane is a bit too garbled at times, but Nolan still manages to pull everything together in the end.  His game is still far ahead of other directors in the superhero genre and there are some absolutely stunning visuals that demand everyone else to step up just to stay in the same conversation.  I'll be sad to see him leave but with his creative influence as producer on Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman film Man of Steel, next summer has the potential to bring us something just as entertaining as these three Batman films have been.

And for those who may be wondering, here's the updated list of my Top 20 Comic Book Films:

1. Superman (1978)

2. The Dark Knight (2008)

3. The Avengers (2012)

4. Watchmen (2009)
5. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
6. Spider-Man (2002)
7. Batman Begins (2005)

8. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

9. Iron Man (2008)

10. X-Men: First Class (2011)
11. X2: X-Men United (2003)

12. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

13. X-Men (2000)

14. Thor (2011)

15. Batman (1989)
16. Superman II (1981)

17. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

18. Green Lantern (2011)

19. Iron Man 2 (2010)

20. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Your friendly neighborhood movie reviewer,

Charles