Category: Movie Articles

PODCAST: A Look Back At Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002)!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

I have a love-hate relationship with Spider-Man. When the original Spider-Man spider anfilm came out in 2002, it was one of my most anticipated films of all time. However, when it came out I was a little disappointed to be honest. At the time, the type of Spider-Man comics I was reading, were very different from the tone that Sam Raimi chose to go with in his 2002 Spider-Man film. I was reading Brian Michael Bendis reconstruct Spider-Man for a whole new generation in Ultimate Spider-Man, while Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film was most influenced by creators like Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, John Romita Sr. days. After rewatching the movie for this episode of the podcast, I still think some of it works and some of it doesn’t. However, it’s still a fun film with moments of excellence.

As you’ll hear me say in this weeks episode of the podcast, the final scene of Spidey swinging through the streets of New York as Danny Elfman’s score swells, is still the most thrilling web-swinging Spider-Man sequence to date. I even love Toby Maguire’s final voiceover! It’s so damn good that I had to include it right here…

Blade and X-Men may have paved the way for serious, quality superhero films, but Spider-Man is the film most directly responsible for “The Age of Comic Book Films” that we live in today. Blade was a bloody, intense film with elements of horror. Most of the audience didn’t even know Blade was based on a Marvel comic book series. It stood on its own as a horror/action film about a badass vampire hunter, X-Men was a tougher sell because it was a full blown comic book superhero movie in a way that Blade wasn’t. X-Men had an expansive mythology, multiple sci-fi elements and was a thematic allegory about bigotry and marginalized minority groups. Both films were hits, but they weren’t movies that you could take your kids and your grandparents to. One of the reasons Spider-Man was such a massive head was because it appealed to weigh much wider audience. Arguably the first major superhero movie since Batman that all moviegoers would head out and see.

The now iconic, upside down kiss.

Spider-Man swung into theatres for the biggest box office opening weekend of all time! Of course, that record would go on to be broken many times over. However at the time, while the superhero movie phenomenon was still in its relative infancy, it felt pretty damn cool as a long time comic book fan. It felt like the world was finally realizing something we all knew all along. The current record holder for biggest opening weekend of all time, goes to another beloved superhero film, Avengers: Endgame (which is also the highest grossing movie of all time)! We take a look back at one of the most influential and important superhero films of the modern age on this week’s episode of The World’s Best Podcast! 

Spidey take a goblin bomb right to the fucking mush!

Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/41028841 Or subscribe on Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…
Coming Soon to SPOTIFY…

iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000491914033

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=185563

You guys know that I love concept art. So for those of you interested, Comic Book Movie posted some very cool concept art from the first Spider-Man film by artist James Carson. The art includes a much cooler and more organic take on the Green Goblin and some images of Spidey’s web shooters. Check them out below…

While Raimi’s Spider-Man ended up going with “organic web shooters”, they did consider using the classic web shooters as you can see in the above concept art.

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

MCU: Marvel Casts KANG THE CONQUEROR! Is This The New “Big Bad” Of The MCU?

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

Jonathan Majors (HBO’s Lovecraft Country has been cast as Kang The Conqueror

    During their long stint as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, The Avengers have faced countless villains over the years. There are very few “Big Bads” in The Marvel Universe that The Avengers haven’t tangled with at some point or another. Heroes like Spider-Man and the X-Men have their own fantastic rogues galleries of villains. By contrast, The Avengers only have a few MAJOR villains to call their own. Villains who are seen as Avengers villains first and foremost. Sure, The Avengers may come up against Doctor Doom fairly frequently, but Doctor Doom has always been, and always will be, the nemesis of The Fantastic Four. However, when it comes to mortal enemies, what The Avengers lack in numbers, they make up for in their sheer level of badass. These motherfuckers are some next level threats. The Avengers have 3 iconic villains as primary enemies and we’ve already see 2 of them in The MCU: Thanos, Ultron, and Kang The Conqueror. I’ll get back to Kang in a minute. 

    First, let’s do a quick rundown of the mega-bad guys Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have faced so far. I’m not counting Loki for the same reason I don’t count Doctor Doom, Loki may have fought The Avengers, but he’s Thor’s problem first and foremost. Anyway like I said, we’ve already seen 2 out of 3 major Avengers baddies, so let’s start with Ultron. In the comics, Ultron is a fucking nightmare. He can never truly be killed, some piece of code always survives. Because he’s an artificial intelligence, every time he comes back, he’s a little more dangerous, a little smarter, and little more deadly. Tony Stark himself has said it on multiple times, it’s an inevitability: one day Ultron will simply win. Ultron may have lacked a lot of this menace on the big screen, but I still feel like there’s a lot to like in The MCU‘s portrayal of the character. James Spader put in an underrated performance as the deranged artificial intelligence, in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Some fans felt that the film and it’s titular villain were disappointing. However, I think Ultron is much more interesting than people give him credit for and I would love to see the character pop up in a future MCU film. 

   Then, of course, there’s Thanos, who made his first appearance in the post credits scene of the original Avengers film. After years of build up, Josh Brolin delivered an already iconic performance as The Mad Titan, Thanos. Cementing his spot not only as the best villain in The Marvel Cinematic Universe, but one of the best villains on the silver screen period. But even as Thanos was wowing audiences in the epic finale of Marvel’s Infinity Saga, some were wondering who would take his who would take his place as the next “Big Bad” of The MCU.

  Which brings us to “Big Bad” 3, Kang The Conqueror. Fans have been speculating for at least a couple of years now about which villain will become the next big threat in The MCU. With Ultron and Thanos out of the way, the smart money seemed to be on Kang The Conqueror. Now, it looks like those predictions are likely to come true. Recent reports from outlets like Deadline, indicate that Jonathan Majors currently starring as Atticus Freeman in the excellent new HBO series Lovecraft Country, has been cast in the role of Kang The Conqueror. These new reports also indicating that the character will be making his debut in Ant-Man 3. I haven’t seen Majors in many other roles besides Lovecraft Country, but he’s excellent in that series, so I really like this casting. I think there’s a lot of excellent potential here.

   So who is Kang The Conqueror, anyway? Born Nathaniel Richards, Kang is a human from several thousand years in the future, he’s even a descendent of Reed Richards. Kang’s defining characteristics are his mastery of time travel and his brilliant strategic mind. In the far future, Kang utilized his genius-level intellect and advanced weapons taken from across the timeline, to conquer Earth and expand his empire throughout the stars. Kang considers himself the ruler of time itself, with all of history under his domain. He’s gone by many names over the years, but he is the warlord or king of whatever age he finds himself in. He traveled back in time to ancient Egypt and was worshipped as a god because of his incredible technology. He spent years there, ruling as a pharaoh under the name Rama-Tut. During this part of his life, Kang crossed paths and swords with En Saba Nur aka Apocalypse, one of the greatest adversaries of the X-Men. With the X-Men making their debut in the MCU sooner or later, this opens up a lot of interesting storytelling possibilities that could come out of that connection. 

One younger version of Kang, is disgusted when he finds out about his future as a time-traveling despot, so he travels back in time to “The Age of Heroes”,  to join The Avengers in an attempt to avert this future. This Kang actually joins the Young Avengers under the name Iron Lad. Much later in his life, Kang takes up the alias, Immortus, serving as a quasi-guardian of the timeline. It’s easy to see the many possibilities for great storytelling at play with a character like Kang. Kang is so dangerous because he’s a brilliant strategist on par with Captain America or Nick Fury with technology at his fingertips that is thousands of years beyond what even brilliant minds like Reed Richards or Tony Stark have at their disposal.

Kang’s different incarnations through the timeline: Kang The Conqueror, Immortus, Iron Lad, Rama-Tut

Ant-Man 3 may seem like an odd choice to debut this character, but it was Pym technology that gave The Avengers access to time travel in the first place. Perhaps Kang doesn’t like other people messing around in, what he views to be, his domain? There are also rumors that Ant-Man 3 could also see the debut of The Fantastic Four in some way. Could this be a jumping off point for the future of the MCU in the same way a movie like Captain America: Civil War was? What do you guys think of Kang The Conqueror joining the MCU,? Do you like the casting? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

Update On Justice League: The Snyder Cut!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…


    I’m really looking forward to the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League premiering on HBO Max next year. The more I hear about it the more I’m excited by it. Zack Snyder is a very polarizing figure among fans, personally, I find much more to like in Zack Snyder‘s work than there is to dislike. I love Man of Steel and though it’s a very flawed film, I love Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Based on some statements made by Snyder in recent interviews, it sounds like this project is more of a remake of Justice League than a director’s cut. Snyder has said he’s not using any of the material that Joss Whedon shot and the current runtime of The Snyder Cut is around 4 hours. I don’t know if HBO Max is going to release this as one big piece of content or divide it into a miniseries, but the bottom line is there is going to be a shit load of new stuff in this movie. New characters, new storylines, major scenes playing out completely differently. 

A bad ass fan made poster for The Snyder Cut

  A recent clip from The Snyder Cut that was released online is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. The scene involved Superman visiting Alfred after his resurrection, to get the information he needed to help the rest of The League win the day against Steppenwolf and his forces from Apokolips. The key difference in this new clip is Superman‘s wearing his iconic post-resurrection, black costume, which is a cool call back to The Death and Return of Superman storyline from the original comic books. In a recent interview, Zack Snyder said that Warner Bros. was vehemently against a black suited Superman, but to keep his options open, he shot the scene with a version of the Superman suit with the traditional red and blue, but the colors and the tone were slightly different from other red and blue suits that were used. This was done because those slightly different color tones are easier to change in post-production using VFX. Now Snyder could go back and change the color of the costume to a sort of “ash” grey cape and Superman emblem, on a black body suit. I posted the short clip below. It’s a small, but cool change. And when it comes to sneak peeks at the upcoming “Snyder Cut”, the changes for the better don’t stop there…

One of the worst things about the theatrical cut of Justice League was it’s villain, Steppenwolf. Not only was he an uninteresting and boring character, but the CGI design was terrible. When Batman V. Superman came out, a deleted scene called “Communion” was released online that showed Lex Luthor using the Kryptonian ship to communicate with a very different looking Steppenwolf. Much cooler and much scarier. You can watch that below if you haven’t seen it:

I loved this design, Steppenwolf is one of The New Gods, a servant of Darkseid. I loved this almost demonic, monstrous take on the character. Thanks to these images released online, we know that Steppenwolf has been completely redesigned for The Snyder Cut. This is clearly much more in line with the creature we see in “Communion”. Take a look…

Zack Snyder posted this image of a WAY cooler looking Steppenwolf from The Snyder Cut
Steppenwolf concept art
More Steppenwolf concept art. A much cooler design, in the vein o& the “Alien” films

 I thought it would be very interesting to see that same aesthetic applied to Darkseid and the other New Gods. Now, with Zack Snyder’s Justice League, it looks like I’ll get my wish. Darkseid was originally going to be the main villain of the film and with the added emphasis put on The Lord of Apokolips in the first teaser for The Snyder Cut, we should expect to see Darkseid as a prominent figure in the film. Early in the theatrical cut of Justice League, we’re show an ancient battle sequence at the beginning of Justice League, which features Amazons, Atlanteans, human armies, the old gods, and even a Green Lantern, fighting together to push back the forces of Apokolips, lead by Steppenwolf, during their first invasion of Earth. In the teaser for The Snyder Cut that I just mentioned, the invasion is now lead by Darkseid. Here’s that teaser to refresh your memory:

A low res image of Darkseid during the first Apokolips invasion of Earth
Rough concept art of Darkseid during his invasion of Earth. In his younger days, Darkseid was known as Uxas.

Interestingly, in one of his recent interviews Zack Snyder mentioned that the film won’t even be called Justice League anymore. I’m not sure what the new title will be and if the change is for legal or creative reasons, but we’ll find out sooner or later. DC  is currently gearing up for a big event on August 22nd called DC FANDOME. The 24 hour online event will be showcasing DC characters and properties across all mediums. There’ll be some big announcements about upcoming DC projects in film, comics, TV, and more. We should definitely expect to get an update on The Snyder Cut in some form or another. It could be another trailer or new information, but regardless we will be comprehensively covering the DC FANDOME event here at World’s Best Media. For more on DC FANDOME, go to http://www.DCFanDome.com !

A young Darkseid battles Ares.

So are you looking forward to The Snyder Cut? Let me know you thoughts in the comments below!

This concept art shows an alternate design for the Parademons. This look will not be in the new film, it’s just a cool
“what if” that I wanted to share..

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

The 15th Anniversary Of Constantine: An Underrated Cult Classic

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

Normally, this is the time of year when we’d be right in the middle of the San Diego Comic-Con. Some of the year’s biggest announcements about our favorite movies, TV shows, and comic books are made at this event. Unfortunately, due to the continued threat of the COVID-19 outbreak, the mega-convention couldn’t be held this year and I can’t say I blame them. Imagine it, thousands of sweaty, nerdy fans, decked out in their cosplay, in 90+ degree heat with 80% humidity, as they all walk around hacking and coughing a deadly virus on each other. Half of the attendees would be in the hospital by the end of the week. Not a pretty picture. 

     However, we weren’t completely left empty-handed, the folks behind the long running annual fan event, came up with  Comic-Con@Home, multiple panels were live streamed online for folks to enjoy a little bit of Comic-Con from the comfort and safety of their own home. Nothing beats the real Comic-Con experience, but they still put together some very interesting panels. One of the highlights, for me at least, was the Constantine 15th Anniversary Panel. Star Keanu Reeves, producer Akiva Goldman, and director Francis Lawrence discussed the 2005 film with one of writers from Collider. 

Constantine takes a trip to Hell

    I want to take a minute and to give the film some context. John Constantine is easily among my top 10 favorite comic book characters. He was created by legendary comic book writer Alan Moore during his Swamp Thing run for DC and the physical inspiration for Constantine was world famous musician, Sting. The character was enough of a standout to warrant his own series from DC under their mature readers imprint, Vertigo, called Hellblazer. Constantine was sort of a con-man mage based out of London. Writers like Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Brian Azzerello, and Warren Ellis have all done memorable work with the character, in fact Hellblazer was the longest running books in Vertigo’s history. 

A look at John Constantine from the comics

Constantine is a little more high profile these days, appearing in both live-action and animated TV shows and films. Most notably, actor Matt Ryan has portrayed John Constantine in pretty much every appearance the character has made over the last 6 years. We first saw Ryan’s interpretation of the role in the short-lived (but cancelled too soon) Constantine TV series (2014-2015). Unlike Keanu Reeves, the British and blonde haired Matt Ryan is much more in line with the traditional depiction of John Constantine. But you can’t keep a good warlock down, and Matt Ryan reprised the role of John Constantine on Arrow and eventually became a series regular on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (these appearances retroactively made the Constantine TV series part of The Arrowverse). Ryan has also voiced the character in multiple animated films, like Justice League Dark and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, as well as an animated miniseries. Much like Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker, Matt Ryan has become the unofficial, definitive version of John Constantine in the eyes of many fans.

Matt Ryan as John Constantine

   Having said all that, I think 2005’s Constantine is an extremely underrated movie that deserves more credit than it gets. On paper this movie should not work. First of all, John Constantine is one of the best comic book characters ever created and holds a lot of reverence with fans. Does Keanu Reeves sound anything the character I described above? A British, street sorcerer that looks like Sting? At the time, casting Keanu Reeves in the title role seemed like a weird and misguided choice for the movie. That’s strike one. Producer, Alkiva Goldman, has had his name attached to some truly dog shit projects over the years, including Joel Schumacher’s infamous Batman & Robin. Strike two. Finally, this beloved character was in the hands of a first time film director, who predominantly directed music videos before this movie. Strike three! But goddammit if they don’t manage to pull it off. Not only did the movie work, it was pretty damn great.

Lucifer pays John a visit. The only Soul he’d come to personally collect himself.

   Despite the changes to the source material, especially the casting of Keanu Reeves and the film taking place in LA instead of London, the movie did a phenomenal job at capturing the essence of John Constantine and his world. Keanu was so good in the role that the superficial changes didn’t matter as much as you’d think. The spirit of the character was there. Reeves did a better job of inhabiting John Constantine than a lot of other actors in comic book films that seem perfectly cast from the jump. There are so many great, little moments throughout the film that show how Keanu Reeves and the filmmakers really get exactly who this guy is and what makes him tick. 

   The look of the film, the supporting cast, Peter Stormare as Lucifer, are just a few examples of what makes this movie an underrated gem. I definitely recommend checking out the full panel, which you can watch right here:

It sounds like Keanu is up for a sequel, which would be pretty cool. So what do you guys think? Is Constantine an underrated classic? Or am I nuts and it’s a piece of shit? Let me know in the comments below.

Constantine, Papa Midnite (Djimon Hounsou), and Chas (Shia LaBeouf)

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

PODCAST: Interview with Mark Fitzgerald – Location Manager On The Town, Mystic River, & Much More!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here….

Mark has worked on numerous classics like The Town, The Departed, and Mystic River (pictured above)

  On this episode of The World’s Best Podcast, I sat down for an interview with Film Location Manager, Mark Fitzgerald. Mark has become synonymous with Boston filmmaking. You may not immediately recognize his name, but he’s left his mark on The City of Boston’s portrayal in movies like few people have. As Location Manager for dozens of films over the last two decades and beyond, he’s worked on movies all over the country, as well as some of Boston’s most iconic films. In our far reaching interview, we discuss how through his work with legendary filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, David Mamet, and Ben Affleck, Mark has reshaped how this unique city has been brought to life on film. All this and much more, in this incredibly fascinating interview covering Mark’s prolific career in the movie business. This discussion was an absolute delight and I hope you enjoy listening to it, as much as I did recording it! Enjoy!

3 more films Mark worked on: Gone Baby, Gone, Good Will Hunting, & Patriots Day. His filmography includes, but is not limited to films such as The Equalizer 1 & 2, Grown Ups 1 & 2, That’s My Boy, Here Comes The Boom, Fever Pitch, and Ted 2, just to name a few!

Mark was kind enough to send me the photos below, which he really liked because of the circumstances behind them. While working on the film “21”, Mark and the rest of the production team where able to close off Massachusetts Ave. in Boston and land their camera mounted helicopter, which is no east feet! It had to be cleared with multiple government agencies, as well as the BPD. As he explained it to me, the director even wanted the 22 polls removed from each side the bridge. All of this to get a sweeping a shot of one of the actors on a motorcycle driving across the bridge. Despite all the difficulties and hard work they managed to get it all done! Unfortunately, as it sometimes happens, the shot ended up on the cutting room floor! (Mark is on the far right of the photos, wearing a long sleeve white shirt, jeans, and work boots)

Mark Fitzgerald is pictured on the far right in a white shirt and jeans

Mark’s next film hitting theaters is Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds, premiering later this year. When the pandemic allows for filming to begin, Mark’s next project will be working on the next movie from Academy Award winning director Adam McKay (Anchorman, The Big Short, Step Brother, Vice)!

Listen here:https://www.spreaker.com/episode/39770948 Or subscribe on Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…

iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000484989281

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=185563

Thanks for listening ! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

PODCAST: Is Michael Keaton Returning To Play Batman?!!!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

On this week’s episode of The World’s Best Podcast, Big Paul Sr. returns to the show for a sobering reminder of how aging can lead to a steep cognitive decline! More importantly, we cover the big news of the week: Michael Keaton may be returning to play Batman alongside Ezra Miller’s Flash, in the upcoming Flashpoint movie? The man who many people think is still the best to ever wear the cape and the cowl, returning to the role of The Dark Knight is extremely exciting!

Getting a Flash movie to the big screen has been an enormous struggle for DC and Warner Brothers. The film has already gone through multiple writers/directors and was originally scheduled for release more than two years ago. Barring anymore disasters, The Flash is going to be helmed by Andy Muschietti, who directed the recent hit horror films, IT and IT: Chapter Two. Despite all the drama behind the scenes, one thing has remain constant: The Flash film will be an adaptation of the seminal Flash storyline, Flashpoint.

Left: The Flash will be directed by Andy Muschietti, the filmmaker behind “IT” & “IT: Chapter Two”; Right: Art from Flashpoint, the story said to the focus of the upcoming Flash film.

Written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert, Flashpoint told the story of Barry Allen (The Flash) going back in time to prevent his mothers murder. However, changing this one event has dire and far reaching consequences that Barry never could have foreseen. Barry finds himself in a much darker and dangerous version of the DCU that he knows. Kind of like Back To The Future II. However, one of the most significant and interesting changes is revealed when Barry heads to Wayne Manor to seek out the help of his friend and fellow JL member, Batman. When Barry enters The Batcave, a nearly psychotic Batman attacks him. At which point Barry makes a horrifying discovery, the man underneath the bat cowl is actually Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s father! As a result of Barry‘s manipulation of the timeline, one of the major changes effected the creation of The Dark Knight on that fateful night in Crime Alley, in Gotham City all those years ago when The Wayne’s were attacked by a mugger. Bruce was now the one shot and killed, instead of his parents. So Thomas Wayne became Batman. A much more violent and unhinged Batman. Working together, Barry and Thomas Wayne set out to fix the timeline. That’s the set up.

The Batman (Thomas Wayne) of The Flashpoint timeline

This is just speculation on my part, but like a lot of comic book adaptations of specific stories, I think a lot of liberties will be taken with the source material with this Flashpoint film. A good example is Captain America: Civil War, that story was based on the miniseries Civil War and is vastly different from the source material. So what I think will happen is, maybe instead of an alternate timeline, Barry will enter an alternate universe, like the universe of Tim Burton’s Batman and that’s where he’ll meet and team up with Michael Keaton‘s Dark Knight. Maybe he travels to another alternate universe with Barry, I don’t know how it will work. But you can definitely see how they could fit Michael Keaton’s Batman into a story like this. 

I know DC also wants to use Keaton in a role similar to Nick fury in the MCU, one example that’s been rumored suggests Keaton’s Batman showing up in a Batgirl movie. However, I think if DC and Warner Bros. want to do a film about a young Bat-themed hero, they would be crazy not to adapt Batman Beyond. It works perfectly, an older Bruce Wayne played by Keaton, training Terry McGinnis as the next Batman in futuristic Gotham City. It was a phenomenal TV series and it could be a phenomenal film series, as well. 

Bottom line is, there a lot of thrilling possibilities with Michael Keaton returning to play Batman and all of them are exciting! We get into in all on this episode so, enjoy!

The Flash or Flashpoint (whatever they end up calling it) is currently set to hit theaters on June 3, 2022  

Lastly, DC Animation did an adaptation of Flashpoint, called Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. Not only is it one of their best animated films, it’s also one of my favorite superhero movies of all time, period. I highly recommend you checking it out, you can find it on iTunes and other streaming services and I have included a link where you can purchase Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (for pretty damn cheap) on Blu-ray: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/justice-league-the-flashpoint-paradox-blu-ray-2013/9343093.p?skuId=9343093&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3Nv3BRC8ARIsAPh8hgLwh_kLVKQR71iVmaxPM7yK8_G8RZxXtQSCwppslGvgdcOhDdynn2MaAjyHEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/33382238   Or subscribe on Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…

iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000479658504

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=185563

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

FIRST LOOK: Justice League: The Snyder Cut!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

There’ve been few things in recent popular culture that have been more divisive than Zack Snyder‘s foray into the DCEU. Personally, I’m a big Zack Snyder defender. I think, with the exception of Sucker Punch, he’s never truly made a bad movie.

   Man of Steel is easily my favorite live-action Superman movie. Henry Cavill is much better in the role than people give him credit for and the movie is underrated in general. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is a very flawed film, but I love it. Particularly the R-Rated Ultimate Edition. It’s sad that the films reception and his personal issues forced Ben Affleck to walk away from the character because he was arguably our best live action Batman to date. The only thing in that movie that was truly terrible was the decision to cast Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and his god awful subsequent performance. I understand that, as fans we all have our own beliefs about how beloved character should be portrayed on screen, but I was pleasantly surprised by Batman V Superman, especially because the film was getting such mixed reviews at the time. 

I don’t count Justice League because at the end of the day that wasn’t really Snyder’s film. Almost everything with Superman in that movie was shot after he left the film, for personal reasons. Henry Cavill was well into filming Mission: Impossible Fallout, where he sported a thick mustache. You can tell that all of Superman’s scenes were shot after Zack Snyder left the film, because Paramount, the film studio that was making Mission Impossible, wouldn’t let Warner Bros. shave Cavill’s mustache for JL reshoots. So, instead of choosing the much simpler, cheaper, and smarter option of shaving his mustache and having Cavill wear a fake for the remainder of shooting Mission Impossible, Warner Bros. had to remove the mustache digitally. The god awful result is that the whole bottom half of Superman’s face in JL looks like a creepy mannequin come to life. Of course none of that is Zack Snyder‘s fault because he already left the movie at that point, but it’s a funny story if you haven’t already heard it.

Now, Zack Snyder is finally getting a chance to give us his vision of his Justice League film, or at least something pretty close to it. Justice League: The Snyder Cut is premiering on HBOMax next year, sometime in 2021. It might not be much, but HBO released a brief teaser for the project that you can watch below. Of course, you can’t judge a movie after only seeing less than 60 seconds of footage, but I already dig the darker tone. We’re only shown two quick scenes, one involving Diana played by Gal Gadot that was not in the theatrical cut at all and a quick look at a alternate version of the ancient battle sequence that opens the film where Steppenwolf has been replaced by… Well, I won’t spoil it, but it’s someone much scarier and much more interesting. The thing that both of these scenes have in common is that they’re extremely ominous and they both serve to focus on the appearance of a certain iconic DC villain, not featured in the theatrical cut. Take a look below, I’d love to hear what you guys think:

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

PODCAST: Movie Theories & Urban Legends!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

On this episode of “The World’s Best Podcast”, I talk about some interesting fan theories regarding some of our favorite films, as well as some creepy Hollywood urban legends! For those of you who may not understand, when I say interesting Fan Movie Theories, we’re talking about picking up on subtext, hints, and other clues to formulate fun ideas and theories that aren’t necessary explicit and clear when watching a film. Don’t get me wrong, there have been one or two fan movies theories over the years that more or less turned. However, the vast majority of Fan Movie Theories are bullshit, but they sure are fun to discuss!

To name just a few of the movies covered in this episode:

  • The Dark Knight
  • The James Bond Franchise
  • Joker
  • Serenity
  • And much more!

Here are the 2 videos I referenced in this episode:

Mr. Sunday Movies

The Film Theorists

Listen here:  https://www.spreaker.com/episode/30763281  Or subscribe on Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…

iTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000477997665

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=185563

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

COOL VIDEO: WatchMojo’s Top 20 Defining Movie Moments Of The Century (So Far)!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

If you’re anything like me, every once in a while you find yourself watching a video on YouTube, the video ends, and YouTube rolls into the next video. Next thing you know, you’ve just spent hours getting sucked down into the whirlpool that is the never-ending abyss of YouTube videos. While most of the time that can lead to some wasted hours, every once in awhile you come across some cool stuff. One of the easiest YouTube channels to get sucked into is WatchMojo. They have great Top 10 videos to cover every corner of pop culture. TV, Movies, Comic Books, Podcasts, they  have great Top 10 Videos that cover it all. Chances are, if you can think of a potential pop culture Top 10 Videos, WatchMojo probably has it. They’ll get their hooks into me with videos like; Top 10 Characters On The TV Series Supernatural or the Top 10 Best Moments in Avengers: Endgame or the Top 10 Best Final Lines In A Movie, these are just some random examples,  I could go on and on. Last week, they posted a pretty cool video that I wanted to share with you guys: Top 20 Defining Movie Moments of The Century (So Far). I think they’re pretty damn spot on with their picks! Watch it right here to decide for yourself:

Pretty cool, right? You can Subscribe to WatchMojo through this video here or on YouTube. So, do you think that WatchMojo had a good group of picks? Or are their some glaring omissions they left out? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @PJWrightWBM!You can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media!

-Paul

New MCU Movie Release Dates!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

 I really fucking hate that I have to keep writing about this horrible pandemic. I wanted my readers, as well as the listeners of my podcast, to come here for an escape from all the tragedy that has been brought about by this health crisis. Unfortunately, a problem on a global scale like this is going to touch virtually all aspects of life, including the film and entertainment industry. As we get closer to Summer Movie Season, film studios have had to start making hard decisions about what they’re going to do with their large summer, tentpole films that were scheduled to be hitting theaters soon. 

  Some companies are bumping back their films an entire year to next summer, like Sony Pictures. One of the big summer movies that I was really looking forward to was Ghostbusters: Afterlife.Sony decided to move Ghostbusters afterlife and several other of their High profile movies back to summer 2021. Some studios will choose to release certain films digitally and on streaming services, but I seriously doubt any of the very high profile movies will take that route. With Disney+ hitting over 50 million subscribers, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some smaller Disney films that were scheduled to be released, popping up on Disney+ throughout the summer. Like they recently did with Pixar’s Onward. 

Check out this INCREDIBLE fan made poster for Thor: Love and Thunder.

  As you might suspect, my biggest concerns were the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Fortunately, Marvel Studios has just released their new plan for rolling out their upcoming film slate. It seems like basically everything has just been bumped back by one movie. For example, Black Widow was originally scheduled to come out in May 2020 with The Eternals hitting theaters in November. Now Black Widow gets the November release date and the Eternals gets bumped to February 2021. Check it out in the image below:

Not included in the schedule above is Spider-Man 3, which currently has a release date of July 16, 2021. Marvel also officially announced Ant-Man 3, Blade, and Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3, but those three films have not yet been giving official release dates. However, Marvel has movies coming out on October 7, 2022, February 17, 2023, May 5, 2023, July 28, 2023, and November 3, 2023. So the three aforementioned films will each take up one of these release dates, leaving 2 dates open for unknown movies. Could either of these dates be Fantastic Four or X-Men projects? Who knows? We’ll just have to wait and see…

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul,