Tag: Wonder Woman

The best thing about July is COMIC-CON!

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sdccThis past weekend was one of the best reasons to be a geek… San Diego Comic-Con! SDCC is the pinnacle of geekdom with tons of cosplayers, celebrities, and plenty of new trailers of upcoming movies and TV shows. It is, without a doubt, the mecca for nerds.

This year was no exception. With the debut of the most anticipated trailers for Aquaman and Shazam, along with the debut of Jodie Whittaker, the 13th Doctor in Doctor Who, as well as the premiere of the new DC Comics “streaming” service and their flagship TV series, Titans, and the return of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this was a monumental comic-con. I think, though, DC Comics stole the show with the myriad of movies and television to show off.

I have to start with television. There were plenty of trailers for the complete line-up of the CW’s DC shows, from The Flash to Arrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. The biggest announcement from that is the theme for it’s mid-season crossover event and next new series… Batwoman. This character has grown in popularity as part of the mainstream Batman universe over the past few years and now, she gets a starring role on her own. From the looks of things, she’ll be part of Supergirl’s Earth. It should be exciting come December.

The DC’s new series, Titans, is a lot darker than the cartoon. When you have Robin declaring “F*#k Batman!” you know it’s got a grim future. The other characters appearance was questionable, at first glance, but with the added CGI, it’s a lot better. Starfire and Beast Boy are looking more like they should, and Raven’s coming along too. It should be a great start to their new service.

Star Trek: Discovery made a surprise showing with Captain Christopher Pike (first Captain of the Enterprise) taking over the helm and the hint of Spock as well, bringing the mainstream Star Trek universe in line with it. On the opposite side, the return of the popular Star Wars series, The Clone Wars, it seems that Star Wars universe is back-tracking after the end of Rebels. I know fans of the series like this, but personally, I wish they would go forward instead of backwards.

Doctor-Who-Series-Eleven-posterThe big TV debut at SDCC was Jodie Whittaker and the new companions to Doctor Who. The new trailer definitely showed us a strange, new world for the 13th Doctor, but not a lot of teaser-worthy material. There is still plenty of mystery about the new Doctor, her companions, and what they will face. “I felt if I was very much in someone else’s shoes,” Whittaker herself said of her first days playing the character, “which is an amazing way to start this journey.”

The one thing we do know is that the Daleks will not appear in the first season. Sad, but true, according to executive producer Chris Chibnall. “We need a pillar of hope in these times, “Chibnall added later to a roar from the fans about Whittaker being handed the keys to the Tardis. “That pillar of hope is Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor Who,” he added. “This Doctor treats everything with a sense of awe, wonder and respect.”

The last thing to mention about SDCC is the movie trailers. There were so many awe-inspiring trailers this year that there is not enough space in my blog to talk about them all. Aquaman was, by far, the best of the trailers. I mean, as soon as I saw a comic book accurate Black Manta, I was done. Give James Wan the award for best comic book movie director because this was awesome! It has lived up to the hype, so take my money and let me see the damn movie.

Shazam was on another level as it accurately portrayed the origin from the comics and gave us the movie Big in comic book form. Seeing Billy Batson learn to use his powers, complain about how to pee in his superhero suit, and generally act like a kid in a super-powered form is exactly what we were expecting from Shazam. Zachary Levi was perfectly cast as Shazam and his comedy props are definitely in use here. This is going to be a bright spot in the DC Universe movies.

Wonder Woman ’84 was shown to the audience at SDCC, but no trailer as of yet. The thing I found out recently is that it was being filmed at a defunct mall just blocks from where I live in Alexandria, Va., and I didn’t know about it. That could have been a big moment for me and I missed it. Unreal!

Besides the stars, celebrities, and the merchandise on display at SDCC, it’s always great to see the cosplayers come out in full force. These people know what it means to be a fan and show it in the hard work they do in making comic and movie accurate costumes. And yes, the women who cosplay are incredibly beautiful and sexy, so it makes it easy to watch them bring your favorite characters to life.

SDCC is a treasure to end the summer, at least for geeks, filled with plenty of surprises. This one was no exception. I wish we had a little more from Marvel, but I guess they’re keeping things under wraps, for now. In any case, I hope that one day I get to attend SDCC. It would be a blast.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a book/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a book/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon.

 

 

 

I can honestly say I HATE the Academy Awards because they just can’t get it right

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Image result for oscar nominees in 2018The nominations for the Academy Awards were released and, once again, Hollywood proved that it is nothing like the legacy it left in the rear view mirror. I can make my point with one, pertinent fact… In 1939, a majority of the top grossing motion pictures (Gone with the Wind, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, Of Mice and Men, Stagecoach) were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. This year, ZERO of the top grossing films were nominated.

In a year where women’s issues are at the forefront in Hollywood, the only movie with a woman as the director, producer and star (WONDER WOMAN, hint hint) didn’t receive a single nomination. Why? Why? Why?

This is why I don’t watch the Academy Awards anymore. I don’t recognize half the movies, actors or actresses nominated. Some of these movies are independent releases with no showtimes in theaters around the country except in big cities. At one time, you would hear the songs nominated for best song on the radio. Now, I recognize one song on this list and its only because of the movie trailer (“This is Me” from The Greatest Showman).

Although they added a Best Animated Feature category, the top animated film in 2017 (Despicable Me 3) wasn’t nominated. I don’t even recognize two of the films nominated and one of the films (Ferdinand) wasn’t released until the very end of 2017. I just don’t get it.

I think this is one of the reasons I watch a lot of Turner Classic Movies. You can’t compare Hollywood of today to the Golden Age of Hollywood. There are a lot of the usual comparisons (womanizing, to make a point) but  there is also a lot of class from that era you don’t see today. It’s a bygone era where Hollywood heroes enlisted to serve their country at war, entertained the troops not protested against them, and stood for something besides their own self worth.

Image result for red carpet with a bag o n their headHere’s a great example. In the old days of Hollywood, actors and actresses wouldn’t wear a bag over their head on the red carpet to make a political statement or wear a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Poverty is Sexist” on it. Using award shows for politics is everyday today. Expect this year to be no exception, especially with President Trump in the White House. I think the best example of this is in 1973, when Vanessa Redgrave won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Julia. She used her acceptance speech to get back at the “Zionist Hoodlums” who spoke out against her documentary, The Palestinian, which portrayed the Palestinian Liberation Organization in a sympathetic light.

She was followed by iconic author, playwright, and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. He said, “I would like to say — personal opinion, of course — that I am sick and tired of people exploiting the occasion of the Academy Awards for the propagation of their own personal political propaganda.” In 24 years, Hollywood still hasn’t learned anything. They’re only doing it louder via social media now.

So, as we follow the yellow brick road to “tinsel town” one more time, I hope that Hollywood had learned its lesson and go back to making the Academy Awards about the movies and us, the fans, not about themselves.

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51nd6H6sATL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_SKU-000941753Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a book/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides is available for purchase as a book/ebook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon.

Ignore the reviews, Justice League is a geek’s wet dream

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JusticeLeague-IMAX-poster-1I normally don’t listen to a lot of movie critics when it comes to superhero movies, and I’ll tell you why. The majority of movie reviewers are not 100% certified comic book geeks. Additionally, those who are comic book nerds are such purists that even the tiniest of flaws ruins the movie for them. That being said…

I left the movie theater in awe, full of a giddy excitement over each and every “Easter Egg” I saw in the movie. That’s what Justice League did for me today.

You have to understand, I grew up in an era with spandex costumes, bad or relatively weak special effects, and scripts written by TV writers who never picked up a comic book in my life. The comic book movies coming out today are a million times better, and Justice League is one of them.

Okay, so here’s my warning… SPOILER ALERT!

I loved Justice League. It was a faithful culmination from Man of Steel, to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and then Wonder Woman. The story brought the League together in search of three “Mother Boxes,” alien devices that could destroy the world in the hands of the villainous Steppenwolf and his Para-Demons. That’s the basic background but the movie went even further than that.

We got to see the undersea kingdom of Atlantis and the first meeting between Aquaman and his future wife, Mera. I was concerned hoe they were going to do the undersea battle, and it was brilliant, especially when Mera pushed the water aside so she and Aquaman could talk to each other. It was that simple attention to detail that made that moment work.

The fighting was amazing, especially since we actually got to see a Green Lantern (but not THE Green Lantern) in the historic battle between Steppenwolf and the combined armies of the Amazons, Atlantians, men and Gods. And when Superman came back, it made the fighting even better. The League used everything thing they had fighting Steppenwolf, even to go as far as show the Batman’s vulnerabilities as a mortal man.

The “Easter Eggs” are so numerous, it’s hard to miss them and that makes me giddy even now:  Steppenwolf calls out the name Darkseid, the Green Lantern, Bruce talking about a round table with six chairs in a new HQ (set up in the old Wayne Manor (Holy #$%* Batman!), Cyborg getting his more traditional armor at the end (not to mention “Booyah!”), Superman racing the Flash (mid-credits) was right out of the comic book, and Luthor and Deathstroke talking about forming a league of their own (end credits) and how awesome Deathstroke looks. I mean,wow!

Are there ploy holes and challenges with how the story is laid out? Yes, but it didn’t bother me. I was seeing the comic book team I read as a kid on the big screen together. I was hooked from the very beginning, glued to my seat.

I also enjoyed a lot of the sentimentality and the comedy in the movie. Watching Superman standing the cornfield as his mother pulls up and sees that he’s alive brought a tear to my eye, as did watching Barry Allen dealing with his father in prison. Speaking of Flash, he provided some great humor throughout the movie. Watching the back-and-forth between Flash and Cyborg in the graveyard while they’re digging up Superman is comedy gold.

It’s up to you, but I would recommend it to everyone… GO AND SEE IT! Justice League (#2) and Wonder Woman (#1) are my top two superhero movies of 2017, with Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, at a respectable third. I really think Marvel was out shined this year, in my opinion. Thor: Ragnarok had too much comedy for my tastes and, to be honest, I wasn’t interested in another Spider-man origin movie.

I left the theater today in love with this movie. It makes me want to watch the next series of DC movies, anticipating the sequel to Justice League. I am geeked out over this movie, and I think you will too!

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51nd6H6sATL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_SKU-000941753Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Dark Tides is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon.

Women should be feared, loved and respected

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ww scJames Cameron is a moron! I had to start out with that because, in my opinion, he is. Here is an Academy award winning filmmaker, who has created some of the most powerful women on screen and he says something stupid like this:

“All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!” he fumed. “I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backwards. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!”

Seriously? You are pissing on one of the most powerful female icons in the history of fantasy by comparing her to your own character. Sorry, but as much as I love Sarah Connor, she is no Wonder Woman. This is a character that is idolized by millions in everything from comic books, action figures, anime, and cosplay. Her likeness is recognized by millions. If I were to hold up a picture of Wonder Woman and Sarah Conner, who do you think people are more likely to recognize?

If you’re trying to compare strong female icons of 80’s films, I’ll take Ripley over Sarah Conner any day. Even today, there are dozens of female characters I would chose over Sarah Conner, from Daenerys Targaryen to Harley Quinn to Lara Croft. Sarah Conner hasn’t been a bad ass since Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

Characters like Wonder Woman stand the test of time. She’s changed with the times, from a WWII patriotic heroine to a modern, free-thinking feminist in the 70’s to a woman of today, powerful in mind and body to stand up to the evils of our world. Wonder Woman has aged like a fine wine… bold, distinct and full-bodied (okay, sorry, bad pun).

Sarah Connor is a part of the modern, sci-fi genre, and rightly so, but you can’t compare her to Wonder Woman. There is no comparison. I think his comments are insulting to Gal Gadot, Patty Jenkins, Lynda Carter, and the thousands of fans who have been waiting to see her on the big screen. It is also insulting to Kate Winslet, Zoe Saldana, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Linda Hamilton, and every other strong woman who appeared in a James Cameron film.

I’ve tried to include strong, female characters in all my stories. It’s because I’ve had many strong women in my life. That’s what having a great female role model does. I think James Cameron needs one in his life.

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51nd6H6sATL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_SKU-000941753Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Dark Tides is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse publishing. The Outlander War, Chapter 3 of the Forever Avalon series is coming soon.

No “WONDER” it took them this long, they had to find the right “WOMAN” for the role

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gal-Gadot-Wonder-Woman-movie-June-2017I think Wonder Woman is one of the most inspiring characters in comics today. Since her creation in World War II, she has fought for the same values as Superman (Truth, Justice, and the American Way) while at the same time confronting the unreal stereotypes of women outside the home. Though she has been portrayed on TV by many great actresses, it took her more than 75 years to finally end up on the silver screen. In my opinion, they had to wait until Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins came along.

Of all the more recent comic book movies, Wonder Woman is one of the best I’ve seen. It ranks right up there with Captain America: Civil War. The fight scenes are incredible, the cinematography beautiful and the story flows from beginning to end. It was a pleasure to sit and watch this movie. All it did was make me more and more anxious for the Justice League movie.

The story is a basic origin story, but with a bit of a twist. Instead of World War II, we find Diana Prince (a.k.a. Wonder Woman) and U.S. soldier/spy Steve Trevor fighting the Kaiser and the German forces in the trenches of World War I. If you never read about the horrors of “trench warfare” this movie demonstrates how bad it really was during that time. The “War to End All Wars” was a perfect setting for the return of Ares, the God of War. Diana is convinced that if she kills Ares, she will end the war.

It’s funny watching her wade through a society that sees women as a lower class, not smart enough to even be in the war room with senior military officers and politicians. Her naivety is her strength in standing up to these outdated attitudes, but its her actions that prove them all wrong.

The one scene that has played over and over again in the trailers is where Diana drops her outer garments and steps out of the trench, in full armor, to save a village caught in “No Man’s Land” between the trenches. The entire fight scene is not only flawless, but the set up really showed the audience how much she cared about protecting the innocent and fighting for justice.

I said it was a brilliant script and the final scene was riveting when you learn the true identity of Ares and see a true heroic sacrifice. I’m not going to spoil the movie but it was surprising, even to me.

I want to go back to my original thought that started it all, about Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins. Gal was a delight to watch and absolutely perfect for this role. She portrayed Diana’s naivety, her raw emotion and the power of Wonder Woman as if she stepped out of a comic book. Though highly criticized, Gal was who we (comic book fans) were waiting for.

As for Patty Jenkins, she brought a level of attention-to-detail rarely seen in comic book movies. She made a movie that we fans can enjoy and watch over and over again. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Wonder Woman has brought DC out of its “creative funk” (as it were) to where they finally have a movie on par with some of Marvel’s best. This will definitely rank in the Top 5 of superhero movie lists for years to come. It reminded me a lot of Captain America: The First Avenger and that’s saying a lot. Many of these great heroes started out fighting in World War II, so it’s nice to see WWI get a hero it deserves.

And her name is Wonder Woman!

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51nd6H6sATL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_SKU-000941753Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The Dark Tides is available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iUniverse. The Outlander War can be previewed at Inkitt.