Let's Make A Hollywood Hall of Fame!

Sports and Music both have Hall of Fames. Even some other organizations have a Hall of Fame. Hollywood does not. The closest they have is the Walk of Fame. So let’s create the first Hollywood Hall of Fame. It will be specifically for Directors, Actors, and Actresses. Let’s keep our first set of entrees to 5 per category. I have listed some criteria below. Who would you like to see in the Hollywood Hall of Fame?

 

Criteria:

-Sustained excellence over a minimum of 25 years

-Must have at least an Oscar nomination (winners preferred)

-Box office profitability taken into account

-Must have been a part of multiple iconic movies

-Each year would see a minimum of 1 and maximum of 5 people per category (our first induction will have 3 dead and 2 alive people in each category)

 

**Here are my first entrees into the Hollywood Hall of Fame (stats taken from IMDB.Com)

 

Directors:

-Alfred Hitchcock (0 Oscar wins, 5 nominations – “Psycho”)

-Stanley Kubrick (1 Oscar win, 13 nominations – “A Clockwork Orange”)

-John Ford (4 Oscar wins, 6 nominations – “The Searchers”)

-Steven Spielberg (3 Oscar wins, 15 nominations – “Saving Private Ryan”)

-Martin Scorsese (1 Oscar win, 12 nominations – “The Departed”)

Actors:

-Marlon Brando (2 Oscar wins, 8 nominations – “The Godfather”)

-Paul Newman (1 Oscar win, 10 nominations – “The Verdict”)

-Laurence Olivier (1 Oscar win, 11 nominations – “Spartacus”)

-Jack Nicholson (3 Oscar wins, 12 nominations – “The Shining”)

-Daniel Day Lewis (3 Oscar wins, 12 nominations – “Lincoln”)

Actresses:

-Katharine Hepburn (4 Oscar wins, 12 nominations – “Bringing Up Baby”)

-Ingrid Bergman (3 Oscar wins, 7 nominations – “Casablanca”)

-Bette Davis (2 Oscar wins, 11 nominations – “All About Eve”)

-Meryl Streep (3 Oscar wins, 18 nominations – “The Devil Wears Prada”)

-Jane Fonda (2 Oscar wins, 7 nominations – “Nine to Five”)

 

**Using the criteria above, who would you like to see put into the Hollywood Hall of Fame? Keep in mind, if you put someone else in for the first set of entrees, you must take someone from above out.

Do Superheroes Need An Origin Movie?

So far most superhero movies have started with an origin story. Batman, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Superman, Thor, and Wolverine have all had their origin stories told. Some multiple times. Other major characters have been able to exist without solo movies and origin stories though. Black Widow, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, X-Men, etc. are major characters that we know little about. All have had varying degrees of success at the box office, so my question is; do superhero movies need origin stories?

The answer to this question is not a yes or no. The true answer is somewhere in between. I will explain the different possible answers below.

*Yes – Superhero movies need origin stories:

Despite recent success, comic book fans and superhero fans are still a niche group. Studios are trying to attract casual fans, not hardcore fans. They know hardcore fans will already purchase tickets to their movies. Studios want to bring in new buyers in order to gain repeat customers. They want people seeing their movie multiple times. A great way to do this is to explain to the fans what they are watching. Telling an origin story is a great way to make a fan feel as though they are a part of something from the beginning. These origin stories can explain a lot about a character. It helps fans become invested.

*No – Superhero movies do not need origin stories:

As stated above fans know little about Black Widow, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, X-Men, etc. That has not decreased interest in those characters. Marvel and Fox have had great success without relying on a tired formula of movie making. We know little about most of the villains in these movies too, yet some have become immensely popular. We know nothing about the Joker and he may be the best character from all of these movies. This is proof that movies do not need origin stories in order to gain fan appeal and profits.

*Maybe:

Some comic book characters have transcended comic book fame. They are now firmly entrenched in pop culture lure. I believe most people, not just fans, know about Bruce Wayne seeing his Mother and Father shot in front of him. Most people know about Peter Parker seeing his Uncle Ben die. Most people know Superman is an alien raised in Smallville, Kansas. Most people know Captain America is a super soldier who was frozen for many years. Some origin stories do not need to be retold every time a character is rebooted or remade. It is lazy film making. On the other hand, some characters should have an origin story told. Movie goers know little about lesser known characters. The internet can explain a lot, but that would require fans to do some research. Not many people want to do homework before they see a movie.

*Depends:

There are pros and cons to having an origin story or not having an origin story. I think the best option really depends on how it is done. Some movies stray from the character’s comic book origin. Comic books and movies are different though. They require different types of storytelling. What works in a comic book may not work in a movie and vice versa. Fans will only get mad when a movie is bad or the core characteristics about a character are changed. There are also different ways to give some background information on a character without a full blown origin movie. Flashbacks, character exposition, and reveals can all be used instead of a movie starting from the very beginning of a character’s superhero life.

CM Punk Signs With The UFC

The UFC has signed Phillip Jack Brooks aka CM Punk (nothing against him, but I am not calling any person by their alias). This signing is a move that will divide fans. Some are excited. Some are mad. Some are confused. Good for Phillip Jack Brooks though. It is a brave decision to decide to fight. Especially against some of the best in the world. He is no longer working as a professional wrestler and needed a job. This is a great opportunity for him. People are only as valuable as what they are able to negotiate. This signing does bring up some topics of discussion about the UFC though. Let’s look at a few of the angles.  

Sports Angle

-From a fighting perspective Phillip Jack Brooks instantly becomes the worst fighter in whatever division he decides to fight in. He is currently 36 years old and does not have a traditional martial arts background. He has never taken an amateur or professional fight. There are literally hundreds of fighters in the world who could beat him. The UFC decided to give him a roster spot instead of someone more deserving. They will probably have to give other undeserving fighters a roster spot in order to create match-ups for Phillip Jack Brooks. To his credit though, he has been training jiu-jitsu and MMA for a little bit and will have access to some world class coaching, trainers, and partners before his first fight.

Business Angle

-The UFC has tried to position itself as a sports entity for many years. They have tried hard to go from niche sport to mainstream sport. The UFC is not a sport though. It is a business. Mixed martial arts is a sport. The signing of Phillip Jack Brooks should make this clear. He is a celebrity with great name recognition. The UFC is hoping he will be able to bring in professional wrestling fans and casual fans. They want to sell merchandise and they want to sell pay-per-views. Phillip Jack Brooks can do that. He is a great personality with even better microphone skills. He will be able to advertise himself and the UFC better than most fighters on the UFC roster.

Marketing Angle

-I wrote about how the UFC has a marketing problem a couple of weeks ago. Here is the link: http://dspeaker.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-ufc-has-marketing-problem.html. The Phillip Jack Brooks signing increases my argument. The UFC is hoping Phillip Jack Brooks will become a star a la Brock Lesnar. These are two completely different people though. Brock Lesnar had an amazing amateur wrestling background, fought before entering the UFC, and was an amazing athlete. The type of athlete the UFC had never seen before. Phillip Jack Brooks holds none of those attributes. Make no mistake. This signing is all about marketing. The UFC does not expect him to compete for a championship. They expect him to increase interest and viewership and sell a bunch of Reebok “CM Punk” gear.  

I have nothing against Phillip Jack Brooks. I am not a professional wrestling fan, but I actually like him as a person. I have seen some interviews with him and he is a likable, well-spoken person. This move smells of desperation though. The UFC tries to act as if it only employs the best fighters in the world, but that is false. They are in denial. They only employ some of the best fighters in the world. People should relax though. Having Phillip Jack Brooks take a few fights in the UFC will not soil the product. Love it or hate it, this is happening.

Are DC & Warner Bros. Wasting Will Smith?

No one is more excited about the upcoming Suicide Squad movie than me. I love the concept of the government employing criminals for near impossible missions. My hope is that it mirrors the success of Marvel’s formerly unproven property, Guardians of the Galaxy. The DC animated universe did such a great job with the Batman: Assault on Arkham movie. I imagine the live action version will borrow some aspects of that. While the cast for Suicide Squad is great, one person sticks out to me; Will Smith. Could DC be wasting his talents?

Will Smith will be playing the character of Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot in the Suicide Squad movie. While hardcore fans may know who he is, casual fans do not. He is a hired assassin and the world’s greatest marksman. Fans of Marvel could compare him to Bullseye, who was portrayed by Collin Farrell in Daredevil.  

Why Will Smith though? A bunch of actors could have played this role. While he has taken a step back in recent years, Will Smith is still an A-list actor. He has been nominated for two Academy awards and has a number of successful blockbuster movies to his name. I really feel DC could be wasting his talents by putting him in an ensemble cast. Perhaps they feel they need his star power and name recognition for this movie to be successful. If we have learned anything in recent years though, it is that you do not need superstars to produce box office results. Especially when it comes to superhero movies.

If DC is looking to bring Will Smith into their universe, a bigger character may be a better fit. The Green Lantern reboot is scheduled for release in 2020. Playing the role of John Stewart could be great for everyone. Ryan Reynolds is not coming back and DC would like fans to forget about that movie. Why not introduce John Stewart to the masses than? The move could also add even more diversity to the DC cinematic universe. This would be great since they are trying to distance themselves from Marvel.

It was not too long ago that actors laughed at the proposition of being in a superhero movie, so I am glad times have changed. I am excited Will Smith will be playing Deadshot. I know he will do a great job with the character. I just think if he had waited or negotiated differently, a better opportunity could have presented itself.

My Superman Video Game Idea

Superman is one of the most popular comic book characters of all time. He is the quintessential superhero. He has had his own comic books, merchandise, television shows, movies, and video games. The quality of each has varied, but there is greatness scattered throughout the different mediums. Except for video games. He has been featured in some quality video games, but he has never had a truly great solo video game. Why is this?

My theory is that he is just too much of a superhero. His only real weakness is kryptonite. He is strong, fast, can fly, has x-ray vision, laser eyes, freeze breath, strong skin, a healing factor, etc. He has just too many super powers for gamers. Gamers want to feel somewhat vulnerable. They want a challenge. They want to experience some difficulty while potentially being able to lose. So here is my idea for a Superman game:

Lex Luthor has finally realized that he can’t beat Superman alone. No one can. He decides he needs to build a team of villains to all attack Superman at the same time. He realizes there is strength in numbers. He recruits seven villains to assist him; Amazo, Bizarro, Brainiac, Doomsday, General Zod, Metallo, and Parasite. Together they form a plan to defeat Superman.

As Superman is flying around Metropolis helping citizens he sees Bizarro destroying a building. Superman engages and a fight ensues. As the fight rages on the rest of the villains ambush Superman. They beat him badly. After Superman is so weakened that he can’t move, Lex Luthor uses a machine that drains each of his powers. Lex Luthor gives each villain a different super power to hold onto and they disperse. He doesn’t kill Superman though, because he wants him to see what it is like to live as a normal human. Now that Superman is out of the way, the villains command evil soldiers of theirs to attack and destroy the city. Even without his powers Superman will not stand by and watch this.

The gameplay would consist of Superman running around an open world beating up the evil soldiers. He would be able to sustain damage and could potentially die. He would gain experience points and money from each soldier he beats up. He would use the money to buy first aid kits, energy drinks to keep him awake and give him endurance to run, and different costumes. There would also be different challenges and mini games scattered throughout the city.

Superman would interrogate the defeated soldiers in order to find out where each of the seven boss villains are hiding. Each villain would have an elaborate puzzle Superman would have to solve in order to get a power back. After he gets a power back he would be able to use it. The power would not be the normal strength Superman is used to though. He would have to defeat the boss villains and more evil soldiers to level up the different powers he re-acquires. After Superman re-acquired all of his powers and leveled them up to normal strength, he would fight a special ninth villain – Darkseid.

The Darkseid battle would be the most difficult of all, because he would have altered some pieces of kryptonite to mess with each one of Superman’s newly acquired powers. In order to defeat Darkseid, Superman would have to figure out which powers he can use and in what order he must use them to damage Darkseid.