It’s also for this reason that I don’t read reviews.  I think most critics are ridiculous, and I have yet to find a single one that I agree with all the time (based on looking at scores after I’ve seen a movie).  As I haven’t found a critic whose reviews match my own point of view 100% of the time, or even 50% of the time, how can I trust any critic to really get how I’ll feel about any movie.  They might hate a movie that I’ll love, or love a movie that I’ll hate.  Critics hold no sway over my perspective, for this reason, and I’ve found that I love some movies that even the critical mass has hated.  If I had listened to them, I wouldn’t have found the movie.

What does that have to do with movie spoilers?  Well, when I later go back and read a review, I note that they make mention of some pretty big plot points, or twists in the story that I would have been angry to know about before I saw the movie for myself.  This is another valid reason to avoid reviews.

When I make a list of movies to see, I generally know what the content of the movie is going to be, because I carefully pick out the movies that are of the subject matter that I am interested in.  I rarely see any R rated movies, and I try not to see very many movies that I’ll forget in a week, let alone a year.  I know what I’ll like, in general, and for this reason I am rarely disappointed with a movie that I see.  This has lead to some of my friends wondering if I’ve seen anything that I have hated or been disappointed with (as I liked the Matrix sequels and the Star Wars prequels).  I have: Land of the Lost, for example, took what should have been a family movie, and made it into something vulgar, and alienated the fans of the show and families at the same time.  What seemed to me to be a known quantity turned out not to be so.

Such things do happen, though they can be rare.

Cape Town also wrote something I agree with almost entirely, which reminded me of a conversation I had about Shutter Island, which I still have not seen:

Generally I do not mind reading spoilers as long as they are on my terms—and it can never be about a movie that I plan to see. If I’m not planning to see a movie I’ll ask you to spoil everything—partly because I’m curious and partly because I love the trepidation on the person’s face. “Are you sure?” the person asks, certain they’re breaking some unwritten celluloid law.

[...]

There’s something about having a movie spoiled for you that can ruin the entire experience. I want to be surprised. I don’t want to know before I sit down in the theater how the story is all going to unfurl.  A movie only has on chance at telling a story, while a television series gets a new opportunity each week. Spoiling the ending of Smallville would not be as devastating as spoiling the end of Thor.

I don’t like television shows spoiled almost as much as movies.  Having Lost spoiled would have been really horrible.

The article at Cape Town came from the fact that the writer watched a scene that I have not: the after credits scene that appears at the end of Thor.  He thought it might be something simple like the one at the end of Iron Man 2, but apparently it wasn’t.  When I saw that the scene was available, I also thought that I’d take a look, but something told me that I shouldn’t.  So I didn’t look at it, and am saving it for the big screen.

As a matter of fact, on my list of movies to see this year, there are a load of trailers that have released in the last few weeks, and I haven’t watched one.  The only trailers that I have seen are ones I’ve seen attached to movies that I was seeing theatrically.  When it comes to The Hobbit, however, I plan on watching every behind the scenes video and every trailer that comes out.  I can count on Peter Jackson to give just enough, and know that it’ll be all of that and more when it hits the big screen.

How do you feel about movie spoilers?  Are you someone that doesn’t care?  Have you ever cared?  Do you feel that your entire movie going experience is enhanced or reduced by how spoiled you are?

Related Posts

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I read something else that made me excited today, though, and that is the announcement of the monthly publication of a Ghostbusters comic book.  This is something that I have been hoping for, and the reason that I bought all of the Ghostbusters comics that have been released within the last few years.  IDW has finally decided to make it a monthly series, though, and it seems that fan favorite artist Dapper Dan is going to have a hand in it, if not be the series’ artist for a few issues.  I really like his style.  It evokes thoughts of what an animated series would look like if it were based on his artistic style.  I have a feeling that it would be just different enough from The Real Ghostbusters to make it a new, and not derivative, series that is distinct and original.

Of course I would love to see most of the writers from The Real Ghostbusters return to the writer’s room on a new series.  However, I also think Paul Dini would be an awesome addition to the writing team, as he has proven time and again with his work on Batman: The Animated Series among others.  Bruce Timm also went on to work on many of the DC Animated Universe projects, but would be great to have back on the team (he created some character designs for The Real Ghostbusters).  In fact, there were many creators from RGB that went on to work on Batman: TAS.

Many of them will likely be busy working on future DC Animated Universe films as well as Green Lantern: The Animated Series, but that also brings up another idea: direct-to-video animated movies.  Why not create a feature length animated Ghostbusters film to either pilot a new animated television series, or to kick off a series of animated features?  Both Marvel and DC are releasing DTV features to varying degrees of success, and I think that this franchise could sustain something like that.

What do you guys think?  Are you excited for the upcoming monthly Ghostbusters comics from IDW?  Would you like to see a new animated series?  Would you like a series of animated features released direct to video?  If they decided to create a new series, what would you want it to be like?

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When it comes to the costume of the character, however, there has been a lot of discussion in the last few weeks.  The image that I posted at the top of this story is cover art from an upcoming issue of the Wonder Woman comic, #609, which is releasing in June 2011.  Apparently the new costume with the pants, shirt and jacket wasn’t meant to last very long.  In fact, it seems as though it might have been in an alternate universe.  This is a shame, to me, as you can see that she’s now back to her immodest look.

This change wasn’t based on the backlash toward the costume that Adrianne Palicki was initially wearing as Wonder Woman (Diana) for the new tv series’ pilot.  It was just part of the storyline.  However, the new costume did effect the TV series in a way that I was both happy and upset with.  I was happy that it inspired the pants that Diana needs to wear, but upset with the color of them, and the lack of a jacket of any kind.

Since the image came out, they’ve altered the costume in time for filming on the pilot, which started this week in Los Angeles.  I have a feeling that DC comics might have clued them in on the fact that Diana’s costume wasn’t going to stay that way much longer, and months before the series would start, she’d be back to her usual self.  So the costume designers left the jacket out, kept the iconic top that people recognize pretty instantly, as well as the gauntlets.   I noticed that they created darker pants, which is good, but I would have preferred them to be nearly black in color, like the comic version.  I would have also appreciated if they added a jacket to the costume, to further match the comic, which seems very limited now.  They also added stars to the pants, though, to bring it closer to the costume as it will again appear in the comics.

It’s more of an amalgam of the old and the new.  Since they aren’t keeping the new look in the comics much longer, I kind of wish they had at least done with the tv series is doing with the costume.  It’s kind of a shame that it’s going to be back to business as usual.

Related Posts

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#1: Transformers: Dark of the Moon – I’ll start with the movie that I am most excited to see. I will make no apologies for being a fan of Transformers. I will probably always be excited for another Transformers movie. This commercial didn’t have any dialogue, but showed a lot of action and an entire city under siege. I saw someone comment that it looked like “more of the same story” from the first two movies. Technically not true. A battle in the city was done in the first film, but that was to get the cube. The second one had a villain trying to destroy the sun. This one seems to feature a Decepticon invasion. Of course all of them have the same purpose, because the Decepticons have only one goal: victory.

#2: Super 8 – J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg have created what I hope is the start of a return to the Amblin style of film-making. I love this kind of movie, and can’t wait to see it.

#3: Cowboys & Aliens – Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in a film directed by Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man 1 and 2. I was skeptical myself until I watched the full trailer. This commercial just solidifies it in my mind. It looks like it’ll be one of the most fun movies this summer.

#4 and 5: Thor and Captain America – I have to write about these together, because I’m looking forward to both equally as much, so this is pretty much a tie. I loved the epic feel of the Thor commercial, but the Captain America trailer seemed lacking next to it. However, the Captain America trailer did manage to tell the entire origin of Cap within 30 seconds, and that’s definitely something. Plus, it serves as a great introduction to the character.

#6: Terra Nova – This is the next tv series that I am looking forward to. This could be my next Lost or Heroes. It’s definitely got the pull, for me: I love dinosaurs. The commercial aired just after the Super Bowl ended, if I am not mistaken. Either way, I’m really excited for this series to start, and hope it isn’t a let down.

#7 – Volkswagon Commercial: The Force – This isn’t a movie, but it is based on one of my favorite properties: Star Wars.

#8 – Coca-Cola: Siege – This commercial was awesome, and great to watch without knowing what product it was for until about half way though. Unfortunately that isn’t possible with the title right in the video box. It’s an epic commercial that tells a story pretty quickly.

#9 – Doritos: House Sitting – This commercial started with a very simple concept, and just kept escalating the story. It was very unexpected and goes where you don’t expect.

#10 – CareerBuilder: Parking Lot – This one was funny. It’s not terribly memorable, nor does it say anything about the company that it is advertising, but many commercials on the Super Bowl are more about getting good laughs and viral marketing after the game, than they are about explaining the company.

Missing the top-ten list: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Why? Because when the commercial was on, I felt it was the exact same thing as I’d seen before with the full theatrical trailer. If they include Jack Sparrow’s scream in every trailer, it’s going to kill it in the movie, if it hasn’t already.

And there you have it, my favorite ten Super Bowl commercials. I hope that you enjoyed them as much as I did. I’ll be back to writing new original stories soon.

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I loved seeing that clip as a fan of both Conan and Young Justice.  However, I have seen the episode that the clip was taken from, and the character that they animated The Flaming C on top of is Superman or Batman (I can’t remember which, but he has Batman’s voice).  It was great seeing Conan’s character on the show, however, and I do hope that they keep pumping out the clips.  It was definitely animated by the studio, though, and looked spectacular and authentic.  I’m hopeful that they actually do a cameo, but I’m not sure of the legal implications of that.  Because Conan owns his show, it wouldn’t be too difficult to make a deal with Warner Brothers to make it happen.

Clip after the break.

Clip from TeamCoco.com

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I learned something very exciting today.  Not only is Prep & Landing going to air again this year (hoping for a Blu-ray release some day), but they’re also working on a sequel!  Now, the sequel isn’t due until Christmas 2011, is a very long wait.

I was a bit disappointed that I would have to wait another year to have another adventure in the world that was so thoroughly established in the original, and then I saw that they are releasing a short this year as well!

I remember the first time that I watched Prep & Landing.  I was blown away.  Not only was it a very short special, but it had a lot of heart and when it ended, I wanted more.  I didn’t expect it to happen, and not this quickly.  Here’s what I know about each new adventure.  The short – Operation: Secret Santa, and the sequel – Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice.

The Prep & Landing short: Operation: Secret Santa

In “Operation: Secret Santa,” Santa’s stealthiest elves, Lanny (Derek Richardson) and Wayne (Dave Foley), are asked by Mrs. Claus (Betty White) and Magee (Sarah Chalke) to retrieve something hidden in Santa’s (Morgan Sheppard) office. If he catches them, they risk being placed on the Naughty List.

The sequel: Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice

Walt Disney Animation Studios describes “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice”: With the Big 2-5 fast approaching, Wayne and Lanny must race to recover classified North Pole technology which has fallen into the hands of a computer-hacking Naughty Kid! Desperate to prevent Christmas from descending into chaos, Wayne seeks out the foremost Naughty Kid expert to aid in the mission: a bombastic member of the Coal Bucket Brigade who also happens to be his estranged brother, Noel.

The shows are executive produced by John Lasseter of Walt Disney Animation Studios / Pixar.  Be sure to watch Prep & Landing and Operation: Secret Santa this year.  I think that you’ll enjoy them.

Learn more about Prep & Landing at Disney.com

Here are a bunch of stills from Operation: Secret Santa:

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In the meantime, Conan O’Brien will be returning to TV in a little more than a month.  His new show is simply called Conan and it premieres on November 8 on TBS at 11pm.

The logo for the show has also been revealed, as you can see here.

If you would like to keep up with the show, they have plenty of ways to do so:

http://teamcoco.com/
http://facebook.com/teamcoco
http://youtube.com/teamcoco
http://twitter.com/teamcoco
http://flickr.com/teamcoco
http://teamcoco.tumblr.com/

I commented on TeamCoco about the new logo, saying: I need that on a T-Shirt, a mug, a hat, a Zip-up Hoodie and a Jacket!

Or just put it on a jogging suit, and include a Conan wig and sweatband to hold the wig in place as I run around the neighborhood.

Conan’s blogger Bley responded: Or what about a hoodie with the hair attached?!

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Conan also tweeted about the nominations, saying “Congrats to my staff on 4 Emmy nominations. This bodes well for the future of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.”

TBS is likely responsible for Conan’s nominations, having campaigned for him when NBC did not.  Conan’s class-act attitude about the entire situation is also a big part of the nominations, I’m sure.

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien swept the categories for which it could have been nominated:

• best variety music or comedy series
• writing
• directing
• art direction

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James Poniewozik, Time:

The great puzzle of the last season of Lost has been: how can both the flash-sideways universe and the Island universe mean anything? If Sideways is the universe in which Oceanic 815 never crashed, who cares what happens on the Island? If the Island is where the characters’ fates are sealed, how can there be any meaning to what happens in the Sideways?

The moving, soulful finale that Damon Lindelof and Carleton Cuse gave us met that challenge. The Island world, we learned, absolutely mattered to the physical fate of the survivors. (And sci-fi purists ticked over the spiritual ending should at least give it up for this: what happened, did, indeed happen.) And the Sideways world mattered because it was the culmination of the spiritual, moral, human lives–the souls–of the characters.

It mattered, it moved, and it achieved.

Liz Kelly, Washington Post:

If, as some said, “Lost” was to be judged by its finale then all I can say is Damon and Carlton pulled it off. I’ve been crying and laughing and basically an emotional basket case for the last 2.5 hours. I could not possibly have asked for anything more. I am in awe.

Henry Hanks, CNN:

Answers or not, as two-and-a-half hours of television, the final “Lost” was extraordinary, and I think it accomplished what it set out to do: It was a very memorable ending, and people will be talking about it for years to come. One thing I never expected was how emotional I would feel watching this finale, and reflecting on it.

Jeff Jenson, EW:

“The End” was an emotionally draining epic that had me crying with almost every single “awakening” and has left me mulling the true significance of the Sideways world, which was revealed to be a Purgatory-like realm created by the souls of the dead castaways themselves.

Maureen Ryan, Chicago Tribune:

Finales are hard. And I must admit that my expectations for the “Lost” finale weren’t high. Perhaps later in the week, I’ll go into the reasons that caused me to lower my expectations. Suffice it to say, I just wanted Sunday’s finale to be … not bad. I was hoping for a middling ending, to be honest.

Yet “The End,” the show’s final episode, was so much more than middling. The first two hours were exciting and emotionally engaging, especially when the island castaways in the Sideways world began remembering their “real” lives. Those “flashes” were powerful and many cast members did some of their best work in those scenes. I got chills as I saw Juliet and Sawyer talk about that coffee date. Sun and Jin, Charlie, Kate and Claire — all their recollection moments were moving and powerful.

But the last half hour or so took the finale to another level.

Rex Hammock, Rexblog:

I think the creators of the show did precisely what they should have done with its finale: They gave the series a conclusion, but did not make it conclusive. In the same way any great work (and I’m not ready to place Lost in this category) of literature, mythology, philosophy or faith, there is still room for interpretation existing that offers those who want fundamental, simplistic answers to have one: “they all died;” as can those who want ambiguity that can provide the foundation for a lifetime of debate: “where was that plane flying to?”

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This fall on Cartoon Network, the series that I never thought would happen is coming.  This is likely thanks to there already being a Teen Titans cartoon, so they don’t cause confusion by having another one.

In this version of the story, however, the team is a bit different.  On the team are Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash (though I like the name Impulse better), Artemis (who appears to be an amalgam of Arrowette and Wonder Girl for some reason), Aqualad and Miss Martian.

I’m still looking forward to it, though, as it should be a fun show if it has the sense of humor of the comic.  It was always really funny.

YOUNG JUSTICE is an all-new series produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based upon the characters from DC Comics. In YOUNG JUSTICE, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over – to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? The members of Young Justice—Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis—are about to find out.

This all-new series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based upon characters from DC Comics. Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) is the executive producer. Brandon Vietti (Batman: Under the Red Hood, Superman Doomsday, The Batman) and Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H.) are the producers.

The series premieres on Cartoon Network in the Fall of 2010.

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