Dark Knight Rises: Commissioner Flanders?

     There is NO WAY I'm the only one that thought this.

     Or this.  There has definitely got to be some others that thought of this.  I was laughing about this through all of the Dark Knight Rises.  It's why Ra's al Ghul hates Gotham so much.  They even made a movie about his backstory.

Batman: New Arkham City Secrets...

     As many know I've been on a Batman-rampage and just recently finished Arkham City.  Well the game makers, Rocksteady, released a statement a couple months ago that there were "3 or 4" secrets still hidden.

"Some of them we put in there that were really obscure were found within a week [like the Scarecrow code]," he said. "We didn't think anyone would ever solve that, but it only took people two days. But there are still 3 or 4 things that people haven't seen - some of them very subtle things. There's one that we had right in one of the first demos that we did that nobody has found - it's in there if you look hard enough." 

     Well, after watching the demos, there seem to be a few possibilities.  But I noticed that fellow in the above picture.  Not anything huge, but a decent thing to follow up on.   
     He's not an enemy because the guy Batman is interrogating is a Riddler informant, and they can only be interrogated if all other enemies are incapacitated.  So I was wondering if anyone else has spotted this dude or investigated it???
     Here's a 2nd pic from another demo... same area, another Riddler thug, and the same shady creeper kneeling by the car...

     So if anyone reading this blog checks this out, please let me know!  Throw a comment below or something.  I'll be keeping my eyes open and try and look for this fellow tomorrow night.
     I would also like to note my earlier post about Arkham City.  Has anyone tried to find Scarecrow on Halloween?  Specifically on that day?  He has fear toxin tanks left all over, his mask on a bridge, the barge, and secret radio signals.  There are also thugs that mention him possibly being killed or eaten by Killer Croc down in the sewers.  Maybe the Croc cameo changes to Scarecrow on Halloween?  I don't know, just a suggestion.  There is a room down in the sewers that seems FAR TOO small for Croc down there...

Dark Knight Rises: Thoughts on the Joker

     Figured I'd throw in a small pic to lighten the discussions I've been having about the Joker and the Dark Knight Rises.  I mentioned a lot of these things in older posts, tweets, and conversations with friends.  Thought I might as well make a post about it.  So here goes...
     While I am quite grateful Mr. Nolan decided to leave the character out of the movie, it would've been nice to see or hear of what happened to him.  Nothing big, but something- like the Killer Croc reference.  Just a single, simple line of dialogue and fans would love it.
     I mean- just have an inmate mention that he's just gone or something.  It is fitting that the Joker would leave the same way he arrived, without a trace.  Poof, vanished, no indications of where he would've gone.  When he was found, he had no fingerprints, no ID, nothing but "knives and lint," and so that's how he would exit the stage.  Just the knowlege that he's out there somewhere possibly waiting to wreak crazy havoc upon the world.
     If I were to have handled a nod to the Joker, it would've been something like this.  During Bane's release of all the Blackgate prisoners, have Harley Quinn in an empty cell.  With Arkham Asylum and Blackgate being loaded with inmates, it would stand to reason her character could be working at both facilities.  Just a blonde worker sitting alone in a cell.  She'd look despondent and be looking around dazed.  Perhaps have a handful of Joker cards laying around and a few of those creepy red smiles painted on the cell's wall.  Have her muttering to herself that he's gone and fumbling with his cards while sitting on his bunk.  Then continue panning by.  A continuous scene incorporated into the film.     
     Now this would only be like 30 seconds long, panning by while the other inmates are escaping.  Selina Kyle/Catwoman could've walked by and saw it.  It could've been such an easy, elegant way to handle Heath Ledger's outstanding performance without diminishing the character, while including him in a way that makes sense.

Dark Knight Rises: Bane's quite the Joker

I had to do this.  It was a joke from something I Tweeted like last fall.  Enjoy the lame innuendo humor.

Prometheus: Alien could've been a lot different...

     Hey people-  I was just thinking that Alien would've turned out a LOT different if John Hurt's character Kane did this in the Derelict Ship. 

     All he had to do was yell, "LEEROY JENKINS!" and run like hell through the ship's egg chamber.  Set off all the eggs and facehuggers come springing out galore- maybe the astronauts get away, maybe they don't.  And I have no clue how resilient the facehuggers are without food or water.  Perhaps they could survive the hostile LV-426 atmosphere? 
     I just thought this potential story could be humorous.

Citizen Thane. Mass Effect + Citizen Kane.

     I'm up to some photoshop stupidity again.  This time I combined Mass Effect and Citizen Kane together into #ClassicEffect.  I doubt this hash tag will hold on or linger, but I have a few more ideas for it.  One never knows what will catch on.  This mash up consists of Thane Krios remembering his beloved sniper rifle.  That's about it.
Sometimes I'm dumb.

Batman: Arkham City

     With all the Batman excitement I decided to finish Arkham City for PS3.  I picked it up, started it and just never got back to playing.  This is a must play for any Gamer/Batman fan.  Arkham Asylum was wonderful and filled with tons of goodies.     This installment certainly doesn't fall short either.  There are an INSANE amount of nods to characters and missions to fill out the main story, which is essentially a military controlled(well "TYGER" guards) walled off portion of Gotham is set aside to house the criminals the the Asylum from the first game couldn't due to destructive fires possibly set by the Joker.

     One thing I finally got to enjoy was the fact Mr. Freeze got to play a large role in the story.  As my personal favorite bat-villain I was overjoyed at this.  He just has a tragic and wonderful story.  His wife Nora suffered from some kind of currently incurable disease, so he cryogenically froze her to prevent the imminent death from happening.  Some bad things went down at the lab, the management tried to pull the plug and an accident occured which left Victor Fries in need of a refridgeration suit to live in sub-zero temperatures.  Now he lives out his days searching for a cure for Nora.
     Here's a screen capture of Nora and Freeze together.

     Anyway- I was completely blown away at all the Easter eggs throughout the game.  Encounters with characters like Azrael, Hush, and the time sensitive(only visitable on specific dates, being Holidays) Calender Man.  There was the Black Mask getting beaten by some thugs.  By eavesdropping on thugs there is talk of Killer Croc, which someone showed me can be encountered in game under the right conditions.

     Which leads me to my next topic- Scarecrow.  His levels in Arkham Asylum were easily some of the best moments in gaming history, so one would think they'd bring him back.  Sadly the closest thing to those levels are the Ra's al Ghul moments in this game.  I found his mask on top of some hay on a bridge, and a few of his fear gas tank in a few locations like Hush's apartment.  

     Then I found online that there are a bunch of hidden radio signals that decoded say things like, "I will return Batman" and "Fear will tear Gotham city to shreds."  Others have found that during Protocol 10 goons and henchmen bearing scarecrow like masks are found dead around Bane, Freeze, and Joker's areas.  Never alive, just there bodies.  Maybe a point could be triangulated to find a location or secret hideout for him. 
     Then of course there is Scarecrow's barge, the boat by North Gotham Docks.  A sequencer unlock is hidden in a crate that opens the boat.  Inside is a bunch of boxes with insects, strange droplets floating around, creepy flickering lights and a henchman that yells when you get close.  Nailed to a post near him is an invoice for the shipment to Scarecrow (Crane).  So what I was thinking is maybe there is a date related thing for him(ie. Calendar Man)?  Possibly Halloween only?  Maybe even a midstory requirement as well- like Killer Croc.  Croc MUST be done before leaving the sewers at one point.  What if Scarecrow is one of the *ROCKSTEADY CONFIRMED* 3 or 4 Easter eggs still not found yet???  To be done on a certain date and time in the game's story.  Would be pretty damn good.

I also found it funny that Alfred Pennyworth is voiced by a Mr. Jarvis.  Lol, butler humor.

Gotta go- Dark Knight Rises showing in a mere 8 hours. 

Dark Knight Rises: Bane's question for Gotham

     Taking a break from sketching and watching one of my all time favorite movies, I decided to add some Anchorman to The Dark Knight Rises.
     A clear reference to the famous quote, "I'm Ron Burgundy?"  It's Bane asking Gotham in his muffled speech if it's really Ron Burgundy.  He's clearly confused from huffing all that Scarecrow toxin from Batman Begins.  I mean that's gotta be some potent stuff, and he's got it pumping full blast through the mask. 
     Ra's al Ghul must have hooking him up with The League of Shadow's super-secret special stash of it.  Not the weaponized stuff, of course, just the recreational blend.

The Punisher: #DIRTYLAUNDRY

     Found an interesting fan movie of the Punisher thanks to www.comicvine.com starring Thomas Jane and a supporting appearance by Ron Pearlman. There is very adult themes, and some violence. be warned this may not be suitable for work time viewing.

      I believe these guys should be allowed to make another film. Do I see a kickstarter in their future? Probably. Marvel should be making films that apply to an adult audience. In all seriousness, the next Wolverine movie with Hugh Jackman should be an R rated film. At least a hard PG-13. The Dark Knight was handled phenominally, why can't they do that with Wolverine??? Marvel Comics what the heck? I'm sure there are tons of amazing creators that could do Wolverine justice. Like Nolan and Batman, and like the begining steps here with the Punisher. A true Punisher movie needs to be handled properly.
      Personally I would love to see a film like this done with a grainier film. Emphasize the grit and substance of the Punisher's world. Maybe only have crystal clear shots during fights when he is fully "on" in Punisher mode and gritty, grainy stuff as the mundane necessities are carried out. I don't know, it's just an idea. Even messing with colors could really do a grand job of boosting feel. Dull muted colors throughout all the slow parts, gaining momentum and color into the battles/fight scenes. It could be amazing.
          Great acting by everyone. The kid does an especially wonderful job.
      The script could use a little work. Frank Castle seems a bit off during the time he is doing laundry. Too much down time with ignoring the harassing of neighborhood people. They could've possibly cut the time up and have it occur over a few days. That bottle of Jack? Really, how did it not break? Good idea, but having it break, then having a blade may have been better. Although it would have negated the great 'punishment' scene at the end.

      Anyway, I would definitely like to see more of this type of work. It shows great promise. With great promise comes great funding. Get on it Marvel. Throw in an editor to clean up and tighten the script and you could have a damn good film on your hands. Unlike those travesties "Wolverine: X-men Origins" and "Punisher: War Zone" or the, not one, but two, yes 2!!!! awful "Ghost Rider" and "Fantastic Four" films. Oh sweet mamma's flapjack's! They were horrendous. It isn't even the actors' faults. Most of them have top notch movies, it just comes down to poor teams being assembled and a crap movie being made. Take the time, get the right people involved and then TAKE MORE TIME to make films worth watching.

Dark Knight Rises: Bane vs. Batman

     Not gonna lie, I think this is Bane's master plan.  He's trying to get Batman into the ring for some serious WWF or WWE wrestling championship match.  Maybe that thing on Bane's head is a mouthguard and ear protector combo.  Can't be getting cauliflower ear while giving Batman the beatdown of his life during Gotham's Rumble-fest 2012. 
     This ultimate showdown needs to be dramatic, not gross.  Safety first and whatnot.
     It'll probably go like this: Zap! Bam! Pow!  *Atomic leg drop* *Backbreaker* *Paralyzed Batman gets a job announcing matches and coaching until he gets better*  and finishes with... *Batman uses a Drop toe-hold into a Sharpshooter leg hold* and Bane taps out in disappointing failure.  The Heavy Weight Champion of Gotham is Batman.  
     I wonder about Bane's crazy ass mask.  Apparently it's feeding him painkillers, but I think otherwise.  Maybe it's hiding a nasty light blonde molester moustache.  A molestache?  Sounds about right.  Extra creepy.
     Or what if it's just a massive set of orthodontic headgear braces?   Hhmmm... that would explain why he is so pissed off all the time.
     On a serious note, I hope Mr. Nolan knocks this one out of the park.  Reviews are saying as much, but I'll wait until I've actually seen it for a review.  By review, I mean a bunch of random thoughts about the movie.  Super excited as it's just a few days away.
     Interestingly I wonder if they'll bring in an Azrael type character towards the end...  Doubtful, but oh well.