Batman, Boredom, and Ben Affleck

I am currently in the middle of my next post "25 Movies I Would Share With an Alien Visitor", but I am writing a quick post to explain why Ben Affleck is a good choice for Batman. I'll get back to the movies next time. A lot of people would disagree with me, but here is my reasoning for Ben's pick, as well as some ramblings about Batman. I can't really take credit for all of these ideas, as I have read many posts and rants from other people, and could never begin to give them credit. Too many people to remember.

So. Ben Affleck. If you keep up at all with Superhero movies, you probably heard that "Man of Steel 2" is going to feature Batman.

Just last week, it was announced that Ben Affleck would take the role of Batman. Many fans cried out in anguish, their hopes of seeing Christian Bale crushed under the weight of reality (or lack thereof).

People are worried that Affleck will not have the aggressive power necessary to fill Bale's overly large boots. He certainly has the charisma to play Bruce Wayne, but it's a bit harder to see him growling at thugs as he beats the crap out of them. I think if handled correctly though, this would be a great opportunity to redefine Batman, as well as take the character in a new direction.

First off, we need to establish why Batman needs redefining. Reportedly, the concept of this new movie will hinge on a "Batman vs Superman" type of deal.

Let's face it. Rehashing Christopher Nolan's Batman would be cause absolute boredom. Plus, that Batman has no chance in a fight with the Man of Steel. Superman leveled half of Metropolis in his fight with Zod. As Batman currently stands, his best weapon is the fear that he strikes in his opponents' hearts. Superman is obviously not going to be scared of Batman; the dude is practically invincible.

However, redefining Batman would open new doors for the character, as well as make him a better opponent for everybody's favorite boy in blue. There are several ways we could do this.

#1. Fighting Style

Christopher Nolan made a good choice when he redefined Batman. His approach is ultra-realistic, and every part of every movie helps show that. Batman thus uses very quick and efficient blows to subdue his opponents (I believe the art they used is Krav Maga, but I could be wrong).

Was that cool for the movies? Sure. Batman was going up against reasonably powerful foes, and could beat them with that kind of style. However, how do you beat someone who can take missiles to the chest and survive? You have to be a bit flashier to do that.

One way to give Batsy an edge would be to give him really cool gadgets. Freeze Grenades, Smoke Pellets, Batarangs (explosive, shock, or sonic), Electric Brass Knuckles, whatever.

Batman needs more toys.

To provide a decent challenge for Superman, Batman is going to need a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Plus, it'll be cool.

The other thing to do is get rid of the Krav Maga, and bring in a flashier fighting style that'll make Batman seem more powerful. Something more like what we see in almost every other Batman interpretation.

#2. Costume

To separate this new Batman from the previous installments, we also can change the costume. This will serve to provide a visual reminder of how different he is, as well as give him new opportunity to have gadgets (Nolan's Batman really didn't have anywhere to store cool toys). I'm thinking something a bit darker, as well as more futuristic.

This might work, but I think we need to separate the look even more.

Batman Beyond is a good look, and obviously it can be tweaked if necessary.

An armored Batman with an assortment of gadgets is a more reasonable opponent to the Man of Steel.

#3. Personality

Here is where choosing Ben Affleck comes into play. Rather than portraying Batman as Wayne's conduit for his inner torment, Batman could be the manifestation of a darker personality that surfaces when Wayne is confronted by problems. This would be a more interesting "Jekyll and Hyde" relationship that Affleck would portray well. Affleck could pull off the nice and charitable Bruce Wayne quite well; his Wayne would have almost no hint of the damage that most actors try to show is hidden behind Wayne's smile. However, when the cowl comes on, Batman would become the vicious, angry vigilante that plagues Gotham's underworld.

Playing Batman like "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" would make a darker interpretation that we have yet to truly see in the films.

Let's see the Batman that isn't really a good guy. The Batman that's more concerned with justice than the letter of the law. We've seen hints at this, but never has it been taken to its fullest extent. It would make Batman less heroic, but when put up against Superman, we need an antithesis to his good. Seeing two characters with similar goals, but incredibly different methods would make great character interaction.

In short, Ben Affleck will probably make a good choice for Batsy, so long as the character is reinterpreted. If he isn't however... The series will probably implode on itself, and Marvel will be King of the Comic Book Movie.

Hunting Skunks at 1:30 a.m.

Hey all! I've been gone for three weeks, so I haven't been able to post. I was working at a summer camp, so I'm going to tell you about one of the stories I have now...

Dan the Man had decided he was going to bunk with our cabin that night. Dan was the Head Counselor, so he really didn't have any permanent accommodations; He just roamed around camp bunking with different people every night.

My counselor Sean had gone to Liberty University, the same school Dan went to. They both sat up telling us stories about stuff they had done at school.

It was about 1:15 in the morning when Sean stopped talking in mid sentence. He began to inhale through his nose, than started coughing.

"GEEZ! I think there's a skunk outside! Do you guys smell that?"

Sure enough, there was a foul odor in the air. We started to try and cover our face so we couldn't smell it. While we did that though, Sean started to rant.

"Brett put some traps out there for the raccoons didn't he? C'mon Brett, we could have told you there was more than just raccoons out there. Any fool knows you don't trap a skunk! Geez Brett..."

This was fairly amusing to me, but then Sean did something a little drastic.

"Guys! Get out of bed. We're going skunk hunting."

Before I knew what was happening, we were all out of bed, some of us in our pajamas, others of us in less than that, and we were gearing up for a great skunk hunt. Sean shoved his walking stick into my tired hands, and began to pass out other weapons.  Sean had a light and a nerf bow, while Chaz, Dan and Titus had flashlights and courage.

We began a sweep of the porch. Everyone shined their lights under the porch, while I prepared to do battle with the creature. We moved off the porch, and the scent started getting stronger. Sean was suddenly seized by a brilliant idea.

"Wait here", he said, shoving the nerf bow into Dan's hands. He dashed inside, and returned with a military grade gas mask.

Seriously, one of the legit masks. Sean was in the Army, so he had access to all the cool toys.

We continued the hunt, but I started chuckling at the absurdity of it. Sean taking point with his gas mask, Chaz and Titus with flashlights right behind him, Dan searching diligently with a head-mounted lamp and nerf bow, and me in the back with my walking stick. I would have laughed out loud if it weren't so late.

We kept searching for the creature, but it remained elusive. Sean then noted something that made us pause.

"You know the best way to get rid of skunk smell is tomato juice right? Well... I'm allergic to tomatoes. I didn't think about that."

As fun as it would have been to find the skunk and put it in the girls cabin, we decided to retire to bed. Was it worth the life (or at least the smell) of one of our companions? No, no it was not.

So if any of you readers are ever in my neck of the woods, let me know. We can go skunk hunting. We probably won't catch anything, but hey... do we really want to?

Actors We Want (and Don't Want) to See in the New Star Wars Movies

Time for a just for fun post. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it will provide a good overview of what would be "cool". 

Time for the "I hope to see this guy in Star Wars list". Note that most of these actors will not take "hero" roles: famous persons should not play the protagonists in these new movies. If they did, it would turn into, "Oh look, it's (insert name here) acting in a Star Wars movie." Just as the original Star Wars Movies made Harrison Ford famous, so other newer actors should have the chance to distinguish themselves in these films.

I will provide the actor's name, as well as a brief description as to what type of role he/she could play. And just for fun, an existing character in the Star Wars cannon they would play well.

Ready? Here we go...

#1 Tom Hardy

Let's be honest: Tom Hardy is freaky scary when he wants to be. He also has magnificent acting chops. Put those together, and you have a versatile actor who can play villains in many genres. Tom Hardy would make an excellent antagonist, but would be most interesting as the main villain's chief goon. Think along the lines of the TIE fighter captain who terrorizes the Rebellion while the main bad guy camps in his new battle station.

Role types: TIE captain, Crime Lord

Existing character: Baron Soontir Fel

#2 David Tennant 

All my Dr. Who friends are geeking out right about now. But seriously, this one makes sense. David Tennant displayed spectacular acting skills in his stint as the Doctor, going so far as to give the Doctor at least three different personality types that change for the situation. He could go both ways with this one. With his crazy, fun-loving side, he could play a great smuggler or rogue. Think along the lines of a Han Soloish sidekick. The more serious, terrible side would make an excellent chief villain.

Role types: Smuggler, Hacker, Outlaw, Grand Admiral of the Empire

Existing characters: Dash Rendar, Grand Admiral Thrawn

#3 Andrew Scott

Freaky awesome villain. Pretty much says it all. Don't believe me?

Enough said about this. In honestly don't care if he has a big role, just so long as he has one.

Role types: Villain. The intelligent kind.

Existing character: Nom Anor

#4 Hailee Steinfeld 

Ok, so Steinfeld has received a lot of hype over her role in True Grit, but I think it was rare case of deserved hype. The reason True Grit was interesting was Steinfeld's portrayal of her character. She is starting to take off as an actor, but this could be a role that shoves her into the big circles. I'd like to see if she can do a more earthy, thugish type of role. 

Role types: Street criminal, Jedi

Existing character: Jaina Solo

#5 Jason Momoa

While the previous entries have been great actors, Jason Momoa made it onto this list because it's fun to watch him kick butt.

If all else fails, with dreads like his, he'd make a great wookie.

Role types: Rebel Supercommando, Mandalorian Supercommando

Existing characters: Goran Beviin

#6 Nicolas Cage

Just kidding. I just freaked a couple of you out. I would accept a cameo on the "planet of the bees", but besides that... no.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now, let's get to people we DON'T want to see.

#1 Robert Downey Jr.

Eesh. He already has his fingers in a bunch of the big pies in Hollywood. His acting ability is good, I'm just tired of seeing him. Let's have a big blockbuster that doesn't have him for a change. 

#2 Johnny Depp

It's getting to the point where Johnny's roles all look like a reincarnation of Jack Sparrow. No Sparrow in Star Wars please.

Agree with my list? Disagree? Want to add your favorite actor? Let me know in the comments!

Chivalry is Dead... and Feminism Killed It.

Sorry for the delay. I wrote this a few days ago, but never got around to posting it. 

Well, here we are again. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be serious or goofy for my next post; serious won out.

Just recently a friend of mine on Facebook posted something close to the following:

“Men should open doors for women. MY man will.”

This got me thinking. Why is it that men tend to not have the same respect for women that they had 60, even 40 years ago? Even small gestures like door opening have been lost. I figured out I already knew the answer: Feminism killed the concept of chivalry.

Now before I lose all my female readers (all three of them), bear with me here. I have the utmost respect for women. I believe that women can perform many of the tasks that men can, and women should have an equal standing in our society. However, I also think that there are tasks that men are more suited to perform, and there are other tasks that women would be able to do better.

Feminists on the other hand tend to think that women can and should be able to do EVERY task that men do. They believe in absolute equality: even if the task is more suited to the stereotypically male skill set. Not only do they believe this, they go out of their way to prove it.

How would this belief destroy the chivalrous ideals that men used to have? I got my answer in a worldview class I took in high school. We were discussing interpersonal relationships, and the teacher asked the girls what a prospective date should do when they came to a door. Much to my surprise, most of the girls said they really did not care, or did not want the guy to open the door for them.

The teacher asked them why they said this, and the general responses were as follows:

“I can open the door myself.”

“It’s awkward waiting for the door to open.”

“I’m not a cripple.”

Here’s the thing ladies, we know we can do it for yourself. We know that you are capable of living your life without men holding doors for you. But as soon as you try to prove you are equal to men, and start telling us that you don’t WANT us to show respect like that, we’ll stop. It’s that simple. Men tend to be lazy, and it’s not like we enjoy opening car doors for ladies. And when we stop performing the little gestures like that, we start to lose respect for said ladies. When respect leaves, chivalry stops soon after.

So ladies: make the men respect you. Expect the small gestures, because when he can’t do the simple things, he won’t be able to do the big ones.

Men: just because the lady can do it does not mean that you should not show her the respect she deserves. Open the door. It’s not that hard.

I most likely will choose a goofy topic for next time, so stay tuned. It should be fun.

Just to be clear... The Groundwork

Welcome to the first post of this blog.

Meh. That was fairly bland so far as introductions go... Let's try that again.

Greetings fellow cyber readers!

Wow. That was pretty geeky. One more try.

If you're reading this, you must either know who I am, or you just tend to be masochistic and enjoy reading the ramblings of a teenager.

Say... That wasn't too bad. Okay, on to the show.

Most of the people who read this will already know me. In case you don't however, my name is Eli. I live in the Southern part of the United States. I am a musician, a lover of fine art in all forms, an older brother to 3 boys, and a cashier in my local mall.

There really is no set purpose for this blog. If you're entertained by my ramblings, then my wildest dreams will have been surpassed. So really, just have fun with whatever I say. I am by no means the smartest guy in the world, so if you ever disagree with me, feel free to send me a message or comment or whatever. I probably won't see it, but if it makes you feel better, then it was worth the effort to type out your message.

As I already said, I really have no goal in mind for this blog. The subject matter is going to fluctuate greatly from post to post. I do want to lay some groundwork down however, just so the readers will understand where I am coming from.

1. I am a Christian.

I believe that man is inherently sinful, and that God sent his only son Jesus to save us from that sin. I believe that men tend towards evil rather than towards good. I believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and God instructs us through his Word. This is what influences my views

2. I am an artist.

I am a musician, so I appreciate art in all of its forms. Theatre (yes, I spell it the snobby way), Movies, Music, Painting, Sculpting. You name it. I do (or will learn to) accept it. There are different levels of art though, with Rap and Modern Paintings being near the bottom, and Musical Theatre and Movies being near the top. Art is one of the main influences on culture, so if people keep up with the arts, they will understand the culture they live in. I'm sure I'll dedicate many posts to art discussion, so more on this later.

3. I am politically aware.

I used to consider myself a Republican, but I began to realize that parties now days are just different names for the same kinds of snakes.  So, I am now a "Conservative with enough Libertarian to be interesting". You have been warned.

4. I am a geek.

Just to clarify: geeks are nerds with social skills. I am an avid Star Wars fan. I like Star Trek. I have watched an enjoyed Dr. Who, but I lost my interest when David Tennant regenerated. Sci-fi is my jam.

5. I am a guy.

This should be a no-brainer, but since this is true, I obviously will think like a guy. Braveheart is better than the Notebook. Meat is better than salad. You get the idea.

6. I strive to have class.

There are very few things more disgusting to me than the concept of "swag". Little boys have swag. Men have class. If it were up to me, no man would leave his house without proper attire. This would include, but not be limited to, collared shirts, ties, suits, slacks, etc. Jeans and t-shirts are acceptable, but only if they fit. No "pants on the ground" in my world.

7. I will not be proofreading this blog.

If you have a problem with sentence structure, misspelled words, or accidental wrong facts, keep said problem to yourself. I proofread my papers, not my ramblings. If it REALLY bothers you, send me a message. I most likely won't read it, but if it makes you feel better...

Now that we have the preliminary stuff out of the way, it will be interesting to see where this blog goes. So without further ado... let's go.