The Endless Quest: Cinematic Storm On The Horizon

On a recent evening while awash in a PBR stupor, I found myself playing Buzztime trivia in a local pub.  I was up against a group of kids half my age in a ten question deathmatch, and I wasn’t doing well.  Down by a thousand points, my only hope for victory (and to salvage my dignity) would lie in the final question of the game.  

The category was movies.  There was a flicker of hope in my eyes.  The question was shown, and I smiled.  I knew the answer, but was it enough to win the game?  After a few anxious moments I would come to find that it was enough.  Barely.  I had won by only 2 points.  This is about as cinematic as it gets.

I don’t know everything, but I know when I’m right.

I’ve returned to The Film Warriors after nearly a month in the shadows, time spent in other pursuits away from my path, only to find myself alone in our ‘questing for legend’.  The other Warriors have since abandoned the cause, caught up in the trivia questions of their own lives.  Only ghosts reside here now, and I don’t like living in a haunted house.

There is a cinematic storm on the horizon over the next 24 months or so, the likes of which haven’t been seen in some time.  Upcoming film properties and blockbusters that may yet breathe new life into our deadened cinematic souls.

First up is the WonderCon footage from the upcoming “Green Lantern” film which debuted this past weekend.

The earlier trailers casted serious doubt in the handling of this beloved DC Comics character, coming off as a bit too goofy to be taken seriously.  Faith has since been restored to the legions of fans with the appearance of this stunning new footage showcasing the epic journey of Hal Jordan’s transformation into the Green Lantern.  



Director Martin Campbell may very well deliver one of the best superhero films ever made come June 17th.

Next up is the latest trailer for Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”  I was not a fan of the third installment of this franchise, and could have cared less if Captain Jack Sparrow was never seen again after it was released.  The first couple of trailers for this Rob Marshall helmed project sparked my interest, but failed to capture the proper sense of adventure and fun the first two filmed achieved.

Apparently the honchos at Disney thought so as well, because now we have this spectacularly edited trailer that will plant me front and center in the theater opening weekend:



Captain Jack is indeed back, and he has been missed.

It’s not all wine and roses, however.  As a Film Warrior, I’ve learned to take the good with the bad, and in some cases, the flat out awful in my endless quest.  Case in point would be the first full length trailer for Todd Phillips “The Hangover: Part II.”



Phillips seems to have employed the Mad Libs style of screenwriting when it came to penning this unnecessary sequel by remaking the first film and changing its location from Vegas to Thailand.  Looks to be a colossal waste of talent, money, and time, which might be forgivable if it were funny, but it’s not even that.

These few examples are but the outer bands of the coming storm.  As we charge headlong into the madness, we’ll cross paths with more superhero tales (“Thor” “Captain America” “The Dark Knight Rises” “The Avengers” “Iron Man 3” “Justice League” “Superman: The Man of Steel”), Peter Jackson’s welcome return to Middle Earth, and higher frame rates for motion pictures (“Avatar” 2 & 3, as decreed by James Cameron HERE).

The time has come to shake the cobwebs from the silver screen, ready the armor, and sharpen the blade.  Stand fast against the storm, for we cannot hide from that which contains our true nature.

I am a child of the blockbuster, and I know when I’m right.

“Deeds, not words…”