DC Makes the Best Superhero Movies

I don’t really read comic books. They don’t appeal to me that much and most of the few that I have read are of the French “Asterix et Obelix” issues. But I have seen quite a few movies based on comic books and even though I don’t feel like I know the universes just because I have seen a few films, I definitely recognize how rich and artful the stories can be. The DC cinematic universe Is quite Versatile; most of the films might be superhero films but there are many films that are more dramatic in nature and show the true potential of comic book storytelling. Films like “V for Vendetta” “Constantine” “Road to Perdition” “A History of Violence” in my opinion show a great potential for expansion in their universe.

Marvel Makes the Best Superhero Movies

Photo courtesy of FrontArmy

There is little debate that superhero movies are here to stay. Even more-so is the fact that Marvel is most likely to be the biggest reason. Just look at the box office receipts. The Avengers made $1.5 billion internationally and this year’s Iron Man 3 was no chump either with $1.2 billion. The studio is a behemoth in terms of capital gain. There is no end in sight and if last weekend’s Comic Con proves anything, it is that everyone wants a piece of the pie. This is a cultural milestone that has never been seen before. Why is that? Risks.

Marvel Vs DC

Our Star Wars contest might have been slow but I did manage to win more votes so that makes me the winner of the very first contest here on Films with Friends. So now that that is over, we have for you round 2 of the interactive articles.

Comic Con has made some very interesting announcements. Not only has “The Avengers 2” officially been given a title “The Age of Ultron” but the next Superman movie has confirmed that Batman will be in it. Although to casual viewers all this means nothing, to people who follow movie news these are both very important stories. It does seem silly that people go crazy over a title but I liken it to the stock market, the smallest decision a business can make can affect the stock. Here at Films With Friends it has us thinking; If The Avengers 2 and the Superman, Batman crossover are announced around the same time what will this mean for the two rival enterprises? And also, overall who makes the better movies? Does Marvel beat out DC because of how well the movies can co exist? Does DC beat out Marvel Just because of Christopher Nolan?

 Well there really is no right answer because that would be comparing two very different tings believe it or not. First of all how would we compare them? Would we take the best movie from each side and whoever wins takes the trophy? Should we measure total box office and give the win to the highest moneymaker? It’s almost like asking which one of the characters would win in a fight, something that always stirs up the nerd community.

Well we are going to let you the readers decide again. Both of us wrote an article about the two sides of the coin. I made the case that DC was better and Tom made the case that Marvel is better. So read up and vote. Here is the case for DC and here is the case for Marvel

How "Star Wars VII" Should Go. Tom's Version

Before I dive too far into my introductory post, I would like to share where I stand on Star Wars in general. Prior to the news that J.J. Abrams was attached to direct, the series has had a lukewarm feel for me. While I accept that it was technically impressive for its time, I am not entirely sure if the hype justifies the product. I have been to a local Comic Con and have been chased by remote controlled R2D2’s. I’ve seen the cosplay and know the culture. Still, my bigger issue just lies in the depth of the series.

How "Star Wars VII" Should Go. Mike's Version

I have never been to a convention; I have never dressed like a storm trooper on Halloween, I have not read any of the books of the expanded universe and yet I still maintain that I am a huge fan of Star Wars. The reason why I am a big fan might explain why I don’t participate in any of the nerdy activities that lesser fans than me partake in.

A Friendly Welcome to Films with Friends

Hello and welcome to Friends with Films. As you are well aware by Mike’s introduction, this is a blog dedicated to collaboration of people and discussion of movies. My name is Thomas and I have grown up for most of my life in California and ever since high school, I have been labeled as “the movie guy” among my friends. Don’t believe me? Just check out my yearbook and cancelled MySpace account for further evidence. 

While movies have always been a central part of my life, it wasn’t until around 2007 when I began understanding why that was. I started going to more movies, notably Judd Apatow shtick like Knocked Up. The following year, I started a pop culture blog called Optigrab and began taking college courses on movies and found a new appreciation for wider variety of genres. In 2012, I started The Oscar Buzz as a love letter to the only movie awards show that matters. Upon writing a negative review of Cloud Atlas, I met Mike and our collaboration has been building since.

We may not always see eye to eye, but it is just great to chat with someone about the current happenings. If I had to describe how I approach movies, it comes down to characters. They need to be interesting or else the story doesn’t work for me. Sometimes this means more independent movies with avant garde techniques. I tend to prefer comedies, but I am mostly obsessed with finding contemporary films that speak to the time period as well as create an entertaining product.

Some of my favorite directors are: the Coen Brothers, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, David Fincher, Derek Cianfrance, Jason Reitman, Danny Boyle, and James Whale. 

Some of my favorite films include: Blue Valentine, Frankenstein, West Side Story, Annie Hall, The King of Comedy, Steamboat Bill, Jr., The Master, Adventureland, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Harvey, Waiting for Guffman, Holy Motors, March of the Penguins, Up in the Air, The Social Network, 127 Hours, and Duck Soup.

Other quick opinions: 

• I consider Casey Affleck’s I’m Still Here to be an underrated gem in the study of celebrity culture. 
• My favorite performers are Ellen Page and Ryan Gosling, though I think Jack Nicholson is one of the best overall. 
• I have a penchant for indulging every adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy from book to film to comic book. I guess that I have a thing for Lisbeth Salander.
• The quickest way to my heart is through a well-shot single take. 
• I consider 50/50 to be the Terms of Endearment of our generation, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was robbed an Oscar nomination. 
• Ludovic Bource's score for The Artist is my favorite score from the past five years.
• I prefer For a Few Dollars More to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, even if Eli Wallach has the best performance overall.

I guess what can be taken away from all of this is that I watch cinema for entertainment as well as hopefully something more. I like films that transcend time. I know that what I wrote may come off as a little snooty, but I try to be open-minded and most of all enjoy cinema as an art form. I haven’t quite broken some biases, but when I see a good movie, I want to talk about it. That is what I hope to do during my tenure here. Hope that you have enjoyed my ramblings and I look forward to writing more and hopefully hearing more from you.

Welcome to Films with Friends

Hello friends. Welcome to the new blog all about collaboration. This is the launch of what we hope to be a successful and beneficial project to everyone who is involved, from the authors to the readers. The goal of this blog is simple: To bring lovers of cinema together and share their opinions about everything and anything movies. We don’t know ourselves what this will turn out to be but we know that we will have fun doing it.

There are two of us in this team. I am Mike, creator and author for the blog “Mike’s Reviews”. I am American born but I grew up in Greece and now I am a 21 year old, I live in California and am studying cinema in college. My motto is “Entertainment over Quality” and I mean it. My taste in films is complicated but some of my favorite movies include “Pulp Fiction”, “The Godfather”, and “Star Wars”, while my favorite directors include Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese.

Yours Truely

Thomas is the other half of the team. He should introduce himself in his own post but, me and he met through our blogs and our style clicked so we decided to work together.

Our first order of business is to begin with a friendly contest between me and Thomas. We decided it would be interesting to see who could come up with the best idea for the new “Star Wars” installment. After Thomas introduces himself, we will both post our versions of what it should be like and at the end you will get a chance to vote on which one you think is better.

Thank you for reading and welcome to “Films with Friends”.