Media's Pitch for The Titans Part 1

So, I was originally writing a list of what I consider the Worst 2 Best of the DCEU films, but due to the short number of films in comparison to the MCU, I didn't feel that there was really enough to constitute a blog focused on it. So, for all intents and purposes, that blog is never going to happen. But if you want an abridged version of the list worst to best:

• BvS.
• Justice League.
• Man of Steel.
• Suicide Squad.
• Aquaman.
• Shazam.
• Wonder Woman.

Therefore, instead of that, I wanted to experiment a little. I'm going to try pitching a proposal for a different DC related property that could work well with new viewers and older fans; the Teen Titans. This could be a TV show or series of films, but this is nonetheless what I would personally propose for a live action version of one of the most well known teams in DC Comics, with some reference to other versions of the characters. I have divided this into sections, so it would be easier to identify where one discussion point starts and another one ends. That way, I also won't end up rambling about other details that aren't relevant to the main point of the topic of discussion.

With that said, let's begin with:

Who are our Titans?

For the sake of my proposal, I wanted to do something that I have yet to see done with other TV or film versions of the Teen Titans; have the team made of both lesser known members and people who haven't been Titans before who could work within the context of the narrative.

Normally when one thinks of the Teen Titans, they would probably think of Beast Boy, or Nightwing, or Starfire, or Wonder Girl, or Raven; major players of the Titans who are normally front and centre in a group shot of members of the team throughout the years. Unfortunately, even though these people are legacy characters for a reason, that does mean that other potentially noteworthy teammates get overshadowed or flat-out ignored by modern writers who are only concerned with the bigger names.

That's not to say that none of those characters are worthy of the recognition that they get, but I think drawing attention to lesser known Titans can help expand on the popular image of the team without degrading the images of the other more well known members. I also feel that there are other characters who would make great additions to the Titans but have never been given a chance to so before, at least to my knowledge. It would be a great way to bring them to the spotlight and have them stand out from their original depictions. Also, they will be teenagers in this story; they're commonly known as the TEEN Titans after all.

Naturally, we start with our leader. Normally the team is lead by one of the Robin's, switching between Dick Grayson/1st Robin/Nightwing, Tim Drake/3rd Robin/Red Robin, and more recently with Damian Wayne/5th Robin. One could also imagine Jason Todd/2nd Robin/Red Hood as a member of the team, but due to his drastically different approach to crime fighting in comparison to the others I don't think he would fit. For the sake of this proposal, he doesn't exist. Otherwise, which of these Robin's would be the team leader?

The answer; none of them.

As I said, I want to bring in lesser known characters or people who would fit perfectly on the team. I had to think about this for a while, but the obvious came to me while I was brainstorming. The leader of the team should not be any of the Robin's, but instead a character known as Stephanie Brown.

Stephanie, also known as the Spoiler, hasn't really been showcased that often in other media outside of the comics to my knowledge. She's apparently a reoccurring character in the Young Justice cartoon, but I haven't been watching that so I'm not sure how that version of the character worked out. For those unfamiliar, Stephanie took on the role of Robin for a while, as well as Batgirl, but eventually stuck to her role as the Spoiler and has remained a reoccurring member of the Bat Family ever since.

One thing that I want each team member to have is a crux that hinders them from performing to the best of their abilities, but do get resolved as they work and come together as a cohesive team and family unit. In Stephanie's case, her crux is that she is the daughter of Arthur Brown, who is also the C-list supervillain Cluemaster. Stephanie's alter-ego comes from wanting to "spoil" her fathers schemes, as he was not only an unrepentant criminal but also a neglectful father due to constant incarceration. Her journey with this story is going to revolve around overcoming her hatred for her father; not necessarily forgiving him, but moving past her rage so that she can lead the team more effectively and open herself up as she learns to trust people.

And on an unrelated note, I would choose her over any of the Robin's because of her outfit; it's a unique one for a team leader and sets her apart from the other Robin's who have lead the team before. Variety is the spice of live after all.

Next up, we have the duo of Mal Duncan and Karen Beecher.

Mal and Karen, better known as The Hornblower/Guardian/Herald/Vox and Bumblebee respectively, have appeared in other major media outside of comics; namely, the original Teen Titans cartoon that lasted from 2003 to 2006, although the relationship between those two characters were never established in said cartoon. Basically, they were originally introduced in the comics as boyfriend and girlfriend and they would eventually get married and become temporary members of the Doom Patrol. They even have a kid in the current Rebirth launch for DC, which is pretty cool.

Admittedly, I had a hard time deciding on their dynamic with the team, as I didn't want to resort to the "couple who constantly bicker over menial things" troupe that I often find with soap operas and teen dramas. Instead, I wanted their crux to be born over the difference between how their powers operate. In the comics, Mal initially has a mystical horn that would allow him to bend space and transport him to anywhere he wanted, whereas Karen initially used electrical tech to give her a pair of stingers as well as solar powered wings for flight, though she would eventually get real powers anyway.

I think having that distinction between the two would help them stand out from each other as well as provide great comedic moments for when they try to one up each other before seeing the advantages the two could make by combining Karen's technical know-how with Mal's affinity for magic, thus allowing for the creation of newer gadgets for the team to use and for the pair to settle their differences.

Next up, we have Iris West II.

I think it's fair to say that a Titans team could always use a member of the Speed Force; enter the daughter of Wally West and Linda Park, initially starting off as Impulse before becoming the next Kid Flash. Typically, she and her twin brother Jai are both connected to the Speed Force, but Iris is more attuned to it than her brother so for the sake of this proposal, as well as to make room on the team and to not have two Speedsters, Jai is not in the story. Her gimmick is that, along with having the traditional abilities of a hero connected to the Speed Force, she can create small "cocoons" that allow her to freeze her targets in time as a means of taking them down. Granted, she is first shown using these powers when under the control of supervillainess Queen Bee, but let's just say that didn't happen with this version of the character.

While not necessarily a thing in the comics, I think it would work great if her crux was for her to feel personal insecurities as she tries to live up to the legacy left not only by her father, but all the other Flash's as well. She could try to constantly outdo her abilities as a means of proving to herself that she is worthy of people's respect and to wear the title of a hero. This can naturally backfire, either by over-exhausting herself or accidentally getting the others hurt in her pursuits, but the team can be there to support and remind her that she doesn't have to be the exact copy of the Flash or Impulse; she can be the hero that she wants to be without having to almost literally model herself after her predecessors. She can find her own path that can make her predecessors proud but also allows her to stand out among them and the team.

Next up, we have Miguel Jose Barragan.



Miguel, also know as Bunker, is a more recent character who has flat-out not appeared in anything major outside of the comics. This is kind of a shame, as he has a pretty cool power set: he can create purple energy constructs with his thoughts that get stronger and more dense the bigger they are, hence why he often uses them for boxing gloves and giant walls. Though, I personally would change the colour of his constructs to blue if only because this team seriously needs some blue to break up the colour palette. But there is one other major detail in relation to Miguel's character:



Yep. Miguel is the first openly gay character to be a member of the Titans, which thus leads me to his crux. And no, it's not that he's out of the closet and the rest of the team are uncomfortable with it; it's that his relationship with his boyfriend is put in a bit of a bind because of Miguel's alter-ego as a superhero. In the comics, his boyfriend is simply known as Gabriel (or Gabe, if you prefer) who is also a metahuman, though not much is seen of him in the comics. I want to bring Gabe in as a side character who helps Miguel at some points, but is continuously worried that one day he'll wake up to see Miguel battered and bruising after a day at work. Thus, Miguel will endeavour to try and balance his job as Bunker with his personal life with Gabe, while still keeping a hold of his traditional optimism in both cases.

Also, I'm not going to bring in a character who is randomly homophobic and is never seen again like in the comics; Miguel and Gabe are in a relationship and that is it in regards to how Miguel's sexuality plays into his character. A person's sexual preference should not be the only thing you remember about them, after all. Isn't that right, IT Chapter 2 (review here, by the way)?

As for the final team member, I was originally going to bring in Joseph Wilson, also known as Jericho, but that would require the storyline with his father Slade and I don't want to use Slade as the villain for this proposed story. Instead, I've brought in some foreign support. Ladies and Gentlemen, give a grand "Privet" to Leonid Kovar.



For those not aware, Leonid was the original Starfire in the early years of the comics, but when Koriand'r came onto the scene in the Wolfman run, Leonid's name was changed to Red Star. His power set is simple; he's a pyrokinetic, with his powers coming from an unknown alien space ship that crashed into Russia years ago. He has appeared in the Teen Titans cartoon with a different characterisation compared to his traditional socialist morality, being more of a humble, yet troubled loner.

The latter is the characterisation that I'm using for this proposal, as the cartoon version had him lacking control over his powers and needing to keep his emotional state under wraps in order to not accidentally cause a nuclear fallout. That's his crux for this story; his novice capabilities of keeping his emotions in check and balancing them out with his powers. It's not necessarily a Hulk-type character, as any extreme emotion could potentially set off a the nuclear reaction in his body. It's just that his interaction with the team is going to help him build his confidence and better control his powers as a result.

So, that's our team; a masked vigilante who has issues getting over her father being a criminal, a couple who are strained because of their different types of powers, a little girl trying to live up to the legacy of her family, a gay man who tries to balance his hero life with the life with his boyfriend, and a man who has trouble controlling his emotions which could cause his powers to go haywire. A well-rounded, diverse team of characters with their own issues to work with and can come together as not only a group of heroes, but potentially a family unit as well.

Still, that's only the main heroes; what about their adversaries? Who will be the villains for our team to deal with?

That is a question I will have to answer another time.

Until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this; I've never done anything like this before, so I appreciate any feedback I can get, especially from Teen Titans fans and DC fans in general. If you like what you saw, please leave a comment letting me know what you think and if you have any ideas for villains for these Titans to face. I would be in your debt if you share this on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and follow me on Twitter, I'm @Media_Man18. And of course, please check me out on YouTube; I'm currently recapping each ongoing episode of Kamen Rider Zero-One, so some views and a new subscriber or two wouldn't go unappreciated.

But until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!

Joker (2019)

(SPOILER WARNING!!)



One thing to make clear before I begin this review; I will not be discussing my opinion on the "controversy" surrounding this film. I may do so at a later date, but just like my review on Captain Marvel, the purpose of this blog is not to discuss any real political repercussions this film may or may not have on our society; I am here to review a movie, pointing out my own pros and cons as well as any other details I will need to bring up in relation to my opinion. If you have any thoughts on the "controversy", please discuss them somewhere else or until I do bring my own thoughts on it to the table. For now, I will only say this; Todd Phillips, people didn't like your comedies because they, objectively, were not funny; it wasn't because "woke culture ruined comedy" or any such bullshit. Learn to take some constructive criticism and grow the fuck up.

With all that said, plot synopsis:

In 1981 Gotham City, failed stand-up Arthur Fleck is simply having the worst time possible; he's emotionally and mentally unwell, has to act as a carer for his ill mother, is regularly beaten by random thugs, and has a condition where he laughs uncontrollably without meaning to do so (based on a real thing, incidentally; the Pseudo-Bulbar Affect. Check here for specifics). As the days go by and the world around him continues to beat him into the ground in both a figurative and literal sense, he slowly loses his grip on reality and begins to find humour in the darkest places possible, eventually culminating in his transformation into the most notorious criminal that Gotham will come to know; the Joker.

Right off the bat (pun not intended), the goal of the film is to make the viewer as uncomfortable as possible. This is not a film that's trying to get a giggle out of the audience or draw them in with big, loud action scenes; it's a film that's ugly, cynical, harsh, gritty and lacking any form of subtlety with it's themes. And frankly, I find that kind of refreshing. While films like Avengers: Endgame or Shazam can give me a good, fun time with entertaining characters, I think it's great that this film is going to break the mould with comic book films and draw attention to the emotions of the characters rather than their roles in the story.

That said, there are times where the lack of a focused narrative can be a detriment; namely, there is not much in terms of character development or interaction beyond what we get with the title character and his struggles. This can be somewhat justified, as 95% percent of the film is shown from his own perspective; very rarely does it divert away from him and his interactions with the other characters. However, because of that, it makes it hard to really get a grasp on the personalities of most of the cast, leaving them as little more than mouth pieces who exist to get Arthur from scene to scene. Was it intentional as part of making the audience uncertain, or was it an accident from a lack of attention on the story? Who can tell with this film, really?

As expected, Joaquin Phoenix does a great job in this film, but he goes the extra mile to give a version of the Joker with arguably the most layers to him. On top of losing a substantial amount of weight and researching the Pseudo-Bulbar Affect for the role, there are things that he does with the physicality of the character of both Arthur Fleck and the Joker. The more he goes through the film and starts to lose his grips on reality, he starts to gain more confidence and straightens his posture more as he embraces the "funny side" of the real world. He embodies everything funny about the Joker, but also everything tragic about Arthur. I wouldn't say that I fully sympathise with the character due to the actions he takes later on in the film, but I can say that I understand his motivations.

If I were to nitpick anything, it would have to do with the involvement of the Wayne family in the narrative. Initially, the film had us believe that Arthur had a closer and more personal connection to the Wayne's because of revelations found in a letter to Thomas Wayne from Arthur's mother. This lead to an interesting interaction that Arthur has a young Bruce Wayne and Alfred, as well as the inevitable confrontation with the Wayne patriarch. What relevance does this have on the plot?



This is not hyperbolic. Beyond yet ANOTHER recreation of the Wayne's getting shot in the alleyway, there is little reason for them to be in this film. It's not even a major revelation when we, as the audience, learn the truth; it's a by product of the actual reveal regarding Arthur's upbringing. The Wayne's could've been replaced by a different rich family and nothing would've changed in regards to the narrative.

It really hard to pin down a solid opinion on this film, hence why this review is short. From a technical standpoint, it is really good; with solid acting, directing and production values. However, I can definitely see the storytelling and characterisation turning people off. I recognise that the film's main goal is to make the audience as uncomfortable as possible, and it does touch upon mental health issues in a unique way. But some of the twists and turns aren't likely going to sit well with people after their viewing of the film. Even as I write this review, I'm unsure of what I really think of this film. I suppose the best I can say about is that it does succeed with what it wants to do; it made me uncomfortable watching it.

Overall rating: Unsure.

If you liked what you've read, please leave a comment letting me know what you think of this bizarre movie. You wanna support the reviews or know more of my thoughts, please follow me on Twitter @Media_Man18. And if you want more content on a weekly basis, you can check out my YouTube channel here. Leave a like, subscribe and comment if you so desire.

But until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!

IT: Chapter 2 (2019)

(SPOILER WARNING!!)



I think that it's fair to say that, after the critical and box office success of the Bill Skarsgard version of "IT" in 2017, people audiences were clambering for the second part to come out. And admittedly, I was kind of in the same boat. While I wasn't the biggest fan of the cinematic re-imagining of the Stephen King novel, I will say that the cast was very strong and Skarsgard stole the show as an entirely new version of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. However, these were also my thoughts on the Tim Curry mini-series from the 90's, with the film only improving with the pacing of the stuff with the kids.

With all that said, how exactly does the sequel, "IT: Chapter 2", fare both as a standalone film and in comparison to it's predecessor? Let's find out.

While the first film adapted the portion of the book focusing on the children, this film sees them 27 years later. Bill (played by James McAvoy) is now a best-selling author, though his endings tend to suck (this is a running joke, incidentally); Mike (Isaiah Mustafa) has stayed in Derry as a librarian; Ben (Jay Ryan) has lost all of the weight from his youth and is now a highly paid architect; Richie (Bill Hader) is a stand-up comedian who has all of his material written for him; Eddie (James Ransone) is a risk analyst married to a woman just like his mother (bit of an Oedipus complex, really); Beverly (Jessica Chastain) is a fashion designer with an abusive husband; and Stanley (Andy Bean) is... well, read the book and you'll see how important he is.

They're all (minus Stanley) reunited in the modern day (or rather, 2016) when Mike calls everyone back to Derry as "It" had awakened once again as Pennywise and is seeking revenge on the ones who survived his wrath during their childhoods. However, Mike believes he has a solution to deal with the killer clown from outer space; the Ritual of Chud, which can be used to put the monster down for good. From there, the gang goes through the same things they did as kids to retrieve what they needed for the ritual.

There; only took me at least 2 minutes to write that out; why does it take almost 3 fucking hours for them to get to the point?

That's probably the biggest issue that I have with this film; there is no reason for it to be almost 3 hours long, as much of the story could easily be told 2 or 2 and half hours. There are several scenes and characters that could've easily been cut out of the film entirely and the pacing would've been all the better for it. The gay bashing scene at the beginning of the film which incites Mike calling everyone back? Could've been cut and replaced with the scene of the girl being eaten by Pennywise at the baseball game. Most of the flashbacks to the time when the Losers Club was split up after facing Pennywise in the house? They could've been shortened or cut out entirely and nothing would've been lost as nothing new was learned about these characters.

Heck, there is a kid that the Losers Club encounter sporadically throughout the film who gets eaten by Pennywise at the local amusement park in front of Bill. What does this add to the story or character development?



It's not like this scene was really used to hammer in Bill's guilt over losing Georgie as a kid; he had already gotten over that by the end of the first film. And even if for the sake of argument Pennywise used this to guilt trip Bill, he redoes the stuff with Georgie again by having Bill confront his younger self, only for him to instantly realise he wasn't to blame for Georgie being killed by the clown. Therefore, the addition of this kid getting killed by Pennywise in front of Bill? It's completely pointless and makes the kid a superfluous waste of time.

And you can't tell me that the gay bashing scene and the flashbacks were kept for "book accuracy"; they left out the kid orgy when making the first film, as well as other Pennywise encounters from the book that aren't in the film. Essentially, those scenes were worthless additions that only exist to extend the running time to almost 3 hours long, when they only really had enough story to fill in at least 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Most of the scares I also felt were pretty weak in comparison to the first film, and this is coming from someone who wasn't all that scared by the first film to begin with. Most of the scares in this film relies on the music being far too loud and Pennywise just jumping out at the characters to try and freak them out. Him jumping out once or twice is fine, but he does it at least 6 times by the end of the film, and it got old fast for me. Jumpscare horror for me is one of the laziest ways to scare somebody. It's the equivalent of waiting around the corner for someone and then jumping out yelling "boo"! It's not scary; it's fucking annoying.

And of course, the ending was stupid. Really, really, REALLY stupid. It's where they shove out the most exposition and has the characters being over the top scared by otherwise mundane things. This one thing I never understood about the story; I understand them being scared of this thing as kids, but why are they scared as adults? While some phobias might stick with you as you get older (arachnophobia or claustrophobia, for instance), I don't understand why they'd be afraid of Pennywise given that his main form is a silly looking clown. I know that people act scared of clowns as a joke, but I personally never though that clowns were scary, which only emphasises how silly this finale is when they face off against a giant Pennywise spider hybrid with his Deadlights exposed.

With all that said, is there anything I enjoyed? Actually, yes. The cast I felt did a great job with the roles that they were given, especially Bill Hader as an older version of Richie. I had no problem believing that this is the same kid all grown up and making snarky asshole remarks. Richie was my favourite character from the first film, so it's nice to see that remain true in the sequel. Although, I do think that James McAvoy as Bill really needs to work on his American accent. Nothing against his acting, but accents really aren't his strong suit.

Also, loved the cameo from Stephen King. I'm surprised he didn't have one in the first film (or the mini-series for that matter), but nice to see him nonetheless.

I also thought that the grown up version of psycho bully Henry (Teach Grant) was a creepy performance as well. The character has very little screen time or actual interaction with the characters, but the way that the actor carries himself leaves a very disturbing presence. This is all true for the first film and it was nice to have it carry over to this one. I only wish the effects on his dead friend was better handled and that we saw more of his escape from the asylum, or even how he found the Losers Club without being noticed by anyone.

One thing I'll definitely in regards to the tone of this film; the scares may be over the top and gory as Hell, but I'll be damned if I didn't have fun the entire time watching it. A lot of the story can get so dumb and insanely bizarre that it all starts to become really funny to me. I couldn't stop myself from laughing whenever I saw Pennywise showed off his sharp teeth or a special moment when Richie is caught in the Deadlights:



Tell me you can look at that moment when Richie's eyes roll back and somehow resist laughing.

By the end of the day, IT: Chapter 2 has plenty of good things going for it. The cast all do a great job with their roles, the music is good when it doesn't overstay its welcome, and there are some really good camera tricks with how some scares are revealed. But I hate having to go through so many needless jumpscares and a story that goes on for far longer than it had any right to be. This film is one of those instances where more stuff could've been cut and we would missing nothing as a result. I still recommend that you go watch it, but only if you have the patience to sit through several lengthy scenes to get to the juicy parts.

Overall rating 6/10 (it's fine).

And that's all I've gotta say about IT: Chapter 2. If you like what you've read, please do me a solid and share this on social media and comment below what you thought of the movie. If you want to see more of this content, I'd greatly appreciate it if you follow me on Twitter @Media_Man18, along with subscribing to my YouTube channel which you can view here. I try to post a new vid every week, so keep an eye out.

But until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, and remember:

You'll float. You'll ALL FLOAT!