Nerd Talk

When Earth's Mightiest Heroes collide: Justice League and Avengers sequel amongmany superhero projects planned

DC Comics' Justice League.
Marvel Comics' The Avengers.
The Avengers v. The Justice League.

A number of big news items dropped recenctly regarding the futures of our favorite flying, punching and kicking friends on the big screen. The two major comic book houses, DC and Marvel, announced they are making strides to assemble their flagship superhero teams into the biggest and most lucrative franchises in all of Metropolis.

Marvel already has a huge lead in the race with the success of this summer's Joss Whedon masterpiece, The Avengers, and the slew of projects announced at San Diego ComicCon last month, including sequels to Captain America, Iron Man and Thor and new offerings featuring Ant-Man and The Guardians of the Galaxy.

Of course, Christopher Nolan's epic conclusion to the Dark Knight trilogy showed DC is not backing down from the challenge, and the preview for the grittier, Nolan-ized reinterpretation of Superman will undoubtedly put the Man of Steel back in contention as America's favorite superhero.

But, alas, true believers, there's so much more!

Disney has announced that it has signed Whedon to write and direct the much-anticipated Avengers sequel as well as to develop a scripted, live-action television series featuring Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

I doubt anyone will ever question Whedon's capabilities as a filmmaker of superhero blockbusters, but you can bet the farm that everyone is shaking in their Spandex over the idea of a weekly serialized superhero show. Will it get bogged down with the melodrama of Heroes or the CGI hokey-ness of some of the Sci-Fi Channel's offerings?

Thankfully, Whedon started in TV and made one of the most impossible show concepts into arguably the best cult TV series of all time. So we'll keep a cautiously optimistic eye out for this one.

Over in the DC Universe, the question was finally answered regarding how they plan to respond to Marvel's Avengers gauntlet. And the answer is: gather their own major players, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash, in their own Justice League film. (Sorry, Aquaman, everyone realized that talking to fish just isn't cool...)

We've already swallowed the Batman flavored Kool-Aid entirely and will likely do the same with the Superman variety. And while it wasn't the best example of its genre, Green Lantern wasn't half bad. Now Warner Bros. (the distribution arm for DC the same way Disney does it for Marvel) greenlighted studio films for both Wonder Woman and The Flash.

As the only prominent superheroine in the batch, Wonder Woman has been in negotiations as both a film and a television series for years now, with directors, writers and stars cycling through like revolving doors. Finally, Green Lantern scribe Michael Goldenberg has been attached to this latest project, and the populist boost from The Avengers' skyrocket is finally going to mean that Princess Diana's lasso of truth will finally make it to the big screen.

The first director Warner Bros. asked to helm the slated 2013 Justice League film is multi-faceted movie expert Ben Affleck. After showing his knack for gritty street drama in The Town, Affleck seems like a risky first choice for this potential blockbuster.

Sure, he understands conflicted characters and is a major comic book fan, but he's also incredibly Boston-centric and has it written into his contract that he only directs if he can act in the film. And we all saw what happened to Daredevil.

If he accepts, will this mean that Affleck be playing The Flash in the upcoming solo movie as well? Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green, also of the Green Lantern writing team, are attached to this project that is being directed by Greg Berlanti, so it should turn out at least middling to better.

It's tough to imagine The Flash going as dark as Batman, so the question then proposed is whether or not The Justice League as a whole will go the route of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, or if he will be brought once more out of the shadows. Is America ready to see the caped crusader jumping around with all these spandex tights types?

Any way you read it, Marvel is definitely capitalizing on their current momentum and catapulting into an impressive lead over their competition. Longtime rival DC has a lot of catching up to do if they're going to make their lasting mark on Hollywood.

It will be an amazing (astonishing? incredible? uncanny?) race to watch the two teams battle it out for supremacy at the box office. But what will possibly be left over in the aftermath?

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Movie Review

Timothée Chalamet cements star status in new movie Marty Supreme

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Timothée Chalamet

In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also earned an Oscar nomination for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.

Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).

Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.

Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.

Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.

Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.

Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.

Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.

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Marty Supreme opens in theaters on December 25.

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