All posts by hecklerkane

This episode of Comic Movie-10 is all about the hit show, Gotham. More specifically however, the Kane brothers will be exploring the differences and similarities between the characters in the show, and their characters’ origins in the comics.

The brothers discuss how both Ben McKenzie as Commissioner Gordon and Sean Pertwee as Alfred, take on an entirely new role when compared to their comic book counterparts. Both characters have been traditionally thought of as goody two shoes, however their characters in Gotham are much more dark and mysterious. Joe and Dan discuss their opinions on this and whether this change works or not.

Additionally, they explore the character Bruce Wayne, and how his attitude as a “billionaire brat” is unlike any version of Bruce Wayne the world has ever known. In fact, much of Bruce Wayne’s early life is a mystery to Batman fans, other than the comics showing that he watched his parents being murdered. Gotham explores what happened to Bruce during his years of adolescence and how he was not necessarily always calm, cool, and collected. David Mazouz plays Bruce Wayne in the series and is doing an extraordinary job, but managing to portray an irritating version of the beloved Bruce Wayne at the same time.

Finally, the Kane brothers examine the villains on the show, with the three most prominent being, Edward Nygma, or Riddler, played by Cory Michael Smith, The Penguin, played by Robin Lord Taylor, and Selina Kyle, or Catwoman, played by Camren Bicondova. This episode explains how the villains of the show are much more similar to their comic book counterparts than the good guys, and whether this is a good or bad factor.

After watching, leave your comments, opinions, and questions. Do you think Gotham has done a good job portraying these famous characters? What changes do you notice? Do you like the differences, or do you believe the writers should have stayed true to the way the comics portrayed them? Let Joe and Dan know what you think, and make sure to tune in to the next episode of Comic Movie-10.

Check out our interview with actor Christian Frazier who appeared in the TV show Gotham 

During this episode of Comic Movie-10, the Kane brothers address the recent news that Willa Holland has made the decision to leave Arrow.  For the last five and a half seasons, Willa Holland has lent her acting skills to play Thea Queen (also known as Speedy). Thea is Oliver Queen’s little sister. As fans learned about Speedy’s background, they learned she struggled with some very serious addiction issues. Her substance abuse issues allowed viewers to see Oliver play a nurturing role as he helped his sister during her recovery.

However, it should be noted that Thea has not always been the damsel in distress, as she can clearly hold her own as evident through the series. Joe and Dan discuss the ways Thea and Oliver’s relationship has impacted the show, and how Thea’s substance abuse issues relate to the original comics which first tackled this controversial topic.

Holland’s character has shown great growth throughout the series and this episode highlights all of the ways Thea’s character has overcome person problems in addition to those already mentioned. Her character also introduces a love story to the show as viewers watch her relationship with Roy Harper.

So why is such a beloved character leaving the show? Well the Kane brothers address this topic and make implications as to what her exit might mean for the continuation of the series. Noting that Holland’s character has not been killed off, the brothers make speculations about the possible return of Speedy. Joe and Dan also discuss how her costar, Stephen Amell, has reacted to the news of her departure.

Listen in to find out about this information and more. Let Joe and Dan know your questions, concerns, comments and opinions. As always, tune in to the next episode of Comic Movie-10 to learn more insight about all things comic related!

This week’s episode of Comic Movie-10 is especially exciting, as the Kane brothers interview none other than actor Dylan Libby, who is currently touring the country as Groot in Marvel Universe Live: Age of Hero. Joe, Dan, and Libby dive into all things Groot to discuss the origins of and theories surrounding the fan-favorite character.

Although Groot is well known as only being able to say “I am Groot”, Libby explains how intelligent he really is, and addresses how the comics show Groot as reliable and always there to support his allies. One major ally includes Rocket, who he is most commonly seen alongside in comics. Although he was originally portrayed as a villain, he has very clearly become one of comic world’s favorite good guys. With the recent version of a live action Groot seen in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy I and II, fans are dying to see what route is in store in the upcoming film, Infinity War.

The Kane brothers, along with Libby discuss the ways the character has taken on new forms throughout the latest films, including a baby version of Groot. Was this all a ploy to sell more children’s toys, as baby Groot is just so hard to resist, or was it a smart move for the direction of the films? The boys weigh in on this issue, and even consider portions of the Rocket and Groot comics that might lend themselves to Gunn’s version of the character. After watching, please leave comments, questions, and opinions. Do you agree with the Kane brothers, or have new and interesting ideas? Let them know in the comments, and be sure to tune in next time to the latest episode of Comic Movie-10!

This we interview long time friend, actor, stunt man and martial experts expert Dylan Libby who is currently on tour with Marvel Universe Live as Groot! We dive into the world of theatrical stunts and what it takes to be involved in a production of this magnitude. Dylan dishes on everything from his audition process to focusing on his health and what it means to being play such a beloved character like Groot.

Involvement in a show like Marvel Universe Live is probably not something the average actor considers an opportunity. It’s also not something every actor or actress could participate because of the special physical requirements and skills needed.

Dylan Libby Interview Highlights

Auditioning for Marvel Universe Live

• Confessions of his love for Groot
• Learning to walk on hybrid stilts standing over 9 feet tall
• We reveal Joe’s former teacher / student relationship in theater
• Dylan discusses his martial arts background
• Ditching a traditional education for the patch of acting at Adelphi
• How he found out about the audition through Backstage.com
• Levering martial arts to nail his first round of auditions
• Taking off from work to build his own stilts and nail the role
• Building a team around him and a support group was key to his success
• We discuss the rise of Guardians of the Galaxy

Landing the Role of Groot in Marvel Universe Live

• The audition process took over 2 years where he focused on yoga, fitness and healthy eating
• Before rehearsals began, costuming took up a considerable amount of time
• Fun Fact: The guy who made Groot also made Bear in the Big Blue House
• The show was rehearsed for 2 months at Feldman Entertainment Studios
• A soft launch debuted in New Orleans for 3 weeks before taking it on the road
• The grand opening took place in Los Angeles
• The cast is like one big family and they teach other skills to build each other up

Have questions for Dylan about Marvel Universe Live or what it’s like to play Groot? Leave us a note in the comments.

This episode of Comic Movie-10 is especially exhilarating as Joe and Dan discuss all of the comic book related movies set to be released this year. Apparently 2018 is a busy year for comics in the movie world, and it is difficult to say which movie is the most exciting or anticipated.

As previously discussed in another episode of Comic Movie-10, the most recent movie about Venom is set to premier October 5^th with Tom Hardy as Venom. There are also rumors surrounding the idea of a cameo from Tom Holland as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man. Moving along, Marvel plans to release the highly anticipated Infinity War on April 27^th, which is already expected to have a sequel. This movie is incredibly interesting as it has nearly all fan-favorites from the Marvel world together. One character that will be seen is Thanos, played by Josh Brolin. Ironically, Brolin is also playing Cable in the untitled Deadpool sequel, staring Ryan Reynolds, also set to enter the box office this year.

Moving along, Ant-Man and The Wasp staring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, and Michael Douglas is underway, along with Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, which takes the less familiar route of using the character Miles Morales as Spider-Man. Set to premier in November is Dark Phoenix, the story of Jean Grey, which will also include Jennifer Lawrence as Raven, and in December fans will see the latest Aquaman movie, staring Jason Momoa. In addition, two new cartoon movies are slated to be released on Netflix this year. These are Death of Superman, and Suicide Squad- Hell to Pay. Unfortunately neither has a definite release date, but both are expected to stay true to the roots of the original comics.

With so many exciting comic movies set to be released this year, make sure you watch this episode of the Comic Movie-10 podcast so you do not miss any that might spark your interest. Joe and Dan would love to hear which movies you are most excited about, and if you have heard of any more movies coming out this year related to comics. Leave your opinions, comments, and questions after watching, and be sure to tune in to the next episode of Comic Movie-10.

This week, on Comic Movie-10, Joe and Dan Kane discuss the most recent DC comic movie Justice League, which is widely regarded as a flop at the box office. During this podcast, the brothers give their possible explanations for why this movie bombed in its nearly three-month run and why DC movies, in general, have paled in comparison to the recent Marvel films.

Both Joe and Dan agree that DC has released some incredible movies, including Tim Burton’s version of Batman, and the most recent Batman franchise, The Dark Knight. However, it is noticeably obvious that since the conclusion of The Dark Knight trilogy, DC has failed to present the same excitement to their audiences. Justice League is just another example of the many DC movies that have not been well received.

One theory explored in this episode is that unlike DC, Marvel films have managed to become completely connected. The brothers point out how DC films feel disjointed from one another, as their characters and their worlds never collide. The belief here is that DC films are bound to fail when compared to Marvel films. This is because viewers enjoy the consistency between Marvel movies, which allow them to track their favorite comic book characters from one movie to the next, or even one television series to the next.

Another theory that is contemplated is the fact that Justice League had two separate directors. Zack Snyder began directing the film, however he left half way through, citing personal reasons. Joss Whedon then replaced Snyder. Although both directors are talented and well respected, each man has his own style and this could have certainly contributed to the feelings of disjunction in the movie.

Lastly, Joe and Dan explore their feelings toward the introduction of new characters, and the absence of classic comic book characters that have long been fan favorites. They discuss how this may not be a major issue for those who are not true fans of the old school comics, but how regardless, the new characters’ lack of depth leads to a dull presentation.

The Kane brothers are interested in hearing your opinions on the movie and their theories, along with your own. After watching, be sure to leave your comments, opinions, and questions, and as always, make sure to tune in to the next episode of Comic Movie-10.

Welcome to Comic Movie-10. On this episode, brothers Joe and Dan Kane compare and contrast the three movie franchises surrounding Stan Lee’s well-known comic book character, Spiderman. The brothers take a look at the various actors who have played Spiderman, as well as their villains and supporting actors, and how these factors have contributed to the overall outcome of these movies.

Tobey Maguire was the first of the actors to play Spiderman in a large screen blockbuster hit. His version of the character’s likeability is widely debated as he ranges from intriguing to corny. The brothers make note of Maguire’s supporting cast members, which include Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Topher Grace. The boys weigh in on the supporting characters and how their influences affect the trilogy. They also compare Topher Grace’s version of Venom to the widely anticipated, upcoming version of Venom, played by Tom Hardy.

The next Spiderman up for debate is Andrew Garfield from The Amazing Spiderman Series, which consists of two films. His version of Spiderman’s story is unique and interesting because his love interest is Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone. This is a nod to the old comic versions of Spiderman. Many people are more familiar with Peter Parker’s relationship with Mary Jane Watson; so involving Stacy’s character is a great way to stay true to the comic’s origins.

Lastly, the most recent actor to portray Spiderman on screen is Tom Holland. Something Holland’s character has done that the other actors have not, is crossed over into the world of the Avengers. Fans seem to enjoy this as they see their favorite comic characters’ worlds colliding. This is reminiscent of old comics where Spiderman appeared in many other characters’ storylines. This leaves room for Holland’s character to explore different options in the future. Also, Holland displays major believability as Peter Parker, as he was a teenager himself when he filmed the series.

The brothers want to hear your thoughts and opinions. Who is your favorite Peter Parker? Which version of Spiderman do you most enjoy? Leave your comments, opinions, and questions after watching, and be sure to tune in to the next Comic Movie-10!

On this episode of Comic Movie-10, brothers Joe and Dan Kane tackle the newly released Marvel Venom trailer. They uncover all of the potential routes this movie may take, as only true comic book movie lovers can.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the origins of Venom, he is well known for being one of Spider-Man’s most rivaled arch-villains. Venom first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man as a symbiote that had to attach to a living creature to remain alive. Most of the original comics portrayed him attaching first to Peter Parker before later attaching to Eddie Brock, the character most typically known as Venom’s alter ego.

During this podcast, Joe and Dan examine the trailer in order to make sense of the latest version of Venom’s story. They discuss the appearance of the Golden Gate Bridge, and how a potential setting in San Francisco rather than the typical Manhattan might lend itself to the unique plot seen in The Venom Lethal Protector Series, where Venom is a protagonist. The boys also share their opinions on the confirmed cast, which includes Oscar nominated Tom Hardy (who is no stranger to playing a super-villain), Michelle Williams as Ann Weying, and Riz Ahmed as Dr. Carlton Drake. Their conversation explores the likelihood of the inclusion of other Marvel characters such as Carnage and Lady-Venom, as well as how this version of Venom might display the symbiote taking a new route of attachment to its victims. The brothers also toss around the idea of a possible cameo by Tom Holland as Peter Parker, and how this addition to the movie might affect the story line.

Tune in if you need to learn more about the history of Venom in the comics, or want to stimulate your love for Marvel, and all things comic book movie related by gaining a new perspective.

Feel free to post comments and questions after watching, and check back for the next episode of Comic Movie-10.

This week we wanted to share our experience participating in a video contest. These types of contests are generally open to the public and can be a great way to test your production skills in number of areas such as budget, schedule, cinematography and creativity. Incentives for participating in these types of contests include cash prizes, merchandise and of course bragging rights. To see a full list of video contests available at any time visit onlinevideocontests.com.

While we’ve participated in competitions before, this was our first video contest that carried a $10,000 grand prize. One of our hurdles  was that we didn’t find out about it until 2 weeks prior to the submission date. If two weeks sounds like a lot of time, it isn’t. Think about making a video for $10,000, how much time would you need to plan, shoot and edit that video?

The good news for us is that we’ve been working as a team for years so dividing up tasks and streamlining our process. Our reasons to participate in this contest were not just about the possibility of winning a prize. We do them to sharpen our skill set or push us to do something more creativity and adhering to parameters like you would if you were doing commercial video production for a client.

Genie Garage Door Video Contest Submission

The video was submitted on February 4th, 2018 and we’d love feedback from other filmmakers. What would you have done? How could you improve this video? Leave us feedback in the comments.

The Parameters

While some may feel like parameters are a hindrance to creativity, I would suggest that parameters spawn creativity by making you think clearly about achieving certain objectives or goals. Here are the requirements for the Genie Garage Door video contest we entered.

ENTRY, VIDEO AND FINALIST VIDEO REQUIREMENTS & CONDITIONS: All Entries, Videos and Finalist Videos must comply with the following minimum guidelines to be eligible: (this is just a summary, there were 25 conditions that had to be met)

• Video and Finalist Videos must feature or describe a Genie Garage Door Opener and/or its features or capabilities.
• Video and Finalist Videos must include a standard size single or double residential garage door that is compatible with any Genie Garage Door Opener models
• Entrant must have express written permission from the owner of the garage to use the owner’s property in the Video/Finalist Video.
• Individuals other than the entrant may not appear in the Video or Finalist Video, without express written permission.
• The maximum file size is 150MB for videos submitted to the Contest Website. Video/Finalist Video must not exceed 90 seconds in length.
• Entry and Video/Finalist Video cannot contain or depict visible phone numbers, website links, street addresses, e-mail addresses or license plate numbers.

Discussion Highlights

• Pre-Production including scripts
• Casting for the role quickly
• Selecting a location
• Three different set designs
• Creating a shot list
• Getting voice over work completed
• Editing and throwing out the script
• Submitting a completed video

Special Thanks

• Actress Rand Sloane – http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7249700/
• Voice Over Actor Todd Myers – https://www.quadrant904.com

Tom Jennings is an award winning documentary filmmaker and journalist. Tom has written, directed and produced more than 400 hours of programming on a variety of topics including politics, religion, history, crime and sports to name a few. His documentaries have been seen on channels like National Geographic and The History Channel.

The best way to sum up our interview with Tom was that it was like taking a masterclass in documentary film making. We reached out Tom’s production company 1895 Films to talk about his latest release on Netflix, Diana: In Her Own Words that was produced for the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s passing. The journey of producing a documentary of this magnitude is a true test in problem solving and ingenuity that every filmmaker should take notes on.

Tom stresses you need to love what you do to be a documentary filmmaker. There are growing numbers of documentary television programming but Tom think it’s probably easier to sell a reality show. Don’t ever give up. If one network doesn’t want your story, maybe you can tailor for someone else. Sometimes you just have to step up and figure out how to make things work the best you can.

Keep Up with Tom Jennings Online

Website: http://1895films.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1895filmsCA/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/1895films

Tom Jennings Interview Highlights

Life as a Journalist

• Before becoming a filmmaker, Tom Jennings was a journalist in Washington D.C.
• Having moved to Los Angeles, Tom ended up covering the O.J. Simpson criminal trial and got burned out
• Cable television networks were taking off and needed writers to write non-fiction television with Discovery and History
• Writing led into producing which led to directing
• Tom sold his first project in 2004 to the Discovery Channel and had his own company since then

Learning to Make Documentaries On His Own

• Tom didn’t go to film school and had no film background
• His education came from being in the field and learning from the crew
• “People like to talk about what they do if you show a genuine interest in what they do.”
• This is how he learned how to put non-fiction documentary television together
• Tom admits he would have failed film theory classes but he knows how to get the right material in the can to make for a good documentary

Selling His First Documentary About Roanoke Island

• Tom’s first project was for the History Channel about the lost colony of Roanoke Island
• This was at the time when networks like History were interested in cool stories
• Today, having a cool story doesn’t cut it. There has to be something new, information that was never known before
• By complete luck, every year in the town of Roanoke Island actors recreate the story in a play
• Tom was able to get the actors to participate in the documentary and the rest is history…pun intended
• Tom also notes, recreations can be poorly done if you’re not careful
• For his first film, Tom had interviews, a great mystery and on top of it these great images to go with it

Diana: In Her Own Words

• This film commissioned by National Graphic is now available on Netflix
• It’s a difficult type of programming to do in film making because there are no interviews or narrator
• Archival footage and audio was the only content used to make Diana: In Her Own Words
• The archive they got for the Diana story was from author Andrew Morton who wrote Diana: Her True Story
• It consisted of private interviews of Princess Diana through tapes that were made for Andrew Morton through a mutual friend
• When they approached Andrew Morton about the tapes Andrew’s response was get in line
• Tom explained this would be a film about Diana, narrated by Diana which was something that had never been done before
• There were many rules put in place by Tom and his team to in regards to the use of imagery when talking about particular time periods

Watch Diana: In Her Words

Telling A Story With Archival Footage

• Depending on the source material available, every production is different
• For Diana: In Her Own Words, there were 7 hours of audio that they mapped out as storyboards
• They listed all of the story beats she talked about at length or momentary asides
• There were 140 story cards stuck on a board at that time
• Tom and his team knew they had to tell the broad strokes of the story people knew about Princess Di
• Then they found the stories they knew people had not heard before
• The story works so well because Tom purposely chose story beats where they could find footage of the event

Winning an Emmy for Best Documentary Research

• Whether its a feature film or a documentary, filmmakers always need to think outside the box
• The Challenger story had been told many times before but not in this way
• Tom received 30 beta tapes from the NASA archive and having gone through 28 of them they found gold of Christa McAuliffe rehearsing her lesson plans aboard The Challenger
• When they called NASA to tell them what they had found, NASA had no idea that footage existed because nobody else had gone through the tapes before
• Remembering Christa McAuliffe was from New Hampshire, Tom called a local radio station who had kept all the footage of her training and their news director was actually on the launch pad broadcasting live
• All of this added to the most unique coverage of the events of the Challenger disaster in decades which ended up winning an Emmy for Best Documentary Research

The Lost Tapes Series

• Watch the Lost Tapes Series on The Smithsonian Channel
  • The Lost Tapes: Malcom X
  • The Lost Tapes: Patty Hearst
  • The Lost Tapes: Son of Sam
  • The Lost Tapes: LA Riots
  • The Lost Tapes: Pearl Harbor
  • Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes
• Tom goes in depth on making the series from production schedule to business of running a production company
• When you have a small production you have to go from concept to delivery
• The networks know what they want and when they want it. If you want to keep working with them you have to deliver

Getting Around Licensing for the King of Pop

• Tom produced a show for Investigation Discovery on the death of Michael Jackson
• It’s difficult on a budget to license images or music of Michael Jackson
• It’s frustrating to know you’d only get the same content as everyone else
• They shot interviews and b-roll of locations but they wanted more
• Tom hired a Michael Jackson impersonator and shot them for hours in shadow to beef up the footage

Landing a Job with Robert Redford

• Tom was fascinated by the Lincoln assassination and John Wilkes Booth when he was a journalist
• Most people don’t know the story stretches over 12 days where John Wilkes Booth was on the run
• He pitched the story to the History Channel and it was created in HD with a ton of reenactments
• 2 years later he received a call from Rober Redford’s production company about a movie called The Conspirator
• He was asked to make the documentary version for the DVD The Conspirator: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Lincoln