RobTrend Wright 1/31: DC, Robert Zemeckis, Oscars, The Verge

of one of the Suicide Squads. Um I believe the superior of the Suicide Squads. I thought his was fun. But they've basically turned the keys for the d C universe over to him and Peter Saffren, who I'm not really familiar with. And they basically started running the DC studios three months ago, and today they had their first major announcement of like what what things look like going forward, and it's basically they're going to like try and be Marvel.

They're still gonna make room for like one off movies like Joker and the Batman, The Batman and Teen Titans Go. I guess I'm not familiar with that one, but well, from my understanding, Teen Titans Go, if I'm correct, is pulling from the animated show Teen Titans Go. Um. I used to be a fan of it. It used to be on Cartoon Networks when I was a kid. It seems like it's still on base from my quick little google. But I didn't know they were making a full fledged

film out of it, So yeah, maybe not. Maybe they're just saying that show is like its own standalone thing. Those will be explicitly labeled as d C else Worlds, so they're like, our big plan is to kind of continue doing the same thing, but put a title on our most popular movies that is diminishing to them, and the ones that actually work, the ones people like. We're going to people seem to really like. Those are separate from everything we've worked on that people hate. I mean,

I have a lot of thoughts. I am a I don't know a superhero movie goer. I do enjoy the m c U over the d C Universe. I just think they've done way better world building. Obviously. I think there's a crux between either of them in the sense that like a Marvel movie is now a very specific type of movie, and they've done a really great job at integrating all of them and like getting people excited because there's just like so many stories that like innerlock

and like tie together. But you know, at the detriment of bringing in new talent into the universe. I do think they have a machine and they're like, you must fit into our template, and if you don't, your movie will fail. And I think that was very much um

the case with the Eternals. You know, like that was a big fail I think in the m c U because you're trying to take a director who does not film in that style and it's very successful in what they do, and you're inserting them into the Marvel universe, whereas a DC, I think it's had the opposite problem where nothing is cohesive, Like they have all these different storylines and in theory, you know, that's the difference between DC and Marvel comics is that they are less intertwined

the Marvel's universe, but they have no cohesion and it's just feels like random superhero movies. And I don't think they've been able to get into a groove where people are coming to see DC movies like DC is just time and time again unless it is a Batman or

a Joker has failed to mark. Yeah, I mean so the ones that they are going with, So they were like this not that, So the not that being the Joker franchise now because there there is going to be a Joker two with Harley Quinn and there's going to be more, Yeah, Lady Gaga, there's going to be more the Batman's um and they are like, so not those

those are else world. We disowned them, but like not officially, but like you know, the ones that we're going with are the Flash, which has been I think in the can for a while and was delayed by all the Ezra Miller being announcement that they announced changing who the Flash is going to be. I think they're just going with the Flash, I thought, I don't know. Also Shasm two, uh right now, did you know we did talk about that on yesterday's trending he's a libertarian? Uh An Aquaban too.

I think they also mentioned which does seem like those were not the ones that are like, those are not the universes that I thought people were most excited about in the DC world. So you know, it's just to me it feels like them being like the problem is there's too many overlapping worlds. There's too much you know, like we have the same character being played by multiple actors and that makes people mad and is not as

you know, profitable as as Marvel. But I don't know, like the it seems like the things that have been working is that they can as opposed to Marvel, like do these one off like Joker movie in the style of the seventies, like a seventies Scorsese movie, or you know, I'd be like, well, that Suicide Squad movie wasn't good,

I'm going to make a different one. But because he was the maker of one of the Suicide Squad movies and it was the superior one, but it was also like not seen by that many people because it came out during the pandemic, and maybe he told himself a story about like, well it was because there there's too

much overlap and stuff. They've really doubled down on this idea that we've got to fix it by doing what Marvel did sixteen years ago exactly, And I just don't know that that is going to be the solution that they think it is. But we'll see Superman Legacy. Is Henry Calvill coming back. I believe he's out a Superman if if my keeping one half closed eye on the internet hubbub, I do believe that he is out and will no longer be playing Superman. Yeah. And Ryan Reynolds

was the Greenland turn. But did they get a new Green Lantern? Yeah? Then so some of the stuff that announced, like HBO series called Lanterns that is like True Detective with green lantern, Space Cops, Um, the Brave and the Bold is like the Batman movie that they're endorsing as opposed to the Matt Reeves one that I think people were at least were like, all right, I mean this was different enough to justify it being a Batman movie. And yes, Superman Legacy is coming in July eleven five.

I don't know what really what that's going to be, but I don't know. I got people talking, But like in terms of an overall vision, I am a little bit confused by it, as I am with this other announcement, which is Robert Zemeckis, who hasn't made a good movie since he became obsessed with computer effects. So he made back to the future, back to the future too Forrest Gump, which eminently watchable though very problematic and so problematic, not

a great movie. But and then like he fell into the like making Beowulf and then the you know a Christmas Carol Starr and Polar Express and the Computer that is a movie I've seen way too many times because my son was obsessed with trance for a little bit. But he made that strange Marwin movie, so he is no. So he didn't do Gemini Man, but I saw a chunk of Gemini Man. Gemini Man is the biggest movie,

like the biggest gamble on d aging technology. Gemini Man was a movie where they were like, okay, Will Smith and Will Smith like so it's like current Will Smith versus younger, d aged computer d aged Will Smith. And it's directed by Angle. There's some cool action sequences in it, and it doesn't work because the d aged Will Smith looks like a computer, like a video game cut scene, Like, it doesn't look like Will Smith. Because we all know what young Wilson. He's been on TV since it was,

you know, seventeen. So he has announced that he is partnering with Tom Hanks and Robin Right to make a movie in which like I guess it's based on a graphic novel that all takes place in a single room. It's called Here, and it's like takes place in a single room as like people aged throughout time, so you see the scenes that people had in this room over

the course of their lives. Cool concept. Um, it feels like this is not the way to go about bringing it to life because the the big announcement is that he is partnering with the AI affirm that made the deep fake Tom Cruise videos. So they're like, yeah, I mean those were more convincing than Gemini. Man, that's true. Absolutely. I think it's more just the idea of deep bake technology, you know, like it's such a scary ground to be walking in water, to be walking in I guess, yes,

but I'll be intrigued. Yeah, it could, it could be interesting. I don't know. Roberts mackis, you know, he's he's just going to keep doing it until he gets it right with the computer animation. Um, so we'll see. All right, let's take a quick break, we'll come right back, and we're back and we're on real Hollywood kick today. Because there's a scandal about the best Actress category of the Oscars. When that category the nominees were announced, everyone was like,

to who now what is Leslie? Who? Who? Who is Leslie? Um, this is Andrea Rice Borro performance in a film to Leslie? Which is it made like twenty thousand dollars the box office, So everyone was like, well, nobody tho dollars in the box office. Everyone's like an independent film in a limited release, so it already did not have a ton of traction to go see it because it had a limited run and it was a first time directorial debut from the director Michael Morris, so you know, it was just a

very obscure movie. Yeah, and there's usually some sort of bar for like number of people that have seen a thing for it to get nominated. Um. I think that probably that bars also has something to do with big studios investing the money in the campaign too. So the

thing the Academy is saying, they're coming back. They're saying, look, we're not going to take away the nomination, but we are going to take a hard look at the tactics that the director of this film used to target some of the Academy voters via social media, and that just it feels a little like, okay, but so are you gonna look at the tactics that all studios and all all the people who spend money on four year consideration

campaigns out here use. Yeah, like that's and also it's just like I don't understand how this one movie is the glaring issue versus the historic goal issues of racism with the Academy voting and promotion and and not even just racism in the terms of purposely not choosing any black or brown actors, but also in the marketing dollars those movies get, you know, the lack of promotion they get and the lack of proper targeting that they get because they simply do not have the budgets that these

other films do because of their cast list or whatever may have you. So I hope they take a good look at how they're doing voting in general across the board. I think the Golden Globes always gets called out for being bought out. So I know this is the Oscars and not the Golden Globes, but I think it's you know, uh, the film industry at largees issue when it comes to representation and voting and all those things. Help. MICHELLEO gets

it for everything everywhere, all at once. I will say, in the best actress category, you can almost say the same thing as on a day armisis nomination for Blonde because I don't feel like a lot of people saw it. It was very much a highly boycotted and uh scandalous movie, Like people were very upset that it was made. A lot of the feedback was like this was just so disparaging to Maryland's image and like can we let her rest?

Like for these violent scenes really necessary? There is It's like based on a book that like was a fantasy, like almost a rape fantasy of Maryland's life. Like it just really is a bad screen play to be working off of. So you know, I know, Armist did her best. Uh it's not her fault innocence a little bit in the sense she shouldn't have maybe taken the role. But yeah, I am curious how people are feeling about that nomination

over this one too. So yeah, yeah, I mean I feel like the thing the reason that this is getting attention is because it is people who don't have the official like gatekeeper stamp of approval and the official like backing of you know, the people with money in Hollywood doing what the what the studios already do and so it's well, that's that's dangerous. But I mean, I'm all for people finding out, like the Academy What what if the Academy Awards were away for people to find out

about movies also that they had missed. And you know, I don't mind that they're nominating smaller movies. I do wish they did it with movies that were made by non white people. Um. All right, and then finally we've been brought to the bad Guide section of I don't know if it's bad guide, but we have the worst Valentine's Gift Guide, uh named Yeah, well, the Verge is

bringing us there three gift ideas him her couples. This is the U R L. I'm just trying to Yes, I would like to say, Jack, do you feel like if guides are helpful? Do you use gift guides and your gift giving activities over the year for your wife and your children. I just do all my shopping for my wife at Lids, so like, I get all my Christmas presents, anniversary present that Lids um and then she usually doesn't like the hat, so I get a cool hat out of the deal. Um no, I I don't.

I think that when you're at the level of gift guide, it's probably a lot a loss at that point. That's how I feel. I feel like if guys are antiquated. I've seen some come through TikTok, like people making gift guides being like these are the perfect gifts for your boyfriend this season, and I'm like, I would never buy my boyfriend any of these gifts. And that is how I feel looking at the Virgin's Gift Guide. Do you want any notable I'm gonna I'm looking at it for

the first time now. Um, all right, So here's an interesting one. The Dash Mini wafflemaker. Yes, in heart shape? Does it? Okay? So it does make heart chicks waffles, which is from the Valentine's Lists. That's always a thing that confuses me when somebody gets you a gift that is based on only that holiday, you know what I mean, Like getting Christmas socks for someone on Christmas that like they won't be able to wear again until the next year, or something like that. I see those gifts out there

when I'm like Christmas shopping at lids. Sometimes it will be a Christmas Team Duck baseball cap, and uh, I'm like that that's confusing to me. I feel that way with anything, especially the Valentine's themes, because I feel some type of way about Valentine's Day in the sense that like it feels like a very not that all holidays aren't consumers, but like especially like what are you do with all that heart stuff? Like what are you gonna do with all of the you know, expensive dinners, Like

everything's just priced for no reason. I think it's great to use any opportunity to like celebrate your person and your partner in like an authentic way to use a couple, but like to have to be like I have to buy them a heart shape block it is to me so wasteful because when are they ever going to what that? But it's also just such a strange collection of Yeah, there's an essential magnet charger for your phone. That's just

just a charger, just a phone charger, um. And then further down they have like another charger, like there's like they're gonna want a charger just said the networking switch like for Valiche, Yeah, they have a Ethernet like net gear networking switch that's like is this done with tongue in cheek and then Apple air pods. It's like, yeah, I've heard of though as well. Thank you, thank you

for this, So that's cool. Only gift I see on this list that I was like, yeah, that makes sense, but you'd have to be not as neurotic as me and already own it is the We're Not Really Strangers Couple's edition. I think that is a perfect gift in the sense that if you are in a newer relationship, a relationship that like maybe you're just now hitting a more serious spot like a six month mark, a year mark,

and you haven't played this game. It's an incredible game for like, you know, going deeper with your partner and seeing you know these like learning about them at a whole new level in an authentic way, and it's like very romantic. You can like have a dinner or whatever. But otherwise, like I'm neurotic and I own Everywhere Not Really Strangers game. There's an ethnically ambiguous episode where we

played it. Because I own all of them. I find them very fun, very great for you know, emotional intimacy with your friends, with your loved ones or your family. They have a family edition, but otherwise this list garbage. Yeah, this is rough. Like I always my saying I do all my shopping from my if it lids is like my go to joke for like being a bad gift giver. But this gives me some new options, like new Yeah,

as Brian put it, what's more romantic than ethernetports? Like, um, like the ugliest garment watch I've ever seen in my life, this garment Vivo move sport. If my man bought me this chunky ask garment watch, I'd be so upset. My high school girlfriend bought me like a very chunky watch before, like chunky watches were a thing or like at a time when nobody really wore watches, And I just just rode with it and was like, yeah, I do like it, like I had convinced myself. I liked it for like

a year and a half. Was like, I don't know. Some of it's like a roomba. What do you try to say I need to clean more? Like so you don't have to clean anymore, the job's getting done for you. Don't buy me a roomba. Don't buy a woman a cleaning product. Yeah, I am going to have to make note of that, because that's either baseball Caps are cleaning we have eight room. Yeah alright, well, super producer Beck Aromas, thank you so much for joining us on this trending episode.

Where can people find you? Follow you all that good stuff. You can find me and follow me at x B e CCS, roos on all. There you go, h and that's going to do it for us this afternoon. We are back tomorrow with the Who last episode of the show. Until then, be kind to each other, be kind to yourselves, get the vaccine, don't do nothing about white supremacy, and we will talk to you all tomorrow