Arrow -- The Series Premiere Review

This Week in TV -- ARROW: The Series Premiere 

Every now and then, the press and TV critics will come to an agreement that a great show is born. From what I can see, the press and TV critics are unanimous about ARROW. I have been told by those who have seen the Pilot that I am going to love it! The CW and DC have been doing a great job in promoting the show. In recent weeks, I see nothing but positive feedback from the media. There is so much love for this show already. On Twitter, EW calls ARROW not only it is "the network’s best new show, it’s also one of the the best freshman fall shows." When the series premiere aired on Wednesday and it was the number one trending topic on Twitter.

ARROW is a show that I have been dying to watch because I like Justin Hartley's Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen (Smallville) enough to check out this show. I think ARROW has an existing fanbase, and The CW has been keen to hold on to Smallville…I mean, hold on to audience who are comic book fans, males and females! I mean, Stephen Amell is a hottie. The show has the 'the girls are gonna love him and the guys will want to have a Amell six-pack' vibe to it. It is a VERY COOL SHOW! If there must be a comparison, ARROW is closer to Batman Begin than Smallville.

The Pilot was directed by David Nutter. It is written by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim (story), and Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim (teleplay). David Nutter is a legend, he has directed many awesome shows including Smallville, Dark Angel, Roswell, Supernatural and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. You may know Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim (Green Lantern) and Andrew Kreisberg (Fringe). A few familiar names are also attached to the show in some capacity. Guy Bee (Supernatural) has directed an episode and Geoff Johns has also written for an episode already.

Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC -- who penned a number of mind-blowing episodes for Smallville including Absolute Justice (season nine) -- has written episode seven for ARROW. This episode will feature Huntress, I have no idea who she is. This is great news, right? Geoff Johns is the king of geeks, and he knows his stuff.  He always known for reviving/ re-introducing characters such as Hawkman, Dr Fate, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. So I'd be interested to find out more about Huntress. I don't know too much about comics, as I have mentioned it on a number of occasion, but whenever I see his name attached to Smallville, he made headlines. I see how exciting the fans and the press were. So it is a big deal to see Geoff Johns writing for ARROW. In fact, I'd be surprised if the producers didn't ask him to collaborate for ARROW. His contribution is a sign that the show has tremendous support from DC. It's a great thing!

Another thing I am looking forward to is Katie Cassidy. I always like her portrayal as the Original Ruby in Supernatural, I have seen a bit of her in Gossip Girl, 90210 and New Girl, I think while these roles are not great, but her performance is always sharp. I think ARROW is her best role to date and I can't wait to see her shine as Laurel Lance/ Black Canary. Laurel totally has the Rachel Dawes vibe. But she'd kick Katie Holmes' ass. She is Black Canary and I hope we will get to see that on the show. At the end of the episode, when Laurel has this smirk on her face, I was kinda half-expecting to get a hint of her being a superhero too. But I don't think we will see that just yet.

What about the new Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen, Stephen Amell? I admit, I have not heard of him before and I certainly not seen Hung or Private Practice, and I was one of those people who think Justin Hartley should carry on as Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen. But it is what is it. I was actually very reserved about the casting. But boy, am I wrong?! I am sold! Stephen Amell is brilliant as Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen in ARROW. It's amazing to see how convincing he is as Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen. The acting, the action, the look, the bow and arrow skills, the whole package. When he came on my screen, I nodded and said, "YUP! HE IS GREEN ARROW!!" Hey, I like Hawkeye/Barton, but I think Green Arrow/ Queen will kick his ass if they get into a fight.

Other few quick thoughts on the Pilot:

-- Paul Blackthorne (The Dresden Files) as Quentin Lance -- I knew he looked familiar!

-- Random Docter -- He is Hiro Kanagawa aka Mr Nuttercracker Game Show Host from Supernatural's Changing Channels

-- Oliver's mother, Moira (Susanna Thompson) -- She totally has the Angela Petrelli or Lionel Luther vibe.

-- The Island as Purgatory -- I love that, especially when Purgatory is a prominent location on Supernatural.

-- The cast has good chemistry. However, Thomas and Speedy are not working for me yet. And I LIKED Speedy in Smallville. Not sure if it's the same Speedy.

-- The Queen's Housekeeping -- Will she become 'Alfred' one day for Oliver?

-- I like the fact that everyone is treating Oliver like an idiot, but he is kicking ass when they don't see it.

-- The soundtrack -- I hope they stick to this soundtrack, which I like very much. It took me awhile to get used to the pop songs as featured on Smallville, especially in the earlier seasons. There isn't anything wrong with using pop songs, but let's not make it too 90210.

-- The Queen Mansion -- I swear that's like the Luthor Mansion. The show is shot in Vancouver, so perhaps they use the Smallville's old set. Source: GreenArrowTV.

My first impression of ARROW is that this show GOT IT. Stephen Amell GOT IT. Katie Cassidy GOT IT! The dialogues, story and action GOT IT! This show has it all. ARROW is a lot darker than Lois and Clark, and Smallville. It looks very mature from the get-go. It has the Batman Begin vibe. Stephen Amell is as cool as Christian Bale, but there is something very warm about Amell. May be because I am following him on Twitter? The Pilot was brilliant! Very smooth! It sets up the story nicely. It almost looks like a movie. And this Pilot should've been a two-hour premiere if it was up to me!

I think Oliver Queen is very well established in the Pilot. There is not confusion about his character, he has a plan, he knows what he wants. He is very cool headed and he is very similar to Batman/ Bruce Wayne in a way. Unlike Superman/ Clark Kent or Chuck Bartowski, Green Arrow has no problem in killing bad guys. I hope ARROW's Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen won't go through the same angst and depression as Justin Hartley's character on Smallville. I would rather not see this again. I get the whole hero's complex thing, but I guess we will see if and when that happens on ARROW. Stephen Amell's Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen is a lot cooler than I expect. He has this look on his face and it's stone cold sometimes when he is in his Green Arrow mode. And his interpretation is A LOT cooler than Justin Hartley's Green Arrow/ Oliver Queen, who was a lot more relax and very upfront with his playboy, smartass personality the first time he appeared on Smallville. Amell's performance is what ARROW needs. I wonder if his contract say he has to go topless in every episode like Captain Awesome and Justin Hartley?

Superhero movies are no strangers to the theatres, audience love them, but their chance of survival is very slim on the small screen. Smallville was the only long standing television drama in recent years. Didn't somebody try to do Wonder Woman? Other popular superheroes such as Superman, Spiderman and Batman are all off limit for TV creators, unless they are animation. The CW's decision to do ARROW is a smart move. The network has the fanbase and ARROW can bring back those who stuck with Smallville all these years. The show can attract fans who appreciate a good superhero story, regardless whether it be on a big screen or small screen. I think ARROW marks another fresh era of live action superhero shows on TV. And don't forget, Joss Whedon is also working his magic for Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. These shows will set the trend for the next few years! As DC and Marvel go head-to-head and bring the fight from the big screen to the small screen, the entertainment only get bigger and better and fans will benefit from it the most. Both DC and Marvel will continue to dominate the big and small screen, and tell others to suck it! The next decade belongs to the fans.

In summary, I will go as far as saying, I love the ARROW Pilot slightly more than Revolution. I am glad ARROW happens. I love it already! It's a winner!

Here is the promo for next week's episode 1.02 Honor Thy Father.

Joss Whedon Returns For More Marvel Stuff

This is the news fans, including myself, have been waiting for. It has been confirmed last week by Marvel Studios that Joss Whedon has signed an exclusive deal with the studios for film and television for the next 3 year. He will write and direct The Avengers 2, and will help develop a new live television series for Marvel TV at ABC.

We know Joss was thinking about it and wasn't sure. But news about his involvement in The Avengers 2 is welcoming, I am so happy I am going to cry. Quality is ensured. Happiness is guaranteed!

It's no secret that Marvel's next phase is to extend their presence in television. Joss' creative contribute will possibly set television history for the next decade or more. Imgaine if a Marvel television series is picked up and do a 'Smallville' (i.e. run 10 years), it will make fans very happy and entertainment is endless! It is also interesting to note that ABC is having success with Once Upon A Time, so they definitely have an existing audienceship of family viewers and they will have no trouble attracting other fans to watch Joss' creation.The CW is capturing that superhero fanbase of WB/ DC as Arrow takes the center stage in Fall. Healthy competition is good and it's the fans who will benefit from the superhero genre. Move over cop and medical dramas!

It's been awhile since Joss has a television project, so whatever Joss is doing, it will excite fans in ways we have not been excited before. Yeah.. I said it.

Read all about the announcement here.

Review: Batman Under the Red Hood

Batman: Under the Red Hood is not to be watched on Sunday morning with your kids. It's a dark drama with blood, violence, it has plenty of pain and angst. I don't normally watch animation unless I am captivated by the story or if it's super cute. And to be honest, I watch Red Hood because of Jensen Ackles, who voiced Jason Todd/ Red Hood. He did a great job. Anyone who needs an actor to play a character to channel angst and pain, Jensen Ackles is your man! I think this would have been a perfect big screen role for Jensen Ackles, obviously someone older would require to play Bruce Wayne/ Batman.

I don't know who did the Jason Todd drawing, but whoever you are, you are awesome!

Batman: Under the Red Hood is so much darker than I expected. The intensity was there from the start of the movie. When I first heard about Red Hood I had not idea who he was, except I've been told Jason Todd was the 2nd Robin and Jensen was the voice talent for this character. But after I watched it for the first time, I felt that homework was required in order to respect the character and story more.

I don't understand comic book continuity, each character seems to have so many different versions and stories, not to mention about the crossovers. Here is Jason Todd in a nut shell. After Dick Grayson aka the 1st Robin became Nightwing, Jason Todd was introduced as the new Robin. Batman was a lot mature and older when Jason Todd was introduced. Jason Todd was athletic and resembled Batman in many ways, except Jason was willing to use lethal force and weapons.

The initial concept of Jason Todd was similar to Dick Grayson. Jason was the son of circus acrobats, Joseph and Trina Todd, killed by Killer Croc. Jason was later adopted by Bruce Wayne. Jason Todd was later rewritten as a young street orphan who first encountered Batman while attempting to steal the tires off the Batmobile. This was seen in the flashbacks of Batman: Under the Red Hood. Jason was beaten to death by the Joker with a crowbar. Jason was then resurrected from the Lazarus Pit by Ra's al Ghul's daughter Talia. But in the animated film, Jason was resurrected from the Lazarus Pit by Ra's al Ghul himself. The Lazarus Pit caused a negative impact on Jason's mental instability.


Jason Todd had a number of adventures in the comic book version. He later became a murderous version of Nightwing. Jason also appeared in a number of Green Arrow's comic series as the Red Hood. Jason was seen as the Red Robin with a new suit. Jason then appeared in Battle for the Cowl, where he wore an alternate version of the Batsuit and revealed he had always wanted to replace Batman. And there was a Red Hood and Scarlett after the events in Battle for the Cowl. I think Jason Todd pretty much went cuckoo in most versions of his story.

So with all the above background information on Jason Todd, my second viewing of Batman: Under the Red Hood was more enjoyable and here is why. My knowledge of all things Batman comes from the movies. I've watched all the Batman movies in our generation, i.e those directed by Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan. I have seen them all at least 3 times or more, even the bad ones! We have seen many iconic DC characters on the big screen with Batman, we have seen the Joker and Two-Face twice, we are familiar with the Penguin, Mr Freeze, The Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Robin. To me, it was refreshing to see a new character I know so little about, I didn't even know Jason Todd existed until now! The back story was little overwhelming at first, because I wasn't aware of the relationship between Bruce Wayne/ Batman and Jason Todd/ Red Hood.

I thought the action and the fight scenes in Batman: Under the Red Hood were awesome. My favorite action scenes were the rooftop chase scene and the Red Hood versus the Jedi scene (I mean The Fearsome Hand of Four). The end scene with Red Hood held the Joker hostage, demanding Batman to choose between him and the Joker was pretty intense. Jensen Ackles was so awesome, I almost feel that he was too good with his voice, he brought so much intensity to the scene, the animation visual couldn't level with his voice. It felt like I want to see the face of the actor, I want to see his expression. Because that scene was so good and intense, it would have been perfect if we could see the actors performance in a live action setting.

I have mentioned it on a number of occasions that I would LOVE to see Jason Todd/ Red Hood on the big screen. But it won't happen any time soon, not until the Christian Bale version of Batman has grown older (Bale is still portraying a younger version of Bruce Wayne/ Batman). We won't see Jason Todd before Dick Grayson, who is the first Robin. Jason Todd/ Red Hood appeared in a very later stage of the Batman timeline. (That makes Batman so old!) I think Jason Todd/ Red Hood is as dark as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, this character has huge potential. Jason Todd fits into the whole really dark theme of Batman very well. Again, I can see Jensen Ackles on the big screen as Red Hood.

On the DC calender, Jason Todd will star in Red Hood: The Lost Days written by Judd Winick, a six issue miniseries to coincide with the release of the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood. The story will concentrate on Jason's Todd's lost years of globe-trotting and training after his death and resurrection before his return to Gotham. Look out for it!

On something completely random, just before I started composing for this blog post I read an article on 'concepts, not big-name actors, now real stars of films'. Thank you!! Finally someone gets it! That's what movies should be about. Fans are smarter these days, and we are critical and hard to please. Take Inception for example. Yes we have Leonard DiCaprio starring in the movie, but the concept of the film was so brilliant and engaging, I was watching a movie, not a celebrity and I have so much respect for Christopher Nolan as a director. He doesn't treat his audience like idiots, he is not some studio puppets who would grab any scripts and cast big names to star in the movie, thinking audience would watch anything with big name celebrities. I pay to watch a movie for good content, originality and creativity. I respect someone who can act, does his/ her homework, does justice to the character, I don't care if you are big name celebrities, previous award winners or no name talents.

More ComicCon Goodies - Branded Keycards

WB is issuing special hotel keycards featuring five of their shows - Supernatural, Smallville, V, Batman: Under the Red Hood and one promoting the DC App for iPhone, iPad & Sony PSP.

29,000 room keys will be branded with the special design, chances are high to get one of these if you are staying at the participating hotels. AWESOME! I am sure I can buy them on eBay later! Interestly, Jensen Ackles stars in 2 of the following promotions (Supernatural and Batman: Under the Red Hood.)

Here is the official press release:

A total of 29,000 branded room keys, designed by Warner Bros.’ Worldwide Television Marketing unit, will be distributed at 36 participating hotels throughout the San Diego area during the week of the Con. Featuring five different designs in two size variations, the room keys will generate buzz around the Studio’s properties among fans.

Smallville: To celebrate the 10^th and final season of Smallville and the show’s final appearance at Comic-Con, the key card features a shot of series star and executive producer Tom Welling. Smallville returns on September 24, airing Fridays at 8/7c on The CW.
Supernatural: Series stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles return to lead this hit series into its sixth season, airing on a new night this fall: Fridays at 9/8c on The CW. The series premieres September 24.
V: The thrilling drama series had the highest-rated debut episode of any scripted series during the 2009–10 season among Adults 18–49 and returns for its second season in November on ABC. The key card features series star Morena Baccarin in her role as Anna, the leader of the Visitors.

Batman: Under the Red Hood: The most recent entry in the popular ongoing series of DC UNIVERSE animated original PG-13 movies – from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation – is available for digital rental on iTunes, Amazon Video On Demand, Sony PlayStation Network, Zune Marketplace on Xbox Live and Best Buy CinemaNow starting July 24 and purchase July 27 on Blu-ray™, DVD and for download.
DC Comics’App: With the successful debut of DC Comics’ App for iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® Touch and Sony’s PSP®, now fans can download hundreds of comic books from their favorite DC Comics, Vertigo and WildStorm issues.

Source: Collider and WB Blog.

Random update - Jensen Ackles; Batman Red Hood; stuff

So, it's the hellatus. Don't expect too much news on the actors of Supernatural, they are just having a break, doing the convention tours and whatever the pie they want.

As blogged, Jensen Ackles will be on the Batman: Under the Red Hood, the Blue-Ray and DVD will release on July 27. Here is a little something from the director Andrea Romano on Jensen's performance. Read the full article at ComicBookMovie.

Fans are be surprised how good an actor Jensen is. But I think industry people are surprised to know he really is one of the best actors from his generation and he can really act and nailed everything that was given to him. Don't shut me up, I vote Red Hood/ Jason Todd to be in the Batman III.

Marvel has big things lined up for the next few years with The Avengers stuff. I am surprised DC hasn't done much. Green Lantern is good, I guess, but for this to be at the front line for DC, that's just weak. You won't see a new Superman movie for awhile, I don't think they will do a Justice League movie, which they should! They have Flash and Aquaman in the works but I think Marvel will win this race.

I have heard some good stuff in recent days about the season six of Supernatural. Also, I've heard Jensen will be directing the 4th episode. I'll do a big update later when I have more details. Until then, know this: Supernatural season six is in good hands. In Gamble, I trust.

Also, I've been catching up with my Lost podcast with Jay and Jack. It makes me realise one thing: FANS ARE HARD TO PLEASE. THEY ARE NEVER HAPPY.