2010 Movie News Archives
November 9, 2010: DC Showcase Director Jaoquim Dos Santos
Director Joaquim Dos Santos discusses DC Showcase Animated Shorts CollectionSuperman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam anchors Blu-ray & DVD release today from Warner Home Video
Joaquim Dos Santos brings his unique directing style to four diverse superhero segments with today's Warner Home Video release of the DC Showcase Original Shorts Collection, anchored by the never-before-seen Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam.
Dos Santos took time this week to chat about the four shorts that are available everywhere on Blu-Ray and DVD today. Here's what the director had to say...
QUESTION: Let's start with the obvious -- do you have a favorite among the four shorts?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: It's Jonah Hex. I just think tonally it all came together. It's a nice, clear cut homage to spaghetti westerns, and I thought Joe Lansdale's writing was pushing the envelope - in a good way - as he dealt with themes that were a bit more mature. The overall art direction was the most consistent -- the color direction was really strong, and I'm especially proud of the look and feel of the saloon. It's got these great, warm colors that make it feel lived in. You can try to write that scene and you can try to draw it and art direct it, but this really translated - Madame Lorraine's saloon felt like a real place.
QUESTION: Do you have favorite moments in each short?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: I love our big monster homage in The Spectre when the make-up artist gets his come-uppance, only because I'm a huge fan of horror films and we got to put a little homage to all my faves. Plus, The Track Team, our composers on the DC Showcase, did a great job of capturing that late 70s, John Carpenter, Goblins, Susperia vibe.
In Green Arrow, the fight on the conveyor belt between Green Arrow and the thug was a lot of fun. I boarded that sequence myself, adding little martial arts disciplines that I thought both Green Arrow and the thug would employ. And it was kind of cool that Green Arrow didn't necessarily win the fight - he got his bell rung by the thug.
For Shazam, I like the opening sequence with Billy waking up in the morning. It's such a great story point that here's this kid basically squatting in a dilapidated apartment complex inhabited with thugs and ladies of the night, and yet he still has this chipper outlook on the world. It was a ton of fun to see that scene fully realized - when he's doing pull-ups, he's snapping his fingers, as if to say "I'm not doing too bad here." I like the juxtaposition of the contemporary, rundown setting against his cheery attitude.
QUESTION: Where did you hide the Easter Eggs?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: There's a bunch of them. The Spectre has a lot of my favorite monsters in the backgrounds, like Regan from The Exorcist. The werewolf that attacks the make-up artist is a tribute to Michael Jackson in Thriller. Plus we get a little homage to Christine. In Jonah Hex, Red rides into town past a sign that says "Lansdale Mortunaries" - a little nod to our writer, Joe Lansdale. In Green Arrow, Oliver Queen's phone list on his cell shows names like Bruce, Clark, Diana - all members of the Justice League. And in Shazam, there's a story in the newspaper that's about Dr. Silvana.
QUESTION: What attracts you to the Superman/Shazam story?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: It was tough because Bruce (Tiimm) had already done the quintessential animated Superman/Shazam battle on Justice League, and it was incredible. For me, not having them fighting with each other was a big point. And the fact that it was really sort of a play on Billy's insecurities and delving deeper into his backstory was far more important than creating a big slugfest. We do have a lot of action, but we get a lot of the cerebral stuff into a short amount of storytelling time - including the death of Billy's parents, the way he looks up to Superman as an ideal, his being a foster kid, overcoming his insecurities. It's all in there in just 24 minutes of film.
QUESTION: Do you have a favorite casting choice?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: James Garner. My hero. It was just awesome to meet the man. He wasn't necessarily the obvious choice - I think people often think of the wizard Shazam as being regal and maybe having a British accent. But to me, it makes perfect sense to have James Garner. Shazam is real Americana, and James Garner sort of represents that aspect of the entertainment industry. He's an icon. You can't mistake that voice for anybody.
QUESTION: What did Michael Jelenic bring to the Shazam short?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: Michael waa awesome. Everybody sort of expected to see a script that would at least start out with Superman and Shazam in a fight, but Michael didn't go the obvious route. He cut right to Billy dealing with an internal struggle, and used Superman as the representation of the good aspect of that struggle, and Black Adam as the other direction. And he did it all in 20-something minutes. It was a monumental task to fit that amount of epic in that amount of time.
QUESTION: Did you need to be sold on any of the characters?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: I was not a fan of The Spectre growing up - he was probably a little before my time - so I wasn't as enthused as I probably should have been. But Bruce (Timm), being a huge fan, kind of gave me an insight into the character, and I realized I hadn't quite given him the chance he deserved. I'm a huge horror fan, and when the spin got out there that we could set the short it in the 1970s, and make him this sort of a Freddy Krueger type who dispatched his victims in over-the-top, ironic ways, and then I read Steve Niles' script, I was pretty much locked in.
QUESTION: How did you approach the art direction on the four shorts?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: They're not drastically different in design style, because it all got filtered through me, and I've got a really straight forward anatomical style. But they are different in their tone and in their color direction. The Spectre has a very Grindhouse feel - we put a dirt and grain filter effect on after the animation to add even more to the ambience of the period - plus some of the tones are pretty muted. With Green Arrow, you'll notice there almost seems to be kind of a green filter over everything - it's all a different shade of green. With Jonah Hex, the color palette is much more sepia-toned, and that's to reflect the old spaghetti westerns. Shazam is the most straight up, super heroic story we're telling, and the palette definitely represents that vision. It's a much more of a contemporary story with brighter colors on the whole. I tend to have more of a de-saturated color palette than what most people have come to expect. Things just don't look bright and shiny to me. In the real world, things aren't as bright and shiny as they are in animation, so I tried to bring more of the naturalistic color palette to these films.
QUESTION: Do you prefer the short form or long form of animated story-telling?
JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: I do like the short form a lot, and coming off my previous project where I was doing shorts also, I think this allowed for me, just as a storyteller, to fit in enough content without it feeling like it was overflowing, and without it feeling like it was too crammed. After Showcase, though, I'm definitely ready to tackle something a bit longer form. The shorts are awesome, though. What I like is that they're nice little packages - it's like eating your candy at a movie. You've got your Raisinettes and your Sour Patch stuff, and you love them, but every once in a while you want to sit down to a full meal. These are really good candy.
2010 Movie News
Listed below are all the Movie News items archived for 2010 organized into various categories:New Movie News:
- January 4, 2010: Mark Millar's Dream Superman Cast
- January 26, 2010: Brandon Routh Talks About Returning to Superman
- February 3, 2010: Warner Bros. Set to Announce DC Comics Movies
- February 9, 2010: Christopher Nolan to Mentor New Superman Movie?
- February 17, 2010: Mark Millar's Brief Brush with Superman
- February 20, 2010: Diane Nelson Says Nolan News is Just Rumor
- February 24, 2010: David Goyer to Write Man of Steel Movie?
- February 25, 2010: Confusion Reigns Over Superman Movie Rumors
- February 27, 2010: Jonah Nolan to Direct Superman Movie?
- March 10, 2010: Nolan and Goyer Confirm Involvement on Superman Movie
- March 19, 2010: Nolan Talks Superman But is Quiet on JLA Movie
- March 19, 2010: Superman Movie to be 3D
- March 26, 2010: Matthew Vaughn on His Brief Superman Discussion
- April 21, 2010: Dark Knight Producer Talks Superman Movie
- April 28, 2010: Superman Amongst Films to be Released in IMAX
- May 18, 2010: Brandon Routh Talks About New Superman Movie
- May 27, 2010: Superman Movie Set for Holiday Season 2012
- June 3, 2010: Nolan Reaffirms His Excitement for New Superman Movie
- June 14, 2010: Nolan Talks Batman, Superman and 3D Movies
- June 27, 2010: Christopher Nolan Talks Casting Superman
- July 8, 2010: Could Chris Columbus Direct Superman?
- July 13, 2010: Is Jonathan Nolan Directing Superman?
- July 15, 2010: A TV Star Being Considered for Superman Movie?
- July 20, 2010: Superman Movie Script Rumors
- July 21, 2010: LA Times Examines DC Superhero Movies
- July 25, 2010: Joe Manganiello in Running for Superman Film Role?
- July 28, 2010: Jon Hamm as Superman?
- August 3, 2010: Zachary Levi Not in Contention for Man of Steel
- August 4, 2010: Should Brandon Routh Play Superman Again?
- September 16, 2010: Jon Hamm Clueless About Superman Rumors
- September 17, 2010: DC Comics to Play Bigger Role at WB
- September 18, 2010: Jon Hamm Believes He's Too Old To Be Superman
- September 18, 2010: Del Toro Turned Down Directing Next Superman Movie
- September 22, 2010: Diane Nelson Clarifies Announcement Misquote
- September 24, 2010: Chris Nolan Interviewing Possible Superman Directors?
- September 25, 2010: Directors on Nolan's Alleged Short List Respond
- September 27, 2010: Could Darren Aronofsky Direct Superman Movie?
- September 28, 2010: Natalie Portman Could Be Lois Lane
- September 30, 2010: Add Robert Zemeckis to the Possible Director List
- October 2, 2010: Matt Reeves Not Approached for Superman Movie
- October 4, 2010: Zack Snyder Hired to Direct Superman Movie
- October 5, 2010: More Comments from Zack Snyder on Directing Superman
- October 10, 2010: Snyder Says New Superman Not Related to Previous Films
- October 13, 2010: Zod Just a Rumor for Superman Movie
- October 13, 2010: Fan Made Superman Movie Trailer
- October 15, 2010: New Superman Movie Not a Remake
- October 15, 2010: M. Night Knocked Back Directing Superman
- October 17, 2010: Snyder Says Routh Will Be Considered for Superman Role
- October 18, 2010: Snyder Uncertain About Superman in 3D
- October 21, 2010: Another Zack Snyder Interview About Superman
- October 21, 2010: Snyder Looking for Middle-Aged Superman?
- October 28, 2010: Hans Zimmer Talks Superman Movie Music
- October 30, 2010: Donner Says Snyder is Good Director
- November 1, 2010: Zemeckis Says He Turned Down Superman
- November 1, 2010: Mark Waid Talks Superman Movies
- November 4, 2010: Zack Snyder Promises Different Superman Movie
- November 7, 2010: Joe Manganiello Negotiating to Play Superman
- November 8, 2010: Bryan Singer's Thoughts on Snyder's Superman Movie
- November 11, 2010: Jon Hamm Talks Middle-Aged Superman
- November 15, 2010: Ratner Envious But Happy For Snyder
- November 18, 2010: The Search For Movie Superman
- November 22, 2010: Superman Movie Casting Sides Posted
- November 22, 2010: Latest Superman Movie Casting Rumor - Matthew Goode
- November 23, 2010: Dwayne Johnson: I Would Make a Great Superman!
- November 23, 2010: DiCaprio Persuaded Efron Away From Superman
- November 27, 2010: Casting Not Yet Started on Superman Movie?
- November 28, 2010: Affleck Talks Superman Movie
- December 1, 2010: Snyder Given Free Reign Over Superman?
- December 1, 2010: Hans Zimmer Scoring New Superman Movie
- December 3, 2010: Kristina Anapau as Lois Lane?
- December 6, 2010: Hans Zimmer Not Scoring Superman
- December 6, 2010: Joe Manganiello Answers Superman Rumors
- December 17, 2010: Superman Movie Shooting in Vancouver
- December 21, 2010: David Goyer's Thoughts on Superman: Secret Origin
- January 7, 2010: Bruce Davidson Talks Crisis on Two Earths
- January 14, 2010: Rumor Control - No Lois Lane in Crisis on Two Earths
- January 19, 2010: First Official Clip From Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
- January 21, 2010: More Fight Scenes from Crisis on Two Earths
- January 25, 2010: Bruce Timm Talks Crisis on Two Earths
- January 26, 2010: Crisis on Two Earths Website Updated
- January 27, 2010: Andrea Romano Discusses Casting Crisis on Two Earths
- February 2, 2010: New Clip from Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
- February 5, 2010: Big-Screen Premieres for Crisis on Two Earths
- February 8, 2010: Get Your Crisis on Two Earths Virtual Collector Cards
- February 9, 2010: Superman/Batman - Journey to the Dark Side?
- February 17, 2010: James Woods Talks Owlman in Crisis on Two Earths
- February 17, 2010: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Updates
- February 18, 2010: Bruce Timm Talks Crisis on Two Earths
- February 19, 2010: Lauren Montgomery Talks Crisis on Two Earths
- February 19, 2010: Crisis on Two Earths Interview and Sneak Peek
- February 22, 2010: Bruce Timm on Crisis on Two Earths and Beyond
- February 22, 2010: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Soundtrack
- February 23, 2010: Gina Torres Talks Superwoman on Crisis on Two Earths
- February 23, 2010: Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Interviews
- February 25, 2010: James Woods Talks Owlman on Crisis on Two Earths
- May 27, 2010: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Animated Movie
- June 25, 2010: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse DVD Artwork
- June 28, 2010: Summer Glau is Supergirl in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- June 29, 2010: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Official Press Release
- July 2, 2010: Australian Release of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths
- July 5, 2010: Pre-Order Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- July 10, 2010: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Trailer Online
- July 15, 2010: Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam
- July 16, 2010: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Australian Release
- July 20, 2010: Secret Origins: The Story of DC Comics Panel at SDCC
- July 22, 2010: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Australian Release
- July 27, 2010: Dwayne McDuffie's Next Project an All-Star Superman Animated Feature
- August 2, 2010: Superman/Batman Animated Clips and Behind-the-Scenes Footage
- August 6, 2010: George Newbern Returns as Superman in Superman/Shazam
- August 10, 2010:DC Showcase Original Shorts Details
- August 10, 2010: Superman/Shazam Interview with Director Joaquim Dos Santos
- August 10, 2010: Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam
- August 11, 2010: Secret Origin - The Story of DC Comics DVD
- August 11, 2010: DC Comics Documentary Coming November 2010
- August 12, 2010: Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics Trailer
- August 12, 2010: ITunes Offers Superman: Doomsday with Bonus Content
- August 26, 2010: Ed Asner Returns as Granny Goodness in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 1, 2010: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Premiere Announced
- September 4, 2010: DVD Back Cover Art for Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam
- September 4, 2010: DVD Back Cover Art for Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics
- September 15, 2010: New Video Clip from Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 17, 2010: Kevin Conroy Talks Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 17, 2010: All-Star Superman Animated Cast Confirmed
- September 18, 2010: New Preview Video Clip From Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 20, 2010: New Clip from Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 22, 2010: Bruce Timm Talks Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 23, 2010: More Red Carpet Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Interviews
- September 23, 2010: Summer Glau Introduces New Clip from Apocalypse
- September 23, 2010: All-Star Superman Trailer Debuts Online
- September 23, 2010: Tim Daly Talks Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 26, 2010: More Apocalypse LA Premiere Red Carpet Interviews
- September 27, 2010: Tim Daly Talks Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 28, 2010: Summer Glau Talks Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 28, 2010: Lauren Montgomery Talks Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
- September 28, 2010: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse - Comic Book Comparison
- October 4, 2010: Warner Home Video Spotlights Superman at NYCC
- October 6, 2010: Superman Movie Inspired by Birthright Comic?
- October 10, 2010: Bruce Timm Talks All-Star Superman Animated Movie
- October 10, 2010: Michael Jelenic Talks Superman/Shazam Animated Short
- October 20, 2010: Bruce Timm Talks All-Star Superman Animated Movie
- November 2, 2010: Michael Jelenic Talks Superman/Shazam!
- November 3, 2010: Superman/Shazam Preview Clip
- November 7, 2010: Superman/Shazam Preview Clip #2
- November 9, 2010: Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam
- November 9, 2010: Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics
- November 9, 2010: DC Showcase Director Jaoquim Dos Santos
- November 29, 2010: All-Star Superman Animated Movie Details
- December 13, 2010: All-Star Superman Back Cover Artwork
- January 4, 2010: Superman Double Feature at Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood
- January 6, 2010: Superman: The Movie Screening in Pittsburgh
- January 8, 2010: Christopher Reeve Superman Cinemaquette
- January 25, 2010: General Zod Movie Costume on Auction
- January 29, 2010: Get 10% Off a Superman Movie Tour in NY
- January 30, 2010: Details on Christopher Reeve Superman Cinemaquette
- February 22, 2010: Ilya Salkind to Make First Convention Appearance
- February 28, 2010: Ilya Salkind's First Convention Appearance Report
- March 10, 2010: Ilya Salkind Appearing at Emerald City Comicon
- March 18, 2010: Lois Lane's Expensive Apartment
- March 23, 2010: Margot Kidder Appearing at Pittsburgh Comicon
- March 24, 2010: Ilya Salkind Appearing at Metropolis Superman Celebration
- April 3, 2010: Superman: The Movie Screening in North Carolina
- April 4, 2010: Fan's Tribute to Christopher Reeve
- April 6, 2010: Superman Concert and Movie Screening
- April 12, 2010: Superman IV Costume on Auction
- April 13, 2010: Ilya Salkind Appearing at Anaheim Comic Con
- April 20, 2010: Superman: The Movie Screening in Las Vegas
- April 21, 2010: Audio From Anaheim Wizard World Superman Panel
- April 23, 2010: Ilya Salkind Interview
- April 25, 2010: Margot Kidder at Pittsburgh Comic Con
- July 21, 2010: Flashback to Superman: The Movie Radio & TV Spots
- August 2, 2010: Superman Movie Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz Dead at 68
- August 4, 2010: Superman Movie Producer Ilya Salkind on Death of Tom Mankiewicz
- August 10, 2010: Margot Kidder in Love, Loss, and What I Wore
- August 23, 2010: Superman II Director Richard Lester Donates Archive to British Film Institute
- September 6, 2010: Looking Back - Margot Kidder Superman IV Interview
- September 14, 2010: Honor Christopher Reeve on His Birthday
- September 16, 2010: Richard Donner Biography Out in November
- September 18, 2010: Superman: The Movie To Be Shown on U.K. Dam
- October 10, 2010: Remembering Two Supermen
- October 24, 2010: Superman Cinematographer Robert Paynter Dies
- November 4, 2010: Tom Mankiewicz on Superman
- November 21, 2010: Christopher Reeve 12 inch Superman Action Figure
- November 21, 2010: Will Reeve Pays Tribute to Chris and Dana
- January 10, 2010: Creator of Tech Used in Superman Returns to Receive Honorary Oscar
- January 19, 2010: No Superman Cameo in Green Lantern Movie
- January 27, 2010: Matthew Bomer Recalls Superman Screen Test
- January 29, 2010: Routh and Slater Raise Funds for Haiti
- February 5, 2010: No Superman Curse for Brandon Routh
- February 13, 2010: A Look at the WB's Jeff Robinov
- March 4, 2010: Stunt Coordinator Talks Justice League: Mortal
- March 15, 2010: Christian Bale Was Almost Superman
- March 21, 2010: Eva Marie Saint Recalls Superman Returns
- April 7, 2010: Examination of the Fleischer Superman Cartoons
- April 30, 2010: The Search for the Missing Jumpin Jive
- June 15, 2010: Ashton Kutcher Recalls His Superman Audition
- June 20, 2010: Interview with Brandon Routh's Dad for Father's Day
- June 21, 2010: Megamind Animated Movie Has Superman Overtones
- June 27, 2010: Brandon Routh Talks Superman Returns and Smallville
- June 28, 2010: Cary Bates Recalls Superman V: Superman Reborn
- August 3, 2010: Cancelled Justice League Movie Interview
- August 12, 2010: Brandon Routh to Appear at Dragon-Con
- August 26, 2010: Ohhhhhh Boy. This is Gonna Be A Hard One
- August 27, 2010: Edgar Wright's Comic Book Top Fifty
- September 7, 2010: Clint Eastwood Knocked Back Superman Role
- September 20, 2010: First Look at Superman XXX
- September 27, 2010: Waiting For Superman Documentary
- October 3, 2010: Armie Hammer Talks Never-Made JLA Movie
- October 10, 2010: Remembering Two Supermen
- October 10, 2010: Never-Made Superman Movies Examined
- October 29, 2010: Tim Burton's Superman Lives Photos
- November 5, 2010: Michael Dougherty Talks Superman Returns
- November 9, 2010: Superman Requiem Fan Film
- November 23, 2010: Superman Returns Costume to Sell at Auction
- December 5, 2010: Never-Used Superman and Doomsday Movie Designs
- December 5, 2010: Heroic Ambition Documentary Reminder
- December 8, 2010: Even More Tim Burton Superman Lives Designs
- December 8, 2010: No Clark Kent Cameo in Green Lantern Movie
- December 16, 2010: Kevin Spacey Talks About Playing Lex Luthor
- December 16, 2010: Superman Lives Healing Suit Test Footage
- December 22, 2010: Academic Essay on Superman Returns
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