Smallville 4-8: Mixing it up with Mxy

OK , now we’re at 3 great episodes in a row. No resolution to the open questions of the last episode, though some of the ongoing drama from that episode are still in full force, most notably, Clark knowing about Lana and Jason. No Lionel this week either.

The only real criticism I have about this episode is the blatant product placement for old Spice Red Zone and watching Chloe getting manipulated into kissing someone yet again. Jeez this poor girl…

In another nod to comics lore, Smallville is visited by Mr. Mxyzptlk. Only, this guy isn’t a mischievous imp from the 5th dimension, but a foreign exchange student, sponsored by LuthorCorp. Apparently Lionel saw potential in the young Mikhail that’s not apparent in his grades. While Lex ties to find out what is so special about him, poor Chloe is finding out first-hand. Mikhail seems to have some sort of bad luck power, which he activates by looking at someone and telling them to do something. Now, that’s not really a bad luck power as much as the power of persuasion (which a Krypto-freak of the week had in the first season using a handshake).

No 5th dimensional imps appeared in this episode

Mikhail uses this power as a gambling aid, quickly becoming the biggest bookie in Smallville. Clark, who as we know (from the comics, anyway) is vulnerable to magic, becomes one of Mikhail’s targets on the football field (apparently Clark un-quit from the week before). Mikhail looks at Clark and says “trip,” which Clark does, though he had enough momentum going to get him into the end zone. What also happened though is Clark lost control falling hard onto an opposing player, breaking his collarbone.

The injury is enough for the coach to think Clark may be using steroids. Assistant coach Jason doesn’t believe that though and actually lies t the coach about it. But there’s another reason – Clark could blow the whistle on Jason and Lana, so Jason doesn’t want to risk angering Clark. Not particularly ethical, but then neither is dating a student.

Jonathan, of course, is all over this. After exactly what he feared – he would hurt someone with his powers – happens, he wants Clark to quit immediately, and this time Martha agrees. Bu not only does Clark enjoy playing so much, he is now a hero to the team. Wearing the uniform makes him feel like someone else, like he can do anything. Hmm, get use d to the feeling Clark.

Chloe and Clark decide to bring Mikhail down. Chloe Googles his name, but doesn’t get any hits, but the search engine asks is she means “kltpzyxm” (his name backwards, nice touch). Apparently the power runs in his family and only a swarm of locusts negated their powers. Chloe somehow (it’s a bit of a stretch) figures out it’s the sound of the locusts and gets some sort of sound device from her Uncle Sam (that would be Lois’ Dad). She plugs in to into the stadium sound system during the game, and it indeed seems to do the trick.

As we approach the end of the episode some really cool things happen. First Clark tells his Dad right before going out in the field about the conscious decision he makes with every play to hold back his powers and not hurt anyone, something Jonathan could never understand. And Jonathan doesn’t say anything. He realizes he can’t. Then he smiles and says Clark is starting to sound just like his father – and he’s not talking about Jor-El. And then , as if to prove that Clark really is on a whole different playing field, he does something that is a pure comics moment (though more like something from the Flash). On the sidelines between plays, Mikhail tells Clark he’s going to kill Chloe if he doesn’t blow the game, showing that even without his power, he’s quite resourceful. Back on the field, he sees Mikhail threatening Chloe with a knife with his X-Ray vision. But he still won’t throw the game. He calls the play and gets ready to throw the football, but then just as he throw, he super-speeds to Chloe and Mihail knocks him out and frees Chloe, before racing back to the filed to complete the pass. No one is the wiser. THAT’s a super-hero!

We close with a few moments that show Lex truly is heading down a dark path. Even though Mikhail has lost his powers, Lex is still interested in learning what he is capable of. He takes him down to a sub-level at LuthorCorp, where he will apparently stay now. He says he won’t be alone, but we don’t see what he means. Seems to me that Lex has bunch of former “freaks-of-the-week” stashed. He also makes it clear to Clark that he got Jason tired by making it know he was dating Lana. His reason for doing so seems to have nothing to do with Clark though. Creepy. Good stuff.

Nice pants

The Thing (Michael Chiklis) going for a jog

Bale as Batman

Christian Bale in full costume

Reposting this photo....

More Episode III teaser stuff

The first teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (see teaser poster below) premieres in theatres with The Incredibles on Friday. It will appear on Access Hollywood on Thursday night and will also be available to AOL subscribers on Thursday. It will likely be all over the web on Friday. Here's a description, courtesy of comingsoon.net:

The trailer does begin with "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far way." and includes Alec Guiness famous line "A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi knights. He betrayed and murdered your father."

Some awesome highlights I should point out include a hooded Anakin with glowing red eyes - much like Darth Maul's, a scene of the Emperor wielding a lightsaber, I'm assuming during his battle with Yoda, which looks like he is throwing across the room. In what seems to be a full out war over Coruscant we see an early prototype of the X-Wing fighter with an extra wing cutting across the fighter and a curved nose. There's also a shot of a group of Wookies lead by Chewbacca getting ready to attack. We also hear James Earl Jones speak as Vader though his voice is a slight different then we are used to hearing in the original trilogy.

Teaser poster for Star Wars Episode III

Crazy Spidey stuff

I haven't been reading Marvel Universe Spidey comics (I'm fairly up to date with Ultimate Spider-Man via trade paperbacks), but I've been reading about some crazy stuff going on.

First, in Amazing Spider-Man, there's a couple of folks running around, saying they are Gwen Stacy's kids. Their father? Norman (Green Goblin) Osborn!

Meanwhile, in Spectacular Spider-Man, Peter has gone through a transformation, turning into a giant spider. He escaped this horror, but not unscathed. Like the movies, Peter now has organic web-shooters, as well as enhanced Spider-sense:

No wonder I stopped buying these books. Sheesh!

Read more about these developments here.

Ving Rhames to play Kojak on TV

Who Loves Ya Baby? Ving Rhames does...

According to MSNBC:

Rhames has signed with USA Network to a weekly series of “Kojak,” debuting in March, Bonnie Hammer, president of USA Network and the Sci Fi Channel, said Tuesday. Filming begins in Toronto in January. Production wrapped in August
on a two-hour original movie, which will now serve as the premiere episode for the nine-week original series, the network said.

Free Hour of Sleep on Saturday Night!

Spring Forward; Fall Back! Don't forget.....

Blade:Trinity -- Coming in December

JFK satirist Vaughn Meader dies

From CNN:

Vaughn Meader, who gained instant fame satirizing the presidency of John F. Kennedy in the multimillion-selling album "The First Family," only to have his star plummet when the president was assassinated, died Friday. He was 68.

New Hannibal Lector novel on the way

Thomas Harris will publish a new novel next year, "Behind the Mask," exploring the origins of Hannibal Lector.

According to Reuters:

"Millions of readers in 25 languages have wondered how Dr. Lecter developed his particular appetite for evil. This novel will satisfy their curiosity," publisher Bantam Dell said in a statement announcing the book would be ready late in 2005. Chillingly brought to the screen by Anthony Hopkins in the 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs," Hannibal Lecter is due to be back on movie screens for another outing based on the new novel. Film rights for the book have been acquired by The Dino De Laurentiis Company, producer of "Red Dragon" and "Hannibal."

How do you Tullamore Dew?

Celebrating my birthday: Chris, Unk, Dad, Skip and me with our customary shot. I love this shot (the photo and the drink)

Smallville meets Freaky Friday

Let me start by saying that if Lana and Chloe don’t completely write off Clark at this point, they are just damn fools. I mean, how many times has he pulled multiple personalities on them, whether it’s Red Kryptonite, transformations into Kal El, or now, Lionel-possession. At least when it happens to the ladies, they can blame it on the Nicodemus flower, spiked Gatorade or cave bug bites. Clark has to keep his mouth shut about his personality switches. But, if this means that Lana and Clark will stop pining over each other, and Chloe will stop with her one-sided crush, then all the better. Sadly, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. But, hey another great episode. Two in a row. Now we’re talking.

Lionel, who’s dying from liver disease, requests to see Lex, but not to make amends with this son as he pretends to, but to attempt to do a body switch thanks to some (apparently) Kryptonian artifact. Luckily for Lex, the artifact calls to Clark, who shows up at the prison in time to separate Lex and Lionel. Unfortunately, that means Lionel and Clark switched bodies instead. Oops.

It doesn’t take Lionel long to figure out just how fortunate Clark’s intervention was. The discovery of his powers on the farm with Jonathan is quite the revelation for him. And let me say here that Tom Welling is to be commended for his range, acting as Clark possessed by Lionel. I had no doubts that John Glover (nice to see him again, by the way. He’s been gone too long) could pull off acting like Clark, but Welling impressed here as well. This will hopefully bode well for his post-Smallville career. Let’s hope it doesn’t lead to hosting Ripley’s Believe it Or Not.

So Lionel-as-Clark shows just how much of a crush he has on Martha (is that heat vision or are you just happy to see me?). He quits the football team, catches student Lana and faculty Jason in a compromising position in Jason’s office (OK, these two are TRYING to get caught) and pulls a major fast one on poor Chloe. For a second, I thought Lionel had a thing for teenagers, but then he show that he’s true to form and displays the ultimate cruelty, as he is fully aware of “Miss Sullivan’s” unrequited love for Clark. He takes to his new body and powers well, and is set to blow Smallville with his offshore account, but hits a few snags. First is the voice recognition problem, which he solves with some threats to the imprisoned Clark-in-Lionel’s body. The bigger problem if Lex figuring out how to clean out the account. Like father, like son.

Meanwhile Clark, stuck in prison in Lionel’s powerless body, finds himself on the receiving end of several beat downs, though he does manage to fight back with the fighting skills he’s picked up even without powers. Lionel’s nebbish little cellmate, who somehow helped with the switcheroo is a convenient exposition device someone for Clark to talk to, as well as a much-needed ally. Eventually he figures out how to clue in his parents to the situation, but Lionel is not ready to give up his power without a fight. He also visits Lex, surprising him with Clark’s new-found love of scotch. Lionel makes it clear quickly who Lex is dealing with though and goes for the kill until Martha shows up with kryptonite. Fortunately, Lionel-as-Clark doesn’t display superpowers, save for a really strong grip on his neck, and neither of them actually see the kryptonite Martha uses.

Eventually, thanks to the cellmate’s assistance, Clark manages to trick Lionel in the prison so that the switch happens again and all is seemingly back to normal. Except….

Chloe’s mad at Clark again; Lana’s mad at Clark again (for putting the moves on her AGAIN), but makes him promise to keep his mouth shut about her and Jason, which he is actually just hearing about for the first time. And he appears to be off the football team as well. Meanwhile…

Lionel seems to have no recollection of what happened, meaning Clark’s secret appears to be safe. But there are two interesting side effects – one, he is completely healthy again, and two, he is now “good,” as in no longer a conniving, scheming murderer, but that was a little unclear. Also, unclear was the ending. Lionel/Clark’s cellmate was released from prison (he claimed he was framed) and is picked up by Margot Kidder, Dr. Swann’s (her late former co-star, Christopher Reeve), to whom he turns over the body-switching artifact. On whose behalf, was the release-in-exchange-for-the-artifact arranged? Lionel, who promised to get the guy out and was shown previously to have a relationship with Swann? Lex, acting on his own, or in conjunction with Clark, who asked Lex to help get the guy out in the previous scene. But Clark wouldn’t want the artifact turned over to anyone. So what’s going on here?

Next week, a re-imagining of Mr. Mxypltlyk (whatever), who is not a 5th dimensional imp, but a mysterious European gambler with “bad luck” power.

Another Reason to See "The Incredibles" in the theatre

As if the unblemished track record of Pixar and the superhero storyline weren't enough, the teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith will premiere with The Incredibles in theatres on Friday, November 5th.

WB Confirms Unknown as Singer's Superman

Brandon Routh will play Superman in Warner Bros. franchise relaunch, due in Summer 2006 from X-Men director Bryan Singer.

Read the official announcement here.

Kevin Conroy continues as animated Batman!

Toon Zone reports that Kevin Conroy (Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman: the Animated Series and Justice League) confirmed at the Dallas Comic Con & Sci-Fi Expo this weekend, that fans of the classic animated Batman can celebrate. Not only will there be direct-to-video features with the new animated Batman currently on the WB, but plans are in the works for more videos with the Timm-version of the Caped Crusader (featuring Conroy), as well. Nothing new is planned for Batman Beyond or direct-to-video movies for Justice League, but Cartoon Network has greenlit a 3rd season of Justice League Unlimited (we are still in the middle of the first season).

Conroy says that Batman Beyond episodes may make it to DVD and reminds fans that the future Batman makes an appearance in an upcoming episode of Justice League Unlimited (1st season finale in early December).

You can read all about the Bruce Timm version of Batman here.

In a Flash, we have the best episode of the season

Now this is more like it….

This episode had so much, it almost felt like a movie. We advanced the ongoing storylines, introduced another character from the comics, no typical freak-of-the week, and the goofy Lana sub-plot was kept to a minimum. Clark is growing up. He actually sounds like Jonathan when talking to Bart. For the first time this season, I don’t have any negative comments.

We meet Bart (“The Flash”) Allen, a really fast kid who dresses in orange and gold, in a seedy garage in Metropolis, uses his talent to rip people off. His attempt to fence what he steals doesn’t go so well, and he escapes with the booty and the low amount of cash they were offering. Then we cut to Clark and Jonathan (as the Flannel Bros.) leaving a doctor’s office in Metropolis. Some well-done expository dialogue gets us up to speed (HAH!) for those tuning in just to see the Flash. Lex got them tickets to the Metropolis Sharks baseball game. Then, as always on Smallville, a vehicle goes out of control, threatening to run over Jonathan. But there’s a super-speed rescue, and it’s not Clark. It’s our flashy pickpocket, who not only saves Jonathan, but lifts his wallet, which included the game tickets. Oops.

Clark asks his father to let him investigate the kid before he calls to report his stolen wallet. Then, he takes off to find Chloe to help. Jonathan wants to spend a romantic evening with Martha, but she has to work late at the Talon, which of course, annoys Jonathan.

Cut to some gross smooching noises as we pan over Lana and Jason making out somewhere on school property (student and faculty fraternizing – big no-no). She gets defensive about her tattoo and storms out. Good, short and sweet. Then in his mansion, Lex opens up a crate that holds an ancient scroll in a frame. He smile satisfactorily.

Back in Metropolis, Clark’s investigation leads him to a hotel room. He scans the room and sees all kinds of gear (including a comic book) Clark sees a backpack with a lightning bolt on it (Flash logo!) then pulls out a bunch of fake IDs. Clark reads the names – Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West. Clark tells him he’s not the only one who can move like that, and they set off on a super-speed chase, where Bart evades Clark with his running-on-water trick, which Clark apparently hasn’t mastered yet. Clark super-speeds home to find Bart waiting for him, “Hey, Clark. What took you so long?”

Bart refers to himself as “the fastest man alive,” explains his origin as an accident with a huge flash of light, and his “body went into overdrive.” Clark is surprised to learn that accident didn’t happen in Smallville, meaning it had nothing to do with Kryptonite. Bart’s parents treated him differently so he ran away and lives on the streets. This is where Clark starts showing a bit of a mentor mentality, foreshadowing Superman’s leadership role among other heroes. When trying to learn about Clark, he uncovers Kryptonite in his loft and sees the effect it has on Clark. After a super-speed chase to Miami, they visit to the Talon. Clark introduces Chloe to Bart, who tells her he’s from the future (in a nod to the comic version of Bart Allen). He impresses Chloe with some super-speed trick he chalks up to magic. Mom’s at the Talon to tell Clark Lex is looking for him.

At the mansion, Lex shows Clark his latest find, specifically the “cave symbols” (Kryptonian language) on the outer parts of it. It’s the last surviving page of a 14th century manuscript that depicts a warrior’s victory. Supposedly the page leads to a path of unimaginable power. Clark thought Lex wasn’t interested in the cave anymore. Still interested, Lex explains, but not obsessed. Clark can read the symbols. It says repeatedly, “look deeper.” So his X-ray vision reveals a map hidden beneath the scroll. The page is protected with state-of-the art security. As Clark leaves, he runs into Bart who had sneaked a peek inside the room once devoted to Clark. Lex hears Clark talking to someone but Bart is gone.

Clark tells his father the map is related to the quest that Jor-El wanted Clark to go on. He wants to find it because hanging out with Bart reminded him he wasn’t normal Clark gives Bart another lecture about the proper use of his powers, then returns to the mansion to look at the manuscript. Bart speeds in, steals it and leaves Clark standing there with the alarms blaring, as Lex and a security guard burst in. Clark lies to Lex and says he doesn’t know who did it. Lex says he believes him because a real friend wouldn’t lie to him. Lex isn’t worried because the thief will “learn that there’s nowhere on earth he can run from Lex Luthor.”

Martha and Lana have a moment in the Talon after hours, where she confesses that the only time she isn’t worrying about losing Jonathan is when she’s working. Lana points out that if she’s working all the time, then she’s already losing him. “A summer in Paris has really given you some insight,” Martha tells Lana, in the cheesiest line of the episode.

Bart has taken the manuscript to the thugs he dealt with in the beginning, but Lex has already been alerted. They knock out Bart, showing the lightning bolt symbol on his belt as well. Lex says to let the kid go, but the thugs want to take care of him themselves. Lex tells them the police are on their way. Lex hold his own against the thugs as they attack him until the leader takes him out and proceeds point a gun at Bart. “Let’s see if you’re faster than a speeding bullet.” That’s Clark’s cue to show up, take out the bad guy, and warn Bart that this is how his powers can hurt people. Clark checks on the unconscious Lex. Bart says it doesn’t change anything, and whips out the kryptonite. Another heart-to-heart, Bart closes the kryptonite box and takes off.

“I spend so much time trying to hide who I am, I feel like two different people,” Clark confesses to his Dad after saying that he envies the way Bart openly flaunts his powers. Then he takes off at super-speed. Martha comes home, so her and Jonathan engage in some sexy banter and have a romantic moment.

Interlude to the Lana sub-plot: Lana and Jason are exploring the caves because Lana doesn’t want to hide anything from him. She shows him the symbols on the cave that match the ones she saw at the church in Paris, as well as the tattoo on her back. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together,” Jason assures her.

At the mansion, Clark checks up on Lex. The manuscript is back mysteriously. Clark checks to see if the map is still there, which it is. Lex tells him that manuscript is phony, which we know is a lie because of the map. As Clark leaves, we see Lex’s computer, showing the map. The mutual lying has begun anew.

Clark is trying to draw the map from memory back at the farm when Bart shows back up. When Clark asks Bart what’s next, he says he’s going to try to find others like them, and start, a “club, or league or something.” Another great reference. Bart says if he can catch him, he’d consider staying. Clark doesn’t have a prayer – so we definitely know who’s faster.

Wow, I enjoyed this one. Next week, Lionel’s back in a body-switch with Clark! Holy freaky Friday!

Movie Superman cast?

Over the weekend, Latino Review broke the story, which was corroborated by Dark Horizons. Today, Variety reports it as true... little-known TV actor Brandon Routh has been cast as Clark Kent/Superman in Bryan Singer's big-screen version of the legendary superhero. According to Variety and recounted in Superhero Hype:

Though a deal has not yet been inked, relative unknown Brandon Routh is expected to take on the role of Superman for the long-in-the-works feature. Singer and his crew are headed to Australia next month to begin production. Routh's credits include "One Life to Live," "Gilmore Girls," "Will & Grace" and "Cold Case." He recently wrapped his first feature role in "Deadly," starring opposite "That '70s Show" star Laura Prepon. Routh, 25, was raised in Norwalk, Iowa, just 100 miles south of Woolstock -- the hometown of TV's original Superman, George Reeves.

The same Superhero Hype link quote the Chicago Sun-Times interview with the movie's screenwriter, Dan Harris:

As for script secrets, Harris divulged the following: "He'll begin in his late 20s. He lost his powers in 'Superman 2' and now he has the powers back. But something has happened because he's been away for a long time." "We're taking off from the first two Superman films with Christopher Reeve. We use his history and then move on with big twists and great special effects. "We're not going to do the origin story again. Our view is if you're over 25 years old, then you've seen the Reeve films and that's Superman to you. If you're under 25, then you watch TV's 'Smallville,' and that's Superman to you."

All we're waiting for now is an official announcement from Warner Brothers

Smallville Episode 4: Smallville or Stepford?

Clark’s made the football team as the back-up QB. So far he’s only on the bench since the coach already has his team decided on for the year, and the guys who have played together all four years are it. A spot opens up for Clark, however, when all of a sudden -- after a gulp of a green-glowing sports beverage -- the starting QB decides to inexplicably take off with his cheerleader girlfriend. Puzzled by the player’s behavior, Jason (Lana’s secret lover and the assistant coach) glances back at the girl who led the guy off the field. The QB misinterprets the look and snaps at Jason. Cut to the locker room, and Jason is getting changed when suddenly the deranged QB is going after him with a shotgun. Of course Clark save the day with some super-speed and a well-placed blast of heat vision, which he is getting really good at using, I’m happy to say. “Somebody saaaave me……!”

In the hallways at school the next day, the cheerleaders are leading the football players by the nose, in some case literally. Lois is on her cell with Metropolis U. trying to get out, which Clark gives her a hard time about. He shows her his red-and-gold football jacket – “not your colors,” she says. They both notice the odd behavior of the football players and cheerleaders as they walk into Torch office, where Chloe has assignments for them both. Lois backs out after a call back from Metropolis and Clark tells Chloe that football has to take precedence for him. Chloe resorts to her pouty puppy dog look. Oh, get over him already!

Lex weasels his way into the episode – and tries to win back Clark’s heart – by buying the team’s uniforms. That gives him the right to hang out in the boy’s locker room, and talk second chances (I’m talking to you Clark). Clark isn’t moved though. “I know what you’re doing, Clark says, “and it’s not going to work.”

So Lois takes on the story anyway, trying to interview the cheerleader, who of course are less than friendly. Lois does get a glimpse of the head cheerleader’s notebook with notes about something called “The Love Molecule."

So, back on the field Jason drinks it and thinks Clark is after Lana, and Chloe drinks it and gets extra freaky for Clark. How freaky? She quits the Torch and offers to do things for Clark that Lana never would as she casts her eyes downward! Ooh, nasty. Finally Clark tries it and since it’s laced with Kryptonite – the extra-spacey green hue not being enough of a clue for the boy apparently, he gets all weak, just as green with envy (hey I get it now!) Jason tells the team to rough Clark up. That’s not enough though as Jason does the SAME DAMN THING the guy did in the opening. Then Lex shows up and scares the guy off , without getting a good look him Lex tries to nurse Clark back to health, but by then he has sweated out the last of krypto-juice and his healing factor kicks in and Lex doesn’t get to touch Clark’s chest. But they have a moment, as Lex give Clark his file on him and says he is done investigating him, in another attempt to win back his heart, er, trust.

We get our first real glimpse of the Clark and Lois investigative team in a scene similar to the Lois and Clark show, trying to get the formula from the head cheerleader girl. Chloe shows up, jealous of Lois and Clark, but she snaps out of it and eventually Clark protects the girls while taking on a whole football team.

Lex is finally back in Clark’s good graces by getting Lois into Metropolis U., Clark and Chloe have yet another moment where she’s reminded Clark DOESN’T LIKE HER, but she gets the mythology-referencing line of “Clark Kent – super-hero and journalist – who knew?” after he said he would play football and work on the Torch.

The best moment of the episode is after Clark has a stellar performance on the filed which thrills the whole supporting cast in the stands – except Jonathan, who give us his patented look of worry, just like Pa Kent in the first Superman movie. Whether it’s TV or the movies, we can always count on Jonathan to remind Clark that he shouldn’t be using his powers to win football games.

This episode was a slight variation on freak of the week, continued the new focus on school life and teen sexuality and was most notable for a lack of annoying Lana scenes. Not much forward momentum, other than Lois leaving (temporarily) and Clark and Lex burying the hatchet.

Next week (well, tomorrow, this is really late) – The Flash!

First look at Ra's Al Ghul, played by Ken Watanbe, as seen in June 2004's Batman Begins. Next week, we'll get a first look at the REAL Scarecrow costume.

The official movie site is here.