2011 DisneyLego DisneyDisney Pixar CarsPieces 159Total Pieces2 MovieMovie SceneLego YearMadden'S ChristmasForwardLego Year 2011 Disney Pixar "Cars 2" Movie Scene Set #8426 - ESCAPE AT SEA with Professor Zundapp, Finn McMissile and Battleboat (Total Pieces: 159)If there’s a happier way to end a long work week than with a brand new poster for The LEGO Batman Movie (which already looks like the best Batman movie since The Dark Knight), then I honestly don’t know what it could be. But just in case this isn’t enough awesomeness for you, today’s Movie Morsels also has an intriguing new Rogue One video, the latest casting news on Jurassic World 2, word on the future of the 21 Jump Street franchise, and much more! Holy horn of plenty, Batman! Last week, the LEGO Facebook page debuted photos of a bunch of upcoming minifigs from The LEGO Batman Movie. While it was nice to see such obscure characters as the Mime, the Eraser, March Harriet, and Zodiac Master, some of us were longing for pics of the Dark Knight’s more famous Rogues Gallery members.
Well, Warner Bros. has heard our cries and answered them, with a new poster for the film showcasing such supervillains as the Joker, Harley, the Riddler, Bane, Poison Ivy, and Scarecrow, along with Batgirl, Robin, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Batman’s fellow Justice Leaguers Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, and many more. Man, if the film gives these characters a mere fraction of the personality given to Batman in The LEGO Movie, I’m convinced we’ll have an animated superhero spectacle that could rival even the mighty Incredibles… LEGO Batman is back, and this time he’s bringing some friends. Check out the all-new poster for #LEGOBatmanMovie, opening this February! — Regal Cinemas (@RegalMovies) December 1, 2016 Meanwhile, back at stately LEGO Manor, new photos were tweeted of The LEGO Batman Movie‘s playsets… Here’s a first look at the new @LEGOBatmanMovie sets! — LEGO (@LEGO_Group) November 30, 2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Hey, are you still wondering if Gareth Edwards found a way to put Luke, Leia, R2-D2, or any of the Jedi who survived Order 66 into Rogue One? They’re definitely wondering about this over in France, because a French TV show has just put these questions to the director in a new interview. While Edwards doesn’t confirm anything, he doesn’t deny everything either, and the way he doesn’t deny everything—he says flat-out “no” to some questions but responds “I don’t want to ruin it for people” to others—suggests the film has a few big surprises up its sleeve for fans. The guessing game begins at the 6:10 mark in the following video… The sequel to last year’s megahit Jurassic World has signed on a new young star to play opposite Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Justice Smith, star of Paper Towns and Baz Luhrmann’s 1970s New York-set Netflix series The Get Down (pictured above), has joined Jurassic World II. A Monster Calls director J.A. Bayona will helm the Amblin epic, which starts shooting in the spring.
Word on the streets is that Smith will play a scientist in the film. Of course since this is the Jurassic Universe, the question is now whether he’ll play a good scientist or a bad scientist… A new motion poster from the latest Underworld movie has dropped, featuring Kate Beckinsale’s vampire warrior Selene with both guns blazing. Plus, a tool that allows you to come off just as badass as she does in the snow, and without ever getting cold! Check it out below… Check out the new #UnderworldMovie motion poster, be sure to snap to unlock a brand new lens and transform yourself! — Underworld (@UnderworldMovie) December 1, 2016 Sony has been developing a 21 Jump Street spinoff film featuring a team of female narcotics officers, and now we hear the movie has 22 Jump Street and Get Him to the Greek screenwriter Rodney Rothman on board to write and possibly direct. Meanwhile, Sony confirms that a Men in Black/Jump Street mashup with stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum is also still in the works, which means there’s lots more for us to jump about!
Finally today, we have the first teaser trailer for the indie thriller Sleight, opening on April 7th! “A young street magician (Jacob Latimore) is left to care for his little sister after their parents’ passing and turns to illegal activities to keep a roof over their heads. When he gets in too deep, his sister is kidnapped and he is forced to use his magic and brilliant mind to save her.” What do you think of today’s top stories? Let us know below!A Batman movie void of fanboy gripes is the rarest of unicorns, but “The Lego Batman Movie” manages to pull it off. Michael Keaton was too short. Val Kilmer was too blonde. George Clooney clearly didn’t read the script before signing. Christian Bale may be a part of the greatest Batman movie trilogy ever, but his Batman voice was too froggy. Ben Affleck was Ben Affleck (although Batfleck was a pleasant surprise in the gloomy “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”). “The Lego Batman Movie” is 1 ½ hours of forgetting all the drama that comes with not only trying to put a Batman movie together but trying to build the DC universe on film in general.
There’s lots of fun and tons of laughs — many times at the expense of the entire Batman movie universe as a whole. The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) is reminded of that time when he tried to take over Gotham while blasting Prince music. Bane’s (Doug Benson) voice is a spoof of Tom Hardy’s unintentionally funny characterization from “The Dark Knight Rises.” And then there’s Batman himself. Will Arnett uses his always-on Batman voice (it doesn’t change when he’s Bruce Wayne outside the mask) to remind us that it’s okay for Batman to be funny sometimes. Although the funniest thing about Batman in Lego form is that he takes himself way too seriously. He’s not trying to be funny, but he is, at times ridiculously so. Batman eats lobster without removing the shell. He freestyles and beatboxes over his own mix-tapes while fighting crime with an assist from his trusty “puter,” voiced by Siri, of all people. After he’s done saving the day, he’ll stop by an orphanage and blast Batman memorabilia out of a cannon to Gotham City’s neediest children.
He still considers Superman one of his biggest adversaries, perhaps still holding on to some bad vibes after “Batman v Superman.” But all of this covers up the loneliness of being the Dark Knight. Trusty butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) wants Batman to accept that he’s afraid of starting a new family after losing his parents as a child. This opens the door for Batgirl/Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) and the silliest ever take on Robin the Boy Wonder (Michael Cera) — who rips off his pants frequently to perfect that classic Burt Ward look — to try to show Batman the error of his solo ways. [The new ‘Lego Ninjago Movie’ trailer reveals one fantastic plastic family feud] Practically the entire Batman universe is on display in this movie, as is DC’s Justice League. If Batman’s scene-stealing role in “The Lego Movie” led to him getting the solo Lego treatment, “The Lego Batman Movie” could be the gateway to Warner Bros and DC Entertainment finally having what has eluded them since they began trying to put their vast library of superheroes on the big screen: a moneymaking franchise that also gets mainstream critical acclaim.
2017 is perhaps WB/DC’s most important year ever. “Wonder Woman” and “Justice League” are on the way, with no guarantees that the critical drubbing that has dogged DC’s live-action movie efforts so far will go away. And beyond this year, Affleck at first agreed to be the director of his upcoming solo Batman film, but he has removed that title from his utility belt, creating some uncertainty about its future. “The Lego Batman Movie” is a much-needed positive start to 2017, and offers WB/DC an almost fail-proof, kid-friendly way of giving the Lego treatment to their other heroes. That’s good news for WB/DC, which should now focus on making sure the live-action movies live up to the hype so the companies don’t lose the kids they’ll gain as fans. But the biggest winner of all may be retailers. This movie is going to help sell lots of toys. “The Lego Batman Movie” is an enjoyable reprieve from the live-action Bat-movie drama that is waiting for us in the future.