NEST Speculative: Marvel VS DC Part One- Cinematic Success and Failure

 Disambiguation 

When I discuss any Marvel property in films, I will not be including Sony's Spiderman trilogy or the recent 2012 reboot nor will I include Fox's X-Men and Fantastic Four films. I am sticking to Marvel's core cinematic universe for the sake of clarity.

Rivalry and Failure

Marvel and DC, two of the biggest rivals in all of geek culture, have very different approaches when it comes to putting their characters on the big screen. Everyone has seen a beloved comic book movie franchise tank, from Batman and Robin, considered to be one of the worst comic book movies ever, to Superman IV. However, recently Marvel seems to have finally created a cinematic universe that has stood the test of time. What's their secret?

Casting

Quick, name me an Avenger. I'm willing to be quite a few of you said Iron Man, played perfectly by Robert Downey Jr. Not only is RDJ an excellent actor, he pulls of the very difficult job of making a cocky, self-absorbed character likeable. In fact, he turned Iron Man from a background character to one of Marvel's major sellers. Christian Bale's contrast between the mild-mannered Bruce Wane and the raspy vigilante Batman.

Believability

 There are two very different approaches to a comic book movie. You can either create a universe that wholeheartedly accepts superhero logic, or put superheros into a believable world. For example, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy features absolutely no superpowers and tries to ground Batman and his villains in a world exactly the same as our own. It works because the logic is consistent. Joss Whedon's Avengers features insane superpowers, alien invasions, and gods fighting radioactive rage monsters. The logic in that world is that the supernatural is perfectly normal in that world,  and so then the logic is conistent.

Interconnection

The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel were both far and away box office successes, so why is Marvel's cinematic universe doing so much better? Iron Man 3 may not have been as been as wildly successful as The Avengers, but it still outdid Man of Steel by hundreds of millions of dollars. (Iron Man 3 grossed aprox. 1,200,000,000; Man of Steel grossed approx $648,423,009) What's the secret to Marvel's success? Their interconnection between films means that if you enjoyed the Avengers, you have a higher chance of seeing Iron Man 3. With every film, Marvel's fan base grows, whereas DC relies on a "Makers of the Dark Knight Trilogy" to recapture fans. Warner Bros. hopes to create their own universe, offering Christian Bale $50 million to play Batman in their upcoming Superman VS Batman film.

Outcome

Will DC be able to create their own cinematic universe? After Iron Man 3 was slightly less successful than The Avengers, does that signal a decline in Marvel's success? Only time will tell.

New Columns!

Well, we're going to have quite a few more columns at NEST now, in more ways than one.
The obvious columns would be part of our new redesign to help make all content on NEST more accessible in less time.
We now also have a few new columns: NEST Speculative, which will have articles on Wednesdays; NEST Opinion, which will have articles on Saturdays; and NEST News, which will have articles on when a major story happens.
Like the new design? Want to see different columns? Tell us in the comments below.

Ender's Game: Upcoming Science Fiction Epic or Future Flop?

A Good Movie May Be Ruined

Ender's Game has been hailed by many as one of the best science fiction works of all time. I personally am a great fan of the book, so I was excited when the move was announced.
However, two things worry me.
This trailer:


And the fact that Orson Scott Card, the author of Ender's Game, may be the movie's ultimate downfall.

The Trailer

Major book spoilers and quite possibly major movie spoilers:
Fans of the book will notice some key moments, such as Valentine and Ender on the raft and Ender's ultimate victory at the end of the trailer (If I'm correct and that's what it is, then that's a pretty big spoiler to put in a trailer.). However, it appears that the audience will know that Ender's battles at Command School are real and it looks almost as if Ender does too. Hopefully the movie doesn't stray too far from the source material, but you'll hear no complaints from me no matter what as long as the movie is good, faithful to the book or no.

End Spoilers.

The "Skip Ender's Game" Movement

Questionably constructed trailers aside, something else is plaguing Ender's Game, significant enough to get a press release out of Lionsgate.
The Skip Ender's Game movement brings up Orson Scott Card's numerous homophobic comments, with the following quote displayed prominently on their site:

“Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books, not to be indiscriminately enforced against anyone who happens to be caught violating them, but to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society's regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens within that society.”
— Orson Scott Card, “The Hypocrites of Homosexuality,” Sunstone Magazine, Feb 1990

Lionsgate, hoping to offset the outrage of fans, released the following statement:

"As proud longtime supporters of the LGBT community, champions of films ranging from Gods and Monsters to The Perks of Being a Wallflower and a company that is proud to have recognized same-sex unions and domestic partnerships within its employee benefits policies for many years, we obviously do not agree with the personal views of Orson Scott Card and those of the National Organization for Marriage. However, they are completely irrelevant to a discussion of Ender’s Game. The simple fact is that neither the underlying book nor the film itself reflect these views in any way, shape or form. On the contrary, the film not only transports viewers to an entertaining and action-filled world, but it does so with positive and inspiring characters who ultimately deliver an ennobling and life-affirming message. Lionsgate will continue its longstanding commitment to the LGBT community by exploring new ways we can support LGBT causes and, as part of this ongoing process, will host a benefit premiere for Ender’s Game."

Most of the anti-Ender's Game movements were not placated by Lionsgate's statement. However, prominent pro-LGBT author Dustin Lance Black disagrees. "There's so much good to be done right now," Black wrote. "Boycotting a movie made by 99% lgbt equality folks in an lgbt equality industry is a waste of our collective energy. Making one phone call to a relative in the south who isn't quite there yet would be 1000 times more effective."

Final Verdict

The spoiler-filled trailers and the boycott movement don't paint a pretty picture for Ender's Game. I don't know for sure, but the boycott movements look to put a serious dent in the profits of the movie.
What's your opinion? Will the film turn out well? Comment below!

The 12th Doctor Has Been Announced!

The 12th Doctor will be Peter Capaldi, pictured below.

Source (Doctor Who Twitter)

iPad and iPhone ban vetoed by the Trade Representitive

During the patent battle that Apple and Samsung have been locked in for years, it was ruled that the older models of iPads and iPhones infringed on Samsung's wireless technology patents. After the ruling, those models of iPads and iPhones were banned from sale. However, President Obama's Trade Representative vetoed the decision on the grounds that it damaged competition. The President has 60 days to veto the new decision; if he does not, the old phones can be sold again in 60 days.
Source (BBC)

Why Predicting Technology is so Hard

  What are we doing wrong?

Why are predictions of technological advancement so often wrong? Why can't we predict where breakthroughs are going to come from? Often, we'll predict something could never happen, only to be laughably wrong later.

"A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth's atmosphere." -The New York Times, January 13, 1920
"That the automobile has practically reached the limit of its development is suggested by the fact that during the past year no improvements of a radical nature have been introduced." -Scientific American, January 2, 1909.
"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share." -Steve Ballmer 2007
"With over fifteen types of foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big share of the market for itself." -Businessweek, August 2, 1968.

Well, even logical sound predictions can be completely turned on their head by a few phenomena described below.

The Public Doesn't Know What it Wants

"A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." -Steve Jobs
Sometimes, a new or emergent technology will catch on unexpectedly because people hadn't realized they wanted it. Sound in movies, personal computing, and even the iPhone have been described as impractical and too niche to succeed on a large-scale market. In this case, possibility isn't a question- it's feasibility, practicality, and just the question that every investor asks- "Where's the market for this?"

Innovation comes from an unexpected place

One of the troubles with predicting specific breakthroughs is you never know what will be the focus of innovation and invention. The Industrial Revolution focused on manufacturing, the early 20th century focused on travel, the late 20th century focused on processing, and the 21st century has focused on communication. Of course, processing has improved this century, but nothing so major as the silicon chip versus vacuum tubes. Travel has improved, but nothing like the jump from carriages to automobiles and aircraft.

While communication is really the biggest improvement for the last decade, our focus may soon change. 3D printing is very close to bringing focus back to manufacturing, and trouble in the Middle East may soon cause an invention of necessity in the travel industry. Just remember- before you write something off as impossible, think of the quotes above.

Moto X: Everything we know about Google's All-American Phone, Designed by You

As some may already know, Google has officially purchased Motorola. Their first phone under Google will be called the Moto X, and it is sizing up to be an Android flagship. The advertisement campaign has pushed the American manufacturing aspect of the phone. This is likely a direct response to the somewhat recent revelation that Apple's iPhone and iPad are manufactured in China by workers who frequently are underage and/or underpaid.
The Moto X doesn't just focus on it's American aspects- it also touts that is "designed by you."

A quote from Motorala's website: 

"People are skydiving out of space ships. But you can't design your own phone? Not anymore. Now Moto X lets you choose the front, the back, the accents, the wallpaper, the memory, and even a short message. It's all your call."

Below is a table comparing the Moto X to other big-name Android phones. (courtesy of DroidLife)

As you can see, the Moto X isn't a standout in terms of its technology, but the strong Google Now integration and the customizable, Made in the USA ad campaign may help it pull ahead.

Who will be the 12th Doctor?

UPDATE: Peter Capaldi will be the new Doctor! 
The subject of who will replace Matt Smith as the Doctor is a hotly contested topic amongst fans of BBC's Doctor Who. This Sunday, at 2PM Eastern Standard Time, we'll find out the identity of the actor to play the 12th Doctor in a live event on BBC One.
However, that doesn't mean Smith's run as the Doctor is completely ended; he'll appear in the 50th anniversary special alongside his predecessor David Tennant and then later in the 2013 Christmas special. After that, the actor to be announced tomorrow will step into the role of the Doctor.

The Hollywood Effect in Action: Avatar

Fox released the following official statement.

The three pictures will be filmed simultaneously with production beginning next year. The release of the first sequel will be in December 2016, with the second to follow in December 2017, and the third a year later. AVATAR 2, 3, and 4 will be produced by Cameron and Jon Landau through their Lightstorm Entertainment banner. Like the original film, Lightstorm will work with Joe Letteri and his team at WETA Digital to realize the worlds of the sequels.
Commented Cameron: “Building upon the world we created with AVATAR has been a rare and incredibly rewarding experience. In writing the new films, I’ve come to realize that AVATAR’s world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent that two films would not be enough to capture everything I wanted to put on screen. And to help me continue to expand this universe, I’m pleased to bring aboard Amanda, Rick, Shane and Josh — all writers I’ve long admired -­ to join me in completing the films screenplays.”
Commented 20th Century Fox chairman and CEO, Jim Gianopulos: “We at the studio have no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of AVATAR. The growing breadth and scale of Jim Cameron’s plans for his magnificent fantasy worlds continue to amaze us all.”

According to the statement, Cameron has decided to film all three films simultaneously to have the movies ready to release the movies every year. This decision is related to the Hollywood Effect I described in  my previous post. Hopefully Avatar won't fall into the trap the Aliens franchise did; the first and second movies were received well critically and commercially, but ratings plummeted for the third and fourth installments. I wish Mr. Cameron luck in his endeavor.