I love the stories Joss Whedon tells. The man walks on water… he’s perfect, he can do no wrong. Okay, maybe that’s taking it too far, but the fact is he is among the best show runners, filmmakers, and story tellers of our day as far as I’m concerned. That’s why I have been looking forward to his upcoming show Agents of SHIELD since I first heard about it. And having now had the privilege of watching it, I wasn’t disappointed. Of course the hype machine has been in full production mode so it’s hard for a show to live up to that much promotion. But it did.

The pilot episode was, first and…

Fizz has been on my case lately for offering my opinion and being hyperbolic about it (I can’t see why anyone would see this, it’s garbage, it’s trash etc.). Well, sorry, right now I’m the only writer here and MovieByte, and I have opinions. And not only that, but I like to be hyperbolic. It’s just my style. And I have a bit of hyperbole coming regarding this film. Ready? Here it is.

This film looks like it will be perhaps the worst film of all time. See? Hyperbolic, because it most certainly will not be the worst film of all time. But it does look bad. Seriously I’m just shaking my head.…

One of the most controversial points of the already uneven “Man Of Steel” this past summer, was the decision (spoiler alert) to have Superman kill General Zod. Christopher Nolan wasn’t initially a fan of taking it in that direction (early drafts had Zod sent to the Phantom Zone instead), while comics writer Mark Waid (of “Superman: Birthright” fame) was nothing short of enraged by what he saw in theaters. But speaking at the BATFA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture last night, writer David S. Goyer defended his choice to put blood on the hands of Clark Kent.

“This is one area, and I’ve written…

It’s not surprising to me that Prisoners would take the top spot at the box office this past weekend since it is easily the best new film at the box office. That’s not to say there haven’t been better films at the box office this year, but when you look around at the puny offerings right about now, Prisoners positively glows with goodness.

#1 - Prisoners

Budget: $46 Million
Totals: $20.8 Million, Weekend and Total
Weekend 1

Prisoners is, all things considered, a fairly satisfying drama. That is not to say that the film is without flaws or flawed views, just that it does well in slowly —…

For Rowling, the most important issue was creative control‚ not an easy ask for a first-time screenwriter. Sources say Warners cannot hire someone else to rewrite her script without her approval – a gamble for the studio and a departure from the Potter films, which were written by such seasoned scribes as Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg. Rowling also has script approval on subsequent Fantastic Beasts films.

This seems like a very good thing to me. My problems with the films tended to feel like things that J.K. Rowling would not have done. Her books are fantastic. I realize that…

The newbie this weekend is Prisoners. It looks less than amazing to me, but at the same time, it has some potential. In fact, given the last several weeks, I’d say this film positively shines and stands out amongst its peers.

New This Weekend

Prisoners — R

As a parent, there’s certainly something compelling about the truth behind the story here: how far would you go for your child? For the drama of it, this film looks like it could be good. At the same time, there was a film earlier this year, The Call, that was not very good due to it’s third act being so terrible. I kind of wonder if…

This one’s a little odd, but anyway… Deadline is reporting that Marvel is working on a concept for a TV series based on Agent Carter, as in Peggy Carter, the character featured in an “Agent Carter” short on the upcoming Iron Man 3 Blu-ray.

Deadline claims it is “one of several projects” in the works at Marvel, so who knows if it will go anywhere.

Hmm. I really liked Peggy Carter as a character but this seems a little bit odd and I’m not sure if I want a TV show based on the character. Weird. 

Faced with some story issues on the super sequel, there was only man who could save the day: Marvel guru and fanboy fave, Joss Whedon. “Joss came in to save our lives a couple of times,” Taylor told SFX (via Comic Book Movie). “We had a major scene that was not working on the page at all in London, and he basically got airlifted in, like a SWAT team or something. He came down, rewrote the scene, and before he got back to his plane I sort of grabbed him and said, ‘And this scene and this scene?’ And he rewrote two other scenes that I thought had problems. Then finally we let go of him, he…

It is rare that I enjoy a comedy film that is intended as a comedy film. I typically find the humor pretty crass and distasteful, so it’s not a genre that I go see in theaters often. However, The Way Way Back presented itself to me in the form of a free screening a month early, and what critic wouldn’t jump on that opportunity? I did, and it has become probably my favorite film of the year so far - aside from maybe Oblivion.

I Think You’re a Three

The Way Way Back tells the story of Duncan (Liam James), a young teen who is being forced into a vacation with his mother (Toni Collette), her…