A First Look At Batman: Scars of Tommorow

Tony has been on the contest for a long time. Having written great baits like Dominion, he has continually made a name for himself through his off-beat ideas. But now, Tony is gambling with fate by baiting one of the most unbaity subjects out there: Batman. However, I am proud to say that he is able to pull it off.

The story of Batman discards the previous chapter from Batman Begins to start a new story. It begins with Bruce Wayne's arrival to Gotham to meet with crime hunting lawyer Harvey Dent. However, Dent's career came to an end when a villain he prosecuted poured acid on his face and left hand. From that day forward, Dent would forever be known as criminally insane Two-Face. At the same time, a small time cosmetics company owner named Ramon Sionis wanted to create a great make-up solution. Unfortunately, a faulty, disfiguring product forced Sionis to sell his company to Wayne. After another unfortunate event, Sionis decided to turn to the Underworld to deal with his problems and soon became The Black Mask, one of its biggest crime lords. More stuff happens, but I won't spoil it.

Rather than delve deeper into a character we already know all about, Tony spends most of the story dealing with the stories of the devious villains. This is the heart of the story, which is perfectly fitting since the original Batman followed the same formula by following the Joker almost as much as the main hero. His plot and awards campaign are both structured upon this idea and it works greatly.

The biggest strength, as usual, is in the cast and crew. Tony has completely changed both of these to create his own series. Though his director choice may be off-beat at first glance, but once you think about it, it is definately a great choice for what Tony is trying to convey. For the cast, Billy Crudup is definately a great choice to take up the cape as the hero. His charisma and charm match perfectly to play Bruce Wayne and there's no doubt that he would be a great Batman. However, the best of the ensemble has to be the two characters playing the villains. Tony couldn't have found anyone better to play the vilains than in the talented Ralph Fiennes and Benico Del Toro. Fiennes is a great choice for Two Face since not only does it look great on Tony's poster, but his talent and style would work great in conveying this unstable man who was once a do-gooder crime hunting lawyer. Del Toro is also a great choice for The Black Mask, a villain that even though we know little about from the comics we'll know everything about through this bait. Both are likely canidates for supporting actor, even if the bait isn't an Oscar-ish film.

Does it have chances for Oscars? Well, maybe not best picture but definately in the acting and creativity fields. Still, it's one of the best baits of the month and I can't wait to see the final product. A

Possible Nominations
Best Director (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
Best Supporting Actor (Ralph Finnes)
Best Supporting Actor (Benico Del Toro)
Best Plot/Synopsis
Best Awards Campaign
Most Likely To Become a Box-Office Hit
Best Cast
Best Poster (If he's sending the one I think he is)

A First Look At Border Man

Where would this contest be without Pat? He is both our Francis Ford Coppola and our Marlon Brando of the competition, writing quality work while only showing up when he can or feels like it. Though he missed out on a Best Picture nomination for May and June, his newest bait may have a possibility at putting him back at the top. That bait is Border Man.

Border Man is a story set on the U.S./Mexican border. A powerful Mexican drug lord is attempting to recuperate his loses after the U.S. border patrol starts cracking down even harder on illegal immigrants. In this desperation, he sends his girlfriend Rosa to make an important run. However, Rosa gets lost on the way and is picked up by a border patrolman named Dennis. What follows is a touching story about interracial love and border policy control.

Pat wisely, though also typically, chose Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu to direct the film. His style of filmmaking seems most likely to bring justice to this bait. Teamed up with Babel writer Guillermo Arriaga, they weave together a powerful story that seems like a great way to play on the academy’s love for racial films. Pat proves that he still has what it takes to accurately bait a film to the academy.

However, the bait’s key strength lies in its cast. Pat wisely strays from overused and safe choices by choosing a cast of lesser-known but still talented actors. Dario Grandinetti, known for his performance in Pedro Almodovar’s Talk to Her, is a great choice to play Mexican drug lord Benito Alverez. Maribel Verdu, who shined as Mercerdes in last year’s Pan’s Labyrinth, is well chosen as Rosa, the girlfriend to the drug lord. However, the truly great choice is Tom Berenger as the patrolman Dennis. With a great press section to back him up, Berenger is a likely candidate to be nominated for Best Actor.

So, is this bait a sure fire hit? Well, it may and it may not. The bait is good and it’s better than a few he’s done lately, but some people may not be ready to vote for Pat for a Best Picture nod. It has potential for that spot, but I’m betting it has its best chances in pushing for acting or creativity fields.

Pat has a lot riding on this bait for his writing career. However, I feel confident that Pat will find some good success with this bait. A-

Possible Nominations

Best Picture
Best Director (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)
Best Actor (Tom Berenger)
Best Supporting Actor (Dario Grandinetti)
Best Supporting Actress (Maribel Verdu)
Best Plot/Synopsis
Best Awards Campaign
Best Cast
Best Crew
Shameless Oscar Vehicle

A First Look At A New Agenda

This is our first First Look. I am so proud it is on this bait.

Daniel is a name people respect on this site. With such classics as Steamboat Disney and Ironic Nonfiction under his belt, Daniel has been considered by both his peers and the official vote as one of the top authors the contest has still writing. Now, hot off a best picture nod for Bloodshed, Daniel is ready to shift gears and go the route of the heartwarming dramatic comedy with A New Agenda. Though D.W. already posted a review for this on his blog, I just have to give my view on it.

The plot for the bait is quite interesting. The story deals with a man named Danny Albertson, who together with his wife made a list of things to do before they die. With the money saved and plans made, they started their escapade. But before they can finish, Danny’s wife passes on. Now he has assembled a new group to help complete the list so his wife’s memory may live on.

This bait is by far one of Daniel’s best in a long time. Wisely choosing award winning director James L. Brook to direct the film, Daniel touches our audience with the same mixture of heart touching moments and humorous situations that Brooks used to make a name for himself. Thankfully, Daniel is able to keep the audience guessing how this tale will unfold by not ruining the ending of the film. However, this bait wouldn’t be able to keep afloat as well as it did if it wasn’t for his great cast. Carl Reiner, casted as Danny, is a great choice that is sure to garner the audience’s sympathy and possibly and Oscar nom. Parker Posey is equally as good playing the younger nurse who joins Danny’s wild adventure. The cast is filled with many wonderfully off-beat choices, including the unfortunately absent Louis Fletcher and the lovable Christopher Lloyd. However, the best of this supporting cast is Al Pacino as Danny’s wife’s younger gay brother. The combination of this casting and Daniel’s hilarious press support for the role should easily garner Pacino a nod.

Will this garner Daniel a Best Picture nod? That’s hard to say, since Brooks’s movies always seem to be split between those who love them and those who despise them. While Brooks may be left out of the loop, there is no doubt that this bait will garner nods for several of its actors, a nod for its original screenplay and possibly a Best Picture nod (in a way similar to “As Good As It Gets). It also has a good chance for several creativity awards.

Is this going to be the pinnacle of Daniel’s writing career? While that depends on the audience’s reaction to the bait, I can easily say this is definitely the best step in the right direction that Daniel has taken since January’s E.L.. A-

Possible Nominations

Best Picture
Best Director (James L. Brooks)
Best Original Screenplay (Mark Andrus)
Best Actor (Carl Reiner)
Best Supporting Actor (Al Pacino)
Best Supporting Actress (Parker Posey)
Best Plot/Synopsis
Best Awards Campaign
Best Online Awards Campaign (If he plays his cards correctly)
Best Tagline
Best Cast
Best Crew
Shameless Oscar Vehicle
Most Original Bait
Most Original Character
Funniest Bait

Video Game Anticipation

This is just the inner nerd in me talking but I just gotta say that 2007 looks like it will be a great year for video games. Here are some of my most anticipated in no particular order:

Bioshock- System Shock 2 is one of the greatest games of all time and if this is suppose to be its spiritual successor, I can't wait to play it. The cinematic trailer was probably one of the best from this year and the game's mixture of shooting and RPG style story telling looks like a winning combo. Plus, it is by far one of the most athmospheric games I've seen in a long time.

Mass Effect- From the guys who made Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. That sentence alone sold this game for me and all of the trailers and clips that have come out for the game just further its cause. Though it may seem like its inspired by Star Wars, this game seems to have effectively established its own identity as a science fiction story. Also, I just can't wait to see how the new dialogue system and the squad shooter/rpg combo gameplay plays out.

Assassins Creed- My friend obsesses over this game and its easy to understand why. With its great graphics and art design, unique style of stealth combat and a story that looks like it will have more twists than a California interstate, this game is sure to improve on the already great Prince of Persia games in more than one way.

Call of Duty 4- I love this series so much and this departure from the usual formula looks amazing already. By switching from WWII to the modern era, Call of Duty is achieving what Metal of Honor never could by adapting to please its audience. Though there has been little info on it, it already looks like it will be one of the best shooters of this year.

The Darkness- Great graphics, fun gameplay, based on a graphic novel and being made by the guys who did the surprisingly great Chronicles of Riddick game. How can this fail?

Grand Theft Auto IV- Enough said.

Halo 3- See above.

Metal Gear Solid 4- Again, see above.

Lair- I loved Rogue Squadron 2, so this ought to be a great game just because of its graphic power and intriguing ideas. Who would have thought that riding a dragon would be so exhilarating.

Spore- Such an intriguing idea that I can't help but be nerdy about this game. Plus, its made by the guy who did The Sims so we know that it will be a media phenominom like that game.

And of course, the granddaddy of them all....

Starcraft 2- The game people thought would never be made is finally revealing itself. Blizzard is one of the best gaming companies in the world, so they will probably make this game as great of a game as the first one. Plus, the cinematic for the game is just eye-popping.

Ok, nerdiness is satisfied. Now I can get back to the Bait an Oscar contest.

First Look: Gathering Blue

This is the first of the First Look series. We will be previewing baits for you and giving a semi review of them. Here is the first of our series, the much anticipated Gathering Blue...

A First Look at Gathering Blue

Written by Bryce

Bryce has construced a very great cast a crew for his new bait "Gathering Blue" the second installment in the so-called Giver trilogy. Directed by the always great Guillermo Del Toro this fantasy tale goes about the story as it being a bad society that is actually a perfect society. Bryce has crafted the bait in an unusual way by giving a vague description of the society at the beginning. The lead role in the bait has gone to Ivana Baquero which if you have ever seen the coverofthe book you know is perfect casting. The rest of the all-star cast includes such names as Selma Blair, Cameron Bright, and Clive Owen. The crew is absolutely great and couldn't be more well crafted.

The bait is pretty lengthy which could draw some haters, but none the less it is a very good bait. The story involves Guardian Jamisoin tricking Kira (Baquero) into thinking her father has been captured by monsters. The story gives an ending that is worthy, though I think it is a bait that shouldn't gave given an ending. Still, it is a great read, but the baityness quality is kind of missing.

The press section is terribly long and makes it seem like a family film geared toward the "Chronicles of Narnia" type crowd. While I think that is an audience the film could appeal to, I don't think it should be the target audience. It describes Del Toro's work perfectly and makes me want to give him a nomination now. However I think the bait could have trouble finding an audience where as The Giver was very sucessful.

Grade: B

Possible Nominations

• Best Director (Guillermo del Toro)
• Best Actress (Ivana Baquero)
• Best Adapted Screenplay (Guillermo del Toro)
• Most Likely to Become a Box Office Hit
• Best Casting Choice (Ivana Baquero)
• Best Crew

Welcome to The Zone of Zgamer

Welcome! This blog is dedicated to my love of movies, games and the Bait and Oscar competition at theoscarigloo.com. Along with posts on various thoughts of mine, this blog will act as a sister site to Michael's Bait an Oscar blog. We will showcase First Looks at baits and give more insight on the competition. A couple will be posted shortly after this post, so look forward to it.

We hope you enjoy your stay here. Keep on baiting Igloo authors!