Let’s get on with all the releases:

Mike Recommends:

Batman: A boatload of goodies

There is a bunch of Batman stuff this week, like the Blu-Ray release of Batman Begins. It also comes in a Limited Edition Blu-Ray Gift Set for those wanting something extra special. You can get that in the regular DVD version as well. We also have the fifth season of the animated series, The Batman, which is produced by the CW Television Network.

But perhaps biggest of all is the direct-to-DVD release of Batman: Gotham Knight, which is supposed to tell six separate stories that take place during the span between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (which is in theaters July 18th).

There is a Blu-Ray version, a 2-disc Collector’s Edition and also a Single Disc version.

To give you a taste of Gotham Knight, here is a little featurette of the movie involving the writers.

The Ruins

A pretty fun horror flick based on the novel by Scott B. Smith, The Ruins is a decent renter for those looking to have some good scares this weekend.

TV Series Galaore!

Wow, so there are quite a few DVD releases this week in the TV department. First we get the fourth season of Stargate: Atlantis, then the sixth season of Monk, followed by the second season of Psych, and finally the special edition of X-Files: Revelations.

The X-Files DVD collection is actually very, very cool. It contains eight critical episodes hand-picked by series creator Chris Carter, with all new introductions to each episode from Carter and Frank Spotnitz. There is also a trailer for the upcoming X-Files sequel and a Free Movie Cash Ticket. The eight episodes are:

Pilot (from Season 1), Beyond the Sea (from Season 1), The Host (from Season 2), Clyde Bruckmans Final Repose (from Season 3), Memento Mori (from Season 4), Post-Modern Prometheus (from Season 5), Bad Blood (from Season 5) and Milagro (from Season 6)

Moody Blues: Lovely To See You (Blu-Ray)

A high-definition concert from the amazing Moody Blues. I am posting this recommendation mainly for my Dad, who raised us on this music, which accounts for my ability to sing most of their songs word-for-word still to this day.

What You’ll Probably Rent:

Stop-Loss

An Iraq war movie starring Ryan Phillippe…heard decent things about it, nothing too great.

Superhero Movie

It has Pamela Anderson listed as one of the cast members, but you’ll probably rent this anyways. It’s another one of those movies that makes fun of other movies. You know what I mean.

Well, I don’t think they had anything to do with this news, but I’m sure they are positively giddy over it.

From First Showing comes an Earth-shattering story about Mark Millar and a pitch he has to bring Superman into the 21st century. The original interview is from The Daily Record, and this is what Millar said to them:

I’ve been planning this my entire life. I’ve got my director and producer set up, and it’ll be 2011. This is how far ahead you have to think.” He continues, explaining that “the Superman brand is toxic after that last movie [flopped], but in 2011 we’re hoping to restart it. Sadly I can’t say who the director is, but we may make it official by Christmas. But fingers crossed it could work out, that would be my lifetime’s dream.”

OMG.

That was literally my first reaction. It’s weird how in this computer age, you can actually react in your head with IM abbreviations.

First Showing had some more good stuff to say:

Why is this such an important project to Millar? “Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to reinvent Superman for the 21st century.” Last year, he explained that “I have literally hundreds of pages of notes and sketches just waiting for this opportunity. This would be my dream gig and, as a fan, I know exactly what this project needs to work. This has to be Superman for the 21st Century, keeping everything we adore, but starting from scratch and making the kids love it as much as the 30-somethings.”

Well, I am ALL FOR IT. I think this is the best news I’ve heard regarding superhero movies since Christian Bale was signed to play Batman and Christopher Nolan took the helm at directing.

Millar added a more recent clarification on his messageboard regarding his initial quotes from The Daily Record interview:

“PS: That Superman news is interesting, isn’t it? In the interests of clarity (because I’m sure this will be picked up somewhere) a very well known American action director heard about my love of Superman, approached my and asked me to team up with he and his producer to make a pitch for this. We’ve been talking for several weeks now and, if this is going to happen, we’ll know by Christmas. He has huge pull at WB so fingers crossed. But this is nothing more than a huge US name pulling me into his fold and making me part of a package.”

So what do you guys think? Amazing news? Mark Millar, the author of so many great comics, now feverishly working to reinvent the Superman franchise?

Who is the American action direction? Let’s hope it’s not Michael Bay right?

Millar was the author of Superman: Red Son (pictured right), the alternate reality comic in which Clark Kent grows up in the Soviet Union instead of the United States. It’s on my MUST-READ list.

The praise I’ve heard for Red Son has been great, so can you imagine what he could possibly do for this fledgling movie series?

Enjoy the clip!

At first it was hard to even determine what was “good”, mostly because you need a frame of reference before you can honestly judge a piece of work.

While that frame of reference is still growing, I have no problem in telling you all how amazing Batman: Year One was to read.

I’m sure this review is nothing new to those of you comic book fans who read it many, many years ago, but for me, it was like a brand new present waiting to be unwrapped.

It felt like the way Batman Begins redefined the franchise with the dark origins story of how the Dark Knight became a vigilante in the form of a giant bat. In fact, Batman: Year One was one of the inspirations for the “reboot” of the Batman movie franchise.

Written by Frank Miller, Year One shows us the early stages of Batman, James Gordon and Selina, who becomes Catwoman. I just loved the way Batman is displayed as a man struggling to find his symbol, and once he does, the mistakes he makes during his early days.

Just as good as the Batman story was Gordon’s arrival in Gotham City and what it took to be a good cop amidst the corruption surrounding him.

I love the way the novel gives us the history of both men, their ascension into the roles we know so very well, and the collision course that they are on with each other. The artwork is also great, it looks a bit retro, old school, which just gave it a more authentic feel. David Mazzucchelli was responsible for the illustrations.

This was a fantastic read and Frank Miller is really one of the great comic book writers out there. I would recommend Year One to read first, and then go ahead and grab his The Dark Knight Returns, to get an even darker version of Batman.

There is so much out there to read when it comes to Batman, but those two graphic novels would be a great way to dive right in and check out what you’ve been missing.

Mike’s Rating: 10 out of 10

(I’m currently reading Kingdom Come, so watch for a review of that soon)

But either way, I like it. Shows a bit more of The Joker and his scheme to get Batman. I cannot wait for this film, I’ve heard it might just be better than Batman Begins, if you can imagine that.

Check this bad boy out. Click to enlarge.

The Dark Knight hits theaters on July 18, 2008.

Batman: The Gotham Knight is an animated, direct-to-dvd movie made up of six short films by six different creators. There is Josh Olsen from A History of Violence, David S. Goyer who was a writer on Batman Begins and comic book writer, Brian Azzarello are just three of the guys who helped pen these new stories.

The reason this animated film is so awesome is that it bridges the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, releasing on July 18th. It’s also produced by the same guys who made those movies.

Batman: The Gotham Knight comes out on July 8th and the trailer below is flat-out cool. I usually don’t get too into animated stuff, but this one looks like a winner.

The animation from what I can see is pretty slick, and I hear that the six different stories could all look a bit different with the six different creators.

What do you think of the trailer? This might be the first animated feature I run out and rent the week it comes out, because you sort of want to get it done before the movie comes out 10 days later.

• Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman
• Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth
• Heath Ledger as The Joker
• Gary Oldman as Lieutenant James Gordon
• Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two Face
• Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes
• Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox
• Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni

The Dark Knight will be the first live-action Batman film without the word Batman in its title. It is currently set for release in the US on July 18, 2008.