Showing posts with label Superman Returns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Superman Returns. Show all posts

Monday, December 21, 2020

Top 10 The Last Of The Americans moments in 2020

    (0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. Fade cut to James in his room at his house)

TLOTA:
I'm James Faraci The Last Of The Americans 2020, how do I despise thee, LET ME COUNT EVERY SINGLE WAY! (Cut to clips of everything that happened in 2020 as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
Between Manic Expression being forced to close down though it was temporary, My father passing away when I posted my "Different Cuts Of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings Trilogy" and that was on the same fricking day, Me losing the woman I love and forcing my friends to return home, shutting down my studio, having to go bare-bones with my reviews and Oh, before I forget a project I had planned for this year, I may get done next year but that's gonna happen because things WILL work out for me next year one way or another, even if I make more enemies than friends and speaking of enemies, I haven't forgotten the vitriolic disdain you hit me with, now it will be used to fuel me towards success in the next year which I will get to later on. But for now, let's send this year off with the Molotov Cocktail we need to burn it to cinders, piss and crap on it after it has burned to said cinders! (Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
So much so, that I figured this would be how we should all end this year! (Cut to the clip of Al Bundy laughing as he jumps out of a plane. Cut to James physically.) However by the grace of God we survived and with five moments that you liked and five I liked... (James pulls out his RoboKnight Morpher and De-Morphs)

James Faraci:
Let's countdown the Top 10 moments of The Last Of The Americans in 2020! 

(Scene begins with a laser hitting a slab of Titanium as the music of the 1994 American Gladiators opening theme plays the angle of the camera goes into the laser as three shadowed figures with a lasered outlines appear as the shadows reveal themselves to be James Faraci in the center, Paulo Fonseca on the right and Rebecca Yaun on the left as their names appear above the characters. As the three-run out of frame moving forward, four more shadowed figures with lasered outlines appear and the shadows reveal themselves as Brenda Fonseca on the right, Nick Yaun on the left and John and Mike Santos and their names appear above the characters. As they run out of frame moving forward, five more shadowed figures with lasered outlines appear as they reveal themselves to be Renee Miller and Eric Kurtzke on the right, Andrew Beach and Ed Champion on the left and Olivia Horvath appear in the center as their names appears above the characters. As they run out of frame credits of “Written and directed by James Faraci, Edited by Eric Kurtzke, Makeup by Olivia Horvath Produced by First Choice Productions” as it ends the Laser beam disappears and at the 0:28 mark of the theme song the words “The” “Last” “Of” “The” appears. At the 0:32-0:36 mark the word “Americans” start to come forward as it pulls down and  James’ Morpher and Sonic Screwdriver is flung into frame as James grabs both and morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
Number 10

(Cut to clips from "A Zombie Halloween Jubilee" as James does a voiceover)


James Faraci (Voiceover):
I made many a promise to my oldest brother Rob before he passed away last year. Some more personal than others. One being later on this list and of course, doing a review of the Rob Zombie duology of his attempt to breathe new life into the "Halloween" series and I hope that I did well by my late older brother Rob. But for me, the best part was being able to physically work off someone else was fun! Especially since I used it for a catharsis for all the pain I felt after most of this year being a complete Yakov Smirnoff opening for the Spin Doctors of a Shitstorm of a year. Especially since the person who played Michael Myers and the truck that I helped us to beat the hell out of him was gone and for the record, the man in the suit of "The Shape" was played by a mutual friend who is not a member of Team TLOTA. However, the original idea was to have it be a date gone wrong between myself and Alex because of a Kayfabe promises to my deceased Oldest Brother to watch the non-existent Rob Zombie remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and me dealing with a sociopathic Rob Zombie Fan who feels it best to drive me nuts while I dealt with Rob Zombie's Halloween Duology. But this may be one of those Thanking My Lucky Stars that this actually was better than I thought it would've been. (Fade to black)

(0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
Number nine

(Cut to clips of "Quarantined With the "Aquamarine" Blues"


James Faraci (Voiceover):
This is where everything started to go downhill for "The Last Of The Americans". Originally, I had planned for Arielle Kebbel to be in the review at the studio, but thankfully Arielle was more than willing to do a video cameo for the review and I let her know about certain things, like comparing Cecilia to Lisa from "The Room" and of course this little bit. (Show the old footage of James and James reacting differently than a Fegulah Meshuginah Schmuck from Chicago and Arielle getting more and more upset that she's not getting the reaction that she wanted, James fighting back and revealing the High face of Kayla doing the "Remember Me, Eddie" Judge Doom moment from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and Arielle screaming in fear and the ending of the review. Cut back to clips of the review as James continues his voiceover) That's right, I took something a certain Fegulah Meshuginah Schmuck and inverted it to make Hollywood know that We're not scared to fight back if you attack us. But the fact I had to go to my last options as to how I wanted to get it done makes me feel sad that this wasn't one of my better ones overall but it was one of the better ones I did this year! (Cut to the ending as Arielle screams in fear and it cuts to the blood-soaked message which is a moot point at this point)

(Cut to 0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
Number Eight

(Cut to clips of "A "Possible" Crossover Co-Written by Charles "DukeCT" Thomas" as James does a voiceover)


James Faraci (Voiceover):
I wanted to do a review of the 2019 DCOM "Kim Possible", However, I had to deal with the pesky truce that I had set up to keep me directly out of the line of fire. Thankfully Charles "DukeCT" Thomas was willing to put up with my ideas and as some of the last of the stragglers before I everything down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Thankfully Christy and Brendan were real good sports and were willing to be a part of this before the forced shutdown and liked the idea. The moment I loved was when I had Alex fight off Shego, The first idea I had which I didn't tell anyone about was to have Alex drag me and DukeCT out by our petards and it would end with Alex finishing them off in the usual way. However, after some second thoughts, I wanted in on the action. So after some discussions, we went through a lot to get to where the review you got!

(Jump cut to 0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
Number Seven


7) "Superman & The Seven "Returns", "Connect The Plots: How DC had a shared universe and didn't capitalize on it" and "Birds" attacking me! "Prey" for me!

James Faraci (Voiceover):
These three tied because they showed How Warner Brothers misusing their DC Properties isn't a new thing. Whether it was back when they thought Christopher Nolan doing Batman's Properties was something to Piggyback the next Superman project, whether it was how they had the start of something good and how they decided not to capitalize on the popularity they had with the DC Properties or how after trying so hard and STILL failing with their newer ones even after Marvel had pretty much killed any hope for a cinematic comeback. Plus, it got some things I needed to talk about, like the twist with Jason from "Superman Returns", how painful watching a newer DC Cinematic Property is, and the damage it could cause. It made me feel like Joel and The Bots just by the end of "Castle Of Fu Manchu" and how much agony it caused me. And one last note doesn't expect more from the current DC Movies from me, I need to give myself a break and hope to god DC Movies get better.

(0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
Number Six

(Cut to clips of "Reality Checkout: Are Cooking Shows Reality TV?")


James Faraci (Voiceover):
This was one I had been mulling around in my head for a while and requests from e-mails of people saying "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" or "Man Vs Food" needed to be taken down a peg or how much they hate the original "Iron Chef Japan" or it's short-lived revival a few years back. This was one time I had to help disseminate what was Reality TV and Cooking Shows. I actually love shows that help me better my culinary skills and tastes. It also had to show that I was not immune to what was happening as a forced shutdown of the studio had to happen and that 2020 would hurt James in more ways than one! As I had to not only shut down the studio and everything that I wanted to do, including the movie I had planned for this year and as to whether or not that will happen next year, that's now up in the air as well So yeah, while dealing with Reality TV forcing me to deal with the effects of The real world! The Paradox is mind-boggling!

(0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
(Cut to clips of "The Top Ten Dumbest moments in the JAWS Movies" as James does a voiceover.)


TLOTA (Voiceover):
This one forced me to deal with some more of my pain and not because of the horrendousness of the "JAWS" sequels. Because "JAWS" was one of my brother's favorite movie franchises, bad moments and all! So sitting down, having to watch all those movies brought back memories of me, my oldest brother, and my father and all the fishing trips we used to have. While a lot of the moments were expected, one moment I missed out of while stupid I thought was too stupid to be on the list Ellen's Psychic connection to the shark and the flashbacks to moments she was only told about or not even a part of in any way shape or form, like the ending of the Original "JAWS" ending. Thank you Steve Kidd for a reminder as to why "JAWS The Revenge" is STILL a dumpster fire! But not as much as this year has been!

(0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
Number Four

(Cut to clips of "The Different Cuts: Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings Trilogy" as James does a voiceover)


James Faraci (Voiceover):
Yep, this one was more a fan favorite than anything I cared for. I loved both editions of Peter Jackson's "The Lord Of The Rings" Trilogies. I loved all the time and effort Peter Jackson put into both versions that choosing one better than the other was an impossible task. So I just decided to say which ones were better and why both were worthy of the wonky point values I gave them. However the day I posted this one, turned into my worst day personally and professionally as I was happy to get my review link on the site Manic Expression.com and figured it would be a post of the week candidate. However hours later, the site was shut down for undisclosed reasons and while that was happening, I suffered the most painful loss in my personal life. On August 17, 2020, my beloved father passed away in my living room, he had been a touchstone in my life. He was an avid outdoorsman, a loving husband, uncle, father, and grandfather. Leaving behind his wife of forty-five years (My mom), three surviving children (Of which I am one of them, obviously), three Granddaughters, and nearly an infinite amount of memories for me and my family. And along with that every review I have done and any future review/project I will ever do I dedicate to him and my brother, his namesake Rob. So, how the fact that I had to endure the worst professional and personal loss I'd ever face on the same day I posted one of the best episodes clash with one another? Simply put, if I ever have a day like I did in August, well Check out the No. 3 spot.

(0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
Number Three

(Cut to clips of "Survival Of The Shootist" as James does a voiceover)


James Faraci (Voiceover):
As I mentioned already on this list, On the same day I posted my "Different Cuts Of Peter Jackson's "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy was also the day the original version of Manic Expression was shut down and the day my father had passed away. After finishing it and the "In Defense of... Baywatch", I shut myself away and decided to mourn my father's passing for a month! In that time I decided to wonder whether or not I should've called it a career as "The Last Of The Americans", canceled my movie project, and gotten into something else like working a job in some sort of job that I could learn to make sure I would hate myself for giving up on something I wanted to do with my life, do that until I dropped dead and wound up a corpse. However, my family, friends, fans, and colleagues in the reviewing community felt it would be a waste of what I've done and loved for the past seven years if I just stopped The Last Of The Americans dead and had no plans to end him properly. So I looked at a John Wayne movie and wondered what he would do when a tragedy. It was after watching it, I felt my dad's spirit come and comfort me and say "Keep on doing what you're doing. I loved you helping me out but seeing you do this makes me happy knowing I will be with you in spirit and you will be a success Bubba-Booey! I love you now as you move forward." That led me to believe that I could move on and I decided to review "The Shootist" as a tribute to my father and to my love of John Wayne. It was something that led me to believe that I could move forward with what I wanted to do to let me move forward. No matter what happens from that moment forward I was going to be happy and I would be doing what I want. Thank you, Dad, I love you and I will never forget all the good we had.

(0:36 until the end of the 1994 American Gladiators theme plays as it cuts to James as he morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
Number two
(Cut to clips of "American Pie Bakery" as James does a voiceover.)


James Faraci (Voiceover):
Having to go through eight movies in three months was maddening, I had to sit through so much gross-out humor that knowing that there had a plot, character development and so many great moments inside what could've been mindless drivel, I mean, I DID get a sense of some disturbing moments that would shock normal people and for those who were wondering, I used the Unrated versions of the movies which put a lot more gross-out moments and moments of what Awkward Ashleigh would say "Titties". So that added a secondary source of turbulence. Because watching those movies was a litmus test I wouldn't wish on that certain Meshuggina Fegulah Schmuck from Chicago. However I do feel a sense of achievement that I survived all eight movies and got through them in a three month span. And apparently everyone loved how much filth and jokes about bodily functions/fluids, I could cram into the three months. Also how much Sean William Scott's Stiffler made me glad as to how far I've come. A lot of pie, made me glad about how far I've grown since the days of Wine and of course "The Pie"

(Scene begins with a laser hitting a slab of Titanium as the music of the 1994 American Gladiators opening theme plays the angle of the camera goes into the laser as three shadowed figures with a lasered outlines appear as the shadows reveal themselves to be James Faraci in the center, Paulo Fonseca on the right and Rebecca Yaun on the left as their names appear above the characters. As the three-run out of frame moving forward, four more shadowed figures with lasered outlines appear and the shadows reveal themselves as Brenda Fonseca on the right, Nick Yaun on the left, and John and Mike Santos and their names appear above the characters. As they run out of frame moving forward, five more shadowed figures with lasered outlines appear as they reveal themselves to be Renee Miller and Eric Kurtzke on the right, Andrew Beach and Ed Champion on the left, and Olivia Horvath appears in the center as their names appear above the characters. As they run out of frame credits of “Written and directed by James Faraci, Edited by Eric Kurtzke, Makeup by Olivia Horvath Produced by First Choice Productions” as it ends the Laser beam disappears and at the 0:28 mark of the theme song the words “The” “Last” “Of” “The” appear. At the 0:32-0:36 mark, the word “Americans” start to come forward as it pulls down, and  James’ Morpher and Sonic Screwdriver is flung into the frame as James grabs both and morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. The Laser returns to cut out the Number)

James Faraci (Voiceover):
And The Number One Best moment of 2020 which by and large is a miracle 
(Cut to clips of "Living With The "Life As A Mermaid"" review as James does a voiceover)


James Faraci (Voiceover):
This started out as a request for the final season of that series by someone who wanted to like the series and it bloomed from there. I realized if I were to just talk about the season itself it would just be one chapter instead of the whole story. So I had decided to re-watch every little bit of minutia involved with the series and it reminded me why I loved the series. Plus, it gave me a chance to see the progression of where it began and where I can now say that "Life As A Mermaid" is over and done. I had tried to split the fan of the series I was and I still am to this day and the Reviewer that I am. I tried to be objective in the review but I had to ask intelligent questions about things that I had. Also for the record as I watched the last two seasons in their original run those questions were coming to me then. I asked them in my review of this series because if I didn't, it would haunt me. Also, I have to mention an update in the Amazon Prime uploads, except the first season which was the shorts and the fun little minisodes in-between seasons, everything else in the main series has been uploaded in its correct order, so that's positive. The negative seems to be that there has been a bit of a falling out between myself and certain people involved in the series. Maybe it's because I didn't get permission to review it from the people who produced it, maybe it was something I said or did in said review. Whatever I did I am using this moment to apologize for whatever I said or did in this review. I hope that in the new year we can somehow rebuild our relationships, professional and/or personal, and move forward on what we can do together! But even if there has been a negative, I'm hoping we can correct it and turn it into a positive or something we can joke about in the future. (Cut to James physically)

James Faraci:
Speaking of the future, what will 2021 bring about? Hopefully, my movie even if I have to make several adjustments to what I need and who I put in it. Also at the time of this post, I am once again re-posting ALL of my Backlog again on Manic-Expression.com, then you may have noticed big gaps which I will fill in with my "Summer Of Summer Spectaculars", which will be all of the summer specials I did over the past few years and I will be re-posting them on the site, I'll have my usual workload but I will have a few surprises up my sleeve and starting 2021 well (James pulls out his Morpher and the tone of the Morpher sounds like "Moves Like Jagger" as James morphs back into James Faraci The Last Of The Americans.)

TLOTA:
Well judging by the sounds you're hearing, I'm going to be well not as negative in 2021. I'm James Faraci The Last Of The Americans and guess what... (Cut to a green-screened image of the Galaxy where it looks like James is rippling through the cosmos)

TLOTA (Singing):
It goes a little something like this, watch him and he'll show ya! Look at him take control because he's Cool like Keanu, Yeah, Yeah, he's cool like Keanu, You know he coo-ooo-ool like Keanu! Watching him take control yeah, watch him and he'll show you how to be Cool Like Keanu, You gonna be cool like Keanu. You gonna be Coo-ooo-ool like Keanu! ("Moves like Jagger" sound-alike ends as it cuts to black)

Friday, June 12, 2020

Superman and the Seven "Returns"

(Scene begins with a laser hitting a slab of Titanium as the music of the 1994 American Gladiators opening theme plays the angle of the camera goes into the laser as three shadowed figures with a lasered outlines appear as the shadows reveal themselves to be James Faraci in the center, Paulo Fonseca on the right and Rebecca Yaun on the left as their names appear above the characters. As the three run out of frame moving forward, four more shadowed figures with lasered outlines appear and the shadows reveal themselves as Brenda Fonseca on the right, Nick Yaun on the left and John and Mike Santos and their names appear above the characters. As they run out of frame moving forward, five more shadowed figures with lasered outlines appear as they reveal themselves to be Renee Miller and Eric Kurtzke on the right, Andrew Beach and Ed Champion on the left and Olivia Horvath appear in the center as their names appear above the characters. As they run out of frame credits of “Written and directed by James Faraci, Edited by Eric Kurtzke, Makeup by Olivia Horvath Produced by First Choice Productions” as it ends the Laser beam disappears and at the 0:28 mark of the theme song the words “The” “Last” “Of” “The” appear. At the 0:32-0:36 mark the word “Americans” start to come forward as it pulls down and  James’ Morpher and Sonic Screwdriver is flung into frame as James grabs both and morphs into The Last Of The Americans with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. Fade cut to James in his room at his house)

TLOTA:
I’m James Faraci The Last Of The Americans and even though it is my Seventh Anniversary, for me, I have no reason to celebrate, I’m still stuck in Quarantine Lockdown, I’m dealing with even more hardships as with my luck, this will most likely be out in August, If I’m Lucky! (A Phone rings off screen) I’ll get it! (James walks off for two seconds.) Hello! (Cut to the Lindsay Nagel Exec as played by Olivia Horvath in her apartment which looks like James’ studio)

Lindsay Nagel exec:
Finally it took forever to get some signal here, I’m running on Solar Generators but regardless, I have been getting my execs with the charts, graphs and test audiences to work on a script for a movie! (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
First and only Question is Why? Don’t you know there’s a coronavirus quarantine that’s supposed to grind everything and everyone down to a halt! (Cut to the Lindsay Nagel Exec as played by Olivia Horvath in her apartment which looks like James’ studio)

Lindsay Nagel exec:
Uninspired writing, talentless acting and hack directors cannot wait! Besides, me and my execs have after numerous rewrites after numerous test audience results have finally written out the plo… Oh! Never mind, more test audience results show they don’t like the plot. But we’ll get the first draft in eventually, then we’ll show you that creativity, artistry, a real plot or story or anything that goes into movies! (Cut to James as he hangs up the phone)

TLOTA:
I’m going to be crazy by the end of the year, I can see it coming! (A Phone rings off screen again and James walks away for two seconds) Hello! (Cut to a man named Steven played by Johnny Berchtold covered in milk and pea soup as an infant is crying in the background)

Steven:
Yes, my name is Steven and I am currently taking care of Mr. Bryan Singer. (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
I can hear from the background. (Cut to Steven as an infant is crying in the background)

Steven:
Apparently, he’s not too happy and is blaming the audience and the critics not getting what he wanted to do. (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
With what, I’m afraid to ask. (Cut to Steven as an infant is crying in the background)

Steven:
A movie he made in 2006. (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Oh well guess what, that happens to be the subject of my Seventh Anniversary Review! (Cut to Opening Title of “Superman Returns” as the John Ottman “Superman Returns” theme song plays in the foreground of the clips of “Superman Returns” and James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
Yes folks, no matter how much we as Superman fans tried to deny it’s existence, it’s real and I saw it in theaters, okay granted it was the same theater that a few years later I saw “Twilight” at but that’s besides the point. This strange anomaly is trying to recapture the glory days of the Donner Classic and somehow try to bring something new to elevate the Man Of Steel. (Audio of Steven coughing and saying Excuse Me. Cut to Steven Physically)

Steven:
Just what is the “Donner Classic”? (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Oy, Here I go again! (Cut to the classic Christopher Reeve “Superman” Movies/ “Superman Returns” as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
In 1978, Richard Donner hired by Alexander & Ilya Salkind helped Superman be shown with Respect as opposed to how he has been seen by that point after JFK got assassinated which was as a joke and to many a writer to the Superfriends cartoons/ Superman’s own comic book lines dumping grounds for San Francisco & Fire Island jokes if not interceded by network and editorial censors at DC. However, the success of the first one wasn’t enough for either side to swallow their pride to finish Superman II, Richard Lester finished it, end of discussion on Superman II. Superman III is something my friends The Nostalgia Kid and Writrzblok already talked about, enough said. “Supergirl” the movie yeah, me and KiraKennedy just couldn’t get into it and the stupidity just hurt us both and after “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” put the entire Superman movie franchise behind the shed and a Kryptonite bullet into Superman’s movie success it seemed after trial and tribulation that Superman would never fly onto the big screens again, that is until 2006 came and after Bryan Singer successfully brought the X-Men to the big screen twice by that point was brought in by Warner Brothers and Jon Peters to see if he can get Superman flying again. But does it still fly? Is the movie as good as the first two Superman Movies? (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Let’s not waste any more time then necessary, this is “Superman Returns” (Cut to “Superman Returns” as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
The movie opens up with text that tells us that five years ago, someone had found signs of life where Krypton was, and Superman disappeared looking for what it was. We then… (Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
One moment. (James pulls out a cell phone. Cut to Allison Pregler as she looks at what to review next for “Movie Nights” when her phone goes off.)

Allison Pregler:
Hello! (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Allison, just for the record if you ever do “Superman Returns” for “Movie Nights” be aware that Marlon Brando’s Jor-El is back AND he’s been digitally brought back from the dead as Holograms and a voiceover. Just giving you a heads up! (James hangs up. Cut to Allison Pregler looking confused)

Allison Pregler:
What was that about? (Cut to “Superman Returns” as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
After the amazingly awesome opening credits we get… (Show clip as Noel Neill’s Character “Gertrude Vanderworth” talks to her husband Lex Luthor. Show clip of Lex Luthor as played by Kevin Spacey revealing himself. Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
So the late Noel Neill, the first ever Lois Lane appears in the movie cameos as a wealthy old woman and her husband is Lex Luthor played by Kevin Spacey. I know I shouldn’t make the joke because it’s Kevin Spacey, but the fact is that Lex Luthor married and did GOD knows what else to her, I… I… It’s in my head! IT IS IN MY HEAD! (James takes his glasses off as he feels this need to toss his cookies and grabs two tranquilizer guns and tranquilizes the people he’s with while in Quarantine and James runs to the bathroom and reenacts the “Ace Ventura Einhorn is a man” discovery perfunctory. Cut to “Superman Returns” as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
So after you deal with the “Oh dear god, Mama No!” revelation you’ll have to deal with. We cut to the Kent Farm where (Sounding like Ben Affleck Batman): MARTHA! (Back to normal): played by Eva Marie Saint is rocked by the sensation of the farm nearly buying it along with herself as we see a Kryptonian Ship landing in the yard as we’re introduced to Clark Kent AKA Superman this time being played by future Legend Of Tomorrow Atom Brandon Routh and his performance while trying to capture what Christopher Reeve had done for some odd reason well simply put, he never got a chance to truly fly as either character. But he did get a chance to show what he could do though limitedly as Superman which I will talk about later on. But in the meanwhile Lex Luthor and his crew which includes Kal Penn with no lines whatsoever yet he’s credited as an actor and Parker Posey who sadly shows no personality in the role of Kitty as her performance shows (Show all of “Kitty”’s scenes in “Superman Returns”. Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
And worse she has shown she has range, personality, and everything in better roles prior to and after this movie. I think she should seriously get a new agent! (Cut to “Superman Returns” as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
We soon find ourselves going back to Metropolis and of course The Daily Planet where we catch up with Jimmy Olsen played by Sam Huntington and Perry White played by Frank Langella. As Clark settles back into the daily grind, we find out that Lois Lane played without an ounce of enthusiasm by Kate Bosworth is now a mother with a little kid named Jason played by Tristan Lake Leabu and has a good man by the name of Richard White who is Perry’s Nephew and is played by James Marsden post Cyclops in the “X-Men” movies, pre “Hairspray” and his current career which includes…(Show all of his post “Superman Returns” movie library including “Sonic The Hedgehog”. Cut to James physically)

 TLOTA:
Seriously, someone get HIM a better agent! (A Phone rings off screen) I’ll get it! (James walks off for two seconds.) Hello! (Cut to the Lindsay Nagel Exec as played by Olivia Horvath in her apartment which looks like James’ studio)

Lindsay Nagel exec:
Okay, after an eternity of Test Audiences, Charts, Graphs and all our usual voodoo that we do so well we’ve got our script, cast, crew and everything else! (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
NEVER CALL ME AGAIN! Wait a second, where are you calling me from? Wait let me write down the address.  428 Fai… HOW IN THE HELL DID YOU GET INTO MY STUDIO SINCE IT IS IN OMEGA LEVEL LOCKDOWN? WHAT DO I MEAN? I MEAN NO POWER, NO PHONE, CABLE OR INTERNET, NO RUNNING WATER. I EVEN SHUT OFF…. Oh, forget it! (James hangs up the phone when it rings again) What?! (Cut to Steven)

Steven:
Yeah, it’s Steven again, my employer is wondering who you would’ve chosen to be Lois Lane in “Superman Returns”? (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Well like Richard Donner, I would’ve gone with a semi unknown actress like Christy Carlson Romano! (Cut to Steven)

Steven:
He said “A Semi unknown actress named Christy Carlson Romano” (Infant crying and throwing baby food and a bottle of Jack Daniels out of frame) Yeah, he said “You’re an idiot and if he could, he’d blame the audience for not getting the movie!” (Cut to James physically as he shuts his phone off)

TLOTA:
I’m not even through the first hour and I’m in pain! So, I’ve got to take a break and regroup! I’ll be back!

(James sits and rubs his forehead as he tries to deal with his continual headache as it fades to black then cuts to the 0:36 Mark of the 1994 American Gladiators theme as it shows James fully morphed with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. Cut to the 0:36 Mark of the 1994 American Gladiators theme as it shows James fully morphed with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. Cut to “Superman Returns” as James does a voiceover.)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
We soon discover Lex in the Fortress of Solitude where, as I warned Allison Pregler in the beginning of my review, Marlon Brando through the power of Digital Recreation reprises his role as Jor-El! Meanwhile Lois is covering a piggyback flight experiment for a shuttle just as Lex takes a tiny shard from one of the crystals which he ransacked from the Fortress Of Solitude as Kal Penn drops it into the water of a model inside the mansion. The results? A minor EMP that shuts down the power world wide for a moment and causing both the model to have sound effects of chaos and death and pain and all sorts of disaster and The Shuttle being piggybacked to suffer a computer failure forcing the launch of the Shuttle while still holding the airplane under it! This looks like a job for…Budwiser! Yeah, not kidding on this, instead of being aware right away about Lois’ peril Clark and Jimmy are at a bar tended by the late Jack Larson when after the minor EMP event that’s when Clark hears about Lois. And after nearly forty minutes Superman leaps back into action to get the shuttle off the airplane. The airplane itself however is falling like rock. (Show clip of plane falling and Superman trying to save the plane and it is landing in the baseball park thanks to Superman. Cut to the cockpit as the onboard computer as it says “Fly Up! Fly Up!” Cut to clip of Leslie Nielson from “Airplane!” as he says “I just want to say Good Luck! We’re all counting on you!”. Cut to Superman as he says how safe it is to fly, AGAIN!) And with that, Superman is welcomed back after a five-year hiatus with roaring applause! Lois handles it well! (Show clip of her fainting and sliding down the emergency slide! Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
Well somethings never change, I guess. (A Phone rings off screen) I’ll get it! (James walks off for two seconds.) Hello! (Cut to the Lindsay Nagel Exec as played by Olivia Horvath in her apartment which looks like James’ studio)

Lindsay Nagel exec:
Oh James, we’re redoing the casting process! (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Did you have a cast? (Cut to the Lindsay Nagel Exec as played by Olivia Horvath in her apartment which looks like James’ studio)

Lindsay Nagel exec:
Well we did but the charts from the…(Cut to James as he throws the phone into the trash can as it speed talks. Cut to the movie as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
Thrilled at the excitement of the return of Superman, Perry White decides that it is the biggest story for the Daily Planet and with her objecting all the way, Perry tells Lois to be on the Superman Story. Meanwhile Lois and Clark become friends again while introducing Richard to Clark as Lex plans a heist after hearing the return of Superman. Meanwhile Lois for some reason has a problem with Superman’s return. However Superman…(Show clip of Superman looking over Lois, Jason and Richard like a stalker. Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
Okay believe it or not I seriously had a sketch in which Lois Lane files a restraining order on Superman for stalking her and her family. The Judge would’ve been played by my friend Rowdy, Lois was to have been played by Brenda Fonseca, Superman was to have been played by John Ross Santos and the judge would’ve granted it. The second case would’ve been Linkara as his Dude bro Batman being served with Restraining orders by every female in his rogues’ gallery and several of Bruce Wayne’s Ex-Girlfriends and Linkara’s Dude bro Batman accidentally outing himself as Bruce Friggin Wayne! (A Phone rings off screen) I’ll get it! (James walks off for two seconds and pulls the phone out of the garbage.) WHAT?! (Cut to Linkara as his Dude Bro Batman)

Dude Bro Batman:
How do I out myself? (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
By your own Stupid hand Bruce! (Cut to Dude Bro Batman)

Dude Bro Batman:
Your name is Bruce? (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
No, Linkara. I’m a very angry, tired and stressed out Internet reviewer named James Faraci The Last Of The Americans! AND YOU’RE GOING TO GET THE DARWIN AWARD FOR YOUR STUPIDITY! (James shuts off his phone. Cut to the Dude Bro Batman.)

Dude Bro Batman:
Wait, I’m The Last Of The Americans? (Cut to the movie as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
After stalking Lois, Superman decides to get to work saving people leading to one of my favorite moments as a gang with a mega heavy duty gatling gun tries to rob a bank and Superman saves the guards and after shooting off enough bullets to bury Charlie Sheen from “Hot Shots Part Deux” ten times over. The head thug decides “OKAY! I’m gonna shoot him in the eye! That’ll kill him!” (The Bullet bounces off Superman’s eye!) Now the look on his face speaks volumes as he looks up after the bullet does nothing to Superman, it’s basically him thinking “OH CRAP! I’M PUDDING!”. While that’s going down, Lex incognito decides to visit/take something from a museum which happens to be a green crystal from Addis Ababa!  While Kitty is bait for Superman in which after recreating the Iconic “Action Comics No.1” cover. The next day Perry not too happy about Lois trying to figure out the source of the blackout basically tells Lois to do to Superman article while Clark handles the blackout. However Richard decides lets all work together on both stories together and to Brandon’s credit, he doesn’t make Clark sound like a d-bag while Clark, Lois and Richard are together and tries his best to do what’s right for the sake of both stories and Jimmy Olsen acts as an expositional point to let Clark know that Lex got out on a technicality because Superman wasn’t around. (Cut to James physically as a Phone rings off screen again and James walks away for two seconds) Hello! (Cut to Steven as he gets further covered in baby food and other fluids)

Steven:
Yeah, Bryan isn’t happy you’re giving Brandon Routh any credit, he was too young and inexperienced when it came to him being Superman or Clark Kent. (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Christopher Reeve was an unknown before he got the role of Superman and it did his career gangbusters until the accident that paralyzed him and nine years later killed him. (Cut to Steven as he gets further covered in baby food and other fluids)

Steven:
And Brandon…(Cut to James)

TLOTA:
Went on to become a character actor and reprise the role that brought him to the mainstream! (Cut to clips of the CW crossover “Crisis On Infinite Earths” as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
This is what I was eluding to earlier, last year The CW and their DC Shows had a massive crossover event loosely based on the DC Event Comic “Crisis On Infinite Earths” and while Brandon did play Ray “The Atom” Palmer he also revived his portrayal of Superman and even though it was a nice send off for that version of Superman it also did something I didn’t want to see happen, it basically canonized the new crop of DC Movies instead of erasing them from existence! But thankfully from what I heard their latest movies BOMBED at the box office and it’ll be a while if ever DC can get their act together to try again at a connected universe of movies. (Cut to Superman Returns as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
But back to the movie at hand, After Lois gives Richard an expositional dump on Superman, Lois head on up where Surprise! Surprise! Superman waits for Lois and she’s not too happy he left her five years ago. But one Superman flight later and while she’s not upset with Superman as much as she was, she’s still not at peace with what he did to her. The next day Lois hands in the article and then prepares to continue to work in secret on the blackout story just as Lois nearly forgets to pick up Jason but she gets him and takes Jason along to find the Mansion Lex Luthor resides in as well as the Yacht in which Lois and Jason are captured leading to some funny lines from Jason (Show clip of Jason’s lines saying to Lex Luthor “You’re Bald” and “Mommy tells me never speak to strangers”. Cut to Superman Returns as James continues his voiceover). Okay Lex, you have Lois and her son hostage, what is your plan, Cochise? (Show Lex’s plans to use the Crystals to build a new continent, destroying America in the process. Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
So, yeah Real estate, again! OKAY, Why are you so interested in it? (A Phone rings off screen) I’m going to regret this! (James walks off for two seconds.) WHAT?! (Cut to Steven as he gets further covered in baby food and other fluids)

Steven:
Yeah, Bryan is upset at the obvious plot event that you’re missing! (Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
And that would be? (Cut to Steven as he gets further covered in baby food and other fluids)

Steven:
That this movie takes Superman III, Supergirl and Superman IV out of continuity. Hence the reason for the obsession for real estate, again! Okay that is it! Come here you little! (Steven walks off to punish Bryan Singer for everything he’s done. Cut to Superman Returns as James does a voiceover.)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
Lex reveals he has Kryptonite which for some reason gets Jason interested and Lex wondering who Jason’s dad is. Well Lex I hate to break it to you but, you’re holding something bright in front of a Five-Year-old kid! OF COURSE, THEY’RE GONNA KEEP THEIR EYES ON IT! Meanwhile Richard can’t seem to find Lois and Jason and again I love this moment in which instead of being an a-hole Clark and Richard work together to try and find Lois and Richard. As that goes on Lex fires the Kryptonite laced Crystal which causes another blackout and after overhearing where they were Lois faxes the coordinates to The Daily Planet leading to a scene of a whole load of covers from the Daily Planet showing the succession of events leading to Superman’s disappearance showing Clark to become Superman again but noticing that the city is in danger goes and saves the people. After that bit of awesomeness, Lois’ ruse is discovered by a thug led to guard them, play Heart & Soul with Jason and if need be kill them when… (Show clip of the piano being slammed into the thug by Jason. Cut to chorused montage of “WHAT?!”’s from different characters in tune with the last minute and change of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture as the last “WHAT?!” comes from James shouting “WHAT?!”. Cut to the movie as James does his voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT JASON, THE CUTE LITTLE KID WHO HAS HAD NO BEARING ON THE PLOT, THE KID WHO GOT A SMILE OUT OF ME IN A LOT OF THE SCENES HE WAS IN, IS ACTUALLY THE SON OF LOIS LANE AND SUPERMAN?!!?!?!  (Cut to clips of “Man Of Steel” and the current DC Movies as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
Okay say what you want in the recent Superman/DC movies. Yes, Superman killing Zod was a bad move, The whole “Martha” moment was absurd, HOW EVERY SINGLE TROLL CELEBRATED SUPERMAN’S DEMISE AND CRIED “NO!” WHEN HE DID RETURN IN “JUSTICE LEAGUE” I mean yeah, every moment so far in the new Movies in this iteration of DC’s production is deplorable. (Cut to Superman Returns as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
BUT TO SHOW SUPERMAN AS A DEADBEAT DAD?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS MOVIE?! SERIOUSLY! (Cut to recent stills of the Superman Comic Books as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
Believe it or not, I’m actually giving the recent Comic Book iteration credit as it shows Clark AKA Superman as a loving and caring father to his son Jon Kent who like father like son has powers and is actually in the Comics the new Superboy! So, for this movie to do this assassination of Superman’s Character is worse than any curse the late Jerry Siegel and the late Joe Shuster can EVER dump on Superman, in any iteration! ARGH! (Cut to Superman Returns as James does a voiceover)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
At any rate, Richard makes it to the yacht and before he could get them out of danger a Crystal snaps the boat in half causing Lois to be rendered unconscious and to sink to the bottom of the ocean. However, before they can be killed Superman hoists them out of harms way. Superman then confronts Lex Luthor but not knowing about the Kryptonite, Superman gets ambushed and then shanked by Lex Luthor. (Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
With a sharp Kryptonite shard, get your head out of the gutter. (A Phone rings off screen) It never rains in SoCal but when it pours it’s like Niagara Falls! (James walks off for two seconds.) WHAT?!

(Cut to the Lindsay Nagel Exec as played by Olivia Horvath in her apartment which looks like James’ studio)

Lindsay Nagel exec:
We’ve just finished filming and post-production, Now, we’re going to distribute this movie and show you what we’re capable of! (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
I await a call from you as the deluge of reviews bury your movie. (James shuts the phone off. Cut to Superman Returns as James does a voiceover.)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
Lois, Richard and Jason try to get Superman out of there, but everyone knows he must go and Stop Lex’s plans even if there is Kryptonite on the growing Crystalline structured Land mass. After a brief solar recharge Superman lifts the entire thing as Kitty drops the remaining crystals on the land mass as she, Lex and the Pomeranian get out of there. As Superman falls to the earth that land mass is never to be seen or heard from again, not even referenced in the CW “Crisis” DC Series crossover event I mentioned earlier! Emergency workers do everything to save Superman’s life while coalescing in the Hospital Lois brings Jason and whispers a thanks, letting Superman know she is now at peace with what happened, spills that Jason is their kid and hopes he survives long enough to get Child Support and Alimony meaning The Fortress Of Solitude will be Lois Lane’s property. Meanwhile we find Lex on an Island with a Helicopter that’s out of gas, Kitty and a Pomeranian that’s going to wind up as Chicken and Broccoli and we NEVER see them again! A couple of nights later Superman goes and visits Jason, gives him Jor-El’s Speech to him while Lois tries to work on an editorial asking “Why does the world need a Superman?” as Superman flies off letting Lois know he and her are cool and will be more in Jason’s life as well as be there for all of us. (Show ending of “Superman Returns”. Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
So that was Superman Returns and to be honest, it’s not the best Superman movie ever nor is it the worst! (Cut to Superman Returns as James does a voiceover.)

TLOTA (Voiceover):
I’ll give credit to Bryan Singer for trying to blend a lot of the older iterations of Superman into this one and tried to make something for a future that never came. A lot of the dialogue was good as was a lot of the actors in this movie, but the pacing of the story plodded along like a man dragging a herd of dead cattle, the effects while good doesn’t hold up by today’s standards and everything that didn’t work shows in every second of film. My advice, if you are really bored and there’s truly nothing else to watch, I strongly recommend this movie for those who have nothing better to do for a couple of hours and hope to enjoy a relatively good Superman movie. (Cut to James physically)

TLOTA:
I’m James Faraci The Last Of The Americans and… (A Phone rings off screen) My last nerve just committed suicide (James walks off for two seconds.) WHAT?! (Cut to the Lindsay Nagel Exec as played by Olivia Horvath in her apartment which looks like James’ studio)

Lindsay Nagel exec:
Everyone hates our movie. (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
No, it’s your movie and it shows, I was reading and watching reviews, I’m not surprised by what happened so as far as I’m concerned. You set yourself up for failure and I am not wasting any of my time on your dreck! (Cut to the Lindsay Nagel Exec as played by Olivia Horvath in her apartment which looks like James’ studio)

Lindsay Nagel exec:
Well, you’re going to have to because I sent a copy of the movie to you. (Cut to James)

TLOTA:
What? (Two voices cry to James as he grabs his tranquilizer guns, walks off the sound of two tranquilizer guns go off as James grabs the mail and says off screen “Uh-Oh!” and Fade to black)