Cinema Debate

Welcome to Cinema Debate’s #BuiltDifferent stream. Every Sunday, join The Farooqi Bros as they discuss the biggest topics of the week, fun behind the scenes insights, and more. Today’s topics:

-Is Jurassic World: Dominion a Good Finale to the Franchise?

• BLACK ADAM Trailer Discussion
• Todd Phillips confirms ‘JOKER 2’ is in the works.
  -An extended cut of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ titled ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME: THE MORE FUN STUFF VERSION’ will release in theaters on September 2.
  -Anthony Hopkins has been cast Zack Snyder’s ‘REBEL MOON’

Welcome to Cinema Debate’s #BuiltDifferent stream. Every Sunday, join The Farooqi Bros as they discuss the biggest topics of the week, fun behind the scenes insights, and more. Today’s topics:

-Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy will replace Toby Emmerich and lead Warner Bros’ film division. Zaslav Launching DC Film as own Vertical
-DC Insiders suggest to The Wrap that WB Discovery could cancel all Superman projects in development and start again with Henry Cavill.David Zaslav has asked Todd Phillips to do more in the DC universe and act as an advisor.
-Todd Phillips is said to be getting “pretty close” on a ‘JOKER’ sequel.
-Will Obi-Wan Kenobi Be the Best Star Wars
-Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 3 – How is the Series Going So Far?
-Stranger Things Season 4 Reaction
-Blue Beatle Suit Reaction

Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development. The Farooqi Bros react to the trailer. Square Enix revealed Sunday during a 20th anniversary livestream for the Disney-themed video game series.

Kingdom Hearts 4 will feature the Lost Master Arc, and sees Sora exploring a city Quadratum. We discuss the future of the Kingdom Hearts series and if Marvel and Star Wars worlds can appear.

In roundtable format, we review the biggest films of 2021 ahead of 2022’s Oscars.

We review:
BELFAST
CODA
DON’T LOOK UP
DRIVE MY CAR
DUNE
KING RICHARD
LICORICE PIZZA
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE POWER OF THE DOG
WEST SIDE STORY
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

Audio Link:

Related – Sheraz Farooqi’s Official Critics Choice Association Ballot:

As Cinema Debate’s lead film critic, I am also part of the Critics Choice Association and participating in the ballot for this year’s nominees. 

Sheraz Farooqi’s NOMINATING BALLOT FOR THE 27th ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE

1- DUNE

2- THE GREEN KNIGHT

3- KING RICHARD

4- THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

5-THE POWER OF THE DOG

BEST ACTOR 

1- WILL SMITH – KING RICHARD

2- ANDREW GARFIELD – TICK TICK BOOM

3- DEV PATEL – THE GREEN KNIGHT

BEST ACTRESS 

1- KRISTEN STEWART – SPENCER

2- RACHEL ZEGLER – WEST SIDE STORY

3- LADY GAGA – HOUSE OF GUCCI

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 

1- CIRIAN HINDS – BELFAST

2-KODI SMIT-MCPHEE – THE POWER OF THE DOG

3-JON BERNTHAL – KING RICHARD

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 

1-FRANCES MCDORMAND – THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

2- AUNJANUE ELLIS – KING RICHARD

3- REBECCA FERGUSON – DUNE

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21) 

1- SANIYYA SIDNEY – KING RICHARD

2- RACHEL ZEGLER – WEST SIDE STORY

3- WOODY NORMAN – C’MON C’MON

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE 

1- DUNE

2- BELFAST

3- NO TIME TO DIE

BEST DIRECTING 

1- DENIS VILLENEUVE – DUNE

2-STEVE SPIELBERG – WEST SIDE STORY

3- GUILLERMO DEL TORO – NIGHTMARE ALLEY

BEST SCREENWRITING (Original Screenplay)

1- KING RICHARD

2- C’MON C’MON

3- SPENCER

BEST SCREENWRITING (Adapted Screenplay) 

1- DUNE

2- THE GREEN KNIGHT

3- WEST SIDE STORY

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1-DUNE

2- THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

3- THE GREEN KNIGHT

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1- DUNE

2- SPENCER

3- THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

BEST EDITING 

1- DUNE

2- THE GREEN KNIGHT

3- TICK, TICK, BOOM

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

1- CRUELLA

2- DUNE

3- ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP 

1- CRUELLA

2- DUNE

3- HOUSE OF GUCCI

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS 

1- DUNE

2- GODZILLA VS. KONG

3- THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

1-ENCANTO

2-LUCA

3-THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES

BEST SONG

1- BE ALIVE – KING RICHARD

2- NO TIME TO DIE – NO TIME TO DIE

3-DOS ORUGUITAS – ENCANTO

BEST SCORE

1-DUNE

2-THE GREEN KNIGHT

3- THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

The Farooqi Brothers sit down with Andrew Garfield to discuss his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Tick, Tick… Boom! Garfield breaks down what Spider-Man means to his career, how he prepared or his role in Tick, Tick…Boom! and what his career goals are going forward. He also discusses the future of streaming for cinema.

On What Spider-Man Means To Him:

“It’s so sweet that I’ve been a part of a lineage of a character that has meant something to me since before I could talk, Garfield said.

“That is just the coolest thing ever and again it’s a lineage right? I love to be a part of a lineage. It’s bigger than me it’s bigger than Tom Holland, it’s bigger than Tobey Maguire it’s bigger than Miles Morales. Everyone can project themselves into that suit, it’s all of our stories.

“The fact that I am in any way a part of that history is very moving to me and I’m so lucky that it’s making people revisit those films and find things that they like about it. It’s just it’s just cool to be a part of that conversation,” Garfield concluded on what Spider-Man means to him.

Black Widow has finally come to theaters and Disney+ and the Farooqi Bros are here to review the film. The bros discuss what they felt about the movie’s tone, storylines, and character arcs. We also discuss standout performer Florence Pugh and the future of Yelena in the MCU.

About Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow”
Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Joining Johansson in the new feature film are Florence Pugh as Yelena, David Harbour as Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz as Melina. “Black Widow”—the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—is directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige.

Welcome to ComicBook Debate. We are the Farooqi Brothers and today, we have a special guest. Samantha Win (#ArmyOfTheDead, #WonderWoman, and #ZackSnydersJusticeLeague) joins us to discuss her career, inspirations, and future projects.

We discuss how Samantha got into acting, the difference between acting and stunts, her role as Chambers in Army of the Dead and a full spoiler-discussion of the film. We also discuss her relationship with Zack Snyder, her roles in the DCEU in Man of Steel and Wonder Woman, and all the fan theories about Army of the Dead from UFO’s to robot zombies, to the time-loop theory.

Be sure to check out Samantha Win’s short film, Unwelcome here:

Actor Ray Fisher has joined The Farooqi Bros for a new interview. Fisher joins ComicBook Debate to discuss ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ in a full spoiler discussion.

During the interview, Fisher discusses his role as Cyborg, and how he emotionally plugged into Victor Stone. Fisher explains why people of color and differently-abled fans connected with his character and the true power of superheroes.

Finally, Ray Fisher reacts to CEO Ann Sarnoff’s comments on the Justice League Investigation, discusses his end goal for accountability, and if he would return as Cyborg for future Justice League sequels.

Podcast Version of The Interview:

Interview Highlights:

On being involved in the creative process.

“I think that’s a testament to Chris and to Zack for wanting to elevate the character and for wanting me to be involved in some way, shape or form with just, you know, taking a look at pages as they were coming in. You know, you can tell they care very deeply about the characters,” Fisher said. “They care very deeply about storytelling, and they care very deeply about making sure that the that the representation of the character, both as someone who is differently abled felt included in the conversation.

On returning for additional sequences.

“I’m not going to lie. It felt it felt really good. And there’s something really nice about being able to finish the film with Zack because, you know, the last bits that we had shot was reshoot stuff,” Fisher said. “So to be able to have my final memory of shooting this film be on set with Zack and some of the old crew, it almost it kind of felt like coming home.”

On if Fisher would return as Cyborg.

“I absolutely would do it in a heartbeat. But obviously there are other circumstances that make that complicated and difficult. But if the circumstances are right, I would not be opposed to returning to this,” Fisher said. “Just, you know, we’ve got real life going on and there are other things that need to be addressed before we dive into that.”

On his choice for who should direct the next Cyborg movie.

“It would have to be Rick Famuyiwa,” Fisher said.

After two years of fan campaigns, Zack Snyder’s Justice League will release on HBO Max in 2021. With eight theatrically released films on his belt and over 3 billion dollars in box office revenue, film director Snyder has established himself as one of the more well-known directors in modern Hollywood—particularly for his work with superheroes, which has sparked everything from fanboy fawning to heated critical debate. To peel back the layers of what makes Snyder so successful, yet divisive, a deep-dive in his philosophy on superheroes is apropos. Snyder joined The Farooqi Bros for a brand new interview to discuss his upcoming films and the movement that led to the release of the Snyder Cut.

The comic book and graphic novel medium spoke to Snyder since he was a boy. Adapting the iconic pages of Alan Moore’s Watchmen, or creating a cinematic universe with Superman and Batman, is the stuff of comic fan dreams, but it carries a responsibility, a weight, that few might be willing to carry in practice. But that responsibility is a big part of what drives Snyder, especially when it comes to the most iconic hero of them all, Superman. 

“I really felt like my Superman…has to sort of level up and sort of learn something and be something different because in the end, the idea is that, or what I had planned was that, the…final step for Superman is kind of his real return, or his real coming into, what I would consider almost the classic Superman,” Snyder said about his vision for the character.

The director went on to discuss the Black Suit Superman that will appear in his Justice League.

“I really was always a very strong advocate for the black suit,” Snyder said. “I really wanted the black suit and it made sense for me because — it’s exactly as you say — Superman, as a character, notoriously does not grow. He’s like a rock and everything just smashes against him and then we learn, by trying to change a thing that’s unchangeable so that we can learn about ourselves…that’s sort of the old way, the old Superman.

Snyder went on to mention Superman’s time in the Black Suit not only represents his development but it also locks the character’s arc in place in the overall DC timeline.

 “We don’t really get it in this movie, the classic Superman. I also feel like the black suit is a great time delineator. If you see a flashback or a flash-forward, him in the black suit lets you know where you are in time because it’s very particular to this certain arc, ”

Superman is not the only hero Snyder has a passion for. The Man of Steel’s counterpart, Batman, is a favorite for the director. Despite some homages to The Dark Knight Returns in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Snyder still has hopes of doing a direct adaptation one day.

“I was really trying to preserve that comic book as its own thing so that I could still one day maybe make that into a movie,” Snyder said.” “I tried to homage it [TDKR] rather than steal from it, in a sense, I just wanted to show the influence on me… I wanted to take what I consider iconic moments and place them in the movie,” said Snyder.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League was the most tweeted about movie of all time for Warner Bros., an impressive feat for a film that had not been released. The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement made noise with multiple years of campaigning and charity events, culminating in an HBO Max release. Snyder assured fans and audiences that the film releasing this year will be virtually brand new.

“First of all, let’s just clarify, there’s like two bits that I added,” Snyder said. “One bit that I had really sort of hoped to shoot in post but never got the chance to and then one, that scene, with Jared. This whole little piece with Jared. The truth is, the rest of the four hours of the movie are really just what I shot. The truth is I was in a struggle with the studio, you know and famously we had a lot of stuff we had to do, and make it funny, and all that stuff. I just kind of, in a slightly subversive way, just kept also doing my thing at the same time so I would have, what I believed would be closer to what I wanted to do without any influence. I always try to shoot that way anyway. I always try to shoot what I think is right. Putting the movie back together was like an archaeologisit, pulling all the pieces, what I had, what I had shot, and what would never have seen the light of day even thought I had shot it.”

Snyder explained that around 80% of the film has never been seen by anyone, only counting the scenes that had visual effects done at the time of his departure, not including the scenes audiences have never seen that didn’t have them. He went on to call Justice League a “giant-scale adventure.”

Snyder was candid about how it felt for his family that their vision was being restored. During the interview, Snyder commented on the potential of continuing the journey, especially after fans trended a new hashtag, #RestoreTheSnyderVerse.

“Look, I never thought I’d be here doing this. I didn’t think I’d be finishing Justice League,” he says. “The truth is, and it’s been widely reported, and I have no issue, this is an old movie. This is a years-old movie I’m working on. The DC universe has gone and branched off and done its own thing and that’s fine. As far as what I did and as far as what my vision for what I wanted to do with these characters and the journey I wanted them to go on, it’s well known that I planned on more movies, five movies or something, but I’m busy. I’ve got a lot going on. Is it cool that the fans have so much faith in the trajectory? Yes, it’s amazing, and I couldn’t be happier and I’m excited for them to see Justice League so they can really drink the entire elixir of Justice League. But, would I continue? I have no plan to. But like I said, I didn’t think I’d be here, so who knows?”

The director also discussed the recent news of an IMAX remaster of 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

“BvS happened because we had noticed that there was a color mistake in one of the releases of Batman v Superman. We just looked into it and I was like, ‘Hey, what happened?’ I guess it’s a technical snafu but I was like, ‘This is a great opportunity for us to go back and fix it and do the IMAX release and let everybody see every bit of it, see the whole movie.”

When asked a followup if 2013’s Man of Steel would be next, Snyder kept the door open.

“I think it’s worth a look, it probably does need a remaster. It’s been a while since we’ve taken a look at it.”

A hidden Easter egg for the interview included a placeholder photo of Diana’s original backstory from Batman v Superman framed behind the director. Snyder later shared a full-resolution shot on his Twitter page.

“Wonder Woman 1854 – This amazing image shot by Stephen Berkman of an else-world, war weary Diana, who had chased Aries across the battlefields of the world and had yet to meet Steve, who would help her restore her faith in mankind and love itself,” Snyder explained on Twitter.

The interview lasted for 40 mins, with many topics discussed between the director and the four brother quartet. Outside of discussing Justice League, the director was asked about an array of questions on Star Wars, Marvel, and even the NBA. To the question on which Marvel character he would like to adapt for the big screen, Snyder took a look on his bookshelf, and decided.

“I would choose Elektra Lives Again. Do you know that Frank Miller comic book? It’s a graphic novel about Elektra. Daredevil is having these dreams about Elektra coming back to life, and it’s really cool and weird…It’s just cool, and beautiful. That’s what I would do. No one cares, but that’s what I would do.”

The director went on to discuss his thoughts on the importance of the theatrical model, the future of streaming, and more. Snyder also discussed the impact the Snyder Cut movement has had with AFSP, and the $500,000 milestone they reached just last month. The link to donate to Autumn Snyder’s Tribute Fund can be found HERE.

Note: This interview in full was conducted by The Farooqi Brothers. The entire 40 minute interview can be found on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify for your listening or watching pleasure. We appreciate your support.

Christopher Nolan leads directors and actors criticizing Warner Bros 2021 HBO Max Decision. The director was joined by Dune’s Denis Villeneuve in pushing back on Warner Bros on the move to streaming.

Nolan slammed HBO Max as the “worst streaming service”, saying, “Their decision makes no economic sense.”
“It’s sort of not how you treat filmmakers…They deserved to be consulted & spoken to about what was going to happen to their work,” Nolan said on #HBOMax. The Farooqi Bros breakdown all the news.

Disney Investor Day 2020 Brings 10 new Star Wars and Marvel Series To Disney+. We discuss the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin, the live-action Ahsoka Tano series, and the Bad Batch. #StarWars

‘The Mandalorian’ Chapter 15 Recap: A Crisis of Faith – Thoughts?

Is a Live-Action Spider-Verse With Tobey, Tom, & Andrew On The Way?
Alfred Molina is back as Doc Ock. The rumors suggest joining him and Jamie Foxx’s Electro will be Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and Emma Stone. The third Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland be a multi-verse film, and The Farooqi Bros discuss all the news.

Joe Manganiello Reveals New Plot details on Ben Affleck’s The #Batman.
Joe Manganiello reveals Ben Affleck’s Batman solo movie would have seen Deathstroke systematically dismantle & destroy Bruce Wayne’s life ‘from the inside out.

Quickfire discussions:
Patty Jenkins Explains Why She Did Not Like Justice League’s theatrical cut
Toby Emmerich was reportedly not a fan of ‘JOKER’ and discourage Todd Phillips from making the film.
Superman’s new suit in ‘SUPERMAN & LOIS’ has been released.