Thinking of non-super superheroes makes you wonder what classifies a ‘superhero’ exactly. I would say a definition of a superhero is a character possessing “extraordinary or superhuman powers” and dedicated to protecting the public. However, Google’s web definition page gets it a bit wrong saying “A superhero is a character in a cartoon or film who has special powers and fights against evil… Superheroes like Batman and Superman.” Find out why that’s wrong after the jump.

Why is this wrong? Quite simply, Batman doesn’t have any special powers at all… He’s just got a lot of spare time and even more spare cash! Years of training and millions of dollars worth of tech makes Batman who he is. Nothing more, nothing less. Just like Green Arrow, who funnily enough is a billionnairre too! Oliver Queen took the mantle of ‘Green Arrow’, a Robin-Hood styled hero who uses his skills with a bow and specially created arrows to fight crime and take down the villians of Star City. I’m not going to mention Arrow’s Kryptonite Arrow… The cheeky scamp teamed up with Batman in the comic “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” and injured Supes with the arrow to allow Batman to defeat him.

Moving away from comic books, there are other examples of ‘super’ heroes… Take Watchmen for example (OK, so it is a graphic novel but it’s technically not a comic book!) where the only hero (and I use that term loosely) with powers is the awe-inspiring Dr. Manhattan. Typically, a freak accident disintegrated Jon Osterman whilst he was experimenting with an ‘Intrinsic Field Subtractor’ but luckily, within a few months, his conscious was able to reconstruct his body and he could continue his life as Dr. Manhattan.

Other members of The Watchmen included The Comedian, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre, The Nite Owl and Rorschach. These masked vigilantes were outlawed and forced to either retire or work freelance for the US government. All without any extra powers, they were forced to literally fist-fight the bad guys and were subsequently pulled out of retirement to try to stop the end of the world. A pretty big task for a group of middle-aged loners without any powers!

In the world of film, there are even more examples though. If we were to strip away the ‘super’ we’d be left with heroes… Someone without any powers, fighting for the greater good and for what they believe is right.

The first hero that comes to mind is Shaun. A simple sales team leader working a 9-5 in a dixons-esque high street store, bumbling through life taking each day as it comes. After a zombie outbreak, Shaun decides to step up to the plate and battle through a zombie-laden London to rescue his mother, ex-girlfriend and best friend Ed.

You could go even further, classifying Indiana Jones as one of these non-super heroes. James Bond and Han Solo could also be thrown into the mix but we’re talking ‘superheroes’ without powers… Just like ‘Kick-Ass’ himself, Red Mist, Big Daddy and of course Hit Girl. We’ve already got Batman and Green Arrow but who else is there… Green Lantern technically has no super powers, he just wears a ring that gives him powers! There’s Robin and Batgirl as well, all in all there’s plenty to choose from, the main question remains.

Who would win in a fight? Batman or Kick-Ass?

Our money is on the guy with the money.

Movie Prostitutes? There’s really only two kinds, Pretty Women disease free angels (these don’t exist…apparently) or mental Monster types with a “How dare you treat me like a whore just because you paid me for sex?” attitude. As you can imagine Chloe fits into the latter. Things don’t go quite as planned fro Julianne, the plot thickens and drama abounds.

If a tree falls in the woods, with nobody around, does it make a sound? Does a bear shit in the woods if someone is watching? These are all questions that no one will ever know the answer to. This guy may never want to cheat in his life but with it thrown at him on a plate (lovely!) can he resist?

I dunno, Amanda Seyfried. I mean I would but she’s hardly Scarlett Johannsen. Now there’s a girl I’d spend all my pocket money on…

Find out March 5th when Chloe will be on general release.

What’s the problem with that then? Why all the commotion? It’s simple really, if Disney get away with it, other studios will want to do it. What it actually means is that films will be in the cinema for shorter periods of time, meaning people will have less of a chance to see the film as it’s meant to be seen.

I still haven’t seen Avatar. It’s been out at the cinema for 10 weeks now and there are still plenty of showings I can catch. If Disney got their way and this was Wonderland; I’d only have a fortnight left to see it… Starting to get the idea? There’s usually heave discussions over a films theatrical release, and some pretty tough negotiations. In the past there have been boycotts and refusals galore, but most of the time they get settled in the final days before the film’s release.

Previously, Fox’s Night at the Museum was pulled from Odeon and Vue cinema’s as 20th Century Fox wanted to shorten it’s cinema release to just 13 weeks. Sometimes, in rare cases, films are turned down by the cinema chains (usually when it’s a stinker!), but the studios talk them into showing the film when they’ll threaten to hold back a much better movie scheduled for later in the year.

Anyway, since the dust has settled, Odeon have announced that they will indeed be showing Alice in Wonderland and there’s nothing to worry about. Why the change of heart? Neither side are saying. Disney could have backtracked and realised the error of their ways, or they could have been threatened to hold back any other Disney or Beuna Vista release.

I’m happy. I’ll get to see this masterpiece (hopefully!) at my local Odeon IMAX.

No, that’s not an iPod from darn sarf, it’s the latest and greatest device that does allsorts and everything… The most important ‘feature’ of the iPad… Movies.

With this little beauty, you’ll be able to surf and catch up on all the latest movie news, check out the latest movie trailers and actually watch movies in glorious HD. Nothing is more appealing than being able to take in ‘JJ Abram’s Star Trek’ whilst on the toilet erm, I mean on the go.

Movies and TV shows purchased through iTunes will be played back on the beautiful 9.7 inch, LED backlit, glossy IPS screen. N.B. IPS means you can view the screen at virtually ANY angle and the picture will be crisp and clear; I won’t mention the ratio of the screen as it’s more 4:3 than widescreen.

You can even import your own mp4 downloads/creations into iTunes and sync everything to your iPad. Making it the first portable HD-movie-playing thingy-ma-jiggy. The battery lasts for 10 hours too! Which means you can catch a flight to New York and watch five movies on one full charge.

There are plenty more features and quirky little things this tablet device can do, the rest you can find out for yourselves!

I’ll leave you with a quote from the Wall Street Journal:

“Last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”

The root of my obsession is the original Superman movie from 1978 (four years and eight months before I was born.) I can’t remember how old I was when I first saw a man fly, but I remember watching it. I immediately got up on a small stool and jumped off it (obviously holding my arms in the typical Superman manner) luckily landing on my feet (although my Mum still says the head!)

The Man Of Steel

The reason the film appeals to so many, is that people relate to the humbling, stumbling Clark Kent. They idolise the superior Kal-El, especially when he’s seen in a flash of blue and red, flying through the night.

Christopher Reeve pulls them both off, at times it’s clearly two different people! When he’s a hero; he looks it. When he’s a zero; he feels it. Not to mention his archnemes… nemesiis… nemesises… sworn enemy Lex Luthor. Gene Hackman is simply wonderful in this role, playing just the right level of camp, a splash of insanity, a hint of evil and dollops of pure genius!

All in all, everyone has seen, read or heard about Superman. In one form or another, it’s been seen by billions. As Sean Connery once said “there can be only one…” Make mine the original.