Phil Morris Back As Vandal Savage
Smallville star Phil Morris reprises villainous role of Vandal Savage in JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM
Actor to attend bi-coastal premieres of all-new DC Universe Animated Original Movie It’s a busy time for Phil Morris.
Easily recognizable to sitcom viewers as the hilariously slimy lawyer Jackie Chiles on Seinfeld, and renowned throughout the fanboy realm as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter on Smallville, Morris is splitting his time this February celebrating his latest triumphs.
Morris is a NAACP Image Award nominee in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for Love That Girl! While he prepares for the awards ceremony and all of its requisite celebrity gatherings, Morris is also making time to attend both the New York (2/13) and Los Angeles (2/16) premieres of Justice League: Doom.
The consummate nice guy, Morris shifts to a darker, villainous approach for Justice League: Doom as he reprises his Justice League animated television series role as the immortal Vandal Savage. Morris is one of nine actors returning to the booth to record their original roles.
Produced by Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, the all-new, PG-13 rated Justice League: Doom arrives February 28, 2012 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download. Both the Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD will include an UltraViiolet™ Digital Copy.
Justice League: Doom finds Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg and Batman on their heels when a team of super villains – orchestrated by Vandal Savage – discover and implement the Dark Knight’s “contingency plans” for stopping any rogue Justice League member. The story is inspired by Mark Waid’s much-heralded “JLA: Tower of Babel,” and scripted by the late Dwayne McDuffie.
Morris is more than just an actor with a tendency to perform in fanboy-centric productions – he is a devout fan of the genre and its comic book origins. His comics collection exceeds 20,000 and includes gems like a 1948 “Captain America,” issues 1-18 of “Silver Surfer,” the first 20 Barry Windsor-Smith issues of “Conan,” and many of the original run of the “Fantastic Four.” “It goes back pretty far,’ Morris says. “I collect to this day.”
Prepping for the onslaught of reporters’ queries on the red carpets on both coasts prior to the premieres of Justice League: Doom, Morris welcomed the opportunity to answer a few questions 
about Vandal Savage, comics collecting, and the possibility of someday voicing his Smallville character Martian Manhunter in an animated form. Read on …
What’s the mindset of Vandal Savage, and what’s been the joy of playing this role?
PHIL MORRIS:Vandal Savage is an immortal who has been around the human species for all time. He’s extremely intelligent – he’s incredibly evolved because of contact with a meteor that landed in his village. And he’s always trying to overthrow the world. His vision is that the world should be his, as many of these despots feel. But he feels that because he’s lived so long, he’s entitled. I love Vandal. I played Vandal for the Justice League series a few times, but this is a little bit of a different take on Vandal. Back on the series, he was more of a smooth criminal – he was more nuanced, he had more style. Now, I guess, he’s just had it. He’s kind of approaching things as if to say “I don’t have time to play with you.” He has no more guile left in him. He’s straight, no chaser, which makes him much more dangerous, much more evil, and much harder edged, especially in my vocal performance.And I love this script. Dwayne (McDuffie) really made it a walloping good romp for the Justice League players. And then Vandal is a bit like the Lex Luthor of the show – it’s his mastermind, his ideas, his design that almost or does bring the world to its doom. You’ll have to watch to see. Vandal is very much the thrust of the evil of this show. That’s fun to play.
What’s it like for you to be recording with all these original voices from the series again?
PHIL MORRIS:It’s great to have these actors back in these roles, but that’s the magic of these animated projects. I think one of the things the DC/Warner Bros. people do very well is get the right people for the job, from the top down. From Bruce (Timm) and Andrea (Romano) all the way down to the cast – and they take pains to make sure that everything is as accurate as possible because they know that, as fans, we’re watching and we’re listening and we need to be served. And they serve us very, very well. They give us some of the greatest vocal talent in the business.
You say “we” – and that collection of 20,000+ comics at home attests to your love for this genre. This is more than just work for you, right?
PHIL MORRIS:It feels as though I’ve been doing homework on these characters since I was 7 years old, and I loved being able to tell my mother that I’m finally making my comic book collection pay off. Actors use whatever reference material is at hand to flush out their characters, and in that I have been a comic collector for so long, I don’t have to go too far to relate to the process of the villain or hero in this universe of comics. I feel like I am one of the rank and file who has gotten lucky enough to embody these characters. It’s a pleasure and an honor.
Which way do your comic book tastes venture these days?
PHIL MORRIS:It’s interesting because they always ask the question: “Is it DC or Marvel?” If you’re a real comic book fan, you had to pick a side. You couldn’t go down the middle. As a younger comics reader, I liked Marvel a lot, because Marvel reflected African Americans sooner than DC did. I think that gave me a little bit of an affinity for them. But now in my more mature years, it’s all about good story telling, and I find DC tells great stories and has great, solid characters. They have probably my favorite character in Batman. So I’m much more interested in the continuity of the universe – I was an artists guy before, relating to the pictures and the artistry. That really thrilled me. Now it’s about the concepts and the writing. I’m always looking for a good yarn.
I like reading Garth Ennis, J. Michael Straczynski, Mark Waid, Jeff Loeb … guys like that. The writers have become fantastic – they have taken what society is and spun it on its ear. It’s not really kid stuff anymore. Kids can still invest and enjoy the books, but so can adults. Mark Millar. Ed Brubaker. There are a lot of great comic writers out there right now, and the world of comic books is much better for it.
You played J’onn J’onzz /Martian Manhunter on Smallville. Would you like to transition that role to voiceover for animation?
PHIL MORRIS:Carl (Lumbly) did one helluva job as Martian Manhunter for the Justice League series, and he hasn’t lost a step for this film. I don’t think he’s going to give up the role without a fight, and I have a total respect for Carl and his performance. It would be wonderful to do J’onn J’onzz as an animated character, as I did on Smallville. We’ll see. They keep me busy over here.
You’ve recorded a full library of characters for animation, including many in the super hero realm. What character does your inner geek still crave to voice?
PHIL MORRIS:I’ve been doing a voice for the Black Panther, but I’m not playing the Panther. They got Djimon Hounsou, and he’s terrific. But I would love to play the Black Panther. I wanted to play Green Lantern in this film. I’m an African American actor, but I don’t want that to matter at all. I think you should be able to close your eyes and voice any character, whether he’s African American or Anglo or Latino or Asian. That’s what I love about these great characters. I’d love to do the Silver Surfer, too. But for DC, I’d love to do a version of the Batman. I know Kevin Conroy IS Batman, and I love Kevin to death. But I think every actor who knows comics and loves comics would jump at the chance to do Batman. I think each of us would want to bring his own take to that darkness, to that inner turmoil that is Bruce Wayne. So it would be Batman. Kevin, I love you, but give me a one-off!
You frequently work in both the live-action and animated worlds. What’s your favorite part of doing voiceovers?
PHIL MORRIS:The best part of working in voiceover is the people you work with. I was very surprised when I first came into this world that the actors were so talented. They weren’t just people who did funny or clever voices. They are very intelligent, well-read, well-spoken, funny actors, and you get into that room and they cut it up – and THEN they go to record and they’re suddenly the most evil or heroic person on the planet. Then in between takes they’re jokey, jokey, jokey. Their wit and their imagination is unparalleled. I really have a great time working with whomever I work with from the voiceover community.
Special Thanks to Gary Miereanu
Categories: Comics, DC Animation, DVD, Film, sci-fi, Tim Daly Tags: DVD, JLA, JLA Doom, Phil Morris, Vandal Savage
Caprica At The Paley Center
Image via Wikipedia
Interviews from the Red Carpet at the New York Paley Center with Alessandra Torresani,Magda Apanowicz,Sasha Roiz and Esai Morales. Music is by Victor Stellar.Visit the official site for the Paley Center and Join. Special thanks to Bill Brennan, SyFy Channel and Carrie Oman from Paley Center.Look for Caprica on DVD.
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: Alessandra Torresani, Caprica, DVD, Esai Morales, Magda Apanowicz, Paley Center, Sasha Roiz
Genre DVD’S
The Innkeepers On DVD
An New England inn about to close for good is the classically creepy setting for THE INNKEEPERS, the acclaimed new film from Ti West, the young filmmaker whose critically praised 
House of the Devil gave the genre a jolt. Starring Sara Paxton, Pat Healy and Kelly McGillis,
After over one hundred years of service, The Yankee Pedlar Inn in Connecticut is shutting its doors for good. The last remaining employees – Claire (Sara Paxton, Shark Night 3-D, The Last House on the Left) and Luke (Pat Healy, Dirty Girl) – are determined to uncover proof of what many believe to be one of New England’s most haunted hotels. As the inn’s final days draw near, odd guests start to check in and the pair of minimum wage “ghost hunters” begin to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the hotel’s long mysterious history.More
Todd And The Pure Book Of Evil On DVD
Imagine, if you will, a book of awesome power. A book that will make your deepest, darkest desires come true… but at a horrifying cost. This is The Book of Pure Evil, and it’s loose in Crowley High, unleashing its dark power and filling the school hallways with monsters made of human fat and flesh-eating zombie rockers. Thankfully, four teenagers stand between The Book and the end of the world as we know it. More
The Skin I Live In
Oscar® winning Writer/Director Pedro Almodóvar (Best Writing, Original Screenplay, Talk To Her, 2002) and three-time Golden Globe® nominee Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro, 
Desperado) team up for the sixth time on The Skin I Live In, debuting on Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack March 6th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. This psycho-sexual thriller, which also stars Elena Anaya (Savage Grace, Van Helsing), Marisa Paredes (High Heels, All About My Mother), Jan Cornet (There Be Dragons) and Roberto Álamo (Take My Eyes), follows a brilliant plastic surgeon (Banderas) who is haunted by past tragedies and by his present patient: a mysterious woman (Anaya) who holds the key to his obsession. Special features include a seven-part behind-the-scenes featurette, “An Evening with Pedro Almodóvar” Q&A and “On The Red Carpet: New York Premiere” featurette. More
Immortals On DVD
One brave warrior, touched by the gods, must overcome all odds to save mankind from a merciless and powerful tyrant when IMMORTALS comes to Blu-ray and DVD on March 6th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Directed by visionary filmmaker Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) and written by Charles Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides, the home entertainment release is chock-full of must-see bonus features including an alternate beginning, two alternate endings, deleted scenes and an amazing graphic novel, creating the ultimate viewing experience. More
Let the countdown begin. Leave the existing world behind and enter into a futuristic world where the aging gene is switched off after 25 and time is money, literally, that many can’t afford in the cutting-edge thriller IN TIME, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD January 31 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Featuring an all-star cast including Justin Timberlake (The Social Network), Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!) and Cillian Murphy (Inception), the film puts an innovative spin on class warfare and explores the corruptness that lies within.
In the future, time has become the ultimate currency and genetic alteration has allowed people to stop aging at 25 years old. Upon reaching 25, the countdown begins and in order to stay alive everyone must work to buy themselves more time or die within a year. The rich can buy their way out of the situation, while the rest are left to negotiate for immortality. When a struggling young man, Will Salas (Timberlake), comes in contact with a “millionaire,” he is gifted more time than he can imagine. Falseley accused of murder, Will is a fugitive on the run and becomes determined to bring down the entire system by any means possible.
Showcasing stunning visual effects and gravity defying stunts, the IN TIME Blu-ray is loaded with bonus materials including an exclusive featurette “THE MINUTES” to discover the origins of the film’s time based society, deleted and extended scenes, and access to the enhanced IN TIME THE GAME APP. DVD special features include deleted and extended scenes. IN TIME will be available on Blu-ray for an average retail price of $24.99 and on DVD for $19.99, respectively.
IN TIME Blu-ray + Digital Copy (Catalog #22378296)
- · “THE MINUTES” featurette
- · Deleted/Extended Scenes
- · Access to IN TIME THE GAME APP
IN TIME DVD (Catalog #2278289)
- Deleted/Extended Scenes
AVATAR BREAKS NEW DIGITAL GROUND WITH iTUNES EXTRAS SPECIAL EDITION
New Interactive Features Take Fans Deeper into Pandora than Ever Before
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Lightstorm Entertainment announce AVATAR available digitally with first-of-its-kind interactive features in the “AVATAR iTunes Extras Special Edition” beginning on Tuesday, December 20. “AVATAR iTunes Extras Special Edition” lets fans deconstruct some of the movie’s most memorable scenes to reveal how James Cameron applied special effects to create the breathtaking world of Pandora. “AVATAR iTunes Extras Special Edition” will be available at www.iTunes.com/Avatar for pre-order starting today, December 16 for $19.99 HD/$14.99 SD.
“Digital platforms like iTunes usher in new ways to interact with and watch movies like AVATAR,” said Aubrey Freeborn, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for Worldwide VOD and Electronic Sell-Through, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “These new interactive features enhance the experience and encourage digital ownership.”
“AVATAR iTunes Extras Special Edition” also features an original screenplay by James Cameron, Cameron’s scriptment (a novella with some scenes broken out into dialogue), a gallery of 1,700 images and more.
AVATAR, the Oscar and Golden Globe winning epic, is the highest-grossing film of all time, generating nearly $2.8 billion in worldwide box office. AVATAR is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time.
Eureka 4.5
When has it ever been simple in Eureka? Our heroes continue to adjust to the cataclysmic changes in their personal lives following their trip through time back to 1947 when the resident geniuses are presented with a new challenge: mounting a multi-billion dollar space mission to Titan. As scientists vie to be chosen for the 20-member crew, Carter (Colin Ferguson) has his hands full with security breaches, super acid and gravity issues, Allison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) can’t get someone—or something—out of her head, and Zane and Jo (Niall Matter and Erica Cerra) come to terms with their fractured relationship. Sci-fi fan favorites Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton guest star in this three-disc set that includes a special extended version of the episode “Of Mites and Men,” the holiday episode “O Little Town,” as well as the Warehouse 13 crossover episode “Don’t Hate the Player.” Relationship audits, force fields run amok, and floating banks… it’s just another day in Eureka.
The Thing On DVD
It’s not human. Yet. From the producers of Dawn of the Dead comes the chilling prelude to John Carpenter’s cult classic film. When paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) travels to an isolated outpost in Antarctica for the expedition of a lifetime, she joins an international team that unearths a remarkable discovery. Their elation quickly turns to fear as they realize that their experiment has freed a mysterious being from its frozen prison. Paranoia spreads like an epidemic as a creature that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish in this spine-tingling thriller.More
ANOTHER EARTH on Blu-ray Combo pack November 29th
Blu-ray Special Features (Video)
- · Creating Another Earth
- · Music video – First time
- · Science Behind Another Earth
Synopsis: Rhoda Williams, a bright young woman accepted into MIT‘s astrophysics program, aspires to explore the cosmos. A brilliant composer, John Burroughs, has just reached the pinnacle of his profession and is about to have a second child with his loving wife. On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, tragedy strikes and the lives of these strangers become irrevocably intertwined. Estranged from the world and the selves they once knew, the two outsiders begin an unlikely love affair and reawaken to life. But when one is presented with the chance of a lifetime opportunity to travel to the other Earth and embrace an alternative reality, which new life will they choose?
ASSASSIN’S CREED: LINEAGE©- Available on Digital, Blu-ray (HD) and DVD
Releasing day-and-date with the highly anticipated video game release of Assassin’s Creed© Revelations, ASSASSIN’S CREED: LINEAGE©isa stand-alone short film that takes place in the Assassin’s Creed universe. The film combines live-action and computer-generated imagery to explore the events that happen just before the narrative begins in the Assassin’s Creed II video game. Developed by Ubisoft’s Hybride Technologies, the cutting-edge special effects house behind feature films 300 and Sin City, LINEAGE is the first chapter of Ezio Auditore’s story and reveals the machinations of 15th-century Italy through the actions of Ezio’s father, the assassin Giovanni Auditore.
Apollo 18 On DVD
Anchor Bay Entertainment and Dimension Films announced today the Blu-ray™ and DVD release of the “terrifying” (Fred Topel, CraveOnline.com) and “chilling” (Hunter Daniels, Collider.com) sci-fi thriller, APOLLO 18. In the same vein as such blockbusters as The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, the film unearths alleged lost Department of Defense footage to construct a riveting story of the events that unfolded during this covert mission to the moon. Full of tension and suspense, APOLLO 18 blasts into stores on December 27, 2011 . More
SLIDERS: THE FIFTH AND FINAL SEASON
Synopsis: “What if you found a portal to a parallel universe? What if you could slide into a thousand different worlds — where it’s the same year, and you’re the same person, but everything else is different? And what if you can’t find your way home?” For four thrilling seasons, they’ve explored alternate realities beyond anyone’s imaginations. They’ve seen double versions of their hometown, their families, and themselves. But nothing will prepare the Sliders for what lies ahead in all 18 episodes from the fifth and final season of this phenomenally popular sci-fi series. Starring Cleavant Derricks, Kari Wührer, Robert Floyd and Tembi Locke, it’s the last chance for the Sliders to answer the question that has haunted them from the beginning: will they ever reach home?
Four total discs that ended this promising series that never lived up to potential.
Hostel III
Get ready for the next disturbing chapter in the terrifying Hostel franchise when Hostel: Part III debuts on Unrated DVD and Digital December 27th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film contains even more disturbing and shocking moments than its predecessors, bringing the underground world of the notorious Elite Hunting Club to “Sin City,” where human torture has been turned into a high stakes gambling opportunity. The cast includes Brian Hallisay (TV’s “Privileged”), Kip Pardue (Remember the Titans), John Hensley (TV’s “As the World Turns”), Chris Coy (TV’s “True Blood”), Skyler Stone (TV’s “Raising Hope”) and Sarah Habel (Whip It). Bonus materials include commentary with Director Scott Spiegel (From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money) and actor Kip Pardue.
Synopsis:
High stakes gambling takes on a sinister new meaning in this third chapter of the terrifying HOSTEL series. While attending a bachelor party in Las Vegas, four friends are enticed by two sexy escorts to join them at a private party way off the Strip. Once there, they are horrified to find themselves the subjects of a perverse game of torture, where members of the Elite Hunting Club are hosting the most sadistic show in town.
Hostel: Part III was directed by Scott Spiegel from a screenplay by Michael D. Weiss, Hostel: Part III was produced by Chris Briggs and Mike Fleiss.
This holiday season, action fans can experience the Underworld like never before with UNDERWORLD TRILOGY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION, the must-own collector’s set available on Blu-ray December 20th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Featuring all three action-packed films, plus the exclusive never-before-seen three-part anime series Underworld: Endless War, this four-disc Blu-ray set is the ultimate gift for Underworld fans! The set also includes two tickets* to see Kate Beckinsale’s return to the action-packed franchise in the fourth installment, Underworld: Awakening, in theaters January 20, 2012! .
In 2003, Underworld introduced action fans to the war between vampire and werewolf. In 2006, Underworld: Evolution took them further into the deadly battle, while 2009’s Underworld: Rise of the Lycans traced the origins of the ancient feud. Now, fans can go deeper into the Underworld with Underworld: Endless War, an all-new anime series set in the Underworld universe and featuring many of the series’ most beloved characters.
