Entertainment

The 8 Most Ridiculous Moments from 'Zack Snyder's Justice League'

The four-hour Snyder Cut, now out on BINGE, has a bunch of *chef's kiss* moments.

HBO Max
HBO Max
HBO Max

The long-awaited, fan-demanded Snyder Cut of Justice League has finally arrived on BINGE, and with it comes a flurry of takes. Mostly, it’s being praised as an indisputable improvement of Joss Whedon’s 2017 Frankensteined attempt, wherein he rewrote and reshot a hefty amount of Snyder’s close-to-finished work, leading us to ponder the what if’s had the original director’s vision happened all along. But then, we would never have gotten this four-hour-and-two-minute project (in a 4:3 aspect ratio) revised with a new ending featuring Jared Leto’s Joker, new scenes that provide necessary character development or context to motives, and new details in existing or extended scenes that add a layer of that dramatic Snyder flair. We’ve chosen our favourite good, bad, and silly moments-most new, some not-from Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which unfortunately does NOT include the Joker saying “we live in a society” like the trailer promised.

The slow-motion sesame seed and hot dogs

Have you SEEN a Zack Snyder film?? The guy loves putting things in slow motion. He began Watchmen with that iconic blood-spattered smiley face pin falling out of a window, and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice starts with the guy who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents snapping his mother’s pearl necklace and letting the pearls skitter around on the street. 300 is basically all slow-mo. But Snyder’s use of the effect in his cut of Justice League borders on straight-up hilarious, as he takes pains to lovingly animate a giant sesame seed from a hamburger bun bouncing around the cab of a truck, a shell casing from a giant bullet hitting the ground, a batarang whooshing past the Flash’s face, a photo of superdad Kevin Costner sinking into a pool of primordial goo, and even some hot dogs wobbling languidly through the air. Snyder’s tic is helped a little by the Flash’s ability to slow down time by moving so quickly that he’s almost imperceptible, giving him plenty of time to pocket a floating bunless hot dog-so, of course he would see things moving veeeery slooooowly. -Emma Stefansky

The strong product placement

After watching Justice League, if you felt a random need to shave or go out to the dealership and buy a Mercedes or decide to get into photography with an extremely expensive starter camera, then you’ll know the product placement is working just as the entertainment industry expected it would, Batman, muahahaha. Early in the film panning a city street, the only marked storefront is with a bright red Leica logo. Bruce Wayne adds a slick Benz with doors that open wrong to his collection of expensive toys (to remind us that his superpower is being rich), and also possesses the latest in face-hair removal technology, because we wouldn’t want the cowl to chafe at any five o’clock shadow when the Justice League is on a mission. -ES

Men burying their Mother Box in the dirt like dipshits

During Diana’s long bout of exposition wherein she explains what the whole deal with the mother boxes is, she describes how each community decided to hide their respective mother box to prevent another war with Darkseid. And while the Amazonians and the Atlanteans have elaborate methods of hiding it from public view, the men, looking like extras who wandered in from the set of the Lord of the Rings reboot, just throw it in a shallow ditch. My dudes! This does not seem like a good place for your box! Men, am I right? –Esther Zuckerman

Lois Lane’s sad life

Is Amy Adams aware of how much she’s in this movie? Hard to say. The frequent Oscar nominee is in the Snyder Cut a lot, mainly looking morose as she pines for her dead boyfriend Superman, and nearly all of her scenes seem overwrought and out of place. Let’s take a look at her introductory moment: It starts with a close up of latte art. You see, she’s buying coffee and then giving it to a cop-which seems like a real violation of journalistic ethics-who watches over Superman’s memorial. Every time we check in on her, the situation grows more and more depressing. There’s the strange sequence where she’s visited by Martha Kent (Diane Lane), who turns out to be Martian Manhunter in disguise encouraging her to go back to work. (She meets up with Martha later… do they ever discuss this moment?) Finally, and most chaotically, when Lois finally pulls out her old press pass, it’s on top of a pregnancy test from the invented brand Force Majeure, which is a pretty heavy handed name for a pregnancy test. Is she with Superman’s child? Or is this a reference to leaked storyboards, and an acknowledgement of Snyder’s proposed sequel where she and Batman actually get it on and she has his baby? Ignoring that, it’s just a weird tease for nothing here. -EZ

Victor creating a big stack of money

Correctly, Zack Snyder knows that money is fake, a bank statement just a number on a screen that still has the power to change someone’s entire life. When Victor Stone is realizing his new powers, playing with the Matrix-y fabric of space and time in his cyborg brain, he conjures a bunch of images, including a battle between a CGI bronze bear and bull, and later little bit of money, turning it into a big stack of money, teleporting to a street scene of a mother checking her bank account with $11.92 in it, and then funnelling all that cash into said bank account, giving her an extra $100k that’s made to look like a promotional giveaway. Though this isn’t happening in Justice League‘s reality, the sentiment pairs well with the scene (that also appears in the 2017 cut) when Barry Allen asks Bruce Wayne to remind him what his superpower is, and Bruce responds, “I’m rich.” As Aquaman might say: Zack Snyder, my man. –Leanne Butkovic

Barry watching Rick & Morty

Though it’s remained more or less intact from 2017’s Justice League, the scene where Bruce Wayne drops in to recruit Barry Allen, aka the Flash, to his super-team got a little nerd-ass Easter egg touch-up in the Snyder Cut courtesy of some WarnerMedia IP. During Bruce and Barry’s conversation in Barry’s Flash cave, an episode of Adult Swim’s Rick & Morty is playing on one of the screens behind Bruce’s head-specifically, the end of “Something Ricked Comes This Way,” where Rick and his granddaughter Summer bulk up to go beat the shit out of Mr. Needful, the Devil in the form of a second-hand shop owner who’s been selling cursed items to unsuspecting townsfolk. Of course the Quirky One is a Rick & Morty fan. -LB

The very bad police sketch of a Parademon

When Batman, with Wonder Woman and the Flash in tow, responds to Commissioner Gordon’s Bat-Signal, JK Simmons’ police commissioner shows the crew a pencil sketch of a parademon that’s been kidnapping people for Steppenwolf to interrogate about the location of the last mother box. The rendering is… not good, looking like a grade school art project with major X-Files‘ bigfoot drawing or monkey Jesus energy. The sketch also appears in 2017’s Justice League, but it’s simply too ridiculous to be ignored. -LB

Willem Dafoe’s voluminous hair

In 2018’s Aquaman, Willem Dafoe’s Vulko rocks a tight man bun. Not so in Snyder’s vision. Here, he’s got long flowing locks that bob in the water and drape on land. Snyder’s version of Atlantis is quite different than James Wan’s; where Wan went for a pop aesthetic, Snyder sticks to his glum color palette. (Amber Heard unfortunately also tries out a British accent.) But honestly, we have to praise Dafoe’s Snyder Cut hair. It’s definitely sillier and also definitely more metal. Rock on, Vulko. -EZ

Entertainment

Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2023 in Australia

And what it means to be in the year of the Rabbit.

where to celebrate lunar new year australia

Starting with the new moon on Sunday, January 22, this Lunar New Year ushers in the year of the Rabbit. We’ve put together a guide on celebrating the Lunar New Year in Australia.

What is special about the year of the Rabbit?

As you might know, each year has an animal sign in the Chinese Zodiac, which is based on the moon and has a 12-year cycle. This year, we celebrate the year of the rabbit, known to be the luckiest out of all twelve animals. It symbolises mercy, elegance, and beauty.

What celebrations are taking place and how can I get involved?

There are plenty of festivals happening all around the country which you can get involved with. Here they are per state.

New South Wales

Darling Harbour Fireworks
When: Every year, Sydney puts on a fireworks show, and this year, you can catch it on January 28 and February 4 at 9 pm in Darling Harbour.

Dragon Boat Races
When: Witness three days of dragon boat races and entertainment on Cockle Bay to usher in the Lunar New Year. The races will commence on January 27 and finish on January 29.

Lion Dances
When: Catch a traditional Lion Dance moving to the beat of a vigorous drum bringing good luck and fortune for the Lunar New Year. The dance performances will happen across Darling Harbour on Saturday, January 21, Sunday, January 22, and Sunday, February 4 and 5, around 6 pm and 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at Cirrus Dining
When: Barangaroo’s waterfront seafood restaurant, Cirrus, is celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with a special feast menu. Cirrus’ LNY menu is $128pp with optional wine pairing and is available from Saturday, January 21, to Sunday, February 5.

Auntie Philter
When: Hello Auntie’s owner and executive chef, Cuong Nguyen will be dishing out some of the most classic Vietnamese street foods with his mum, Linda. All of Philter’s favourites will be on offer, as well as Raspberry Pash Beer Slushies and other cocktails being served at the Philter Brewing rooftop bar on Sunday, January 22 and Sunday, January 29.

Victoria

Lunar New Year Festival
When: Ring in the Lunar New Year with food, music, arts, and more on Sunday, January 22, from 10 am to 9 pm.

Lunar New Year at the National Gallery of Victoria
When: Celebrate the year of the rabbit at the National Gallery of Victoria’s festival of art, food, and art-making activities for everyone from 10 am-5 pm.

Queensland

BriAsia Festival
When: From February 1-19, Brisbane will come alive with performances, including lion dances and martial arts displays. There will be street food, workshops, comedy and more.

South Australia

Chinatown Adelaide Street Party
When: Adelaide is set to hose a fun-filled day celebrating the Chinese New Year on Saturday, January 28, from 12 pm to 9 pm.

Western Australia

Crown Perth
When: Across January and February, Crown Perth hosts free live entertainment, including colourful lion dances, roving mascots, and drumming performances. The restaurants will also throw banquets and menus dedicated to the Lunar New Year.

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