PLASTIC FILMTASTIC: LOCKOUT
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MEN IN BLACK Could Be Looking At A Reboot
Men in Black III could be a reboot for the alien franchise that has become so popular
Talking with MTV, Barry Sonnenfeld, the director of the film said that "The fantastic thing about Men in Black 3 is that it totally closes out the trilogy, it answers questions that you didn't even know you should be asking, it leaves you emotionally warm and sad and happy, and it could also reboot the franchise.
Moving forward with the ban name we may see more MIB movies with Brolin as the star and set in the 70s. With the money that the two movies have made and the tracking for the May 25th release, it's clear why Sony wouldn't want to just end the trilogy.
Sonnenfeld warns the public that "If your interpretation is that Men in Black 4 will only star the worm guys and Frank the pug, you are wrong."
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Smallville: Random, Awesome and WTF?! - S5E1: Arrival
Season 5 begins as the meteor show has come and gone, but some badass arrivals from Krypton have come to Earth, and they’re not here on a mission of mercy.Strap yourselves in, kids, it’s all getting real with the first mention of General Zod.
KNEEL!
The Random:
1. It seems every Kryptonian automatically has better control over their abilities upon arriving on Earth than Clark and he’s been here for sixteen years. Get with it, dude.
2. It’s not a trip to Smallville General without either an explosion or a patient dying. Their insurance has to be astronomical.
3. Chloe’s going to have a bit of explaining to do about being in a hospital in the Yukon, and Lex doesn’t seem like the one to let this one go.
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Wow, Kryptonian fashion is pretty…interesting.
Is he wearing HER clothes? |
The Awesome:
1. That is a positively bitchin’ formation of the Fortress of Solitude and is reminiscent of a young Clark in Superman: The Movie discovering it for the first time.
2. Chloe finally lets Clark know that she knows his secret and it’s a big moment for both characters going forward as he tells her everything. Of course, it’s Lex that winds up in possession of the ship…and a new player enters the fray…
3. Clark’s battle with Zod’s disciples isn’t exactly on par with, “General, would you care to step outside,” but it starts with Lana getting chucked into glass shelves and ends with the Phantom Zone coming into play, so, all in all, that’s a win in my book.
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If I ever get rich, and impervious to cold,
I’m having one of these bad boys built. |
1. How in the hell are the police going to explain their alien beatdown at the crash site, and how will the military not get involved in a worldwide manhunt after the ordeal? You’d think that’d be pretty damn near the top of the “to do” list, no?
2. Lana, not for nothing, but if you wake up and find your friend’s dad—you know, that guy who’s tried to kill people you know numerous times—with his eyes glassed out and scratching things in to the floor while rambling about aliens, just bounce. Seriously. No good can come of this for you.
3. Wait, did Lana almost single-handedly thwart the plans of two homicidal Kryptonians? They’re an advanced race capable of interstellar travel, but Lana nearly outwits them? For shame, Krypton. For shame.
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The only saving grace for them is that Clark delivering to decisive blow.
Imagine eternity knowing Lana Lang was responsible for your defeat. |
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FILE THIS UNDER "IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN": The Star Wars/Tupac Mash-Up
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The Slapstick Legacy of The Three Stooges
A vaudeville, and later movie, team that underwent several personnel changes over the decades, the Three Stooges were originally teamed up under the guidance of Ted Healy, and performed on vaudeville stages across the country before appearing in a series of short comedies that secured their place in the history of film comedy.
It was their career in movies that gained the Stooges’ immortality and landed them their place in the comedy pantheon. Specializing in extremely rough and crude knockabout comedy, performed with expert timing, the Stooges gained many fans who loved their fast, slapstick style, which also alienated some audiences who preferred their comedy with a little more subtlety.
The Stooges lacked the humanity of W.C. Fields, the verbal wit of the Marx Brothers, or the endearing qualities of Laurel and Hardy. But they carried on the tradition of slapstick comedy in the two-reel comedy short going back to the Keystone days.
With the release of the new Three Stooges movie, it’s a good time to revisit the original Three Stooges whose unique brand of slapstick and comedy timing have proved durable for the better part of a century.
Vaudeville in the early 20th century was a rich training ground for comedians of all kinds. Physical comics, stand up comedians, and musical performers co-existed on vaudeville circuits all over the country, perfecting their sense of timing and honing their acts before live audiences on a nightly basis, learning what bits worked and which bits didn’t.
Out of this environment came Ted Healy and His Stooges, first appearing in 1925. The act centered around Healy’s roughhouse treatment of his stooges, with plenty of slapping, eye-poking and other now-classic material that they would make famous in their films over the years. The original trio consisted of Moe Howard, his brother Shemp, and Larry Fine.
Shemp was soon replaced in the act by another Howard brother, “Curly”, who joined the team when they moved to MGM and began appearing in a series of specialty short subjects, as well as putting in an appearance in the studio’s mammoth musical-comedy extravaganza, HOLLYWOOD PARTY (1934), which also featured an appearance by another legendary comedy team, Laurel and Hardy. At this point, Ted Healy was still performing with them, but he would soon leave the group to pursue a solo career.
It was at this point that the Stooges really developed into the act that we remember them for today. Starring in a series of two-reelers for Columbia Pictures (then a Poverty Row studio notable mostly for the films of director Frank Capra), the Stooges hit early success with such short subjects as MEN IN BLACK (1934), a parody of hospital dramas, and THREE LITTLE BEERS (1935), which featured a hilarious golf sequence.
One of the best-known Stooges shorts from this earlier period is DISORDER IN THE COURT (1936), which – because of its public domain status – often turns up on cheap compilations of their work. Set entirely in a courtroom during a trial, with the Stooges as witnesses to a murder, the film features the classic “swearing in” routine with Curly.
Interestingly, this routine had been used five years earlier in a Buster Keaton film, SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK, made for MGM in 1931 and directed by frequent Stooges producer Jules White. But Curly’s impeccable sense of timing, and hilarious delivery, made their version a classic bit of comedy.
The Stooges would appear in a total of 190 shorts for Columbia, with Shemp returning to the act after Curly suffered a stroke.
In the interim, Shemp had built a successful solo career, appearing in films with such top-flight comics as W.C. Fields (THE BANK DICK) and Abbott & Costello (BUCK PRIVATES). He remained with the team until his death in 1955, at which point he was replaced by Joe Besser, and finally Joe DeRita, as the “third” stooge.
Their later career saw many TV appearances, as well as several feature films, and one of their final appearances was in Stanley Kramer’s comedy epic, IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963), in which they were sadly wasted in a cameo as firemen, given no dialog or physical business to perform. Fortunately, due to the airing of their films on television, the Stooges were rediscovered by a new generation who embraced their work and secured their place in the comedy pantheon.
The Stooges represent an important tradition of carrying on the pure slapstick and knockabout comedy that dates back at least to the Keystone comedies of the silent era. They kept slapstick comedy alive for many decades, even through periods when slapstick was getting hard to find on movie screens.
Similarly, the new “Three Stooges” movie, though featuring imitators of the original comedians, comes at a time when there is little pure slapstick comedy being performed in films anymore.
Hopefully the film will inspire new viewers to seek out the original short subjects, which contain those timeless and brilliant bits of physical comedy that have allowed the Three Stooges’ unique brand of comedy to endure for almost 90 years.
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CONTEST! MY LITTLE PONY Autographed Wedding Pic!
Get ready for the anthropomorphic nuptuals of the season, because tomorrow My Little Pony Friendship is Magic has a Royal Wedding tomorrow.
That's right, Cadance and Shining Armor are finally getting hitched!
By the way, have you seen the wedding party? Isn't this picture cool?
So cool in fact that our friends at The Hub are giving us three pictures to give away, signed by Tara Strong (the voice of Twilight Sparkle) and showrunner Meghan McCarthy (who also wrote the wedding episodes)!
To enter, please send an email with the subject header "MY LITTLE PONY" to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following question:
What has become the nickname for male My Little Pony fans?
Please include your name and address (U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).
Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.
Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on May 13th, 2012.
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CONTEST! Win MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL A SHOOTING DIARY
Earlier this week, we chatted with photographer David James and discussed his work and his new book, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, A Shooting Diary.
This collection of photography will captivate any action film lover. It provides an in-depth look into the world of live-action filmmaking by one of the most lauded photographers in the film industry. A diary of incredible behind-the-scenes images and candid shots on the set, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Shooting Diary is the perfect companion to the film.Now, thanks to our friends at Insight Editions we're giving away two copies of this phenomenal book!
To enter, please send an email with the subject header "MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE" to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following question:
Who is the only actor besides Tom Cruise to appear in every Mission: Impossible film?
Please include your name and address (U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).
Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.
Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on May 13th, 2012.
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RISE OF THE APES Director Will Take On AGENT 13
Charlize Theron will be working with Rise of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt on a new sci-fi action film called Agent 13.
According to Variety, Wyatt will be directing with a script from T.S. Nowlin. While the actual details of the story are still unknown nearly every major studio from Sony to Universal to Paramount to WB is looking at the project.
Theron will next be seen in Prometheus which is sure to be a giant box office hit along with Snow White and the Huntsman. Wyatt's last film was very successful and grossed nearly $500 million worldwide. Writer Nowlin is working on a script for Wild Guns at the moment.
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CYBORG: REVISITED
"First there was the collapse of civilization: anarchy, genocide, starvation. Then when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, we got the plague. The Living Death, quickly closing its fist over the entire planet. Then we heard the rumors: that the last scientists were working on a cure that would end the plague and restore the world. Restore it? Why? I like the death! I like the misery! I like this world!"
–– Fender Tremolo: Leader of the Flesh Pirates
Now more than 20 years after its initial release and with Pyun finally beginning work on an official prequel, Forces of Geek’s original Cyberpunk Big Mike Leeder The Man from Hong Kong takes a look at his original vision for the film, and talks to Pyun & producer Tom Karnowski about the project.
CYBORG: REVISTED
In a post apocalyptic plague ridden world gone wild, a Cyborg (Dayle Haddon) holds the key to mankind’s future. But when she’s captured by the crazed flesh pirates led by Fender Tremelo (Vincent Klyn), it’s up to a heroic slinger called Gibson Rickenbacker (Jean-Claude Van Damme) to step up and save the day.
Cyborg wasn’t what I was initially expecting from a Van Damme movie circa 1989, but I really liked the look and feel of it.
It’s also got some very nice action beats and I still like the way Jean-Claude fights in the film especially his earlier fights up until his crucifixion. The film did modest business at the box office but was very well received on video, but it wasn’t until much later that I heard that Albert Pyun’s original vision for the film had been compromised and that the release version wasn’t his, and I’d always wanted to see just what could have been.
The film had actually begun life as a sequel to Masters of the Universe, and while I would love to have seen Jean-Claude wielding a sword and screaming ‘By the power of Greyskull’, for various reasons that wasn’t to be. By the time Pyun was able to get started on Cyborg, the original planned budget had been greatly reduced as sets/costumes, etc. designed for the other project were abandoned and Pyun and Line Producer Tom Karnowski had to work with their ingenuity and little else.
Now Pyun has released his director's cut sourced from a work print for people to take a look what he originally planned. Very Important: We’d just to make it clear, this is not a remastered pristine print we’re talking about, this is from a telecine, it’s not graded, picture size and quality change throughout the film, nobody gave Albert a Blade Runner styled renovation budget to play with before he put out this version. But while I do like the original release version of the film, I do really like the director’s cut and the way it expands upon a lot of ideas and elements in the film.
We’ll be discussing the film and the changes and also talking to both Pyun and his producer for the film about the movie as we go.
Big Mike: What happened with regards to the rumours that you were shall we say shut out of the editing room during post production?
Albert Pyun: This should be put into context; Cannon was under tremendous financial pressure at the time. They were very director supportive and friendly, what happened really occurred because they were under so much cash flow desperation. After I’d completed my first cut, I saw a black and white dupe of the film while doling a temp mix for screening to Cannon’s execs.
It was a black and white dupe used for the mix as a single reel of film to prevent the film breaking or splices coming apart as we’d roll it back and forth so many times. I fell in love with the B&W look and screened a heavy metal temp stereo mix and played back at 90db during the screening. As you can imagine the screening did not go well, they thought I was insane.
So I quickly regrouped and screened a second cut that was closer to this director's cut. This screening went good enough for the film to be tested, though they still had doubts about the direction I was headed with the rock score and pessimism of the cut. This screening was a disaster as the audience clearly wanted more of a Bloodsport than a dark, sombre, pessimistic film.
In many ways I guess I was trying for more a The Road type movie stylistically, a mood piece. While the audience wanted more Mad Max or Book of Eli. After the results came in, I was told Cannon had a call from Jean-Claude Van Damme and he wanted to take over the cutting which they supported as he had done a great job or them on Bloodsport. So I left, getting this director's cut rights in return.
I would like to say that Jean Claude was very respectful and supportive throughout the process. He even started discussing with me directing his next film which at the time he called The Corsican Brothers. (This film would evolve over the years until it finally became Double Impact.) My cut is more pessimistic and internal. More gloomy sci-fi noir than the released action adventure….
Originally titled Slinger, the director’s cut starts with a darker tone immediately with Van Damme’s character already crucified and flashing back to what has lead him to this place.
Note Van Damme is revoiced for the film, both for narration and all of his character's dialogue. Now we all know the story of a lone hero fighting for the sake of mankind, but Pyun has a very interesting take on it. This isn’t the flashy future where we all wear colour coordinated jumpsuits, this is a literally dog eat dog plague ridden world, where violent death is far too commonplace.
Aided by a bleak menacing soundtrack by Tony Riparetti, the mood is quickly set as we are introduced to the major players, a hero who lost everything and finds something to keep him going when he encounters the Cyborg, and the girl (Deborah Richter) who ends up accompanying him on his journey, a despicable villain who seems not to care that his actions will help plunge the world further into darkness aided by his motley crew of cut-throats, and the Cyborg who could hold the cure for the world’s troubles but knows she may have to sacrifice a few humans to get to where she’s needed.
The performances of the cast are good, Van Damme plays the strong silent type well and there are a few moments of humour that work well including a scene where Naddy (Deborah Richter) who accompanies him on his journey offers herself to him, only to be politely turned down (he’s a far stronger willed man than I, Richter always cut an attractive figure as seen in Hill Street Blues & 80’s teen coming of age flick Hot Moves, where the young lady’s assets are showcased perfectly!). Van Damme was still finding his feet as an actor but does well with the acting, and especially in the action scenes with several very slick fight sequences where we see JC letting loose with some very impressive kicks including a great jumping kick involving his boot knife and some great hand work and weapons work, with some very nice camerawork that compliments the action and shows how well the man could handle intricate choreography. His dubbed voice works well, if you weren’t too familiar with his normal voice it’d barely register. And it’s interesting to look back and see the young man at work, bringing so much potential and physical prowess to the project while also displaying vulnerability in his performance.
Former surfer Vincent Klynn (Point Break) who would go on to become one of Pyun’s repertoire company following this film, cuts an imposing figure and handles the action well, while his imposing glare and size helps him deliver the threatening performance his character needs.
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There’s ample support from Deborah Richter, while Dayle Haddon delivers an interesting turn as the Cyborg known as Pearl Prophet and Terrie Batson catches attention in her role as the woman Van Damme’s character loved and lost. It’s also interesting to see a feral looking Rolf Mueller (Conan the TV series, Universal Soldier) turning up as one of Fender’s pirates who literally loses his head to Van Damme in a classic sequence.
It’s interesting to see how Pyun’s original vision took the film into darker territory, with Van Damme’s character seeming more driven by revenge than in the release print and prepared to take things that much further, the death of Fender is shown somewhat more graphically in the finale of Pyun’s cut than we’ve seen before. The film seems bloodier and darker, the action is stylized but maintains the violent energy as opposed to the violent beauty of Bloodsport or Kickboxer’s fight scenes, with the fight in the rundown building in the forest and the extended battle in the disused factory and subsequent chase into the grasslands and water holding up so well. The wonderfully named NINJADIXON summed it up perfectly in his review of the movie ‘ultra stylish, uber violent and just beautiful to watch’…he also sums up the ending ‘fighting in the rain with knives-can it be more romantic?’
As we mentioned it’s a rough print at times, aspect rations, print quality, colours, grading and sound run through a variety of levels of quality during the running time, and while I really would love to see a re-mastered version of Pyun’s directors cut released perhaps along with his oft mentioned operatic cut and the release print on a fully loaded special edition (HINT, HINT MGM…think about it!).
Ideal Collector’s Edition:
- Cyborg: Theatrical Version
- Audio commentary by Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Cyborg: The Directors Cut
- Audio commentary by Albert Pyun
- Cyborg: Operatic Cut
- World Gone Wild: A look back at the making of Cyborg, interviews with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Albert Pyun, Vincent Klynn, Deborah Ricter etc. New interviews, Behind the Scenes footage etc
- Original Trailers, Promotional Material archive, PDF of the Cyborg Comic Book tie in
My enjoyment of the film wasn’t affected by the quality of the version I was seeing, it brought back memories of watching classic Hong Kong movies & horror/cult films like Clockwork Orange, etc that were unavailable officially in the UK back in the 80’s, often sold by men in colourful tracksuits when a multi generation VHS was often the only way to see many of those films at the time. I was always a fan of Cyborg, it wasn’t perfect but I loved the feel of it and the ideas even before learning of an alternate version or a different vision, and have been a big fan of Pyun’s work since before this film, with Sword & The Sorcerer being a fave since back in the day. And it’s great to see his original vision and wonder what could have been if this had been the version released back in 1989.
Big Mike: Can we set the record straight about the connection between Cyborg & Masters of the Universe 2?
Tom Karnowski (Line Producer): Our background in making our own films for small budgets was actually a good fit with Cannon Films.
Cyborg grew out of the original plan to shoot Masters of the Universe 2 and Spider-Man back-to-back. We prepped in North Carolina and had cast the films, made costumes and started building sets...2 to 3 weeks before we were about to start shooting, Cannon pulled the plug. It was a weird situation; I think it was a rights issue. We had crew who’d sublet their houses in L.A. for the shoot and now couldn’t go home, and had to stay in hotels. We proposed the idea of doing another project Cyborg, as a way to take advantage of the work we’d done in North Carolina and the stuff we’d been creating for the other films.
The budget was low and they liked the idea as a vehicle for Jean-Claude’s second Cannon film after the success of Bloodsport.
Big Mike: What was the hardest aspect of producing the movie and why? How do you feel that Albert’s original vision for the film was affected by the issues that arose during production and post?
TK: As always it was tough producing the film for such a low budget, I can’t remember exactly how much we had, but it wasn’t a lot. We could have used more money for better visual effects etc, but we were really lucky to get the live action in the can for the money we had.
Big Mike: Albert, It’s great to see your directors cut, but I had also heard you’d recorded a commentary for the film and that there was also another idea you had, for an operatic cut of the movie? I’ve also heard talk of a proper prequel or sequel to the film. What can you tell us?
AP: The operatic version is the entire film in de-saturated B&W set to rock libretto, my audio commentary will accompany this release, and hopefully this will be coming out through MGM. There were two sequels that had nothing to really do with the original, and I’ve been developing a prequel/sequel that shows more of the genesis of everything seen in Cyborg, followed by a third act sequel which shows Fender’s body being recovered and turned into a monstrous Zombie/Cyborg hybrid. It would all end with slingers from across the country gathering in Atlanta to battle Fender. I’ve been talking to Michael Pare, Sasha Mitchell, Olivier Gruner, Vincent Klyn and Terrie Batson about the project, and they all seem very excited about the idea. We hope to do it this year, once we get the script right.
BREAKING NEWS: CYBORG: RISE OF THE SLINGERS
Albert Pyun returns to the post-apocalyptic world of Cyborg with his latest project Cyborg: Rise of the Slingers which is based upon Pyun’s original vision for the film, and a first teaser has been released which hints at what’s to come. According to Pyun, the film will explore the whole singer brotherhood and the evolution of the Flesh Pirates and just who Gibson Rickenbacker was before the world went to hell, and how Fender Tremelo turned from being one of the original slingers into the sick and twisted flesh pirate we saw in the movie. Oh and we might even find out why the slingers are named after guitar makers!
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We’re not big fans of either of the ‘official’ Cyborg sequels, although Cyborg 2 does boast an impressive cast including Elias Koteas and the young Angelina Jolie some 2 years before her appearance in Hackers caught people’s attention. The least said about the 3rd one the better!
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Tom Karnowski would go onto produce several more movies in cooperation with Albert Pyun including Captain America, Kickboxer 2, Hong Kong 97, Nemesis & its sequels as well as work on such projects as The Illusionist, Max Payne, Season of the Witch & one of his most recent projects as Executive Producer was The RZA’s martial arts film The Man With The Iron Fists.
Albert Pyun’s subsequent films include everything from Captain America, Kickboxer 2: The Road back, Bloodmatch, Nemesis, Kickboxer 4, Mean Guns, Tales of an Ancient Empire, Bulletface, Post Mortem and many more. He’s just begun work on Cyborg: Rise of the Slingers and has just finished post production on his semi-sequel to the classic Streets of Fire, entitled Road to Hell which sees Michael Pare returning to the screen as Cody one more time.
For the latest info on Pyun and his films log onto the Albert Pyun Facebook Page.
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CONTEST! Win Swag From ALL IN – THE POKER MOVIE
Next week on April 24th, All In – The Poker Movie will be released via digital retailers including Amazon and iTunes, with a DVD release to follow in July 2012.
Written and directed by Douglas Tirola, and produced by Susan Bedusa, Robert Greene and Tirola, All In – The Poker Movie chronicles the worldwide poker boom that started in the underground clubs of New York City and went on to be played at homes and casinos all around the globe. The film explains how poker has become the target of politicians who have tried to cut off the ability for millions to play and for many to make a living.
This documentary weaves the quest for the American Dream, the ability to take risks, and the celebration of entrepreneurship with a game that began with conmen on riverboats nearly two centuries ago. Poker has become a metaphor for making it big quick, and though millions play it, poker seems unable to escape it’s cinematic image of something done by people on the outside of society. The film’s extensive research, archival footage, and interviews with today's poker celebrities, as well as social commentators such as Ira Glass and Doris Kearns Goodwin make this the definitive exploration on this worldwide cultural phenomenon.
Among the recognizable names appearing within are Matt Damon, Frank Deford, Ira Glass, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Kenny Rogers, Bert Sugar and such poker luminaries as author Peter Alson, Annie Duke, Barry Greenstein, Chris Ferguson, Joe Hachem, Phil Laak, Phil Hellmuth, Howard Lederer, commentator Mike Sexton, Vanessa Rousso, Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston, author James McManus, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, inventor Henry Orenstein, Isabelle Mercier and World Series of Poker Media Director Nolan Dalla.
To celebrate the release, we're giving away a prize pack which includes an All In – The Poker Movie poster SIGNED by Chris Moneymaker and All In – The Poker Movie deck of cards!
To enter, please send an email with the subject header "ALL IN" to geekcontest @ gmail dot com and answer the following question:
What movie featured Matt Damon and Edward Norton as poker players?
Please include your name and address (U.S. Residents only. You must be 18 years old).
Only one entry per person and a winner will be chosen at random.
Contest ends at 11:59 PM EST on May 13th, 2012.
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WTF FRIDAY: Local News Station Covers Poopy Pants As Lead Story
I don't know what's worse, the fact that a slow news day equals a six-year-old's turd bomb during a test being broadcast as a breaking story or that the soon-to-be-horrified girl's mom decides that the tale of Fair Maiden Foamy Shorts needs to be shared with the world.
I'm guessing that there's gonna be a whole lot of therapy in that chick's future.
Source: Videogum
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WE ARE NOT COOL: Real Geeks v. Hipster Geeks
I watched Felicia Day’s new video, I’m the One That’s Cool, which I suppose was created to be geek-positive and make me feel all good inside over the fact that I spend most of my time watching Ice Pirates, but it didn’t.
Instead it pissed me off.
Look, I get that comics and sci-fi and all the other things that got my ass kicked in Junior High are now cool (thanks to technology and Marvel’s pact with the Devil to change all my favorite superheroes’ character arcs) but there’s something pretty evil about the fact that the very things that I was made fun of for loving are now available as trendy wallets at Hot Topic.
Being someone that eschewed flicks like Dirty Dancing in favor of sneaking into the late show of Amazon Women on the Moon or stayed up all night to play Castlevania did not make me popular or hip, it made me an outcast that was tormented and sad.
And, the fact that I had a tricked out Apple IIe did not get me laid at all despite it being an Apple product.
But I digress, back to the video and why I hate it.
First of all, the message of I’m the One That’s Cool is supposed to pertain to the fact that we geeks are now running the universe and all the people that hurt us in high school are ass hats (and are properly called out for it by a beautiful woman…You really showed them Ms. Day!), which would be great, except for the fact that Felicia and her popular ilk are not Geeks, they’re Hipsters who have a small grasp on the various Sci-fi/Fantasy/Comics/Role-Playing activities that are popular right now.
There’s a big difference between what kids who lived through the seventies and eighties with no access to the Internet had to deal with and what Hipsters imagine that geekiness actually entails.
Which is (in an entirely truncated way):
Real geeks/nerds/dorks know that the X-men comics started to suck after issue #200 and not because of the movies, that while we like Dr. Who just fine, there’s a part of us that still likes Red Dwarf more, and that while we might be productive members of society with bank accounts and sex lives now, we are always up for a rousing game of D and D with fellow travelers on a Saturday (and not once does any one drink Pabst because it’s cool…we drink it because it is the only beer left in the fridge).
So yes, although I appreciate the fact that I can wear the Preacher T-shirt that I made way back in 1998 to celebrate my crush on Garth Ennis (writer and creator) without someone calling me a dork-cunt (yes, I have been called that), at 38 I am still that weird girl who watched a VHS copy of Star Wars every afternoon after school so that I could recite every line verbatim for no other reason than because I wanted to (virtually guaranteeing me a teen life filled with pillow practice kissing).
And I am happy for it.
While the Geek It Girls like Felicia sing about a faux dork world and pretend that they are awesome now in spite of never having lived through a swirly at thirteen for carrying around a velvet bag of multi-sided dice, the real Geeks need to remind said Hipster Geeks that when it comes to Holy Nerdom, we don’t need outside approval for our weird obsessions (or a pre-shrunk destructed t-shirt of a Mooba) , all we need is each other.
And, perhaps a pristine Atari 2600 in its original box.
Now that would be sweet.
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HERE'S THE T-MOBILE GIRL WEARING BLACK LEATHER
I guess this commercial shows how fast T-Mobile is...I don't know, it's just something I caught my husband watching at 4am in his underwear.
He assured me he was researching cell-phone companies.
I totally believe him.
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PENELOPE CRUZ Joins The Cast Of THE COUNSELOR
Penelope Cruz may just be the next actor to join the growing cast of big names for The Counselor.
According to THR, Cruz is a front-runner for the role of Michael Fassbender's love interest. An offer hasn't been made yet, but that is expected to change very soon. The Ridley Scott project was written by Cormac McCarthy and already has Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt attached along with Fassbender.
The gritty drama is center on Fassbender's attorney character who decides that getting into the cocaine trade is a good idea. While his intentions were just to dip his toe in the water, he quickly realizes that it's an all or nothing sort of business. People with the script describe it as dialogue-heavy, violent, and racy.
There was also talk about Angelina Jolie for the same role, but is seems like she may have a conflict with shooting Maleficent which is slated to start filming in June in England.
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The Comic Feed 4/20/12
There’s oodles of news for you today on your comic feed for April 20, 2012.
The Drama Continues
After his announcement on Twitter regarding leaving DC Comics when his commitment to the Fairest arc ends, Chris Roberson brought about another announcement in the Roberson vs. DC Twitter drama, “Sorry to disappoint anyone, but I won't be writing a Fairest arc after all. It was decided my services were no longer required.”
Roberson has made no qualms about letting his feelings toward DC’s treatment of creators be known, which makes this announcement no surprise at all.
Earth Day Brings Free Digital Comics
Dark Horse’s digital store will be offering a free copy of The Massive, the story of a world that environmentalists couldn’t save, which is set to launch in June and written by Brian Wood (DMZ, Conan the Barbarian, and Northlanders). For 24 hours (12:01 AM to 11:59 PM) on Sunday, April 22nd (Earth Day) fans can download The Massive one shot, and for those that can’t get enough Dark Horse has even added a downloadable PDF to bring to your local comic store to add this title to your box.
In true Earth Day fashion, maybe emailing it to your local comic store would be a better idea.
Top Cow and Minotaur Press Ride Off Into the Sunset Together
Image Comics and Top Cow Productions are working with Minotaur Press to release their first original graphic novel, Sunset, a noir style tale of revenge and redemption. Writer Christos Gage (Avengers Academy, GI Joe: Cobra) and artist Jorge Lucas (The Darkness) are taking on the black-and-white hardcover graphic novel, published in the Minotaur Press digest format. The full 160-page graphic novel will be in stores July 18th; however, July 4th fans will have a chance to preview the first 22 pages in Sunset: First Look for only $1.00.
In an Image press release, writer Christos Gage said, “I couldn't be more excited or honored to be part of the very first original graphic novel from Top Cow and Minotaur Press. And their release of the $1.00 preview book containing the first chapter ensures everyone can sample it for a bargain price. Once people see Jorge Lucas' hard-hitting art and witness Nick Bellamy snarl hipsters into submission - not to mention kill three armed mobsters with a lightbulb, a paint can and some drain cleaner - I hope they won't be able to resist reading the rest of the story!”
Spike Flying Solo
Joss Whedon and Buffy fans rejoice, Dark Horse Comics announced fan favorite and anti-hero Spike, will be returning this summer in a new mini-series. Written by Victor Gischler (X-Men, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth) and drawn by Paul Lee (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Devil’s Footprints), Spike #1 will be available August 22, 2012.
Gischler, a Buffy fan himself, said, “What I love about working with Dark Horse on Buffy-related material is that they take great care to capture the feel of the characters and stories from the television show, of which I was a huge fan. Getting my hands on the characters I’ve loved so much over the years is a dream come true.”
Bringing the Magic Back
Expanding the Buffy universe even further, writer Jeff Parker (Thunderbolts, Agents of Atlas) and artist Brian Ching (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Witchblade), will be bringing the story of another Whedon fan favorite, Willow, to a new mini-series premiering this fall. Willow tells the story of the witch’s obsessive journey to recover her magic. Issue #1 will magically appear November 21.
Free Comics to Stop Piracy
One of my favorite stories in the Top Cow Universe, Artifacts, the story about 13 mystical artifacts being brought together to stop the threat to mankind, has been given a top spot on TopCow.com. Offering up a digital edition, the first 3 pages debuted this week, and each subsequent page will be put up for readers on Tuesdays.
Writer and proponent of stopping comic piracy, Ron Marz, said "Given my very vocal feelings about online piracy of comics, maybe people will be surprised to hear that I absolutely love the idea of giving away content. Artifacts #1 was written to be a ground-floor read, asking only curiosity from the audience, not requiring any knowledge of the Top Cow Universe or characters. You learn everything you need to know in the story. I absolutely believe a big part of comics' future is digital, so this is another step toward that future. All I've ever asked is that the people who own and/or create content be the ones who decide whether or not to give away their content. It's great that a publisher is choosing to do just that."
New Shadowline Title Grim Leaper
Image Comics Shadowline imprint is debuting a new series by writer Kurtis J. Wiebe (Peter Panzerfaust, Green Wake) and artist Aluisio Santos (RockStar). Wiebe said, "This is the gory love story you've been waiting for, a buckets of blood romantic comedy for the ages.” Grim Leaper sounds like a cross between television's Quantum Leap and Dead Like Me, with the hero jumping from body to body every time he dies, but then finding a grisly end to each of his new hosts.
Look for issue #1 in stores on May 30th.
New Venture for Comic Creators
The team behind Tiny Titans comics has taken their love of comics, and their hope to get kids reading comics, and put it into a new venture. Opening the doors to Aw Yeah Comics in Skokie, Illinois on May 5th, writer Franco Aureliani, writer-artist Art Baltazar, and retailer Marc Hammond say their new shop “celebrates and promotes everything that is wonderful about comics, toys, artwork, and the joy they bring to people.”
I see no more fitting way to celebrate comics than to open the doors to a new store on Free Comic Book Day.
#0 Releases for New 52 Titles
DC has announced that September’s expected New 52 issue #13s will be put off by one month, so they can release issue #0 of its titles as a special offering to celebrate the one year anniversary of the New 52 launch. Expanding on back story and character story lines that have yet to be revealed, the New 52 has been a money maker for DC, keeping them near the top spots on Diamond Comic Distributors' top ten.
Issue #13 of the New 52 will arrive in October.
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ROURKE, DAWSON, And MADSEN Return For SIN CITY 2
We're all going back to Sin City, and it looks like Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, and Michael Madsen will be there too.
Talking to MTV News, Robert Rodriguez confirmed that that Rourke will be back for his role as Marv. Though that's not really surprising considering the source material for A Dame To Kill For has a good chunk about him. Not only is Rourke returning but Rosario Dawson will also be coming back. In an interview with smashinginterviews, Michael Madsen also said that he will be in the sequel.
Madsen didn't say much about his role in the movie other than he would be in it and that there is going to be a panel in Ft. Worth, Texas soon where they are going to talk about the film. Like most other people he said "I'm looking forward to that." Rodriguez said that Rourke and Dawson are also excited to come back.
One of the big names not yet known for the sequel is Clive Owen. Early he said that he has "a fantastic time" and that he "would be interested in doing it." The first large story arc of A Dame to Kill For is about his character Dwight, although he's bald for part of that storyline. While it's always possible for another actor to jump into the role, if the scheduling can be worked out it's likely that he will be coming back. We'll keep you posted if we hear more.
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HANNIBAL TV Series Could Last Seven Seasons
Hannibal will tell the early backstory of the infamous serial killer and is planned to span seven seasons.
According to EW, creator Bryan Fuller is taking five pages from Thomas Harris' Red Dragon and stretching that into the first two seasons of the drama which he has said is planned for a seven season story that would see the killer working with the FBI to solve crimes before they find out who he really is and the terrible crimes he's committed.
Hugh Dancy stars in the show as an FBI profiler who works with Lecter before he has to later turn around and catch him as we've seen in the movies that have come out.
The show already has one 13-episode order and unlike other series this show will start as a dramatic police procedural but will drastically shift course when Hannibal is found out and the FBI starts to go after him. As EW stated, the 13 episode season prevents the story from being rushed but also is short enough that no episode will feel like pointless filler.
“Doing a cable model on network television gives us the opportunity not to dally in our storytelling because we have a lot of real estate to cover,” Fuller says. “I pitched a seven-season arc including stories from various [Thomas Harris] books.”
Fuller's challenge with the character is to show a person that the audience is supposed to like even though they know he is a killer. Instead of trying to pretend that the audience doesn't know, Fuller is using the fact that they audience knows and have an "Alfred Hitchcock principle of suspense -- show the audience the bomb under the table and let them sweat when it's going to go boom.
For the main characters, the creator of the show says “It really is a love story, for lack of a better description, between these two characters.” He added, “as Hannibal has said [to Graham] in a couple of the movies, ‘You’re a lot more like me than you realize.’ We’ll get to the bottom of exactly what that means over the course of the first two seasons. But we’re taking our sweet precious time.”
In addition to the well known characters, Fuller is also using some characters from Harris' novels but doing some gender swaps, Dr. Alan Bloom has become Dr. Alana Bloom and Freddy Lounds, the tabloid journalist is now a tabloid blogger named Fredricka Lounds. Jack Crawford the FBI boss will also be making a part in the show, he will be the same as the book version though.
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CATS IN SPACE
In the future the felines will rise up and enter the space race, searching the galaxy for the mythical ball of twine and yakking up various reeds of Martian swam grass.
At least that's what I think will happen...I could be wrong.
Source:Obvious Winner
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THE AVENGERS (ASSEMBLE) Review
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| By Dave Chapman |
Produced by Kevin Feige
Screenplay by Joss Whedon
Story by Zak Penn, Joss Whedon
Based on The Avengers by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Directed by Joss Whedon
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Stellan Skarsgård and Gwyneth Paltrow
This week I was lucky enough to not only see one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the year, but I also managed to spend a little time in the company of the cast at the UK Press Conference.
But the big question is, is Marvel’s The Avengers actually any good?
The Avengers is no exception. Knowing that the movie would feature a lot of characters who would each need to play to their strengths and work as a team, you hire the perfect writer/director for an ensemble piece - Joss Whedon. After all, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly are all about large groups of heroes, and Whedon is the master of giving them all witty dialog and a chance for each to shine.
With a screenplay by Joss Whedon, based on a story by Whedon and Zack Penn, The Avengers gives each of these strong characters a chance to develop, show off their strengths and progress their stories just a little while never forgetting the plot.
But, just what is the plot of the movie?
Okay, here’s where it may get a little spoilery, but I’ll try to keep it fairly simple and not give away too much.
At the end of Thor, Loki (Thor’s evil and manipulative brother) was seen tumbling off into space, while the end of Captain America: The First Avenger we’d witnessed the Red Skull using the Cosmic Cube, also known as the Tesseract, to fuel powerful weaponry, though the Cube was lost only to be recovered by Howard Stark. As seen at the end of Captain America in the “monk’s reward”, SHIELD has the Tesseract and had recruited Professor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) to unlock its secrets.
The Avengers opens with Loki, plotting with an alien race (seriously, turn away now if you don’t want to know...) known as the Chitauri (seen in the Ultimates comics as the Ultimate universe’s Skrulls) to open a portal to Earth to herald an invasion force, lead by Loki.
That’s about all you need to know for the plot.
It’s a simple alien invasion story, with an almost unbeatable force that requires “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” to team up and fight them off. While other movie franchises would take this simple conceit as an excuse to pump as much money into mind-boggling special effects and action set-pieces as it can, Joss Whedon manages to use this plot to focus our attention on what’s really important here - the characters.
Obviously, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) has most of the best lines and some of the coolest action, but he doesn’t dominate. After a slightly clunky opening sequence that initially had me worried, the moment Stark makes an appearance, and his quick dialog with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) you really see Whedon’s strong-point start to shine through.
With just a handful of plot developments that you’ll ponder about afterwards (why did they have to go to Germany again?) all of the main characters have been “Assembled” aboard the SHIELD helicarrier and the dialog can really start to spark. Whether it’s the characters arguing and bickering, or working together, the characters are always the key and the dialog drives them through every scene.
Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) may be a little short-changed with the witty one-liners, but he manages to hold his own in the action, and the seeds have been sown for some developments in the inevitable Cap sequel.
Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) have a chance to develop their characters a little since their supporting roles in earlier Marvel universe movies, and there’s hints at back-stories that are just itching to be revealed in their own respective spin-off movies. Johansson certainly has cause to celebrate with this film. Not only does Black Widow once again show that she can keep up with the fight scenes, but Joss Whedon manages to add some fragility to her character, and a little more emotional depth than she’d been given in Iron Man 2. Johansson does an excellent job of it too, look out for her conversation with Loki as a particular moment of genius in both writing and execution.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is as cool as ever, and his sequences with The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo being motion-captured while being the big green rage machine) are awesome. Though it does make you wonder if these characters are too powerful? That said, Ruffalo does an excellent job as the newcomer to the group. While it would have been fantastic if the ever brilliant Edward Norton could have reprised his role, Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of Banner’s inner turmoil and sadness will win you over very quickly.
The SHIELD storyline adds an extra level to the movie, and gives Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) chance to strut about and radiate cool.
Fan favorite Agent Coulson has a nice subplot regarding Captain America trading cards, and has some classy one-liners. If anyone should feel disappointed by the movie then it’s Cobie Smulders - her portrayal of Maria Hill is fine but she’s just not really given anything to do. Hopefully this will be rectified if the rumored SHIELD movie goes ahead - after all, Hill has a major role in SHIELD’s comic continuity, it’d be good to allow her film counterpart a chance.
With some awesome set-pieces all building to the huge final act, Whedon again shows that every one of the Avengers is important. This is especially evident in a gorgeous flowing sequence moving from one character to the next in the midst of the chaotic and highly destructive battle. The action is never too much, it’s never too confusing, and despite a post-3D conversion the 3D is astounding. It could so easily have become a mess of Michael Bay-isms, but thankfully the action here is in the hands of a much more subtle director.
It’s not a perfect film. You really cannot come into this film without some knowledge of the characters from the previous films at least.
As I mentioned, the opening sequence before the titlecard feels a little clunky, some of the plot feels a little forced, and some of the characters are given too little to do (we’re looking at you Cap and Hawkeye), but considering the number of characters and the amount of action involved while keeping true to both the Marvel movie universe and the Avengers’ comic roots, this is as close to a perfect Avengers film as we could ever hope for.
I’ll hopefully be seeing it again the moment it is released theatrically so I can take in even more of the wit, spectacle and humor and to see if there have been any changes made to the film, with the rumored extra filming that took place in the last couple of weeks.
I can’t wait to see where the Marvel movie universe heads next with Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, though if the end credits are anything to go by, we know what’s coming for Avengers 2! I just hope it’s Joss Whedon that brings it to life again.
Rating: 9/10
Dave Chapman is a writer, editor and designer of a number of tabletop RPGs, including “Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space” and “Conspiracy X”. Former comic publisher and self professed geek, if it’s remotely nerdy he’s interested. Favourite films are Inception and The Matrix, and he’s still obsessed with The X-Files.
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WILLIAM PETERSEN Has HURT PEOPLE
William Petersen will be headed to Cinemax for Hurt People, the new drama that he will also be executive producing.
According to Deadline, Cinemax has ordered a pilot for the new show which will be the return to TV for Petersen after being on CSI for over nine years. Peter Macmanus wrote the pilot which sees Petersen as a veteran hitman that is employed by the very same crime family that had his wife killed. He latest task is to hunt down his estranged daughter who now is "intent on destroying those responsible for her mother's death.
Cinemax is slowly developing it's own set of original show and Petersen is probably the biggest name they have attached right now, other than Alan Ball and his show Banshee. Hurt People does have the honor of being the first pilot order at the pay network. Its other shows Strike-Back, Hunted and Banshee went straight to series.
Petersen will be executive producing the project which was shopped to mostly cable networks because of the dark storyline and the freedom for the writers to do what they want.
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