Adventures in a Strange Land

New TV Roundup - Person of Interest

2011-09-25T13:07:00.000-07:00

The new crime drama from CBS, Person of Interest seems to have more in common with Minority Report than your typical CSI show. It follows presumed dead, ex-CIA operative John Reese as he's recruited by billionaire computer genius, businessman Mr Finch to prevent crimes before they occur. Although without a handy precog its a bit tougher than it may appear. Mr Finch has a computer program that gives him a list of social security numbers associated with people who will be involved in a violent crime in the near future. Unfortunately he doesn't know if the person will be the victim, the perpetrator, or involved in some other way. So its up to Reese to figure out the who, whats, and whys, before whatever crime is about to happen does.

Yes, the show does in fact star Jesus and Ben Linus! Caviezel and Emerson are both great actors, charismatic as hell, familiar with slightly skewed storytelling, and pretty much guaranteed to deliver the goods. Thankfully for the most part the scripting lives up to the actors playing the roles. The story is dense, and there are some great set ups for supporting characters, as well as interesting avenues for plot that will undoubtedly be looked down as the series goes on.

The action is great, well shot and fast paced. It also looks like a show that has a good budget, but doesn't need to blow it on overdoing anything. The action is intense, but human, and grounded. I'd say 8 times out of 10 I'd prefer to see a really well choreographed hand to hand fight scene than some stupid over the top gun battle. The human drama seems to be a real driving force here. But its not all action, there's a solid set up for a weekly mystery here. And being the serialized storytelling junkie that I am, there are also great potentials for ongoing stories. For anyone that gets the reference I'd liken it a lot to the comic book 100 Bullets, which is just about as awesome a story as you could hope for.

The look of the show is very deliberate too. The colors are muted grays, and browns, and greens. The action takes place a lot at night, and the city is dirty and oppressive. As the characters reference in the pilot, this is definitely a post 9-11 world, and the kind of work they're doing is a direct response to events that transpired out of the terror attacks. The show often cuts to security camera footage, complete with CIA-esque real time analysis. While it plays a specific role in the set up of the story, it also keeps us constantly in check. Big Brother is watching all the time. These guys are just acting on that information; hopefully for the betterment of everyone.

I definitely liked this show and hope to catch it again. I'm not sure if its an every week kind of show, but I'll definitely watch more if I can find the time. Person of Interest airs on Tuesdays at 9pm on CBS, but you can watch it on the CBS website too.
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New TV Roundup - Whitney

2011-09-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Whitney is a show that stars comedian Whitney Cummings as a fictionalized version of herself dealing mainly with her relationship to her long term boyfriend. They are a happy couple who love and support one another but don't feel the need to get married. That said, fearing relationship boredom Whitney uses unconventional methods to keep their relationship interesting. This is played out against funny quips from her wacky (to varying degrees) friends and family, and of course a pretty chock full laugh-track.

Ok, so since there doesn't appear to really be any inherent conflict in the set up here, I'm taking it to mean that this show is a character driven story. But before I get into that I just wonder why exactly there isn't anything actually going on in this set up? Is it just me or is it odd that there's no big hook for this show? Unless its just hooked by Whitney's comedy... maybe that's it. It's just odd, because I feel like most sitcoms have some kind of twist, other than the generally neurotic nature of the lead. Feels like something might be missing from the get go.

So ok, its a character driven piece, and Whitney Cummings is an actress and comedian. Apparently she's been a known entity for a while now with roles on Punk'd, Made of Honor, Chelsea Lately, The Tonight Show, a few of the Comedy Central Roasts, and a bunch of more traditional stand up stuff. I however, like a few of you out there I'm sure have only just heard of her now, although I did see Made of Honor, I don't think Whitney had a very big part. Anyhow, I know shes having a great fall with this show, and creating / producing 2 Broke Girls, but I am really just not feeling it. I don't know that I want to go so far as to say that she isn't funny, but everything here is very heavy handed. The jokes may not be telegraphed as much as they are on 2 Broke Girls, but they fall into the same category of slightly played out, obvious, and sitcomey kind of gags. And like with 2 Broke Girls, they're mostly just not that funny.

I'll say that I laughed a little bit more here than I did with 2 Broke Girls, but I liked the characters better with that show than with this and would ultimately be more drawn back to that show over more Whitney. Other than Maulik Pancholy, who gets a pass from me for all his great work on 30 Rock, no one in this cast stands out as particularly funny. Whether its a problem with the delivery, or the writing I'm not 100% sure; I just know I don't really like it. One thing I'm really 100% positive on though is that I hate the friggin laugh track. It's the same issue as with 2 Broke Girls, just tone it down and it might really help.

Ultimately will I be back for more Whitney? No I don't think so. I only have so much time for tv, and this does not seem like something I'll get a lot of laughs from.
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New TV Roundup - 2 Broke Girls

2011-09-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Yet another sitcom this time around from CBS, 2 Broke Girls follows two waitresses working at a diner in Brooklyn. The two are definitely an odd couple with Max, played by Kat Dennings, as a working class, sassy, and somewhat bitter girl, played against Caroline, portrayed by Beth Behrs, as a fallen debutante, once rich, fish out of water, Paris Hilton type of character. The two are of course oil and water, but somehow begrudgingly learn to like each other and by the end of the pilot are roommates and working to open a cupcake shop together.

Well if you've watched the trailer above, then you've seen everything in the pilot worth seeing. Strike that, I'm not sure it was worth seeing at all. I just can't get myself too excited about this show. Admittedly Kat Dennings is pretty charming, and really beautiful, but the most important thing about a comedy, it has to make you laugh and this pilot just didn't. I think I smiled at maybe three jokes the entire episode, and that's a very bad ratio of laugh to joke for a show like this. There is also an incessant laugh track reminding you of when you're supposed to think somethings funny; I'm just sorry to say it wasn't.

Maybe the show will get better, maybe the writing will get stronger as it goes on, but I'm not optimistic. I think the ratings we're pretty solid for the pilot so I'd guess it'll be around for a while, and I might give it another chance or two but 2 Broke Girls better get a lot funnier quickly or I'm leaving.

The show airs Mondays at 8:30pm on CBS, but you can catch episodes now on the CBS website.
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New TV Roundup - New Girl

2011-09-19T23:27:00.001-07:00

The show that is in my estimation the new sitcom to beat this Fall, New Girl, arrives on FOX later this week. But lucky for us, the pilot has landed on Hulu a bit early! The show stars the beautiful Zooey Deschanel as Jess, an awkwardly adorable girl who is trying to get over an unexpected breakup. She moves into a new apartment with three single guys as roomates, and pulls herself back together though one inelegant misstep at a time and some serious help from her friends.

So this show has a lot going for it, and it shows. Pilots are really tricky beasts having to serve many masters: getting a lot of introductory information out there, and then trying to engage an audience, all while telling whats hopefully a reasonably contained story to set up a series, its a daunting task and it often fails. Even great series sometimes have bad pilots, hell greats eries sometimes have bad whole first seasons. Something tells me though that this will not be the case with New Girl. The show is really strong right out of the gate. The writing is sharp, the characters are relatable albeit quirky and I don't think anyone could help but love Zooey Deschanel. Her character Jess plays into exactly the kind of role Zooey plays best, someone unique, free spirited, comfortable being herself, but also nerdy, awkward, and prone to putting her foot in her mouth. A weird and realistically complicated dichotomy that we can all relate to. Zooey Deschanel is a great everywoman, and the character rings true because she follows her heart.

We've all been in situations like Jess is in here, and I think we all wish we could have friends as sweet as the guys on this show prove to be. Jess is clearly the star of the show, but her supporting cast give her the ability to shine.

The show is a very quick watch, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more episodes. There are a lot of possibilities here and I want to see how it fares a few weeks from now once the chaff of a new tv season has been burned off. I sure hope people find New Girl and keep watching, because so far this is my favorite show of the new season.
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New TV Roundup - Death Valley

2011-09-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Now here's a series with a concept I can get behind. From MTV comes Death Valley, a new comedy series that plays as a mockumentary of a COPS style reality show. This time though it's about police officers in LA hunting down vampires, werewolves, and zombies.

And with the call "Now lets go out there and kill something", Death Valley just eviscerated its way into my heart. I have to say I was apprehensive of this show when I first heard of it. Sure it covers some ground that I enjoy with monsters galore, but I honestly wasn't sure the comedy would work, especially when paired with some seriously excessive gore. Generally I like my horror to be serious and scary, and its the rare case, like with Shaun of the Dead, when I think adding comedy works. Thankfully this show really does work, and for my money it's the strong writing that does it. The performances are decent, notably the police captain in charge of the UTF (Undead Task Force) played by Bryan Callen has some fantastic delivery. The writing though, is what makes this show really tick. The characters are drawn to extremes but aren't cartoony, they're just eccentric. They're all likable though, which is significant since at least for the first few episodes there isn't too much continuing story to latch onto; and while it looks like perhaps later in the season there will be some ongoing story threads this seems like a character driven show.

It is gory, with a few effects that fall flat (obvious CGI, or obvious makeup) but the tone is so darkly silly, not unbelievable, just extremely silly that it doesn't matter. It's also pretty crude at times, with some raunchy, violent, or just kind of distasteful graphic humor, but in the context of the show I think it works. When one of the cops actually punches through the head of an oncoming zombie you can tell the show has some pretty broad sights for where they're willing to take the comedy, and that's brave. Edgy comedy is always interesting, even if it passes what I would normally like.

The show airs Monday on MTV and the first 3 episodes are up to watch on their website now. This certainly isn't for everyone but if you like twisted, dark, and bloody comedy check it out.
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New TV Roundup - Free Agents

2011-09-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

NBC is bringing another dysfunctional workplace rom-com to our TVs this Fall with Free Agents. Based on a Britcom of the same name, the show stars the always lovable Hank Azaria as Alex a middle aged guy who is trying to put his life back together after a divorce, by most significantly. getting back into the dating scene. His major complication, other than the fact that he's a complete wreck a lot of the time, an idiot with women, and cries at the drop of a hat, is his co-worker Helen, played by Kathryn Hahn. After a drunken one night stand the two realize that maybe they can't keep it strictly professional anymore as an attraction builds. But Helen is dealing with her own problems as she works through the death of her fiancee a year ago, and tries to put her own life back on track. So the question remains can these two dysfunctional people get over themselves enough, to find each other and make a relationship work?

I have to admit, I really didn't expect to like Free Agents. Something about the trailer seemed predictable to me, and the subject matter isn't especially relatable since I'm happily married, but I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised by the pilot to this show. The writing is clever, the story isn't hackneyed at all, and most importantly the actors and characters are totally sympathetic, even in their personal neurosis. The main actors give really strong performances, never making light of their problems, in the context of the show these characters are acting exactly how they should. Ultimately that means that the laughs that are earned, and amazingly they really are earned, through the characters rather than the plot are totally genuine.

Additionally I have to mention the wonderful supporting cast here, Anthony Stewart Head plays the absent minded, and somewhat lurid boss of the PR firm where the characters work, in a role that he actually originated in the original British version of the show. And comedians Mo Mandel and Al Magrigal play Alex's co-workers trying to help him get back on the dating horse. There is a lot of comedic chemistry on screen and I think its due to these actors being real pros, and of course some really strong writing.

I'm interested to see where the story goes from here, and intend to watch more. I'd recommend you check it out too. The pilot for Free Agents is on Hulu now, and the show will run on Wednesdays alongside Up All Night.
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New TV Roundup - Up All Night

2011-09-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

One of the most buzzed new sitcoms this Fall has to be Up All Night, starring the talents of Christina Applegate, and Will Arnett. The show follows new parents as they struggle to balance raising their daughter, working, and their changing lives.

The show absolutely sounds promising, with charming and charismatic stars (alongside the incredible Maya Rudolph who co-stars as Applegate's celebrity diva boss) you'd think this would definitely be one to watch. However, while I think it could turn into an interesting show, based on the pilot alone, it's simply not all its cracked up to be.

The actors are great, Applegate and Arnett really are extremely likable as their characters try to find a balance between their old lives and a new one, but they're written so conventionally. Yes, they used to be party animals, and are working to give up the swearing in front of their daughter, but why is that so unique? Most of the parents I know have similar stories, that's just how it is, everyone knows your life changes when you have kids. So what makes these two stand out? So far I'm not at all sure. If they're not saying something new with the comedy, then they should at least have a new take on the situation.

Speaking of which, the circumstances of the situation they're placed in isn't very groundbreaking either. Applegate is heading back to work after having the baby, and Arnett is staying at home, theoretically giving us some decent gender reversal comedy opportunities. But that's nothing new, that's been mined well since at least Mr Mom. And Applegate's work life at a daytime talk show, dealing with Maya Rudolph should be funny, but its really off tone with the rest of the story. Maybe the problem is that Up All Night hasn't defined how realistic it is or isn't yet, and whenever Rudolph is on screen it becomes a lot less realistic and much more silly.

On the plus side the show is shot really nicely, and I liked the art direction a lot. Its' got a very modern look, and feels... I think fashionable is the word I'm looking for.

That said, I wonder exactly who NBC thinks this show is for? Young parents? Singles? People in relationships? As a relatively young parent myself, the whole thing strikes me a bit off and I think the problem is the timing. Our lead characters ultimately play good parents, or at least relatively good parents, which is nice; but they act like they are struggling because this is their first day on the job. Their daughter looks to be at least 3-4 months old, and of course they also had 9 months of pregnancy to mentally and practically prepare to be parents, the fact that the characters act like they are only just dealing with being parents for the very first time now is totally unrealistic, and for me that throws the entire show off.

So the bottom line is that even with a very charismatic cast Up All Night fails to break, or really even bend, any comedy molds. I might give it another shot or two since I like these actors so much, but it'll have to step up, since the pilot just wasn't that funny, and the characters weren't very believable.

The pilot for Up All Night is on Hulu now, and the series starts airing regularly on NBC this Wednesday the 21st.
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Podcasting Gold

2011-09-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know I hosted a podcast for a few years starting back in 2005. The show was called the On Hold podcast and was a topical, entertainment, and humor show that involved lots of drinking, a little drugs, some far too personal stories, and entertainment news of the day. Really it was a lot of fun and I miss it. However in 2008 I got a new job that kept me far too busy to podcast regularly, and I got married, had kids, etc etc... And it all just kind of slipped away.

But I've always been an avid fan of podcasting, and to this day spend much of my travel time listening to my favorite shows. Over the years the landscape has changed a lot, and I think my tastes have changed a bit too. While it used to be a online wild west audio free-for-all it seems like now the podcasting world is taming into something more polished and respectable. Not to lessen anything they've done for the medium but the days of Adam Curry and Dawn and Drew are past; for my money there are so many wonderful and truly professional podcasts out there now the stakes are raised to a whole new level. Sure there's still room for the little guy, sure there's still room for niche markets (that's the beauty of this kind of narrow-casting), and the medium is legitimately still evolving, but I think the big players are pretty much all on the field now. We'll just have to see where it goes from here.

I mention the changing landscape, and my history with podcasting because I've got a few recommendations that I wanted to throw out here and it might help to have some context. Over the past two years or so, a ton of professional comedians have gravitated into the podcasting world, and it seems like a natural fit. Frankly I'm surprised its taken so long, but as listeners we're really lucky to get access like never before to some great comedians. So here are some of my favorite comedy podcasts out there that I'd recommend to anyone.

Doug Loves Movies - Recorded live (usually at the UCB theater in LA), the show has a great hook in one of the most entertaining movie trivia games ever, and stoner comedian Doug Benson always has great comedy guests. This is my favorite podcast right now.

Comedy Bang Bang - Scott Aukerman hosts this great podcast with more of a radio show interview style. He brings on comedian guests to chat, and always keeps it funny, with good questions and fun games. Guests often come, and stay in character the entire episode. Very funny.

WTF - Despite some serious neurosis from comedian host Marc Maron, his comic interview show is so damn entertaining you can't help but listen. His guests include big name comedians and his interviews are simply put fantastic. He's a natural interviewer and manages to almost casually get great insights from some of the biggest comics of all time.

Hollywood Babble-On - Director Kevin Smith is no stranger to podcasting. I've been listening to his Smodcast for 5+ years now. But this, one of his newest podcasts (he has an entire network of them) is really the perfect one for me. Great comedy moments between Kevin and co-host Ralph Garman, generally covering geeky and fun entertainment news of the week, the show is constantly moving and always interesting.

There are so many more shows that I like but I find I just don't have time for them all. What's really nice though as a trend is that people who are professionally funny are finally picking up the podcasting microphone, producing some great content. There is treasure trove of information and comedy being chronicled right now in podcasting and its really very cool. I've discovered lots of comics that I might not have heard of before, especially since I have two young kids and can't get out that much. So now I know about people like Andy Daly, Jessica St Clair, and Paul F Tompkins and can look for them in the future.

So its not really about the technology or novelty of podcasting itself anymore, now its really about the content, and that's why I love it. I'd really recommend you check out any of the podcasts I mentioned above and let me know what you think.
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Earth's Mightiest Heroes

2011-08-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

So I've been really getting into the Avenging spirit lately, have you?

Last week I saw Captain America: The First Avenger and it was one of my favorite superhero films of all time. Director Joe Johnston just nailed the tone and look. Everyone keeps referencing his work on The Rocketeer, which was great, but Don't forget he also made a few clunkers so I'll say I was really pleased to see he brought his A-game to this one. Minor nitpicks like the way they killed off Bucky aside the film delivered on all fronts especially the cast. The film has pitch perfect casting and really great performances all around. For anyone who hasn't seen it yet I'd obviously, highly recommend it.

So as we all should know by now, Caps story is dovetailing into next summer's big Avengers film, being directed by none other than Jon Favreau. The movie will bring together every geek's wildest comic to film dreams, with Captain America joining Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow on Marvel's premiere super team The Avengers. There's already a short teaser trailer up for the film, and if you missed it the first time, the ending and credit sequence to The First Avenger, give us a bit more teaser goodies on the upcoming film.

I'm pretty stoked about The Avengers movie, since I've been a Marvel fanboy for a very long time. While I was never a huge Avengers follower, preferring to stick mostly with Spider-Man and some of the cosmic guys like Silver Surfer, I always enjoyed seeing my favorites interact with the Avengers, and whenever there was a big company wide event storyline I was always excited. The trick as with any ensemble cast is to make sure everyone gets enough screen time, and that it all serves the story. With this creative team involved though I am heartily optimistic.

I also just recently finished watching the first season of the latest Marvel cartoon on Netflix, and it couldn't have gotten me more in the mood for some Avengers action. The cartoon, which launches into its second season this October on DisneyXD, is of course The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

The first season consists of twenty six 22 minutes episodes and will set you up really well with everything you'd want to know about the Avengers and more. All of the major players are introduced and explored, as well as most of the major villains, and even a few of the bigger storylines are tackled in this first season. As anyone who's read The Avengers comic even a little bit like me knows, the team has had a few different makeups over the years and Earth's Mightiest Heroes is no different. After the obligatory origin episodes, which I'm actually very glad they didn't rush through, the team lineup features: their team leader Iron Man, along with Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Ant Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, and Black Panther. Additionally a few other 'Avengers-to-be' make regular appearances, like Black Widow, and Wonder Man. What's great about these characters and the writing, headed up by Christopher Yost, is that everyone is given time to develop organically, we get a great balance of character moments where the players actually grow throughout the season and amazing battle sequences where the viewer is treated to just minute after minute of perfectly choreographed battle scenes.

If you think you're even remotely interested and you have Netflix streaming, I'd really recommend checking it out. The season is available for instant streaming right now, and if you only want to give one or two episodes a try, jump ahead to the two parter The Breakout, which kicks the season into high gear and gives a good sample of the action to come.

While I was on a Netflix streaming kick I realized that there are a lot of other Marvel superhero shows online. The 90s cartoons of X-Men, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Unlimited, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Silver Surfer are all available in their entirety right now; although Fantastic Four, and perhaps to be expected the pretty awful Avengers: United They Stand cartoons are not there. Other great Marvel cartoons are though, including the Spider-Man 1967 series, the first of the excellent two season Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, X-Men: Evolution, Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, and the first season of the currently airing Iron Man: Armored Adventures (season 2 is in full swing now on Nicktoons). Unfortunately, none of the other more recent Marvel animated series (Wolverine and the X-Men or any of the Marvel anime projects) are available yet; nor are any of the other older Marvel animated series like the classic Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. That said there is also one more cool new series that is available on instant Netflix streaming that should be checked out: Black Panther the animated series. While I understand why fans we're a bit disappointing to learn that this miniseries (its only 120-ish minutes long in its entirety) wasn't much more than a souped up motion comic, I'd still really urge you to have a look. If you like motion comics, then you're in luck, this is probably the best produced motion comic ever with voice talents that include the amazing Djimon Hounsou, Alfre Woodard, and Kerry Washington. Also it's got a pretty kick ass opening title sequence with a catchy song.

If from all my babbling you can't tell yet, I am a pretty huge fan of these Marvel superheros. I love seeing how they work solo, getting in depth on their backstory and rogues gallery; but I'm also a huge fan of when they meet, crossover, and have excellent adventures together. That's why I'm so looking forward to the Avengers movie. A great crossover crossover is in the making and I don't think anyone would have anticipated that it could be done on such a scale in a live action form. For us fanboys this is a dream come true, and for everyone else, we'll this is the best time ever to get into a hero or three. I'm sure we'll get into more Avengers goodness as the film approaches release next summer, but until then count me very excited!
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What I Learned From the Pod People

2011-08-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

With all the great, and not so great, alien invasion stories out there these days I thought now would be a good time to look at that particular sub group of sneaky aliens who do more than just send an armada to conquer our planet, but the ones who actually impersonate humans. It seems like everytime an alien is impersonating a human it spells big trouble. They're always up to some nefarious plot, and I can only be thankful that we've got an abundance of plucky young scientists, journalists, or blue collar police officers constantly on the lookout for the vile tricksters. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts from a plucky young blogger (that's me!) on what to be on the lookout for when dealing with the pod people.

Show me some more of this Earth thing called kissing...

Aliens are horny. Seriously; just think about it. Aliens must either have totally different concepts of sex, or just never experienced the wonders of a romp in the hay because they seem to always want to get it on with humans. Does it make sense? No, of course not. Would you want to screw the first Grey you met? My guess is not. But everything from Earth Girls are Easy to My Stepmother is an Alien has told us that all ET really wants is to get busy with a human. The tricky thing though is that most of the time its more like Splice, or even worse Species... Sure it may be the best sex ever, but aliens obviously like it rough in the sack and are usually just as willing to kill a human as screw them.

They may look good, but whats with the voice?

How come an advanced alien culture can create perfect doppelganger bodies of humans, imitate us in every way and blend into our society secretly but just can't get that voice right? From The classic The Invasion of the Body Snatchers to The Thing, more recently The Invasion aliens seem to have a weird thing about screaming in a decidedly un-human way. Just check this out.

Those Tricky Human Emotions

Of course the biggest tell for an alien among us is their utter lack of understanding of those pesky human emotions. Yes its a proven fact, aliens do not know the meaning of the word love. That is of course until they meet that one special human who can show them the depth of emotion. Even still this is the toughest thing aliens will ever have to learn about humans, our emotions are just too complex for them to easily grasp, despite their incredibly advanced technology. And that's why we will always prevail. Again, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers comes to mind here, as does The Arrival, and of course, if you want to talk about our unique and special emotional makeup you need look no further than the oh so disappointing ending to Contact.

Here's the take away from all this though, aliens are not all E.T and Alf. Aliens are tricky, and when they show up in their Edgar suit we should be careful. My advice: find the weakness and exploit it. Weather its a tasty rat that they can't help but gobble up, or a hot wire in a dish of blood, we need to step up our game and be on the lookout. In a best case scenario we'll at least have a fighting chance, like my hero Rowdy Roddy Piper in They Live. I definitely need some of those sunglasses for myself :)

In case you haven't seen it yet, below is the trailer for the newest version of The Thing, it comes out this October, and it looks awesome! Also if you're a fan of Carpenter's 1982 version of the film, you've really got to check out Escape Pod from a few weeks ago with a great story tied into that film called The Things, its really worth the listen.

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When to give up on a show

2011-07-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a question I recently heard posed on the Television Zombies podcast. When do you give up on a tv show? For me, probably like a lot of you, it's not any set specific moment but a culmination of things that will make me either give up, or power through.

I really think we've moved past the "jumped the shark" moment in our media watching culture to some new stage of acceptance. As unfortunate as it initially sounds, even if you want to find a point to label as the moment it all started to go downhill for any particular program, I find that I rarely if ever let that single moment stop me from watching a show. So am I just more accepting of substandard tv than I used to be? No. I think instead that I, and we as a television watching culture, understand now that over the lifespan of a show there is a natural ebb and flow. Serialized storytelling is understood and accepted on such a better level by the general public than it was even 5 or 10 years ago that I think we've started looking at our shows on a larger scale rather than any the success or failures of one single episodic chapter. There are distinct advantages as well to sitting through some level of tv crap to get to the good stuff. Shows often need to find their legs, voice, and tone; as well as refine their characters and relationships over the course of a first season for example. And larger stories understandably have bigger payoff in the end. I think we're also so much more aware of the process of creating television these days that we give writers, directors, and actors the benefit of the doubt more. Third acts are tough to put together and often lag, but we all know that now, so I think we're more forgiving.

The really annoying thing though, is that networks still don't seem to understand that. Shows with great potential are still mercilessly cut down before they're given a chance to find themselves every Fall and its a real shame. Thankfully there are a few exceptions to this trend as is the case with Falling Skies, which is not a very good show, but one that can hopefully get better as it moves into a second season.

Recently I watched the entire 18 episodes of Caprica with my wife. Is it a great show? No, not at all. The actors may have all been really great, and the writing wasn't bad, but the show lacked the direction, sense of mystery, and action of BSG. Additionally it all but complete ignored the large and complex mythology already established for the series through Battlestar and instead focused on stories that their already built in audience didn't care about. The show turned its back on a fanbase that wanted to love it from the start, and that's why it failed. But would I have watched more? YES. The show had potential, possibly even as much potential as Battlestar Galactica itself. And given even the little I know about the behind the scenes of Caprica, it sounds like the creators were still really looking for the right tone to strike on the show.

What might we have seen in Caprica if it was given a second season? I think the answer to that could have been really amazing television. And I think that's never more clear than in the final 5 minutes of the last episode, which was shot after they knew the series was ending, but actually starts to tie the series into the larger mythology that we all know and already care about. Those 5 minutes proved to me that there could have been something great in store for Caprica.

On the other side of the coin comes a show like SyFys newest original series Alphas.

This show is one I feel I've given enough of a chance to, and almost immediately after only two episodes, have decided to stop watching. My reason? Lack of potential. This story is pretty close to an exact ripoff of the X-Men, but lacks the fx budget for anything visually interesting. Additionally even if the characters might develop into something more nuance, their set ups are so cookie cutter that I just can't roll with it. The autistic super genius is a great example of a shallow, played out character concept. The only even remotely interesting character on the show is David Strathairn's Professor X, I mean Dr Rosen... everyone else is totally forgettable. So really it's not just the unoriginal concept, but the bland characters, and low fx budget that combine to put this show on my chopping block. Could it come back? Could I hear about it becoming great somewhere down the line? yes, but I doubt it.

We may be a more forgiving tv watching culture in some ways, but we're also more critical in others, and I suppose that comes down to the fact that we're just more savvy viewers than ever before. So deciding when to give up a show isn't an easy question to answer anymore, but its definitely still an interesting one to ask.
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Falling Skies thoughts

2011-07-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

So I've been watching Falling Skies on TNT this summer and as much as I want to like it, I just can't. Some of the action beats and science fiction elements may be really great, and the actors, on the whole, are solid, but the "heartfelt" family drama moments are just so schmaltzy that I can't take the show seriously.

I think this is a case of trying to be too much at once. I understand that Steven Spielberg is the executive producer and all but the show is trying way to hard to straddle that line between family fare, and science fiction. But this is not ET, and it's definitely not Close Encounters. The science fiction elements aren't served by the melodrama, and the feel good family elements are too saccharine. Every time I want to start liking this show a scene just dripping with sentiment ruins my enjoyment.

With all that said, I want to love this show, and am still rooting for it. There's potential here for some really interesting storytelling that has never been seen on television. I would welcome a show with this same central idea that framed itself as a mystery. Something like Falling Skies that instead delved more into who the alien invaders are, why they're here, and what's their plan would be fascinating. As it is though, I'm left wanting a better story out of pretty much every single episode. That's not to say the show couldn't turn itself around in a second season, I sincerely hope they re-focus on the mystery of the skitters in 2012 now that they know the show is returning for a second season, and drop some of the heavy handed family drama. Then, and only then will the show even have a chance to live up to its potential.

If you haven't seen Falling Skies and are interested, its only 10 episodes long for the first season, and can be watched here.

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ASM teaser

2011-07-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

The teaser trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man has hit the internets and its pretty interesting. I'm loving elements of it: the look, the actors, the lighting, and creepy darker vibe than the previous films; but am also a bit wary of the parkour running montage (looks like something out of Mirror's Edge), and while I'm digging the mechanical web shooters, I'm not so sure about the suit as a whole. Here is the trailer itself.

I have to admit, I have not been following the production ins and outs on this one. Just been too busy... But if you know me, you know I am a pretty huge Spider-Man fan, so really any way it comes together I am excited about this film. 2012 looks like it'll be a great summer for movies!
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John Carter trailer

2011-07-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

The trailer for John Carter has dropped and I'm torn on it. Part of me loves it, and part of me is extremely wary of the potential for cheese. The worrisome part to me is that the trailer just looks a bit over polished (not that anything Disney makes ever doesn't), but it has something just a bit dangerously "pretty" about it. While that may just be Taylor Kitsch, it makes me nervous. The good part though is the sword and sandal stuff. I like how the story mixes the old west with sci fi. I've heard that in the book John Carter is a Civil War veteran and I can't tell if that's been kept for this film but the juxtaposition in the trailer between Earth and Mars is pretty cool regardless. Check out the trailer and see what I mean.

It's like a mix between Prince of Persia with He-Man, and a dash of Avatar meets the old west. Definitely a combination I haven't seen on film before. Despite it being a bit too... Disney I have to admit I really love the song being played, and the voice over by Willem Dafoe at the end is great. Really anything read by Willem Dafoe would be great. For ow, I'll definitely say I'm interested.

For those who are interested the song played is a Peter Gabriel cover of an Arcade Fire song "My Body is a Cage", and the novel on which this first John Carter movie is based on A Princess of Mars is available on Project Gutenberg. One of these days I'll get around to reading it myself :)
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Panic Attack!

2011-07-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

According to the webs the man who will be behind the planned remake of Evil Dead will be director Fede Alvarez. I'm not familiar with him since he's only done shorts before, and I'm not sure how I feel about a remake of such a classic film, but I suppose you can't stop progress.

Check out Alvarez's really awesome short film Ataque de Panico! (aka Panic Attack!)

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Prequel ideas

2011-07-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

So recently my wife and I have been catching up on Caprica. We missed it during its first run on tv, but are both fans of BSG, and I've been really enjoying it so far. I know its not as great as BSG, but for my money, its really not bad, just different. Also, I appreciate that they're not trying to do another BSG show with Caprica.I like the fact that with Caprica they at least tried to break the mold. Of course that all goes back to square one with Blood and Chrome, but I give them props for trying something out of the box.

Watching this really involved prequel got me thinking about other stories that could benefit from a good involved prequel. Now, part of the problem intrinsically with prequels is that usually the story is picked up when it does because the backstory gives depth, layering, and if you went into it there might not be too much there. But I'm not talking about something quick here, I'm suggesting that there are some stories that have compelling enough backstories hinted at that could be built out into a cool ongoing series, or miniseries. Of course that's not to say it would be done well. We all know how the Star Wars prequels worked out and they were quite literally born out of a single line about Luke's father and Ben Kenobi fighting in the Clone Wars. But lets still have some fun and speculate on what could be. Here are some of my picks for good prequel candidates. Please note though that my thoughts on these are spoiler heavy, and VERY in-depth geeky, so be warned :)

AKIRA - Ok, so I know the manga has a lot more to the story than we saw in this classic 1988 film, but I haven't read that and my guess is you haven't either. From what I can tell as well, even the manga doesn't go too much into the backstory. What we know from the film though is that it all started with Akira, a little boy with incredible psychic power. He, probably unintentionally destroyed Tokyo in 1988 (in the manga it was in 1992, but for the film, they changed the destruction date to the very day the film opened), and then was captured, cryogenically frozen and woken up 31 years later by Tetsuo, only to cause the destruction of Neo-Tokyo. Now I love Kaneda as much as the next guy but this prequel could practically write itself. Set it immediately after the destruction of Tokyo. Imagine the immediacy of a just destroyed megacity, the fight for survival, the struggle for power, maybe the rise of the biker gangs among the lawless ruins, and everyone looking to capture and control this one little boy. That could be a great story, especially as a cool live action series. Hopefully we'll get something if the planned live action film ever gets made.

Transformers - Call me sentimental but I have a soft spot for giant metal alien robots kicking the crap out of each other. Through the life of the various tv series, movies, games, comics,and yes even novelizations of the TF lore there have been a number of different versions of the backstory for the Transformers. And while there have been some attempts to reconcile the varying continuities the main historical points are similar. A race of giant sentient robots was created on an alien world long long ago, eventually they took control of the world and split into two factions, the Autobots and the Decepticons, and since then they have been trying to kill each other, with their battle eventually spilling over to Earth. What I'd love to see out of an animated Transformers prequel series is finally some context for The Great War. The biggest problem with the Transformers is that there is almost never any discussion of ideology. Why the hell are they actually fighting? The explanations of simple power, and control aren't very satisfying. My vote is to run with the current continuity, meaning Transformers the War for Cybertron game, and the Transformers Prime tv series, and give us a look at the start of the Great Cybertronian War, and the origins of Optimus and Megatron's personal conflict, as seen in the prequel novel Transformers Exodus. Despite really wanting a return to the Beast Wars universe, this could be something pretty damn cool.

The Dark Crystal - Ok, so follow this with me for a second. The Dark Crystal's protagonist may be just a Gelfling, but it also features the good Mystics (actually named the UrRu) and the Skeksis. These two races are actually both two halves of another race the Urskeks, who appear at the end of Henson's classic 80s fantasy film. The Urskeks are actually higher enlightened beings (supposedly) who while trying to use the Crystal of Light to literally burn out their remaining imperfections in their souls split themselves into two halves of a whole, good and evil. then during the ensuing fight with themselves the crystal was shattered became the Dark Crystal, and started our story in the film a mere 1000 years later. My thought though is to follow the shard itself, that's the key. How did the shard end up with Aughra, who is she, and how did the world of Tra become what it is? We know that the Skesis sought to destroy all of the Gelflings since there was a portentous prophecy of a Gelfling one day destroying the Skesis empire, and we also know that there were 18 mystics / skeksis to start with, but only 10 when the film opens, there is definitely more to this story than we've seen. And yes I know about Toykopop's Legends of the Dark Crystal comic, but I've only read the first volume of that, so they may have tread on some of this ground there. With that though this is definitely something I think could be a cool story to finally get some insight into. This one might work best as an ongoing comic, and we may even get some of it in Archaia's planned comic series which is set to be at least partly a prequel. Conversely, the long in development Power of the Dark Crystal film is slated to be a sequel. Oh well, at least we're getting something new.

The Neverending Story - So not to get too lost in Germanic philosophy, the eternal return, or anthroposophic thought, but The Neverending Story is an amazing movie. I really have to read the book one of these days, I know everyone loves it, but its just one of those things that has slipped past me over the years. The movie however is close to my heart. I am basically discounting the sequels, tv series, or animated series as non cannon here because really aside from Jonathan Brandis, can you remember anything about any of the sequel films? Me either, although I have a sneaking suspicion that they are all terrible. Ok so I know its an oxymoron to ask for the origins of a neverending story, but really that's what I'd like to see. Where, when and how did pure belief become manifest into the world of Fantasia. Who created the AURYN, and of course the book itself. Id expect something pretty 'meta' here, but hopefully they could keep it action fantasy orientated too. We need more good family films like this could be. Apparently there is a reboot of the 80s film in the works slated for 2014, hopefully this one will keep some of the same magic that made the original great.

Firefly - Of course this one was coming. Anyone who'se seen Firefly or Serenity though should know that it was a story with great potential that was cut tragically short. I'd love to see a reinvisioning of this universe and what better place to do that than during the great Unification war. In the Firefly lore, the Unification War saw the outlying planets and moons, the ones deepest in the black, try to resist Alliance control over their worlds to little success. The fighters for freedom were of course the browncoats, and the final battle of the war, The Battle of Serenity Valley is where Mal meets Zoe in the story. I'd propose a whole new series though, about the soldiers during this war, the browncoats, the Independents fighting for their little scrap of lawless backwater and honestly not include any of the original Firefly storyline or characters, just the 'Verse. You see the thing about Firefly that made fans flock to it, especially after it was dead and buried was the heart. Joss Whedon has a knack of creating families on his shows and no where is it more apparent than in Firefly where he created what some consider the best television show ever in 14 short episodes. This heart is exactly whats needed in a new prequel series, something that should be easy to build between soldiers on the frontline.

Ok, well those are 5 ideas for prequels that I think would all work great. A few bonus ideas for stories warranting prequels are Time Bandits, and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. What are some of your prequel ideas?
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Open Sesame

2011-07-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

As older son is reaching appropriate viewing age recently (he's just about 2 and 1/2 now) my wife and I have ever so slowly been introducing him to the some of the finer television programs out there. However since me and my wife both work in and around media all day we're pretty wary of overexposure, so at least for now are doing our best to limit both time and content.

The first program I introduced was Fraggle Rock. As many of you may know I am a HUGE Jim Henson fan and the Fraggles have always had a really special place in my heart. A few years back when I bought the show on dvd I was delighted to read the wonderful liner notes accompanying the discs. Among the notes is a very sweet letter written by Lisa Henson explaining how her father had a vision to bring peace on earth through song, communication, and like-minded fraternity between all creatures. And his vehicle for this world changing harmony was to be the Fraggles, with the children as disciples. The letter is so genuine it made me honestly fall in love with Henson and the muppets all over again. My son has been enjoying the Fraggles for a couple of months now, but while he likes the songs, the stories are a bit too complex for him to follow.

So this of course led us to Sesame Street. Who out there doesn't love Sesame Street? The show is great, and while it has correctly evolved with the changing times, there's something almost magical about some of the older Sesame sketches. The were more than influential to me, they were defining. They taught so much more than the ABCs and counting, Sesame Street is a show about the entire world around you and figuring out who you are as a person. I recently picked up the first volume of the Sesame Street Old School series (which highlights the first 5 years of the shows broadcast) and have been really loving sharing it with my son.

So in honor of all things Sesame Street, here are some of my favorite classic clips from the show:

Bert and Ernie - Fish Call

I Can Remember

We All Sing the Same Song

African Alphabet

I Am Somebody

Now if that Jesse Jackson speech isn't empowering I don't know what is. For me that was always one of my favorite and I think probably the most important quality to Sesame Street: it never ever talked down to kids. Most children's programming needs to adpot that attitude.

If you enjoyed that here are a few other favorites of mine:
Bert and Ernie in a Pyramid, Kermit Rapunzel, Alphabet Soup, Golden AN, Lost Boy Remembers, Teeny Little Super Guy, Pinball, King of 8, Alligator King, Echo Song, Ladybug Picnic, Doin the Pigeon, John John counts, Cookie Monster Alphabet, Fiest - 1, 2, 3, 4, I Love my Hair, Smell Like a Monster, Wil.i.am - What I Am

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Iron Man 2 trailer

2009-12-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

Looks awesome :)

Iron Man 2 comes out May 7th, 2010.
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Disney to acquire Marvel for $4 billion

2009-08-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

The world is crumbling apart... fire from the skies, the seas boiling... cats and dogs living together... Disney is buying Marvel!

Check it out - http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/corporate/2009/2009_0831_disney_and_marvel_entertainment.html

Assuming everything goes as planned Disney will walk away with the 5000 characters off Marvels stable and be able to leverage their significant marketing power behind the comic book goliath. Not sure of the speed of the acquisition or how Disney will handle the various properties but it definitely is big news.

Question: is this a bad thing? Really... I'm not sure. I want to think that it could be good. I mean Marvel is wonderful and all, but there's no denying they've got a problem with focusing their direction. Maybe some of the mouse house's bureaucracy will help Marvel. At the least Marvel will hopefully stop just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. And really even with the success of Marvel Studios, all it would take is a few mistakes on some of their bigger properties to bring them back to square one, bankruptcy. So is this a good move? I know I hope so. We'll have to see how it all shakes out

A few things to consider, will Marvel keep their name / branding? What happens to Kingdom comics? How exactly does Disney integrate Marvel into their unique style? What does this specifically mean for Marvel comic books, Marvel films, and Marvel licensed products?
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Iron Man and Wolverine anime trailers

2009-07-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, check these awesome trailers out. These are for new tv series slated to air in Japan in 2010. But since the properties are so huge, the art looks amazing, and they've been written for tv by none other than the amazing Mr Warren Ellis I have zero doubt that they will make their way to our shores very quickly. In fact we'll probably see fan subs online within a few days of broadcast...

Check the trailers :)

I know. very different, but pretty damn cool too.
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G.I. Joe Resolute

2009-05-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I watched G.I. Joe Resolute, the newest G.I. Joe story in this post Valor vs Venom age, and I have to say it was really great! I am excited and kinda scared about the new live action movie set to come out this summer, but in the meantime the cartoon side of things look like they're on the right track. I hope we'll get to see more cartoons in the Joe universe like Resolute. And with the re-spawned interest, the 3 new comic books, and the movie this summer I think we're in for a pretty good ride.

Resolute picks up with the Joe team in modern day, but keeps all of the same stuff we loved abut the classic series. That said, it actually works in a modern sense. This isn't any Sigma Six bullshit, this is seriously just a good time. Joes are bad asses, COBRA are really evil messed up terrorists, and finally people can die, as evidenced by the two surprising deaths in the very first part.

The entire 'film' is about an hour long, maybe an hour and change. It aired all together on Adult Swim a few weeks ago, but has also been split into webisodes for your convenience. No doubt a dvd will come out soon enough. But you might as well watch it here, because its awesome and I said so. Oh and if that doesn't convince you, it was written by comic genius Warren Ellis. Here is part one of eleven...

And here you go with the rest

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 02

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 03 and 04

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 05

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 06

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 07

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 08

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 09

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 10

G. I. Joe Resolute - part 11

Pretty sweet stuff, and well worth the time. I hope our liked it as much as I did. Doesn't it make you want to see even more :)

D9 trailer and more

2009-05-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

So Neill Blomkamp, the man Peter Jackson had picked to direct the Halo movie now has this District 9 movie coming out. If you'll remember a few years ago, Neill had made a short film about this very same subject, called Alive in Joburg. Well I'm really happy to see this make it in the world of the feature. Check out this trailer for District 9.

Oh, and if you think the aliens are all bad, think again. Watch the end of this trailer, unblurred, and translated. Then hed over to MNU Spreads Lies and have your voice heard.

District 9 comes out Aug 14th, and I think it looks great. Here's hoping Blomkamp's next film is based on another of his shorts Tetra Vaal.

A Wild trailer

2009-03-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

CHeck out the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are. Looks like its really finally going to come out. Very cool news. Although that said, I'm still a bit thrown off by what we actually see here.

Like I can't decide if its great or just worrysome. I like that it already feels like a Spike Jonze film. I don't like that its not how I imagined the Wild Things to look. I love the henson-esque Wild thing look in a way, but I also don't think they look or move like they did in my mind for so many years.

Will it be great? I sure hope so. This film deserves to be. We'll all find out on October 16th, '09.
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You Twit

2009-03-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

The series SuperNews premieres today at 10pm on Current. Could there really be a reason to watch Current tv???
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Two great new posters

2009-03-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Two awesome new movie posters have hit the web recently.

This first one is for the new one for Terminator Salvation. I have to say I am really stoked about this film now. At Wondercon this year for my work I had the amazing opportunity to meet and chat with a few of the stars behind the film, including Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Anotm Yelchin, and director McG, who actually commented on my Leonidas-like beard and abs... watch the end credit sequence of the EP episode here :) Anyhow, check out the poster.

And the second poster which just hit the interwebs today is for the long awaited Where the Wild Things Are movie, which is still slated for release on October 16th, '09. Finger are tightly crossed on this one.

Ahh, can't wait :)
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the new face of SyFy

2009-03-16T22:49:00.001-07:00

WTF?! I had heard that the Sci Fi Channel was changing their name. But I had also heard that it was because they didn't want to be so locked into the science fiction genre, or at least they didn't want that to be the perception. Why that should be a problem considering it so clearly defines an ever growing niche, is beyond me, but so be it. I had heard about this change a few months ago, and at the time the word was that Sci Fi was going to become Astound! Now being in california, I have to say, the first thought there, is wow, my old DSL provider RCN recently changed their name to Astound! I wonder if there is a connection... Probably not, because the Sci Fi Channel is now changing their name, and not to Astound! but in fact to .... SYFY.

I grabbed this image off of AICN, where it also mentioned co the official press release that "Syfy -- unlike the generic entertainment category “sci-fi” – firmly establishes a uniquely ownable trademark that is portable across all non-linear digital platforms and beyond, from Hulu to iTunes. Syfy also creates an umbrella brand name that can extend into new adjacent businesses under the Syfy Ventures banner, such as Syfy Games, Syfy Films and Syfy Kids."

oh boy. what a world have we come to... Feel free to check out the place holder / press release at http://www.syfy.com and hey everyone... Imagine Greater.
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Avengers and Thor delayed!

2009-03-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Dammit that sucks! I have no doubt that getting everything together in just the right order for The Avengers is a huge headache, but I'm still disappointed to hear this news. Marvel has announced a revised release schedule for its upcoming properties, and the only film that has stayed squarely where it was, is Iron Man 2. So now here's what we're looking at for a release timeline:

Iron Man 2 - May 7th, 2010
Thor - June 17th, 2011
The First Avenger: Captain America - July 22nd, 2011
The Avengers - May 4th, 2012

So Thor and Avengers have both been pushed back a full year! That's what I call lame. I mean I get that they want to make the movies right, but I'm still disappointed.

In other Marvel news and rumor though there have been a few juicy casting notices out there. Apparently Mickey Rourke has finally signed on as the villain in Iron Man 2. After reports that the studio lowballed him on a paycheck word is that they have come to a much more reasonable figure now and he will be playing a Russian. No word exactly on who he's playing, but as a Russian its probably The Crimson Dynamo. Rumors are also about that Emily Blunt is no longer signed on the the role of Black Widow and it is now being offered to Scarlett Johannson. hmmm... Favreau has said that casting should be confirmed by the end of next week, and that there won't be any major surprises. Good news.

As for Thor news, well as has been mentioned before the word on the street has been lately that director Kenneth Branagh has been looking at Alexander Skarsgård for the title role, but IESB now says that Channing Tatum (aka Duke in the upcoming G.I. Joe film) is also in the running. The really big rumor on the Thor front though is that Josh Hartnett is interested in the role of the villain Loki. This is great news if you ask me, Hartnett would be fantastic as Thor's duplicitous brother. We'll have to see what becomes of this.

As for the Avengers, well over at AICN they're saying that the delay is partly due to financing, but also because Marvel wants Favreau to helm the film, and since hes definitely locked in to Iron Man 2, there wasn't anyway it could've happened before. That at least actually makes sense to me. Since the success of Iron Man, I've no doubt Marvel would love for Favs to take a crack at The Avengers.

So its kind of sad about the delays, but in the end I know I want them to make the best movies possible. If that means waiting one more year, then I guess, so be it. More on all of these as they develop.
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Fantastic new Star Trek trailer

2009-03-10T14:00:00.001-07:00

Check out this epic trailer for Star Trek :)

The film looks awesome and is set to hit screens here on May 8th. I love it. Really great stuff .
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Some funny trailers

2009-03-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of new comedies are coming to theaters soon. Check out these trailers.

I Love You Man hits theaters March 20th, '09.

Kinda on the serious funny tip, Funny People hits theaters July 31st, '09.

And one that I think looks hilarious, Observe and Report. This one hits screens April 10th, '09.

I love me a good comedy :)
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Tidbits of movie news

2009-03-10T12:40:00.001-07:00

Here are a few headlines that I missed lately. Some good stuff here.

Michael Cera to star as Scott Pilgrim.

A Dragonball sequel has already been written.

Filming on Kenneth Branagh's directed Thor movie begins this July. No word on casting yet... but rumors are speculating on this guy...

Battlestar Galactica to the big screen? hells yes. oh wait... the original BSG to the big screen?! wtf?!?!!

Jeffrey Dean Morgan set to star in The Losers.

Should we start getting our hopes up for a Ghostbusters 3 finally? oh and Judd Apatow is NOT involved.

Now that Stephen Chow is out it looks like Michael Gondry may be in to direct The Green Hornet.

Another comic book property Suicide Squad is coming to the big screen.

Gore Verbinski will direct a new Clue movie.

Despite the studio really wanting Ryan Gosling, it looks like Anton Yelchin is now in the running for Green Lantern. Expect the Green Lantern film in theaters Dec 17th, 2010.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is moving forward for a holiday 2010 release through FOX 2000 and Walden media.

Uber hottie Megan Fox in talks to play Aspen in the comic adaptation of Fathom, and the love interest in Jonah Hex.

the plot for Chris Nolan's next big film, Inception, a sci fi starring Leo DiCaporio is being kept under wraps.

oh the sorry state of Fury Road.... looks like Mad Max 4 may now ber coming to us as an animated film, and a video game :(

FOX is looking into a full reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise...

are we finally going to get another Riddick movie? I hope so.

ABC picked up rights to a 4 hour miniseries about a meteor hitting the moon causeing it to collide with the earth, called Impact. sweet.

Lots of great stuff there. I guess I miss alot when I'm so busy with work and family. Its really all worth it though. Oh and yes a lot of the links are from Latino Review. I love that site :) They have a kick ass archiving system for news stories. Check em out.

Until later all. Good hunting.
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Terminator Salvation trailer 2

2009-03-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

Wow, check out this kick ass trailer for Terminator Salvation. Absolutely freakin amazing.

The movie comes to theaters May 21st, 2009.

Oscar Roundup

2009-03-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well I suppose its a sure sign that I've been lax on the blog when I haven't posted since before the oscars! That's alright though. I used the time leading up to the academy awards to catch up on a lot of the films that had slipped through my fingers. I actually really love that Oscar crunch time. For the past few years I've done some hefty marathons trying to check out as many of the nominated films as I can before the big show, and this year despite my best efforts I still lost my Oscar pool miserably. Ah well... There's always next year.

Here in a nutshell are my two cents on some of the Oscar nominated films. The ones I saw at least :)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A bit overrated. A solid film no doubt, with marvelous makeup fx and a great sense of art direction, but not worthy of a best picture nomination.

Frost / Nixon: great tension, and fantastic acting by everyone involved. It feels like a smaller film than people made it out to be, but still is definitely worth checking out.

Milk: very good film, with great performances by Penn, and especially James Franco (prob his best role). I think Josh Brolin was overrated, but this is a solid and important film.

Slumdog Millionaire: Great movie, great look, sound, acting, everything. This deserves the praise. Check it out if you haven't.

The Reader: I thought it would be an absolute chick flick, but its not. This is just a solid drama. A Love story. And a heartwrenching performance by Winslett makes it one definitely not to miss.

The Wrestler: I loved this film. Everytime you think Rourke's character is getting himself back together he does something to remind him and us what a total fuck up he is. Very real world, very sad in a way. The ending sinches the film for me. great movie.

The Visitor: a good little character piece starring the fantastic character actor Richard Jenkins. This is a really good film that was undoubtedly the underdog. Nothing flashy, no big stars, this is just a nice little film. That said, its not going to blow you away. This is just good.

The Changling: what a depressing film. Nothing good seems to happen to these people, and everything is soooo grey and dreary. I felt bad watching this movie, because life sucked so much. I suppose that might be the intention of the film, but while I thought it was well made and acted, I don't think this is one you need to see. And how does the guy writing Thor make this?!

The Duchess: Its it just me or do all of these films seem the same? Beautiful costumes and great performances aside, the stories are all the same. Some girl who is strong willed and free gets herself stuck in a marriage / romance she can't stand and is constrained by. That is unfortunately her lot in life though as her station will permit no happiness, until she meets the man of her dreams, and they have a torrid love affair. The entire mess usually ends with one or all of the people involved in the illicit tryst, beheaded, run through, or otherwise dispatched. The Duchess is no different. And Erica loved it.

The Dark Knight: Hooray for Batman! This is an awesome film, go buy it and enjoy. Batman rulz!!1!

Ok, and now for the official winners:

Best Motion Picture of the Year
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Sean Penn - MILK

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Kate Winslet - THE READER

Achievement in Directing
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Departures

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Film Editing
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Sound Mixing
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Sound Editing
THE DARK KNIGHT

Achievement in Visual Effects
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Best Documentary Short Subject
SMILE PINKI

Best Documentary Feature
MAN ON WIRE

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Heath Ledger - THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Live Action Short Film
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)

Achievement in Cinematography
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Makeup
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Achievement in Costume Design
THE DUCHESS

Achievement in Art Direction
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Best Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
WALL-E

Adapted Screenplay
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Original Screenplay
MILK

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Penelope Cruz - VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

Although I actually never base my ballot on oscar day on my ballot I pick online here is how I did in my online predictions... 7 of 26.

That is terrible... even in my pool at home I think I only got 14, very depressing. oh well. Its all in good fun right, and there were some good films this year. Not a lot of great ones, but a ton of really good ones. The only one I haven't seen that was nominated for quite a lot was Doubt. And for my money the best films that I'd recommend you see outiof this Oscar season, are Slumdog Millionaire, and The Wrestler. Otherwise, I'll look forward to doing this all again in a year.

Have fun all, I hope you did better than me in your Oscar pools :)
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TF: ROTF teaser

2009-02-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

Here it is, mere days after the awesome yet all too short Superbowl spot, comes the official teaser trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I think it looks sweet. Especially the new look for Ravage.

Keep your eyes peeled on June 26th this summer. Definitely a film I have got to see :)
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On Hold... the return

2009-02-13T23:26:00.000-08:00

Well it sure as heck has bee a while. But for anyone who remembers the fact that once upon a time I used to host a podcast with my buddy Devon called On Hold.... well those days are back my friend. We got sidetracked by life midway through last year (around the same time this blog went on hiatus) and I was unfortunately unable to keep up the cast until now. On Hold is back! We'd made it to episode 96 if you can believe it, and now with Devon and me back on track, our goal is to make it to episode 100 at least. Past that who can say, for now though let's just rejoice in the bounty of Episode 97...

Thanks to all the fans out there We do it for you!

Inglourious trailer

2009-02-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

The trailer for Tarintino's new WWII opus Inglourious Bastards has dropped online and it is pretty freakin great. Blood and splatterhouse violence behind enemy lines. Seems very violent, and very Tarintino. Check out the trailer...

Pretty sweet eh? 100 Nazi scalps each! I'm looking forward to that. The movie is set to come out Aug 21st, this summer.

Some more ads from the superbowl

2009-02-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

a few of the other ads from the superbowl turned out pretty well, or at least interesting.

Check out this ad for Star Trek, I am definitely interested in this one, fingers crossed that it'll be good. And from this ad my hopes are still running high. We'll see what becomes of all this on May 8th.

Also airing on Bowl day, the Land of the Los t remake starring Will Ferrell.

Having never watched the original show, I think this looks pretty funny. The movie is out June 5th, '09.

Next up is Up :) Pixar's new one coming out on May 29th 2009.

I have high hopes for Up. Pixar really makes great movies and this one looks really cute.

There was also a really real 3D commercial! for the upcoming animated film Monsters vs Aliens! Sweet.

I think this one looks like a lot of fun. And it comes out pretty soon, on March 27th, 09.

Now check out this one for Fast & Furious, the movie we all knew had to come eventually...

F&F comes out April 3rd... so get ready!

How about this to wet your appetite, the one time prequel, now sequel to The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons. This one is sure to make everyone a boatload of money, and honestly looks pretty good.

Look for Angels and Demons on May 15th.

What do you get mixing Jack Black and Michael Cera? Year One... set to come out June 19th.

I'm still not sold on that one...

This one surprised me. Race to Witch Mountain, set to come out March 13, starring The Rock. I've actually never seen the original. Is this what that was about too?! seems like a story I would've totally dug as a kid. Now, meh... could be good... but will probably be just bleh.

And that's all for the movie trailers at the 2009 Superbowl. I think this was definitely a solid year. I'm really looking forward to a few of these films. Let me know your fav in the comments :) Oh, and one more superbowl ad for good measure.

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Transformers 2 trailer

2009-02-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

Very nice. Yet another of the awesome group of Superbowl teaser trailers that launched this year the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie looks bad ass. Honestly even if its just more of the same I am totally all over it. Check out the trailer. And someone tell me what the hell that huge thing at the end is?!?

Pretty fun stuff, eh? We can all look forward to more robo-changing action on June 26th, 2009.

G.I. Joe movie trailer

2009-02-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

Woot! Seriously people August 7th cannot get here soon enough, check out this stellar teaser trailer for G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra that aired during the superbowl last weekend. Freakin amazing stuff. I love the flippy action at the end, and that crash through the bus. damn. thats just plain old fashioned cool. Check it out.

Like I said the movie comes out on August 7th this summer. God times.

Oscar season again - 2009 edition

2009-02-06T17:14:00.001-08:00

Well its Oscar season again, and I feel like this year I am even more behind the times than usual. I haven't seen like ANY of these films... how the heck am I ever going tom win the oscar pool?! Not that I ever do or anything. In fact I have a terrible track record for picking winners wit these kinds of things. That said, I'm not going to stop trying. So here we have it, the 2009 Academy Award nominees, with my picks for winner listed in red.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins - THE VISITOR
Frank Langella - FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn - MILK
Brad Pitt - THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourke - THE WRESTLER

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin - MILK
Robert Downey Jr. - TROPIC THUNDER
Philip Seymour Hoffman - DOUBT
Heath Ledger - THE DARK KNIGHT
Michael Shannon - REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway - RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie - CHANGELING
Melissa Leo - FROZEN RIVER
Meryl Streep - DOUBT
Kate Winslet - THE READER

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams - DOUBT
Penélope Cruz - VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Viola Davis - DOUBT
Taraji P. Henson - THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Marisa Tomei - THE WRESTLER

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E

Achievement in Art Direction
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Achievement in Cinematography
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Achievement in Costume Design
AUSTRALIA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DUCHESS
MILK
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Achievement in Directing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Documentary Feature
THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON)
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE GARDEN
MAN ON WIRE
TROUBLE THE WATER

Best Documentary Short Subject
THE CONSCIENCE OF NHEM EN
THE FINAL INCH
SMILE PINKI
THE WITNESS - FROM THE BALCONY OF ROOM 306

Achievement in Film Editing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanche
Waltz With Bashir

Achievement in Makeup
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DEFIANCE
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIREE
WALL-E

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)
WALL-E"Down to Earth"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"Jai Ho"
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"O Saya"

Best Motion Picture of the Year
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Best Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes
LAVATORY - LOVESTORY
OKTAPODI
PRESTO
THIS WAY UP

Best Live Action Short Film
AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)
MANON ON THE ASPHALT
NEW BOY
THE PIG
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)

Achievement in Sound Editing
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED

Achievement in Sound Mixing
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED

Achievement in Visual Effects
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN

Adapted Screenplay
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Original Screenplay
FROZEN RIVER
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
IN BRUGES
MILK
WALL-E

We'll have to wait and see what becomes of all this on Oscar night on ABC on Feb 22nd, at 5pm PST. Also if you're doing a oscar night like I always do, you might want to have a copy of this handy dandy printable oscar ballot. It definitely does the trick.

I'm going to try to bone up on my potential award winners, but man I've defintiely got a long ways to go...
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Welcome Alec James Chapman!!!

2009-02-03T23:21:00.001-08:00

Hey all, Oh I know its been a few days since I posted, but I was a bit preoccupied of late. This past weekend, Erica went into labour and after a fairly grueling 30 hours, I am very proud to say, I was blessed with this amazing and cute, totally healthy little boy. Alec James Chapman, born Sunday 02/01/09 at 11:48pm, was pretty big considering how small Erica is at 8 lbs 5 oz, and 22 inches long. Both he and mom are doing very well now, and we've all just gotten back home. Here are some pics, followed by a little video of my new son!

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Stanton on Carter

2009-01-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

Andrew Stanton, director of last years Wall-E is working hard on the John Carter of Mars adaptation for Disney, and I am sincerely hoping he really gets the film made. Yeah it would've been cool if Favreau had been behind the helm, but I have a really good feeling about Stanton. The Pixar team and Disney now, would never have put so much faith in him if he wasn't the right man for the job. Recently he did a quick interview with SciFi Wire that you can check out here.

Since the movie has been tossed around in development hell literally since 1931 it will be nothing short of a small miracle to see it finally get made, but I know I am really looking forward to seeing what the Disney kids can pull together. Big news for me, Stanton confirmed that the film will be live action saying "...there are so many creatures and characters that half of it's going to be CG whether you want it to be [or not], just to realize some of these images that are in the book. But it will feel real. The whole thing will feel very, very believable."

Stanton is "deep into it now" on his second draft of the script, working on pre-production, working on the art direction, and starting to even talk about actors. All great news in my books. The film is slated for a release sometime in 2012 and I for one, can't wait.

I'll defintiely be keeping my eye on this one as it develops.
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Outlander poster

2009-01-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

Space vikings!!! seriously what else is there to say, If you'll remember I posted a while ago a trailer to a film that snuck well under my radar called Outlander, starring the dashing and pious Jim Caviezel. But now we've got a sweet poster for the stranger in an even stranger land film. This is kind of like a Superman elseworlds story... or maybe like... well I dont know. But hey, a sci-fi film that plays like Pathfinder can't be all bad, right?! Besides its got jesus power behind it! Check out this new poster :)

The original poster can be seen here., but I know we all prefer floating heads :) From Latino Review: “Outlander” begins when a space craft crashes into the majestic fjords of ancient Norway and into the time of the Vikings. From the wreckage emerge two bitter enemies: a soldier from another world – Kainan (James Caviezel) – and a bloodthirsty creature known as the Moorwen. Man and monster both seeking revenge for violence committed against them. As the Moorwen ravages the Viking world, killing everything in its path, Kainan forms an unlikely alliance with the primitive but fierce warriors. Combining his advanced technology with ancient Iron Age weapons, the hero leads a desperate attempt to kill the monster - before it destroys them all." The movie comes out Jan 23rd...
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Warchmen legal nonsense settled

2009-01-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

So a lots been going on in the geek film world, but one of the best pieces of news in a while is the word that Warner's and FOX have finally resolved their conflict over the Watchmen film.

If you'll remember it was over a rights issue. Basically FOX had the rights to the comic, Warner's the film, but it wasn't clear that Warner's could made the film without the consent of FOX. You have to wonder, since the suit wasn't even brought up publicly until after the film was well in the can if FOX knew about it all along and just wanted to wait for Warner to foot the bill then sweep in and take a cut, or if it really was just an oversight. Regardless, it looks like that's just about exactly whats happened as FOX and Warner reached a settlement deal, behind closed doors, before the judge had to make a public decision, most likely ordering Warner's to pay up anyhow. The really good part about this news: there will be no delay, no hesitations nothing to hinder or impede the release of the film now. So ultimately, we're the ones that win out. Although that said, I've no doubt some legal heads have rolled over this snafu at Warners.

From the trades though it seems the two companies are putting on an amicable face to the public. Care of Latino Review ne the trades, "Warner Bros. acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography," the statement read. "Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith defending against those claims."

See how nice and friendly that sounds... everyone wins, especially us. yay!
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Street Fighter movie trailer

2009-01-12T23:24:00.000-08:00

Well, this is kind of unexpected. I mean, I knew the Street Fighter movie was coming out soon, but I definitely didn't expect the trailer to be so... normal. Is it just me or is this trailer kind of boring?!

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Joes play ball

2009-01-12T22:58:00.001-08:00

It's also been confirmed that G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra will air its first commercial at this years Superbowl. I think I'm definitely going to have to check that out now :)

From the new toy packaging:
"G.I. Joe is a highly trained, classified Special Operations Unit composed of men and woman from around the globe. Officially, these warriors don't even exist. Few know the truth - that G.I. Joe fights a secret war, as the first and last line of defence against forces that seek to plunge our world into chaos. Wherever there's trouble, G.I. Joe is there!"
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TF:ROTF Poster

2009-01-12T22:49:00.000-08:00

Well its finally here. No, not the film, but the poster! for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. A very ominous looking, is that Megatron? Galvatron maybe? I suppose I should go out and read the sequel, and prequel comics from IDW.... ah well. Reports are that the first ROTF commercial will air during the superbowl. Sweet deal :)

Oh and from my favorite site, TFW2005, check out this great battle damaged Optimus pic.
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BSG season 1

2009-01-12T21:38:00.001-08:00

I have to say it, and I know I wont be alone here; but Battlestar Galactica is a fracking awesome show. I don't know why I never got around to it before now. I've had the first season on dvd for some time, and watched about 4 episodes then got distracted, as you do, and never quite got back to it. But I am VERY glad I did now. Event though Erica and I actually got Netflix for Christmas this year, we've started actually finding time to watch movies and tv again. Including dvds that have been sitting around for 2 years. Maybe its just that we're finally really starting to be settled into our new home, or maybe its just appreciating the lull before the baby storm arrives in a few weeks, but it has really been very nice. Of course we've both been super busy getting ready for the baby, but I'm glad we're finding time for some other stuff too.

As for Battlestar, well I know one or two spoilers, which I wish I didn't, but I don't really know too much, and I am definitely enjoying it. I do not know who is a cylon, so please don't tell me. we're just three episodes into season two now, and its getting better and better. I think I remember some people complaining that it didn't stand up to the test going into season 3 or 4, but for now, the show definitely has not disappointed. For my money the best characters are Dr Gaius Baltar, and Helio. Hopefully they last and don't get killed off.

If for some reason like me you never saw the show, I'd definitely encourage you to check it out. I'm a pretty big sci fi nerd and this is really wonderful stuff. Lots of drama, lots of action, with robots and political intrigue, and mythology built right in. Very fun. I'm hoping that we can catch up and get ready in time for the new show in the fall. I think I read its a prequel show.

Anyhow, I just thought I'd share.
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Dragonball: Evolution trailer

2009-01-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, but to me Dragonball just looks.... stupid. I mean I guess it could be fun. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation has a special place in my heart. But its not a good sign when that's the best reference I can think of...

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a dream story

2008-12-27T06:24:00.000-08:00

Ugh. just had to get u. Its like 6am. I should be sleeping, but ever since we moved I've been having back problems on our mattress. Its the exact same mattress that I wasn't having any issues with for the past 2 years, so its kind of annoying to say the least. I think probably the bed got flipped when we moved and so now its on a side and direction that I'm totally not good with. I think I'll need to flip it back. How stupidly complicated is that?!

Also I was having off and on bad dreams. The thing about bad dreams with me, is that its always kind of funny. I get scared by weird stuff. Like I'm much more likely not to be scared of the real world threat. So while normal people have nightmares about a serial killer coming and attacking them, I have dreams about ghosts and monsters and space aliens.

Today I dreamed that I was trapped in a house (standard set up for a number of the bad dreams I've had, and of course classic horror movies) and I was part of a team of guys trying to stop another team of bad guys. Basically imagine 4 on 4 deathmatch in a house. I think I was flipping perspective between my team members, so I suppose a video game analogy is closest to accurate. Anyhow, I'm trapped in one of the end rooms, with a gun thankfully, and what comes in the door behind me but a white chinese dragon. I freak obviously, and am glad I've got the gun, and not the pool cue anymore. I shoot at the lead guy that I can almost see under the head of the dragon costume, but its a dummy a trick so that the real enemy can slip in the room under one of the body sections without me seeing. BUT I'm too quick for them I realize this and start scanning the body of the dragon costume for my real enemy. And what shape do I see?? who is my enemy thats trying to kill me that I have to kill? Scar, from the lion king.

I know! scary right! I'm not talking about a cartoon lion here, I'm talking a real live lion. Like if someone took Scar and made the cartoon real.... actually I have a sneaking suspicion that everyone in the dream was a character from somewhere.... anyhow, for all intents and purposes I'm about to be attacked by a lion, so I shoot him twice in the side and start running. I go back past him and down to the other end of the hallway. This is the second story of the building and I don't want to go back downstairs because there are other bad guys waiting. Also I haven't seen anyone else from my team in a while. So I go to the end of this hallway and into a room. Scanning to make sure its safe I collect myself a bit. It doesn't sound like Scar chased me out of the room. So now I'm wondering what am I supposed to do. I can't go downstairs, I've used all the bullets and am now back to a pool cue as a weapon and I don't know which way to go. So I decide to head back to the room with Scar. hopefully he's dead, and when it comes down to facing a possibly dead lion, or 4 guys with guns downstairs, the lion seemed better.

So I head back to the room with Scar and I see him right near the door, covered by the white dragon costume still. And being the super smart guy I am, I decide to poke the body to make sure he's really dead. I mean ultimately I'd rather not go into a room with a lion just pretending to be dead to lure me in... So I reach out with the pool cue and whack the body a few times. And what do I get for my troubles, but he starts moving, he was just stunned and I woke him up. Great. I freak obviously. I mean I can't fight a lion with a pool cue, so I lock the door I'm standing at and head back to the room at the other end of the hall. Even though its an inside door to the room with the lion, it has big decorative glass panes on it, so I can see through. Unfortunately that also means Scar can too.

Peaking out from around the corner of the door frame at the end of the hall I look and see Scar standing up again in front of the door, pacing a little, and pissed. I duck away because I don't want him to see me but then I hear from downstairs the other badguys talking. They're going to head up and flush out whoevers left from my team. Not good. Either way I'm trapped. Bad guys heading up the stairs at the one end of the hall, and an angry injured lion who is specifically pissed off at me for shooting him waiting for me at the other.

Thats the point I woke up and decided that my back was hurting too much to stay lying down. Instead I got up, had a hot shower to try to help it and sat down to write this. My back feels a little better now. But its still early I' going to go play some Mario 64 I think.

Later.

A long, long time ago

2008-12-20T23:14:00.000-08:00

I can still remember how that music used to make me smile... Its been a long time kids. I know, I know... Like forever and a day.

Looks like the last post was from the end of August where I ranted about my new job. Well A LOT of other stuff has happened to me since then but in a nutshell there was a conflagarance (is that a word?!) of three massive life events happening at the same time for me. First, the job, then my wife and I bought a new house! well not so much a house as a condo, but its a big deal. And third and most importantly Erica got pregnant! Now that's really a big deal :)

So here it is. I'm going to be a dad. I've got a sweet new home (2 bed, 2 bath in Ingleside Heights out by Lake Merced) and I'm working my butt off to try to make this new job everything I think it should be. So far, so good on all of it :)

Anyhow, so I know its been a very very long time, but I can't say I'm really in a position where I'm ready and will promise to be able to come back o these Adventures in a Strange Land anytime super soon. I want to, maybe on a somewhat more limited basis, or perhaps I'll change the structure of the blog a bit, but I don't think I'll be able to go back to the way it was. I'm just too darn busy nowadays.

If you like, I'm finding that I've started to have time more along the line of a Twitter blogstyle, and so I've been using my twitter account. If anyone here feels like it I'd be more than happy for you to follow me on Twitter. I'm at http://www.twitter.com/geoffchapman. I hope to see you there.

If not though, remember I'm only an email away. And I will return... eventually.

Oh and if anyone is wondering, yes On Hold... has also been on an extended hiatus. I know we'll get back to something, whether its a continual or as common event as it once was, I can't say. But fear not. Devon and I will return to the podosphere. I hate podfading without even an explanation...

Much love all :) Until next time check out this video of the Killers featuring Lou Reed doing a sweet song called Tranquilize.

New Job

2008-08-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

Where the heck has the Adventures in a Strange Land blog been of late? I think the term woefully neglected might even be applicable. Well, I've been pretty crazy busy lately and I thought now would be the perfect time to stop by and let you all in on the great news.

I got a new job!

I know I know. I don't normally talk about my job specifically here, unless its been to express my utter frustration at it. Well I'm hoping all thats over now ;) I've left behind the doldrums of being a lowly office monkey, and have truly entered a brave new employment world.

I'm doing camera work for a tv show! AWESOME I know!!! And even more, the show is really cool. Back when I was working in the film industry I got to work on a few really sweet projects like X-Men 2, and A Very Muppet Christmas, but those were only for a few months. This should be a continual rush of fun, geeky coolness as I'm going to be shooting for The Elctric Playground.

The show is a news and interview show that at its core focuses on video games, but also covers anything that appeals to the gamer culture. Meaning comics, tech, music, and just plain cool stuff. And I am their camera operator for the SF area. My colleague here Jose 'Fubar' Sanchez, is the on camera guy locally, so if you ever see the show from now on most of the stuff he's in from here in the bay area will have me behind the camera.

Its truly awesome news for me. As anyone who knows me will attest I have been struggling in a job that wasn't right for me for far too long. I think this is an amazing opportunity and I intend to make the most of it.

So I'm sorry if the blog has been, or may be in the future a bit lacking. For right now at least, I need to put my head down and focus on learning the job, and doing my best.

Wish me luck everyone. Oh and if you like the show can be watched at http://www.elecplay.com/. It's also on tv in Canada on G4/Tech tv daily, and weekly on CityTV. The US distribution deal hasn't come together yet, so just check it online for now.

Thanks for understanding the lack of posts people, but this is worth it :)
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Is that The Spirit?!

2008-08-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

WTF?! Is this what The Spirit is going ot be like?!??!?!

That is definitely not what I expected. This is slapstick! I thought this was a serious movie... I suppose I was just misinformed... oh sigh.

The Spirit is sure to bring us to tears one way or another on Dec 25th, 2008.
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Dead Space game and movie

2008-08-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

Dead Space is one of the few 3rd person shooters I definitely intend to play this year. I think it just looks great. Makes me really wish I had a 360. Here's a trailer for the game.

If you like that and are up for a bit more, I really recommend you check out this gameplay footage which features a bit more of a look at the in game physics, including some very cool gravity effects.

Its really pretty awesome. I love that its so dark, and the fact that there really isn't an on screen HUD. Makes the game just that much more immersive looking.

And finally in a very cool marketing tie in, there is a series of Dead Space comics, AND a planned Dead Space animated movie. Called Dead Space: Downfall, the movie is a prequel to the game and should be released around the same time as the game this October. Check out the trailer.

If you need more than that, check out the wiki, or the official page. Looks like a sweet game though. Dead Space is set to come out October 21st, '08 for 360, PS3 and PC, with a Wii version rumored to follow later.
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Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist trailer

2008-08-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

Oh my, its like Juno all over again. Adorable Michael Cera is now teamed up with Kat Dennings. Looks like alternative indie movies just got slightly more formulaic.... Not to say I don't still like it, but its a bit sad when everything indie becomes mainstream. Way of the world I suppose. Check out the trailer for Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist.

Yes, I know its really not at all like Juno, it just seems a bit... predictable. The movie comes out October 3rd, 2008.
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new Dragonball pic

2008-08-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

Care of SHH and Hoycinema, check out this new promotional picture from Dragonball.

I'm still not sold on whether this will actually be a good movie or not, but at least the marketing has been entertaining. I hope to see a trailer soon. The film is slated for release April 8th, 2009.
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Fifa Street 3 ad

2008-08-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this fantastic commercial for Fifa Street. You might want to make it full screen to see it in all its glory.

Totally fantastic, its like almost as cool as the urban ninja! I've been seeing this ad a fair bit lately, and I know people are wondering if its actually real. Let me assure you yes it is. Check out this behind the scenes making of the commercial vid.

Fifa Street 3 came out this past February to less than stellar reviews. Metacritic gave it a 63. Still, that said, great commerical.
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Watchmen pics

2008-08-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Care of AICN check out these wonderful new Watchmen character posters.

Also, over at Empire Online they've got a few sweet new pictures like this one to peruse.

Very nice stuff eh? This film just looks awesome :) Look for it in theaters on May 6th, 2009.
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Princess and the Frog teaser

2008-08-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the long awaited ;) teaser trailer for Disney's The Princess and the Frog. Don't you just love the Randy Newman.

Is it just me, or does something about this movie just seem, horrible. The movie is slated for release on December 25th, 2009.
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Venom movie

2008-08-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like Avi Arad was right. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Venom the brain eating, symbiotic, psychopath alien from Spider-Man is coming to the big screen. A script apparently has being written by Mean Creek writer / director Jacob Estes, but SONY is reportedly looking for other writers to tackle a new draft. Also interestingly the studio is apparently not sold on Topher Grace as the Eddie Brock / Venom character. I think, despite the poorly written character in Spider-Man 3, the issue definitely was not with Grace's performance, so I would hope he in fact stays in the role. I'd definitely like to see him become a bigger star.

Whatever happens though I'm sure well get more on Venom as it develops, and as suggested by LR, why not tie it into the proposed Spider-Man 4, currently slated for summer 2011? We'll see how Sony deals with this though, as I'm sure it'll be a tricky movie to bring to life.
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Hulk vs. ...

2008-08-06T17:08:00.000-07:00

One of the next films in Marvel's direct to DVD animated line-up is Hulk vs... Apparently it's really two short films comprised of fights between Hulk vs Wolverine and Hulk vs Thor. Check out these two preview trailers.

With the relative success of The Incredible Hulk, Marvel seems well placed to take advantage and ride the mean, green, marketing wave, with both this title, and Planet Hulk slated for release next year. This film specifically should find its way to shelves in January of '09. I know I'm looking forward to it.
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Marvin the Martain movie

2008-08-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

Marvin the Martian probably the most lovable alien ever created, besides ALF of course, is set to come to the big screen. The property is reportedly being developed as a blended live action / CG film to be aimed at a family friendly audience for Christmas 2009 or 2010.

Producer Steve Crystal, explains the film as a "Christmas story, with Marvin coming to Earth to destroy Christmas but being prevented from doing so when he’s trapped in a gift box."

Currently the project is out to writers and directors. More on this project as it develops.
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Depp is Mad

2008-08-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

It's really not at all unexpected, but according to reports, Johnny Depp has been cast in Tim Burton's re-imagined version of Alice in Wonderland. Reports have it that Depp has been offered the role of The Mad Hatter, a part I kind of think he was destined to play. Other than Depp though, and the rumored casting of Mia Wasikowska, not much is known about the project. Still this is some good solid casting.

We'll hopefully find out more about this and the feature length adaptation of Frankenweenie soon.
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Web of Shadows trailer

2008-08-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Looks like another sweet game coming this fall, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. I am definitely stoked by the symbiote as zombies motif. And of course the big reveal at the end of this trailer. Check it out.

The game is slated to come out October 21st, for all platforms.
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X-Men First Class planned

2008-08-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

It seemed destined that we'd get another entry into the X-Men universe of films. But who would've thought this newly announced one would be it. X-Men: First Class is now rumored to be in development at FOX, with Zak Penn at the helm. If true, the film could follow the 2006 mini-series which featured a version of the original X-Men team in all new stories packed with cameo appearances. The team in the miniseries specifically included Cyclops, Beast, Marvel Girl, Angel, and Iceman, although I wonder if perhaps this film would instead follow the film universe's continuity of characters in their early adventures. I suppose that would really only necessarily exclude Angel from the mix, but maybe we can get a young Storm or someone to replace him.

This is good news if true. I'd really like to see a young version of the X-Men. Maybe with a slightly less convoluted story than the grown up X-Men films. Hopefully this will all pan out. More on this as, and if it develops.
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HP: ATHBP trailer

2008-08-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

Finally here for you're enjoyment the trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The movie is coming out December 11th, 2008.
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Tyrese as a Thundercat?

2008-08-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

While this isn't much more than a snippet of a rumor, its a good indication that things are still on the move for a planned Thundercats movie. If you'll remember, there is a film in the works for the coolest kitties on Third Earth. Last we heard the movie has a draft script, by Paul Sopocy, and a director, Gears of War game helmer Jerry O'Flaherty, although it's still at the early stages of development and is sure to change as things move forward. The movie was announced by Warners as a CG property with an eyed 2010 release. Of course we can't know exactly what is still true on the film front, but at least we're getting a bit more. And its from the unlikely source of Transformers actor Tyrese Gibson.

In a recent interview Tyrese stated that he is in negotiations for the project and while he wouldn't confirm anything, he indicated that there are a number of options in terms of what role he would play. Whether this means a voice over role in a animated film, or a live action part is unknown, but he suggested that we should get more information soon.

Of course the obvious guess for a part is Panthro. Is that racist... I think especially if its an animated film though it really wouldn't matter who he plays. I think this is a good sign regardless. Tyrese needs another good action film, and anything that bring the Thundercats closer to cinematic reality is a good thing. We'll just have to wait and see if this develops into more than a rumor.

For the latest info and more on the planned Thundercats movie, check out The Thundercats Lair message boards. These really guys know what they're talking about.
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Wonder Woman animated trailer

2008-08-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the trailer for the new direct to dvd animated Wonder Woman film.

Looks pretty cool eh? I'm a bit behind on the DC direct to dvd film series, having still not seen Superman: Doomsday or Gotham Knight, but I will say if this is anywhere near the quality of Justice League New Frontier, it will be amazing. The voice cast for this film is already impressive on its own. Keri Russell voices Wonder Woman, and it also features Nathan Fillion, Alfred Molina, Virginia Madsen, Rosario Dawson, and Oliver Platt. In terms of story, I believe this is an origin tale punctuated by an attack on mankind by god of war Ares. Definitely sounds cool to me; Wonder Woman, has a good simple story and I'm genuinely looking forward to this.

Wonder Woman is slated for release in February '09.
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army review

2008-08-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of things to really love about Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The film has deep and resonant character developments giving much more insights into the players than the last film. It also looks like a dream in autumnal shades of gold and sepia, with lighting that manages to both hide and reveal character reflective of the story and tone of the moment. And maybe most significantly, the characters, the costumes, the creatures look utterly believable and out of this world. They slide effortlessly into the world of Hellboy, suiting the magical underbelly of a world that exists right below our unsuspecting noses. Far more impressive than the first solid Hellboy film this movie sees legitimate growth in almost every way. But all that said there is something about the movie that just never grabbed me in the way the first film did. I respect this film a lot, I think it may actually even be a better movie than the original, but I can't say I loved it as much.

Despite the fantastic set design, and creature work something about the main plot just never quite did it for me. The story is about a (what is he an elf?) prince who is trying to reclaim the former glory of his family throne. To do this he intends to gather the pieces of a fragmented royal crown thereby breaking the covenant of peace made between his people an mankind, and use the power to awaken the Golden Army, who for all intents and purposes are giant possessed robots. This is all set against the character backdrop of Hellboy and Liz Sherman sorting through their troubled relationship, and Abe Sapian finding a true love for the first time in his life. It's a story with beasties galore, and huge fight scenes, and spectacular stunts, and creepy crawlies, and intense drama, true love, heartbreak, singing, and kitty cats... A film that really has it all.

But something still didn't grab me. As I said, I think it may have something to do with the plotting. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't feel invested in this disposed royal family of elves, maybe I didn't believe the love story with Abe. The plotting just didn't hold my attention, which is odd, considering I did enjoy many of the character moments, and overall found the personal arcs to be satisfying. Something... maybe just that intangible magic was lost on me though.

I still enjoyed this film, and think that perhaps on repeat viewings I would appreciate it even more. It's worth watching, at least on dvd. Hellboy II has a lot to offer despite my unspecific misgivings. My hope is that a third and even better film will be made based on the success of this film.
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Batman Brave and the Bold trailer

2008-08-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Check out this trailer for the upcoming Batman: The Brave and the Bold series. It is truly retro-tastic!

You can read up on the series in this interview SuperHeroHype did with producer James Tucker and character designer Andrea Romero. Its very interesting stuff. The show, like the old comic book, will feature Batman in various team up adventures. In the show, some of the people we'll see the caped crusader partner with include Blue Beetle, Plastic Man, Aquaman, Green Arrow, The Atom, Black Canary, Booster Gold, Adam Strange, Dr Fate, Jonah Hex and more. Check out a more complete list including some of the confirmed villains on the wiki page.

I am definitely excited to see how this series plays out. And some of these characters are great and have never gotten their due screen time before. I just hope it doesn't come off too young.

the show is slated to premiere on Cartoon Network on Nov 14th, '08.
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Wolverine Comic Con footage

2008-07-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Quick quick before it gets taken down... Have a look, care of AICN, at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine footage shown at comic con. It's in two parts and pretty damn cool.

The film will come out May 1st, 2009.
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Last Blood to the screen

2008-07-28T00:12:00.000-07:00

This is a cool one definitely. The comic book Last Blood is being adapted for the screen by Family Guy showrunner David A Goodman. The premise of the comic is simple. Zombies have overrun the earth and the story follows a band of the few remaining humans as they try to survive and are protected by a group of vampires, who need live human blood to survive... Seems like a kinda sucky situation to be in, but I bet it makes for great storytelling.

You can read a bunch of the comic online for free. right here, and it looks pretty cool. More on this project as it develops.
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Cage is Knowing

2008-07-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

Something about this trailer just doesn't grab me. I don't know what it is either... Maybe something about Nicolas Cage is throwing me off. I'll say I feel about as interested in Knowing as I did in Next, which is basically not at all. These are films I should be all over though. Watch the trailer,, maybe you'll see something in it I didn't.

If you want more, you can read AICN's con report of the Knowing panel. The movie is set to come out March 2009.
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Up teaser trailer

2008-07-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

Disney has launched a teaser trailer for Pixar's next film. he movie is called Up, and if you'll remember Up is about a 78 year old widower, named Carl who decides to fulfill his wife's wish to travel the world. And so alongside a plucky 8 year old Wilderness Scout, named Russell goes on an adventure of unimagined proportions. Check out the teaser.

For more on the film, check out AICN's interesting interview with the director. Up comes out May 29th, 2009.
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W. trailer

2008-07-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

Check it out while you can. Oliver Stone's new film W.

Is Stone back in his old political form once again? The movie comes out October 17th, 2008.
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Terminator Salvation poster

2008-07-27T23:10:00.000-07:00

Care of Latino Review comes this sweet one sheet poster for Terminator Salvation. Looks awesome! Much better than that crappy image we saw from the Licensing Expo a while back.

And speaking of Terminator, here's a rundown of what happened at the Terminator panel at comic con. pretty cool stuff. I'm definitely ready to see more of this. Apparently the next new trailer will be shown in front of Quantum of Solace on Nov 7th, and the film itself comes out May 22nd, 2009.
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Two not for theater movie trailers

2008-07-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

So in the effort to make sure you see all of the videos and trailers launched this week, be they comic con related or not here are the trailers for some movies that you won't see in theaters.

The first is for Afro Samurai: Resurrection, its going to air on Spike TV in January of '09. This is obviously a follow up to Spike's successful first season of Afro Samurai. The titular character is voiced by Sam Jackson, and Resurrection is slated to feature the additional talents of Lucy Liu and Mark Hamill. Of course the music is all still being done by RZA. The story for Resurrection is said to follow Liu's character as she tries to raise the Afro Samurai's father from the grave to lead an army of the undead. Check out the trailer below. It's pretty badass.

You know the more I look at this and the wiki page... I'm not actually sure this is a movie. I think it s actually a series. hmmm. Just not totally sure on that one. Although I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point. Oh well.

The next movie is for what I believe will be a direct to dvd release, Resident Evil: Degeneration. This is exactly what it seems, a full length animated film set in the Resident Evil world. Its an original story and stars a number of characters from the various different RE games. Check out the trailer.

Honestly, I'm down with it all until that last ridiculous monster shows up. Is that supposed to be scary?! No word on release date yet for us westerners. Before Xmas I'm sure though. Sigh... I'll see it I guess; I'm just not sure I'll like it.
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Two new tv show trailers

2008-07-27T21:59:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday there are two new shows that had trailers debut online recently. The first is for Sam Raimi's new family friendly sword and sorcery show set to premiere on ABC this coming November 1st. The show is called Legend of the Seeker, although it was until very recently to be known as Wizards First Rule, and is based on a series of books by fantasy writer Terry Goodkind, titled The Sword of Truth series. Check out the trailer.

The other new trailer is for a show we all know and love.... ok maybe not love. The new Knight Rider is coming to series this Fall after a great turnout to view the backdoor pilot last season. Check out this new trailer for the show

Thrilling I know. I just love the busting through the logo at the end, its totally awesome. And definitely how Val Kilmer questions Micheal's sexuality; that's guaranteed laughs. :) The show will premiere on NBC, September 24th.
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Star Wars Clone Wars preview clip

2008-07-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the new Star Wars Clone Wars clip that I was talking about yesterday. I think this give you a good sense of the pacing we can probably expect. And this is really what I know I want. Battles that take closer to real time, shots of Jedi deflecting a ton of lazer blasts, and innovative fighting styles. I also want plotting, don't get me wrong, but whoever said battles had to have no plot or development. There are stories within stories here, and I think this clip definitely exemplifies that.

You can watch this in HD at Yahoo Movies. And don't forget the Clone Wars movie comes out August 15th.
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TO2N footage found

2008-07-27T21:32:00.001-07:00

Although these kinds of things generally are kept pretty well under wraps I guess someone did manage to film the TR2N footage shown at comic con. And now care of Dailymotion you can check it out for yourself. The footage isn't super clean and the camera work (cell phone maybe?) isn't all that steady, but its still pretty damn cool. Check it out before it's gone. But take note, AICN reports that this footage is actually NOT going to be in the long awaited sequel.

TR2N cleaned up 001
Uploaded by genchang2112

A long list of quick hits

2008-07-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of coverage on the San Diego Comic Con out there, but much of it is buried in panel reports and drawn out press events. Also the world has not stopped turning just because of the con. There is other cool entertainment news to be had as well. But I just don't have the time to write up posts about everything. So maybe a few quick hits are in order. I mean, theres a lot of cool stuff going on, I wouldn't want to miss it. And with that said here are a few quick stories or links for you.

According to THR, Leonardo DiCaprio and his Apian Way production company are looking to possibly make a series of movies out of old Twilight Zone stories. They've put the call out to writers for pitches.

Some descriptions of the 3 minutes of Tr2n footage that was screened at the con can be read here and here, with more follow up details at AICN. And just a note, the footage was NOT actually from the new movie.

Cartoon Network is developing 3 comic book titles into tv movies. The first is Firebreather, a story about a teenager growing up in a divorced family with a typical worrying mother, and a fire-breathing dragon for a father. The next is The Mice Templar, a book about templar mice, a prophecy, and oh so much more. When I was at Wizard World the creator gave me a full 5 minutes on the book after I guessed that it was probably just like Mouseguard... And the third is The Vanishers, about a fifth grader who travels through time to rescue his friends after they start disappearing from existence.

Bryan Singer is developing a feature based on the comic miniseries Freeedom Formula , a sci fi about a high speed illegal mecha racing circuit and the cost of freedom in a fascist techno-future. Seems reminiscent of IGPX with a bit of Akira.

You can watch the trailer to Afro Samurai: Ressurection at Spike TV right now, or read more about the show here.

You can watch a painfully bad clip with Paris Hilton singing from Repo! The Genetic Opera over at MTV right now.

An honestly pretty cool trailer for Sam Raimi's new family friendly tv show Legend of the Seeker (formerly Wizards First Rule) has landed online. The show is based on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth book series, and premieres on ABC on Nov 1st, '08.

Kevin Feige said at the SDCC Marvel panel that FOX was waiting the see how well the Wolverine movie does before moving forward on the Silver Surfer solo film.

NBC has posted videos of their Knight Rider and Kings panels on their website. Also catch this new one minute KR trailer.

The will be NO Dinobots in Transformers 2 say the writers.

Care of IGN watch the trailer for the upcoming animated film Resident Evil: Degeneration. No word on a western release date yet.

MTV interviews The Rock on Shazam, and Sam Jackson on Nick Fury.

AICN has a review of what is apparently a terrible script rewrite on Escape From New York by Jonathan Mostow.

IESB has heard that The Rock may appear in the Johnny Quest film, as Race Bannon!

Watch almost 4 minutes of new footage from Star Wars Clone Wars right here on Yahoo!

MTV has a preview up for the upcoming direct to dvd Marvel animated film "Hulk vs Wolverine" and it is killer.

Read Comingsoon.net panel reports and coverage on The Spirit, Watchmen and here, Day The Earth Stood Still, Prince of Persia, The Wolfman,

Read AICN panel reports and coverage on Wolfman, Watchmen, Twilight, Wolverine, Batman: Brave and the Bold and here, and a non-con Star Trek report

Read Latino Review's reports on the Hasbro panel (G.I. Joe), the Fox panel (DTESS, Max Payne, Wolverine), Watchmen, Punisher WZ, The Spirit, Ninja Assassin, Star Wars, and a video interview for Red Sonja,

Read IESB.net's well written reports on Watchmen, Twilight, the Fox panel, the best Wolverine footage breakdown online, and video interviews on Wolverine, Max Payne, and DTESS

And that's about all I can handle for now. That's sure a ton of info, And there'll be even more tomorrow after the Saturday panels get going at Comic Con. It's kinda crazy, but very cool stuff overall. Anything in this list really stand out to you as awesome? In my opinion the Star Wars footage steals the show so far. I'll post it up on its own later this weekend. Until then, I'm off to bed.
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Badass new Punisher trailer

2008-07-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

Holy crap. this new Punisher War Zone trailer shown at Comic Con is fucking badass. I mean seriously crazy badass. It is very violent, and cool. Like some old scratchy grindhouse splatter film. Care of IGN, check it out.

I really think I love it. None of this pansy bullshit like the last Punisher movie. I want people's heads exploding. Now thats quality entertainment... You can read more about the Comic Con panel and what the Producer and stars had to say here. But hey, not everyone likes this so it could be just me... Punisher War Zone hits theaters December 5th, '08.

Barrowman as Captain America?

2008-07-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Another great rumor for you fine folks today. Yesterday at SDCC after a panel, the Torchwood star John Barrowman was reportedly asked if there was any chance he might be playing or interested in playing Captain America in the planned upcoming First Avenger: Captain America movie.

And funnily enough Barrowman wasn't surprised at all. Although I hadn't heard his name bandied about he would make a fine choice. Reportedly after the stock answer of how much he'd love to play a role like that, and that Captain America was always his favorite hero, he admitted that his agents have been in discussions on that very issue.

Seems a bit out of the blue, but I have to think other than his name not being super recognizable to most of America, he might be a very decent choice. And if Marvel wants to play their cards really right they might just want to pick some young actor who is not all that well known. While Robert Downey Jr can transcend his stardom to become Tony Star k, maybe especially because his personal public past is somewhat reflective of Stark's fictional one I can definitely see some at Marvel feeling that a lesser known name might work better for the epitome of all that embodies America. Barrowman is a very good actor, and while not exactly what I'd envisioned for the part, I haven't any doubt he's got the chops for the role. I just wonder in terms of look... I mean I know hes got the square jaw, but isn't he just a bit... pretty? Kinda like Rob Lowe maybe...

We'll see how and if anything develops from this meaty rumor.
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Feist counts to 4

2008-07-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Feist on Sesame Street. Happy Friday.

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Red Sonja poster

2008-07-25T00:36:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently at San Diego Comic Con things are always happening. Today brings the first big day a few tidbits fell the way of the web for us mere mortals not lucky enough to be there. Like this sweet new poster for Red Sonja as seen over at MTV.

Or this cool Red Sonja t-shirt art seen from Comingsoon.

As I mentioned before, the film is set to star everyone's favorite machine gun legged hottie Rose McGowan, and will be produced under the watchful eye of Robert Rodriguez, and directed by Douglas Aarniokoski. Since no footage has been shot yet, all they had to reveal was this preliminary artwork. but McGowan and Rodriguez were on hand for question about the planned film.

While not too much new information came out of today's panel at SDCC, the one shiny piece of info that dropped is that Rodriguez is in early talks to produce the upcoming Conan movie as well. And that alongside Sonja and the planned Thulsa Doom, should really round out the universe extremely well.

Thulsa Doom is another Robert E Howard character, only not a barbarian warrior. Instead he is a dangerous necromancer, who we've actually seen on screen before as portrayed in his older years by James Earl Jones in Conan the Barbarian. But a new take on this character as well was recently announced as in the works, with Djimon Hounsous attached to produce and star.

So we've got three Robert E Howard characters from the same universe all converging to the big screen at around the same time? Must be kismet.
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Alice cast?

2008-07-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tim Burton may have found his lead for the planned Burtonized Alice in Wonderland, in young Australian actress Mia Wasikowska.

Mia, who is in talks for the role, has started to make a name for herself on the show All Saints, and now HBOs In Treatment. Of course these are two shows I have never seen. But I've no doubt Burton wouldn't hire someone on who wasn't up to his caliber. Also, she recently wrapped playing a young Amelia Earhart to Hilary Swank in an upcoming biopic. So I think that we can safely say her star is on the rise.

I for one, can't wait to see what Tim Burton has in store for us with this one though. As previously reported the film will use new 3-D techniques, and be a combination of digital animated creature capture and live action. I fully expect something totally crazy.

Fingers crossed Burton delivers.
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Rocky Horror remake

2008-07-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Say it isn't so... oh sigh... MTV has signed a deal to remake the classic 1975 campy cult musical Rocky Horror Picture Show.

A couple of good things to note before being shaken and upset about more of your favorites being updated for the kids. The original executive producer Lou Adler is onboard the remake. And according to Variety the "Two-hour remake will use the original screenplay by Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien (aka Riff Raff) but may also include music not featured in the original."

No word on casting or timeframe as of yet, but Adler has indicated that he'd like it to move quickly and says he'd "like to see it shown a year from this coming Halloween, but that's up to MTV,"

I really try to be open minded about remakes, but I really love The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I'm just not sure I can get behind this... Lets see who they cast and go from there.
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Max Payne posters

2008-07-23T23:07:00.001-07:00

Care of Comingsoon, check out these sweet posters for Max Payne. The film looks like it might just be one of the very few movies based off a video game to really work. I know I am definitely excited for this one. And really cool posters to boot.

The second poster is very reminiscent of the video game cover art. That's a good touch. Look for the movie in theaters October 17th, 2008.
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Captain Blood remake

2008-07-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

Variety is reporting that Aussie film director Philip Noyce is developing a remake of Captain Blood for Warner Brothers. Noyce is the man behind a number of cool and interesting films over the years ranging from way back with the awesome Dead Calm, to Patriot Games, and The Saint, to The Quiet American, and Catch a Fire, so really this is right up his alley.

For those of you, which I assume is most, who have not seen the Errol Flynn classic Captain Blood follows "a doctor wrongly sentenced to slavery in the Caribbean, where he and his comrades become avenging pirates."Okay... I admit it, I can't remember this film myself. I know I've seen it, but honestly Errol Flynn's film The Sea Hawk was always more my style, and of course Robin Hood, alongside Don Juan kind of overshadows his career. According to wikipedia though the film Captain Blood was a great success, and propelled what was probably the first Australian actor into stardom. The film was even nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 1935 but didn't win. So this sounds like a pretty decent pedigree.

Where Noyce and Warner takes this who knows. Hopefully they'll find some rising young Aussie hotshot who just needs a big break. I look forward to it. A little swashbuckling is always fun.
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sexy violent copycat posters

2008-07-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Check this out. From a few days ago, as reported on AICN, the poster for True Blood. It's a new vampire series set to start September 7th on HBO, starring the lovely Anna Paquin.

The show according to wikipedia "details the fictional co-existence of vampires and humans in a small Louisiana town after Japanese-made synthetic blood – "TruBlood" – becomes available for purchase. Anna Paquin stars as Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress at a diner who falls in love with one of the vampires". Nice, eh?

But then out of the blue, care of Comingsoon, comes this teaser poster today for the new Megan Fox horror / thriller Jennifer's Body... ummm does that look familiar?

Do you think they really copied each other? Probably not. If fact I have a feeling neither of these posters is the first to use this imagery, but its kinda odd that they were both released within days of each other.

Of the two posters, my vote goes to Anna Paquin for being sexier. Sorry Megan, but thems the breaks. We'll probably get more on these projects as comic-con rolls into gear tomorrow.
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Day the Eath Stood Still posters

2008-07-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

Care of Comingsoon, check out these posters from the new Day the Earth Stood Still film. The first is almost exactly like the one we saw a while back, but the second is all new and features everyone's most favorite lovable robot Gort.

I definitely have my doubts about this movie. but come December 12th, 2008 I suppose we'll all know one way or another...
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TF: Revenge of the Fallen logo

2008-07-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's not a huge thing but the Transformers official movie website has been updated with a new splash page intro, featuring the logo art for the new film, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.

Too bad the rest of the website hasn't been updated yet, but its still a pretty cool film page, as those things go. I like it though. It reminds me that there's only a short 11 months to go before I get to see more robots in disguise. The film comes out June 26th, 2009.
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Hercules the movie

2008-07-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Good news people, Hercules is coming back to the big screen. I know, after you saw Hercules in New York, you thought 'how could they ever top that?' But I'm here to tell you they surely intend to. The honestly very talented director Peter Berg is reportedly in the process of bringing the demigod to the silver screen once again in what's sure to be a very fresh take. His concept is based of the recent Radical comic miniseries Hercules: The Thracian Wars. The comic is written by Steve Moore, who has a number of cool credits under his belt the script is being written by Ryan Condal, who also recently wrote a spec script for an Arthurian update on the story of Sir Galahad.

That said, the people behind the film want to stay true to the comic. Producer Barry Levine said "What resonated for them was that this was character driven, about a character who’s more man than god, with conflicts and redemption,"

According to Radical's wiki the story starts "Fourteen hundred years ago, a tormented soul walked the earth that was neither man nor god. Hercules was the powerful son of the god king Zeus, for this he received nothing but suffering his entire life. After twelve arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods finding his only solace in bloody battle. Over the years he warmed to the company of six similar souls, their only bond being their love of fighting and presence of death. These men and woman never question where they go to fight or why or whom, just how much they will be paid. Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to train his men to become the greatest army of all time. It is time for this bunch of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen when they must train an army to become as ruthless and blood thirsty as their own reputation has become."

Sounds, like it could be a cool sort of a Hyperborean Dirty Dozen. Sort of... Anyhow, I think it could be very good. There really hasn't ever been a Hercules movie that's done the character justice, but this definitely stands a better chance than most.

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Magdalena movie

2008-07-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

As reported yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter, the Top Cow comic book Magdalena is set to come to the big screen. In the tradition of all the best Top Cow comics, Magdalena features well proportioned scantily clad women fighting demons, so you just know its going to be fun ;)

Reportedly being set up by Valhalla Motion Pictures, Platinum Studios, and Top Cow productions, the film will star the lovely Janna Dewan and Luke Goss in the lead roles. "Dewan is set to play Patience, a woman who discovers that she's a part of the lineage of female warriors descended from Mary Magdalene who fight supernatural evil." and "Goss will play Kristof, an agent sent by the secret organization that has been the guardian of the lineage."

Sounds pretty cool to me. I've definitely seen the comic in stores from time to time, and despite the enticing cover I've always been more drawn to Fathom, or Witchblade when it comes down to this kind of thing. I think really I just never got into that religious kink. Anyhow, it still seems like a cool project. Check out this cover for the book.

We should hear a bit more about this project soon, as the actors are slated to appear at the Top Cow panel at comic con this week. Fun times.
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3 new films

2008-07-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

Woah, its another one of those combining posts... I know, crazy. But with Comic Con coming up Thursday, we all need to save our strength where we can. And these are three projects that all could be cool, but very well might not.

Firstly, according to Variety, Summit Entertainment has picked up the film rights to Virgin Comics graphic novel The Leaves. The story, being brought to the screen by the comic writer Kevin J Walsh, is said to revolve around "a New York doctor who travels to Mumbai, India, for a friend's funeral and meets an Indian fortune-teller who identifies him as the man who will bring about the apocalypse." I have to say, that sounds kinda cool.

The next film news to come out today, as also reported by Variety, has that Columbia has decided on Walt Becker to direct Stealing Time. "The story revolves around three generations of men who embark on a worldwide quest to uncover the secrets of an ancient device known as the Antikythera Mechanism, which may be the key component to making time travel possible." well that if anything, sounds like a wild romp. Maybe a little National Treasure I think. Although I sure hope they do find the time travel key, or man this would be a totally dull film. Walt Becker is the man, the legend really, behind Wild Hogs... nuff said.

The final film project that was announced though has the biggest name too. Bryan Singer has reportedly signed on to produce, and maybe direct a new movie called Capeshooters. The story is about "two slackers become paparazzi who specialize in shooting covert videos of superheroes find themselves on the run after they stumble onto evidence that a revered superhero is actually a villain." Now with Bryan Singer at the helm I just know this is going to have a solid sense of humor to it. Should be fun if it actually comes together.

Any thoughts? Comments? leave them below. For my money this is all good news.Especially if Capeshooters gets off the ground. We'll see though, more on all these flicks and everything else as it develops.
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Two films get directors

2008-07-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

At least probably...

The first director in question, and the most reliably confirmed in the job is veteran Battlestar Galactica director Michael Rymer who as Variety reports is set to direct the Witchblade movie. Rymer, best known as a tv director, he actually just wrapped shooting the pilot of the upcoming show Revolution, has a few films under his belt like Queen of the Damned and Perfume: the story of a murderer. I have to wonder what kind of moody, atmosphere he will bring to the table with The Withcblade. It does seem like a good fit though. He seems like someone familiar with the unusual sides of storytelling, and if anything Witchblade strikes me as a project you'd want to approach... sideways.

The next report, strikes me as a bit rumory still, although since he's only reported to be "in talks" I suppose its not a huge deal either way. Although if confirmed it definitely will be. Bloody Disgusting is reporting that avant garde filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, in talking with MGM to take the helm on the Robocop movie! And whats more they are also reporting that Robocop will be a sequel, set in Los Angeles (not Detroit) 20 years since the original Robocop program has been terminated, and the film takes off as the city decides to reinstate the program. Crazy eh? I mean, can you really see the man behind Pi, Requiem For a Dream, and The Fountain making a Robocop film. I think it would have to be completely batshit crazy in a totally awesome way. you know? I say this is honestly stellar news for fans. Aronofsky should jump on this project. It'd be something that he could really sink some fangs into.

So that's all for now on this front. I'm stoked about both of these movies, and directors means progress, which is always good. Maybe we can start getting some casts together too. Now that's something I'll be looking forward to. Until then, we'll have to wait. Maybe we'll get something more out of comic con, I know I hope so.

UPDATE - its been confirmed now, Darren Aronofsky will direct Robocop based on a script by David Self. The film will also reportedly have a budget in the ^100 million range. sweet :)
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Caprica trailer

2008-07-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

Just aired a few days ago at the TV Critics Association press tour, care of sci fi wire here is the trailer for the new highly anticipated prequel series to Battlestar Galactica, Caprica.

The series is scheduled to start airing on Sci Fi channel this December.
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Watchmen animated comic

2008-07-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

You know, I kind of go back and forth on the whole animated comics thing. The process of bringing comics to semi animated life, usually for an online audience, really works sometimes, see Broken Saints, or The Maxx tv series, and other times it just ends up looking like that horrible 70s style Thundarr the Barbarian, Xerox based technology animation. Most often you end up with something that kinda mostly works, like the Marvel dotcomics. And such is case with the new Watchmen animated comic, Chapter 1 of which has just launched on iTunes for FREE.

Despite not totally working at times for all the expected reasons. What I love about this, is that it makes The Watchmen comic book even more accessible to people who might not want to read the actual comic book. It doesn't short change the comic. I definitely recommend you check it out, whether you love the book, or have never read it, you'll definitely get a bit of a sense why this comic is so renowned. And it avoids all that messy and tiresome reading aspect of reading :) besides, the voice cast is excellent. Check it out HERE.

While you're downloading you comic, have a look at this very nice pinup artwork of Sally Jupiter, as seen in the recent Watchmen trailer, care of Comingsoon.net.

Very nice. The Live action Watchmen movie hits theaters March 6th, 2009.
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ZMD to the screen

2008-07-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Now this just sounds like a good, wholesome film project. Benderspink, the production company behind such gems as The Butterfly Effect, and Kyle XY, has picked up the film rights to Red Five comic's book ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction.

Doesn't that name just kind of say it all...

Ok a bit more about the story. The new comic is running aas a six issue miniseries and can be described thusly "Air-dropped into the deadliest hot zones, the walking dead of "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction" indiscriminately infect every last warring insurgent -- on either side of the conflict. Specifically engineered to be photosensitive, once enemy infection becomes complete by dawn, both the originals and newly created zombies dissolve as a means to control widespread and accidental zombification. This allows live soldiers to enter and safely occupy the now-combatant-free territory. However, this plan takes a deadly turn when one of the U.S. zombies, dubbed -- Zombie Zero -- fails to dissolve at the expected time, and begins to wreak havoc in the Middle East by creating others like him. This leads the U.S. military brass to send in a special operative to quietly take out Zombie Zero and his minions before their existence becomes known to the rest of the world."

The comic is written by Underworld creator Kevin Grevioux. No word on timeframe, but the fact that this kind of a project even is in development is a good sign. Zombie movies kinda rule, so I'm all for this.
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24 Exile trailer

2008-07-21T22:31:00.001-07:00

Fresh from /Film check out the trailer for the 2 hour tv movie, 24 Exile. Sounds like the narration voice over is a temp track... Since I'd heard this was supposed to air at Comic Con later this week, this is probably just an early leak. Check it out though.

The 2 hours action extravaganza will air on November 28th on FOX, and will reportedly lead directly into the events of season seven of 24 set to begin airing in full next January.
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new Dragonball poster

2008-07-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Care of Comingsoon, its a new international poster for the upcoming Dragonball movie. This time we find Goku in his traditional orange ghi, apparently holding a dragonball.

Meh, I just don't know about this whole thing... I'll try to reserve final judgment at least until I see a trailer though. Anyhow, the movie is set to come out May 13th, 2009.
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