Posted at 8:30 a.m. - Monday, April 27
Last November I told all you Geeks and Nerds out there about the Profiles in History Memorabilia Auction where they had some super-cool items like Luke Skywalker's 'hero lightsaber' and Christian Bale's mask from Batman Begins. Now, Profiles in History has another auction coming up this week, featuring some of the most sought-after film props ever! What really caught my eye - even more than the Ray Park/Darth Maul double-bladed lightsaber from Episode One - was the 'hero blaster' from the seminal sci-fi classic film BLADE RUNNER. Here's a sampling of some of the items that will be available in the auction which will be held on Thursday, April 30 and Friday May 1. You can visit PROFILES IN HISTORY for more details and LIVE AUCTIONEERS to sign up for the auction:
This baby survived the brutal shoots that reportedly destroyed several
'stunt sabers' in filming the hyper-kinetic lightsaber duels in Episode
One. Can you feel the Dark Side of the Force surrounding it?
[Ray Park "Darth Maul" fighting lightsaber from Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace ($40,000-$60,000) - photo courtesy Profiles in History]
The Holy Grail of sci-fi movie props! The '2019
Detective Special' has numerous web sites devoted to it, explaining
its origins and unique double-trigger design. Here, for the first
time ever, you can buy the original prop from the film.
[Harrison Ford "Rick Deckard" hero blaster from Blade Runner ($100,000-$150,000) - photo courtesy Profiles in History]
Oh yeah, Harrison looked really stylin' in this suit when he first met Sean Young in BLADE RUNNER. Think I could pull this one off and wear it on a night clubbin' with the cool folks?
[Harrison Ford's "Rick Deckard" "Voight Kampff" costume ($30,000-$50,000) - photo courtesy Profiles in History]
'GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF ME YOU FILTHY APE!' Oh yeah, this outfit is classic and those boots are rockin'!
[Charlton Heston's "Colonel George Taylor" costume and display from Planet of the Apes ($40,000-$60,000) - photo courtesy Profiles in History]
Again, visit PROFILES IN HISTORY for more information and LIVE AUCTIONEERS to sign up for the auction!
Posted at 9:25 a.m. - Monday, April 20
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES!
Info about this super-cool event came to mia via Geek Mail today:
Posted at 1:35 p.m. - Monday, April 6
Interesting news out of Skywalker Ranch today:
Lucasfilm’s
Red Tails Finishes Casting and Begins
Production
WWII-Era
Epic Tells the Story of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s First All Black Aerial Combat Unit
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (April 6, 2009) –
The Lucasfilm Ltd. production of Red
Tails – a fictional story inspired by the historic and heroic exploits of
America’s first all black aerial combat unit – has completed casting and will
soon begin principal photography in Europe. Produced by Rick
McCallum
“I’ve been wanting to do Red
Tails for 20 years, and we’ve finally got the means to showcase the skill
of the Tuskegee
**********************************************************************************
As a somewhat rabid Lucas devotee, I've been hearing about this project for decades. Years ago, I'd heard a rumor that the title 'Red Tails' was actually going to be the cover name for the not-yet-developed STAR WARS prequel 'Episode One: The Phantom Menace', much like BLUE HARVEST was the cover name for Return of the Jedi. Now it appears that all that speculation was just that. The Tuskegee Airmen were the subject of a documentary on the History Channel and its nice to see these brave men get the big-screen attention they are long overdue.
The most heartening thing about this project is the casting of Terrence Howard as Col. A.J. Bullard, the commander of the Tuskegee Airmen. After his unceremonious dismissal from Iron Man 2, it's nice to see him back in a high-profile project. Here's hoping he does well.
Posted at 9:15 a.m. - Monday, March 30
This is for the benefit of all you who didn't get my Alec Baldwin reference in today's 5 on 5:
Posted at 9:25 a.m. - Monday, March 16
Here's another Geek To Me TV segment from Fango Con, this one with horror movie actor/director/sfx artist Tom Savini. Note: No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get on Mr. Savini's good side. :-(
You can learn more about Tom's school for aspiring movie makers at Savini.com.
Posted at 1:20 p.m. - Thursday, March 12
Marvel Studios announced today that the release schedule for their upcoming superhero flicks Thor, Captain America and The Avengers have been pushed back, which according to Marvel Studios Chairman David Maisel “maximizes
the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the
highly anticipated release of the multi-character ’The Avengers'.”
The release dates are as follows:
In a separate statement, Marvel confirmed that “Spider-Man 4” from Sony Pictures Entertainment, is slated to hit theaters on May 6, 2011. Ironically, the current New Avengers comic book counts the web-slinger as a member of 'earth's mightiest heroes' supergroup, but there are no plans to incorporate him into the developing 'continuity' that Marvel Films has created, allowing for characters to cross over into other productions.
So just exactly what does 'maximizes
the visibility of our single character-focused films' mean? Does Marvel think that they're pushing too hard on their releases and not giving them time to create buzz while raking in some box-office receipts? Are they experiencing production issues? The whole Sam Jackson/Nick Fury debacle sure didn't instill confidence in the fan base, that's for sure.
Fanboys (and girls) have been salivating at the prospect of seeing their favorite Marvel heroes together on the big screen for some time. And with word that Kenneth Branaugh would be on board to direct Thor, Marvel Zombies are heartened that the big-screen debut of the Son of Odin will be waaaaay better than his previous incarnation on television.
Now if Marvel Films would stop low-balling it's talent, we could get REALLY excited!
Comments?
UPDATE! According to a 'spy' for Ain't It Cool News, a possible reason for the production delay is Marvel Film's desire to have Iron Man director Jon Favreau helm 'The Avengers.' Read the full story HERE.
Posted at 9:00 a.m. - Monday, February 23
Courtesy of MTV.com comes this sweet clip from the upcoming Watchmen movie:
Now, if you've read the original series, there isn't as much action in the prison scene involving Nite Owl and the Silk Spectre as depicted in this sequence, so you can see that this isn't quite the panel-by-panel adaptation that many fanboys are expecting. But still, this is pretty sweet. Oh, and I just love the way Silk Spectre's hair moves in slo-mo. Think she uses Loreal hair care products? ;-)
Comments?
Posted at 8:30 a.m. - Thursday, February 12
In a previous post I mentioned the release of a new film by the co-creator of ''The Blair Witch Project'', Daniel Myrick. The film is called ''The Objective'' and recently had a theatrical release in New York, with another yet to come in Los Angeles. The film is also being made available by IFC on Video On Demand.
I recently spoke with Daniel Myrick about his new film, what he brings to this sort of project and what an episode of The Office directed by him would be like:
***************************************************
REDEYE: You came to prominence with a film called ''The Blair
Witch Project'' and now have a film out called ''The Objective.'' Why don’t you tell us what ''The Objective'' is
about?
Daniel Myrick: Basically it revolves around a group of
Special Forces guys that are led by a CIA operative on this secret mission to
the mountains of Afghanistan
REDEYE: Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
DM: Well, it’s a combination of things. I’d been wanting to do a psychological
thriller in the desert for quite a while; something that took place primarily
during the day in that landscape. I
thought it would be kind of a challenge.
But as the years went by, we went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan and I
started seeing all this footage uploaded by soldiers themselves; a lot of night
vision firefights and things like that taking place in the desert and I thought
it was pretty creepy stuff. So kind of a
scene formed in my head hat revolved around these guys shooting at something at
night that they couldn’t explain. And
that kind of naturally merged with the desire to do a whole story in the
desert. So those two ideas sort of came together and I wrote this narrative
around that backdrop and it just kind of grew from there.
REDEYE: Many people
know you for "The Blair Witch Project", but you’ve produced and directed other
films since. So in the time since you’ve
started, what do you think you bring to a project like this that is unique?
DM: Well, um, a lot of people that have seen this film go
into it thinking it’s going to be a particular type of genre picture, what have
you, and realize when they come out of it that it’s not what they expected. I
think my approach to genre films is not any single place or single angle. It tends to meld a bunch of genres
together. I think that’s, you know, my
kind of style and I don’t go into it thinking to do a thriller or a horror
movie or a sci-fi movie. It kind of ends
up being a blend of these things so in one respect, some people are
disappointed because they’re expecting a single kind of movie. But, in another respect a lot of people are
really refreshed because it isn’t a narrow scope. I don’t think that’s unique but that’s
definitely my kind of approach and my style, and I’ve learned that my films
kind of have that common denominator to them.
REDEYE: Is there a lot of improvisation in this film as
there was in some of your earlier projects?
DM: There’s a fair amount.
You know it’s pretty well scripted out (by) myself and Mark A. Patton one
of my co-writers early on, along with Wesley Clark Jr. who helped write the
script. It’s a normal script with a
normal narrative but I like to kind of give the actors a little bit of
flexibility when were on set. As long as they understand the point of a
scene and a few key words that are needed to propel the plot forward are said, I
don’t try to dictate too much how they say it or how the blocking is done. For this kind of movie I wanted it to feel
very organic, very authentic, so I didn’t want to control these guys too much
and their behavior too much because most of them were former Special
Operations guys themselves. So, I wanted them to maintain their own body
language and their own delivery that only their experience can bring. I didn’t want to stamp on that too much so I
gave them a lot of flexibility.
REDEYE: I just came to this realization recently that ''The
Blair Witch Project'' and the way it was put together, with your giving the
actors all this freedom to put their scenes together, is very similar to the
way they film ''The Office.'' Any calls from
NBC to direct an episode?
DM: (laughs) No, no luck so far. I would love to! I think it’s a great show and I was a huge
fan of the original UK
REDEYE: Ok, since you like the idea, pitch me an episode of
''The Office'' by Daniel Myrick. What would
the story concept be?
DM: (laughs) Well, uh, it could be the ‘'Office
Objective.'’ Some kind of thriller ''Office''
episode by the co-creator of ''The Blair Witch Project.''
REDEYE: (laughs)
DM: The one ''Office'' episode that’s kind of a horror
film. Maybe it’s a dream and one of the
guys is napping in the break room and it’s his really bad dream. There you go, that’s my pitch!
REDEYE: (laughs) Joss Whedon did an episode of ''The Office'', I
want to say last season, or maybe it was the season before, and he managed to
fold the whole vampire theme in there. It was
pretty hilarious.
DM: (laughs) That’s great!
REDEYE: Ok, where "The Blair Witch Project" was unique in the
way it was produced and marketed, "The Objective'' is now being marketed in a
unique way: by video-on-demand. Can you
tell me a little bit about that?
DM: Well, IFC picked the movie up and actually it’s got a
theatrical screening in New York
REDEYE: I had a conversation with Robert Kurtzman a while
back about zombies and horror films, and asked him what he thought resonated
with people in that genre. What is it about your films that resonate with people?
DM: Well, I think a
common assessment of my films seems to be (that there is) a high level of
‘creep factor.’ People that have seen the last couple of thriller films that
I’ve done have mentioned that they kind of get under their skin and it builds
on that. I like when films do that, when
you can’t quite point to why it’s making you uneasy or why you feel off-balance.
Because, you know each little beat, each little scare, in and of itself is not
that big, but collectively within context of the story they resonate more. So I like to think that "The Objective" does
that to people. I’ve heard a lot of
people say that there aren’t any big old scares but that it gets under their
skin and it’s creepy and I like when films do that, because to me, that’s just
my style. I like the old-fashioned
zombie movies, things that jump out at you and make you jump out of your
seat. I just get more satisfaction kind
of working out of people’s heads and seeing where that takes me.
REDEYE: You say you gravitate towards the ghost story, the
‘creepy entities.’ We’ve also had
Zombies, Werewolves and Frankenstein, and they’ve been done to death. What do you think is the next horror movie
archetype, the next new thing on the horizon that’s going to be creeping people
out in movie theaters?
DM: That’s a good question.
You know, if I knew I’d probably have a multimillion dollar script ready
to go. (laughs) But I do think it might have something to do with
technology. It might have something to
do with kind of a ‘ghost in the machine’ where we’re so now connected to each
other. We’re so now, um, interdependent
through technology, the internet and kind of living these virtual existences (with)
virtual friends that we never meet. I’m
thinking maybe something along those lines that transcends, literally, kind of
our physical space. Not necessarily
something supernatural but something along the lines that involves
technology. Artificial intelligence of
some sort, you know might be kind of cool or interesting here. It could be something as overt as a
wacked-out robot, who knows? That might be kind of interesting to explore.
REDEYE: I’ve got it!
Dwight is afraid that the Dunder-Mifflin sales computer is taking over
the office and he has to battle it! How
does that sound for an episode?
DM: (laughs) I love it man!
That’s it! (laughs) Now write it up and go ahead and pitch it.
REDEYE: (laughs) Tell you what, you use it but I just want a
story credit! (laughs)
DM: (laughs)It’s the fax machine! (laughs)
REDEYE: (laughs) Awesome.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Just for the record, I am a fan and the Blair
Witch Project still creeps me out! I
have to watch it in the middle of the day, with the lights on. It creeps me out to this day.
DM: (laughs)
REDEYE: Only two films do that to me: Blair Witch and A
Nightmare on Elm Street
DM: Oh, that’s good company.
****************************************************************
You can learn more about The Objective by visiting the film's web site.
Posted at 1:30 p.m. - Friday, January 30
Chris Yost is a writer for comics and animation who is well known for his work with Marvel Comics' titles like X-Force and is currently writing the adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. He is the co-writer for the newest Marvel Animation feature 'Hulk VS', a direct-to-DVD title that I reviewed in a previous post.
Yost took a few moments from his busy schedule to answer questions about Hulk VS, what it was like putting the features together and if we'll ever have a Deadpool feature:
Geek To Me: Where did the
idea of a 'VS' series of Marvel videos come about?
CHRIS YOST: My
understanding of it was that Lionsgate really wanted a Hulk feature, and Marvel
also wanted to expand their animated universe, so the idea of the Hulk teaming
up with other Marvel heroes seemed a natural. But as Marvel executive and
producer Craig Kyle observed, there's nothing the fans love more than hero
versus hero, as in the recent and tremendously successful comic series 'Civil
War.' So looking through Marvel's history, everyone looked for the characters
that the Hulk had some really good tangles with... and Wolverine and Thor were
the top of the list.
G2M: You're no stranger to
the Marvel U, having written several titles before, so what were the challenges
you encountered going from writing for animation as opposed to comics?
YOST: The challenge in
animation is usually how to not to get tied up in all the history, the 70 years
of baggage that the characters bring with them. To tell a story that even
people who don't know the characters like the hardcore fans do can enjoy and
understand. Now, in the case of 'Hulk Vs,' we were really making the movie FOR
the fans. So we were able to get more into the shared history, the
references, the 'easter eggs'. We put so many nods to the larger universe
and to comic history, that I'm still kind of laughing about it.
G2M: Was there a scene or
idea that you really wanted to include that was left out for some reason?
YOST: This was the
first project I've worked on where the animation studio came back to us and
said, 'MORE!' We actually went back in and added scenes.
G2M: Do you imagine these
films taking place in the 'animated Marvel Universe' or in the one established
in the comics?
YOST: For me, I
imagine it as a shared universe... as much as I can. There are two
animated series coming out that will help with that... 'Wolverine and the
X-Men' and 'Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.' It's easy to see Hulk Vs
existing in those series, as they're more the classic comic look and feel. As
any comic fan will tell you, shared universes are where it's at.
G2M: What's your favorite
scene from either film?
YOST: There's a bit in
'vs Thor' where Hulk is trying to pick up the hammer, and Thor takes it back
from him. And then Thor shows him why he's the God of Thunder.
G2M: Deadpool practically
steals every scene he's in, so when are we getting a Deadpool feature?
YOST: The sooner the better. We'll see how many people are sick enough to demand it. I know I am.
You can visit the HULK VS web site for more info!
Posted at 10:40 p.m. - Wednesday, January 28
This week sees the release of Marvel Animated Features' newest Direct-To-DVD title 'Hulk VS,' a double-feature where the Green Goliath goes up against Marvel's most popular character, Wolverine, and one of the Marvel U's most powerful, the Mighty Thor.
After watching both films back-to-back, it's apparent to me they were made with the older, hard-core Marvel fanboy in mind, with their sophisticated tone, comic continuity references and downright brutal fight scenes. When the box says 'twice the carnage' it's not kidding!
Right from the opening scene in Hulk VS Wolverine, you know that this is no kiddie cartoon. It begins with a bloodied Wolverine trying to repair a dislocated shoulder, a result of his first encounter with Ol' Jade Jaws. Canada's Department H has dispatched Logan to stop the Hulk who appears to be on a rampage across the Great White North. Along the way, Logan battles not only Bruce Banner's angry alter-ego, but also the colorful-yet-deadly crew of Project Weapon X, comprised of Lady Deathstrike, Sabretooth, Omega Red and scene-stealing mercenary Deadpool.
And yes, there is blood, so if you're not keen on having your kids see that sort of thing, you may not want to buy this one for them at the local Target. These features are a solid PG-13, but if you want to see Wolverine doing what he does best - which, as he himself says, isn't very nice - Hulk VS Wolverine definitely delivers.
The second feature, Hulk VS Thor is similarly violent, but has a story that's told on a grander scale with the Hulk taking on all of Asgard, quite literally! After being manipulated by the evil Loki, the Hulk battles not only Thor, but Baldar the Brave, the Warriors Three and a pair of Frost Giants! If you ask me, while this film appears less 'bloody,' the violence comes across as more brutal. Some of the fights are just painful to watch. In one scene, the Hulk has Thor on the ground and is mercilessly beating him. The beating is so relentless that I actually had a hard time watching it. So, parents be warned.
But for the rest of the fanboys and fangirls who grew up reading Marvel Comics, this is a double feature made for you! There's plenty of references to classic comic book moments sure to make avid Marvel Zombies smile. And in true Michael-Bay-blockbuster-movie style, lots of stuff gets blowed up real good!
Be sure to check back when I'll be asking the writers/co-directors of Hulk VS a couple questions about this Marvel-ous double feature!
Comments and reviews below!
Posted at 10:10 a.m. - Wednesday, January 28
Just caught wind of this flick today:
Hm. And here's what the press release has to say: 'A decade after The Blair Witch Project successfully dissuaded many would-be campers from venturing out into the woods, one of its co-creators is back with a similarly unsettling descent into the unknown. In the supernatural thriller The Objective, writer-director Daniel Myrick locates the action in a remote mountain region of Afghanistan, where a team of US Special Ops forces is dispatched with the ostensible orders of locating an influential Muslim cleric. While on the mission they find themselves lost in a Middle Eastern 'Bermuda Triangle' of ancient evil and faced with an enemy that none of them could have imagined.'
Ever since BWP caught lightning in a bottle with its form of cinema virete', other filmmakers have been trying to duplicate the feat (see Cloverfield) in the hopes of striking that nerve in the public consciousness that will get them a hit film.
And while The Objective appears to eschew many of the camera techniques its predecessor helped make popular, the flick looks like its trying to bank on the perception that one of the original creators of BWP is involved. Will that carry it to the box-office? Then again, TBWP 2 fell short, so I dunno.
You can also check out the website for more info.
Comments?
Posted at 7:40 p.m. - Monday, January 26
This fun little video demo of Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings , the newest Indy game from Lucasarts, has been making its way across the internet:
This game has been 'in development' since before Indiana Jones 4 hit theaters and has many Indy fans wondering what the hold up is. In addition, it appears as if this new game will not be available on the X-Box or even the Playstation 3, which has rankled some gamers.
I will say this, though: that is a great likeness of Harrison Ford. Best one in any Indy game yet.
Comments?
Posted at 8:35 a.m. - Saturday, January 24
No, this isn't a real news cast from 'our world', but a glimpse into the world of Watchmen (the film based on the Award-winning maxi-series turned graphic novel):
For those who've read the graphic novel, you can also read an on-line version of The New Frontiersman. I'd be curious to hear what comic-reading fans think about this type of viral marketing.
Comment below!
Posted at 7:35 p.m. - Friday, January 23
Another great import from the Land of the Rising Sun via Trailer Addict, the Japanese trailer to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!
Posted at 10:15 p.m. - Thursday, January 15
According to THR.Com, the dispute between Warner Bros. and Fox over the Watchmen film has been resolved, thus allowing Warner Bros. to release the film on the scheduled day in March.
So why am I not happy about it? Well maybe it's because Fox, the studio that showed absolutely no interest in developing the film, that stood idly by while Warner Bros. and a bunch of dedicated, talented folks invested their own money and time in the project, managed to swoop in at the eleventh hour to get a piece of the action.
Reports are that not only will the WB pay Fox an undisclosed amount of cash up front, but also give Fox a portion on the box-office receipts.
Doesn't that seem wrong to Geek Nation?
I say what a crock. Sometimes there is no justice in the world.
I can also say is that Fox does have a Wolverine flick on the way, and it better rock to gain the studio back some respect from the geeks who fretted over losing their Watchmen flick.
Otherwise, karma's a real...
you know.
Comments?
Posted at 8:45 p.m. - Wednesday, January 14
I knew it was too good to be true. This wondrous vision of Marvel Comics creating movies featuring their top characters, played by A-list actors. After the success of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, it was starting to look like it could actually happen. Iron Man was the second-top-grossing film of 2008, and Hulk managed to clear everyone's palate of the disappointment with Ang Lee's film.
And then the suits at Marvel decided to drop Terrence Howard from the Iron Man sequel, which didn't sit well with me. I mean, nothing against Don Cheadle, but are you trying to tell me that all it takes to play James Rhodes is a man of color? Are African-American actors that interchangeable?
And if not, then who the heck are you gonna get to play Nick Fury if not Samuel L. Jackson? As according to this entry in the LA Times Hero Complex blog, Marvel Studios has appeared to have soured on the idea of having Mace Windu back as the head of SHIELD.
And that just grinds my gears!
C'mon Marvel, first you're raising the cover prices on all your books - even though you have a majority of the comics market - and now you're playing the cheapskate with casting your films? What's next? Dropping Ed Norton from the Hulk for that guy who played Greg on Dharma and Greg?
I knew it was too good to be true...
Posted at 12:30 p.m. - Tuesday, January 13
In a previous post I told you about an on-line film that was created by a couple of local film makers called The League:
Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel, creators of this kick-ass on-line superhero movie, were gracious enough to answer a handful of questions for Geek To Me:
GEEK TO ME: How long did production
of The League take?
KYLE HIGGINS: Too long.
ALEC SIEGEL: (laughs) It’s kind of weird to think that its finally done.
HIGGINS: I know. We started writing the film in the late spring
of 2007, while we were in Chicago. Alec was about to
graduate from college, and, at summer’s end, I was about to go into my final
year at Chapman.
SIEGEL: It was a pretty lengthy process. We started writing in May and
continued to write and re-write until production began in November.
HIGGINS: We filmed for two
weekends in November, a night in December, two nights in early February, and
then a day of pickups in late March. Oh,
and Michael Nie and I shot for two days in January, back in Chicago. And when I say “for two days,” I literally
mean it. I think we got about two hours
of sleep, in the back of a Suburban, parked outside the John Hancock
building. We rented an Arri SR-3, and
just went guerrilla all over the city, grabbing establishing shots and effects
plates wherever we could. All in the
snow, of course.
SIEGEL: I missed out on that part.
HIGGINS: You would have only slowed us down (laughs).
G2M: What made you decide to
create a superhero movie?
SIEGEL: Well, it started with a short story Kyle wrote at
Chapman. The short story doesn’t
resemble the film too much, but it really set the stage for things to come. Sometime after, Kyle approached me to co-write
the script for the short and we were off and running.
HIGGINS: I’ve spent most of my
life reading comics. I’ve kind of said
this before, but Richard Donner’s Superman
is what got me into filmmaking. So
when I was deciding what kind of project to do for my thesis film, I naturally
gravitated towards comics. And when I came
up with the concept, the market for superhero movies could not have been
better. Even now, after Dark Knight, the bubble hasn’t burst on
comic book films. So that played a
factor, too. Short films are tough. Other then film festivals and the occasional
European distribution deal, there isn’t much of a market for them. So with The League, the idea that I could
tell a story in a genre I love, and have there be an audience for it, made the
decision an easy one.
G2M: Comic fans will see a lot of familiar
archetypes in the film. From
where did you draw inspiration for the story and characters?
HIGGINS: Well, the characters are
obviously modeled after existing superheroes.
With it being a short film, and the amount of story we were trying to
convey, we decided early on that using some of the existing superhero archetypes
was a good starting point. And for most
people, they see “The Grey Raven and his kid sidekick Sparrow” on screen and
they immediately get the Batman and Robin connotation. There’s a general understanding of what the
relationship and dynamic is between those two characters, just by saying they
are “hero and sidekick.”
SIEGEL: It does a lot of work for
us and it gets the audience into the right mindset in a short amount of time.
G2M: What comics have you read
before? And what are you guys reading
now?
SIEGEL: To be
honest, I’m new to the comic book world. As a kid, I remember reading some of
Dark Horse's X-Wing series and I was
a big follower of Batman: The Animated Series, but that's about it. I've always
been a fan of comic book movies, however, so my comic book knowledge has formed
in a sort of backwards way, I guess. That being said, I just finished The Joker by
Azzarello and Bermejo and Watchmen and I’m working
through a big stack of books ranging from Batman, to Spider-man, to the Thunderbolts,
and Justice League.
HIGGINS: My taste has always been
a bit mainstream when it comes to comics.
I grew up a Marvel and DC guy.
And it was really only a couple years ago that I started reading comics
that didn’t have superheroes in them (laughs).
I grew up on Spider-Man and Batman, X-MEN and Daredevil. Watchmen, obviously, and V for Vendetta. Spawn was in there, too. Lately I’ve been reading Daredevil, Captain
America, Batman, Green Lantern, Nightwing, Action Comics, Criminal… the Joker hardcover
was really, really good.
G2M: Who has inspired your
cinematic style?
HIGGINS: That could be a long list (laughs). I’ll try and keep it short. I grew up watching Ridley Scott, James
Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Sydney Lumet, Francis Ford Coppolla… Sam Mendes had
a big effect on me when I was in high school.
The way he and Conrad Hall shot Road to Perdition… it’s one of my all
time favorite films. I’d say it’s about
as close to a perfect movie as you can get.
Bryan Singer’s earlier stuff—Usual Suspects and X-MEN 1, mostly.
But I would say first and foremost (I’m sure this is a popular answer
these days) is Christopher Nolan. I saw
Memento when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school. I dabbled in “moviemaking” when I was really
young, shooting things with my dad and sister on our Hi-8 camera. But then I kind of got out of it in grade
school and junior high. I always loved
watching movies, but when I saw Memento, that’s when I decided I had to be a
director. And Nolan hasn’t made a movie
I didn’t like. Insomnia is probably his
weakest, but even that has some of the best acting Pacino has done in the last
decade. Nolan has such an interesting
voice. His work is so nuanced and
layered… It’s all very, very crafted. I hope I can get to that point someday.
And of course, I would have to say my dad. He’s been a photographer for almost 40
years. The landscapes and cityscapes
that he shoots are just incredible. He
just got back from hiking the Grand Canyon, so I’m looking forward to going home in a few weeks, just to see
the pictures.
SIEGEL: Yeah,
Steven Spielberg is certainly a big influence and probably the earliest for me,
but Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron, William Monahan, and Joss Whedon have all
had a big impact on me, certainly where writing is concerned. I'd also count
Ridley Scott, David Fincher, and Ron Howard as some of my favorite
filmmakers. And as far as truly crafting a film, I think Kyle is totally
right with Christopher Nolan. The Prestige is probably one of my favorite
movies of all time, both in story and visuals.
G2M: You
have an impressive cast in The League.
How difficult was it to get all the acting talent for the film?
HIGGINS: It wasn’t that tough,
actually.
SIEGEL: That might have been the
easiest part of making the film.
HIGGINS: You’re right. Definitely.
We had a really fantastic casting director named Jackie Sollitto who had
graduated a year before me at Chapman.
Originally I figured I was going to have to deal with casting, too, but
Michael Campbell (one of our producers) knew Jackie really well. Jackie sent out a casting notice on LA
Casting and Breakdown Express. With the
logline, the size of the project, and the fact we were shooting film, we had a
lot of interest. Hundreds and hundreds
of actors submitted themselves. I think
there were 200 or 300 for Grey Raven alone.
Jackie, Michael, Alec and I saw a lot of very good actors over the
course of two days in LA. And then I
went through the tapes and decided on a handful of people, who we brought down
to Chapman the following weekend to do chemistry readings.
G2M: You
guys have really pulled off something special which I’m sure is going to
inspire other aspiring filmmakers.
What advice would you give them?
HIGGINS: Attack it. Just go for it. I see a lot of people, especially while I was
at Chapman, who start making contingency plans, and start thinking about what
else they can do if film doesn’t work out for them—except they haven’t even
tried yet! I mean, look—it’s a super,
super hard industry to break into. You
have to have a plan. And I’m obviously
still hoping and praying things work out for me. But at the same time, you have to be hungry
for it. If you don’t have that killer
mentality, you won’t make it. You can
never settle. The second you settle at a
comfortable job that you’re making decent money at, you’ll lose a bit of that
hunger and that drive. You’ll take
longer to finish that script you’ve wanted to write, or you’ll tell yourself
you’re just going to work for a year two get on your feet—then you’ll tackle
that short film or that feature outline.
But that year turns into two years, and then three years, and pretty
soon you’re in your mid 30’s and you have nothing to show. That’s what I’m terrified of. I see a lot of people falling into that trap.
SIEGEL: The greatest successes are gained by taking the greatest risks.
Give it all you have, or you’ll find yourself wondering what might have been.
HIGGINS: So yeah.
You can’t be scared of failing. If
I had a dime for every person that told me not to make The League, or for every
person at Chapman that wasn’t into the film… well, I would have a lot of dimes
(laughs). And we’ll see what
happens. They may still be right. But you have to believe in yourself, and you
have to have confidence in your own talent (without being cocky). If you don’t believe in yourself, no studio
exec in the world is going to believe in you.
And above all else, you have to decide how important it is to
you. If you can think of other things that
you would be happy doing with your life—truly happy—then maybe film really
isn’t worth the pain and suffering. But
if it’s truly what you want (or you’re just masochistic), then turn it into a
mission. Attack it.
G2M: Any thing on the horizon
that fans should be on the lookout for?
HIGGINS: Well, there’s nothing
definite yet. We’ve got a lot of irons
in the fire, some things that we’re writing together and some that we’re
writing separate. I obviously want to
direct, too, and I just finalized my agent/manager. I do have a script that I’m attached to
direct, which was written by a friend of mine.
It’d be pretty low budget, but very, very cool. Comic fans would definitely be into it. We’ll see if we can get it set up somewhere. I’m trying to start writing comics, too.
SIEGEL: Yeah. There’s a list of
thing we both want to do, both together and separately. We’ll see how things
pan out. And then there’s The League.
HIGGINS: Ah yes. We have big plans for the world of The
League. We’re not sure where yet (laughs), but there are a
couple interesting options, including, of course, possibly doing it as a
graphic novel.
G2M: And
finally, do you consider
yourself to be a geek or a nerd?
HIGGINS: Probably more a
geek.
SIEGEL: You sure about that?
HIGGINS: I think so…
SIEGEL: I’d have to go with geek as well. My movie collection is a
pretty good indication of that. I have things that are more mainstream like Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, or Se7en, but there’s plenty of room for
things like Battlestar Galactica, Star
Wars, and The Lord of the Rings.
HIGGINS: Not that there’s anything wrong with being a nerd (laughs). You know, I’m a huge comic book fan, but actually,
I’ve always had a really diverse set of interests… everything from sports to music. I play basketball, I snowboard, I’ve been a
jazz trumpet player since I was 13… and I’m addicted to football. My entire week is structured around what time
the Bears play on Sunday.
At the same time, I couldn’t be happier that comics might be
responsible for helping start my career.
G2M: Thanks guys for taking the time to
share this with me!
Posted at 8:20 a.m. -Monday, January 5
Ok, this is the very essence of awesome geek-film making:
A bunch of Evil Dead fans get together and create their own version of Army of Darkness via Be Kind To Rewind. You just have to appreciate the energy and sincerity in the effort. Oh, and the 'This is my BOOMSTICK!' scene? With the characters from 'other' geek/nerd franchises? HILARIOUS!
Thanks to DEADITES ONLINE for uncovering this gem!
Posted at 7:40 p.m. - Friday, January 2
Just got home from seeing Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. Wrestling geeks are sure to enjoy this touching look into the life of a past-his-prime grappler, and even non-geeks will appreciate the performance of one Mickey Rourke, who is just astounding as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson. 'The Ram' is one part Randy 'Macho Man' Savage, one part Hulk Hogan (without the video residuals) and one part Ultimate Warrior. He's a sad-sack who can't handle success, frittering his fortune from the 80's on drugs and women, left to scrounge for whatever scraps his fading reputation can get him. But damn if you don't feel for the guy. I was never a big fan of Rourke's back in his bad-boy sex symbol days, but he really played on my sympathies in this role which is sure to get him Oscar consideration.
Now, while the 'Ram' came off as a combination of all those wrestlers I mentioned before, his plight was straight out of another wrestling film that I really enjoyed: Beyond The Mat.
Beyond the Mat told the behind-the-scenes story of the 'feud' between Mick 'Mankind' Foley and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in the WWF (before it became the WWE). There's some nice backstage footage of Vince McMahon and Foley discussing their characters' storylines and how to further develop the drama, thus exposing the true nature of 'competition' in the world of pro wrestling.
But the real drama takes place as the camera follows Jake' The Snake' Roberts, one of the WWF's top heels in the 80's, now doing the local wrestling circuit and still living in the past.
THAT is who I thought of as I watched The Wrestler. 'The Ram' was living Jake Robert's life, all the way down to the estranged daughter. And I have to admit that I got pretty choked up there in the end.
Great, great stuff in both these films and I'd encourage geeks and non-geeks alike to check them out!
Posted at 8:15 a.m. - Wednesday, December 24
The animation wing of Marvel Entertainment has been cranking out a bunch of really cool direct-to-DVD features as of late (i.e. IRON MAN, DOCTOR STRANGE & ULTIMATE AVENGERS) and has a few more in waiting for release in January. They've just put some footage from their new 'HULK VERSUS' DVD on Marvel.Com:
Posted at 12:00 a.m. - Saturday, December 20
Oh sweet...this weekend's edition of the REDEYE has a COVER STORY written by your truly. The story is a primer on Will Eisner's Spirit character and the upcoming film based on the comic.
Now I've gotta admit that I haven't seen the film yet and I'm getting a bit worried as the advance word of mouth on the flick hasn't been all that positive. Rumor has it that Frank Miller's inexperience as a director really shows, and that he's jettisoned much of the Eisner 'essence' for Sin City-type antics.
I just hope that the rumors of Bugs Bunny-ish, physics defying combat taking place between Denny Colt and the Octopus aren't true.
I guess we'll se soon enough.
Posted at 10:25 p.m. - Wednesday, November 26
You've stuffed yourself with turkey, recovered from the post-sweet potato pie coma, and now it's time to get down to business...buying Christmas gifts.
Now if you're looking for something unique for the geek in your life, and have a few extra grand in the petty cash drawer, here are some gifts that will make them the envy of all the geeks in the neighborhood:
[Copy of You Only Live Twice signed by Ian Fleming to 'James Bond' ($60,000-$80,000)]
This copy of You Only Live Twice was signed by 007 creator Ian Fleming for the man from who he 'stole' the name for his world-famous secret agent, the famed orinthologist James Bond.
[Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi original "C-3PO" droid helmet worn by Anthony Daniels ($60,000-$80,000)]
Oh yeah, this baby on the mantle will make that Star Wars fanatic in your life ready to learn and become fluent in over 2 million forms of communication. I wonder if it still has the smell of Tony Daniels sweat in it?
[Mark Hamill's hero "Luke Skywalker" lightsaber from Star Wars and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back ($150,000-$180,000)]
Didn't Luke lose this one in the tibana gas mines of Cloud City? How much did the custodian who dug this baby out of the vents get? What kind of batteries does it need? 2 double-A? Hmmmmmm...
[Signature "Wolverine" black leather battlesuit from X-Men ($60,000-$80,000)]
Hey baby, lookit me! I'm dressed like WOLVERINE! Oh yeah, Hugh Jackman wore this sucker! Some of his man scent has gotta be rubbing off on me right now! Uh...no, I'm pretty sure he didn't wear this outfit in the suck-fest that was X-Men 3: The Last Stand.
[Harrison Ford's signature "Indiana Jones" fedora hat and whip from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ($40,000-$60,000 each]
For the geek who enjoys exploring temples deep in the Peruvian jungles, outrunning boulders and getting dragged under trucks! The question behind having this item is does it belong on your head, or in a museum?
[Christian Bale's signature "Batman" cowl from Batman Begins ($15,000-$20,000)]
This would have to be the ultimate geeky-gift! Christian Bale wore this sucker in Batman Begins and it is sure to be a most coveted item in Geek-dom. C'mon, IT'S BALE! IT'S BATMAN!
These items, and a plethora of others, will be going up for auction (www.ebayliveauctions.com) on December 11th. You can visit the Profiles in History web site to download a complete catalog of items available for auction, @ www.profilesinhistory.com.
Posted at 10:35 p.m. - Tuesday, November 25
Robert Kurztman has been working in the horror movie genre
since his college days, starting off as an effects artist on Sam Raimi’s Evil
Dead series before going on to building an impressive resume on a number of
different genre features, including The Rage, a movie he directed and co-wrote with John
Bisson. The Rage will be shown as part
of the MonstersHD Thanksgiving Day of the Dead Marathon. Kurtzman spoke with me about the marathon, his
experiences in film and what it’s like to work in Bollywood.
Geek To Me: Where did the idea of having a monster movie marathon on Thanksgiving come up?
Robert Kurtzman: I would guess,[it's like] when I was growing up there was the ‘monster movie weekend,’ you had the late night horror host on Friday night, Saturday horror host – afternoon super host – and then your afternoon movie which was always a genre movie. Most of the time King Kong played on the holiday weekend, y’know on Thanksgiving. So when I was a kid I was looking forward every year as I got to watch King Kong.
So I would suppose that they [Monsters HD producers] had a similar thing when they were growing up, so they’re thinking ‘hey, Thanksgiving weekend marathon! Plus, it’s a zombie marathon and you eat a lot!’
G2M: What are some of the projects you’ve worked on that you look back on with the most fondness?
RK: Probably working on the Evil Dead movies, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. I’m most fond of the ‘hey day’ movies when creature effects was kind of the burgeoning industry, y’know in the eighties, that’s when I got into it. Movies like that, Bride of Re-Animator and films like that, I really enjoyed working on.
Army of Darkness is probably the best time I’ve ever had working on a film. You’re a big kid out there, you get to play with skeleton puppets, and guys on horseback with swordplay. That’s great.
The second one (Evil Dead 2) was a blast to work on
too. We were kids, I was probably about
twenty, and they stuck us in this ‘Texas Chainsaw’ type house, the effects guys
were all in this house out in the country, a scary barn with the pillars out
front. We all stayed in the house while
making a movie, being shot in an abandoned middle school, which is were they
built all the stuff for Evil Dead, all the cabin sets and interiors. It was three months in North
Carolina
G2M: And beating the crap out of Bruce Campbell.
RK: Yeah, that’s the other thing. Sam’s whole thing is ‘the innocent must suffer.’ Which is great because that’s the great things about the Die Hard films too, John McClane gets his ass kicked.
Then there’s other movies like Dances With Wolves and Misery,
films like that, more main stream, aren’t so much genre movies, but I enjoyed
them as well.
G2M: What is it about zombies that you think really strike a chord with people?
RK: Probably just the primal fear of having your flesh eaten by another human being and being eaten alive. And the taboo of eating human flesh, it all plays into the thing, the phobia. [It] continues to resonate over the years, as do vampires and werewolves for various reasons.
G2M: There are those that say that the zombie genre is played out, that there's nothing new you can do with them. What are some of the challenges that you find as a creator to make these types of archetypes, like zombies, effective and resonate with people?
RK: There are two kinds of [approaches]: the very realistic approach to them, [recreating] what they would really look like decaying which is what you always try to make using the technology and make-up effects, creature effects and advances and that. You just try to make them more realistic and more anatomically correct.
And then you have the fantasy element, which [are] the goofier
movies that are [created] really to be more fun than anything.
The genre is never dead because someone eventually puts a twist on it and revives it somehow and comes up with a new idea. Same with vampires and whatever, they get into that rut where it kind of overused and everything’s kind of similar, and then, you know, it dies out for a few years, and then – bam – somebody comes up with something real interesting.
I don’t think it ever truly dead.
G2M: Have you seen any of the current work in comic books being done with Zombies, like Robert Kirkman’s Walking Dead or Garth Ennis’ Crossed?
RK: I don’t really follow [them]. I’d been dabbling with the comics with The Rage release, but I really don’t collect them anymore. Stopped doing that when I was in my teens, unfortunately. Couldn’t afford it.
G2M : Speaking about The Rage, what do you felt worked best about that project?
RK: We set out to make a really fun kind of b-movie, roller coaster ride. It has a lot of things, elements from films I grew up on, everything from Re-Animator to the old 40’s and 50’s (Bela) Legosi movies; mad doctor films and mix it in with some mutant animals, some living dead mutants; kind of a mix of everything where we just have fun with it.
It’s totally kind of a fun throwback movie. We made it on a shoestring budget. We kind of did it to experiment. Me and John [Bisson] kind of wanted to experience the process that they did on Evil Dead when they went out and raised money and shot a movie outside the system kind of on their own in the back yard. So we put a film crew together, in our home town, on my studio and everything and we made the movie. Even though we’d made other films over the years, we went ‘hey, let’s go back and make a movie like we were making our first film.’ We basically did everything ourselves. I was the DP (Director of Photography), John was production designer, and he was also writing and storyboarding the film. We were doing a little of everything, built our own sets and it was that kind of guerilla movie.
G2M: Do you think you would want to re-visit The Rage like Sam Raimi did the Evil Dead movies?
RK: If there’s an opportunity, we already have ideas for spinning it off. It just depends on what’s going on at the time, what the market is and raising the financing again.
G2M: What do you think is going to be the next thing in horror that is going to strike a chord with fans of the genre?
RK: I think it’s going to be somebody coming up with an original concept that doesn’t use any of those creatures like vampires, werewolves and things. They have been so overused. I think coming up with a new mythology for something, or experimenting with other cultures’ mythology. I just finished a film called ‘Hiss’ which is an Indian production, its all wrapped around their Snake Woman legend. So there’s things that we’re not familiar with over here that might be a new inspiration for films over here like a golem-type film.
[‘Hiss’] is an all Hindi movie which definitely a different thing, working with an Indian crew and translators was an experience. It was really cool.
G2M: Do scary movies go over in
RK: Yeah, they actually have a lot of horror films that come out, even our [American] films come out. They had their 'Hammer Films' period over there too. They made fifty of these snake movies, but they never had any with real transformations and snakes or special make-up. They’ve been making these types of movies for a long time: supernatural movies and movies with witches.
G2M: Robert, thanks so much for taking this time to speak with me.
RK: Thank you.
******************************************
Visit MonstersHD.com for more info on their Thanksgiving Day of the Dead!
Posted at 12:05 p.m. - Saturday, November 22
Now here's a fun film that just goes to show the kind of talent we have here in the Windy City! The League is a 'thesis film' for Chapman University by filmmakers Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel that features everything you would expect in a big-budget production: solid production design, great costumes and top-notch special effects.
Also involved in the production was professional comic-book artist Eric Wight, who is known for his work on The Escapist for Dark Horse Comics and Justice League of America for DC.
The film plays with all the archetypes of the comics genre, from The Dark Avenger to the sidekick to the cosmic hero and puts them in a perilous world of dark dealings and back-alleys where nothing is quite as it appears to be.
You can watch this gem of film for FREE on The League web site!
Posted at 4:40 p.m. - Friday, November 21
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures comes TWO MORE poster images for the upcoming STAR TREK feature film by JJ Abrams:
Eric Bana as 'Nero' and...
Zoe Saldana as 'Uhura.'
Now, I just hope they don't go all 'Dawson's Creek' with the sensibilities of the film. Yes, Eric Bana brings quite a bit of gravitas to any role he plays, but I, quite frankly, haven't heard much about many of the others in the cast outside of Simon Pegg (Scotty).
Comments! Comments! Comments below!
Posted at 12:25 p.m. - Friday, November 21
I interviewed the Director and Producer of the new Astro Boy CGI feature at the last Comic Con International, and now comes this brand-spankin' new trailer courtesy of MovieFone:
Oh yeah...this one shall rock most mightily! Tell me what you think!
Posted at 8:25 p.m. - Monday, November 17
Got this notice from local film-maker Joe Avella:
Our latest short film Action City Bathroom is premiering tomorrow night at the Indie Incubator Film Fest!
One tough cop…
One ruthless killer…
One shitty bathroom.
Action City Bathroom!
The Indie Incubator is at The Original Mother’s, 26 W. Division Street.
The show is totally FREE!
Doors open at 7pm, show at 8pm.
Sponsored by Jameson Irish Whiskey.
A.C.B. Synopsis
Action City Bathroom is a nonstop-action-crime-thriller that takes
place completely in my bathroom. It’s directed by Matt Kelley; written
by Joe Avella and Matt Kelley; and stars Joe Avella, Tim Heurlin, Kate
Lambert, Matt Kelley, Tim Racine, Neil Arsenty, and Kyle.
Come join us tomorrow for a night of drinking and sweet flicks!
**************
If you check out the show, be sure to tell Joe you read about it on Geek To Me!
Posted at 7:35 p.m. - Thursday, November 13
Courtesy of Yahoo Movies comes a new Watchmen trailer:
Zach Snyder has nailed the opening sequence to the series with this imagery. As Borat would say: Verrrrry Niiiize.
I'd like to know what Geek To Me readers think about it so comment below!
Posted at 6:30 p.m. - Monday, November 10
Allow me introduce you to one of my new favorite local filmmakers: Joe Avella. Joe gave me a shout via geek-mail about a month ago and has been sharing his film shorts with me.
Here's what he had to say about himself: 'My name is Joe Avella and I'm an independent filmmaker. I've lived in or around Chicago all my life. Most of my videos are comedies. The first movie I ever made was a zombie move. Hopefully I'll make another one someday. I'm also in a sketch comedy duo called Teenager of the Year. We're legit.'
You can check out his web site to learn more about him, but I wanted you to check out one of his short films: Timecop 2010. (Geek credits to the viewer who can tell me where the sfx were lifted from.)
If you are a local film maker who'd like me to check out your stuff, drop me a line!
Posted at 10:15 p.m. - Friday, October 17
The first reviews of the new James Bond flick 'The Quantum of Solace' are hitting the internet. This one from the BBC describes it as 'a film that feels like the second part of a trilogy, with this being the bleaker second act.
' Oh yeah, that's the stuff.
Now, as someone who grew up with the Roger Moore Bond, followed by a general apathy for the Timothy Dalton Bond, and then had my interest in the character revived by the Pierce Brosnan Bond, I've gotta say that Daniel Craig has been really selling it and I've been buying it. My only quibble with Casino Royale is that it felt a tad too long for what it was, with a rather abrupt ending. My feeling is that Quantum will make up for that with a shorter run time and by tying up the loose ends of the first flick.
Check out the review and you can also see the trailer for Quantum of Solace!
Posted at 9:05 a.m. - Thursday, October 16
[Image courtesy Entertainment Weekly Magazine]
EW magazine's Star Trek preview hits the stands this week giving all those Trekkies who were wondering what the new look of the Trek franchise was going to be a look at some more elements in the franchise 'reboot'. It also has an interview with the film's director, JJ Abrams.
What comes as a surprise to me is admission that he was never a big Star Trek fan as a kid:
“I don’t think people even understand what Star Trek means anymore," says Abrams, who saw the first Star Trek film in 1979 with his father at a theater on the Paramount lot. But he feels no warm-fuzzy nostalgia about it. In fact, Abrams can sum up his regard for Trek in two words: Galaxy Quest, the 1999 hit starring Tim Allen that satirized Trek with painful precision. “It’s so ridiculous, so accurate, so sophisticated, it spoils the Star Trek universe,” he says. Plus, at heart, Abrams is still more of a Star Wars guy. “All my smart friends liked Star Trek,” he says. “I preferred a more visceral experience.” Which is exactly why he accepted Paramount ’s offer in 2005 to develop a new Trek flick; creatively, he was engaged by the possibility of a Star Trek movie “that grabbed me the way Star Wars did" Now, some Trekkies may be concerned that Abrams is going to turn Star Trek into Star Wars, which just may be a valid concern. And in all honesty, I didn't care much for Trek until 'Wrath of Khan', the most 'Star Wars-y' of the Trek films. We'll just have to see what happens come the sequels/prequels? release date. You can read the entire article here.
Posted at 8:45 p.m. - Friday, October 3
[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by Drew Strazan]
With the release of Indiana Jones 4 on DVD quickly approaching, there is already talk of yet another sequel.
As reported in the LA Times, George Lucas is in 'think mode' trying to conceive of another adventure for the aging archeologist. That means that the Plaid One is not only trying to come up with a new 'McGuffin' worthy of re-teaming the Indy crew for another cinematic romp, but also a character motivation for Indy, as well as some action set pieces.
For those who thought that the 'survive nuclear blast via refrigerator' set piece was hard to swallow, you can only imagine what they're thinking of to 'top' it.
Now, speaking as a rabid Indy fan, I've gotta say that I'm not all that hot on the idea of another Indy film. For all it's flaws, Indy 4 gave the Indy 'Trilogy' a nice epilogue that puts the capper on the film icons adventures. (Yeah Michael Phillips, hear that? HE'S AN ICON! I never pass on a chance to chide the Trib's resident movie critic.) And quite frankly, I don't think the character has much mileage left cinematically.
I like the idea of an Indy animated feature, but as he says in the LA Times article, Harrison Ford won't let them do to Indy what's currently being done to Star Wars with The Clone Wars cartoon series.
What say you my fellow Raiders?
Posted at 1:30 p.m. - Monday, September 29
No...this guy has not been cast as Captain America. I don't even know who this guy is but he sure does look like Steve Rogers and the way the video was edited to superimpose his features over the comic character was pretty impressive.
You'll find these types of videos from time to time with wanna-be's putting some video out there as 'auditions' of sorts. (The most recent being a video of an actress trying to impress as Wonder Woman.)
But the video doesn't really answer the most important question, which is can this fella act?
Posted at 8:30 a.m. - Monday, September 29
I'll admit that I had my reservations about Frank Miller doing a Spirit movie, especially after seeing Sin City. I know that there are legions of fanboys who just love SC, but it actually left me pretty cold as it was a literal translation of the comic books layouts and didn't seem like anything more than a flash comic.
But now this trailer comes out, and I'm thinking that maybe Miller watched Zack Snyder's 300 and realized that he didn't have to be bound to the storyboards lifted from a comic.
And anything with Eva Mendes just can't be bad...
Check it out and let me know what you think!
Posted at 8:30 p.m. - Friday, September 26
[Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 2]
Britist Movie Mag Empire has just released their list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. These lists are always good to stir up debate, but tend to take the obvious answers and plug them in the tops spots, scattering the debatable titles throughout. And with 500 'Greatest Movies' it's pretty hard to leave anyone out.
What pleases me, though, is that cult-classic film Evil Dead 2 was found at #49 on the list.
Of course, seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark at #2 was pretty sweet too.
But seriously, The Godfather is Numero Uno?
Don't get me wrong, the Godfather films are some of the best American films ever made, but as far as mob movies go, I've always preferred Goodfellas.
So what the #1 movie out there for all your geeks, nerds and cinema-philes?
Posted at 9:25 p.m. - Saturday, September 20
In another one of those 'let's-take-a-nostalgic-character-and-update-him-for-the-younger-set' deals, The Green Hornet will be adapted for the big screen with Seth Rogen and Stephen Chow in the lead roles.
According to Variety not only is Seth Rogen co-writing the screenplay, his co-star Stephen Chow will be directing as well. After helming cult martial arts hits like Kung Fu Hustle and Shoalin Soccer, the move sets the film up as a potential break-out hit.
Or not.
See, while it may look good on paper, these types of match-ups don't always turn out the way some would like.
I thought that casting Alec Baldwin as The Shadow in the film adaptation of the radio serial and comic book was brilliant, and the first 20 minutes of the film were comic book noir-ish good fun, but then the movie descended into camp. Same for The Phantom, which had a spot-on lead in Billy Zane (and I say that knowing that he beat out my hero Bruce Campbell for the role) but was let down by a script that took itself less-than-seriously.
Do I think the Green Hornet will be the next Dark Knight? Nope. But it can be something pretty cool, provided all the elements in place can come together and tell a solid story.
Is that too much to ask?
Posted at 10:20 p.m. - Friday, September 19
As reported here on the RedEye site (via the Los Angeles Times), the execs at Universal Pictures have decided to not bankroll Steven Spielberg's and Peter Jackson's proposed Tin Tin movie trilogy. And, while the news may come as a bit of a shock to some, and may disappoint a few, I've gotta say something I never thought I'd say...
I'm with the movie studio on this one.
Spielberg and Jackson were reportedly asking Universal for a $130 million to finance the motion-capture animated film. Now, I'm no financial wizard or an economist, so someone explain to me why these guys - both multi-millionaires in their own right - need a movie studio to finance what is essentially a vanity project for them?
For all the grief fanboys give George Lucas for the prequels, and more recently the Clone Wars animated series, at least the dude puts his own money into each venture. He's paid for every one of his features, out of his own pocket, and all the studio pays for is distribution.
Why can't Spielberg and Jackson do the same?
I mean, didn't Spielberg found Dreamworks SKG a few years back because he, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg had so much money that they couldn't possibly spend it all (I'm paraphrasing Geffen there). And then - correct me if I'm wrong - turned around and sold the studio for a pretty penny?
So why the need to go 'hat in hand' to Paramount to secure the funds? I dunno.
You'd think in an age where independent film makers are mortgaging their homes, maxing out their credit cards and putting their cars up as collateral for a loan to make a film, multi-millionaires like SS & PJ could afford to pony up some of their own capital.
And c'mon, let's be honest...will we all beating down the doors of our local multiplex to see an animated feature based on a Belgian comic book?
Really?
Posted at 7:45 p.m. - Thursday, September 18
Alicia Keys.
Jack White.
007 movie theme.
Nuff said.
Posted at 1:35 p.m. - Tuesday, September 16
and like the shark in JAWS, it's back!
And this time, it's personal...
Just kidding.
But seriously, Local film maker Dan Lamoureux wrote me an e-mail to announce the latest developments with his film 'Nerdcore For Life.:
'Our Chicago screening is on! It's going to be at Reggie's Music Joint
in the south loop on Sunday, October 5th. We're having it at Reggie's
so we can do some live nerdcore performances right afterwords. Here's
a blog post I just did with all the details.'
And here's what I lifted from his post:
NERDCORE FOR LIFE Screening
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5th @ 5:00PM
REGGIE'S MUSIC JOINT
2105 South State Street, Chicago, IL
TICKETS: $8.00, AGES 18 and up only!
BAR and RESTAURANT will be OPEN and serving during the event!
So be there AND be square....
Posted at 9:20 p.m. - Saturday, September 13
Coming Via The Geek Media Blog is the 'rejected' poster for Kevin Smith's new comedy 'Zack & Miri Make a Porno.'
Now, as someone who has been psyched to see RED STATE since Smith announced it at Wizard World Chicago 2 years ago, I'm finding it hard to get excited about yet another raunchy Kevin Smith comedy. I want to see Kevin do HORROR. And let's see if he comes up with another poster that the MPAA will prohibit for a ludicrous reason.
Posted at 3:25 p.m. - Friday, September 12
Cassie Hack is like any other girl you may know, provided they made it a pastime to hunt down the serial killers & monsters of different horror movie genres. Oh yeah, and let's not forget hanging out with a large, lumbering behemoth named Vlad (who could be one of those horror movie monsters himself if he weren't such an innocent soul.) You'll get to know Cassie and Vlad a-plenty when you read Hack/Slash, the horror/action/comedy comic book from Chicago-based comic-book company Devil's Due Publishing (DDP).
First published in 2004, Hack/Slash quickly developed a loyal fan base that has made the book one of the company's top sellers and has earned the title 'flagship' status. The characters themselves were created by local comic book artist/writer Tim Seeley and will soon be seeing their debut on the silver screen as a film adaptation by Rogue Pictures.
"Because of the loyal readers of Hack/Slash, we've become the little book that could," said Tim Seeley via e-mail. "We're still here, and we're giving more and more readers their monthly dose of twisted horror and laughs."
DDP has recently released a Hack/Slash Omnibus that collects most of the current run. The trade has been reported as sold out by the publisher, and the Hack/Slash Annual, which contains the Suicide Girls web comic, is also in high demand.
Now comes word that the book has been nominated for a Spike TV Scream Award. Fans of the book are being encouraged to vote for the book. The book faces some stiff competition though, as its up against Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man, Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, Gerard Way's Umbrella Academy and Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier. Whew! That may be Cassie's toughest battle yet!
I've been reading the book myself since it first debuted, and I think its a terrific, highly enjoyable romp through horror movies with a style of writing that has fun with the trappings of the genre. With thrills, chills and a few laughs, HACK/SLASH entertains with earnest. It's wry, self-awareness will charm readers, especially if they're fans of other similar titles like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the like. (Unlike BTVS, H/S ventures into some controversial territories that a more main-stream character would never dare, like say, dealing with pedophile priests.) The heroine, Cassie Hack, is tough, no-nonsense and a welcome addition to the growing pantheon of kick-ass female protagonists.
The book is intended for mature readers (the Annual especially since the Suicide Girls story contains some nudity), but is a good, smart read nonetheless. Ask for it at your local comic shop!
Posted at 11:55 a.m. - Thursday, September 11
So...According to Ain't It Cool News, the rumor
surrounding Will Smith being offered the role of Captain America in the
new Marvel film was completely unfounded. I figured as much, but I take
issue with this bit from AICN:
'Marvel never offered the part, nor did they approach or entertain a conversation about Will Smith for CAPTAIN AMERICA. That said - I'm sure they have a few parts that they'd like him for, just not Captain America.
So there ya go. They haven't gone insane and we don't need to be confused, angry and scared about it anymore.'
Ok, that last part ticks me off cuz I know there were some 'fanboys' who were getting their spidey-underoos in a bunch over Will Smith playing Steve Rogers. Why get 'confused, angry and scared'? Would it really have been the end of the world as we knew it?
As I said in my previous post about this rumor, this kind of casting would not have been unprecedented and just might have given the character of Captain America a truly unique re-interpretation. One that it just might need to make a feature film work.
To go overboard and fill message boards with angry rants over why Will Smith can't play the character just smacks of intolerance and - dare I say it? - racism. No, in the end, Smith wasn't going to be offered the role in any case, but to read what some self-proclaimed 'fanboys' were saying on the internet really saddened me. Even the AICN headline was terribly disrespectful of Mr. Smith.
Sigh. Comic Book readers should be among the most tolerant people in society, if you ask me. We've been ridiculed and picked on for a long time. We shouldn't take the scorn we've endured and turn it on others. That's just my opinion.
What's yours?
Posted at 8:35 p.m. - Monday, September 8
Captain America [Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics]
Hot on the heels of the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire announcement comes a new development in the world of comic-book cinema: according to MTV Splash Page, Will Smith is the rumored front-runner to play the character of Steve Rogers in the new Captain America live-action feature. If the rumor proves to be true, it wouldn't be the first time the actor would be taking over the role of a traditionally Caucasian character., i.e. Will Smith taking on the role of James West in the Wild, Wild West film adaptation:
Will Smith as James West [Image courtesy of Warner Bros.]
Or do the folks at Marvel Entertainment have an adaptation of the acclaimed mini-series Captain America:The Truth - Red White & Black in mind? Whatever the case may be, the idea of Will Smith as the Sentinel of Liberty is certainly intriguing and would make for an interesting dramatic paradigm-shift in the character.
What do the Marvel Zombies think?
Posted at 10:40 a.m. - Monday, September 8
As reported in the RedEye today and bandied about the internet, Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are set to return to the Spider-man film franchise and reprise their roles as director and star, respectively. You'd think that this geek would be kicking his heels and jumping for joy, and maybe I should be, but for now I'm not.
Why?
Well, for one, Spider-man 3 came off to me as a big let-down. After the great precedent set by Spider-man 2, I may have been expecting too much, but the third installment of the Spidey 'trilogy' was too self-indulgent and excessive. Lots of fanboys take issue with all the crying that took place at the end of the film. I wasn't so much bothered by that, as much as I was bothered by too many characters getting involved in the main storyline, which was Peter coming to terms with being Spider-man.
So where do they go from here? Sam Raimi was initally going to play the behind-the-scenes producer role in any future Spidey installments, but is now getting back behind the camera. Is that a good thing?
This is sort of the flip side to the Ghostbusters argument that's been going on, where it appears as if the GBs will be making way for some new guys to fill in the characters boots. Some fanboys are taking exception to that. In the case of Spiderman, the same cast and crew appears to be staying in place.
And yet, this fanboy can't be happy with that either.
Somebody talk me out of this wishy-washy stupor!
Posted at 1:30 p.m. - Sunday, September 7
I talked about it in a previous post, and now according to The Chicago Tribune's Mark Caro, Harold Ramis has confirmed that a Ghostbusters sequel is in development. Ah, but here's the rub: Judd Apatow is set to co-produce and the idea is to cast actors from the Apatow stable to step in as the 'new' Ghostbusters with the Original GBs acting in a 'mentor capacity.' Check out the comments on Mark Caro's blog and you'll see that there are quite a few folks who aren't happy with the idea. This is one of my faves:
'speaking as an overweight old guy, i'd rather see the overweight old guys do it themselves.plus, as much as i like the apatow movies, ghostbusters is not a platform for raunchy humor, in my opinion.
Posted by: fat old guy | Sep 5, 2008 3:16:50 PM'
Playing the advocate here, I don't think that two writers from The Office will necessarily be going for the toilet humor in a GB feature. Plus, Apatow is sure to have respect for Ramis' input and is more likely to go for a more innocuous, kind-hearted brand of humor.
And the idea of Michael Cera and Seth Rogan acting as Ghostbusters-in-training is intriguing.
Then again, I do find myself sort of agreeing with 'fat old guy.' What's with this sudden need to recast our childhood heroes? How many franchises have actually succeeded using that formula? Outside of comic books where you have the 'Flash Family', what other comic book, tv or movie series has been able to 'go young' and NOT alienate its core fan base?
You tell me.
Posted at 9:15 p.m. - Thursday, September 4
Making its way around the 'net, after being reported by Variety, is the news that Columbia has commissioned two writers from NBC's The Office to write a script for Ghostbusters 3. Reportedly, the sequel would re-unite Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis' characters.
This news seems to indicate that movie studios are keying in on the 'aging nerd' demographic. What's next, a Goonies Reunion? (Oh yeah, I've heard rumors about that from time to time.) Dan Akroyd was in San Diego at Comic Con this past summer to promote a new Ghostbusters video game, and the announcement was very well received, so it could be a case that the studios feel the time to strike is now.
But I'm of two minds over this: part of me likes the idea of seeing Venkman, Spengler and Stantz together again, carrying their proton packs and driving their 'Ecto-mobile' down the streets of New York. Then again, the second installment of the series wasn't all that good. Can writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky do what Ramis and Akroyd couldn't?
I'd like to know what all you Ghostbuster fans out there have to say!
Posted at 7:45 p.m. - Wednesday, September 3
In an earlier post I shared the trailer for Bruce Campbell's upcoming Direct-To-Video feature, My Name Is Bruce, Well, thanks to the wonder that is the internet, we now have a promo poster for the film:
Now I won't deny that I'm a big Bruce Campbell dork. Getting a chance to write the character of Ash in an Army of Darkness comic is this geek's dream-come-true. I've even had the pleasure of meeting Bruce back when he was in town promoting his short-lived television western The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (lo' those many moons ago, when I was a much younger geek). The guy was totally down-to-earth and was happy to sign my rodeo program (yeah, he was appearing at a rodeo - and I wouldn't have gone to a friggin' rodeo for any other reason). I think its awesome how he's landed a supporting role on USA's Burn Notice, a role he says he got due in part to his fan following. Oh, if you want to bust a gut reading a biography, Bruce's If Chins Could Kill will crack you up. (The chapter where he shows up on the set of Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead with Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman is simply priceless. It's funny because its true! Well...sort of.) I'm a fan because he shows that he really appreciates his avid following.
Now everyone who follows Bruce always asks if there will ever be another Evil Dead film, and his standard response is 'when Sam Raimi wants to make one.' From what I've seen, since Sam Raimi's busy making Spiderman movies and other big-budget fare, this film is being made for the 'deadites', those avid BC fans who just can't get enough of seeing their favorite hero fighting the forces of darkness! No, it's not EVIL DEAD 4, but for me, it's close enough! (Oh, and all those Evil Dead video games with Bruce providing the voice of Ash were pretty sweet too.)
Now I've got a few questions for my blog readers: Are you a Bruce Campbell fan? And if so, what's your fave film of his? Is it one of the Evil Dead films? Alien Apocalypse? What's your fave BC television show? Brisco County? Jack of All Trades? Or was it his turn as Autolycus on Xena: Warrior Princess?
I'd love to hear from all of you, my fellow deadites!
(Oh, and be sure to check out Bruce Campbell's website for more info on MNIB.)
Posted at 1:30 p.m. - Monday, September 1
Courtesy of Trailer Addict:
There once was a time when Guy Ritchie was proclaimed to be the 'British Quentin Tarantino.' Then came Madonna and she appeared to pull a Lorena Bobbitt on Guy's cinematic talent, robbing his films of any 'oomph!' Can anyone say 'Swept Away'?
These opening credits to RocknRolla seem to suggest that Ritchie's got his 'manhood' back! I like the vector art styling of the cast, although the technique i's getting close to being overdone.
Gimme a shout out and tell me what you think!
Posted at 11:30 a.m. - Monday, September 1
It never ceases to amaze me at how video games keep getting made into motion pictures, even though you can count on one hand how many of them were any good. Now comes MAX PAYNE starring Mark Wahlberg as the titular character:
Now I don't wanna go dissing a film before it's even released, but again, the track record for video games turned flicks isn't very good. Also, isn't MAX PAYNE an interactive movie anyway? What's the point of taking away the 'interactive-ness' of the narrative?
It leaves me scratching my head as to why so many ORIGINAL ideas languish in 'development hell' while something like a video game gets the all-star treatment.
Oh well, we'll see how the flick turns out soon enough.
Posted at 10:15 p.m. - Sunday, August 31
So it appears to come as a tremendous surprise that The Dark Knight has passed the $500 million mark, even entertaining the possibility that it will challenge all time Box-office champ Titanic. But in reality, I'm sure it's not going to topple the historic romantic tragedy, and I'm going to go as far as saying that it shouldn't.
See, while I'm all giddy as a school girl that TDK has raked in buckets of cash, thus insuring the future of more Batman flicks and superhero flicks in general, a comment made by a WB exec about their plans for future superhero films has me worried:
(From the Wall Street Journal)' Like the recent Batman sequel -- which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far -- [Warner Bros. Pictures Group President] Mr. [Jeff] Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as "The Dark Knight." Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.' DC properties. "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it," he says. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well.'
Ahem. 'That goes for the Superman franchise as well'?
If that's the direction they decide to go in, then it will be painfully obvious that the execs at Warner Bros. have no idea what they're dealing with. The Dark Knight was successful not because it was dark, brooding or 'evil', but because it was FAITHFUL TO THE ESSENCE OF THE CHARACTER (which just happened to be 'dark and brooding')! Chris Nolan knew what elements of the Caped Crusader would translate well to celluloid and he brought those out. He didn't have to change a thing. Now, if you try to explore the 'dark side' of Superman, you're doing the exact opposite and that is going to seriously piss comic book fans off.
TDK succeeded because fanboys and fangirls recognized that a character they loved was being treated with respect to its origins, with reverence for all the work that previous creators had done to make the Batman what he is today. If you have these loyal, obsessive (and sometimes rabid) fans in your corner, of course you're going to experience some measure of success.
But let's not fool ourselves, TDK is one of those once-in-a-generation-film experiences (like The Godfather or The Empire Strikes Back - two films that TDK compares favorably with) that probably won't be repeated in any of the upcoming Batman sequels. The WB execs should avoid trying to recapture that 'lightning in a bottle' by trying to apply the same formula to the other characters.
The Batman film was dark because the CHARACTER is dark, Mr. Robinov, Superman IS NOT.
Superman is a hero from the opposite side of the spectrum. Where Batman is darkness and shadows, Superman is glory and light. If you expect comic books fans to see a 'dark, brooding' Superman film, you can stop counting them chickens, cuz they ain't gonna hatch.
Posted at 8:30 p.m. - Sunday, August 31
Here's something that took me by surprise: the current mania surrounding TWILIGHT, the film adaptation of the vampire romance novel.
People were going monkey-nuts over these actors in San Diego and the Comic Con panel that featured the TWILIGHT crew was one of the most highly anticipated. Add this to Alan Ball's TRU BLOOD series on HBO, it leads me to ask: Are vampires back 'en vogue'?
What do YOU think?
Posted at 9:00 a.m. - Saturday, August 30
He has faced the Evil Dead, fought an Alien Apocalypse and met the Man with the Screaming Brain.
He is the man, or as many horror-movie fanboys will insist, The Man. He is Bruce Campbell.
In his new film, MY NAME IS BRUCE, The Man goes up against another malevolent monster in a horror-comedy mash-up in the tradition of his previous motion pictures. For fans who have been clamoring for another Evil Dead film, this just may be the next best thing.
The film is scheduled for a direct-to-DVD debut in the fall.
Posted at 10:05 a.m. - Tuesday, August 26
So, in a previous post I shared the teaser poster for 'Transporter 3.' Now, courtesy of the folks at IGN, here's the trailer!:
Ok, just like with Fast and Furious, I'll admit the trailer looks pretty sweet. Although, the plot it teases smacks a bit of Escape from New York and one of Jason Statham's previous actioners, 'Crank.' Maybe I'll catch the first two flicks at my local RedBox and see for myself what all the hullaballoo is about.
Posted at 8:00 a.m. - Tuesday, August 26
Ok, so do the Fast and Furious films do so well that they warrant yet another sequel? And what does it say that Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are back for the - what is it? - fourth F&F flick? Is that good news for the franchise or bad news for Big Daddy V?
Vin Diesel's gotten a lot of man love from geeks after his Riddick flicks, but then he bailed on the XXX films after just one installment. Will this film win our hearts back?
You've gotta hand it to them, though, the catch phrase 'New Model, Original Parts' is pretty clever.
And Michelle Rodriguez? Homina-homina.
What say you gear heads geeks?
Posted at 8:15 a.m. - Thursday, August 21
These flicks really aren't my thing, but they do well and I have friends who love 'em. So, for their benefit, I present to you the movie poster for Transporter 3! IMO, Jason Statham's best film was 'Snatch', then Guy Ritchie married Madonna and it all went to aitch-ee double hockey sticks.
Image via FilmsActu.com
Posted at 9:00 p.m. - Tuesday, August 19
Remember this guy?
Die hard Star Wars fans know him as Admiral Motti, the Doubting Thomas of the Imperial Starfleet who pissed off Darth Vader in A New Hope and got a can of Force Choke opened on him. Well, now he's back and giving Star Wars fans a chance to help create a new SW animated feature with actors from the Classic Trilogy...
Posted at 8:25 a.m. - Saturday, August 9
With all the attention that Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog is getting, you'd think that Joss Whedon invented the web-serial, but there are some pretty talented folks out there who don't have the ability to call on Doogie Houser M.D. and can still create compelling content...
Posted at 7:55 p.m. - Monday, July 21
YT Cracker. MC Router. SpamTec. Nursehella.
If you've never heard these terms before, then you wouldn't know that these are actually names - and these are the names of some very colorful characters who are artists in a genre called 'nerdcore.' After interviewing local filmmaker Dan Lamoureux about his film 'Nerdcore For Life,' I thought I'd share some videos that exemplify the genre.
