Now with embedding!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Innevitably-shitty movie gets fantastic trailer
Are we still obligated to pretend that it's a surprise that Michael Bay - who's entire skillset is creating the kind of brief action tableaus that look good when arranged out-of-context into a trailer - gets a great-looking trailer? Below, the 2nd (final?) ad for "Transformers 3: Dark of The Moon," which I'm assuming will be seen in front of tons of showings of the punishingly-stupid "Fast Five" this weekend.:
Yes, yes, VERY well-cut trailer - even down to the umpteenth ripoff of the "Inception" BWAAAAAAHMMM! DUMDUMDUMDUMDUMDUM BWAAAAAAAAHM!!!!! music cues - but look between the lines and it's clear that NOTHING has changed: The mecha-design still looks like shit, the robots are still indistinguishable from eachother, the army/conspiracy bullshit is still taking up plotspace and the "main" story is still going to revolve around Shia dragging a vapid piece of arm-candy through CGI explosions by the elbow.
This is the last one, right? I want to be able to kick-off the countdown to when someone who knows what they're doing takes over, reboots the franchise and erases this shit from the pop-culture memorysphere.
Yes, yes, VERY well-cut trailer - even down to the umpteenth ripoff of the "Inception" BWAAAAAAHMMM! DUMDUMDUMDUMDUMDUM BWAAAAAAAAHM!!!!! music cues - but look between the lines and it's clear that NOTHING has changed: The mecha-design still looks like shit, the robots are still indistinguishable from eachother, the army/conspiracy bullshit is still taking up plotspace and the "main" story is still going to revolve around Shia dragging a vapid piece of arm-candy through CGI explosions by the elbow.
This is the last one, right? I want to be able to kick-off the countdown to when someone who knows what they're doing takes over, reboots the franchise and erases this shit from the pop-culture memorysphere.
Armchair Thinkers podcast
Below (and at THIS LINK) my most-recent appearance on the Armchair Thinkers Podcast. Check them out.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Justice Prevails
Dog-torturing waste of oxygen Michael Vick will NOT be Madden 2012's cover-man, losing the final vote by a significant margin to Peyton Hillis.
http://www.kotaku.com/5796335/peyton-hillis-is-madden-nfl-12s-cover-star
Today is a good day.
http://www.kotaku.com/5796335/peyton-hillis-is-madden-nfl-12s-cover-star
Today is a good day.
And now you want to see "Immortals"
First trailer for Tarsem Singh's "Immortals," starring Superman-to-be Henry Cavill, looks like "300" as reimagined as a JRPG by the most hyper-emotional kid in your Mixed Media 101 art class...
...I approve.
...I approve.
MUCH better "X-Men: First Class" Trailer
Like. Like. Like. LIKE. LIKE. LIKE!
"We can be the better men."
"We already are."
YES. THAT is what a fucking "X-Men" movie fucking sounds like.
"We can be the better men."
"We already are."
YES. THAT is what a fucking "X-Men" movie fucking sounds like.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Game OverThinker Episode 50
"War of The Thinkers," for anyone who doesn't follow the other blog, represents the 7th and final episode of an in-series "mini-story" for The Game OverThinker. Take a look, if the mood strikes you...
More stuff after the jump...
So... there it is, have at it. In addition to further episodes of the regular series, I'm planning to have some making-of, retrospective stuff up in the near future to elaborate on certain points; but just a few things real quick while we're all here:
If some of the post-transformation looks oddly-sped-up, there is nothing wrong with your computer or ScrewAttack's player (at least not in regards to this.) What you're seeing is mostly an attempt to artficially replicate a high shutter-speed with video, coupled with some "OMG a whole fucking day of shooting captured all wiggy for some reason!!!"
My favorite joke in the whole bloody enterprise is at 10:21.
Credit where credit is due: My best friend Tim Luz and my brother Chris did not only 99% of the cinematography on this, but they've done 99% of the "when you see me" shooting on the entire series up to this point - the unsung heroes of The Game OverThinker. In addition, that's Chris in the AntiThinker "true form" costume, and doubling me in the over-the-shoulder "Fake Shemp" shots.
The fake blood you see in the "splatter" shots is store-brand vegetable juice, and the "chest-punch" torrent is a mix of tomato soup, water and cherry gelatin-mix - every single drop of "prop gore" spilled was not only nontoxic and biodegradable, but edible. The "chopped" tree limb was an unrelated (to the tree) piece of debris being held up offscreen. NO portion of all that beautiful forest land that provided such a nice backdrop for this whole production was polluted, despoiled or otherwise harmed by our filmming; a commitment we all made and stuck to.
Looking back now, I kinda want to go back and stick the "Rise From Your Grave!!!" sound from Altered Beast over the "ressurection;" but nah - I'm DONE editing this bloody thing ;)
The "origin story" alluded to be The OverThinker is more-or-less "true," and will probably be elaborated upon in the future. (I'm only making MOST of this up as we go along.)
"Cloaked Figure" aka "Monster-Voice Guy" DOES already have an identity, I already know who/what he is, what his "deal" is, etc; and you'll hopefully find out exactly what that is in the near(ish) future.
Yes, that last bit is referencing Rev Rants' video. NO, I'm not "calling him out," looking to start shit, or even outright wholesale disagreeing with him; my position is more on the lines of "except when it is." I see the "Fun is Not Enough" thing quoted around a lot, often used (incorrectly, unless I misunderstood Rev's initial point) as a "takedown" of smaller titles and casual/retro stuff... and yeah, I'm on the other side of that. But otherwise? Rev is alright with me ;)
More stuff after the jump...
So... there it is, have at it. In addition to further episodes of the regular series, I'm planning to have some making-of, retrospective stuff up in the near future to elaborate on certain points; but just a few things real quick while we're all here:
If some of the post-transformation looks oddly-sped-up, there is nothing wrong with your computer or ScrewAttack's player (at least not in regards to this.) What you're seeing is mostly an attempt to artficially replicate a high shutter-speed with video, coupled with some "OMG a whole fucking day of shooting captured all wiggy for some reason!!!"
My favorite joke in the whole bloody enterprise is at 10:21.
Credit where credit is due: My best friend Tim Luz and my brother Chris did not only 99% of the cinematography on this, but they've done 99% of the "when you see me" shooting on the entire series up to this point - the unsung heroes of The Game OverThinker. In addition, that's Chris in the AntiThinker "true form" costume, and doubling me in the over-the-shoulder "Fake Shemp" shots.
The fake blood you see in the "splatter" shots is store-brand vegetable juice, and the "chest-punch" torrent is a mix of tomato soup, water and cherry gelatin-mix - every single drop of "prop gore" spilled was not only nontoxic and biodegradable, but edible. The "chopped" tree limb was an unrelated (to the tree) piece of debris being held up offscreen. NO portion of all that beautiful forest land that provided such a nice backdrop for this whole production was polluted, despoiled or otherwise harmed by our filmming; a commitment we all made and stuck to.
Looking back now, I kinda want to go back and stick the "Rise From Your Grave!!!" sound from Altered Beast over the "ressurection;" but nah - I'm DONE editing this bloody thing ;)
The "origin story" alluded to be The OverThinker is more-or-less "true," and will probably be elaborated upon in the future. (I'm only making MOST of this up as we go along.)
"Cloaked Figure" aka "Monster-Voice Guy" DOES already have an identity, I already know who/what he is, what his "deal" is, etc; and you'll hopefully find out exactly what that is in the near(ish) future.
Yes, that last bit is referencing Rev Rants' video. NO, I'm not "calling him out," looking to start shit, or even outright wholesale disagreeing with him; my position is more on the lines of "except when it is." I see the "Fun is Not Enough" thing quoted around a lot, often used (incorrectly, unless I misunderstood Rev's initial point) as a "takedown" of smaller titles and casual/retro stuff... and yeah, I'm on the other side of that. But otherwise? Rev is alright with me ;)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Best "Thor" trailer yet is a VW/Superbowl spoof
Hast thou dawwwww?
Obviously a takeoff on "Little Vader," and a funny one, but part of me hopes the whole "kid loves Thor" bit isn't just wishful thinking on Marvel's part. One thing the early reviews seem to agree on is that this is the "youngest" Marvel-movie yet in terms of likely appeal - i.e. it's more about the straight-up fantasy/heroics than it is about Iron Man's middle-aged ennui or Hulk's anger issues - and it really would be cool to see one of these things take off primarily with kids in a big way.
Obviously a takeoff on "Little Vader," and a funny one, but part of me hopes the whole "kid loves Thor" bit isn't just wishful thinking on Marvel's part. One thing the early reviews seem to agree on is that this is the "youngest" Marvel-movie yet in terms of likely appeal - i.e. it's more about the straight-up fantasy/heroics than it is about Iron Man's middle-aged ennui or Hulk's anger issues - and it really would be cool to see one of these things take off primarily with kids in a big way.
MovieBob's (other) insane Wii2 Theory (maybe) gets slightly less insane
Oh! And hey, check out my interview on PixelJumpers...
The Escapist has some Reddit pix up, purporting to be design-scans (from developers toolkits?) of Wii2 (aka Project Cafe, aka "The Stream") controllers that - if real - look an awful lot like my "other" guess at the device's format; name that it'd be essentially the "bottom half" of a 3DS in the button/screen setup.
That's certainly what it looks like, and makes me even more curious if one of the "big reveals" of this machine is going to be that you can actually USE a 3DS in place of a controller. "It's made of stuff you already might have!" strikes me as a very Nintendo-esque marketing theme, and it'd go hand-in-hand with the all-but-innevitable confirmation that it's going to be backwards-compatible with the Wii Remote as well. They would, after all, be INSANE to tell people that all of the plastic attachments they bought for Wii Sports aren't "useful" anymore.
And the countdown to "Skyward Sword will be delayed to be a Wii2 launch-title but don't be mad at us because look! OMG! Smash Bros. 3DS and Raccoon Mario is back!" begins...
The Escapist has some Reddit pix up, purporting to be design-scans (from developers toolkits?) of Wii2 (aka Project Cafe, aka "The Stream") controllers that - if real - look an awful lot like my "other" guess at the device's format; name that it'd be essentially the "bottom half" of a 3DS in the button/screen setup.
That's certainly what it looks like, and makes me even more curious if one of the "big reveals" of this machine is going to be that you can actually USE a 3DS in place of a controller. "It's made of stuff you already might have!" strikes me as a very Nintendo-esque marketing theme, and it'd go hand-in-hand with the all-but-innevitable confirmation that it's going to be backwards-compatible with the Wii Remote as well. They would, after all, be INSANE to tell people that all of the plastic attachments they bought for Wii Sports aren't "useful" anymore.
And the countdown to "Skyward Sword will be delayed to be a Wii2 launch-title but don't be mad at us because look! OMG! Smash Bros. 3DS and Raccoon Mario is back!" begins...
MovieBob's Insane Wii2 Theory
(posted to both blogs, because it's relevant)
Okay. By now, everyone is reasonably-certain that "Wii2" gets revealed at E3. And slightly-less-than-everyone is reasonably-certain that it's mystery-controller A.) isn't a Wii-Remote successor but rather can interface with one or something like one (knowing Nintendo this means peripheral backwards-compatibility, which they'd be INSANE not to do after selling everyone's mom a fortune in Wii Sports toolkits) and B.) incorporates a camera and mini-LCD touch screen into it's design - with most rumors suggesting the screen is roughly the size of an iPhone's, which would be HUGE for something that most are assuming is going to be "built-in" to a conventional dual-stick/buttons controller.
I've got a different theory...
I'll say upfront that I'm almost-certainly 100% off-base about this; largely because I have no talent or skillset for engineering. But on the off chance I'm right (or that it's not Nintendo's idea but not a bad one either...) here we go:
What if the touch-screen is an "everycontroller?"
Here's the idea: The screen will "fit" because it isn't there in-addition to action-buttons, but INSTEAD of action buttons. Basically, instead of dedicated action-buttons that every game has to be engineered for, the controller is just one or two analog sticks with NO dedicated action-buttons - instead, the touch-screen generates a set of "buttons" the arrangement and "form" of which are SPECIFIC to each individual game. Arcade-style buttons for a fighter, NES/SNES setup for a platformer, a PC-style stylus-oriented inventory menu for a sim (or an MMO?), something else for whole other genres I'm not thinking of or haven't been invented yet?
So, yeah. Crazy, probably not even close. But I don't think anyone could deny that this sounds EXACTLY like something Nintendo would do, right? Attention-getting, table-upturning, callous disregard for how 3rd party developers will feel about having to be controller-builders as well as game-designers and - this is the important part - it would LOOK ultra-revolutionary and cutting edge but can actually be built entirely out of decades-old technology their tech-teams are already well-versed in from the DS line. (Hmm... slightly-less insane theory: The controler will look like the bottom half of a 3DS, and a 3DS could be used in-place of one.)
So... uh-huh, that's kind of it: A controller that can turn into "any" controller - at least, that's how they'd sell it.
Okay. By now, everyone is reasonably-certain that "Wii2" gets revealed at E3. And slightly-less-than-everyone is reasonably-certain that it's mystery-controller A.) isn't a Wii-Remote successor but rather can interface with one or something like one (knowing Nintendo this means peripheral backwards-compatibility, which they'd be INSANE not to do after selling everyone's mom a fortune in Wii Sports toolkits) and B.) incorporates a camera and mini-LCD touch screen into it's design - with most rumors suggesting the screen is roughly the size of an iPhone's, which would be HUGE for something that most are assuming is going to be "built-in" to a conventional dual-stick/buttons controller.
I've got a different theory...
I'll say upfront that I'm almost-certainly 100% off-base about this; largely because I have no talent or skillset for engineering. But on the off chance I'm right (or that it's not Nintendo's idea but not a bad one either...) here we go:
What if the touch-screen is an "everycontroller?"
Here's the idea: The screen will "fit" because it isn't there in-addition to action-buttons, but INSTEAD of action buttons. Basically, instead of dedicated action-buttons that every game has to be engineered for, the controller is just one or two analog sticks with NO dedicated action-buttons - instead, the touch-screen generates a set of "buttons" the arrangement and "form" of which are SPECIFIC to each individual game. Arcade-style buttons for a fighter, NES/SNES setup for a platformer, a PC-style stylus-oriented inventory menu for a sim (or an MMO?), something else for whole other genres I'm not thinking of or haven't been invented yet?
So, yeah. Crazy, probably not even close. But I don't think anyone could deny that this sounds EXACTLY like something Nintendo would do, right? Attention-getting, table-upturning, callous disregard for how 3rd party developers will feel about having to be controller-builders as well as game-designers and - this is the important part - it would LOOK ultra-revolutionary and cutting edge but can actually be built entirely out of decades-old technology their tech-teams are already well-versed in from the DS line. (Hmm... slightly-less insane theory: The controler will look like the bottom half of a 3DS, and a 3DS could be used in-place of one.)
So... uh-huh, that's kind of it: A controller that can turn into "any" controller - at least, that's how they'd sell it.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
One more TGO Episode 50 Trailer
Milking it? Probably... but it's not like I can turn around at this point. Below, the ScrewAttack.com Exclusive trailer for "War of The Thinkers;" the humor value (or lack thereof) may depend wholly on how burned-out you are on "Dead Island" spoofs at this point...
The actual episode/mini-move is still set to debut on ScrewAttack a week from tonight, April 25th at 11pm ET.
The actual episode/mini-move is still set to debut on ScrewAttack a week from tonight, April 25th at 11pm ET.
TGO Episode 50 YouTube exclusive trailer
Below, the exclusive YouTube-exclusive trailer for "War of The Thinkers." A longer ScrewAttack-exclusive trailer will (probably) debut later this evening.
"Thor" reviews coming in largely positive (updated)
"Thor" had it's official premiere yesterday (today?) in Australia, where star Chris Hemsworth got his start as a popular TV actor, in preparation for it's UK rollout on 4/27 and it's U.S./etc debut on May 6th. It was also, apparently, shown to some U.S. critics around the same time. The reviews have started hitting the web and Twitter... and so far the word is good. Hollywood Reporter liked it, so did Variety. On the "geek press" side, Drew McWeeny agrees. There are a bunch more, but these will give you a rough consensus.
UPDATE! Empire's review is another rave.
Those trying to stay 100% spoiler/plot-structure-info free will probably want to just skim those or avoid full-reads altogether (nothing major in them, but you never know) but a few consistent themes run throughout almost every review I've read:
It's bigger than we've been sold. The trailers have been short-selling Asgard and focusing on the Earth scenes. Apparently this doesn't reflect the "ratio" of cosmic-to-earthbound action in the actual film.
It's not a "dark" movie. This intrigues me - almost every all of the reviews that bother mentioning the other Marvel/Avengers films make a point to mention that this is probably the most "kid-friendly" of the cycle so far; in as much as it's more heavily grounded in comic/fantasy business than PG-13 body-horror ("Incredible Hulk") or midlife-crisis and/or corporate politics ("Iron Man 1&2.") I'm MORE than fine with that - I don't want to see a "grownup" movie about a Space Viking looking and his Magical Hammer.
Hemsworth is good. This is the first Marvel/Avengers movie that's being shouldered by a previously-unknown leading man, so it's good to see mostly across-the-board praise for Chris Hemsworth.
The drama works. Another VERY frequent compliment - though often noted as the "upside" to criticisms that the action/fight sequences aren't necessarily the most groundbreaking. Probably the single most-recurring thing in the first crop of reviews is near-univesal agreement that the courtly/family intrigue among The Gods kills; with ample credit being given to the choice of Shakespearean/arcane-bombast specialist Brannagh as director. This is GOOD to hear, if it's true - "Thor" is both the weirdest and least-known of the principal Avengers, and if this film AND its/his part in future continuity is going to work people need to grasp/"buy" the characters and their world. Remember: "Iron Man" worked so well as a superhero character-study that no one cared about (or now remembers) it's awkward, nonexistant 3rd act.
UPDATE! Empire's review is another rave.
Those trying to stay 100% spoiler/plot-structure-info free will probably want to just skim those or avoid full-reads altogether (nothing major in them, but you never know) but a few consistent themes run throughout almost every review I've read:
It's bigger than we've been sold. The trailers have been short-selling Asgard and focusing on the Earth scenes. Apparently this doesn't reflect the "ratio" of cosmic-to-earthbound action in the actual film.
It's not a "dark" movie. This intrigues me - almost every all of the reviews that bother mentioning the other Marvel/Avengers films make a point to mention that this is probably the most "kid-friendly" of the cycle so far; in as much as it's more heavily grounded in comic/fantasy business than PG-13 body-horror ("Incredible Hulk") or midlife-crisis and/or corporate politics ("Iron Man 1&2.") I'm MORE than fine with that - I don't want to see a "grownup" movie about a Space Viking looking and his Magical Hammer.
Hemsworth is good. This is the first Marvel/Avengers movie that's being shouldered by a previously-unknown leading man, so it's good to see mostly across-the-board praise for Chris Hemsworth.
The drama works. Another VERY frequent compliment - though often noted as the "upside" to criticisms that the action/fight sequences aren't necessarily the most groundbreaking. Probably the single most-recurring thing in the first crop of reviews is near-univesal agreement that the courtly/family intrigue among The Gods kills; with ample credit being given to the choice of Shakespearean/arcane-bombast specialist Brannagh as director. This is GOOD to hear, if it's true - "Thor" is both the weirdest and least-known of the principal Avengers, and if this film AND its/his part in future continuity is going to work people need to grasp/"buy" the characters and their world. Remember: "Iron Man" worked so well as a superhero character-study that no one cared about (or now remembers) it's awkward, nonexistant 3rd act.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
"Planet of The Apes" prequel trailer teases (potentially) awesome movie with (probably) shitty moral/message
Y'know what's great about the PoTA franchise? Since it's ALL about time-travel and alternate-history, this could easily be considered a sequel, prequel, reboot and in-name-only-cash-in all at once. Depicted below: James Franco is putting on his seriousface for reverse-ironic lulz a scientist using primate brain-research to seek "the cure" (Alzheimers again, I'm assuming?) who ends up creating super-intelligent, revolution-minded simians. Money shot? A gorilla preparing to beat up a helicopter. Ticket. SOLD.
How awesome does that look? So awesome I almost don't want to vomit right now...
Great Rao... can I BE anymore sick of once again hearing the clear "voice of reason" character somberly intone "some things aren't MEANT tobe changed!" as a 'step back from the brink' line to the "mad" scientist?
Some things aren't meant to be changed? Oh, well - my mistake! By all means, let's unplug all those artificial hearts, siphon out all those lifesaving medicines and unsew all those awful ungodly stitches - after all, clearly all those "natural causes" weren't MEANT to be stopped from killing people. Never forget, kids: Science is a scary, hard-to-understand thing that smart people do; which means it's scary and evil.
Egh. Yeah, fine, movie looks great so far and I can't hold this "against" it at this point, but still... when did it get decided that Science Fiction always had to be about making people AFRAID of human progress?
How awesome does that look? So awesome I almost don't want to vomit right now...
Great Rao... can I BE anymore sick of once again hearing the clear "voice of reason" character somberly intone "some things aren't MEANT tobe changed!" as a 'step back from the brink' line to the "mad" scientist?
Some things aren't meant to be changed? Oh, well - my mistake! By all means, let's unplug all those artificial hearts, siphon out all those lifesaving medicines and unsew all those awful ungodly stitches - after all, clearly all those "natural causes" weren't MEANT to be stopped from killing people. Never forget, kids: Science is a scary, hard-to-understand thing that smart people do; which means it's scary and evil.
Egh. Yeah, fine, movie looks great so far and I can't hold this "against" it at this point, but still... when did it get decided that Science Fiction always had to be about making people AFRAID of human progress?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Big Picture: "Maddening" (updated w/embed)
In which I say NO to Michael Vick as a Madden 12 cover candidate:
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Fans React in Horror as Only Other "Superman" Antagonist Anyone has Heard of Cast in "Man of Steel"
Michael Shannon - who may just be the most unironically-intense working actor in Hollywood - has been cast as a (the?) villain in "The Man of Steel;" the Zack Snyder directed Superman movie that Warner Bros. is ram-rodding into theaters to beat-out the "we have to pay Seigel & Schuster's heirs now" train to the station. Surprising absolutely no one, he's NOT playing Toyman, Parasite, Bizarro Brainiac, Metallo or anyone else from Superman's unfortunately-named, oddly-sparse enemy pool; nor is he playing Darkseid - a "New Gods" character that everyone thinks is a Superman villain because DC has been using him as an all-purpose Big Bad for about 30 years now.
Nope, he's General Zod.
For the life of me, I don't know why the prospect of Zod infuriates fans so much. Well... okay, actually I do - it's because Zod isn't important in the comic lore but to "the masses" who only know the Donner movies he's the most well known (okay, ONLY known) Superman antagonist who isn't Lex Luthor, and they resent that. Okay, I get that.
Yeah, I'd like to see one of the more obscure-yet-"important" enemies, but this makes sense from a filmmaking perspective: It gives you the ONE thing people have been demanding of a modern Superman movie - Superhuman fight scenes - without having to have character who is a kinda-generic monster (Parasite) probably too complicated for a one-off or first installment (Brainiac, Bizarro) or possesed of a silly-sounding name (all of them.) I liked the rumors about Metallo, but I also get that having him essentially fight The Terminator brings up that whole "wait, I thought this guy could punch-out The Moon?" problem. In addition, Zod makes thematic sense - the new script (from David Goyer and Nolan brothers) is apparently heavy on a "would the modern world REALLY react to a Superman so positively?" vibe; and having a second all-powerful alien whose evil fits that pretty well.
So... yeah, like everything else in this production it's kinda anticlimactic and not crazy-exciting... but I don't see where all the rage is coming from.
Nope, he's General Zod.
For the life of me, I don't know why the prospect of Zod infuriates fans so much. Well... okay, actually I do - it's because Zod isn't important in the comic lore but to "the masses" who only know the Donner movies he's the most well known (okay, ONLY known) Superman antagonist who isn't Lex Luthor, and they resent that. Okay, I get that.
Yeah, I'd like to see one of the more obscure-yet-"important" enemies, but this makes sense from a filmmaking perspective: It gives you the ONE thing people have been demanding of a modern Superman movie - Superhuman fight scenes - without having to have character who is a kinda-generic monster (Parasite) probably too complicated for a one-off or first installment (Brainiac, Bizarro) or possesed of a silly-sounding name (all of them.) I liked the rumors about Metallo, but I also get that having him essentially fight The Terminator brings up that whole "wait, I thought this guy could punch-out The Moon?" problem. In addition, Zod makes thematic sense - the new script (from David Goyer and Nolan brothers) is apparently heavy on a "would the modern world REALLY react to a Superman so positively?" vibe; and having a second all-powerful alien whose evil fits that pretty well.
So... yeah, like everything else in this production it's kinda anticlimactic and not crazy-exciting... but I don't see where all the rage is coming from.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Does a (sort-of) returning character reveal the plot of "Dark Knight Rises?"
THR today broke the news that Josh Pence - the actor who's face was digitally-replaced with Armie Hammer's for the "twinning" shots in "The Social Network" - has a role in "The Dark Knight Rises" as the younger version (for flashbacks) of an existing character. Said character's identity is confirmed in the story, and nudges VERY headily in the direction of confirming a lot of people's assumptions about what the new film's story might entail.
It's not technically a spoiler, since everyone has run the story and the name, but in case you'd rather not read anything about it I'll do the rest after the jump...
So, Pence is playing Young Ra's Al Ghul, in flashbacks apparently set 30 years in the past.
No other information is given, but any renewed presence for Ra's Al Ghul would seem to indicate what many people have been assuming/hoping/predicting for awhile now: that the League of Shadows - the anarchist-terrorist ninjas from "Batman Begins" - are coming back in some capacity. Right off the bat (no pun intended) I'm digging that idea because it suggests a turn back into "Begins's" more comic-esque level of unreality (ninjas, doomsday weapon, fear-toxin, etc) after"Knight" took the franchise as far into realism as you can get while still making a Batman movie.
It also lends credence to the rumor that, if true, represents the worst-kept secret since the "bonus ending" of "Iron Man" - that Marion Cotillard's as-yet-unidentified "key role" is some variation of Talia Al Ghul, Ra's daughter and likely successor as leader of the League. Let me toss in some more specualtion on that end - the LoS's previously-established "thing" for masks, long-term scheming and arcane chemistry would be a really handy way to explain Bane.
Here's what I want to know: What exactly does being a younger Ra's Al Ghul actually MEAN in this context? In the comics, Ra's is a literal thousand-years-old immortal; but Liam Neeson's dialogue in "Begins" - along with Christopher Nolan's consistent veto of the more "out there" aspects of Bat-mythology - indicated that in this universe it's more of a smoke-and-mirrors creating the illusion of immortality thing in this universe. But it was never made precisely clear how the ruse was actually set up, i.e. was Neeson the "real" Ra's and Ken Watanabe was a decoy, or is the idea that there's NO "real" guy and "Ra's Al Ghul" is just a title passed from leader-to-leader "Dread Pirate Roberts"-style?
The reason I wonder this? We still don't know who Joseph Gordon Levitt is playing, and if the idea is that "Ra's Al Ghul" IS just a title, well... do the math. I'll just say this: If the big third act "boo!" of this is a fully-alive Liam Neeson stepping out from the shadows, I'll be the happiest widdle boy in the whole wide world...
It's not technically a spoiler, since everyone has run the story and the name, but in case you'd rather not read anything about it I'll do the rest after the jump...
So, Pence is playing Young Ra's Al Ghul, in flashbacks apparently set 30 years in the past.
No other information is given, but any renewed presence for Ra's Al Ghul would seem to indicate what many people have been assuming/hoping/predicting for awhile now: that the League of Shadows - the anarchist-terrorist ninjas from "Batman Begins" - are coming back in some capacity. Right off the bat (no pun intended) I'm digging that idea because it suggests a turn back into "Begins's" more comic-esque level of unreality (ninjas, doomsday weapon, fear-toxin, etc) after"Knight" took the franchise as far into realism as you can get while still making a Batman movie.
It also lends credence to the rumor that, if true, represents the worst-kept secret since the "bonus ending" of "Iron Man" - that Marion Cotillard's as-yet-unidentified "key role" is some variation of Talia Al Ghul, Ra's daughter and likely successor as leader of the League. Let me toss in some more specualtion on that end - the LoS's previously-established "thing" for masks, long-term scheming and arcane chemistry would be a really handy way to explain Bane.
Here's what I want to know: What exactly does being a younger Ra's Al Ghul actually MEAN in this context? In the comics, Ra's is a literal thousand-years-old immortal; but Liam Neeson's dialogue in "Begins" - along with Christopher Nolan's consistent veto of the more "out there" aspects of Bat-mythology - indicated that in this universe it's more of a smoke-and-mirrors creating the illusion of immortality thing in this universe. But it was never made precisely clear how the ruse was actually set up, i.e. was Neeson the "real" Ra's and Ken Watanabe was a decoy, or is the idea that there's NO "real" guy and "Ra's Al Ghul" is just a title passed from leader-to-leader "Dread Pirate Roberts"-style?
The reason I wonder this? We still don't know who Joseph Gordon Levitt is playing, and if the idea is that "Ra's Al Ghul" IS just a title, well... do the math. I'll just say this: If the big third act "boo!" of this is a fully-alive Liam Neeson stepping out from the shadows, I'll be the happiest widdle boy in the whole wide world...
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Best tagline ever?
Below, the trailer for "Anonymous" - Roland Emmerich's first non-action-blockbuster movie since... well, ever. It's a (mostly) period mystery, based on some of the (many) conspiracy theories claiming that Shakespeare didn't actually author the works attributed to him. So... "The DaVinci Code" for English Lit professors. Looks pretty good - and I'm fascinated by the idea of Emmerich (who has a much stranger, devious sense of things than usually makes it into his movies) doing something so different - but what's making me post it here today is the trailer's final tagline, which is a thing of terrible beauty. Take a look...
"We've All Been Played."
Fucking. Brilliant.
"We've All Been Played."
Fucking. Brilliant.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
4/6/11: The Day of UnBeckoning
Glenn Beck and Fox News will "transition" his nightly TV show off the air later this year; a move that is expected to leave a gaping hole in the evening viewing schedules of the ignorant, the hyperreligious, the clinically-paranoid and Rachel Maddow's research staff. (Seriously - MSNBC is going to be like Patton without a Rommell now...)
To my Conservative readers: Don't be scared. I know being on your own can be scary at first, but Glenn helped you to grow up big and strong. No, it won't be exactly the same without him; but even though Glenn is gone Obama's intimidating complexion and suspiciously foriegn-sounding name will be as scaaaary as ever - just wait and see! It's the natural order of things that, when you're ready, it's time to leave the nest, spread your wings and fly free... in time, if you learned your lessons well, you'll settle down and develop irrational, paranoid delusions of your very own.
To my Liberal readers: Congratulations, guys! Now get on down to the Whole Foods and stock up on exotic cheese and fair-trade olives for your last-episode-watching party! I'll bring the Moscato if you bring the sprouts...
To my incidentally-political College-attending readers: Today's the day, bro! Go call up that hot activist chick from your Sociology class so you can "celebrate" you guys doing YOUR part to bring this about - like all those links to his radio show you sent to Media Matters, which totally must've helped put this over the edge ;)
To my Conservative readers: Don't be scared. I know being on your own can be scary at first, but Glenn helped you to grow up big and strong. No, it won't be exactly the same without him; but even though Glenn is gone Obama's intimidating complexion and suspiciously foriegn-sounding name will be as scaaaary as ever - just wait and see! It's the natural order of things that, when you're ready, it's time to leave the nest, spread your wings and fly free... in time, if you learned your lessons well, you'll settle down and develop irrational, paranoid delusions of your very own.
To my Liberal readers: Congratulations, guys! Now get on down to the Whole Foods and stock up on exotic cheese and fair-trade olives for your last-episode-watching party! I'll bring the Moscato if you bring the sprouts...
To my incidentally-political College-attending readers: Today's the day, bro! Go call up that hot activist chick from your Sociology class so you can "celebrate" you guys doing YOUR part to bring this about - like all those links to his radio show you sent to Media Matters, which totally must've helped put this over the edge ;)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Big Picture: "The Other Street Fighter"
This week, a look back at the FIRST live-action "Street Fighter" movie - no, not the one you're thinking of.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Slow News Day
It's monday. Nothing's happening. A snarky reply I was dropping on a "Gawker" thread about tomorrow's expected reveal of a GOP proposal to, yes, privatize Medicare (i.e. why would conservatives want to piss off, of all people, senior citizens?) turned into a mini-essay, so I figure what the hell - might as well repost it here. Also, I like the irony of it running in-tandem with the ads for the awful-looking "Atlus Shrugged" movie Google keeps putting on the site... ;)
Actual text after the jump, those not wanting to hear/read political stuff advised not to bother:
"Sadly, it's quite the opposite - this is the GOP's version of (irony!) long-term political insurance.
They play the part in public, but the (actual) Republican leadership isn't stupid; they know that their onetime powerbase - big blocs of aging white (nominal) Christians who "like things just fine the way they've always been" - is being eroded, bred and straight-up reverse-gentrified out of existence. We're about ONE generation away from the old "guns god n' gays" scare-tactic being essentially useless.
GOP "brain" guys like, say, Rove or the NRO crowd, are both aware and TERRIFIED of the looming fact that 3 decades of "culture war" - of letting the "social conservatives" be their dominant public face - has left a huge scar on the broader "conservative" brand that can't just be "dropped" all at once: The "Christian Right" is short-term propping them up, but long-term poisoning them.
The ONLY play they have to remain politically relevant into the next decade is this VERY narrow window of space in-between Generation X/Y'ers earning grownup-sized paychecks and not yet having older-grownup-sized health costs; when "WHY SHOULD I BE PAYING FOR SOME OLD PEOPLE'S MEDS!!??" actually sounds like a sensible political position. This is also why you're seeing the old "welfare queen" stereotypes conflating race/gender with entitlement programs rearing their head once again - it's ALL about rebranding The Party to appeal to white suburban douchebags with MBA's burning a hole in their pocket who probably don't give a shit about gay marriage or abortion but are FLABBERGASTED as to why they have to get "SCREWED out of a job by Affirmative Action!!!" when "everyone knows" racism is totally over because they "never owned a slave or nothing!" ;)
Actual text after the jump, those not wanting to hear/read political stuff advised not to bother:
"Sadly, it's quite the opposite - this is the GOP's version of (irony!) long-term political insurance.
They play the part in public, but the (actual) Republican leadership isn't stupid; they know that their onetime powerbase - big blocs of aging white (nominal) Christians who "like things just fine the way they've always been" - is being eroded, bred and straight-up reverse-gentrified out of existence. We're about ONE generation away from the old "guns god n' gays" scare-tactic being essentially useless.
GOP "brain" guys like, say, Rove or the NRO crowd, are both aware and TERRIFIED of the looming fact that 3 decades of "culture war" - of letting the "social conservatives" be their dominant public face - has left a huge scar on the broader "conservative" brand that can't just be "dropped" all at once: The "Christian Right" is short-term propping them up, but long-term poisoning them.
The ONLY play they have to remain politically relevant into the next decade is this VERY narrow window of space in-between Generation X/Y'ers earning grownup-sized paychecks and not yet having older-grownup-sized health costs; when "WHY SHOULD I BE PAYING FOR SOME OLD PEOPLE'S MEDS!!??" actually sounds like a sensible political position. This is also why you're seeing the old "welfare queen" stereotypes conflating race/gender with entitlement programs rearing their head once again - it's ALL about rebranding The Party to appeal to white suburban douchebags with MBA's burning a hole in their pocket who probably don't give a shit about gay marriage or abortion but are FLABBERGASTED as to why they have to get "SCREWED out of a job by Affirmative Action!!!" when "everyone knows" racism is totally over because they "never owned a slave or nothing!" ;)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
kabooms
(NOTE: this is a straight-ahead shout-out, NOT an advertisement - no one has "asked" me to reccomend this site, no compensation has changed hands, etc.)
Most people on the indie/amateur movie circuit probably already know about Detonation Films, but in case you're in that group and you don't know them you really need to: Basically a whole site of professional-grade stock footage for explosions, fire, debris, bullet-hits, flares, etc. shot against key-ready greenscreen, bluescreen or oldschool black; most of sold for VERY reasonable prices and a TON of good stuff that's straight-up FREE for download.
Pretty much all the fire/explosion FX you've seen in the recent "OverThinker" videos came from their freebie stock, as it happens, so I figured I owed them a shout-out: Keep an eye on this site, it's a GREAT resource.
Most people on the indie/amateur movie circuit probably already know about Detonation Films, but in case you're in that group and you don't know them you really need to: Basically a whole site of professional-grade stock footage for explosions, fire, debris, bullet-hits, flares, etc. shot against key-ready greenscreen, bluescreen or oldschool black; most of sold for VERY reasonable prices and a TON of good stuff that's straight-up FREE for download.
Pretty much all the fire/explosion FX you've seen in the recent "OverThinker" videos came from their freebie stock, as it happens, so I figured I owed them a shout-out: Keep an eye on this site, it's a GREAT resource.
"From the director of Dragon Wars!"
If American audiences know Hyung Rae-Shim at all, it's as the guy behind the wonderfully-awful "Dragon Wars;" but he has a HUGE following in his native Korea for his prior career as a popular comic actor - he'd done dozens of films, almost always as a variation on a slapstick character named "Yonguu" (spelling varies.) Now, he's brought the Yonguu person to English-language features; this time as the hitherto-unknown Korean son of a New York mafia don (Harvey Keitel!) in "The Last Godfather."
Yes, they're really selling it on the pitch of "The Director of Dragon Wars." Awesome.
Yes, they're really selling it on the pitch of "The Director of Dragon Wars." Awesome.
Does this "Green Lantern" footage change your mind?
An abridged cut of the "Green Lantern" footage that went over BIG yesterday at Wondercon has hit the web:
Alright, I'm A LOT closer to "sold" now.
No, it doesn't "solve" all of the issues people were having with this - Reynolds still seems a little A.) young and B.) "flip" to be playing Hal Jordan, and the while the suit keeps looking better the mask still looks out of place and cheesy (notice Tomar-Re, aka "ChickenFish-Man," handwaving an excuse for him to not wear it most of the time.) But for the most part... yeah, this is looking MUCH more promising now, at least visually.
If nothing else, GL fans have to dig seeing that massive gathering of wacky aliens in their matching uniforms (shots like all the business on Oa here I sort of what I was hoping to get in the "Trek" reboot, actually...); and I stand by my affection for how retro-scifi the stuff with the inflated-brain mad scientist and the giant monster (Parallax?) tearing up Coast City looks.
The early trailers were underwhelming because (supposedly) more than HALF of the film is "animated" to one degree or another, and all they initially had to work with were mostly Earthbound scenes; giving the impression of nothing so much as "Younger Iron Man Goes To Space." THIS, on the other hand, shows off the bigger-picture: That it's a huge, cosmic, outer-space scifi epic - "Star Wars," but with a superhero angle.
Alright, I'm A LOT closer to "sold" now.
No, it doesn't "solve" all of the issues people were having with this - Reynolds still seems a little A.) young and B.) "flip" to be playing Hal Jordan, and the while the suit keeps looking better the mask still looks out of place and cheesy (notice Tomar-Re, aka "ChickenFish-Man," handwaving an excuse for him to not wear it most of the time.) But for the most part... yeah, this is looking MUCH more promising now, at least visually.
If nothing else, GL fans have to dig seeing that massive gathering of wacky aliens in their matching uniforms (shots like all the business on Oa here I sort of what I was hoping to get in the "Trek" reboot, actually...); and I stand by my affection for how retro-scifi the stuff with the inflated-brain mad scientist and the giant monster (Parallax?) tearing up Coast City looks.
The early trailers were underwhelming because (supposedly) more than HALF of the film is "animated" to one degree or another, and all they initially had to work with were mostly Earthbound scenes; giving the impression of nothing so much as "Younger Iron Man Goes To Space." THIS, on the other hand, shows off the bigger-picture: That it's a huge, cosmic, outer-space scifi epic - "Star Wars," but with a superhero angle.
Friday, April 1, 2011
"Immortals": The 2011 Action Movie You Didn't Know You Wanted To See
Tarsem Signh, at this point still probably best known for directing REM's "Losing My Religion" video, was supposed to be the Next Big Thing when he transfered to feature films in 2000. Unfortunately, his debut was the Jennifer Lopez vehicle "The Cell" - one of the best-looking awful movies ever, and a boxoffice dud. It took six years, but he mounted a comeback with the MUCH better-recieved "The Fall" in 2006. This November, he gets another shot at the action/blockbuster scene with "Immortals." (Originally titled "War of The Gods.")
It's a BIG production; a $100 million-plus budget action/fantasy epic backed by "The Producers of 300," and recently became a must-see for an unexpected reason: It's the first action-hero leading-role for Henry Cavill - the soon-to-be new Superman.
...Here's the basic plot outline: It's a mash-up of ancient Greek mythology - primarily Theseus (the guy who killed The Minotaur) and The Titanomachy, i.e. the pre-humanity war between the Olympian Gods and their predecessors, The Titans. In this variation, in addition to slaying man-bulls, Theseus is tasked by Zeus etc. to lead your basic D&D campaign team (Frieda Pinto as a priestess, Stephen Dorf as a slave) to find a Magic MacGuffin before the Titan leader Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) can use it to set his imprisoned brothers free.
In other words: It sounds A LOT like the remake of "Clash of The Titans" - which everyone saw but nobody was really over-the-moon about. So, it was probably for the best that they've held back on the media-blitz until right about now: A set of posters hit Fandango tonight, and tommorrow it's having a big "debut" panel at Wondercon; so a trailer will likely soon be in the offing. Until then, here's the trailer to "The Fall" - which you should really check out.
Jokes are fun...
...but, in all seriousness, go see "Insidious." Not perfect, but REALLY impressive for something shot for only $800,000. Plus, it's heart is in the right place and it's proof that gore-free PG-13 horror doesn't have to be budgetary crutch - if nothing else, it's a PERFECT "scary-movie" that you could probably take kids to (I'd say 10 and up, your mileage may vary.)
FWIW, it's basically a Haunted House movie where the "house" part is kind-of incidental - Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are a couple whose son's coma has turned him into some kind of ghost-attracting antenna; so they can't just pick up and leave to solve the problem.
Storywise, if you've seen a ghosts-in-the-house movie, particularly "Poltergeist," you know where this is going, but the fun (for me anyway) is in the execution. James Wan and Leigh Wannell remind us WHY the original "Saw" was so effective in early "spooky noises" sections, but when it's time to make with the ghosts they also let slip a surprising sentimentality for ultra-oldschool "kiddie" spook-house imagery - the 3rd act looks like an attempt to adapt a local High School's annual charity "Haunted House" into a movie. That's probably going to be the "checking out" point for a lot of people, but I dug it.
FWIW, it's basically a Haunted House movie where the "house" part is kind-of incidental - Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are a couple whose son's coma has turned him into some kind of ghost-attracting antenna; so they can't just pick up and leave to solve the problem.
Storywise, if you've seen a ghosts-in-the-house movie, particularly "Poltergeist," you know where this is going, but the fun (for me anyway) is in the execution. James Wan and Leigh Wannell remind us WHY the original "Saw" was so effective in early "spooky noises" sections, but when it's time to make with the ghosts they also let slip a surprising sentimentality for ultra-oldschool "kiddie" spook-house imagery - the 3rd act looks like an attempt to adapt a local High School's annual charity "Haunted House" into a movie. That's probably going to be the "checking out" point for a lot of people, but I dug it.