snallygaster's Recent Comments
DVD Shopping Bag: Marvel vs. DC - Jul 16, 2008 - 08:21am
The character of Isis was actually an original creation for the TV show. DC Comics ran the comic-book spin-off, so it's often assumed that Isis was a DC character spun off into a TV series, but it was the other way around. Good call on the syndicated live-action Superboy series, though. I was also disappointed when Birds of Prey was canceled. It definitely had the potential to develop into a very fun show.
The character of Isis was actually an original creation for the TV show. DC Comics ran the comic-book spin-off, so it's often assumed that Isis was a DC character spun off into a TV series, but it was the other way around. Good call on the syndicated live-action Superboy series, though. I was also disappointed when Birds of Prey was canceled. It definitely had the potential to develop into a very fun show.
Walden Deals With Epidemic in CRUELEST MILES - Jun 26, 2008 - 10:28am
Or a romance called "Love in the Time of Cholera"
Or a romance called "Love in the Time of Cholera"
CLOVERFIELD 2 On Hold, 300 Prequel Coming - Jun 26, 2008 - 08:35am
How about combining a prequel for both 300 and Cloverfield? Have a nasty (though smaller) cousin of the Cloverfield creature splashdown in the Aegean Sea. King Leonidas and his Spartans whup its ass. Maybe show how this incident was the basis for the legend of the Kraken. Bonus: This would all happen long before there were hand-held cams...
How about combining a prequel for both 300 and Cloverfield? Have a nasty (though smaller) cousin of the Cloverfield creature splashdown in the Aegean Sea. King Leonidas and his Spartans whup its ass. Maybe show how this incident was the basis for the legend of the Kraken. Bonus: This would all happen long before there were hand-held cams...
DreamWorks Planning KUNG FU PANDA 2 - Jun 26, 2008 - 08:23am
It's all a matter of opinion, but I'd say the original Shrek was better. Kung Fu Panda was more enjoyable than the Shrek sequels, but not the first IMO.
It's all a matter of opinion, but I'd say the original Shrek was better. Kung Fu Panda was more enjoyable than the Shrek sequels, but not the first IMO.
Mandate Suffers Consequences in FAR AWAY - Jun 26, 2008 - 08:09am
Mandate Pictures is a pretty new outfit, so they are probably open to taking some risks. I checked out this photo-journalist, and he has written and directed one other movie - a 30-minute short "The Last Dog in Rwanda" (translated from the original Swedish). According to what I googled, it's about a boy who is fascinated with war and grows up to be (suprise!) a photojournalist who then goes to Rwanda to photograph the horrors there. I have some concerns with this guy being relatively new to film making, and since Mandate may be a little too Oscar-hungry after having a taste of Oscar success with last year's Juno. Given that formula, I do fear that the odds are pretty high that this may end up as an agenda-driven preach-fest of some sort, which isn't always bad, provided it's not obvious and heavy-handed. Put me in the "wait and see" column.
Mandate Pictures is a pretty new outfit, so they are probably open to taking some risks. I checked out this photo-journalist, and he has written and directed one other movie - a 30-minute short "The Last Dog in Rwanda" (translated from the original Swedish). According to what I googled, it's about a boy who is fascinated with war and grows up to be (suprise!) a photojournalist who then goes to Rwanda to photograph the horrors there. I have some concerns with this guy being relatively new to film making, and since Mandate may be a little too Oscar-hungry after having a taste of Oscar success with last year's Juno. Given that formula, I do fear that the odds are pretty high that this may end up as an agenda-driven preach-fest of some sort, which isn't always bad, provided it's not obvious and heavy-handed. Put me in the "wait and see" column.
Walden Deals With Epidemic in CRUELEST MILES - Jun 26, 2008 - 07:26am
I saw this on The History Channel once. It's definitely a compelling story for a movie, I'm surprised nobody's adapted it before. Could be worthwhile, as long as there's no talking dogs or Cuba Gooding Jr.
I saw this on The History Channel once. It's definitely a compelling story for a movie, I'm surprised nobody's adapted it before. Could be worthwhile, as long as there's no talking dogs or Cuba Gooding Jr.
AFI Releases Top 10 Lists for Genre Classics - Jun 18, 2008 - 07:59pm
tmswyrb - AFI's "Heroes and Villains" list was not a list of horror movies. It was (as the name says) heroes and villains of the movies, crossing all genre lines. There's some horror characters represented, but it's not a horror genre list. To date, they've never produced list of top horror movies. I logged onto AFI's site, and they also post the original ballot for their current list of Genre Top 10 lists (50 nominees for each list). It should be noted that a number of the "shoulda-been-on-the-list" movies that Maniacs are screaming about were at least on the short list of nominees, like The Incredibles and The Matrix.
tmswyrb - AFI's "Heroes and Villains" list was not a list of horror movies. It was (as the name says) heroes and villains of the movies, crossing all genre lines. There's some horror characters represented, but it's not a horror genre list. To date, they've never produced list of top horror movies. I logged onto AFI's site, and they also post the original ballot for their current list of Genre Top 10 lists (50 nominees for each list). It should be noted that a number of the "shoulda-been-on-the-list" movies that Maniacs are screaming about were at least on the short list of nominees, like The Incredibles and The Matrix.
Spike Lee Leading Time TRAVELER - Jun 18, 2008 - 09:32am
CaptainJackSpareribs, Eastwood has acknowledged that there were black soldiers at Iwo, he never denied it. The army was still segregated, and the black units were in support positions of the other units. In fact, I just took a look at the Eastwood movie, and there is a close-up shot of some of the black soldiers on a transport during a briefing, when they are being told that their role will be to supply ammo to the forward elements. Later, they are also shown loading wounded men from the beach onto transports for evacuation. So the movie actually shows the black soldiers, acting in support positions which is historically accurate. Eastwood never dwells on them because the story is about the six soldiers who actually raised the flag - but they are there if you look for them.
CaptainJackSpareribs, Eastwood has acknowledged that there were black soldiers at Iwo, he never denied it. The army was still segregated, and the black units were in support positions of the other units. In fact, I just took a look at the Eastwood movie, and there is a close-up shot of some of the black soldiers on a transport during a briefing, when they are being told that their role will be to supply ammo to the forward elements. Later, they are also shown loading wounded men from the beach onto transports for evacuation. So the movie actually shows the black soldiers, acting in support positions which is historically accurate. Eastwood never dwells on them because the story is about the six soldiers who actually raised the flag - but they are there if you look for them.
AFI Releases Top 10 Lists for Genre Classics - Jun 18, 2008 - 06:59am
Regarding The Good The Bad and The Ugly: It doesn't meet the criteria. Notice that the AFI is only looking at American films (that being the "AF" part in "AFI"). Eastwood's "spaghetti westerns" were Italian and Spanish productions. I know that they seem as American as apple pie, but those were technically foreign films. That's why you also won't find any of the great Studio Ghibli animated features from Japan listed either, even though they are as good or better than their Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks counterparts listed here.
Regarding The Good The Bad and The Ugly: It doesn't meet the criteria. Notice that the AFI is only looking at American films (that being the "AF" part in "AFI"). Eastwood's "spaghetti westerns" were Italian and Spanish productions. I know that they seem as American as apple pie, but those were technically foreign films. That's why you also won't find any of the great Studio Ghibli animated features from Japan listed either, even though they are as good or better than their Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks counterparts listed here.
AFI Releases Top 10 Lists for Genre Classics - Jun 18, 2008 - 06:13am
I'm not going to nitpick over individual selections, but they missed a major genre: HORROR!!! Despite the fact that the genre has been there since the days of silent movies and is still going strong today (and yes, I'm looking at you WESTERN), and it covers a very broad range of films (unlike the much more narrowly-defined GANGSTER genre, for instance), but it's still the Rodney Dangerfield of movie genres.
I'm not going to nitpick over individual selections, but they missed a major genre: HORROR!!! Despite the fact that the genre has been there since the days of silent movies and is still going strong today (and yes, I'm looking at you WESTERN), and it covers a very broad range of films (unlike the much more narrowly-defined GANGSTER genre, for instance), but it's still the Rodney Dangerfield of movie genres.
First Look at Crawlers in DESCENT 2 - Jun 17, 2008 - 06:43am
Wolfman, did you see The Descent in the theater or on DVD? Some of the DVD versions were issued with the altered ending, some with the original ending. I thought either ending was OK, neither one was exactly a happy ending. And yes, the critters are very vampiric (sort of an animalistic version of Nosferatu) - I suppose one could argue that these are the basis for vampire lore in Descent's "universe". This is one sequel I really didn't want to see get the green light. The first movie would be perfectly fine (with either ending). I really wish they'd leave well-enough alone instead of having to turn every horror movie that makes more than $50M into a franchise.
Wolfman, did you see The Descent in the theater or on DVD? Some of the DVD versions were issued with the altered ending, some with the original ending. I thought either ending was OK, neither one was exactly a happy ending. And yes, the critters are very vampiric (sort of an animalistic version of Nosferatu) - I suppose one could argue that these are the basis for vampire lore in Descent's "universe". This is one sequel I really didn't want to see get the green light. The first movie would be perfectly fine (with either ending). I really wish they'd leave well-enough alone instead of having to turn every horror movie that makes more than $50M into a franchise.
TUROK Adventure In the Works? - Jun 11, 2008 - 08:18am
joey, the Turok comics were originally issued through Western Publishing's Gold Key Comic line. At the time of Turok, they were known mostly for producing comic book series based on other licenses - Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Brothers, etc. They are probably best remembered among the fanboy community for their early Star Trek comics. Turok was one of a few original titles that they came up with in-house. The Gold Key Comics were definitely written for younger kids. I once read an interview with one of the Trek comic writers, and they said at one point Gold Key actually put a restriction on the lines of dialogue which could appear in a comic - it was something like 50 lines in an entire issue! Needless to say, this resulted in a lot of the storytelling being visual, and lots of splash pages featuring dinosaurs and other monsters going "GRRROOOONNNK!!!" (which I hope didn't count against their 50-line limit).
joey, the Turok comics were originally issued through Western Publishing's Gold Key Comic line. At the time of Turok, they were known mostly for producing comic book series based on other licenses - Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Brothers, etc. They are probably best remembered among the fanboy community for their early Star Trek comics. Turok was one of a few original titles that they came up with in-house. The Gold Key Comics were definitely written for younger kids. I once read an interview with one of the Trek comic writers, and they said at one point Gold Key actually put a restriction on the lines of dialogue which could appear in a comic - it was something like 50 lines in an entire issue! Needless to say, this resulted in a lot of the storytelling being visual, and lots of splash pages featuring dinosaurs and other monsters going "GRRROOOONNNK!!!" (which I hope didn't count against their 50-line limit).
TUROK Adventure In the Works? - Jun 11, 2008 - 07:22am
I was a Turok reader back in its earliest incarnation. Back then the story was about Turok and his younger brother Andar getting trapped in a "lost valley" of dinosaurs somewhere in the American Southwest. It was actually set at a time before the Europeans arrived in America, so Turok and Andar only had primitive weapons and tools, thus having to rely more on their wits and skills to survive. I never kept up with the various re-inventions of Turok over the years. Whenever I saw Turok with a machine gun in his hands, it just wasn't Turok for me.
I was a Turok reader back in its earliest incarnation. Back then the story was about Turok and his younger brother Andar getting trapped in a "lost valley" of dinosaurs somewhere in the American Southwest. It was actually set at a time before the Europeans arrived in America, so Turok and Andar only had primitive weapons and tools, thus having to rely more on their wits and skills to survive. I never kept up with the various re-inventions of Turok over the years. Whenever I saw Turok with a machine gun in his hands, it just wasn't Turok for me.
Christopher Lee Agrees to Return to MIDDLE EARTH - Jun 04, 2008 - 06:40pm
Del Toro is bringing Ron Perlman into the picture? Interesting... I don't really see him as Bard, though. I would think maybe Beorn the shapeshifter or the Goblin-King.
Del Toro is bringing Ron Perlman into the picture? Interesting... I don't really see him as Bard, though. I would think maybe Beorn the shapeshifter or the Goblin-King.
Christopher Lee Agrees to Return to MIDDLE EARTH - Jun 04, 2008 - 03:28pm
almostunbiased, the other two wizards were known as the Blue Wizards. Very little is known about them, most of it from Tolkien's marginal scribblings. They may have been named Alatar and Pallando. By most accounts, they were sent on a mission to eastern Middle Earth (you know, that "off the map" area past Rhun) on a mission to turn the tribes of that region against Sauron. The outcome of their mission was never known (even by Tolkien). So if they are faithful to Tolkien's writings, we'll never see the Blue Wizards in these movies. I'd love to see Radagast however. He's such a marginal character, and there's something fascinating about such a powerful individual effectively "going native" and pretty much disregarding his mission to commune with nature. No wonder Tolkien was such a hit with hippies!Speaking of which, let's bring on the movie adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil! Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!Sportwarrior, Bilbo was 50 years old at the time that he was recruited for the adventure in The Hobbit. Frodo was 33 at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring (Bilbo's farewell party). However, 17 years passed before Gandalf returned to discover the true nature of Bilbo's ring, making Frodo 50 years old when he departed Bag End on his own adventure. I don't think Jackson's adaptation made this apparent to the movie viewers (nor was it particularly important to the story). Even though 50 is technically middle-aged for Hobbits, I always figured that most Hobbits retain a fairly youthful, child-like appearance for a good part of their life - probably all that fresh air, organic food, and pipeweed.
almostunbiased, the other two wizards were known as the Blue Wizards. Very little is known about them, most of it from Tolkien's marginal scribblings. They may have been named Alatar and Pallando. By most accounts, they were sent on a mission to eastern Middle Earth (you know, that "off the map" area past Rhun) on a mission to turn the tribes of that region against Sauron. The outcome of their mission was never known (even by Tolkien). So if they are faithful to Tolkien's writings, we'll never see the Blue Wizards in these movies. I'd love to see Radagast however. He's such a marginal character, and there's something fascinating about such a powerful individual effectively "going native" and pretty much disregarding his mission to commune with nature. No wonder Tolkien was such a hit with hippies!Speaking of which, let's bring on the movie adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil! Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!Sportwarrior, Bilbo was 50 years old at the time that he was recruited for the adventure in The Hobbit. Frodo was 33 at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring (Bilbo's farewell party). However, 17 years passed before Gandalf returned to discover the true nature of Bilbo's ring, making Frodo 50 years old when he departed Bag End on his own adventure. I don't think Jackson's adaptation made this apparent to the movie viewers (nor was it particularly important to the story). Even though 50 is technically middle-aged for Hobbits, I always figured that most Hobbits retain a fairly youthful, child-like appearance for a good part of their life - probably all that fresh air, organic food, and pipeweed.
TV Wasteland: Fear Itself, Doomed to Fail - Jun 02, 2008 - 10:16am
Joey - yes there was a new BG aired on Friday. Comcast is probably still dealing with their homepage getting hacked last week. Please feel free to smack them. I'm still pissed at them for unceremoniously killing my old email address (after they promised they would never do so), which resulted in me scrambling to change my email address on websites and mailing lists all over the interweb.
Joey - yes there was a new BG aired on Friday. Comcast is probably still dealing with their homepage getting hacked last week. Please feel free to smack them. I'm still pissed at them for unceremoniously killing my old email address (after they promised they would never do so), which resulted in me scrambling to change my email address on websites and mailing lists all over the interweb.
The Top 10 Hot But Mostly Bothered Video Game Females - May 30, 2008 - 07:25am
I really can't agree with those who believe Lara Croft belongs on this list. Remember this is a list of not just hot video game babes, but "...the most troubled, volatile and frankly terrifying hotties in the gaming world. As sexy and scantily clad as they may be, these girls just aren’t worth “pulling” for." Lara's crazy, but "crazy like a fox" as the saying goes. She's really no more nuts than Indiana Jones. She's a risk-taker, but who wouldn't be a risk-taker when you've got a reset button to bring you back to life?
I really can't agree with those who believe Lara Croft belongs on this list. Remember this is a list of not just hot video game babes, but "...the most troubled, volatile and frankly terrifying hotties in the gaming world. As sexy and scantily clad as they may be, these girls just aren’t worth “pulling” for." Lara's crazy, but "crazy like a fox" as the saying goes. She's really no more nuts than Indiana Jones. She's a risk-taker, but who wouldn't be a risk-taker when you've got a reset button to bring you back to life?
The Top 10 Hot But Mostly Bothered Video Game Females - May 30, 2008 - 07:25am
I really can't agree with those who believe Lara Croft belongs on this list. Remember this is a list of not just hot video game babes, but "...the most troubled, volatile and frankly terrifying hotties in the gaming world. As sexy and scantily clad as they may be, these girls just aren’t worth “pulling” for." Lara's crazy, but "crazy like a fox" as the saying goes. She's really no more nuts than Indiana Jones. She's a risk-taker, but who wouldn't be a risk-taker when you've got a reset button to bring you back to life?
I really can't agree with those who believe Lara Croft belongs on this list. Remember this is a list of not just hot video game babes, but "...the most troubled, volatile and frankly terrifying hotties in the gaming world. As sexy and scantily clad as they may be, these girls just aren’t worth “pulling” for." Lara's crazy, but "crazy like a fox" as the saying goes. She's really no more nuts than Indiana Jones. She's a risk-taker, but who wouldn't be a risk-taker when you've got a reset button to bring you back to life?
Disney CEO Faults Release Date for CASPIAN - May 29, 2008 - 08:25am
Wiseguy, I have to disagree that the movie is "bombing" - performing below expectations certainly, but not bombing. I think Caspian's domestic total will probably be close to $150M when all is said and done. Also fantasy films have recently performed comparitively better in international markets, and Caspian has not yet opened in many of them. For instance, the first Narnia made $77M in the UK alone, and Caspian won't be released there until late June. I won't go into DVD sales and TV rights, because that's always the last refuge of people defending true bombs :)
Wiseguy, I have to disagree that the movie is "bombing" - performing below expectations certainly, but not bombing. I think Caspian's domestic total will probably be close to $150M when all is said and done. Also fantasy films have recently performed comparitively better in international markets, and Caspian has not yet opened in many of them. For instance, the first Narnia made $77M in the UK alone, and Caspian won't be released there until late June. I won't go into DVD sales and TV rights, because that's always the last refuge of people defending true bombs :)
Disney CEO Faults Release Date for CASPIAN - May 29, 2008 - 06:02am
Yep, budget of $200M (first one was $180M). It's not bombing, but so far it's tracking about 15% behind what the first movie made in its first two weekends. I don't believe Iger is whining, but explaining why the movie isn't doing as well as the first one - and his analysis is spot-on in this case. I know Disney will complete the first three Narnia movies, but the fate of the last four will be very much up in the air if Disney isn't happy with the returns on the sequels.
Yep, budget of $200M (first one was $180M). It's not bombing, but so far it's tracking about 15% behind what the first movie made in its first two weekends. I don't believe Iger is whining, but explaining why the movie isn't doing as well as the first one - and his analysis is spot-on in this case. I know Disney will complete the first three Narnia movies, but the fate of the last four will be very much up in the air if Disney isn't happy with the returns on the sequels.
Disney CEO Faults Release Date for CASPIAN - May 29, 2008 - 04:12am
I agree, I think Speed Racer would have likely bombed no matter when it was released. Prince Caspian could have performed much better if it had been released as the big fantasy epic of last Christmas season (clearly The Golden Compass didn't fulfill that role, at least not in North America). The Water Horse - which I thought was a terrific little fantasy movie - probably would have also fared better if it had been rescheduled for a less competetive time of the year, like February, when family movies are in short supply.
I agree, I think Speed Racer would have likely bombed no matter when it was released. Prince Caspian could have performed much better if it had been released as the big fantasy epic of last Christmas season (clearly The Golden Compass didn't fulfill that role, at least not in North America). The Water Horse - which I thought was a terrific little fantasy movie - probably would have also fared better if it had been rescheduled for a less competetive time of the year, like February, when family movies are in short supply.
TV Wasteland: The Writers' Strike Alters Viewing Habits Over the Long Term - May 26, 2008 - 06:10am
I'm not convinced that the internet is the real competition here. I do know people whose viewing habits have changed, and a lot of them have decided to just watch their favorite series on DVD as they come out. Ironically, it's fans of the heavily serialized shows (Lost, Galactica, 24, etc.) who are really doing this. I say "ironic" because one of the reasons that networks were attracted to these sorts of shows is because they considered them "water cooler" shows - programs which people felt they would have to watch during the original airing in order to keep up with conversations at work the next day. The problem is that viewers have discovered that getting the DVDs and watching an entire season of these complex programs over a much briefer period of time (and without commercial interruptions) is much easier to follow and more enjoyable. One positive change is that Fox has announced that they will expand the amound of minutes of actual programming in a prime-time hour, from the current 42 minutes to 46-48 minutes. It still falls a bit short of the glory days of the 1960s when a full hour of commercial TV included 52 minutes of actual program, but it's a step in the right direction. I've heard writers complain that with today's relatively short running times, they can only concentrate on the plot, while scenes and dialogue which would actually develop the characters are the first ones to get cut. Now if the networks would just stop those intrusive logos and other promotional garbage over the actual programming, that would be a real olive branch to the viewers.
I'm not convinced that the internet is the real competition here. I do know people whose viewing habits have changed, and a lot of them have decided to just watch their favorite series on DVD as they come out. Ironically, it's fans of the heavily serialized shows (Lost, Galactica, 24, etc.) who are really doing this. I say "ironic" because one of the reasons that networks were attracted to these sorts of shows is because they considered them "water cooler" shows - programs which people felt they would have to watch during the original airing in order to keep up with conversations at work the next day. The problem is that viewers have discovered that getting the DVDs and watching an entire season of these complex programs over a much briefer period of time (and without commercial interruptions) is much easier to follow and more enjoyable. One positive change is that Fox has announced that they will expand the amound of minutes of actual programming in a prime-time hour, from the current 42 minutes to 46-48 minutes. It still falls a bit short of the glory days of the 1960s when a full hour of commercial TV included 52 minutes of actual program, but it's a step in the right direction. I've heard writers complain that with today's relatively short running times, they can only concentrate on the plot, while scenes and dialogue which would actually develop the characters are the first ones to get cut. Now if the networks would just stop those intrusive logos and other promotional garbage over the actual programming, that would be a real olive branch to the viewers.
TV Review: MEDIUM - Drowned World - May 14, 2008 - 10:39am
Nell - Medium has been renewed for another season, though it's going to be moved to Sunday night (which is fine by me because I've got nuthin' to watch on Sunday nights). I'm also not sure if it will start in September or be launched in January (as it was this season and was originally intended the previous season). Good analysis of the episode. The bit about "misdirection" is spot-on. In fact that I was (probably like many viewers) looking for the big season-ending twist in Allison's ghost story, but the real sleight-of-hand was that the major action was happening in Joe's storyline. I'm glad the season ended on a nice note. It's a nice break from the usual cliff-hangers that so many shows (even sitcoms) feel compelled to give us these days. Stephen, thanks for reviewing Medium episodes on a regular basis. As much as I enjoy the big story-arc shows like Galactica, Lost, 24, Heroes, etc. it's nice to sit back and enjoy this sort of show. Anybody else think it would would a blast to see a Medium/Supernatural crossover? Yeah, I know it'll never happen, but it would be fun to see their very different worlds colide.
Nell - Medium has been renewed for another season, though it's going to be moved to Sunday night (which is fine by me because I've got nuthin' to watch on Sunday nights). I'm also not sure if it will start in September or be launched in January (as it was this season and was originally intended the previous season). Good analysis of the episode. The bit about "misdirection" is spot-on. In fact that I was (probably like many viewers) looking for the big season-ending twist in Allison's ghost story, but the real sleight-of-hand was that the major action was happening in Joe's storyline. I'm glad the season ended on a nice note. It's a nice break from the usual cliff-hangers that so many shows (even sitcoms) feel compelled to give us these days. Stephen, thanks for reviewing Medium episodes on a regular basis. As much as I enjoy the big story-arc shows like Galactica, Lost, 24, Heroes, etc. it's nice to sit back and enjoy this sort of show. Anybody else think it would would a blast to see a Medium/Supernatural crossover? Yeah, I know it'll never happen, but it would be fun to see their very different worlds colide.
SPEED RACER - May 11, 2008 - 07:28am
I really don't understand the hate that this movie is generating, both from critics and fanboys. I saw it yesterday and had a blast. I agree with most everything that macthorn posted above, and also have to admit that I may be biased because I'm about the same age he is, so I was exposed to SR at the same time that it first hit American shores. The Wachowskis delivered what I expected - an action-packed live-action/CGI version of the original cartoon. Watching SR was like going back in time and spending two hours playing with my old Hot Wheel sets (anybody else notice that the shades of orange throughout the movie are the same color as Hot Wheel tracks?). The theater was pretty full, mostly of families with boys around Spritle's age. There was cheering, laughing, and even some applause at the appropriate moments. Sure the kids got a little antsy during the chatty parts (and this is an issue which the Wachowskis need to rein in if they want to produce family movies), but the kids were glued to the screen when the action took off. I give it a solid B+. I have to admit that I've lost some faith in Maniascape's grading system ever since last year's Transformers received an A+ which I really believe should be reserved for true movie classics (and I have yet to be swayed by any argument that Transformers should be ranked next to The Godfather, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, etc). BTW, for those who are familiar with Abbie Bernstein's frequent movie review contributions, she did a review for a rival site for which she sometimes contributes (I won't post the name here, but you can google it easily enough) and gave it a B-.
I really don't understand the hate that this movie is generating, both from critics and fanboys. I saw it yesterday and had a blast. I agree with most everything that macthorn posted above, and also have to admit that I may be biased because I'm about the same age he is, so I was exposed to SR at the same time that it first hit American shores. The Wachowskis delivered what I expected - an action-packed live-action/CGI version of the original cartoon. Watching SR was like going back in time and spending two hours playing with my old Hot Wheel sets (anybody else notice that the shades of orange throughout the movie are the same color as Hot Wheel tracks?). The theater was pretty full, mostly of families with boys around Spritle's age. There was cheering, laughing, and even some applause at the appropriate moments. Sure the kids got a little antsy during the chatty parts (and this is an issue which the Wachowskis need to rein in if they want to produce family movies), but the kids were glued to the screen when the action took off. I give it a solid B+. I have to admit that I've lost some faith in Maniascape's grading system ever since last year's Transformers received an A+ which I really believe should be reserved for true movie classics (and I have yet to be swayed by any argument that Transformers should be ranked next to The Godfather, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, etc). BTW, for those who are familiar with Abbie Bernstein's frequent movie review contributions, she did a review for a rival site for which she sometimes contributes (I won't post the name here, but you can google it easily enough) and gave it a B-.
Pathe Ready to Tackle DESCENT 2 - May 04, 2008 - 11:14am
I've seen both endings and was OK with both the fatalistic and the marginally optimistic endings. I thought it was the best horror flick of 2006, but like so many horror movies, it would be best to let well-enough alone.
I've seen both endings and was OK with both the fatalistic and the marginally optimistic endings. I thought it was the best horror flick of 2006, but like so many horror movies, it would be best to let well-enough alone.
MEDIUM: Car Trouble - Apr 30, 2008 - 03:58am
I basically agree with the review, but offer one slight nitpick. I wouldn't call Joe's boss a "cougar" which means an older woman who pursues significantly younger men. The characters appear to be roughly the same age, and checking the birthdates of the actors reveals that Kelly Preston is only two years older than Jake Weber.
I basically agree with the review, but offer one slight nitpick. I wouldn't call Joe's boss a "cougar" which means an older woman who pursues significantly younger men. The characters appear to be roughly the same age, and checking the birthdates of the actors reveals that Kelly Preston is only two years older than Jake Weber.
Sleestaks Revealed for LOST Remake - Apr 29, 2008 - 12:30pm
I'll give them points for the faithful look of the Sleestaks, but I still think this is going to be played for cheap laughs rather than be any sort of adventure story. I also wouldn't mind some sort of action-comedy (like the Mummy movies, as has been suggested above), but one look at the credits of the writers would indicate even an action-comedy would be a stretch. Both of the writers (apart from the Kroffts, who are probably only getting writing credits for creation of the original characters) have writing resumes consisting almost entirely of TV comedy. The only feature film written by either of them was The Ladies Man (which was one of those SNL skits stretched about 85 minutes too long). It would have been a bit more encouraging if there would be at least one writer who had written a half-decent adventure/FX flick. Anybody want to start a pool to pick the minute that the first dinosaur poopy joke makes an appearance?
I'll give them points for the faithful look of the Sleestaks, but I still think this is going to be played for cheap laughs rather than be any sort of adventure story. I also wouldn't mind some sort of action-comedy (like the Mummy movies, as has been suggested above), but one look at the credits of the writers would indicate even an action-comedy would be a stretch. Both of the writers (apart from the Kroffts, who are probably only getting writing credits for creation of the original characters) have writing resumes consisting almost entirely of TV comedy. The only feature film written by either of them was The Ladies Man (which was one of those SNL skits stretched about 85 minutes too long). It would have been a bit more encouraging if there would be at least one writer who had written a half-decent adventure/FX flick. Anybody want to start a pool to pick the minute that the first dinosaur poopy joke makes an appearance?
Cloverfield, the Collector and Disbelief - Apr 22, 2008 - 08:39am
I had no problem believing that the Cloverfield characters would head back into the destruction zone to save their friend. With millions of people trying to evacuate the city at the time of the attack, the odds are pretty good that there were some people headed in the opposite direction for different reasons - to loot, curiosity, adreneline rush, or to save a loved one. Young adults (like the movie's protagonist) are especially prone to such risky actions (just check the auto insurance tables for proof). I could also buy into (for the most part) the fact that the one kid was intent on keeping the camera rolling for the duration of the event. We've quickly become the most over-documented society of all time, with people flipping out their cellphone-cams for every little thing. The biggest credibility problem I had with Cloverfield was the language. In reality, people would be dropping the f-bomb left and right (as was portrayed in the Blair Witch Project). I realize of course that any more than a couple such incursions would have brought the wrath of the MPAA upon the movie, and it would have been slapped with an R-rating. But that lack of authentic harsh language did at times pull me out of the "reality" Abrams was trying to capture.
I had no problem believing that the Cloverfield characters would head back into the destruction zone to save their friend. With millions of people trying to evacuate the city at the time of the attack, the odds are pretty good that there were some people headed in the opposite direction for different reasons - to loot, curiosity, adreneline rush, or to save a loved one. Young adults (like the movie's protagonist) are especially prone to such risky actions (just check the auto insurance tables for proof). I could also buy into (for the most part) the fact that the one kid was intent on keeping the camera rolling for the duration of the event. We've quickly become the most over-documented society of all time, with people flipping out their cellphone-cams for every little thing. The biggest credibility problem I had with Cloverfield was the language. In reality, people would be dropping the f-bomb left and right (as was portrayed in the Blair Witch Project). I realize of course that any more than a couple such incursions would have brought the wrath of the MPAA upon the movie, and it would have been slapped with an R-rating. But that lack of authentic harsh language did at times pull me out of the "reality" Abrams was trying to capture.
Alten's MEG Eating The Big Screen Soon? - Apr 11, 2008 - 05:53am
There's already been two Sci-Fi-quality (i.e., craptastic) Megalodon movies made for the direct-to-video market. They were both released in 2002 to cash in on the anticipated release of the big-budget Meg. They probably weren't expecting Meg to go into development hell to the degree which it has.
There's already been two Sci-Fi-quality (i.e., craptastic) Megalodon movies made for the direct-to-video market. They were both released in 2002 to cash in on the anticipated release of the big-budget Meg. They probably weren't expecting Meg to go into development hell to the degree which it has.
Head Knockers for the Dark Knight - Apr 11, 2008 - 05:35am
It took me awhile to figure out what was meant by "Bobble Heads" when the craze hit the market in the 1990s. Then I realized they were the same thing as what we called "Nodders" way back in the 1970s because well... they nod. Frankly, I never liked the things (regardless of their names). I've always found those oversized heads on those tiny bodies to be a bit disconcerting.
It took me awhile to figure out what was meant by "Bobble Heads" when the craze hit the market in the 1990s. Then I realized they were the same thing as what we called "Nodders" way back in the 1970s because well... they nod. Frankly, I never liked the things (regardless of their names). I've always found those oversized heads on those tiny bodies to be a bit disconcerting.
21 Doubles Down at the Box Office. - Apr 06, 2008 - 07:01pm
avihandler, Stop-Loss was released last weekend. It opened at #8, then dropped to #11 this weekend, which is probably why it's not mentioned here.
avihandler, Stop-Loss was released last weekend. It opened at #8, then dropped to #11 this weekend, which is probably why it's not mentioned here.
NEW LINE Employees Get Pink Slips - Mar 03, 2008 - 04:14am
mckracken, that's why New Line is called "The House that Freddy Built". Prior to Wes Craven giving them their first hit, New Line was a film distributor moreso than a production company, handling foreign films, small independent movies, and re-releases. Prior to the first Nightmare movie, the only movies produced by New Line which one is likely to have even heard of includes John Waters's Polyester (New Line had previously distributed most of his independently-produced movies), the slasher movie Alone in the Dark, and the Italian sword & sorcery sequel Ator the Invincible 2 (which would probably be completely forgotten except for its MST3K appearance).
mckracken, that's why New Line is called "The House that Freddy Built". Prior to Wes Craven giving them their first hit, New Line was a film distributor moreso than a production company, handling foreign films, small independent movies, and re-releases. Prior to the first Nightmare movie, the only movies produced by New Line which one is likely to have even heard of includes John Waters's Polyester (New Line had previously distributed most of his independently-produced movies), the slasher movie Alone in the Dark, and the Italian sword & sorcery sequel Ator the Invincible 2 (which would probably be completely forgotten except for its MST3K appearance).
Audiences Hunt After FOOL'S GOLD - Feb 10, 2008 - 08:15pm
Does anybody recall what the ticket prices were to other recent 3D flicks? I definitely recall paying more to see the 3D versions of Beowulf and Meet the Robinsons, but I don't recall if it was in the $15-$18 range.
Does anybody recall what the ticket prices were to other recent 3D flicks? I definitely recall paying more to see the 3D versions of Beowulf and Meet the Robinsons, but I don't recall if it was in the $15-$18 range.
STAN HELSING Spoofing Monster Flicks - Feb 10, 2008 - 08:12pm
Yes, iceman, I caught the reference in the movie's title. I'm just not convinced that it will be a Universal Monsters spoof per se (like Young Frankenstein or even Monster Squad). Zenga's track record with spoof movies shows that he only spoofs very recent movies. Actually, I'm thinking it may just be a spoof of Van Helsing, the recent Mummy movies, and maybe four other current monster franchises. Which would make it indirectly a spoof of the Universal movies, though I found Van Helsing and the Mummy flicks bore little resemblence to the Universal classics.
Yes, iceman, I caught the reference in the movie's title. I'm just not convinced that it will be a Universal Monsters spoof per se (like Young Frankenstein or even Monster Squad). Zenga's track record with spoof movies shows that he only spoofs very recent movies. Actually, I'm thinking it may just be a spoof of Van Helsing, the recent Mummy movies, and maybe four other current monster franchises. Which would make it indirectly a spoof of the Universal movies, though I found Van Helsing and the Mummy flicks bore little resemblence to the Universal classics.
STAN HELSING Spoofing Monster Flicks - Feb 10, 2008 - 03:39pm
Did the Universal Monster movies make over one billion dollars? Even including re-releases, they were pretty much done at the box office by the mid-1960s. I'm wondering if he might be spoofing more recent movie franchises: Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Chucky, etc. which would tap into the current cinematic obsession with 1980s nostalgia.
Did the Universal Monster movies make over one billion dollars? Even including re-releases, they were pretty much done at the box office by the mid-1960s. I'm wondering if he might be spoofing more recent movie franchises: Freddy, Jason, Leatherface, Chucky, etc. which would tap into the current cinematic obsession with 1980s nostalgia.
Audiences Hunt After FOOL'S GOLD - Feb 10, 2008 - 02:55pm
hanso, Strange Wilderness was released last weekend. It tanked. It took in about $5M so far, opening at #12 last weekend, dropping to #19 this weekend. Jumper will be tops for next weekend. I think at this point there's a lot of pent-up demand for a fun SFX action movie, especially for the people who hated Cloverfield. Spiderwick will probably come in second (remember next Monday is President's Day, so a lot of kids will be having a three-day weekend). Step Up 2 the Streets will probably be third, but it may surpass Spiderwick given the relative softness of the fantasy movie market lately. I took in both Rambo and Untraceable this weekend. Rambo was very good: more powerful than I expected, and it delivered on the combat action. Untraceable was just OK, reminded me of a Saw movie designed to be more palatable to the older crowd who prefer thrillers to horror. Diane Lane is terrific, otherwise it's an unremarkable serial killer movie.
hanso, Strange Wilderness was released last weekend. It tanked. It took in about $5M so far, opening at #12 last weekend, dropping to #19 this weekend. Jumper will be tops for next weekend. I think at this point there's a lot of pent-up demand for a fun SFX action movie, especially for the people who hated Cloverfield. Spiderwick will probably come in second (remember next Monday is President's Day, so a lot of kids will be having a three-day weekend). Step Up 2 the Streets will probably be third, but it may surpass Spiderwick given the relative softness of the fantasy movie market lately. I took in both Rambo and Untraceable this weekend. Rambo was very good: more powerful than I expected, and it delivered on the combat action. Untraceable was just OK, reminded me of a Saw movie designed to be more palatable to the older crowd who prefer thrillers to horror. Diane Lane is terrific, otherwise it's an unremarkable serial killer movie.
The 5 Most Unintentionally Hilarious Comic Strips - Feb 01, 2008 - 01:48pm
A read Mark Trail everyday. It's truly one of those "so bad it's great" strips. Almost every storyline is resolved with Mark punching the bad guy in the face (and you can always tell the bad guy - he always has the most facial hair). My paper dropped Mary Worth, but fortunately I got to catch the Aldo storyline while it was running. From the sounds of things, this may have been the closest to an interesting story that the strip has told since FDR's administration. Gotta give props to another of the "soap" strips, Judge Parker, where the elderly neighbors recently served Abbey some "special" brownies that got her stoned off her ass. For some reason this resulted her in not only getting the munchies, but putting on a tight top and Daisy Dukes so she could do some housepainting. For being one of the older soap strips, Judge Parker is actually well-drawn and the stories aren't bad - though they unfold at the usual snail's pace of all such strips. I find the Spider-Man strip is another truly bad strip. If you found yourself hating Peter and MJ in the latest Spider-Man movie, that's got nothing on the comic strip. Constantly recycled plot: MJ has a big performance, Peter promises to be sitting the front seat. Spider-senses go off, Spider-Man saves an armored car or something, MJ gets all pissy that Peter never showed up. And when things do go well for MJ, Peter goes into a complete self-pity mode when he's not the center of attention. Gawd, I hate this couple as portrayed in the strip....
A read Mark Trail everyday. It's truly one of those "so bad it's great" strips. Almost every storyline is resolved with Mark punching the bad guy in the face (and you can always tell the bad guy - he always has the most facial hair). My paper dropped Mary Worth, but fortunately I got to catch the Aldo storyline while it was running. From the sounds of things, this may have been the closest to an interesting story that the strip has told since FDR's administration. Gotta give props to another of the "soap" strips, Judge Parker, where the elderly neighbors recently served Abbey some "special" brownies that got her stoned off her ass. For some reason this resulted her in not only getting the munchies, but putting on a tight top and Daisy Dukes so she could do some housepainting. For being one of the older soap strips, Judge Parker is actually well-drawn and the stories aren't bad - though they unfold at the usual snail's pace of all such strips. I find the Spider-Man strip is another truly bad strip. If you found yourself hating Peter and MJ in the latest Spider-Man movie, that's got nothing on the comic strip. Constantly recycled plot: MJ has a big performance, Peter promises to be sitting the front seat. Spider-senses go off, Spider-Man saves an armored car or something, MJ gets all pissy that Peter never showed up. And when things do go well for MJ, Peter goes into a complete self-pity mode when he's not the center of attention. Gawd, I hate this couple as portrayed in the strip....
New Explosive INDY Photo Surfaces - Jan 30, 2008 - 11:39am
Whiskeymovie, Temple of Doom was rated PG. It was largely the reaction against the violence in Temple and Gremlins (both released in 1984) which brought about the creation of the PG-13 rating. There seems to be some debate as to the first movie to actually get the PG-13 rating. I've heard both The Flamingo Kid and Dreamscape were the first movies to receive the rating, but Red Dawn was apparently the first movie which was actually released with the rating.
Whiskeymovie, Temple of Doom was rated PG. It was largely the reaction against the violence in Temple and Gremlins (both released in 1984) which brought about the creation of the PG-13 rating. There seems to be some debate as to the first movie to actually get the PG-13 rating. I've heard both The Flamingo Kid and Dreamscape were the first movies to receive the rating, but Red Dawn was apparently the first movie which was actually released with the rating.
WOLFMAN Director Drops Out of Project - Jan 29, 2008 - 07:18pm
I usually cringe when I see a director departing over "creative differences," but I'm a bit ambivalent over this departure. I'm just hoping that the end result looks like a classic gothic horror movie and not another Van Helsing-style CGI orgy.
I usually cringe when I see a director departing over "creative differences," but I'm a bit ambivalent over this departure. I'm just hoping that the end result looks like a classic gothic horror movie and not another Van Helsing-style CGI orgy.
New TV Series Based on CRASH - Jan 28, 2008 - 08:08pm
I'm with you, experiMENTAL. I found Crash to be compelling and refreshingly unorthodox storytelling. Anybody who thinks it's the worst movie to ever win Best Picture needs to be forced to watch The English Patient. By the way, the press release is incorrect in stating that In the Heat of the Night was the first Best Picture-winning movie to be adapted into a TV series. That distinction actually goes to the short-lived 1955 series Casablanca, based on the Bogart movie which won Best Picture in 1944. An even shorter-lived TV version of Casablanca was aired in 1983.
I'm with you, experiMENTAL. I found Crash to be compelling and refreshingly unorthodox storytelling. Anybody who thinks it's the worst movie to ever win Best Picture needs to be forced to watch The English Patient. By the way, the press release is incorrect in stating that In the Heat of the Night was the first Best Picture-winning movie to be adapted into a TV series. That distinction actually goes to the short-lived 1955 series Casablanca, based on the Bogart movie which won Best Picture in 1944. An even shorter-lived TV version of Casablanca was aired in 1983.
Del Toro Directing Both HOBBIT Films - Jan 28, 2008 - 05:23am
I'd definitely be game to see Del Torro direct these movies. If he gets the job, he's got a helluva a slate based on fanboy literature.
I'd definitely be game to see Del Torro direct these movies. If he gets the job, he's got a helluva a slate based on fanboy literature.
SPARTANS Grab Victory Against Rambo - Jan 28, 2008 - 04:14am
I'm not surprised to see Cloverfield dropping so quickly. It's definitely the type of movie with a "front-loaded" audience who had to see it not only opening weekend, but preferably the Friday of opening weekend to find out what the hype was about. The obvious comparison is to Blair Witch Project, but I don't think CF will even make as much as BWP (which made $140M - and that was nearly ten years ago!). Actually, I believe the BWP comparison may be contributing to CF's nosedive. BWP did quite well because it created the internet viral marketing campaign. People had to see it to satisfy their curiosity (the majority of the audience also had never seen a cineme verite style movie before, so there was no reference for most). They have since become more jaded about such marketing efforts (Snakes on a Plane, Serenity). Audiences were also sharply divided over BWP into "love it" or "hate it" camps. Once the word-of-mouth hit that CF was stylistically BWP meets Godzilla, the BWP "hate it" people, had no need to buy a ticket. CF is still a financial success, mostly due to the low budget, the hype, and timing the opening in one of the slowest periods of the movie release schedule. But I've heard chatter about sequels, and a really believe that could be an enormous mistake (not unlike BWP2). I think they should take their money and leave well enough alone. I couldn't get excited enough about any of the movies opening this weekend to actually go to the theater. I will say thought that the success of the Spartans movie should come as no surprise. The latest installment of the Scary Movie series opened to twice as much as this movie. So while Spartans is still a success, maybe the popularity of these types of parody movies is starting to wane.
I'm not surprised to see Cloverfield dropping so quickly. It's definitely the type of movie with a "front-loaded" audience who had to see it not only opening weekend, but preferably the Friday of opening weekend to find out what the hype was about. The obvious comparison is to Blair Witch Project, but I don't think CF will even make as much as BWP (which made $140M - and that was nearly ten years ago!). Actually, I believe the BWP comparison may be contributing to CF's nosedive. BWP did quite well because it created the internet viral marketing campaign. People had to see it to satisfy their curiosity (the majority of the audience also had never seen a cineme verite style movie before, so there was no reference for most). They have since become more jaded about such marketing efforts (Snakes on a Plane, Serenity). Audiences were also sharply divided over BWP into "love it" or "hate it" camps. Once the word-of-mouth hit that CF was stylistically BWP meets Godzilla, the BWP "hate it" people, had no need to buy a ticket. CF is still a financial success, mostly due to the low budget, the hype, and timing the opening in one of the slowest periods of the movie release schedule. But I've heard chatter about sequels, and a really believe that could be an enormous mistake (not unlike BWP2). I think they should take their money and leave well enough alone. I couldn't get excited enough about any of the movies opening this weekend to actually go to the theater. I will say thought that the success of the Spartans movie should come as no surprise. The latest installment of the Scary Movie series opened to twice as much as this movie. So while Spartans is still a success, maybe the popularity of these types of parody movies is starting to wane.
And the Oscar Nominations Are... - Jan 23, 2008 - 02:09pm
The only major contender I've seen this year is Michael Clayton, and I accurately guessed the noms it would get. I suspect it will get steamrolled by the competition though. I noticed a couple pleasant surprises... Johnny Depp up for an Oscar as Sweeney Todd. He's the dark horse in this race, but nice to see him getting nominated for the role. Brad Bird's Ratatouille for original screenplay... I'm just surprised to see the Academy nominate an animated movie in the screenplay category. It doesn't stand a chance in hell to win, but it's nice to see somebody is thinking outside the box for a change. Speaking of animated movies - I thought the entries for best animated feature were a bit unusual. Ratatouille (no surprise), Surf's Up (huh? really?), and Persopolis. I'm betting that Persopolis was given the animated nomination as a way to get it nominated without having to compete in the best foreign language category. As a result, Pixar has some serious competition. I haven't seen the movie, but it looks like the type of flick that Academy members may vote for just to give it the consolation prize for not being nominated under the foreign language category. Of course, maybe they'll vote for it because it's a good movie (full disclosure: I haven't seen it, so I won't bash it).
The only major contender I've seen this year is Michael Clayton, and I accurately guessed the noms it would get. I suspect it will get steamrolled by the competition though. I noticed a couple pleasant surprises... Johnny Depp up for an Oscar as Sweeney Todd. He's the dark horse in this race, but nice to see him getting nominated for the role. Brad Bird's Ratatouille for original screenplay... I'm just surprised to see the Academy nominate an animated movie in the screenplay category. It doesn't stand a chance in hell to win, but it's nice to see somebody is thinking outside the box for a change. Speaking of animated movies - I thought the entries for best animated feature were a bit unusual. Ratatouille (no surprise), Surf's Up (huh? really?), and Persopolis. I'm betting that Persopolis was given the animated nomination as a way to get it nominated without having to compete in the best foreign language category. As a result, Pixar has some serious competition. I haven't seen the movie, but it looks like the type of flick that Academy members may vote for just to give it the consolation prize for not being nominated under the foreign language category. Of course, maybe they'll vote for it because it's a good movie (full disclosure: I haven't seen it, so I won't bash it).
And the RAZZIE Contenders Are... - Jan 23, 2008 - 01:24pm
Lest we forget... In the Name of the King was first released in the USA in 2008. Even though Uwe inflicted his movie upon the European market in 2007, I'm pretty sure the Razzies base their eligibility on US release dates.
Lest we forget... In the Name of the King was first released in the USA in 2008. Even though Uwe inflicted his movie upon the European market in 2007, I'm pretty sure the Razzies base their eligibility on US release dates.
CLOVERFIELD Monster Attacks January Records - Jan 20, 2008 - 05:08pm
I just got back from a late matinee of Cloverfield and my head is still spinning. I'm not normally bothered by that sort of hand-cam work. I saw Blair Witch and all the Bourne movies in the theaters and never had a problem getting adjusted to that sort of camerawork, but Cloverfield really left me woozy. On the way out of the theater, an usher was directing the audience around a spot in the aisle where somebody had hurled. Apart from that, I enjoyed the movie. It was pretty much what I expected, and it delivered. Years before the first inklings of Cloverfield, I always thought that telling a Godzilla type of story from the point-of-view of somebody on the ground (civilian or soldier) would make an interesting premise, and Cloverfield is that movie. I liked the creature design, which I thought was quite Lovecraftian, as is the basic premise of having our lives rudely interrupted by the unthinkable. In some ways, Cloverleaf reminded me of last year's also-very-Lovecraftian The Mist, especially at the movie's climax. This will defiinitely be one of those love-it or hate-it movies. When the movie ended, I got the vibe from the audience similar to what I felt after seeing The Blair Witch Project. Unlike what has been reported here, there was no booing - in fact there was some scattered applause, while other audience members seemed to be experiencing a severe WTF moment. I'd recommend it, but with reservations for those who suffer from motion sickness, as well as those who might not be open to unconventional story-telling in a movie. It's definitely worth a look, but I personally couldn't see it a second time in the theater.
I just got back from a late matinee of Cloverfield and my head is still spinning. I'm not normally bothered by that sort of hand-cam work. I saw Blair Witch and all the Bourne movies in the theaters and never had a problem getting adjusted to that sort of camerawork, but Cloverfield really left me woozy. On the way out of the theater, an usher was directing the audience around a spot in the aisle where somebody had hurled. Apart from that, I enjoyed the movie. It was pretty much what I expected, and it delivered. Years before the first inklings of Cloverfield, I always thought that telling a Godzilla type of story from the point-of-view of somebody on the ground (civilian or soldier) would make an interesting premise, and Cloverfield is that movie. I liked the creature design, which I thought was quite Lovecraftian, as is the basic premise of having our lives rudely interrupted by the unthinkable. In some ways, Cloverleaf reminded me of last year's also-very-Lovecraftian The Mist, especially at the movie's climax. This will defiinitely be one of those love-it or hate-it movies. When the movie ended, I got the vibe from the audience similar to what I felt after seeing The Blair Witch Project. Unlike what has been reported here, there was no booing - in fact there was some scattered applause, while other audience members seemed to be experiencing a severe WTF moment. I'd recommend it, but with reservations for those who suffer from motion sickness, as well as those who might not be open to unconventional story-telling in a movie. It's definitely worth a look, but I personally couldn't see it a second time in the theater.
Wood Confirms Plot Differences for Two HOBBITS - Jan 12, 2008 - 12:44pm
I'd like to see Ian Holm make an appearance (in a flashforward perhaps), but I don't think he could play Bilbo for the duration of the adventure. The de-aging trick they did in X3 worked well, but I don't think it would be practical to pull off that effect for the entirety of the movie (if the movie follows the book, Bilbo will be in nearly every scene). I also don't think Woods is right for the role either - I believe it would work best with a completely new actor who we've not seen play a Hobbit before.
I'd like to see Ian Holm make an appearance (in a flashforward perhaps), but I don't think he could play Bilbo for the duration of the adventure. The de-aging trick they did in X3 worked well, but I don't think it would be practical to pull off that effect for the entirety of the movie (if the movie follows the book, Bilbo will be in nearly every scene). I also don't think Woods is right for the role either - I believe it would work best with a completely new actor who we've not seen play a Hobbit before.
Wood Confirms Plot Differences for Two HOBBITS - Jan 12, 2008 - 08:14am
I'm really curious as to what story the "bridging" movie will follow. Tolkien did write a lot of bits and pieces of the in-between years, but what concerns me is how Jackson can cobble them together into a cohesive movie plot. What event would become the climax (and thus the defining moment) of the movie? I just can't put my finger on what that would be... and I agree with almostunbiased's comment about what happened when Jackson deviated from the source material, which has me concerned. I have little doubt that The Hobbit will be done well, and will be well-received by audiences and critics alike. But this second movie will definitely be a risky venture.
I'm really curious as to what story the "bridging" movie will follow. Tolkien did write a lot of bits and pieces of the in-between years, but what concerns me is how Jackson can cobble them together into a cohesive movie plot. What event would become the climax (and thus the defining moment) of the movie? I just can't put my finger on what that would be... and I agree with almostunbiased's comment about what happened when Jackson deviated from the source material, which has me concerned. I have little doubt that The Hobbit will be done well, and will be well-received by audiences and critics alike. But this second movie will definitely be a risky venture.
Some New Photos of CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D - Jan 10, 2008 - 06:38am
Yes, there was some sort of phospheresence in the plants which enabled people to see as if there was daylight. It looks like a fairly light adaptation of the book, so I'll probably be checking it out mostly for the 3D effects.
Yes, there was some sort of phospheresence in the plants which enabled people to see as if there was daylight. It looks like a fairly light adaptation of the book, so I'll probably be checking it out mostly for the 3D effects.
Top Performers for 2007 & A Look at 2008 - Jan 03, 2008 - 08:03am
There's a media survey taken every so often to determine just how well-known certain licensed characters are known among the general population. The survey is taken in part to determine licensing fees the media companies can charge merchandising companies. Almost without fail, the list is topped by Mickey Mouse and Superman. I've tried in vain to google up the full results of the survey to see just where the Hulk and Flash show up on the list, but I've had no luck - maybe somebody else can locate it. Personally, my hunch is that the Hulk is better known. Flash Gordon suffers from some image problems - confusion with Buck Rogers being chief among them, as well as being supplanted in the public's consciousness by later space heroes like Kirk and Luke Skywalker.
There's a media survey taken every so often to determine just how well-known certain licensed characters are known among the general population. The survey is taken in part to determine licensing fees the media companies can charge merchandising companies. Almost without fail, the list is topped by Mickey Mouse and Superman. I've tried in vain to google up the full results of the survey to see just where the Hulk and Flash show up on the list, but I've had no luck - maybe somebody else can locate it. Personally, my hunch is that the Hulk is better known. Flash Gordon suffers from some image problems - confusion with Buck Rogers being chief among them, as well as being supplanted in the public's consciousness by later space heroes like Kirk and Luke Skywalker.
LEGEND Worthy Box Office Take Overseas - Jan 02, 2008 - 05:56am
gauleyboy, I'm a fan of Tolkien's books and I realize the movies are not a "word-for-word" translation - note that I said "by comparison" to IML. I realize that there are significant changes (promotion of Arwen as a major character, removal of Bombadil and the Scouring of the Shire, etc), but in the end the heart and spirit of the story and major characters is (for the most part) intact. The changes made to the movie versions of IAL has always significantly altered the story from its source. And not just IAL, but The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man too. LMoE is the most faithful to the novel, but once the Neville-character is depicted as somebody who can potentially provide a cure, that changes the story at the most basic level.
gauleyboy, I'm a fan of Tolkien's books and I realize the movies are not a "word-for-word" translation - note that I said "by comparison" to IML. I realize that there are significant changes (promotion of Arwen as a major character, removal of Bombadil and the Scouring of the Shire, etc), but in the end the heart and spirit of the story and major characters is (for the most part) intact. The changes made to the movie versions of IAL has always significantly altered the story from its source. And not just IAL, but The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man too. LMoE is the most faithful to the novel, but once the Neville-character is depicted as somebody who can potentially provide a cure, that changes the story at the most basic level.
LEGEND Worthy Box Office Take Overseas - Jan 01, 2008 - 08:53pm
gauleyboy, the differences between I Am Legend and the source novel are quite profound. Neville of the novel and Neville of the movie are considered "legends" for extremely different reasons. As a result, the movie's resolution was cliche compared to the revelatory ending of the original work. Since this is the first adaptation of Matheson's novel to actually adopt the same title, I was hoping for something more faithful to the novel. By comparison, Jackson's version of LotR was practically a word-for-word translation of the Tolkien's works.
gauleyboy, the differences between I Am Legend and the source novel are quite profound. Neville of the novel and Neville of the movie are considered "legends" for extremely different reasons. As a result, the movie's resolution was cliche compared to the revelatory ending of the original work. Since this is the first adaptation of Matheson's novel to actually adopt the same title, I was hoping for something more faithful to the novel. By comparison, Jackson's version of LotR was practically a word-for-word translation of the Tolkien's works.
JERICHO The Return - Dec 30, 2007 - 06:13pm
I'm seriously kicking myself for not catching up on the first season of Jericho when they were repeated last summer. I had every intention of doing so, but summer being summer, TV viewing tends to be a lower priority and it slipped through the cracks. I don't suppose they'll be gracious enough to give us a catch-up clip show for idiots like me?
I'm seriously kicking myself for not catching up on the first season of Jericho when they were repeated last summer. I had every intention of doing so, but summer being summer, TV viewing tends to be a lower priority and it slipped through the cracks. I don't suppose they'll be gracious enough to give us a catch-up clip show for idiots like me?
Disney's Stockings Stuffed with TREASURE - Dec 30, 2007 - 01:50pm
I saw Sweeney Todd and Enchanted this weekend. It was an odd experience - they're actually very similar stories and genres (musical/comedy/fantasy), but are as different as the front and back of Two-Face's coin. Both are delightful in their own way, with terrific performances all around. Did anybody see The Water Horse? I've seen some very positive reviews for that movie. The same for next week's The Orphanage, though I'm not expecting to see that hit my local cineplex anytime soon (it's a foreign film, so hopefully it will get an Oscar nomination and maybe - just maybe - a wider release). The Chipmunks are a much bigger success than I ever expected. After the recent lackluster box office of other cartoons-turned-CGI-with-live-action movies like Underdog and Garfield 2, I never expected to see the 'munks doing so well. Looks like all the new releases were not kind to The Golden Compass and Walk Hard - both got bumped off the top ten.
I saw Sweeney Todd and Enchanted this weekend. It was an odd experience - they're actually very similar stories and genres (musical/comedy/fantasy), but are as different as the front and back of Two-Face's coin. Both are delightful in their own way, with terrific performances all around. Did anybody see The Water Horse? I've seen some very positive reviews for that movie. The same for next week's The Orphanage, though I'm not expecting to see that hit my local cineplex anytime soon (it's a foreign film, so hopefully it will get an Oscar nomination and maybe - just maybe - a wider release). The Chipmunks are a much bigger success than I ever expected. After the recent lackluster box office of other cartoons-turned-CGI-with-live-action movies like Underdog and Garfield 2, I never expected to see the 'munks doing so well. Looks like all the new releases were not kind to The Golden Compass and Walk Hard - both got bumped off the top ten.
Tyler Perry Heads to STAR TREK - Dec 30, 2007 - 01:04pm
My apologies, I stand corrected. I now see that, according to the info in wiki, that Lions Gate does indeed not finance most of the films it distributes.
My apologies, I stand corrected. I now see that, according to the info in wiki, that Lions Gate does indeed not finance most of the films it distributes.
Tyler Perry Heads to STAR TREK - Dec 30, 2007 - 11:56am
jppintar, Perry isn't exactly an independent film maker at the moment. He recently signed a deal with Lions Gate to produce two more theatrical movies and seven DVD releases. I think his production costs will be covered for the foreseeable future.
jppintar, Perry isn't exactly an independent film maker at the moment. He recently signed a deal with Lions Gate to produce two more theatrical movies and seven DVD releases. I think his production costs will be covered for the foreseeable future.
Disney Finds TREASURE At the Box Office - Dec 26, 2007 - 07:08am
Wiseguy, I have to disagree with your inclusion of Bridge to Terabithia as one of the recent fantasy movies that bombed. Worldwide, Bridge made over $130M, which isn't a blockbuster, but Bridge was made on a modest $25M budget. Unlike The Golden Compass, it was not intended to be the launching point of a new mega-franchise, but a stand-alone story like the book it's based on.
Wiseguy, I have to disagree with your inclusion of Bridge to Terabithia as one of the recent fantasy movies that bombed. Worldwide, Bridge made over $130M, which isn't a blockbuster, but Bridge was made on a modest $25M budget. Unlike The Golden Compass, it was not intended to be the launching point of a new mega-franchise, but a stand-alone story like the book it's based on.
15 Films Up for 2007 Visual Effects Oscar - Dec 17, 2007 - 01:29pm
bdd, the Water Horse movie is that one about the Loch Ness Monster. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it - my local theater has been playing the Water Horse trailer to death! My money is on 300 for best visual effects.
bdd, the Water Horse movie is that one about the Loch Ness Monster. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it - my local theater has been playing the Water Horse trailer to death! My money is on 300 for best visual effects.
LEGEND Has Record Breaking Debut - Dec 17, 2007 - 09:03am
I also noticed a poster in the front window of the video store for the Green Lantern movie.
I also noticed a poster in the front window of the video store for the Green Lantern movie.
STARDUST - Dec 17, 2007 - 08:52am
Easily the most unjustly overlooked genre movie of the year. I'm sure it will find its audience on DVD.
Easily the most unjustly overlooked genre movie of the year. I'm sure it will find its audience on DVD.
LOST Season 4 Debuts January 31 - Dec 15, 2007 - 08:24pm
Yep, it's been officially moved to Thursday at 9:00.
Yep, it's been officially moved to Thursday at 9:00.
Updated: How Long Before Your Shows Go Dark? - Dec 14, 2007 - 08:45am
mike, ironically shows like Cavemen are staying on the air mostly due to the writer's strike. The networks have been very hesitant to remove any scripted shows from the lineup - no matter how low the ratings - simply because they need to buy time to throw together replacement programming (mostly reality shows). If the networks had an assortment of new scripted shows waiting in the wings for a hole in the schedule, the likes of Cavemen and other low-rated shows would have been dropped awhile ago.
mike, ironically shows like Cavemen are staying on the air mostly due to the writer's strike. The networks have been very hesitant to remove any scripted shows from the lineup - no matter how low the ratings - simply because they need to buy time to throw together replacement programming (mostly reality shows). If the networks had an assortment of new scripted shows waiting in the wings for a hole in the schedule, the likes of Cavemen and other low-rated shows would have been dropped awhile ago.
Updated: How Long Before Your Shows Go Dark? - Dec 14, 2007 - 07:30am
I read yesterday that the time for NBC to order new episodes of Journeyman has passed, and they haven't done so. It's not an official cancellation, but it may as well be. Life may have a chance of surviving. After the last new episode of Bionic Woman, NBC put Deal or No Deal in its slot leading into Life. Apparently this move got Life significantly higher ratings than the Bionic Woman ever did. Which is good news for Life, not-so-good news for Bionic Woman.
I read yesterday that the time for NBC to order new episodes of Journeyman has passed, and they haven't done so. It's not an official cancellation, but it may as well be. Life may have a chance of surviving. After the last new episode of Bionic Woman, NBC put Deal or No Deal in its slot leading into Life. Apparently this move got Life significantly higher ratings than the Bionic Woman ever did. Which is good news for Life, not-so-good news for Bionic Woman.
LAST LEGION Hits DVD Dec 18 - Dec 13, 2007 - 06:12am
mckracken, this was a European production which was released to the USA in August. It tanked in the US, opening to $2.7M and eventually making about $6M domestically, $24M in total (mostly in Europe, where it had some moderate success in Spain, Italy, and Russia). It definitely did run in US theaters, though with virtually no hype or fanfare - it was one of those "blink-and-you-miss-it" sort of movies.
mckracken, this was a European production which was released to the USA in August. It tanked in the US, opening to $2.7M and eventually making about $6M domestically, $24M in total (mostly in Europe, where it had some moderate success in Spain, Italy, and Russia). It definitely did run in US theaters, though with virtually no hype or fanfare - it was one of those "blink-and-you-miss-it" sort of movies.
The Top 10 Worst Genre Films of All Time - Dec 10, 2007 - 02:55pm
I have to question any "of all time" list which doesn't include any titles prior to 1978, or any "worst movie" list which doesn't include at least a representative sample from Uwe Boll.
I have to question any "of all time" list which doesn't include any titles prior to 1978, or any "worst movie" list which doesn't include at least a representative sample from Uwe Boll.
COMPASS Comes Up Short in Dismal Victory - Dec 10, 2007 - 09:00am
Merin, if you check last week's Box Office Report, Jarrod made the same arguments as to why GC would not do the same mega-numbers as LotR/HP/Narnia and I agreed with him - for the simple fact that the fanbase is not nearly as large. The inevitable comparisons begin with New Line. The fact is New Line spent a bundle of money on it (minimum estimates $150M, the same as the latest HP movie) and positioned it as this holiday season's "big fantasy epic." If it had been a moderately-budgeted movie, then the opening might be viewed as a modest success. The big question is why somebody at New Line decided to persue this project as a top-tier project rather than a mid-level one.
Merin, if you check last week's Box Office Report, Jarrod made the same arguments as to why GC would not do the same mega-numbers as LotR/HP/Narnia and I agreed with him - for the simple fact that the fanbase is not nearly as large. The inevitable comparisons begin with New Line. The fact is New Line spent a bundle of money on it (minimum estimates $150M, the same as the latest HP movie) and positioned it as this holiday season's "big fantasy epic." If it had been a moderately-budgeted movie, then the opening might be viewed as a modest success. The big question is why somebody at New Line decided to persue this project as a top-tier project rather than a mid-level one.
COMPASS Comes Up Short in Dismal Victory - Dec 09, 2007 - 11:40pm
Merin, I agree with you that fantasy films are risky ventures with higher-than-average budgets. But I think it's fair to assess the box office performance of these movies against their budgets and - more importantly - the intentions of the studio. In this case, New Line clearly intended for GC to be big enough of a hit to justify making the sequels. It may be premature to call GC a "failure," but the likelihood of the sequels getting a green-light are diminished. And yes, as an audience member, I do care about the prospects of a sequel and the potential impact on big-budget fantasy movies in general. Although whether or not a movie does well at the box office has no bearing on how I feel about the movie itself - I gave my brief assessment in my previous post, and it would have been the same regardless of the numbers.
Merin, I agree with you that fantasy films are risky ventures with higher-than-average budgets. But I think it's fair to assess the box office performance of these movies against their budgets and - more importantly - the intentions of the studio. In this case, New Line clearly intended for GC to be big enough of a hit to justify making the sequels. It may be premature to call GC a "failure," but the likelihood of the sequels getting a green-light are diminished. And yes, as an audience member, I do care about the prospects of a sequel and the potential impact on big-budget fantasy movies in general. Although whether or not a movie does well at the box office has no bearing on how I feel about the movie itself - I gave my brief assessment in my previous post, and it would have been the same regardless of the numbers.
COMPASS Comes Up Short in Dismal Victory - Dec 09, 2007 - 05:43pm
It looks like GC only managed to pull in about $3M more than Eragon's opening weekend about this time last year. Or for another comparison, this opened to only about $4M more than Bridge to Terabithia from earlier this year - but that's a movie which wasn't exactly of "tent pole" stature. This past year has not been kind to the box office of fantasy-literature movies (with the exception of Harry Potter of course). I saw GC at a matinee today and thought it was OK. My biggest issue with it is that I really didn't find myself particularly caring about any of the characters. I haven't read the books, but it felt like characters were hastily introduced without much in the way of developing them beyond whatever exposition was needed to further the plot. As a result, by the climax, I just wasn't that interested in the fates of the heroes. Last weekend I saw The Mist which was quite enjoyable. The best way to describe it is that it felt like a classic Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode, much moreso than all the attempts in recent years to resurrect TW as a new TV show. If you consider yourself a fan of Twilight Zone, I highly recommend seeing it.
It looks like GC only managed to pull in about $3M more than Eragon's opening weekend about this time last year. Or for another comparison, this opened to only about $4M more than Bridge to Terabithia from earlier this year - but that's a movie which wasn't exactly of "tent pole" stature. This past year has not been kind to the box office of fantasy-literature movies (with the exception of Harry Potter of course). I saw GC at a matinee today and thought it was OK. My biggest issue with it is that I really didn't find myself particularly caring about any of the characters. I haven't read the books, but it felt like characters were hastily introduced without much in the way of developing them beyond whatever exposition was needed to further the plot. As a result, by the climax, I just wasn't that interested in the fates of the heroes. Last weekend I saw The Mist which was quite enjoyable. The best way to describe it is that it felt like a classic Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode, much moreso than all the attempts in recent years to resurrect TW as a new TV show. If you consider yourself a fan of Twilight Zone, I highly recommend seeing it.
Plot Details For Romero's DEADTIME STORIES - Dec 08, 2007 - 09:10pm
You're not cracking up. It was covered on Mania and other horror movie websites about 3-4 years ago. The last I heard, Romero was trying to get financing for it, and Ridley Scott was talked about as a possible financier, but my guess is that the movie never got off the ground due to lack of funds. Given Romero's involvement in all the above projects and the Diary of the Dead sequel, I suspect Diamond Dead has probably been shelved, maybe permanently.
You're not cracking up. It was covered on Mania and other horror movie websites about 3-4 years ago. The last I heard, Romero was trying to get financing for it, and Ridley Scott was talked about as a possible financier, but my guess is that the movie never got off the ground due to lack of funds. Given Romero's involvement in all the above projects and the Diary of the Dead sequel, I suspect Diamond Dead has probably been shelved, maybe permanently.
Slusho Commercial & CLOVERFIELD Running Time - Dec 06, 2007 - 05:56pm
90 minutes is on the short side for theatrical movies, although a common running time for a lot of kids movies and horror flicks. I can't imagine that 90 minutes is the average running time though, because 90 minutes is just about the bare minimum length of a movie these days, and there's a good number of two hour+ movies to raise the average. Just for kicks (and granted, not terribly scientific) I used the running times of the 12 movies currently running in my local cineplex as a random sampling, and the average came out to almost exactly two hours. As for Cloverfield being a relatively short movie, I think it's a good thing. It should keep the action intense. And since the entire story is going to be told cinema verite style through the characters camcorders, anything longer than that will probably result in a lot of people complaining about getting woosy from the hand-held camera work. Actually, I'm sure we're going to be hearing a lot of complaints about that regardless (just as this was a common complaint with the latest Bourne movie).
90 minutes is on the short side for theatrical movies, although a common running time for a lot of kids movies and horror flicks. I can't imagine that 90 minutes is the average running time though, because 90 minutes is just about the bare minimum length of a movie these days, and there's a good number of two hour+ movies to raise the average. Just for kicks (and granted, not terribly scientific) I used the running times of the 12 movies currently running in my local cineplex as a random sampling, and the average came out to almost exactly two hours. As for Cloverfield being a relatively short movie, I think it's a good thing. It should keep the action intense. And since the entire story is going to be told cinema verite style through the characters camcorders, anything longer than that will probably result in a lot of people complaining about getting woosy from the hand-held camera work. Actually, I'm sure we're going to be hearing a lot of complaints about that regardless (just as this was a common complaint with the latest Bourne movie).
ENCHANTED Continues Victory Dance - Dec 02, 2007 - 07:26pm
I don't believe The Golden Compass will bring in Narnia-type numbers. Jarrod hit the nail on the head when he said that this series of books doesn't have the huge fanbase that LotR or Narnia have simply because the book has not been out nearly as long. The Golden Compass is only about ten years old, whereas at least three generations have grown up on LotR and Narnia. Harry Potter is very recent as well, but its popularity is nothing short of phenomenal. Of course last year's now-obligitory "big holiday-season fantasy movie" was Eragon, also based on a recent fantasy novel series, and it bombed, both critically and at the box office. I think the Golden Compass will perform well, avoiding Eragon's crash, but not as well as LotR/Narnia/Potter movies. Overall, I think National Treasure 2 may pull in the most over the holiday season. Audiences are familiar with the first one, so they know what to expect. It has a family-friendly rating and broad appeal, so I think this will be the winner. I Am Legend will probably come in a close second, thanks to Will Smith and some compelling trailers, but I believe it will be a bit too grim for some families. I suspect third place will be a very close call between The Golden Compass and Enchanted. And a note to Jarrod - The Perfect Holiday is definitely not the same movie as This Christmas.
I don't believe The Golden Compass will bring in Narnia-type numbers. Jarrod hit the nail on the head when he said that this series of books doesn't have the huge fanbase that LotR or Narnia have simply because the book has not been out nearly as long. The Golden Compass is only about ten years old, whereas at least three generations have grown up on LotR and Narnia. Harry Potter is very recent as well, but its popularity is nothing short of phenomenal. Of course last year's now-obligitory "big holiday-season fantasy movie" was Eragon, also based on a recent fantasy novel series, and it bombed, both critically and at the box office. I think the Golden Compass will perform well, avoiding Eragon's crash, but not as well as LotR/Narnia/Potter movies. Overall, I think National Treasure 2 may pull in the most over the holiday season. Audiences are familiar with the first one, so they know what to expect. It has a family-friendly rating and broad appeal, so I think this will be the winner. I Am Legend will probably come in a close second, thanks to Will Smith and some compelling trailers, but I believe it will be a bit too grim for some families. I suspect third place will be a very close call between The Golden Compass and Enchanted. And a note to Jarrod - The Perfect Holiday is definitely not the same movie as This Christmas.
HORROR FILMS OF THE 1980’s - Dec 01, 2007 - 04:41pm
I said that horror is defined by the intent of the creator to frighten the audience. That doesn't mean it always succeeds. It's the intent that counts. A lot of older horror movies do not scare modern audiences; it doesn't mean they are not in the horror genre. And if The Keep is not horror, then it is a fantasy movie, not sci-fi, because there's no attempt to scientifically explain the fortress, the beast, or any other fantastical elements. As kingghidorah has pointed out, you've made no convincing argument to prove that the movie is sci-fi.
I said that horror is defined by the intent of the creator to frighten the audience. That doesn't mean it always succeeds. It's the intent that counts. A lot of older horror movies do not scare modern audiences; it doesn't mean they are not in the horror genre. And if The Keep is not horror, then it is a fantasy movie, not sci-fi, because there's no attempt to scientifically explain the fortress, the beast, or any other fantastical elements. As kingghidorah has pointed out, you've made no convincing argument to prove that the movie is sci-fi.
HORROR FILMS OF THE 1980’s - Dec 01, 2007 - 01:16pm
The Keep is a horror movie based on a horror novel by F. Paul Wilson. I don't see any basis for categorizing The Keep as sci-fi. As a genre, Horror is defined by the intent of the author/writer/director/creator. If the intent is to frighten the audience, you've got horror. Clearly, that's the intent of The Keep, both the novel and the movie. Science fiction and fantasy are not defined by the author's intent, but by what is presented - which is the fantastic, that which does not (or cannot) exist in our world. The difference is that sci-fi explains the fantastic by basing it - to some degree or another - on science. Fantasy explains it through magic or other supernatural means (or doesn't try to explain it at all). Thus Captain Kirk teleports by the use of a transporter (sci-fi), while Dorothy teleports via magic ruby slippers (fantasy). SG-1 uses the Stargate to get to other worlds, while Alice achieves this by walking through the looking glass or going down a rabbit hole. In A.I., David is an artificial android boy, while Pinocchio is a puppet given life by a fairy. And so on and so on. The horror genre often overlaps with the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Horror + sci-fi gets you such movies as Alien and Frankenstein. Horror + fantasy creates supernatural horror, as with Dracula or The Excorcist. And of course horror can also overlap with the non-fantastical psychological thriller, resulting in the likes of Psycho and Silence of the Lambs. The Keep falls squarely into the supernatural horror genre. The "bad guy" is an ancient demonic figure, while the origins of the fortress itself are unknown. The Keep is part psychological thriller, part speculative historical fiction, part dark fairy tale, and part supernatural horror in the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft. But until I see a convincing argument telling me how science is involved in explaining any of the fantastical elements of the story, I can't see how it can be considered science fiction at all.
The Keep is a horror movie based on a horror novel by F. Paul Wilson. I don't see any basis for categorizing The Keep as sci-fi. As a genre, Horror is defined by the intent of the author/writer/director/creator. If the intent is to frighten the audience, you've got horror. Clearly, that's the intent of The Keep, both the novel and the movie. Science fiction and fantasy are not defined by the author's intent, but by what is presented - which is the fantastic, that which does not (or cannot) exist in our world. The difference is that sci-fi explains the fantastic by basing it - to some degree or another - on science. Fantasy explains it through magic or other supernatural means (or doesn't try to explain it at all). Thus Captain Kirk teleports by the use of a transporter (sci-fi), while Dorothy teleports via magic ruby slippers (fantasy). SG-1 uses the Stargate to get to other worlds, while Alice achieves this by walking through the looking glass or going down a rabbit hole. In A.I., David is an artificial android boy, while Pinocchio is a puppet given life by a fairy. And so on and so on. The horror genre often overlaps with the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Horror + sci-fi gets you such movies as Alien and Frankenstein. Horror + fantasy creates supernatural horror, as with Dracula or The Excorcist. And of course horror can also overlap with the non-fantastical psychological thriller, resulting in the likes of Psycho and Silence of the Lambs. The Keep falls squarely into the supernatural horror genre. The "bad guy" is an ancient demonic figure, while the origins of the fortress itself are unknown. The Keep is part psychological thriller, part speculative historical fiction, part dark fairy tale, and part supernatural horror in the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft. But until I see a convincing argument telling me how science is involved in explaining any of the fantastical elements of the story, I can't see how it can be considered science fiction at all.
Billie Piper Returns to DR. WHO - Nov 28, 2007 - 07:38am
Dazzler, there's no strike in the UK. David Tennant decided to take off most of the year so he can do stage work with the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company). Great news about Rose returning. Too bad they didn't give her the spinoff series, though I can see why they would think that would have been pushing too hard having just launched the Torchwood spinoff.
Dazzler, there's no strike in the UK. David Tennant decided to take off most of the year so he can do stage work with the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company). Great news about Rose returning. Too bad they didn't give her the spinoff series, though I can see why they would think that would have been pushing too hard having just launched the Torchwood spinoff.
ENCHANTED Jumps Ahead of Hitman - Nov 24, 2007 - 02:06pm
I have to disagree with metalwater's assessment of how "legs" are determined. A high per-screen showing may be a good indicator of "legs" when the movie is involved in a platform or rolling release, where the number of theaters are increased each week as word of mouth gets out. This works for small movies like Little Miss Sunshine, Brokeback Mountain, and An Inconvenient Truth. However This Christmas is not involved in a platform release - it was released to about 1800 theaters, and that will probably be its peak. Its per theater box office is better explained by precise target marketing by the studio and distributor. As others have pointed out, in this case, opening it in more theaters would have likely ended up with approximately the same total box office and a lower per-theater average. "Legs" are best determined by the second weekend's dropoff (which will be a bit skewed anyway since this is a four-day holiday weekend). As far as Why Did I Get Married vs. 30 Days of Night - we all know that horror movies tend to have big opening weekends and a steep dropoff. But according to the stats at boxofficemojo, 30 Days ran in theaters for five weeks, while WDIGM ran for six weeks. I have no doubt that WDIGM is a box office success (moreso than 30 Days), but I'm not sure how six weeks of release gives WDIGM "legs" while five weeks means 30 Days slipped into "a hole." Actually, metalwater, I'm rather surprised that you're basing your argument on the per-screen basis. In the past, you've taken the holistic approach of looking at domestic box office, foreign box office, and potential DVD/merchandising sales vs. production/marketing/distribution budgets when analysing a movie's performance. There's certainly nothing wrong with calling This Christmas a success, but Enchanted will ultimately have some advantages that This Christmas will not. Enchanted has a much wider foreign release, and will no doubt clean up when the DVD is released. As for the two movies' "legs," as the multiplexes get more congested with holiday releases, I have a feeling that This Christmas will get nudged out before Enchanted does.
I have to disagree with metalwater's assessment of how "legs" are determined. A high per-screen showing may be a good indicator of "legs" when the movie is involved in a platform or rolling release, where the number of theaters are increased each week as word of mouth gets out. This works for small movies like Little Miss Sunshine, Brokeback Mountain, and An Inconvenient Truth. However This Christmas is not involved in a platform release - it was released to about 1800 theaters, and that will probably be its peak. Its per theater box office is better explained by precise target marketing by the studio and distributor. As others have pointed out, in this case, opening it in more theaters would have likely ended up with approximately the same total box office and a lower per-theater average. "Legs" are best determined by the second weekend's dropoff (which will be a bit skewed anyway since this is a four-day holiday weekend). As far as Why Did I Get Married vs. 30 Days of Night - we all know that horror movies tend to have big opening weekends and a steep dropoff. But according to the stats at boxofficemojo, 30 Days ran in theaters for five weeks, while WDIGM ran for six weeks. I have no doubt that WDIGM is a box office success (moreso than 30 Days), but I'm not sure how six weeks of release gives WDIGM "legs" while five weeks means 30 Days slipped into "a hole." Actually, metalwater, I'm rather surprised that you're basing your argument on the per-screen basis. In the past, you've taken the holistic approach of looking at domestic box office, foreign box office, and potential DVD/merchandising sales vs. production/marketing/distribution budgets when analysing a movie's performance. There's certainly nothing wrong with calling This Christmas a success, but Enchanted will ultimately have some advantages that This Christmas will not. Enchanted has a much wider foreign release, and will no doubt clean up when the DVD is released. As for the two movies' "legs," as the multiplexes get more congested with holiday releases, I have a feeling that This Christmas will get nudged out before Enchanted does.
HEROES & CLOVERFIELD Cross Over - Nov 21, 2007 - 10:37am
I thought it looked vaguely Gamera-like too, though such a brief glimpse can be very misleading. As for Slusho, it's either appeared or been mentioned in the Cloverfield trailer and both Lost and Alias. The Japanese Slusho website http://www.slusho.jp/ appears to be some sort of viral campaign for Cloverfield. I personally think the whole Slusho thing is just one big red herring to generate interest in the movie, but probably won't be integral to the plot.
I thought it looked vaguely Gamera-like too, though such a brief glimpse can be very misleading. As for Slusho, it's either appeared or been mentioned in the Cloverfield trailer and both Lost and Alias. The Japanese Slusho website http://www.slusho.jp/ appears to be some sort of viral campaign for Cloverfield. I personally think the whole Slusho thing is just one big red herring to generate interest in the movie, but probably won't be integral to the plot.
Completist? - Nov 20, 2007 - 08:20am
I've never been a completist. If I don't like a particular movie in a series of movies I otherwise enjoy, I won't bother getting that one.
I've never been a completist. If I don't like a particular movie in a series of movies I otherwise enjoy, I won't bother getting that one.
MAN FROM EARTH - Nov 18, 2007 - 11:48pm
Tony Todd may be best known as Candyman, but he's also a Trek veteran, having played Worf's brother Kurn. He also played the older version of Jake Sisko in DS9, delivering one of the finest performances in any Trek series. Tony Todd too often gets pegged in roles where he plays big, intimidating types of characters. I'll definitely be checking out this DVD to see him, not to mention Bixby has written some terrific material over the years.
Tony Todd may be best known as Candyman, but he's also a Trek veteran, having played Worf's brother Kurn. He also played the older version of Jake Sisko in DS9, delivering one of the finest performances in any Trek series. Tony Todd too often gets pegged in roles where he plays big, intimidating types of characters. I'll definitely be checking out this DVD to see him, not to mention Bixby has written some terrific material over the years.
FAMILY GUY Will Continue Without Peter, Stewie, or Brian? - Nov 18, 2007 - 11:35pm
Animated series have a bit of an advantage in the writers strike due to the longer lead time needed in production. According to EW, Family Guy has seven more first-run episodes before the scripts run out. On the other hand, EW reports that The Office has already run through the last of its scripts. Here's a link for those interested in just how many episodes of each show are left: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20160402,00.html
Animated series have a bit of an advantage in the writers strike due to the longer lead time needed in production. According to EW, Family Guy has seven more first-run episodes before the scripts run out. On the other hand, EW reports that The Office has already run through the last of its scripts. Here's a link for those interested in just how many episodes of each show are left: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20160402,00.html
Greenwood Talks CAPTAIN PIKE Role - Nov 15, 2007 - 02:15pm
Whiskeymovie, there were slight design changes to the Enterprise over the years: The first is that the sensor array (the radar-dish type thingy) was dropped during the run of the original series. Then of course when The Motion Picture came out, the nacelles were flattened during the re-fit. The original Enterprise was destroyed in Star Trek III, thus there was a new Enterprise (1701-A) introduced at the end of Star Trek IV. It was pretty much a carbon copy of the previous one, which I know was a bit of a disappointment to myself and some of my buddies at the time. The movies had been introducing some pretty cool Federation starships like the Reliant and Excelsior, so we were actually hoping that the 1701-A Enterprise would be a bit more of a departure from the original.
Whiskeymovie, there were slight design changes to the Enterprise over the years: The first is that the sensor array (the radar-dish type thingy) was dropped during the run of the original series. Then of course when The Motion Picture came out, the nacelles were flattened during the re-fit. The original Enterprise was destroyed in Star Trek III, thus there was a new Enterprise (1701-A) introduced at the end of Star Trek IV. It was pretty much a carbon copy of the previous one, which I know was a bit of a disappointment to myself and some of my buddies at the time. The movies had been introducing some pretty cool Federation starships like the Reliant and Excelsior, so we were actually hoping that the 1701-A Enterprise would be a bit more of a departure from the original.
Greenwood Talks CAPTAIN PIKE Role - Nov 15, 2007 - 09:51am
Thanks for the explanation, Wiseguy. I always wondered why Ellison groused so much about this episode but didn't use his pseudonym.
Thanks for the explanation, Wiseguy. I always wondered why Ellison groused so much about this episode but didn't use his pseudonym.
Greenwood Talks CAPTAIN PIKE Role - Nov 15, 2007 - 09:00am
Ellison has a pseudonym (Cordwainer Bird) which he uses instead of his own name whenever he feels his work has been too compromised. I never understood why he didn't use that in the City on the Edge of Forever credits, given his famous conflict over how much his script had been changed. For those unfamiliar with it, Ellison did publish the original script which is now out of print but readily available as a used book. The script itself is just as good as the one which was filmed, but undeniably too dark to be consistant with Roddenberry's vision of Star Trek. It probably would have worked in Deep Space Nine. As for Cawley's assertion that this will be Abram's Trek rather than Gene's Trek - well, it hasn't been Gene's Trek for quite some time. Bennett, Berman, Piller, Behr, Braga, Taylor and others have been at the helm of Trek for quite some time. We've been getting their versions of Trek which has arguably not always been consistant with Roddenberry's. And while there have been some missteps, and the franchise was eventually run into the ground, for the most part I'm glad that they deviated from Roddenberry's vision, and I'm looking forward to Abrams spin on it.
Ellison has a pseudonym (Cordwainer Bird) which he uses instead of his own name whenever he feels his work has been too compromised. I never understood why he didn't use that in the City on the Edge of Forever credits, given his famous conflict over how much his script had been changed. For those unfamiliar with it, Ellison did publish the original script which is now out of print but readily available as a used book. The script itself is just as good as the one which was filmed, but undeniably too dark to be consistant with Roddenberry's vision of Star Trek. It probably would have worked in Deep Space Nine. As for Cawley's assertion that this will be Abram's Trek rather than Gene's Trek - well, it hasn't been Gene's Trek for quite some time. Bennett, Berman, Piller, Behr, Braga, Taylor and others have been at the helm of Trek for quite some time. We've been getting their versions of Trek which has arguably not always been consistant with Roddenberry's. And while there have been some missteps, and the franchise was eventually run into the ground, for the most part I'm glad that they deviated from Roddenberry's vision, and I'm looking forward to Abrams spin on it.
STAR TREK: The Menagerie - Nov 14, 2007 - 01:24pm
I agree with you that I would have rather have seen Paramount make a prequel series based on Pike & the original crew rather than Archer. It might have brought in more fans of the original series if they opted for this (as a side note, it also may have made fans a bit less resistant to recasting younger actors in Trek roles, giving Abrams less of an uphill battle with the movie). But even if Paramount had opted for that concept, as long as Berman and Braga were in charge of the franchise, they would have forced the characters into the same uninspired formulas which they would have used in Enterprise anyway. A better solution would have been to hand the prequel series (regardless of incarnation) over to Manny Coto from the beginning. Alas, we can't change history, and I hear Harlan Ellison charges too much to use the Guardian of Forever. As for The Menagerie, I haven't seen it on the big screen and don't intend to. I always thought it was a solid dramatic episode with a classic Roddenberry-style resolution. However, as a full-screen spectacle, I can see where it would be lacking when paying good money for it on the big screen. Other than the fact that it's TOS's only two-parter, I don't know why they selected it. They would have been better off going with two unrelated episodes which delivered more in the special effects and/or action sequences - like Amok Time, Balance of Terror, or even the fan favorite Trouble with Tribbles.
I agree with you that I would have rather have seen Paramount make a prequel series based on Pike & the original crew rather than Archer. It might have brought in more fans of the original series if they opted for this (as a side note, it also may have made fans a bit less resistant to recasting younger actors in Trek roles, giving Abrams less of an uphill battle with the movie). But even if Paramount had opted for that concept, as long as Berman and Braga were in charge of the franchise, they would have forced the characters into the same uninspired formulas which they would have used in Enterprise anyway. A better solution would have been to hand the prequel series (regardless of incarnation) over to Manny Coto from the beginning. Alas, we can't change history, and I hear Harlan Ellison charges too much to use the Guardian of Forever. As for The Menagerie, I haven't seen it on the big screen and don't intend to. I always thought it was a solid dramatic episode with a classic Roddenberry-style resolution. However, as a full-screen spectacle, I can see where it would be lacking when paying good money for it on the big screen. Other than the fact that it's TOS's only two-parter, I don't know why they selected it. They would have been better off going with two unrelated episodes which delivered more in the special effects and/or action sequences - like Amok Time, Balance of Terror, or even the fan favorite Trouble with Tribbles.
Nispel Remaking FRIDAY THE 13TH - Nov 14, 2007 - 06:00am
narpin, New Line has not only been aboard the "remake bandwagon" for a few years, it helped build it. Remember the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a New Line franchise, and the success of that remake was what opened the floodgates of horror remakes these past few years.
narpin, New Line has not only been aboard the "remake bandwagon" for a few years, it helped build it. Remember the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a New Line franchise, and the success of that remake was what opened the floodgates of horror remakes these past few years.
Ridley Scott Helming Supernatural STONES - Nov 13, 2007 - 12:38pm
rgtchtiger, Ridley Scott did direct a couple other films during the 90s. The two you mentioned were from the mid-90s, in the early 90s he directed Thelma & Louise and 1492. One could also argue that Gladiator (released in 2000) was his late 1990s project. All in all, he has directed as many movies in the 1990s as the 1980s. He's actually grown considerably more prolific this decade - by 2010, Scott is likely to have directed more movies this decade than the previous two decades combined.
rgtchtiger, Ridley Scott did direct a couple other films during the 90s. The two you mentioned were from the mid-90s, in the early 90s he directed Thelma & Louise and 1492. One could also argue that Gladiator (released in 2000) was his late 1990s project. All in all, he has directed as many movies in the 1990s as the 1980s. He's actually grown considerably more prolific this decade - by 2010, Scott is likely to have directed more movies this decade than the previous two decades combined.
Possible STAR TREK Plot and TOS Writer Responds - Nov 12, 2007 - 09:57pm
"...which is a Terminator rip-off (if true). " Don't give Ellison any more ideas for a lawsuit. He already sued James Cameron, claiming Cameron ripped off the Terminator story from a couple of Outer Limits episodes he wrote. While there wasn't enough grounds for copyright infringement, he did manage to get some sort of "story inspired by" credit at the very end of Terminator. If Ellison's not careful, he may wind up coming full circle and suing himself.
"...which is a Terminator rip-off (if true). " Don't give Ellison any more ideas for a lawsuit. He already sued James Cameron, claiming Cameron ripped off the Terminator story from a couple of Outer Limits episodes he wrote. While there wasn't enough grounds for copyright infringement, he did manage to get some sort of "story inspired by" credit at the very end of Terminator. If Ellison's not careful, he may wind up coming full circle and suing himself.
Thornton Hunts LaBeouf in EAGLE EYE - Nov 08, 2007 - 07:16pm
Shia's character is supposed to be 30 years old, Michelle's is 28. It's possible that Michelle's kid is not Shia's son, but that was a rumor I heard. But I think we can safely rule out that Shia is not going to be playing Michelle's kid.
Shia's character is supposed to be 30 years old, Michelle's is 28. It's possible that Michelle's kid is not Shia's son, but that was a rumor I heard. But I think we can safely rule out that Shia is not going to be playing Michelle's kid.
Fox Adjusts 08 Lineup, 24 Postponed - Nov 08, 2007 - 12:12pm
zack, Prison Break is not completely finished for the season on 11/12. Since 24 has been completely removed from the lineup this season, it will not be available as the springboard to help launch The Sarah O'Connor Chronicles. So Fox is holding back five new episodes of Prison Break to act as the established companion series to Sarah O'Connor. Once they run out of new Prison Break episodes, they're going to switch to the new reality series When Women Rule the World.
zack, Prison Break is not completely finished for the season on 11/12. Since 24 has been completely removed from the lineup this season, it will not be available as the springboard to help launch The Sarah O'Connor Chronicles. So Fox is holding back five new episodes of Prison Break to act as the established companion series to Sarah O'Connor. Once they run out of new Prison Break episodes, they're going to switch to the new reality series When Women Rule the World.
Thornton Hunts LaBeouf in EAGLE EYE - Nov 08, 2007 - 09:50am
hanso, from what I've read, Monaghan's character will be playing the single mother of a seven-year-old. Labeouf will be playing the kid's slacker father.
hanso, from what I've read, Monaghan's character will be playing the single mother of a seven-year-old. Labeouf will be playing the kid's slacker father.
Kring Apologizes to HEROES Fans - Nov 08, 2007 - 07:56am
I just started watching Heroes this season. As a newbie to the show, I'm happy for the individual storylines, as it's made it easy to get to know the characters gradually. However, I can see why Kring feels the need to apologize - the last two episodes have been the lowest-rated of the entire series. The show seems to be bleeding viewers like Lost at the beginning of last season.
I just started watching Heroes this season. As a newbie to the show, I'm happy for the individual storylines, as it's made it easy to get to know the characters gradually. However, I can see why Kring feels the need to apologize - the last two episodes have been the lowest-rated of the entire series. The show seems to be bleeding viewers like Lost at the beginning of last season.
Fox Adjusts 08 Lineup, 24 Postponed - Nov 08, 2007 - 07:30am
One of the plus sides of this writers' strike is that the networks have become hesitant to cancel any scripted shows with completed scripts in the pipeline. It looks like even Fox is curbing its itchy trigger finger because I had previously heard that they had canceled New Amsterdam before it even aired, and now it has a place on the schedule. Granted, it's a slot in the Friday night death zone, but it's something. As for 24, I'm glad that they decided to hold off until the full season can be shown at once. If the same decision was made for Lost and Galactica, I could live with that too.
One of the plus sides of this writers' strike is that the networks have become hesitant to cancel any scripted shows with completed scripts in the pipeline. It looks like even Fox is curbing its itchy trigger finger because I had previously heard that they had canceled New Amsterdam before it even aired, and now it has a place on the schedule. Granted, it's a slot in the Friday night death zone, but it's something. As for 24, I'm glad that they decided to hold off until the full season can be shown at once. If the same decision was made for Lost and Galactica, I could live with that too.
Josh Lucas Searches For TELL-TALE HEART - Nov 07, 2007 - 10:38am
I've got nothing against some modifications to the original story, especially in a case like this where the source material is so brief that it would have to be fleshed out to make it a feature. But in order to be true to Poe's story, the protagonist needs to be the killer or the adaptation is missing the heart of the story (pun intended). I'm disappointed that Ridley Scott would use the story's name recognition for something which clearly is not even close to the original material. For the record, the story has been made into a feature length movie released in the 1960s. In that version, the killer was a creepy librarian involved in a love triangle which resulted in him killing his best friend in a fit of jealousy. It's certainly not a classic movie, but it does demonstrate that the story can be changed and expanded upon to make it feature length while still being true to the story.
I've got nothing against some modifications to the original story, especially in a case like this where the source material is so brief that it would have to be fleshed out to make it a feature. But in order to be true to Poe's story, the protagonist needs to be the killer or the adaptation is missing the heart of the story (pun intended). I'm disappointed that Ridley Scott would use the story's name recognition for something which clearly is not even close to the original material. For the record, the story has been made into a feature length movie released in the 1960s. In that version, the killer was a creepy librarian involved in a love triangle which resulted in him killing his best friend in a fit of jealousy. It's certainly not a classic movie, but it does demonstrate that the story can be changed and expanded upon to make it feature length while still being true to the story.
What are You Watching on Halloween? - Oct 31, 2007 - 12:43pm
I watched The Great Pumpkin last night (mandatory viewing while carving jack-o-lanterns). Another Halloween tradition for me is The Nightmare Before Christmas, which this year I got to watch in all its digital 3D glory at the movie theater - I highly recommend it for all Nightmare fans, the big screen just brings out so many more of the small details. I usually take Halloween off to enjoy some classic horror, but unfortunately I just don't have the vacation time to spare this year. There's not a whole lot of time to watch anything after handing out treats to the kids, so I might fit in one of the shorter Val Lewton movies, probably The Body Snatcher, one of my favorite Karloff flicks. Earlier this month I also took in James Whale's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein (I'm surprised that nobody else is listing any of the Universal monster movies). I also watched Romero's Day of the Dead, and I'll probably watch the original Dawn of the Dead this weekend.
I watched The Great Pumpkin last night (mandatory viewing while carving jack-o-lanterns). Another Halloween tradition for me is The Nightmare Before Christmas, which this year I got to watch in all its digital 3D glory at the movie theater - I highly recommend it for all Nightmare fans, the big screen just brings out so many more of the small details. I usually take Halloween off to enjoy some classic horror, but unfortunately I just don't have the vacation time to spare this year. There's not a whole lot of time to watch anything after handing out treats to the kids, so I might fit in one of the shorter Val Lewton movies, probably The Body Snatcher, one of my favorite Karloff flicks. Earlier this month I also took in James Whale's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein (I'm surprised that nobody else is listing any of the Universal monster movies). I also watched Romero's Day of the Dead, and I'll probably watch the original Dawn of the Dead this weekend.
Rhys Meyers Plans MANDRAKE Escape - Oct 31, 2007 - 07:55am
wes, the 1980s cartoon you're thinking of is Defenders of the Earth, where Mandrake joined forces with Flash Gordon and the Phantom to.... well, I guess it was to defend the Earth.
wes, the 1980s cartoon you're thinking of is Defenders of the Earth, where Mandrake joined forces with Flash Gordon and the Phantom to.... well, I guess it was to defend the Earth.
Fox Okays Female PRISON BREAK Spin-Off - Oct 24, 2007 - 03:58pm
I thought I'd do a little fact-checking into Lavoruis's claim: "The drama's third-season opener on Monday night averaged an estimated 7.4 million viewers, preliminary Nielsen Media Research stats show. It was the series' least watched premiere, down nearly 2 million viewers from last fall's." Source: http://www.eonline.com/print/index.jsp?uuid=412df9e4-7154-43ed-90f1-32bb58839c3b&contentType=newsStory As far as Prison Break's ratings vs K-Ville's ratings, TV Guide reports the most recent episodes at 7.55 million viewers for Prison Break with K-Ville at 6.12 million viewers. Source: http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Ratings-Cbs-Mother/800025407?start=15& I don't watch Prison Break, so I don't have a horse in this race. I just thought some actual numbers would help clarify the situation.
I thought I'd do a little fact-checking into Lavoruis's claim: "The drama's third-season opener on Monday night averaged an estimated 7.4 million viewers, preliminary Nielsen Media Research stats show. It was the series' least watched premiere, down nearly 2 million viewers from last fall's." Source: http://www.eonline.com/print/index.jsp?uuid=412df9e4-7154-43ed-90f1-32bb58839c3b&contentType=newsStory As far as Prison Break's ratings vs K-Ville's ratings, TV Guide reports the most recent episodes at 7.55 million viewers for Prison Break with K-Ville at 6.12 million viewers. Source: http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Ratings-Cbs-Mother/800025407?start=15& I don't watch Prison Break, so I don't have a horse in this race. I just thought some actual numbers would help clarify the situation.
Chucky Creator Adapts LIO Comic - Oct 24, 2007 - 10:41am
Here's a link to Lio's website: http://www.gocomics.com/lio/ You can check out the daily strips by going to the calendar and clicking on previous dates. It's a very imaginitive and macabre strip - Family Circus, it ain't.
Here's a link to Lio's website: http://www.gocomics.com/lio/ You can check out the daily strips by going to the calendar and clicking on previous dates. It's a very imaginitive and macabre strip - Family Circus, it ain't.
Chucky Creator Adapts LIO Comic - Oct 24, 2007 - 05:46am
I'm not sure how this will translate to a live-action movie (for starters, the comic strip uses no dialogue) but Lio is definitely one of the best newspaper strip today. It's great to have some old-fashioned Addams Family type of creepiness in the funny pages.
I'm not sure how this will translate to a live-action movie (for starters, the comic strip uses no dialogue) but Lio is definitely one of the best newspaper strip today. It's great to have some old-fashioned Addams Family type of creepiness in the funny pages.
Fox Possessed in JENNIFER'S BODY - Oct 23, 2007 - 07:41am
It looks like her most substantial role before Transformers was a recurring guest appearance on the sitcom Hope & Grace (29 episodes, according to IMDB). Her only pre-Transformers appearance in a theatrical movie was a supporting role Confessions of a Teegage Drama Queen. Other than that, her resume is mostly one-shots on TV shows and a couple made-for-tv/video movie supporting roles.
It looks like her most substantial role before Transformers was a recurring guest appearance on the sitcom Hope & Grace (29 episodes, according to IMDB). Her only pre-Transformers appearance in a theatrical movie was a supporting role Confessions of a Teegage Drama Queen. Other than that, her resume is mostly one-shots on TV shows and a couple made-for-tv/video movie supporting roles.
DAY OF THE DEAD Remake Hits Feb - Oct 22, 2007 - 02:00pm
joey, I'm also a fan of the original Day of the Dead, though admittedly a recent convert. I didn't care for it much when it was first released, but I've grown to appreciate it with repeated viewings over the years (and there seems to be a growing number of people with this experience). As far as "why not call it Night of the Living Dead"? That would probably cause a bit of confusion since a remake of Night of the Living Dead was just released this year (direct to DVD, which may yet be the fate of this remake).
joey, I'm also a fan of the original Day of the Dead, though admittedly a recent convert. I didn't care for it much when it was first released, but I've grown to appreciate it with repeated viewings over the years (and there seems to be a growing number of people with this experience). As far as "why not call it Night of the Living Dead"? That would probably cause a bit of confusion since a remake of Night of the Living Dead was just released this year (direct to DVD, which may yet be the fate of this remake).
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I also grew up on the Batman reruns, and have to say that Adam West will always be Batman for me. The way I can tell is that whenever I actually read a Batman comic or graphic novel, the voice I hear in my head "playing" the part of Bats is not Bale, Keaton, Clooney, Kilmer, or even Kevin Conroy - it's always Adam West's voice. It doesn't matter how dark or grim the incarnation of Batman is, West's voice is always there for me.