For people who don’t know who these guys are, they really should check the site out. Not only do they give Prometheus’ plot holes a pretty visceral (yet fair) treatment, they also mock Lucas like nobody’s business! I still can’t get over their long (very long) reviews of the prequel movies and why they sucked.
Having just watched their extended review of Prometheus, I know for a fact that these guys didn’t hate the movie; in fact, they actively mocked people who denounced it as “the worst thing since the Phantom Menace“. So really, they aren’t that harsh, just plain spoken in noticing the kinds of things that made many of us go “huh?”
Worth watching, if for no other reason than to make you laugh:
Believe it or not, Hollywood actually has some movies that are now playing, or coming in the near future, that are not just reboots, reimaginings, or rehashings of old ideas. Much of this info comes from the online source Io9, and I have to say, I was quite impressed. To know that original ideas and long-overdue adaptations are actually in the works… wow. Still, don’t expect that this makes us even Hollywood! You’ve still wasted a ton of my and a good deal more people’s time and money!
Anyhoo, onto the list of coming or playing attractions:
Safety Not Guaranteed:
A time-traveller takes out an ad in the paper, looking for a companion to go back in time with him. A journalist, played by deadpan comedian Aubrey Plaza (of Parks and Recreation, Scott Pilgrim versus the World and Funny People), is tasked with finding a man who’s taken out the ad and determining just what his deal is. As time goes on, she becomes infatuated with the man because of his sincerity and the fact that he’s a true believer.
Produced by the same people who brought you Little Miss Sunshine and based on an actual ad, the movie explores the fine line between cynicism and realism, truth and belief. In the end, it remains a mystery whether or not the man is for real, and whether or not he is a harmless eccentric or a total nut! This movie has already been released and was screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.
The Prototype:
A story of a humanoid robot that contains the consciousness of its designer, a man obsessed with achieving the Singularity, as predicted by men like Ray Kurzweil. After a successful run where his mind is placed into “the prototype” robot, it escapes from its facility and is chased by government agents who believe it to be a malfunctioning military drone. Though it does look a tad cliche and over the top, it nevertheless explores some issues which are only increasing in relevance and getting closer and closer to being real.
Enders Game: I’m not kidding! After decades of waiting, it seems that sci-fi geeks and Card fans will finally be getting a chance to see Ender adapted to the big screen. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed the original, but never got into the sequels, I can tell you that I will be waiting on this movie’s Nov. 2013 release date with eager anticipation.
According to the buzz, Director Gavin Hood (of Tstosi, Rendition and X-Men Origins:Wolverine) is taking great pains to keep it as loyal to the book as possible. In addition, such big names as Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley are attached to play Colonel Graff and Mazer Rackham, and Asa Butterfield (of Hugo fame)will be playing the lead role of Ender Wiggin.
Life of Pi: Now this is one I didn’t expect to see on the silver screen! Director Ang Lee, who brought us such hits as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain and The Hulk will be directing this adaptation of Yann Martel’s magical novel about a boy, a lifeboat, and a handful of animals as they visit a strange island.
World War Z: Not surprisingly, all this zombie-fanaticism of late has encouraged the good folks in LA LA land that it’s time to adapt one of the best zombie novels of all time. Written by Max Brooks, son of famed comedian Mel Brooks and master of all things zombie, the book tells the oral history of the Zombie War and was released as a follow-up to his satirical The Zombie Survival Guide.
According to the studio-related buzz, Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, The Kite Runner, and Quantum of Solace) is slated to direct it, Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5) is attached as a screenwriter, and actor Brad Pitt will be starring as the film’s protagonist. Clearly, these folks aren’t pulling punches with this adaptation. I look forward to seeing it sometime in 2013!
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters Look what you started, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter! Or was it you Snow White and the Huntsman with your decidedly violent take on a children’s classic? Perhaps it was Seth Grahame-Smith with his Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! I don’t know who’s to blame, but for some reason, it seems that fairy tales, classics of western lit and history are all getting the Buffy treatment these days.
But I digress, Jeremy Renner of The Avengers and the new Bourne Legacy movie stars alongside Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace and Clash of the Titans) in this sequel to the classic fairy tale. Apparently, the story takes place 15 years after the traumatic gingerbread house incident, and the now grown-up pair have become a leather-wearing witch hunting duo. Let’s just hope the producers of Van Hellsing don’t sue for plagiarism!
Neuromancer: I almost jumped out of my seat when I read about this one, but then I noticed the production notes where it said that this movie hasn’t even been green-lighted yet. Ah well, fingers crossed it get’s made, because it would be about freaking time! Much like with Enders Game, fans of this sci-fi, cyberpunk classic have been waiting FOREVER to see a film adaptation! Several attempts have been made, but none have gotten off the ground.
But some details are forthcoming. For one, Vincenzo Natali, the brilliant Canadian writer/director who brought us Cube and Splice, is rumored to be the man who will direct this bad boy, should it ever get made. No other news yet, but my ear is firmly pressed to the ground and I will find out if it’s happening. Bank on it!
Snow Crash: And another sci-fi movie that’s long overdue, but can never seem to get made! Well, it seems that writer/director Joe Cornish (Attack of the Block and The Adventures of Tin Tin) is set to adapt Neal Stephenson’s post-cyberpunk novel about the near future where America has been privatized, “franchulates” run everything, and a lone hacker named Hiro Protagonist investigates a potent new drug that infects users with a computer virus.
As a long0time fan of Stephenson’s, I for one will be awaiting this movie too with eager anticipation. In fact, I can scarcely believe that so many of my literary favorites are being adapted at the same time. One would think this was just a big tease, or some massive karmic payback!
You know that song that’s been getting stuck in your head over and over for the last year or so, thanks to viral videos and constant radio exposure? Well, if you’re not thinking of “Somebody That I Used to Know” – the Gotye original that was recently covered and re-popularized by Walk of the Earth – then we are on two completely different wavelengths!
But I’m not here to talk about our psychic disparities. The point is that a group named Teddiefilms has breathed new life into this song and Lucas-bashing by producing a satire of this song. Entitled “The Star Wars That I Used To Know”, this song does an amazing job of capturing fan angst and the spirit of the song. Ably written, performed, and directed in a way that calls to the mind the original video, this parody has it all!
Yep, as the title line says, a new trailer has come out for the upcoming remake of Total Recall. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be that big a deal, except that this one shows how they are including a key part from the old movie: the three-breasted hooker! It seems that she will be featured in this movie as well, which geeks everywhere were sure to be asking. It goes without saying that anyone who saw the original remembers that woman. But for true sci-fi geeks and pubescent boys, she was right up there with Princess Leia in the bikini, inspiring more than her share of nerdgasms!
And since the movie is getting nearer, I am wondering if I am going to bother to see it. Sure, I’m curious and kind of intrigued by the reboot of a movie I appreciated as an adolescent, but is it worth it? Given the price of tickets these days (punitive!), I had to make a list of reasons for and against. First up…
Reasons to see this movie:
It looks pretty cool. If nothing else, it would be interesting to see what the updated special effects amount to. The old movie contained many instances of animatronics that didn’t look too realistic. Personally, I’d like to see if the CGI looks better.
Clearly, the technology has been updated, and includes flying cars, robot policemen and cooler weapons.
The trailers seem to indicate an apparent loyalty to the old storyline, even if it’s not a scene for scene remake. This is good seeing as how the plot was the original movie’s biggest strength, in my opinion.
Okay, not bad, not bad. But if I comb through these points, I notice that curiosity and the allure of eye candy – special effects, not Jessica Biel or Beckinsale! – are pretty much the only reason. I would like to see what they do with the storyline, but it’s not like there are going to be any surprises.
Reasons to wait for the DVD:
If the movie IS loyal to the original, then couldn’t it just as easily be argued that it’s not worth the theater price?
The original was based on a PKD short story named “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”, which the screen writers altered and expanded upon greatly. So the updated version isn’t really a re-imagining of a classic sci-fi story, but of a popular movie.
I get the feeling the only reason they made this movie is because Hollywood producers have gotten incredibly lazy and would rather pull a Lucas (aka. redoing an old movie with updated special effects) than make anything new.
Huh… perfectly good counter-points. If I did see this movie, it wouldn’t out of loyalty to Philip K. Dick, but rather than some dudes who worked for the Hollywood machine. And what the hell have they done for me? Okay, they did give me Blade Runner, 2001, the Star Wars trilogy, the Back to the Future trilogy, Alien, Aliens,Terminator 1 and 2, Serenity, and the Matrix… but what have they done for me LATELY?
Well, that’s my appraisal of it, at any rate. Luckily, I’ve been doing some reading today that says there are a whole slew of movies coming out in 2012 that are not remakes, reboots, or re-imaginings. And some of these are well overdue, as far as fans of classic science fiction are concerned. Of that, more later. In the meantime, check out the updated trailer. Note the absence of actual boobs…
If you’ve been paying attention to the trailer circuit lately, you might have noticed some new previews making the rounds. A few weeks ago, it was the trailer for the reboot of Spider-Man, this time with the prefix “The Amazing”. Shortly thereafter, a new trailer came out previewing the relaunch of the 1990 movie Total Recall, this time starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale. And now, there’s a third trailer making the rounds. This last one previews a relaunch of the 1994 Judge Dredd, the one-time Stallone vehicle that will star sci-fi/fantasy veteran Karl Urban and Lena Headey, who’s fame is exploding due to her role as Cersei in Game of Thrones.
What do all these movies have in common? Well, for one, they are relaunches of relatively recent movies. Second, all these movies are scheduled for relaunch in 2012. That means for anyone old enough to have seen the originals, this summer is going to be jammed packed with remakes of movies they’ve already seen… I’m thinking Hollywood needs to just come out and admit that they have no new ideas left!
Now to be fair, some of these movies can get away with being remade. The original Total Recall came out 22 years ago, but for most people in my generation, it was a hit while we were tweens. I can’t imagine many people are going to be seeing it for more than the nostalgic appeal, even if it is packed with headliners. And you can just tell that casting it with Ferrell, Biel and Beckinsale and pitching it as a big FX romp was done to ensure it has a big draw. Still, expect people to comparing it endlessly to the Schwarzenegger original!
Dredd is even more recent, with most fans of the comic being the age of majority when it came out. But a relaunch of this movie seems good given that the last one was such a disappointment. But judging by the trailers, it seems like just another excuse to shoot something in 3D. The storyline also looks pretty contained, focusing on a single mission rather than the larger picture of Mega City One, the Judges and the irony of trusting quasi-fascists to bring order to a chaotic society.
And Spider-Man? Hell, the third movie in that trilogy aired just five years ago! And the original was produced when, in 2002? That’s just a ten year gap between this new one and the first of the originals! Isn’t there a statute of limitations on this kind of thing? Why does this movie even need to be remade, and now of all times? The others featured perfectly good CGI effects and good story lines, and was ably acted by Toby McGuire and Kirsten Dunst. And of course, most people seeing this one already saw all the others.
So really, what possible reason is there for making this version? I have heard some people speculate that it’s because they want to include Spider-Man in the next Avengers movie. So… what happened to Toby McGuire? Is he too old? Was he not returning the studios calls? Did he say there was no POSSIBLE way he’d ever do a Spider-Man movie again? Is that why they’re doing this, so people won’t be surprised when a new guy shows up to play Spidey in Avengers 2? That seems silly!
Oh Hollywood. When did you lose your way? Was it the money, the phoniness, the mountains and mountains of blow? Yeah, I’m betting somewhere between the money and the nose candy, you all just went a little batty and stopped being able to come up with new ideas. So here’s a few ideas. Hire some new people. Pitch to new writers. Try making something though-provoking and avant-garde. Do something other than throw up the same old formulaic crap and rebooting old concepts!
And before you make the excuse that audiences are stupid and won’t buy into something half-way decent and brainy, might I remind that you guys pioneered those low expectations in the first place? Were it not for you constantly trying to appeal to the lowest-common denominator, you wouldn’t be in this creative tailspin. You might say this trend is the end result of underestimating the intelligence of the average person for so very long. Them chickens roosting in your backyard seem to have brought a batch of avian flu with them! In short, Hollywood, back your shit up, get your shit together, and then get your shit off our floor!
Sorry, that got a little rant-y towards the end there. But for me, this is just the straw that broke the camels back. I’d like to see some better movies, and these guys are the one making it hard for independent producers and studios simply because they suck up so much money and produce so much PR. Still, I might see one of these movies. During Prometheus, my wife was more than impressed by the preview for Total Recall, so we’ll see. If I seem stupider once I get back, blame Hollywood!
My thanks to Jamie Hall of That Fantasy Blog for bringing this to my attention! It seems that Taken 2 has got its funding and is coming to theaters in the near future. If you’re like me, or my wife, then chances are you loved the movie Taken with a passion! I mean how badass was Liam Neeson in that movie?
Sure, his daughter could be annoying, his wife was like a caricature of a rotten social climber, and the plot wasn’t all that complex. BUT WHO CARED! It worked, and Liam Neeson’s skills, take downs and deliver were superlative! You remember his opening salvo to Marko and the guys who kidnapped his daughter:
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”
Tell me you can do better than that! And remember that scene where he walks right into their hideout posing as a French agent and begins extorting them? What balls! And to find out that he was just playing them so he could find out which of them was Marko… I’m pretty sure Neeson became my hero the moment he uttered his pre-ass kicking line:
“You don’t remember me? We spoke on the phone two days ago. I told you I would find you.” WHAM WHAM WHAM! All dead…
In any case, it seems that Luc Besson, the writer/director who helped create the first, is back to produce a sequel. No news on when it will be released yet, but details released from the studio indicate that they are planning on it being this year. As for the storyline, it appears that it will once again involve Bryan Mills’ (Neeson’s) family being taken hostage. This time around, it happens in Istanbul during a family trip, apparently by Albanian mafia members who are looking to get even for their last encounter with him. One would think they learned their lesson!
It seems like the summer of 2012 is just loaded with anticipatory events. I say this because after many months of waiting, repeats and teaser trailers, favorite shows and much anticipated movies seem to be coming out all at once. Strange, wasn’t this the year the world was supposed to end? It would seem in bad taste for it to go now, just when everything fun is happening at once!
Last week, True Blood began its long-awaited fifth season. And having watched the first two episodes, I am pretty pleased with the direction it’s been taking so far. While I’ve not dedicated much attention specifically to vampires in pop culture on this site, as a true geek, I would be remiss if I didn’t indulge in at least one of them. Personally, I think this show is one of the best expressions of this whole vampire trend, and were it not for the zombie craze that seems to be paralleling it, I would have said something about it a long time ago!
Second, Futurama is premiering tonight! Yes, after a multi-year hiatus where it too was cancelled by the inexplicably stupid executives over at the Fox Network, Matt Groening’s animated commentary on sci-fi and pop culture is back for another season of hilarious antics and high-brow spoofing. As a big-time fan of this show, I entertained hopes that its skyrocketing DVD sales and rentals would convince some executive to bring it back.
Why, just look at Family Guy. After two and a half years, Fox got wise to the fact that if they didn’t renew the show, TBS would! And then all that money and ratings would be lining some other executives’ pockets. However, it seemed that in Futurama’s case, Fox remained bullheaded and dumb! And so the good folks at Comedy Central swooped in and gave them a slot! It just goes to show you that one network’s loss – their stupid, shortsighted, and obviously politically motivated loss – will be another’s gain.
And according to Groening’s podcasts where he shared news about the upcoming debut, this seventh season will begin with a story of Bender becoming a dad. Entitled “Bender Squared”, we see him playing with a younger version of himself, no doubt teaching him how to steal and smack talk and generally be an alcoholic, kleptomaniac bending unit! Can’t wait to see it.
And of course, this is also the summer when both Prometheus and the new Batman movie are premiering! In fact, The Dark Knight Rises open in one month, and since there were no press screenings, no one outside of the test audiences have seen it yet. I sincerely hope people have booked their advance tickets… I need to get on that soon! Don’t want to be tardy to the party like I was with Prometheus!
And since its debuting this very evening, I think one final trailer to get us all psyched up is in order. Here’s the “exclusive” Nokia trailer, which means the same ol’ footage spliced by some other corporate sponsor. It’s fun anyway, check it out!
Columbia Pictures, in collaboration with Wal-Mart, has been making a major push to promote the soon-to-be-released Spider-Man reboot. I have to admit, I don’t really see the point in this movie. I mean, didn’t we just do a Spider-Man movie trilogy? Wasn’t it hailed as a prime example of movie making and a faithful adaptation? And I seem to remember the last one came out just a few years ago. So really, what’s to be gained with this reboot other than a whole lot of money?
But I can’t deny, the promos have got me kind of interested, especially the first one. Here, we have a scene from the movie where Parker, now amped up on Spidey-power, decides to take down a carjacker. The second video is an extended behind the scenes look at the new movie and what the new focus will be. Granted, there do appear to be some differences between this version and the last, and even from the source material. I might just see it after all!
“Be prepared” is the Boy Scout’s motto. And it appears this wisdom is not lost on Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead comic series. In a recent interview, he shares his thoughts on his creation, and spoke candidly on what he thought needed to go into the development of a zombie car. This is a project that is very near and dear to his heart, and it seems like he’s finally going to get his chance to make one.
Apparently, Kirkman has already created a zombie-killing ride for the Walking Dead comic as part of a promotional deal with Hyundai and plans to debut the real thing at Comic-Con. Seriously, he’s going to draw it and Hyundai is going to actually build the thing! Where else but in the comic book industry, huh? I guess you gotta be a successful artist to get something like this made for yourself
Calling to mind something out of Mad Max or the souped-up bus from Dawn of the Dead, this vehicle incorporates a mean looking plough, some caged windows and big ass search lights, this vehicle is sure to protect its drivers while giving it the ability to run roughshod (literally!) over anyone that gets in its way. It also features a cage-like structure which is meant to protect the sun roof, giving a passenger the ability to look up and shoot out the top. Great for sniping while you’re out for a nice Sunday drive… during the apocalypse of course!
Kirkman shows off some sketches and explains the design process in the video below:
Awhile back I caught this amateur music video that a certain anime/heavy metal fan managed to make. Not only was it an awesome visual experience, but I found that it masterfully mixed two of the most awesome things ever! You had scenes from the landmark anime Akira with “No Leaf Clover” by Metallica. What’s not to like?
Stories by Williams 