When some studio announced its intent to turn Red Sonja into a film again, I got to thinking. We all know Red Sonja has been a film before, but the likelihood is of course very high the studio will ignore this previous (and very failed) attempt and start all over again, rather than pulling a direct sequel 20 years later. Everyone involved, especially the fans, are happy with this idea. We have no problem ignoring the first incarnation of the story on film and treating the new version as a stand alone -- something akin to a restart of the story. And this concept is not at all unusual to comic book movie fans who've survived some pretty crappy attempts through the years and patiently waited for the current age of the comic book movie.
Mark Beall's Geek Beat: Push the Reset Button
When some studio announced its intent to turn Red Sonja into a film again, I got to thinking. We all know Red Sonja has been a film before, but the likelihood is of course very high the studio will ignore this previous (and very failed) attempt and start all over again, rather than pulling a direct sequel 20 years later. Everyone involved, especially the fans, are happy with this idea. We have no problem ignoring the first incarnation of the story on film and treating the new version as a stand alone -- something akin to a restart of the story. And this concept is not at all unusual to comic book movie fans who've survived some pretty crappy attempts through the years and patiently waited for the current age of the comic book movie.
Continue reading Mark Beall's Geek Beat: Push the Reset Button
The Geek Beat: Let's be Friends
Rule 1 - The movie business is driven by opinion, not fact; and the geek business doubly so. I'm going to say some things you disagree with - and at some point I'll probably insult something you like. I'm an opinionated guy, and I tend to think I'm right about everything. But let's be fair, you know you do the same. If it makes you feel better, feel free to hate/make fun of things that I like if you ever feel slighted. I'll even provide a list of possible topics.
Rule 2 - A good relationship is built on open conversation. See that comment option down there? Use it. Use it like Popeye uses spinach. I want to know what you are interested in, and I want to know when you disagree with me. Sure I'm a writer - but I'm only one geek among millions - and you've all got opinions as legitimate as my own.
Rule 3 - I'm allowed to make new rules at any time, and break them at will. It IS my column, after all.
Happy Birthday H.A.L.!
Everyone's second favorite homicidal computer - a network (much like Al Gore's Internet) called SkyNet from James Cameron's The Terminator - turns 9 on August 29.
LotR Convention to Screen Outtakes
You know how every now and then all the geeks in a particular area gather together, often in costume, to celebrate their geekiness with one another while paying homage to some particular element of geekdom? They call them "conventions," typically. Well the official Lord of the Rings convention is having its way with Pasadena, California this month* (the 20th-22nd); and true to convention form, its got some pretty neat features lined up for the hobbit-clad fans that attend. The convention will feature appearances by actors Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Miranda Otto and John Noble, and will also be screening a full lineup of outtakes from all three films. This bit, I think, sounds like a grand time. Given the cast, I imagine that a full on LotR outtakes reel could be quite amusing.
Although I do revel in my geekdom, cons aren't usually my scene. I poke gentle fun at the people who attend- but rest assured that I love you guys. Even the ones dressed as orcs. You are, after all, my people. If you are interested, you can dig the full details of the One Ring Celebration here.
*thanks to sharp eyed-reader Lith for
catching my mistake on the date.
Star Wars goes massive in Beantown
After quietly mocking the droves of Lord of the Rings fans who turned out for the Boston Museum of Science's exhibit last year, this Star Wars fan is ready to sit down for a force-feeding of crow by any number of furry-footed, pointy-eared Middle-Earthlings who care to deride me for my own geekery. Feel free to taunt me with names like "scruffy-looking nerf-herder", "mange-ridden womprat" or "rut of a butt of a Hutt", but I just spent an entire evening dorking-out at the museum's brand-new Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit, and I had a great time.
"Making science fun" is the name of the game of this exhaustive and fully interactive installation. "What Star Wars cool stuff can I see there?" you ask? Man, there's so much. Here is just a sampling:
- A full-scale model of the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon (the "Jump To Lightspeed Experience" seats 6 for a Bose-tricked introduction to the exhibit)
- An extremely ornate miniature of the Falcon (which, if you look closely enough at the nose, sports a very small Champion Spark Plugs decal)
- Luke's Landspeeder (which is surprisingly small and would likely qualify as a sub-compact)
- Tantive IV, the Rebel Blockade Runner from the ever-memorable opening of A New Hope (a piece which has never before been exhibited)
- An All-Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT) (not-so-) miniature
- Costumes galore: C-3P0, R2-D2, Darth Vader, a Stormtrooper, a Snowtrooper, a Wampa, hosts of props like blasters and pistols and lightsabers...
2006 IMAX Offerings Looming Large
On a side note, before the two Matrix sequels hit in 2003, there was a need to keep IMAX movies under two hours, as the platters at the time would have required an intermission if the film ran longer. This resulted in a version of Ron Howard's Apollo 13 (the first theatrical feature converted for IMAX) that seemed a bit rushed, but this need for brevity actually made for a better version of Star Wars - Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. If only there was a DVD version of that leaner version of the repetitive theatrical version of Clones...
I want you kids to write an essay for me, titled, "Why I Love IMAX" or "Why IMAX Is A Big Waste Of My Allowance".
Google founders get the movie bug
Some conservative investment experts would equate investing in a film with lighting the money on fire and scattering it to the wind. Kudos to Brin and Page for knowing the risks and taking a chance anyway. You can learn more about the film at its official site.
And now, some scary geek movies!
Several "Top 11" lists over at BBspot. Some of them are funny, but some of them you'd really have to be a geek to get, which I guess is the whole point.
My favorites? Netscape From New York, I Know Who You Hacked Last Summer, The House on the Hill Without Broadband, Das Reboot, and Rocky Horror Powerpoint Slide Show.
If someone could explain Mad Vax Beyond PDP-11 though, I'd appreciate it.
Beantown Jonesing For 'Tomb'
Who has checked this out already?
'Robot Stories' Creator Pens Gaiman Continuation
You can check out our interview with Neil Gaiman here, or read a review of his MirrorMask here.
Interview: Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman has built an empire of words over the last two decades. He has not only become one of the top writers in modern comics with series like Sandman becoming modern classics and his Hitchhiker's Guide guide Don't Panic becoming somewhat of a de facto Douglas Adams reference, but he has also penned best-selling novels like Stardust (1998) and American Gods (2001). 2004 saw the comics (and eventual graphic novel) release of the high-concept but very clever 1602, in which Gaiman transplanted Marvel Comics' staple heroes to Elizabethan England. He wrote the teleplay (with Lenny Henry) for the 1996 BBC miniseries Neverwhere, had the daunting task of writing the English language screenplay for Hayao Miyazaki's mega-anime feature, Princess Mononoke in 1999.
His unconventional children's book, Coraline (2002) is being made into a $70 million film by James and the Giant Peach animator, Henry Selick, and he and Roger Avary have been deputized to adapt the monster poem, Beowulf, which will also be released in animated form (in 2007).
Presently, he is on tour promoting his latest book, a just-published follow-up to American Gods called Anansi Boys, and getting fans and non-fans alike excited about the fantastical yarn that he and Sandman conspirator Dave McKean wrote for the Jim Henson Company called MirrorMask, which opens in theaters beginning September 30. He currently lives outside of Minneapolis, and was generous enough to take time out of his sleep schedule to talk to Cinematical.
'Dynamite' Star To Play 'Mama's Boy'
Am I so uncool that I am the only one who did not cream over Napoleon Dynamite? Of course, I'm not in college and I have way-out crazy expectations when I watch a film, like at least a vague attempt at a friggin' story, so maybe I'm unqualified to discuss it.
V For Vexing (And Vitriol)
"We have never missed a deadline ... whatever the reasons may have been to postpone the release of V For Vendetta, it has nothing to do with late delivery of VFX [visual effects]." --Colin Brown, chairman of Cinesite, the company responsible for the VFX on V For Vendetta [on CountingDown.com]
Who knows, maybe they're both pitching alternate versions of reality while their pants are on fire...
In the mean time, Alan Moore, who wrote (with David Lloyd) the graphic novel on which the film is based, has called the screenplay (by Matrix gurus Andy and Larry Wachowski) "imbecilic".
'Suffering' And MTV Go Hand-In-Hand
Playing The Big Screen
Last week Jette wrote about EW's list of the Ten Theaters Doing It Right, and how their unique amenities are what's separating them from the pack. One theatre, The Oriental, is proving to be worthy of such a title by appealing to the video game addict in all of us. Along with The Downer, both Milwaukee-based theaters are now equipped for video game play. At $125 for the first hour and $100 each additional, folks can rent the space and utilize it to enjoy some of their favorite games on the big screen. Talk about a birthday party that absolutely blows the "mini-golf extravaganza" out of the ballpark.
Sure, its "wicked cool," but an attraction like this can also help in marketing a film as well as the video game based on the film and vice versa. How sweet would it be to watch Fantastic Four on the big screen, then get to play the game on that same screen? It's a great way to not only intensify the gaming experience, but also draw people out of their homes and back into the theatre – ya know, if they like playing video games. But who doesn't?