I see it time after time again: A new film opens packed with hype, does poor box office and then fades away within a week. A good pulse check of this is if you see any cosplay related to said property even a month after the film is heading to video — so I was very pleased to see the above Scott Pilgrim cosplayer at New York Comic Con on Friday. I think too many reviewer got lost with the videogame story telling style and lost fact that Pilgrim is really an A+ geeky romance film that speaks to a generation (or two).
Universal Design, the guys who brought us those amazing custom Iron Man sneakers, are also known for their replicas — one of which just happens to be this awesome motorcycle outfit from Disney’s upcoming feature film Tron Legacy, set to release later this year. The outfit, which I can only imagine will be worn during a killer light-bike sequence, comes in two fits — the men’s Sam Flynn model and the women’s Quorra model. While each piece of the outfit — jacket, gloves, pants and boots — will be sold separately, each complete suit will run you $995 and $899 respectively. I know that seems a bit pricy, but you have to admit they both look awesome. If you’re interested check their official website for more information.
Wait, wait, don’t go! I’m not talking about the story continuity (though I gather it did pick up more or less where the last one left off)! I’m talking about the continuity of Ali Larter/Claire’s grey tanktop dropping lower and lower throughout the film, showing of just a little more black bra at a time. Witness! Read more…
It’s not like there was ever really a doubt in the matter, but given that there’s been no word about it either way, one could perhaps get a little antsy as to whether or not visionary director Christopher Nolan would be returning to direct the third installment in the rebooted Batman franchise. Well, doubt no more! Empire recently spoke with the man himself, and he sort kind of semi-confirmed he’d be helming the new Batman film. Though he waffled a bit at the beginning of the interview, with a little prodding he said we can safely assume that he’s directing. The site was also able to confirm that there’s even a script, written by his brother Jonathan — again, no surprise, but comforting news to fans of the superb previous two films. Read more…
The funny thing about horror films is that they are by nature B pictures — so when you’re looking at a new horror flick you have no idea that you may in fact be looking at a future classic film — and such was the case when I first got to see A Nightmare on Elm Street back in the day. Of course every great horror needs a gimmick to make it stand out from the crowd and for Elm Street this was Freddy Krueger’s nasty metal glove. And looking at this Deluxe Freddy Krueger Metal Glove with fresh eyes I’ve now come to see that the glove design was in fact a brilliant unrecognized early example of cinema steampunk if you think about it. Read more…
Much like Eddie LeBron with his recent MegaMan film, a fan has taken it upon himself to create his own live-action adaption of one of their favorite video games having been failed repeatedly by Hollywood. This time, it’s none other than Nintendo’s kid-friendly Pokémon, entitled Pokémon Apokélypse. Natrually, you’d expect the film to share much of that same aesthetic, however this time, that’s not the case. Instead, we’re given a gritty — almost humorously so — realistic depiction of the original story complete with over-the-top villains, torture, violence, and more. Of course, I can only speculate on just how gritty the film is based on the trailer above, but I’m sure you’ll probably agree when I say that it was probably the last thing I would expect from a Pokémon film — fan-made or otherwise. For more information, including an interview with the film’s creators, click here.
We’ve heard for a while that Stephen King’s Dark Tower book series stands to be adapted into some kind of moving-picture media format, but it’s been up in the air in terms of the who and the how. Ron Howard, who’s now helming the project, recently told Deadline what he has in mind, and it’s a little crazy: a series that will span three movies and two seasons of a television show, using the same sets and actors. That’s right. He wants to begin the story with a film, then air a season of the television show immediately afterward, then release another film, then air another season of the show, then cap off the entire thing with another film. Howard hopes that reusing sets and actors between the media formats will help save money; beyond costs, he says that the movies can provide really epic moments while the television show would allow character and story nuances to shine through. If he can get the project off the ground, along with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, it might just be the Next Big Thing. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 14, 2010 in Cinema, Horror
Bruce Campbell leveraged a long and successful career out of Sam Raimi’s cult classic horror film Evil Dead, but he’s hardly forgotten his roots, according to a recent interview with the LA Times. Campbell says that working on the Dead films was a long, grueling experience, and the advice he gives fledgling filmmakers is “get two other friends and be prepared to sink four years into your project.” Besides a lot of other interesting tidbits — Evil Dead‘s production was funded by Detroit-area doctors and lawyers, for example — the coolest thing by far mentioned in this interview was Campbell’s desire to make an Expendables-style horror-comedy ensemble movie. He says it could happen in the next year or so, and that he wants horror greats like Robert Englund and Kane Hodder to be in it with him. There’s even a script! The only problem? “It just kind of blows right now.” That’s Bruce Campbell honesty for you. Read more…
Only children are supposed to be able to see Totoro, Miyazaki’s friendly furry forest spirit, but it looks like exceptions are made when he’s crafted of fondant. Carolyn Lengel made these adorable cupcakes with her daughter Harriet to celebrate Harriet’s 11th birthday. Seeing all eleven together will likely make you use the word “cute” several hundred times, and you might even want one for yourself, but alas — you can’t have your Totoros and eat them too.Read more…
Disney’s making a long-term investment in Tron Legacy, and fans of the original film (or of the actually-decent Tron 2.0 game) should be pretty pleased with that effort — the studio even secured electronica greats Daft Punk to score the film, and the genius of that is difficult to overstate. When I saw the Legacy trailer for the first time, the gritty, thumping soundtrack immediately stood out to me, and I wanted more. Thankfully, it looks like Disney is ready to help in that regard. TronSoundtrack.com just opened its doors, and though there’s not much there right now (a looping theme from the film and a mailing list sign-up), it should be populated with a lot more great tracks like the sneak peeks we’ve heard so far. If you’re a Tron fan and you haven’t already bookmarked the site by the time this article is over, I’d go ahead and sign up for voluntary de-rezzing. Read more…
Visionary director Terry Gilliam recently visited the Deauville American Film Festival in France, speaking about the collapse of financing for his long-beleaguered project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. He says he still wants to do the film, and Robert Duvall and Ewan McGregor are still attached to the project, but the film has been beset with so many slings and arrows for so many years that I wouldn’t hold my breath to see it released. That wasn’t the only interesting bit of news that came from the panel, though — it turns out that the director is in talks to produce a 3-D conversion of his beloved film Time Bandits! I’m not sure I really think a 3-D conversion of a film like Time Bandits is strictly necessary, but when has Terry Gilliam ever stopped at “necessary”? Read more…
Okay, so maybe Dune’s original theatrical release was just a little bit before my time, but I’m still plenty familiar with the series, largely thanks to the copy of Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials I received at a ripe young age. These pieces of concept art from Jock, the artist behind 2000 A.D., were intended for use in Paramount’s planned Dune remake. While the concepts may have been shelved due to a change in directors, it doesn’t make the art any less compelling, and they really reinforce my belief that no matter what planet you’re on (or netherworld you’re in, in Beetlejuice’s case), you just don’t mess with sandworms. Not that you were probably planning on it, of course, but I like to help a Fremen out.
You know, a lot of our favorite movies and TV shows deal with some sort of fictional company, from the independent business (Paper Street Soap Co.) to the megacorp (Massive Dynamic). We always see the men and women who run the show, but we rarely see the men on the ground, the salt-of-the-earth types who keep keep these fictional businesses going by performing mundane tasks in low-paying positions. Does Jack Tesler, part of Umbrella Corporation’s maintenance personnel, even know that he’s technically a henchman? Probably not, but at least he’s been provided with a cool business card, courtesy of Fro Design Co. Fro’s latest collection, titled “Day Jobs,” features mockups of business cards belonging to normal people who just happen to work at twenty-one made-up companies covering the entire geek spectrum, from Cyberdyne Systems all the way down to Duff Beer. Read more…
I’m not even sure how I’ve never heard of Quantum Quest. Sure, it’s not the latest Disney/Pixar or Dreamworks venture — a fact that becomes rather evident the moment you see the trailer for the film — but with a cast out of a sci-fi enthusiasts wet dream, you’d think it would have had a bit more press. Perhaps featuring Jedis and Starfleet Captains in the literal sense might have garnered a few more headlines, but unfortunately they’ve had to settle for their voices instead — still an amazing feat nonetheless. According the official website, the cast includes Chris Pine, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayden Christensen, Robert Picardo, Brent Spiner, James Earl Jones, William Shatner, and Mark Hamil among others. Read more…
If you’re a fan of Ghostbusters, marshmallows, or caffine — for me, they hit the trifecta — you’re in luck. The guys over at Think Geek have developed an amazing product that I can’t wait to order — Caffeinated Stay Puft Marshmallows. Finally, I have a reason to throw caution to the wind and mix a hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps after 8 PM without the fear of passing out. What’s more, I have the novelty of knowing that anyone who opens my pantry and sees that box will automatically chuckle at the sight of it.
By now, someone has probably told you to that you absolutely have to see Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World — and they’re right, you must. Aside from being hilarious, and filled with plenty of the over-the-top action you’d want from your typical Hollywood blockbusters, the film’s roots as an independent graphic novel make the film particularly important in that it holds the potential to pave the way for others. In fact, Michael wrote a fantastic article about that which you can read here. For now, sit back and enjoy this amazing Scott Pilgrim/Matrix mash-up by YouTube user AEmovieguy.
Come Monday those in power in Hollywood will be looking at the box office from this weekend and the stakes are high. If Scott Pilgrim vs. The World does badly you can bet that Hollywood will never touch an indie comic book for many years to come — but on the other hand if it does well it may open the door for other indie comic books to be made info feature length films. Right now when Hollywood thinks of comic books they just see action adventure films with superheroes running around into their underwear, however if Scott Pilgrim can score stories that aren’t about “stuff blowing up” might have a fair chance at the screen. In return that would encourage more folks to read indie comics and then the big guys like Marvel and DC might take more chances. And the price for this? Just one movie ticket and a bucket of popcorn to change the world a little bit.
When I first heard about the upcoming Gatachman film back in 2008, I was excited. The series, known as G-Force here in the states, is in part responsible for my love of anime today. Alongside series like Robotech, Speed Racer and Voltron, it was one of the many anime that somehow managed to make its way to network television in the 80’s. Of course, the series was re-aired in the mid-90’s thanks to Cartoon Network’s Toonami, but was never shown unedited. The upcoming film should stay true to the original Japanese, though I have to admit this teaser has me a bit worried — not that the plot or visuals will be toned down for a younger audience, so much as that the animation itself might be a bit lacking. I guess we all have to understand that Imagi isn’t Pixar, and with their various financial issues — some of which are responsible for the film being delayed until 2011, instead of being released back in 2009 as planned — we should be happy the film is even happening. Until then, we’ll be left wanting a bit more. Read more…
Future Fighters is in the early stages as a film, but as a mecha fanboy who is obsessed with robots and spacecraft I really like what I see so far. This international project is being produced by British movie producer Guy Orlebar who is teaming up Korean director Nelson Shin (who was behind the 1986 animated Transformers film) and will star Japanese actress Rina Takeda of High-Kick Girl fame. But what I really love about what I see so far is the colorful anime inspired pre-production art which makes my inner geek happy: Read more…
I recently read about some new Street Fighter sneakers from Nike, only to be disappointed by how little the shoes seem to resemble the characters they’re supposedly “inspired” by. I can understand Nike’s desire to aim for subtlety rather than an out-and-out declaration of geekdom, since they could sell plenty of these shoes by “accident” and still probably hit a few sales among the Street Fighter fans, but that Chun Li shoe looks like it could have been sold by them for years and just decided to slap Chun Li’s name on the tag. BORING.
Nobody seems to know how Marvel will react to this, however a number of weblogs have posted a leaked trailer for the upcoming Thor film set to release next May. The 5 minute trailer premiered at San Diego Comic-Con International last week, but it wasn’t long before someone managed to leak it to the net and it’s since spread like wildfire. While I’m not about to join everyone else in posting the trailer, I’d gladly point you all in the right direction. My suggestion? Watch it before the cease and desist letters are sent out, because it’s bound to happen. As for the trailer itself, Chris Hemsworth, and Natalie Portman look promising. It’ll be interesting to see how they transition from Asgard to Earth and vice-versa. At least we can expect plenty of action. Click here to see the trailer while it’s still on the net.
The goodies are emerging from the San Diego Comic Con this year! The first gem is a longer trailer for Tron: Legacy which shows a great deal more footage than the previous teaser: Read more…
