So I was going to review another movie this week but a friend of mine suggested doing something new and different, he suggested I try reviewing something that didn’t have pictures. I gave it a momentary thought and said ‘Sure! I don’t need art to be able to read’ so he went into his bathroom and came out with Beggars in Spain. I smiled and said ‘cool’ and he said ‘good luck genius ’. Hey now, I’m no ‘pure read’ slacker! I can read with the best of them- I’ve got the William Gibson library, the Neal Stephenson criticals and ALL the Rudy Rucker’s and I know the answer to Do Androids Dream of Electric sheep? So don’t go taunting me with a Nancy Kress novel. No sir, I will read this book and lay to waste all reviewers that have come before me.
Archive for November 23, 2009
Beggars in Spain … Permanent Insomnia Anyone ?
A Feature On The Human Tech Inside Avatar
I’m just wondering, should I just go ahead and buy two tickets for “Avatar” for myself right away and save myself the effort required to log myself in to my local IMAX theatre and slap the VISA down?
Dan Abnett On Writing Ultramarines
Some of you may have heard of or even play the role playing games based on the Warhammer 40k universe. 40K is kind of like the Alien 2 marines but on steroids and with religion. In Warhammer, war is religion and I’m thinking that will make some fine source material for an excellent Sci-Fi movie. 40K is a long established IP, with a rich history of novels and video games. Dan Abnett happens to be the man (over a million 40K books and graphic novels sold) tasked with writing the script for the movie based on the world of Warhammer. Here’s a nice video of Dan talking about the process of getting the movie started. Keep an eye on this one. Not only is 40k incredibly violent and everything a good war movie should be, it’s also very funny.
Avatar Featurette On Bad Guy Colonel Quaritch
You have no idea how hard it is this morning to spell featurette. In the heading there, above, there’s no spell check and after last night there’s no spell check in my brain either. We have a nice little clip (easier to spell) of Stephen Lang as he discusses his character Colonel Quaritch. Mr. Lang is a criminally under-used actor. He’s going to kick some serious booty in Avatar and I predict a major surge of good work coming for this very fine actor.
Fox Lives In Transformers 3
After some previous buzz involving the possibility of Michael Bay killing off Megan Fox’s character in Transformers 3, it appears that the very opposite is true. Despite the friction between Bay and Fox, not only will she live in the next movie, she will have a “great part”.
Stargate Universe Recap 1.09: Life
What would you actually do all day if you were marooned on a million year old starship, bound for who the hell knows and stuck with a motley band of cranky (or homicidal) crew? The ninth episode of SGU attempts to realistically explain this and also how to tastefully (maybe too tastefully) handle the sticky problem of space lesbians.
Steven Spielberg to go Under the Dome with Stephen King
Stephen King himself mentioned earlier this month that his latest book, the gargantuan tome “Under the Dome” (the book clocks in at a respectable 1088 pages) will be headed to the small screen, and now we know a little bit more about the project: besides King, the project will, in all likelihood, headed to a cable network in limited series (aka mini-series) form courtesy of Steven Spielberg and his Dreamworks studio.
Brad Pitt Pulls a Uwe Boll, Enters the Dark Void
Brad Pitt producing a movie based on a videogame? Brad Pitt actually starring in said videogame turned movie? Hey, stranger things have happened. Like, say, a guy name Uwe Boll buying up and making movies based on videogames, and people actually allowing him to do so. It could be worst, I suppose, and Pitt would certainly look pretty good as a Rocketeer-ish badass fighting aliens.
Dagobah Is Not A HoneyMoon Destination
That is unless your bride to be is a Jedi or maybe a wookie. Journey to Dagobah, the recreation destination for those that don’t need umbrellas in their drinks or swim up bars for fun and relaxation. In case you’re not sure whether you have the stones or not for the balmy climate and the troubling flora and fauna, check out the video from the Dagobah tourism bureau. It sure made my day. Thanks Topless Robot!
Sci-Fi Short: Amy Engles’ Nora
Here’s an excellent sci-fi short from director Amy Engles. The short follows Nora, a service android who is given the rare opportunity to leave her ship to go on a mission vital to the continuation of the human species, thus fulfilling her lifelong dream. When she finds herself abandoned on a desolate planet, her illusions are shattered, and she is left to build a new future for her and her species…
South Park’s 2012 Parody. And Pee Drinking Episode.
The boys at “South Park” always likes to toss in a big Hollywood movie parody or two in their episodes. Last week they took a swipe at James Cameron’s “Avatar”, and this week it’s Roland Emmerich’s disaster epic “2012″. In the episode, the boys go to the local Splash Town-ish water park, where Cartman gets incense at all the minorities there, while all the peeing in the water results in a massive tsunami of, well, pee destroying the park in a “2012″-ish sequence. It’s all very silly and completely over-the-top ridiculous — you know, like the actual movie.
After The Flood: New York Is Not A Drowned City
After seeing these images via those crazy kids at Slashfilm I had to spread the word. Someday, if the oceans rise like they are forecast to do, New York and a ton of other places might resemble the scenes in these beautiful artworks from bldgblog’s flickrstream. As you can see, New Yorkers famous ability to adapt has seen the re-purposing of the great city towards a vision straight out of Venice.
Sam Worthington To Headline American Crime
Mr. Worthington is going to be in every movie you see soon it looks like, or at least every movie you want to see. He’s about to get blue in next months “Avatar” and soon will go all “300″ on us in the fantastic looking “Clash of the Titans”. Sources at ComingSoon are reporting that Sam will star in the film adaptation of Radical Publishing and Rick Remender’s “The Last Days Of American Crime”.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief International Trailer
Let’s face it, with a name like Percy Jackson, he better be a very cool musician masquerading as a high school teenager, or the descendant of Greek Gods. In the case of our hero in “Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief”, it’s the latter. Man, he must get chicks. Even if they have snakes for hair. Check out the recently released International trailer for “Percy Jackson”, from director Chris Columbus, who knows a thing or two about launching big Hollywood movie franchises. No doubt everyone involved in “Percy Jackson” is hoping for a “Harry Potter” effect.
NBC’s Canceled The Listener Returns for Second Season on Canadian TV
NBC’s canceled “The Listener” starred Craig Olejnik as a telepathic paramedic who uses his gift to solve crimes. That’s a nifty little premise, but I never got around to watching it, and apparently neither did anyone else. I never knew when NBC was showing the show, so it just flew by its first season and was summarily canceled when not enough people tuned in. The Peacock network may not have had any faith in the show, but the Canadians think otherwise.
