Source: USA Weekend

Idris Elba who is most known for his role as Stringer Bell in The Wire is currently starring in Takers, a heist film opening this weekend.  He talked about Takers and Thor in USA Weekend.   Here is an excerpt from that interview:

You just finished your stint filming Thor as the Asgardian warrior Heimdall. How was that?
It was dope. It was an interesting genre of film to make. I had never done comic book stuff, so that was really great.

What was the coolest part?
Just the bigness of the show. It’s so epic, these huge sets were just amazing to look at. And they really pat attention to detail. When you read the comics, you see all the drawings, and to actually see them in real life, it’s like, “Whoa!”

Do you see yourself doing another superhero character or are you good with the crime dramas?
I have a deal with the Marvel Studios team, a four-picture commitment. I’m sure I’ll be back in something cool.

Looks like he’s going to be in more Marvel Entertainment films, but he didn’t spill the beans, or he may not know yet, about what role or roles Marvel has in store for him.  I know that many people like the idea of him playing T’Challa, the Black Panther.  He certainly has the gravitas and the acting chops to pull it off.  Read the rest of the interview here.

Tron Legacy: December 2010

Luke’s original entrance in Return of the Jedi.  Lucas also announced that all six movies will be available on Blu-ray in the fall of of 2011.  In addition to this rumored to exist and never before seen deleted footage, there will be more deleted scenes that Lucas has been holding on to and new documentaries.  I can’t wait.

Source:  Firstshowing.net

Check out this new trailer from a movie I know nothing about.  I like the image, I like the title, and I like the trailer. The synopsis from the official site:  In the sci-fi thriller Skyline, strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.

Due in theaters 11-12-10, the movie stars Eric Balfour (Haven, 24), David Zayas (Dexter), Donald Faison (Scrubs), and Brittany Daniel (The Game).

Trailer Courtesy of ‘>Flickcast.com

I’m not going to make some smart ass comment about how this looks like a Pelham 1-2-3 Part 2.  But the movie does have three really good reasons to check it out, Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson.  I don’t know what’s up with Denzel and Trains.  I am also excited about seeing Denzel hook up with Tony Scott since they teamed up Crimson Tide, one of my all time favorite movies. (They also teamed up for Man on Fire, but that movie was just okay.)  So I’m hoping that this is more like Crimson Tide than Man on Fire.  The trailer does look pretty intense.  Thanks Flickcast for the heads up.

Source: ComingSoon.Net

This was presented at Comic Con before the Marvel panel featuring the stars of the film.

Before reading this, if you haven’t read Batman: A Death in the Family this review will contain POSSIBLE SPOILERS.  If you haven’t read it and you are a fan of Batman or DC’s animated movies then you will enjoy this movie.  For those of you who have read it please feel free to read on.

In stores today, Batman: Under the Red Hood is one of the darker stories in the DC universe.  As everyone knows (so it’s not a spoiler) that the Joker killed Robin, Jason Todd, because of a telephone poll done by DC in 1988.  Subsequently, Jason Todd was “resurrected” in the DC universe.  This movie is the animated version of that story.

Bruce Greenwood (Captain Pike in Star Trek) voices Bruce Wayne/Batman instead of Kevin Conroy, the voice that we all know and love.  Greenwood does a fabulous job.  Neil Patrick Harris voices Dick Grayson/Nightwing and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) voices the Red Hood/Jason Todd.  Both of them were also very good.  I missed Mark Hamill as the Joker but John DiMaggio did well enough.

The story is not unfamiliar to fans of Batman.  I thought they may have glossed over Jason’s resurrection a little fast in order to put in more action sequences.  I would have thought more interaction between him an Ra’s al Ghul would have made for a great subplot.  I really liked the team up with Batman and Nightwing, and how the writers were able to show how it differed from when Batman and Red Hood teamed up.

The animation to me was not as good as DC’s previous animated films, but the story made up for that.  I say see it and enjoy.  Just a reminder, it has graphic violence even for DC animation; it is rated PG-13. (It really is PG-13 and would probably be an R if it were live action.)

Souce: Hitfix

UPDATE: According to Hitfix, Eva Longoria would love to be a superhero, but she says she won’t be Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, in an Ant-Man or Avengers movie.  She confirmed that she had discussions with Marvel about a movie, but wouldn’t give details.

I still think she’d make a great Wasp or even Scarlett Witch.  She can’t be Black Widow since Scarlett Johansson has taken that role in Iron Man 2.

Previous Post: Eva Longoria Up for Wasp?

Saw this rumor a couple of weeks ago, and was waiting for some confirmation.  It  was reported that Eva was photographed leaving Marvel’s L.A. office clutching what appeared to be some Avenger comic books.  It was later reported that she was in talks to take the role of Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, in an upcoming Marvel Movie (Iron Man 2 or Captain America: The First Avenger or The Avengers).  The thing is that this came out a couple of weeks ago, and then everything went silent.  It was reported as  both fact and rumor.  We’ll I think she would do well in any role that they shoved her in, the Wasp, Black Widow, Scarlett Witch.  I just assume that they are going to go for the hot factor regardless of the role.  Unlike the X-Movies where everyone, except Raven, was completely covered from head to toe.

.  Would she make a good Black Widow?  Possibly.

Would she make a good Scarlet Witch?  Maybe.

She pretty much would be worth the price of admission for anything they want her to be in a superhero movie.

Source: Superhero Hype

Here’s the full trailer for Disney’s Tron: Legacy.  It’s coming 12-17-00.  Make sure to watch it till the end.

Source: Superhero Hype via Marvel Studios and Paramount

‘nuff said.

The Jensen Project is the second movie from Walmart Family Moments. The movie centers around The Jensen Project which is basically an independent think tank of geniuses gathered on a compound researching and developing projects that can save the world.  The movie stars Kellie Martin (E.R., Life Goes On), Patricia Richardson (Malcolm in the Middle), and LeVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek: TNG).  It was also a backdoor pilot for a possible television series for NBC.  It aired this past Friday night.

Let me start by saying that the only way I knew anything about the movie was from LeVar Burton (@levarburton) on Twitter.  I don’t think NBC or Walmart promoted this movie.  I didn’t see any ads online, on NBC or in any magazine or newspaper.  Which is odd, because NBC is notorious for promoting their productions across all NBC/Universal media.  Apparently, NBC wasn’t going to give Walmart and P & G their money’s (or is it monies’) worth.  Mistake 1: Lack of promotion. 

Mistake #2 is dumping it on Friday night.  Friday night and Saturday night are for shows and original movies to go and die in peace, unless you are the SyFy network, which leads me to….

Mistake #3:  Scheduling it against  SyFy Friday.  I will go as far as to say that most of the people who would watch The Jensen Project are also Eureka fans and are probably going to watch Haven (Based on Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid). I will not assume that everyone has a DVR.

That being said, I think the movie was actually not bad.  It was the type of movie that a family could sit down together and enjoy, thus the whole “Walmart Family Moments” theme.  The writing could have been a little tighter and the characters could have been developed some more.  Personally, I would have introduced The Jensen Project first and began the movie with the dramatic departure of Dr. Edwin Jensen stealing all the projects from the compound, instead of a less significant scene that happens more than half-way into the movie.  I don’t like movies or T.V. shows that start out with a scene that is going to occur later and then jump back with a title card that says “5 Days Ago.”  It only ever works when there is some sort of twist involved, like a main character about to die, or a character doing something that is not in their nature.

The effects weren’t bad considering they probably didn’t have a whole lot of “resources” to produce top flight effects.  The product placement for Walmart’s Great Value brand was entertaining as well as the showcasing of Microsoft’s Kinect (the motion sensor add-on for the XBox 360) All the actors delivered and sold me on their roles despite having mediocre dialogue, but they did as good as you can do with bad writing.  I was completely sold on LeVar Burton as a former NSA operative and Kellie Martin as a genius mom who wasn’t sure of herself.

Should you see it?  If you like shows like Eureka, Chuck, Jake 2.0, and a movie like Spy Kids, you might enjoy this with your kids.  I’d give it 2 1/2 raised fists, but I don’t have any 1/2s, so I’ll give it 3.

Source: Superhero Hype

Superhero Hype posted images from Entertainment Weekly from the set of the upcoming Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds. Tim Robbins plays Senator Hammond, and Angela Bassett plays Dr. Amanda Waller (incidentally, the character is played by Pam Grier in CW’s Smallville). Check out Superhero Hype for the rest of the images.

Related Posts:

Angela Basset Joins Green Lantern

Pam Grier Joins Smallville

Source: Superhero Hype

Here is another shot of Jason Momoa as Conan. Is it me, or does the release of all the pictures and promotional material make it seem like they are over-selling the idea of Momoa as Conan? He looks the part and I don’t really think people need any more convincing. If they want to generate interest, they should release a teaser trailer or something like that. Check out Superhero Hype for more pictures by clicking here.

Source: L.A. Times

The Los Angeles Times posted an image for the movie Thor from Marvel Studios. The picture is of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and Loki (Tim Hiddleston). The only comment that I really have is how badass does Sir Anthony look?

Source: SlashFilm

Maybe it’s just me, but I do want to see this movie. Could it be nostalgia? Probably, but I bet it’s going to be fun.
Thanks to Hanako for the heads up.

The first Iron Man movie was an almost perfect example of how to do a superhero origin movie should be done.  It is easily one of the top 3 comic book movies off all time.  Robert Downey, Jr. returns as Tony Stark.  No the whole world knows that he’s Tony Stark, and as he says in the trailer, “He has privatized world peace.”  He has two villains this time around.  Mickey Rourke plays Ivan Vanko, a Russian scientist who’s plotting his revenge, and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, a business rival of Stark’s.  Scarlett Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff, and Don Cheadle has replaced Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes.  Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury and Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts.

The movie is not as good as the first.  It’s more action packed and has a bit more drama.  But to me it lacked a clear direction in the plot.  The movie does tighten up in towards the end.  I think the problem is that in the first movie, Tony Stark had purpose.  In this movie, there is no real clear purpose in Tony Stark’s actions.  I’m not saying the movie doesn’t have a plot.  It’s just that the movie had scenes that were maybe a little longer than they should have been.

The effects were excellent.  My only problem was that most of the climatic battle was reduced to points of light zig zagging across the screen.

Overall, the acting was good.  Sam Rockwell’s characterization of Justin Hammer was the weakest of the performances.  I know he was going for a little comic relief but he played it over the top in the wrong direction.  He wasn’t smarmy enough and he was way too goofy/silly.  I like Terrance Howard, but he isn’t even in the same acting category as Don Cheadle.  In my opinion Cheadle played Jim Rhodes closer to the comic book than Howard did.  I would have liked to have seen more scenes between Rourke and Downey.  I think not having together a lot more was a waste of talent.  I think one more confrontation between the two of them without suits would have done it for me.

Source: Aint It Cool News

In protest of the recent immigration law passed in Arizona, Robert Rodriguez released a NSFW trailer for Machete, starring Danny Trejo.  The movie opens September 3.  To be honest, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this movie until I saw the cast list.  Where else can you find, Lindsey Lohan, Steven Seagal, Robert Dinero, Jeff Fahey, Jessica Alba, Don Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Cheech Marin all kicking around in the same movie.  Remember, this trailer is NSFW, R-rated, with some strong language and violence.

Not that I’m a huge fan of the Twilight Saga, but I do realize how popular the series is.  I didn’t care too much for Twilight, but I thought New Moon was a vast improvement as far as writing, acting, editing, special effects, etc. etc.  The clips and trailers I have seen so far has shown me that the producers either figured out what was missing in Twilight or got enough money to get it right.  Either way, this movie looks pretty good.

Source: HeyUGuys

Angela Bassett has been cast as Dr. Amanda Waller in Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds.  We last saw Dr. Waller on Smallville being played by Pam Grier.  Dr. Waller is a behind the scenes player in the D.C. universe manipulating the likes of Bruce Wayne, Superman and even Lex Luthor.  She works for the U.S. Government and has been involved in the shadowy governmental agencies like Checkmate and Suicide Squad.  I like both actresses and I like both actresses in the role.  It would have been a nice touch to have Pam do both, but I’m sure there were other considerations involved.  Let’s applaud the fact that a black character from the D.C. universe is being utilized in a major studio film.  I am now 100% behind this movie.  Well, at least until the first trailer comes out.

Also, I just like the fact that I have a reason to post pictures of Angela Bassett.

I admit that I can be more than a little negative about upcoming movies that look like bad ideas.  So, in order to do something different, I am going to write positive things about a movie which should be avoided at all cost.  I am going to give you 10 reasons I am going to go see Conan.

1.  Jason Momoa: I liked Jason Momoa’s character in Stargate: Atlantis.  If he plays Conan with the same amount of intensity that he played Ronin, then you can be sure he’s going to throw everything he has into the role.  I want to see him do well.  The Sci-Fi Fantasy genre could use a good young minority lead actor.

2.  Mickey Rourke: Mickey Rourke will most likely be cast as Conan’s dad.  This is  a good choice.  No one in Hollywood is as rugged and haggard looking as Rourke.  He’s been riding his success in the movie The Wrestler and has turned it into numerous upcoming roles, especially as Whiplash in the upcoming Iron Man sequel.  He’s a great actor, and is especially good at playing characters who aren’t necessarily evil, but have a skewed moral compass.

3.  Conan:  I am a fan of the character Conan.  Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer starring Arnold Schwarzenegger are a couple of my favorite movies.  It makes me happy to see a possibility that the franchise could be resurrected.  Conan the Cimmerian is one of the few comics I follow every month.  He’s a great character who often times finds a way to come out on top no matter the odds.  He’s relentless, unforgiving, and fears nothing.

4.  Arnold Schwarzenegger:  Just a whisper of a rumor that he could make an appearance in the movie.  That would be worth seeing it.

5.  I saw Pathfinder (Marcus Nispel director of Conan, also directed Pathfinder) and 10,000 B.C. in the theaters….If I can spend good movie theater money on them, I can do the same for Conan.

6.  Epic Fantasies are the reason I go to the movies.  And I believe that Conan is going to be an epic fantasy.  The interest level is so high for a Conan movie, and the studio has to be hoping for a franchise, so this has to be bigger than Pathfinder and 10,000 B.C.

7.  Bob Sapp. MMA star Bob Sapp is apparently cast as a villain according to /Film.  Sapp  was pretty impressive in the last match I saw him in.  So, the fight scenes will be good.  And it’ll keep him off the streets.

8.  It’ll be in 3-D more than likely, and I haven’t seen any 3-D movie in the theater, ever.  Not even Avatar.  Actually, when I was 11 I saw Starchaser: The Legend of Orin in 3-D, but I don’t count that. (at least I think I saw it in 3-D)

9.  Djimon Hounsou:  This movie will open up the possibility that the Thulsa  Doom movie starring and produced by Djimon Hounsou will become a reality. Thulsa Doom was an immortal sorcerer who was originally played by James Earl Jones in Conan the Barbarian.  He’s a prominent character in the comics and in.  According to Lobo, this movie will give us a chance to see an African culture that isn’t Egyptian in a movie.

Okay. I came up with 9.  It was an ambitious list to begin with.  Oh, and Conan the Cimmerian or Conan the Barbarian is a character created by Robert E. Howard.  There’s a really good movie called The Whole Wide World starring Vincent D’Onofrio as Howard.  Check it out.

Source: Vulture

Vulture has learned that Warner Bros. is negotiating to reteam with The Book of Eli‘s Hughes brothers to have them direct a live-action remake of the cult favorite Akira, from a script by Iron Man scribes Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. (Akira is being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s company, Appian Way, along with Andrew Lazar, who’s also currently producing an adaptation of DC Comics’ Jonah Hex for Warners.)

Source: Dailyrecord

“It has been really fun playing a goddess, I have to say. She’s wild. It is full-on flirtatiousness.”

This depiction of Hell is sumptuous, decadent and dark, all candlelight and high ceilings full of Gothic detail. In Greek mythology, Persephone is abducted by Hades and tricked into becoming his wife and Queen of the Underworld .

She is also the goddess of springtime and Rosario first thought of wearing robes and flowers. But the actress wanted to go for a modern look with “chipped nail polish and lace” rather than a T-shirt and mini skirt.

Instead, she wears a bustle and corset. She said: “It’s a little darker and grungier, a gothic image that I think is quite fascinating.

“It is fun to reinterpret the myths surrounding her and try to imagine her and place her in this world.

“She’s very bitter and angry. She is violent and aggressive and it’s fascinating because she also has innocence and sweetness and childlike qualities when she’s not being completely bitter.

“She is also very lustful.”

Source:  stuff.co

Rihanna is set to play a dominatrix alongside Samuel L Jackson.

The singer has long spoken of her desire to branch out into film, and has even taken acting lessons to help her hone her skill. She has now won a part on new movie The Last Dragon, a remake of the 1985 film about a boy on a quest to become one of the best martial artists in the world.

Samuel will star as the evil Sho’nuff in the movie, and Rihanna is thrilled at the prospect of working with him.

“She has landed an incredibly challenging role alongside Samuel L Jackson. But it’s not a part for the faint-hearted,” a source told British newspaper The Daily Mirror. “She will play a super sexy, super kinky dominatrix in the martial arts flick.”

The 21-year-old has apparently been asked to fully research her role before shooting begins, and is contemplating spending time at a fetish club for inspiration. “She has been told to look into the role – and this could well include a trip to an S&M dungeon.”

Source: Variety

Vin Diesel is going back to the future to topline and produce a third chapter in the “Chronicles of Riddick” franchise.

Universal will handle domestic distribution on the sci-fi film, which is titled “Riddick.” Lionsgate is selling international rights at the Berlin Film Festival.

David Twohy — who wrote and directed the first two films in the series, “Pitch Black” and “The Chronicles of Riddick” — will helm from a screenplay he penned.

Plot details are being kept under wraps. But insiders say the third outing will hew closer in tone to the cult hit “Pitch Black” and will focus on the character of Riddick as opposed to the universe he inhabits, which was the case with the critically panned “Chronicles of Riddick.” Still, “Chronicles of Riddick” earned $116 million worldwide and spawned a successful vidgame series.

Dates are being worked out for “Riddick” so as not to overlap with Universal’s fifth installment of “Fast and Furious,” which will shoot sometime this year with Diesel onboard to star and produce.

Diesel and Samantha Vincent are producing “Riddick” through their One Race Films banner. Radar Films’ Ted Fields is also producing.

Twohy most recently wrote and directed “A Perfect Getaway.” 

Comic book Resources has a interview with Denzel Washington on his his new film “Book of Eli” opening January 16th.   Here’s a few excerpts.

When asked how Eli was different from roles he has taken on in the past, Washington replied, “Most of the characters I play, there’s been some kind of evolution – spiritual evolution. Even Malcolm X, who went from hatred to a complete different doctrine.” The personal journey of the character is key to the decisions Washington has made in his choice of characters over his career. “Even something as dark as ‘Training Day,’ the first thing I wrote on my script was, ‘the wages of sin is death.’ So, in the original version of ‘Training Day,’ they had him dying in the smallest way – you heard about it on TV. I said no. In order for me to justify living in the worst way, I had to die in the worst way. So there was still, in my mind, a lesson to be learned or an evolution.” He continued this line of thinking by moving on to discuss “Man on Fire.” “Same thing; a very dark man meets this young angel who awakens him and he gives his life for her.”

From there, Washington made the connection to Eli. “He has this mission, and this mission has turned him into this violent killing machine. There’s coincidence that, at the moment when he’s about to chop whoever with this hatchet, this axe, this young girl says ‘Stop.’ Why was he sent through this town right before he makes it to where he’s supposed to go? He could’ve gone around and it [would have] been a whole different story, but in his spiritual evolution, this was a part of the process. He had to go down through the valley of the shadow of death.

Denzel Washington to star in the “The Book of Eli”, directed by Hughes Brothers

This will be quick.  The Mayans predicted that the Earth has an expiration date. (Unfortunately, some people went and talked to some Mayans and they looked at them like they were crazy, so apparently the Mayans have no idea what we are talking about).  The best thing about this movie were the effects.  The amount of detail that was put into the destruction of some of our treasured landmarks was some of the finest special effects I have seen in a long while.  If you are a fan of catastrophe or disaster movies, then this movie will be right up your alley.  There are many explosions, crashes, and even a dog (a must in good disaster flicks.).

Don’t tell me War Machine doesn’t give you chills.

Source: Superhero Hype

Idris Elba was cast as Heimdall, the Asgardian who stands guard on the BiFrost Bridge.  He joins Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Colm Feore, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard, and Stuart Townsend.

I think this is great. Elba is one of the premiere black actors and doesn’t get nearly the pub that he should.  He would’ve been my pick for any numerous black superheroes, but this is a perfect role for him. Props to Marvel for making this move.

It’s been a couple of years since I posted this, so I thought that it was time to bring it back.

In true blogger Halloween tradition, I decided to do a horror movie list. They aren’t the greatest horror movies you’ll find, but each of them have a certain charm that can’t be denied.

1. Blacula (1972)

How can you not include this movie on a list like this? It is a classic.

2. Scream Blacula Scream (1973)The only sequel on the list. But a horror movie with the Queen (IMHO) of Blaxploitation movies, Pam Grier, is definitely a movie you should see.

3. J.D.’s Revenge (1976)

I saw this movie one late night and was captivated. I just kept saying to myself, “That’s Col. Taylor?!?” (only Different World fans will understand.)

4. Petey Wheatstraw (1977)

Rudy Ray Moore BKA Dolemite, is a candidate to become the Devil’s son-in-law. To me, this movie was the epitome of black exploitation films. That being said, it’s pure classic comedy, with a little creepiness mixed in.

5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Here’s two trivia freebies: Name the movie which starred the first African-American in the lead role in a horror movie? What movie was the first time a black actor was cast as the lead in a major motion picture that did not specify the part had to be played by a black actor? This movie is often overlooked as revolutionary for the black actor in Hollywood. On top of that, this is a George Romero masterpiece.

6. Def By Temptation (1990)

This bit of modern blaxploitation has some great memorable comedic moments. The movie is no masterpiece, but all the actors give great performances. It doesn’t have as much camp as the wacky so-called horror movies today, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

7. Candyman (1992)

Tony Todd still scares me till this day. I scared my little brother out of his mind by saying Candyman in the mirror several times. (I stopped before completing the ritual, not because I was scared).

8. Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

This is actually one of my favorite Eddie Murphy films. Angela Bassett. It’s a pretty good vampire movie which harkens back to Blacula. Angela Bassett. Kadeem Hardison shows up again on this list in another Vampire flick, but he turns in a good performance just like he did in Def By Temptation, only this time he’s a ghoul. Angela Bassett. There’s one other reason I liked the movie, but I can’t think of it right now.

9. Spawn (1997)

Can’t have this list without a Demon. Spawn is a Demon, right? I think this movie is what contributed to the success of the Blade franchise by paving the way for mainstream acceptance, outside of the comic book world, an African-American superhero. I like Blade, but Spawn is just as good.

10. Gothika (2003)

Alright, it’s not a great movie, but it’s Halle Berry locked in an insane asylum for the brutal murder of her husband. She hacked away at him with an axe. The movie is beautifully shot and a technical achievement in cinematography. It also has (Spoiler) possession, ghost, psychopaths, and torture.

Honorable Mention

Blade (1998)

I put this here because it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, but this list already had too many vampire movies on it.

Heres a few excerpts from the interview at CBR

Were there any ideas that you had about the character that you were able to bring to the film?

Well, mostly it was based off the script, what the dynamics were and what was already kind of established. But I just really had more questions than answers about the relationship. When I looked back over the comic books, all of the different iterations of Iron Man and Rhodey that there have been, the one thing that seemed like it was always there was this friendship. There was a real friendship and underlying kinship. I was always asking, “Where did it come from? What’s it based on? How tenuous is it, now that Tony is kind of a free agent and Rhodey is a military man? How does that work?” That’s what drove my questions about our relationship for the whole movie.

Fans were extremely excited when they heard Rhodey’s “Next time, baby!” line spoken in the first movie. How does it feel to fulfill that promise in this film and what’s it like to put on the War Machine armor?

Well, it was amazing. [Comic-Con] was the first time I’d seen that footage, so I didn’t know what to expect. In a movie like this, you do your performance and then you hand it off. Then teams of people flesh it out and create what we saw, so you have to trust a lot. But wearing the suit, it’s heavy this is true.

Were you a fan of the superhero genre before shooting this film? Was playing a superhero something you always wanted to do?

Sure. You fantasize about it as a kid and think it would be a lot of fun. Then you’re 40 and you’re like, “Nah.” But I saw the first “Iron Man” and I just really enjoyed it. I thought they did a great job. They were able to really combine the CGI and the pyrotechnics with some real character stuff going on, so I thought it was a very interesting mix. When I got the call I had to ponder it for a while but ultimately I thought, “Yeah, this is a good thing to do.”

Finally, we get to see a glimpse of what all the hoopla is about.  At first glance, it looks good.  Okay, maybe better than good.  It seems as though James Cameron has once again topped himself.

Source: Sci-Fi Wire

This is called “Meet Jacob Black".

Why is the only brother in the series a bad vampire who’s obviously going to get killed for messing with the main character?  At least Native Americans get represented well in this flick.

Source: IMDB

According to IMDB, Brad Pitt has agreed to portray Sherlock Holmes nemesis in the upcoming Guy Ritchie movie starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law.   Honestly, I didn’t really see the point of doing a Sherlock Holmes big budget flick without Moriarty in at least a cameo.  Now, my feelings are justified.  It seems the studio isn’t happy with the rough cut.  However, I am going to side with the studio on this one.  Sherlock Holmes isn’t Sherlock Holmes without a Moriarty.  Eve if it is just to set up the sequels, I think a cameo by his greatest foe would be welcome, especially for Sherlock Holmes fans like me.

Sherlock Holmes hits theaters this Christmas.  Guy Ritchie directs Robert Downey, Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson.

Let me start this review by saying that I liked the movie.  It was a fun ride.  Plenty of action, explosions, and effects.  Now, that being said, I had some issues.  But let’s start with the good things.

The effects were good.  I thought the action was well paced, and the story line was easy to follow.  I have to eat crow on something.  I had said previously that I the Waynans brother was going to make the movie unwatchable.  He didn’t do too bad of a job.  He wasn’t over the top as he is prone to be, and his comic relief didn’t take away from the story or anyone else’s screen time. The movie benefits from a plethora of sold performances led by Christopher Eccleston as James “Destro” McCullen,  Ray Park and Byung-hun Lee brought some excitement with all their scenes, together and separate, as Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.  All the cool tech, especially the holographic communicators.  The S.H.A.R.C.s were cool, even though there was no Deep Six.

Problems:  The Cobra Commander’s mask at the end: Lame. The obvious nods to fans (Look at that. Real American Heroes…It comes with Kung-fu grip) Lame.  For fear of spoiling too much, there is a character who switches sides and loses everything that ever made that character appealing.  I could have used more characters mentions or cameos, like Deep Six, Shipwreck, Flint, etc.  The accelerator suits. Lame and unnecessary. Oh and as Lobo pointed out to me, the obvious Star Wars references especially towards the end of the movie.  Lame.

Overall, I enjoyed watching the movie.  And I would recommend it for anyone who was a fan of the cartoon series or the toys.  But don’t expect too much when you go see it.

Source:  Trailer Park Myspace Blog

Here’s a preview image of Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) as Freddy Krueger.  Nightmare on Elm Street is coming to the theaters in 2010.

Just wanted to share something I found.   Starwars.com has a new sound board.  You can hear audio clips from the films or create your own mix.

If  your familiar with the terms “Kiss my Converse” or “Now, when I say, “Who’s da mastah?” you say, “Sho’nuff!” means you have  watched “The Last Dragon”  at least once.     If you don’t here the plot  a black teenage martial arts student named Leroy Green (often referred to as “Bruce Leroy”, although he never actually calls himself that). With dreams of becoming a great martial artist like his idol Bruce Lee, Leroy goes on a quest to achieve the highest level of martial arts accomplishment, known as “The Final Level”. Martial artists who reach the “Final Level” possess “The Glow”. As its name suggests it is a mystical energy that can be tapped into by a martial arts master. When a fighter’s hands glow, he is one of the best in the world and when his entire body glows, he is the greatest fighter alive. On his journey to becoming the “Last Dragon” and wielding the power of “The Glow,” Leroy must confront villains such as a crooked arcade mogul Eddie Arkadian (Murney) and the evil Sho’nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, from whom he must also protect his younger brother Richie (Leo O’Brien) and his love interest, TV music video host Laura Charles (Vanity)

So what happened to the star after the film.   Well here’s a update from his website.    

Taimak has appeared in over a dozens plays, including Roadhouse in 2004 at the Barrow Street Theater in New York City, playing the notable role of Dalton in this zanny comedy rendition of Patrick Swayzes 80′s cult classic film. *Taimak is happy to announce he will be teaming up again with the highly inventive Roadhouse director Timothy Haskell and well known playwright Eric Sanders for an original stageplay to open this December in New York City, he will be posting all the information in his monthly newsletter. He also appeared in Cheaters in 2006, playing the role of Craig during the play’s highly successful national tour. You may also remember him as Janet Jackson’s boyfriend in her video “Let’s Wait A’While.”

Taimak has also worked with Madonna as her martial arts coordinator on her Madonna’s Drowned World Tour, and with the rock group Bush on their “Chemical Between Us” video. He has guest starred on several television shows, including Ally McBeal, A Different World, and Third Watch. Currently Taimak has developed a wellness program for young people and is bringing it to communities all over the states. Also Sony Pictures has taken on producing a remake of The Last Dragon. Samuel L. Jackson signed on to play “Shonuff” in the new updated version, look out for Taimak to be in the film aswell. 2009 is promised to be a exciting year 

It’s taken me a few days to get my thoughts together.  Actually, I enjoyed the movie so much that I didn’t think it would be fair to write a review so soon after seeing the movie.  So, I waited until now since I have had time to digest everything and for the initial shock to wear off.  Let me start by saying it was difficult to not get hopes up for this movie. Star Trek wasn’t completely original (time travel, Khan-like revenge), but it did it in such a refreshing way.  Let me get to it.

Casting was perfect.  Chris Pine didn’t try to imitate Shatner’s Kirk, in fact, he made the role his own.  Zachary Quinto shed his Sylar skin, and became Spock.  The best casting, however, was Karl Urban as McCoy, and Simon Pegg as Scotty.  Karl Urban had the mannerisms and the vocal inflection down.  It went beyond an imitation. Simon Pegg brought his quirkiness and comedic timing to a character that always seemed to bring humor the crew.  Any movie with Bruce Greenwood (Capt. Christopher Pike) is automatically 10 times better.  He brought a gravitas and authority to his role as the no nonsense Captain/Academic .Without going on about everyone, everyone performed their roles well.  Oh, Eric Bana’s measured performance as the snarky villainous Nero was scary. 

The effects were great.  ILM who provided the effects didn’t any models in the space scenes.  If I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.  The only problem that I had was J.J. Abrams overuse of flare.  I know he was going for a style, but after so many, it wasn’t special. 

Star Trek, to me, is the best Sci-Fi movie since the Matrix, and the best action movie since Transformers.  I expect there will be more.  And I can’t wait.

Great start for Trek it opens with 72.5 million for the weekend (76.5 million if you count Thursday) .   It fell short of my prediction of 90 million,  I guess I was a victim to fanboy hype.     It also got a boost from the Imax showings.   The weekend BO was pretty close to industry expectations meaning it was a successful weekend.  

If your still puzzled by what happened take a look below  at other Trek films and the opening weekend BO adjusted for inflation.   In comparison to the other films its a hit.   

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979): $34,668,706 (opening weekend)/ $239,115,674 (cume)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982): $35,038,451 / $192,290,437
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984): $35,629,102 / $163,237,856
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986): $32,671,686 / $212,328,919
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989): $31,267,457 / $93,951,918
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991): $30,976,050 / $127,720,425
Star Trek: Generations (1994): $39,707,107 / $129,980,545
Star Trek: First Contact (1996): $49,896,339 / $149,493,266
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998): $33,761,058 / $107,451,468
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002): $22,918,195 / $53,387,173

Wolverine dropped 68% over the weekend with 50% being the make or break point for the second weekend.   Does this mean it doesn’t have the legs to be a big hit?    I think the answer to the questions is it depends.    A 68% drop is huge and looks bad until you factor in the fact that Star Trek was released the next weekend.     

Source:  Trekmovie.com

Here’s a few excerpts:

TrekMovie: What are some of your favorite movies?

Saldana: Blade Runner. I grew up in a sci-fi environment and am a huge sci-fi fanatic so Ripley [Alien] and Sarah Connor [Terminator] are some of my favorite characters of all time. I am driven toward women who are very strong and commanding and kick alien ass and all that stuff, and also kiss aliens. I would say Blade Runner, and The Hunger, which is one of Tony Scott’s first films. I saw it when I was very young, I think I saw it when I was nine or ten, I fell completely in love with the movie. It felt completely dark and hopeless because these people were eternally condemned and unable to love. And Blade Runner, I knew watching Blade Runner, and Dune, that I wasn’t old enough to understand the concept. But the fact that I was to grow older and be able to one day look at it and go ‘I get this now’ was so exciting to me at the age of five. 

*** slight spoiler below the break  ***

 

TrekMovie: You mention kissing aliens, so I can’t help but bring up something. I would say as a Trekkie it was the most surprising thing about this film. Were you nervous about the love connection with Spock and tell me how you prepared for it.

Saldana: I thought JJ [Abrams] was out of his mind when he and Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman decided to take that route. My concerns was what effect it was going to have on the fan community and whether or not it was going to go according to what they had known for so long. But at the same time there was no way to disprove that something like that had taken place before on the Enterprise. So after I gave myself that permission I allowed myself to go back to the script and read the story and focus on these characters and their journey and it made perfect sense to me. He is half human, half Vulcan, at some point if he was only going to be a Vulcan man, then why even make him half human. You are constantly waiting for him to break. It is that battle that makes Spock who he is and connects Spock to the beautiful friendship he has with Kirk and keeps him connected on a sensitive level when it comes to life. And I felt Uhura was a very commanding and — Nichelle [Nichol]’s Uhura was just so sexy and she always had things together and she had a swagger to her that was absolutely sensuous but confident. And she had already gotten there. I couldn’t necessarily start here there because there would be no journey for her. She was definitely very determined and a very strong woman and really wanted to be on that Enterprise and be the xenolinguistics expert since she was like five years old. So who else but Spock for her to look up to and have an infatuation with, more than Kirk.

We all know that the opening weekend will make or break a movie.  That being said I think Wolverine will earn about 90 million this weekend.   I think the leaked version will have a impact on the overall number, but not as much as people think.  I have seen polls where 60% of the those who downloaded it still plan on going to the theater to see it.  This means they are either liars or enjoyed it enough to see it again.   Also, the word on the street is that Wolverine is outselling Ironman 3 to 1 in advanced ticket sales.    I guess we will know Monday if I was or not.

=.

Source:  Black Voices

Here’s a few excerpts:

What was your reaction when you heard that a work print of ‘Wolverine’ had been released on the Web?

Will.i.Am: My first thoughts were that authorities need to move really fast to bring resolution to this madness. In my industry, piracy has crippled and destroyed it. It was a billion-dollar business at one point in time. That’s not the case anymore. There are no more record stores. Four years ago, we had tons of Virgin Mega Stores and Sam Goody stores. Those stores are gone now. Think of all the jobs, from interns to product managers, engineers, studio managers and many more, that are gone because of the piracy in the music industry. Now, it’s affecting the movie business, and the next one to be leaked will probably be something bigger. Our arts that the world loves and celebrates and enjoys are part of the American culture. We need to preserve the art and allow it to strive and continue to be a business. Certain countries are known for their exports, like Columbia is known for their coffee beans. I’m pretty sure their government goes a long way to protect that image. We’re known for our arts, so someone needs to protect what we deliver to the rest of the world

Did you do anything to get into character?

Will.i.Am: Yeah. I put on that outfit. I didn’t have to get all machismo like other dudes. Although it would have been fun to do that, it wouldn’t have been effective. For me, it was more research and bringing in the right emotion to show that bond. What’s cool about my character is that he can be best friends with the baddest of the baddest. He’s humble, but he’s not the sort of dude you want to mess with. He’s approachable and likable.

Source:  CBR

Comicbookresources has a interview with Common about his role in Terminator: Salvation (opening May 21st),  the Justice League movie,  and building a niche as a genre actor.

Just thought I would list a couple of the DVDs being released today.    The Star Trek Blu-ray is interesting to me because I wonder how many people have bought these episodes onVHS, then on DVD and now on Blu-Ray.    I missed the release of Caprica last week on DVD.   I wonder if the DVD first strategy works out better financially for the Sci-fi channel.   Im starting to think it does because they  have already done it a couple of times with the Stargate DVD’s    

Star Trek: The Original Series – Season 1 [Blu-ray]

X-Men, Volume 1 (Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection)

Marvel X-Men Volume 2 (2-Disc)

Caprica

Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 4

Nothing to speak of this week other than Dragonball dropped like a rock to # 11 but that was to be expected, its total so far is $7,934,562.    Good new is that its less than 10 days before Wolverine: Origins.    In case your wondering Watchmen is at $106,848,750 after 17 weeks.    

Check this out.

Battle Beyond the Stars was one of my favorite sci-fi movies as a kid.  I know that it has a lot of similarities to Star Wars, but it actually is supposed to be a space version of the Magnificent Seven.

Hi guys, it’s Hanako, the Potter Geek returning to Black Geekdom after a long absence (caused in large part to Warner Bros. decision to postpone the release of Half-Blood Prince to this summer). But anyhoo! Now that the release is less than 4 months away and Deathly Hallows has begun filming, it’s time to update you all on what’s going on in the Potterverse. (Warning: this post will contain casting information and potential movie spoilers).

Half-Blood Prince
Finally! We are getting closer to the long-awaited release of Half-Blood Prince, which will open in theaters and IMAX on July 17, 2009. Recently, the Japanese International trailer was released, and it can be viewed here.

Other videos:
International Featurette
Regal First Look

You can also find out current HBP information by visiting the official website.

Deathly Hallows
Release dates:
Part 1 – November 19, 2010
Part 2 – July 15, 2011

Casting News: Recently, the casting of several key characters have been confirmed, suggesting that Warner Bros. will try with the final two movies to make up for the mistakes/omissions they made in the first 5 (or 6, depending on how HBP turns out). DH see the return of Dobby the House-Elf, along with Mr. Ollivander and (possibly) Fleur Delacour. Other casting notables include Bill Weasley (finally!), Mundungus Fletcher, Xenophilius Lovegood, Aberforth Dumbledore, and Reg Cattermole, among others.

With the casting news has come confirmations of several key scenes being filmed, including the much-debated Epilogue, Malfoy Manor, Shell Cottage, and possibly the Bill/Fleur wedding.

With the casting of these characters with small yet significant roles, as well as some of the key scenes that made DH the best book in the series (in my humble opinion, of course), it seems as though WB will use the two-movie arc to fully play out the final chapter in Harry’s story, which is as it should be.

Source:  MovieWeb

Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace) has signed on to play Io in the Clash of the Titans remake starring Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation).  I didn’t even know that there was going to be a remake.  Scheduled for release in 2010, there should be mounting anticipation.  Since most geeks I know grew up watching the original move.  I seem to find myself watching it whenever I see it on TV.  The effects were good for the time and Ray Harryhausen was a master monster maker.

Sam Worthington may be a fine actor, but he’s no Harry Hamlin.

Source:  LatinoReview

Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law as Watson, and Rache McAdams, is due out Christmas of 2009.

I thought the movie was good.  I thought the acting was solid, the effects were done well, and I thought it stayed true to the comic.  The ending in the movie was much more believable than the ending in the comic.  My expectations weren’t that high.

Zach Snyder shows that he knows how to turn a graphic novel into a movie.  He takes the panels, as he did in 300, and makes them his story boards.  I did have a problem with a couple of scenes of Dr. Manhattan (no, not the blue dongle, that was more or less a slightly humorous distraction).  There were a couple of scenes where he looked like glowing blue modeling clay.  But it was okay since it had to be difficult to make him believable on film.  The makeup making the young actors of the Minutemen look older, didn’t bother me either.

My suggestion is don’t go see this movie if you want to see a superhero movie.  To me, that’s not what it is.  Its just like the comic.  More or less a discussion on the failings of human nature and how it affects anyone calling themselves a hero.  Watchmen is always hailed as a “deconstruction” of comic book superheroes, but I don’t think anyone who says that even knows what literary deconstruction is, but that’s a discussion for another time.

BTW:  Two black people.  One died and the other was a psychiatrist.  I consider that a wash.

I highlighted my picks,  I have a few gripes, the awards are  given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror for the genre.   Do you remember the sketch  on Sesame Street, where they made you pick the thing of item that didn’t belong with the rest.   I feel like somebody at the academy needed to watch more Sesame Street as a child, because Gran Torino, The Closer, and Breaking Bad aren’t genre shows.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 35th ANNUAL SATURN AWARDS

FILM

Science Fiction Film
“The Day the Earth Stood Still”
“Eagle Eye”
“The Incredible Hulk”
“Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
“Iron Man”
“Jumper”

Fantasy Film
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Hancock”
“The Spiderwick Chronicles”
“Twilight”
“Wanted”

Horror Film
“The Happening”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”
“Quarantine”
“Splinter”
“The Strangers”

Action / Adventure / Thriller Film
“Changeling”
“The Dark Knight”
“Gran Torino”
“Quantum of Solace”
“Traitor”
“Valkyrie”

Actor
Christian Bale, “The Dark Knight”
Tom Cruise, “Valkyrie”
Robert Downey, Jr.. “Iron Man”
Harrison Ford, “Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Will Smith, “Hancock”

Actress
Cate Blanchett, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Dark Knight”
Angelina Jolie. “Changeling”
Julianne Moore, “Blindness”
Emily Mortimer, “Transsiberian”
Gwyneth Paltrow, “Iron Man”

Supporting Actor
Jeff Bridges, “Iron Man”
Aaron Eckhart, “The Dark Knight”
Woody Harrelson, “Transsiberian”
Shia LaBeouf, “Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Bill Nighy, “Valkyrie”

Supporting Actress
Joan Allen, “Death Race”
Judi Dench, “Quantum of Solace”
Olga Kurylenko, “Quantum of Solace”
Tilda Swinton, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Charlize Theron, “Hancock”
Carice Van Houten, “Valkyrie”

Performance by a Younger Actor
Freddie Highmore, “The Spiderwick Chronicles”
Lina Leandersson, “Let the Right One In”
Dev Patel, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Jaden Christopher Smith, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”
Catinca Untaru, “The Fall”
Brandon Walters, “Australia”

Director
Clint Eastwood, “Changeling”
Jon Favreau, “Iron Man”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”
Bryan Singer, “Valkyrie”
Steven Spielberg, “Indiana Jones & Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”
Andrew Stanton, “Wall-E”

Writing
Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby ,Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, “Iron Man”
David Koepp, John Kamps, “Ghost Town”
John Ajvide Lindqvist, “Let the Right One In”
Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”
Eric Roth, “Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
J. Michael Straczynski, “Changeling”

TELEVISION

Network Television Series
“Fringe”
“Heroes”
“Life On Mars”
“Lost”
“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”
“Supernatural”

Syndicated / Cable Television Series
“Battlestar Galactica”
“The Closer”
“Dexter”
“Leverage”
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
“True Blood”

Presentation on Television
“24: Redemption”
“The Andromeda Strain”
“Breaking Bad”
“Jericho”
“The Last Templar”
“The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice”

Actor in Television
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”
Matthew Fox, “Lost”
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Timothy Hutton, “Leverage”
Edward James Olmos, “Battlestar Galactica”
Noah Wiley, “The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice”

Actress in Television
Lena Headey, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”
Jennifer Love Hewitt, “The Ghost Whisperer”
Evangeline Lilly, “Lost”
Mary McDonnell, “Battlestar Galactica”
Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”
Anna Torv, “Fringe”

Supporting Actor in Television
Henry Ian Cusick, “Lost”
Thomas Dekker, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”
Michael Emerson, “Lost”
Josh Holloway, “Lost”
Adrian Pasdar, “Heroes”
Milo Ventimiglia, “Heroes”

Supporting Actress in Television
Jennifer Carpenter, “Dexter”
Summer Glau, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”
Yunjin Kim, “Lost”
Elizabeth Mitchell, “Lost”
Hayden Panettiere, “Heroes”
Katee Sackhoff, “Battlestar Galactica”

Guest Starring Role in a Television Series
Kristen Bell, “Heroes”
Alan Dale, “Lost”
Kevin Durand, “Lost”
Robert Forster, “Heroes”
Jimmy Smits, “Dexter”
Sonya Walger, “Lost”

Ewoks, Sarlaac Pit, Luke vs. the Rancor, and Leia as Jabba’s slavel,  ‘nuff said.

Terminator: Salvation director McG on wanting Will Smith for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: “I definitely like the idea of Will Smith. I’ve made that very clear. I like the idea of breaking down any racial barriers and taking the idea of what people perceive to be a period film and turning it on it’s ear. And we have a few interesting way to deal with that as well… Because I think he can handle it. It’s basically a guy at war, with war itself. And I don’t want it to be so dark as to be prophetsorial [sic] and to feel like a history lesson. It has to have a journey component to it so it makes you want to get out of your cubicle and your small life and go live in a world larger than your accustomed to. For that I think you need somebody to take you with them, and like I said that’s a short list.”

Slightly better than the first trailer.  Which isn’t really saying a whole lot.

Source:  USA Today

I am posting it because I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and Robert Downey, Jr.  The movie is due out in November.  I recommend reading the article.

There were some really bad sci-fi movies this year.  I chose to spotlight two that, well, I thought I liked when I was a kid.  But I realize now that they are terrible.  First, there was the movie The Wraith starring Charlie Sheen.  Is it horror?  Maybe, maybe not.  Is it sci-fi?  Maybe, maybe not.  Is it bad?  Definitely.  Unless you were just into Charlie Sheen, I doubt if you you’d make it 10 minutes into this movie before finding something more pressing to do like pulling out your toenails, or going to the dentist to get those cavities filled. 

Second. Superman IV:  The Quest for Peace.  A good idea that went bad.  Nuclear Man….No, seriously, Nuclear Man.  The death of a franchise. If you haven’t seen it, don’t.  If you have seen it, you have my sympathy.

Why couldn’t they put John Wraith (Will.I.Am.) in the poster?

Spaceballs is considered a comedy classic.  I say it’s more of a cult classic, but it is also a sci-fi movie.  It was funny when I saw it as a kid, and as an adult, I still think it has some funny parts.  The scene where the black guys are coming the desert with a pick is just classic.

To me, The Running Man is one of Arnold’s great movies.  Okay, the movie might seem hookie to you, but where else would you find Yaphet Kotto, Maria Conchita Alonso, Richard Dawson, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, Mick Fleetwood and Dweezil Zappa all in a science fiction movie based on a book written by Steven King?

Beginning this week, Blackgeekdom will highlight one year for its scifi and comic releases.  This week we will highlight 1987.  The year sparked the beginning of one franchise, and the crash and burn of another.  There were some classic comic book releases, and some innovations in scifi on television.  Feel free to share your memories of this year, if you are old enough to have any, or maybe you just want to forget the year altogether. 

We will kick off today with a movie.  Now a cult classic, this Oscar winning movie ( no really, it had three nominations and one win) took law enforcement to the next level.  Robocop was marred by by not only two movies, but several failed attempts to be made into a successful video game franchise.  However, the movie stands alone as a vision of the future which isn’t that far fetched.  This is the original theatrical trailer.

Source:  The Los Angeles Times

It’s being reported that talks have broken down between Samuel L. Jackson and Marvel about reprising his role as the one-eyed superspy and Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.  To me, it sounds like these hard economic times are making the fledgling movie studio is tightening its budget (taking into account its breakdown of talks with Terrance Howard), especially with the slate of future movies that it has already announced.  Maybe Marvel thinks it can sell its movies just based on characters and fanboys alone.  But I hope they realize that mainstream consumers aren’t interested in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, but do want to see the actors they know in big action movies.

If this interests you, please read the L.A. Times article by Geoff Boucher.

It’s in Japanese, but you get the picture.  I think as crazy as this sounds, it looks interesting.  I think it looks better than that stuff the people doing Dragonball has been putting out.

Source:  Empire Magazine, USA Today

If Michael Bay delivers the way he did in the first movie, I wouldn’t be surprised if they set box office records.  I do wonder why they let so many images leak so early.  Click the images for a closer look.

Source:  IGN

I called it, sort of.  (Thor Has a Director).  Kevin McKidd is in talks to play the Norse God of Thunder.  This was reported by IGN straight from McKidd himself.  I think he’d be perfect.  The only other person who comes close to the gravitas he would bring would be Karl Urban.  But if they wanted to go young, I wouldn’t have a problem with True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgard.

McKidd seems to be as excited about Kenneth Branagh directing as I am.  This movie would make a perfect complement to Iron Man if done properly.

My only problem is that I am still stumped on who to play Captain America.

I promise this is my last post about Dragonaball, at least until the movie comes out.  Don’t get me wrong, I am going to see it, but I just don’t plan on getting my hopes high.  But, this trailer does show that there is potential.  It seems as iff they spent most of the budget on the special effects and Chow Yun Fat, and not much of anything else.

Source:  Superherohype

I have always found the story or Atlantis fascinating.  Even more so, the idea that they are still around and are going to come back and put our civilization in its place.  And that is the story in this series.  Seismic activity causes Atlantis to rise and a war between the surface dwellars and the Atlanteans commences.  I don’t know if these issues are what they are talking about, but I still thought the cover art on these were nice.

The Terminator films (we are going to ignore the disaster known as T3) combined with the television show is slowly becoming one of the better genre franchises. I hope this trailer and the film increase the ratings for the show. If your not watching the show your missing out.

If the movie is anywhere as good as the trailer, then I am officially hyped.

The new watchmen trailer is online.  Every trailer gets me more excited.  I wonder if comic fans are the only ones excited about this film?  I hope not. 

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Jackson will play Sho’nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, a role played in the original by the late Julius Carry, whose spiel included asking ego-driven questions like “Am I the baddest mofo lowdown around this town?” Each time his gang of thugs answered, “Sho ’nuff!”

The updated plot will be along the same lines of the original, centering on young martial arts student Leroy Green in his quest through the streets of New York to achieve the highest level of martial arts accomplishment, known as the Last Dragon. Those who achieve the high ranking possess the Glow, making them the greatest fighter alive.

The original, which also starred one-namers Taimak and then-Prince protege Vanity, was released in March 1985 by TriStar Pictures and received lukewarm reviews by critics like Roger Ebert, who gave it 2 1/2 stars and said it was a “great near-miss.”

Despite the reviews, “Last Dragon” did well at the boxoffice, grossing nearly $26 million. It soon became a cult classic for scenes like Bruce Lee follower Green remaining so loyal to the martial arts star that he eats his popcorn in a movie theater with chopsticks.

Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada.

Who didn’t ever wish they were Alex Rogan?

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Read Entertainment Weekly’s cover story article here.

Let’s join to rest of the net and post these pictures.

Okay, it does look like some warped version of Heroes, or even an alternate version of X-Men.  But I think this might be a pretty good action movie.  I wasn’t even going to watch the trailer myself, but I couldn’t resist Djimon Hounsou playing a badass and the always cute Dakota Fanning.

Souce:  The Hollywood Reporter

Due to reported disputes over cash, Terrence Howard will not be reprising his role as Jim Rhodes, AKA War Machine, in Iron Man 2.  The movie is scheduled to be released in May 2010.  Marvel, which has been chomping at the bit to cast Cheadle in something, has approached him to take over the role.

If you asked me, Cheadle would not have been my first choice as a replacement.  His is a great actor, one of the best out there right now.  And if anyone who is miscast could over come it, he could.  Nevertheless, its going to be hard to picture him as Rhodes.   The true test for me will be how he does in Traitor.  If he can convince me that he’s a superspy/action hero in that movie, then I will be all aboard.  If not, well, we’ll just have to see. 

This movie sounds better and better, a Hulk vs (Iron man, Thor, Captain America,  etc.)  in a film is too good to be true.   You cant pass that up.   In the comics the Avengers came together to stop a rampaging Hulk( who was manipulated by Loki Thor’s brother).   In comic book style the team up to fight the true villain Loki.     I have a feeling that Marvel is planning a film that’s based on the Ultimates Vol. 1 ( where General Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.establishes a strike force of government-sponsored meta humans which includes Captain America; scientist couple Henry and Janet Pym (Giant-Man and the Wasp); Bruce Banner (the Hulk) and Tony Stark (Iron Man). Together they are based at the S.H.I.E.L.D facility, the Triskelion. When Banner injects himself with the super-soldier serum and goes on a bloody rampage as the Hulk, he is eventually stopped by the other metahumans with the aid of Thor. The team then join forces with the mutants Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch and agents Hawkeye and Black Widow against the alien shape-shifters the Chitauri, who are defeated.)

Source: MTVNews

Everything in the Marvel Film Universe is leading to the eventual superhero tag team-up, “The Avengers,” with Iron Man, Ant-Man, Thor, and Captain America all fighting side-by-side. What possible villain could compete with that?

“The Incredible Hulk” director Louis Leterrier told MTV News this past June that he didn’t think any villain could, and suggested that they use a hero instead: his.

“Iron Man” writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, who themselves may be writing another Marvel movie in the near future, couldn’t agree more, they told MTV News, insisting that everything is building towards making The Hulk the villain in the eagerly anticipated 2011 movie.

“I hope ‘The Avengers’ embraces that,” Fergus said of having the Hulk as misunderstood baddie. “You don’t want like 10 super-badass good guys fighting together. Where’s the fun in that? Let’s break it off a little. Friends or colleagues who become enemies is always an interesting thing because you know it’s based on love and friendship and that’s always the worst thing to have turn bad — is someone you actually care about and someone you actually believe in.”

Hulk, of course, has fought nearly every Marvel hero at some point in the comics, and because he already had his own movie, wouldn’t need to be set-up in the new one. In fact, all the hard work is already done.

“I left the door open for whoever’s going to direct ‘The Avengers’ with our last shot. Edward [Norton] and I, we consciously decided to make the last shot of the movie when he opens his eyes and he smirks at the camera,” Leterrier told us. “Is he enjoying it? Is he malicious? That’s what’s great about Edward. You don’t know if he’s a good guy or bad guy. He’s always on this edge and we’ve been sort of surfing that edge, that very thin edge during the entire movie.”

Recall, also that Downey Jr. as Tony Stark appears to General Ross at the very end of “Hulk,” a scene Leterrier called the first scene of “The Avengers.”

Sign Stark and them up for more, Fergus said.

“I personally like when good-guy characters have to fight each other,” he said. “Good guys going against good guys who both believe in an issue is way more interesting than a villain clearly into evil and I like when former friends become committed enemies.”

Source: Variety

Continuing the long line of comic book movies Josh Brolin is in negotiations to play Jonah Hex. Jonah Hex is a comic book about a confederate soldier who later becomes a bounty hunter.  I don’t care for westerns, much less comic books that are about westerns.  When I was younger, I did read a few issues of Hex after he had been teleported to the future.  But other than that, I have nothing good or bad to say about the comic.  However, its funny how it seems that every comic book character is about to be put on the big screen.  I have complete faith that no one will go see this movie, no matter how much the fanboys sing the praises of Jonah Hex’s exploits.  The mainstream does not know who he is, and I bet that he doesn’t have a big enough fanboy base to even register as a blip on opening weekend, if and when this movie ever comes to fruition.

Westerns generally don’t do well, and C-List comic book characters can’t possibly do well.  So it stands to follow that a movie featuring a C-list comic book character is doomed for failure. This is going to be a part of a long line of movies that could really make DC and Marvel look bad (how much faith can they really put in a movie about Ant-Man?)  If this movie can get made, where the hell is my Black Panther movie?  Where is the Wonder Woman movie?  Where’s Green Lantern?  The list goes on and on of more deserving movies.  But alas, we are going to have to wade through the deep end of whatever Hollywood and the comic book giants give us.

This is the non-bootleg version of the Dragon Ball trailer….Feelings still haven’t changed.

Saw this rumor a couple of weeks ago, and was waiting for some confirmation.  It  was reported that Eva was photographed leaving Marvel’s L.A. office clutching what appeared to be some Avenger comic books.  It was later reported that she was in talks to take the role of Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, in an upcoming Marvel Movie (Iron Man 2 or Captain America: The First Avenger or The Avengers).  The thing is that this came out a couple of weeks ago, and then everything went silent.  It was reported as  both fact and rumor.  We’ll I think she would do well in any role that they shoved her in, the Wasp, Black Widow, Scarlett Witch.  I just assume that they are going to go for the hot factor regardless of the role.  Unlike the X-Movies where everyone, except Raven, was completely covered from head to toe.

.  Would she make a good Black Widow?  Possibly.

Would she make a good Scarlet Witch?  Maybe.

She pretty much would be worth the price of admission for anything they want her to be in a superhero movie.

For what its worth, here it is.  Its a recording of a recording but you get the idea.  But I reiterate that I have issues with the casting.  And it indeed looks like its going to bomb like Speed Racer.

Source:  Variety

In an interesting turn of events, Kenneth Branagh has been in talks to direct Marvel’s live action adaptation of Thor.  This movie will be a part of the announced Avenger series of movies culminating in the Avengers movie projected for release in 2011.  Marvel will again self finance this movie like it did with Iron Man and Hulk and will only need to select a distributor.

Kenneth Branagh joins other arthouse directors such as Ang Lee, Jon Favreau, Christopher Nolan, and Gavin Hood in turning a revered comic book icon into a big screen phenomenon. 

If this is true, this would be a masterstroke for Marvel.  Kenneth Branagh is one of those unique individuals who understands adapting literature for the big screen.  Okay, I know that Thor is a comic, but its still literature.  If Kenneth Branagh were younger, he’d make a great Thor.  A Shakespearean director/actor is perfect for Thor.  And any actor chosen to play Thor would benefit greatly from Branagh’s guidance.   What do I know about Branagh?  I know that Dead Again, Frankenstein, Hamlet, and Othello are some of my favorite movies of all time.  And anyone who had a high school literature teacher worth their salt has seen Henry V, which is the best Shakespearean work turned into movie.  I am a little biased because Branagh is one of my favorite actors.

Now, let’s see who they cast as Thor.  My preferences:  Kevin McKidd or Karl Urban .

Indy is one cool geek.

Well, since I started it, I might as well keep up with what’s going on with this movie.  Here are some screenshots that leaked.  Check ‘em out before they send a takedown notice.  The pictures look decent, but I still think that there are some things terribly wrong with this movie.  I would think with a fast approaching release date that there would be more buzz about this movie.  It seems as though no one cares.  I predict it’s going to be a flop.  It feels like a Power Ranger movie with no interest.

Previous posts on Dragonball

Dragonball Movie Poster

Dragonball Has Its Goku

The above picture didn’t come with the story below, but I thought it interesting.  I can’t see anyway that the powers that be would had this franchise over to Will Smith.  Not that we don’t like Will Smith, in fact, he’s our poster boy for genre actors.  Now, if they wanted to do a movie about isaiah Bradley, the first Captain America, then I say go for it.  But I am torn over him being cast for Steve Rogers.  Part of me says “great, another color blinding cast” and another says, “this can’t be right.”  I guess I’ll reserve comment until it happens.

If Will Smith has been offered the part, I can’t imagine he won’t take it. He might be busy, but he’s not going to say no because he’s not white enough. Him taking the role would be a seriously big deal in the world of race and mass media, let alone our little nerd/comics world.

read more | digg story

It took a while to get around to seeing this movie.  Too bad I could have just avoided it all together.  I can’t possible spoil anything for you about this movie since we know how the clone wars end, and since it takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, we know that none of the battles will have dire consequences.  That being said, I was disappointed in all aspects of  production of this m0vie.  Let me start by saying that I was trying to be optimistic about the animation but in the end it was exactly as I expected.  It looked like a Playstation 1 game extended cut scene.  Its funny how the stuff that Pixar has done has spoiled us all as to what 3D animation should look like.  In a word, it was terrible.  The characters were stiff and unrealistic.  The fight action scenes (clone/droid battles, and light saber duels) were like watching old video game sequences.  There seemed to be no care taken in trying to make the mouths match the voice actors.  The voice acting is a different issue unto itself.  The voice actors seemed to be sleeping through their roles.  The story line was predictable and formulatic. (isn’t that repetitive?)  I am going to cut this short because I could go on and on.  George Lucas should have just used this as a pilot for the TV show., instead of trying to make one last money grab from rabid loyal Star Wars fans.  Save your money and don’t waste your time.

No Rating.

Source:  Variety

The Oni Press graphic novel “Julius” was picked up by Mandalay Pictures for the big screen treatment.  F. Gary Gray (Be Cool, A Man Apart, The Italian Job) has been attached as director.  I think this is a great choice if this gets done.  “Julius” is a urban retelling of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” Obviously there will be comparisons to 2001′s “O”, which I thought was an excellent adaptation.  I will say that I am excited about a black man being the director.

The O’Connells return for the third installment of the highly anticipated third movie of the Mummy series.  Rick and Evelyn O’Connell return to face the Dragon Empreror  Han (Jet Li) who was raised from the dead by a now adult Alex.  There were many things wrong with this movie but I’ll start with what was right.  Jet Li was good in his role……….That’s it.  What was bad?  Where to begin?  The special effects were mediocre, the acting was subpar.  And the thing that made the first two movies good was the chemistry between Rachel Weisz and Brendan Frasier.  The chemistry was nonexistant between Frasier and Mario Bello.  Weisz’s interpretation of the sexy librarian/bookworm is almost iconic.  So, it stands to reason that an average actress of Bello’s calibur would not stand up to Weisz’s portrayal.  If you are a fan of the series you will leave the movie feeling less than satisfied.  But Jet Li was good.

Source: Variety

Djimon Hounsou has partnered with Dynamite Entertainment to star in and produce a bigscreen feature about immortal sorcerer Thulsa Doom, a central figure in the Conan the Barbarian and Kull comicbooks.

Character will be featured in his own comicbook series, published by Dynamite, an imprint of Dynamic Forces, next year.

He originally appeared in the Robert E. Howard pulp story “Delcardes’ Cat,” published in the 1930s.

Doom was portrayed by James Earl Jones in 1982′s “Conan the Barbarian.”

Planned pic will showcase the origins of the flawed hero and show how his road to hell was paved with good intentions.

Dynamite’s president and publisher Nick Barrucci will develop and produce the pic with Hounsou, Arthur Lieberman and Luke Lieberman.

Project is not yet set up at a studio.

Barrucci and the Liebermans are behind a feature based on the comicbook “Red Sonja” that Robert Rodriguez will produce and Douglas Aarniokoski will direct for Nu Image and Millennium Films. Rose McGowan will star in the pic.

Hounsou most recently appeared in Summit Entertainment‘s “Never Back Down.” He will next co-star in “Push,” also from Summit.

Dynamite Entertainment also publishes “Project Superpowers,” “The Boys” and books based on “Army of Darkness,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Lone Ranger” and “Zorro,” among others.

It’s been a while since we’ve done a DVD recommendation.  But yesterday, I watched Batman: Gotham Knight.  This is a compliation of six anime-style movie shorts that bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.   I was really impressed with the animation style of the 6 different vignettes and the stories.  I also liked how the writers were able to have the stories all relate to eachother in some way, quite unlike the Animatrix where each story was independant.   If you are a Batman fan and if you enjoy animation, you will like this.

This will be the easiest review that I’ve written so far.  Simply put, this is the best comic book movie ever.  Everything was exactly as it should be.  The acting, the minimalist effects, the pacing and the writing were all superb.  Heath Ledger’s Joker was terrifying.  He was exactly as the Joker is portrayed in the comics, a brilliant looney bird who does what he does for one reason:  Chaos.  Aaron Eckhart was great as both Harvey Dents.  Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, and Sir Michael Caine continued their portrayals from Batman Begins.  The only flaw was that I still wasn’t hot on Rachael Dawes presence or Maggie Gyllenhaal’s characterization.   This movie makes me even more excited for the next Batman film.

Another thing I liked is that you can tell we are still early in Batman’s career.  He still makes mistakes, and everything isn’t perfect.  We are watching him become the hero that we know from the comic books.  He doesn’t quite anticipate his enemy’s next move.  He isn’t the detective that figures everything out.  He doesn’t put down bad guys in seconds (though he did take out two S.W.A.T. units).  It’s still an origin story.  Bruce Wayne is finding out what it means to be Batman, and what he’s giving up.  Right now he isn’t Batman because he wants to be, he’s Batman because he has to be. 

Not to be esoteric or anything, but the thing that has always intrigued me about Batman is that I always believed that Bruce Wayne was the secret identity and Batman was who he really was.  But Christopher Nolan’s characterization shows us that Bruce Wayne is trying to hold on the being Bruce Wayne.  The Batman persona hasn’t quite become dominant, but it’s clear in this movie that he is on that road.

The only thing is that we won’t get to see this version of the Joker ever again.   Now I see why there is talk of an posthumous Oscar nomination for Ledger.  At first I thought it was just promotional propaganda because of his passing, but after seeing the movie, I realize that the talk was justified.  With Heath Ledger’s passing, I don’t know if they are going to revive the Joker character with another actor, but if it were me, I wouldn’t want to try to follow his performance.  Most people liked Jack Nicholson’s Joker from Batman, but even he doesn’t compare to Heath Ledger.  What makes a comic book movie, or any movie with a hero really good is the quality of the villain.  For me, Heath Ledger’s Joker is right up there with Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, and Norman Bates.

I saw Hancock the other day, and there’s no doubt in my mind that Will Smith is now the biggest movie star on the planet.  Even a mediocre film such as this drew huge crowds and posted huge numbers.  I went on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 PM and the theater was packed.  Go figure.  The movie was just okay.  It was different for a superhero movie, but that’s just it, it was different, not special.

On the bright side, there were 3 things that were great about the movie:  1) Charlize Theron, 2) Jason Bateman, and 3) the soundtrack.  I forgot how good looking Charlize Theron is, and she was perfect for the role that she played.  Jason Bateman is probably one of the most underated actors in Hollywood.  And finally, soundtracks are supposed to not really be noticed, but I noticed this one, and I didn’t mind it.  The special effects were good.  The plot was just okay, and as much as we like Will Smith as a genre actor, I just didn’t buy him in this role.

Source: Superherohype

With a release date of May 1, 2009, Wolverine is the highly anticipated spinoff of the popular X-Men series.  I don’t have much to say about this other than if they put as much effort into this as they did the 3 X-Men movies, then it should be pretty good.  Here’s a promotional picture.

I initially had my reservations about this movie.  After seeing it, I was really impressed with the action stunts.  First, let me get the comparison to the graphic novel out of the way.  The movie deviated from a good deal of the story without actually changing the main overall plot and theme of the story.  I credit the

screen writer for pulling it off.  For the most part, the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes are just like the story in the graphic novel, with a few small minor changes.  They even managed to work in an aspect of superpowers into the movie.  Secondly, I want to commend the casting.   James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie all turn in spectacular and convincing performances.  The thing about the rest of the cast is that they spoke few words, which was quite effective since the movie was more about feeling and emotion than words.

The effects were solid except there was one scene on top of a moving train where the CGI looked rushed and unfinished, but over all everything looked realistic.    If you’re looking for a good summer action flick and a solid story that doesn’t require that much thinking then this is for you.

No, it’s not a fairy tale or a Aesop’s Fable, its about Wanted‘s Fox and Halle Berry.  Recently, I had a discussion with someone who talked about how much The Fox in the graphic novel Wanted looked like Halle Berry in Catwoman.  But I pointed out that Wanted was out before Catwoman.  But I concede that they look alike.  The original artist of Wanted, J.G. Jones, was obviously influenced by Jinx from Die Another Day (that’s just my opinion, but look at the photo evidence).  The creator and writer of Wanted, Mark Millar, would tell you that he based The Fox on Selena Kyle, the Catwoman in the Batman comics.  And if you stumble across any sketches by artists like Marc Silvestri, you’ll see some of that same influence of Jinx/Halle Berry.  Well, I am not going to belabor the point here, and I’m not going to rant about how black characters are replaced with white actors/actresses, and I am not going to rant about the lack of black females in the media, especially genre films.  But I am going to take this opportunity to post pictures just for pure comparison.  No matter which version you like, they are all hot.

Here’s a picture of the movie poster for Dragonball.  I don’t know about this.  Someone looks out of place.  I think I’ll probably pass on this movie.

I saw The Happening around the same time I saw The Incredible Hulk, but chose to not do a quick review at the time. Now that I’ve had time to process the movie, I feel like I have to say something about it. There is nothing wrong with a director doing a message movie. But to me, the mark of a good director and writer, which Shayamalan is both, is the ability to convey your message subtly. There are subjects that as a viewing public, in my opinion, that we can deal with being slapped in the face with. Those would be topics like racism, sexism, child abuse and rape. Environmentalism is a serious subject no doubt, but for the most part everyone cares about the environment. But to me, its one of those things that if you’re going to make a horror movie about, you’ve got to shock us or be more creative. There are hundreds maybe thousands of movies about the danger of our advancing technology. Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Philip K. Dick and Michael Critchton (I can’t believe I put him in the same sentence with those giants of science fiction) made careers out of warning us about how great and terrifying technology can be, but they didn’t sacrifice good story telling just to make their point. Simply having people drop dead from toxins released by plants is not going to cut it.

I just heard an interview with M. Night Shayamalan and he had the audacity to not only compare his movie and story in one breath to The Birds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Night of the Living Dead. He says the goal was to create a “B-Science fiction movie about a subject, where you have a great ride, you jump and you’re scared, crying and you do all those things as an audience member, and then at the end, the themes of the movie have you thinking of something a little deeper.”

The thing is that to me those movies dealt with those underlying issues in a more subtle way. (And honestly, I have no clue what the underlying theme of the Birds was) His movie was an in your face message movie. I don’t have a problem with that, but I do have a problem with him thinking that his film making is anywhere near the caliber of the other directors and writers of the movies that he mentioned. His movie is more like Spike Lee, a message. We can argue of the execution of getting his message across, but I have seen Hitchcock movies, and Shayamalan is no Hitchcock, despite what he thinks.

And unfortunately for him, if The Happening had been done by a first time director, many people would have been okay with it, but Shayamalan’s success means that we have come to expect better than average for him, and soon his credit from his early successes are going to run out, and he’s going to have a hard time getting anyone to come to his movies. Between Shayamalan and Tim Story (director of Fantastic Four and Rise of the Silver Surfer), minority directors are going to be told to stay away for Science Fiction.

I said before and I have told people not to waste time seeing it, but I think I’ve changed my mind.  I am not going to tell people not to see the movie, but just be aware when you go into it that there are no surprises, there is nothing being hidden from you, nothing to figure out, and there is nothing unexpected happening, no pun intended.

Third times a charm, hopefully.  Marvel’s going to do the Punisher again, this time starring Ray Stevenson (Titus Pullo for all you Rome fans), who actually fits and looks the part more than Dolph Lundgren or Thomas Jane.  Not that I had anything against those guys, but the movies were bad and not true to the source material. (Thomas Jane was close)  Unfortunately, I don’t think Marvel Studios is doing this movie, so there’s plausible deniability if it’s a failure.  I’m not a Punisher fan, but I will go see it anyway.   Well, here’s the teaser.

Wow. Marvel knows what its doing.  I thought it wasn’t going to get any better than Iron Man, but guess what, it did.  Okay.  Maybe they are both about the same.   Once again they give you hints of the Marvel Universe, and they tie the two movies together along with setting up other elements of the Marvel Universe.  Half the fun of watching the movie was trying to pick up on all the different hints and easter eggs hidden. You already know about the Tony Stark cameo, but that’s not the only thing in the movie.  I am sure I didn’t catch them all, but the ones that I did spot wowed me.  (Is that a word?)  Just like I said about Iron Man, go see this movie now.  Do not hesitate, do not stop at go.   A more detail review to come later. 

Also, I saw The Happening.  Don’t waste your time on that movie.