So I'm doing some perusing at the glut of Star Trek merch that's about to hit store shelves in anticipation of the new movie.
They're actually going to be making Star Trek cologne.
There's going to be three scents in the line: "Tiberius," "Pon Farr," and "Red Shirt."
For those who aren't trekkies, let me explain the significance of those three names.
Tiberius - That's the T in James T. Kirk. Make yourself smell like the galaxy's foremost ladie's man. Cool...cool.
Pon Farr - That's the mating frenzy that Vulcan males go into every 7 years. Yeah, baby. A scent that'll drive the women into a mating frenzy! There's our #1 seller.
Red Shirt - The Starfleet security guards were always the first to die on away teams, and were known for their red shirts. To be a red shirt is die quickly. Yeah...a cologne that's the stench of death. That's the way to go.
They should be on the store shelves later this spring.
Wow...just a few months ago, the new, live-action Masters of the Universe was considered dead.
But today, they hired a director!
The director is John Stevenson, an animator who's last project was the hit Dreamworks film Kung Fu Panda.
Stevenson said what sold him on the job was when he paid a visit to Mattel and they took him to this room where the toy designers had already pumped out pages and pages of concept art for the film. Stevenson says he took one look at the artwork and "understood the mythology right away."
What really gives me hope for this film is the fact that the producer is Joel Silver. Silver is the Hollywood uber-producer who brought us the Die Hard franchise, the Lethal Weapon franchise, and various other action films. Oh, and he also made the Wachowski Brothers stars by helping them realize The Matrix Trilogy and Speed Racer.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tomb Raider Returns?
Just saw a bit of movie news this morning that caught my eye.
Warner Brothers has just picked up the movie rights to the Tomb Raider franchise, and is planning a reboot of the feature film franchise.
The history: Paramount had the movie rights, pumped out two movies, and then, faced with the diminishing returns, let the movies lapse.
I remember the first film being the one summer blockbuster that I was most anticipating as summer 2001 rolled around, and I remember the film being rather mediocre. And then I saw the sequel two years later and that one made me want to gouge my eyes out.
Although, it is funny. You never know who pops up in these films. I saw a bit of the first one of Peachtree TV the other day, and I forgot that Lara Croft's rival is played by a "before-he-was-Bond" Daniel Craig. The next day, the second one was on, and Lara Croft's partner/love interest was King Leonidas himself, Gerard Butler.
No word yet on writer, directors, stars, or a release date. One thing's for sure: Angelina Jolie is not expected to return to the role of Lara Croft. Apparently, Warner Brothers thinks that, now that Jolie is a multiple Oscar nominee, she's out of their league.
Labels:
Relics of the 1990s
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
New DVD Tuesday!
Ah, Tuesday, the day of the new DVDs. There's a couple of releases out today that I feel are worth noting.
With the explosion of popularity of DVDs, so has exploded the medium of straight-to-DVD animation. Both of the major comic book companies have gotten on board. And while DC Comics and Warner Brothers have released a series of straight-to-DVD films to critical acclaim, the Lionsgate/Marvel Comics films have been met with a resounding shrug of indifference. That seems to turn around today with the release of Hulk Vs.
Hulk Vs is actually two short films. The first one is Hulk vs. Wolverine. Taking it's cues from Wolverine's first appearance in Incredible Hulk #181, it starts off with the Hulk wreaking havoc along the Canadian/American border, so the Canadian government dispatches Wolverine to investigate. And Wolverine and Hulk fight.
The second short film is Hulk vs. Thor. Loki figures that he's finally found away to defeat his brother Thor and rule of all Asgard. He lets the Hulk loose in Asgard to tear the place down. And Hulk and Thor fight.
The 2-disc set is fully loaded. Each short film boasts a pair of running commentaries and it's own featurette as to its production. You also get trailers for the new X-Men toon and Marvel's next straight-to-DVD animation project, Thor: Tales of Asgard.
Also out on DVD today in the "Oh my God, I can't believe they released this" file is M.A.N.T.I.S.: The Complete Series. This superhero show came to us in the early 1990s. It was the brainchild of Sam Raimi, who went on to give us the Spider-Man films, and Sam Hamm, who gave us Tim Burton's first Batman.
The entire thing was a not-too-bad Iron Man clone. Billionaire scientist Miles Hawkins is shot in the back while trying to deliver aid in the middle of riot, and is paralyzed from the waist down. Using his company's resources, he develops for himself an exosuit that allows him to walk again. Using the suit's power, he sets out as a crimefighter.
Carl Lumbly, whom you may remember as Marcus Dixon on Alias, played Miles Hawkins/MANTIS. Roger Rees, still probably best remembered as Robin Colcord on Cheers, played John Stonebreak, Hawkin's best friend, colleague, confidant, and gadget-meister. Let's see...there was also a bike courier and a plucky female police detective who served as his agents. They mostly battled evil industrialist Solomon Box, who was played by Andrew Robinson, still best known to my fellow Trekkies as Garak.
Well, they started out battling Solomon Box. Then, under orders from the FOX network to make the show more like The X-Files, MANTIS started battling more paranormal advisaries, such as invaders from parallel universes. MANTIS met his end in the final episode, when he was eaten by an invisible dinosaur.
And the complete series is out today! There's absolutly nothing for bonus features.
With the explosion of popularity of DVDs, so has exploded the medium of straight-to-DVD animation. Both of the major comic book companies have gotten on board. And while DC Comics and Warner Brothers have released a series of straight-to-DVD films to critical acclaim, the Lionsgate/Marvel Comics films have been met with a resounding shrug of indifference. That seems to turn around today with the release of Hulk Vs.
Hulk Vs is actually two short films. The first one is Hulk vs. Wolverine. Taking it's cues from Wolverine's first appearance in Incredible Hulk #181, it starts off with the Hulk wreaking havoc along the Canadian/American border, so the Canadian government dispatches Wolverine to investigate. And Wolverine and Hulk fight.
The second short film is Hulk vs. Thor. Loki figures that he's finally found away to defeat his brother Thor and rule of all Asgard. He lets the Hulk loose in Asgard to tear the place down. And Hulk and Thor fight.
The 2-disc set is fully loaded. Each short film boasts a pair of running commentaries and it's own featurette as to its production. You also get trailers for the new X-Men toon and Marvel's next straight-to-DVD animation project, Thor: Tales of Asgard.
Also out on DVD today in the "Oh my God, I can't believe they released this" file is M.A.N.T.I.S.: The Complete Series. This superhero show came to us in the early 1990s. It was the brainchild of Sam Raimi, who went on to give us the Spider-Man films, and Sam Hamm, who gave us Tim Burton's first Batman.
The entire thing was a not-too-bad Iron Man clone. Billionaire scientist Miles Hawkins is shot in the back while trying to deliver aid in the middle of riot, and is paralyzed from the waist down. Using his company's resources, he develops for himself an exosuit that allows him to walk again. Using the suit's power, he sets out as a crimefighter.
Carl Lumbly, whom you may remember as Marcus Dixon on Alias, played Miles Hawkins/MANTIS. Roger Rees, still probably best remembered as Robin Colcord on Cheers, played John Stonebreak, Hawkin's best friend, colleague, confidant, and gadget-meister. Let's see...there was also a bike courier and a plucky female police detective who served as his agents. They mostly battled evil industrialist Solomon Box, who was played by Andrew Robinson, still best known to my fellow Trekkies as Garak.
Well, they started out battling Solomon Box. Then, under orders from the FOX network to make the show more like The X-Files, MANTIS started battling more paranormal advisaries, such as invaders from parallel universes. MANTIS met his end in the final episode, when he was eaten by an invisible dinosaur.
And the complete series is out today! There's absolutly nothing for bonus features.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Latest Targ's Up!
It's that time of the week again!
We've got a new episode of my little ol' podcast, U62: The Targ!
This week, it's Episode 2.18: A Typical Saturday Night. Nothin' but Star Trek, He-Man and bad jokes!
Click here to find me on iTunes!
Click here to download it at Chaos in a Box.com!
We've got a new episode of my little ol' podcast, U62: The Targ!
This week, it's Episode 2.18: A Typical Saturday Night. Nothin' but Star Trek, He-Man and bad jokes!
Click here to find me on iTunes!
Click here to download it at Chaos in a Box.com!
Labels:
U62: The Targ
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Oscar Nominations
Yay! Oscar nominations were announced today. As has become an annual tradition of mine, let's take a quick look at the nominations in MY favourite categories, because everyone's going to be all obsessed with the big categories.
First up, perhaps the biggest of my favourite categories, Best Animated Film. The nominees are:
WALL-E
Kung Fu Panda
Bolt
My Prediction: No doubt, WALL-E. I think it still stands as one of the best reviewed films of the year, plus Pixar is becoming an Oscar favourite.
On the radio today, I said that I've been able to successfully predict this category ever since its inception. He wants to do some kind of wager on the air now. I'm game, seeing as to how WALL-E will win hands down.
Next up, we have Best Visual Effects. I've always had a pretty successful run of predictions in this category as well. The nominees are:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
This is a tough one for me. I've heard good things about the effects work in Benjamin Button. Apparently, turning Brad Pitt into a computer animated, 90-year-old lookin' baby is quite the FX work. So, I'm going to go with Benjamin Button.
Finally, we've got Best Original Song. This is a holdover from the old days. In the 1990s, you could always successfully predict this one with the rule, "It'll be the one from the Disney animated film." But Disney hasn't done a lot of animated musicals lately. So, let's see what we've got....
"Down to Earth" from WALL-E
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire
"O Saya," also from Slumdog Millionaire.
Hmmm...what to predict? Oh, er, um, uh...it'll be the one from the Disney/Pixar animated film! "Down to Earth" it is!
The big show is on February 21. The host is Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman.
Here's the complete list of nominees.
First up, perhaps the biggest of my favourite categories, Best Animated Film. The nominees are:
WALL-E
Kung Fu Panda
Bolt
My Prediction: No doubt, WALL-E. I think it still stands as one of the best reviewed films of the year, plus Pixar is becoming an Oscar favourite.
On the radio today, I said that I've been able to successfully predict this category ever since its inception. He wants to do some kind of wager on the air now. I'm game, seeing as to how WALL-E will win hands down.
Next up, we have Best Visual Effects. I've always had a pretty successful run of predictions in this category as well. The nominees are:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
This is a tough one for me. I've heard good things about the effects work in Benjamin Button. Apparently, turning Brad Pitt into a computer animated, 90-year-old lookin' baby is quite the FX work. So, I'm going to go with Benjamin Button.
Finally, we've got Best Original Song. This is a holdover from the old days. In the 1990s, you could always successfully predict this one with the rule, "It'll be the one from the Disney animated film." But Disney hasn't done a lot of animated musicals lately. So, let's see what we've got....
"Down to Earth" from WALL-E
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire
"O Saya," also from Slumdog Millionaire.
Hmmm...what to predict? Oh, er, um, uh...it'll be the one from the Disney/Pixar animated film! "Down to Earth" it is!
The big show is on February 21. The host is Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman.
Here's the complete list of nominees.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Princess and the Frog
This picture went online on Friday, and the more I stare at it, the more I fall in love with it.
As this decade began, Disney took a look at their books. While their traditional, hand-drawn animated movies were still doing well, computer animated movies were doing far, far better. Making more money. So, the conclusion that Disney drew from this was that people didn't want to watch traditional, hand-drawn animated movies anymore. Peoople only wanted computer animated movies. So, around 5 years ago or so, in a highly controversial move (among animation buffs), Disney shut down their traditional animation division.
So then, around two years ago, it was the great Disney/Pixar merger. Pixar, the makers of the finest computer animated films out there, merged with Disney. As part of the merger, John Lassetter, the head of Pixar, because the big boss of Disney animation. Lassetter was one of those who thought that shutting down the traditional animation division was a bad idea, and now, he was in a position to do something about it.
So, Lassetter got the traditional animation division up and running again. He enlisted his old friends John Musker and Ron Clemmens to direct Disney's first movie from the resurrected traditional animation division. Musker and Clemmens were at the forefront of Disney's resurgance in the 1990s, being the duo responsible for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules.
Musker and Clemmens came up with The Princess and the Frog, a re-telling of The Frog Prince. This time, the setting has been moved to New Orleans, and it draws its mysticism from Cajun folklore.
This image from the film was released on Friday, and doesn't it just remind you of the old days?
And by "the old days," I mean the 1990s, when a new Disney animated film was always a highlight of the summer blockbuster season.
The Princess and the Frog has officially been given a release date of Christmas Day 2009.
And I forget if I blogged this already, but here's the teaser trailer, which went into theatres in front of Bolt:
As this decade began, Disney took a look at their books. While their traditional, hand-drawn animated movies were still doing well, computer animated movies were doing far, far better. Making more money. So, the conclusion that Disney drew from this was that people didn't want to watch traditional, hand-drawn animated movies anymore. Peoople only wanted computer animated movies. So, around 5 years ago or so, in a highly controversial move (among animation buffs), Disney shut down their traditional animation division.
So then, around two years ago, it was the great Disney/Pixar merger. Pixar, the makers of the finest computer animated films out there, merged with Disney. As part of the merger, John Lassetter, the head of Pixar, because the big boss of Disney animation. Lassetter was one of those who thought that shutting down the traditional animation division was a bad idea, and now, he was in a position to do something about it.
So, Lassetter got the traditional animation division up and running again. He enlisted his old friends John Musker and Ron Clemmens to direct Disney's first movie from the resurrected traditional animation division. Musker and Clemmens were at the forefront of Disney's resurgance in the 1990s, being the duo responsible for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Hercules.
Musker and Clemmens came up with The Princess and the Frog, a re-telling of The Frog Prince. This time, the setting has been moved to New Orleans, and it draws its mysticism from Cajun folklore.
This image from the film was released on Friday, and doesn't it just remind you of the old days?
And by "the old days," I mean the 1990s, when a new Disney animated film was always a highlight of the summer blockbuster season.
The Princess and the Frog has officially been given a release date of Christmas Day 2009.
And I forget if I blogged this already, but here's the teaser trailer, which went into theatres in front of Bolt:
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Latest Targ's Up!
Are you ready for some hot, sweaty, podcast action?
Well, it's not so much "hot and sweaty" as it is "lukewarm and comfortable."
This week's episode of U62: The Targ is Episode 2.17: Dirty Habits. If you read that blog entry from a couple of days ago, then you know what I'm talking about. I'm playing some cuts from my brand new Doctor Who and Pushing Daisies soundtracks, and just generally geeking out over how good those shows are.
Click here to find me on iTunes!
Or, if you don't have the iTunes click here to go to the official website!
Well, it's not so much "hot and sweaty" as it is "lukewarm and comfortable."
This week's episode of U62: The Targ is Episode 2.17: Dirty Habits. If you read that blog entry from a couple of days ago, then you know what I'm talking about. I'm playing some cuts from my brand new Doctor Who and Pushing Daisies soundtracks, and just generally geeking out over how good those shows are.
Click here to find me on iTunes!
Or, if you don't have the iTunes click here to go to the official website!
Labels:
U62: The Targ
Friday, January 16, 2009
Dirty Habits
Oh, I've been indulging in my dirty habits a little too much as of late. This dirty habit is the collecting of obscure film scores.
Only recently, am I starting to discover all these record labels in the USA that specialize in releasing obscure film scores. The other day, I discovered one of them had released a score album for Batman: The Animated Series. I dipped deep into my savings to get it. In my opinion, Shirley Walker and her team of composers composed the most appropriate music for Batman ever. I can hardly wait until it gets here.
And of course, once I filled out that order, I checked my mailbox to see that the other obscure film scores I'd ordered had arrived.
I've blogged many times about my love for Pushing Daisies, so I had to snatch up that score album when it was released a few weeks ago. That is a great album. It's such perfect fairy-tale music. I'm going to have it running on an endless loop for a while.
And curse you, Amazon.ca! I placed my order for the Pushing Daisies score, and up popped the little notice, "Spend $10 more for free shipping!" So I special ordered the Doctor Who soundtrack. This soundtrack is just for series 1 and 2...I see a seperate soundtrack for series 3 is also available, and one for series 4 is out at the end of the month.
Gotta buy them all!
And speaking of buying them all, we have a release date for the eleventh Pokemon movie! Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior hits DVD shelves on February 27.
I've got to make due on my promise to watch all of the films and review them here on the blog...I think I'll do it as soon as #11 comes out.
Only recently, am I starting to discover all these record labels in the USA that specialize in releasing obscure film scores. The other day, I discovered one of them had released a score album for Batman: The Animated Series. I dipped deep into my savings to get it. In my opinion, Shirley Walker and her team of composers composed the most appropriate music for Batman ever. I can hardly wait until it gets here.
And of course, once I filled out that order, I checked my mailbox to see that the other obscure film scores I'd ordered had arrived.
I've blogged many times about my love for Pushing Daisies, so I had to snatch up that score album when it was released a few weeks ago. That is a great album. It's such perfect fairy-tale music. I'm going to have it running on an endless loop for a while.
And curse you, Amazon.ca! I placed my order for the Pushing Daisies score, and up popped the little notice, "Spend $10 more for free shipping!" So I special ordered the Doctor Who soundtrack. This soundtrack is just for series 1 and 2...I see a seperate soundtrack for series 3 is also available, and one for series 4 is out at the end of the month.
Gotta buy them all!
And speaking of buying them all, we have a release date for the eleventh Pokemon movie! Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior hits DVD shelves on February 27.
I've got to make due on my promise to watch all of the films and review them here on the blog...I think I'll do it as soon as #11 comes out.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
My Newest YouTube Epic: A Zamboni Clearing the Ice
One of my favourite cartoons from my carefree college years was Freakazoid!. One episode in particular that stands out was called Relax-o-Vision. The joke was this: kids were getting too hyper from watching violent action scenes, so Freakazoid! became the first cartoon presented in Relax-o-Vision. Everytime a violent act broke out, we'd cut to a relaxing of scene, of, say, fish in an aquarium, while soothing music played.
That episode kind of served as the inspiration for my latest YouTube opus, A Zamboni Clearing the Ice. What can I say? It's a relaxing scene, set to soothing music.
And yes, the pop-ups at the end are true. I actually do have a 4 minute director's cut of this. It's actually more like a rough cut, as I threw in a longer song and put in every frame of footage I filmed, until I started editing it down to reflect my true intent.
If there's rampant interest in the director's cut, I'll post it. Eh, I'll probably post it anyway, cuz I like the music I use in the director's cut.
That episode kind of served as the inspiration for my latest YouTube opus, A Zamboni Clearing the Ice. What can I say? It's a relaxing scene, set to soothing music.
And yes, the pop-ups at the end are true. I actually do have a 4 minute director's cut of this. It's actually more like a rough cut, as I threw in a longer song and put in every frame of footage I filmed, until I started editing it down to reflect my true intent.
If there's rampant interest in the director's cut, I'll post it. Eh, I'll probably post it anyway, cuz I like the music I use in the director's cut.
Labels:
YouTube Movies
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Zack and Miri on DVD! (and more Andy Richter!)
OK, good news for me! Still being a Kevin Smith fanboy, I am very thrilled to hear about the forthcoming DVD release of Zack and Miri Make a Porno!
Zack and Miri will be hitting store shelves on February 3, and be available in a 2-disc special edition. Bonus features include deleted scenes, a feature-length documentary on the making of the film, the Money Shots video production diary, and a blooper reel.
Sadly, this is the first Kevin Smith film that does not have a running commentary by Smith. Smith has been hinting that he may record one later and release it as a podcast. Or, if you make the great upgrade to Blu-Ray, you'll be able to download it on your Blu-Ray player and sync it up!
And we have more details on yesterday's announcement on the release of Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series. I said the bonus features were TBA, and today they announced them!
For bonus features, you're going to get a handful of featurettes, and running commentaries on select episodes with series creator Victor Fresco, and the man himself, Andy Richter.
March 24!
Zack and Miri will be hitting store shelves on February 3, and be available in a 2-disc special edition. Bonus features include deleted scenes, a feature-length documentary on the making of the film, the Money Shots video production diary, and a blooper reel.
Sadly, this is the first Kevin Smith film that does not have a running commentary by Smith. Smith has been hinting that he may record one later and release it as a podcast. Or, if you make the great upgrade to Blu-Ray, you'll be able to download it on your Blu-Ray player and sync it up!
And we have more details on yesterday's announcement on the release of Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series. I said the bonus features were TBA, and today they announced them!
For bonus features, you're going to get a handful of featurettes, and running commentaries on select episodes with series creator Victor Fresco, and the man himself, Andy Richter.
March 24!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Andy Richter Controls DVDs / Dead Like Me Resurrected?
Well, the short list of brilliant but canceled TV shows I want on DVD has just gotten a little shorter!
It was announced today that Andy Richter Controls the Universe is finally coming to DVD!
For those who don't know, Andy Richter Controls the Universe was the first of Andy Richer's three failed sitcoms. In this one, Andy played a struggling writer who paid the bills by writing tech manuals for a faceless corporation. His overactive imagination frequently allowed him to daydream how his day would have turned out if he'd made a different decision. As I reflect on it, it was a lot like Scrubs, only in an office instead of a hospital and Andy Richter instead of Zack Braff.
Anyway, it was funny as hell, but barely lasted two seasons. And today, Paramount Pictures announced that they are releasing Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series on March 24! All 19 episodes, bonus features TBA.
Now if they'd just release Now and Again, my life would be complete.
Hey, we got any Dead Like Me fans reading the blog? That's another "brilliant but canceled" TV show I always wanted to check out, but never got to.
I really want to check it out because it was created by Bryan Fuller, who created two of my other favourite "brilliant but canceled" TV shows, Wonderfalls and the recently deceased Pushing Daisies. But I'm straying off topic.
They've actually produced a Dead Like Me straight-to-DVD movie. It's called Dead Like Me: Life After Death and is due to hit your local DVD emporium on February 17.
It was announced today that Andy Richter Controls the Universe is finally coming to DVD!
For those who don't know, Andy Richter Controls the Universe was the first of Andy Richer's three failed sitcoms. In this one, Andy played a struggling writer who paid the bills by writing tech manuals for a faceless corporation. His overactive imagination frequently allowed him to daydream how his day would have turned out if he'd made a different decision. As I reflect on it, it was a lot like Scrubs, only in an office instead of a hospital and Andy Richter instead of Zack Braff.
Anyway, it was funny as hell, but barely lasted two seasons. And today, Paramount Pictures announced that they are releasing Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series on March 24! All 19 episodes, bonus features TBA.
Now if they'd just release Now and Again, my life would be complete.
Hey, we got any Dead Like Me fans reading the blog? That's another "brilliant but canceled" TV show I always wanted to check out, but never got to.
I really want to check it out because it was created by Bryan Fuller, who created two of my other favourite "brilliant but canceled" TV shows, Wonderfalls and the recently deceased Pushing Daisies. But I'm straying off topic.
They've actually produced a Dead Like Me straight-to-DVD movie. It's called Dead Like Me: Life After Death and is due to hit your local DVD emporium on February 17.
Labels:
DVD
A Whole Lotta TV
Wow. I have a whole lotta TV to watch. I've amassed a bunch of dead TV shows on DVD over the past few weeks.
First up, once again, special thanks to my best friend, who got me He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He got me Season 1: Volume 2, Season 2: Volume 2, and an apology for getting me the back end of each season. But still, it's really cool.
When I first fired it up, I was completely stunned. Watching it on my DVD player, hooked up to my massive TV with component video cables, it is a far cry from when I originally watched these episodes on my parents old 12" colour TV on peasant vision in my childhood. I just can't get over how clear and sharp it is...I've never seen the show this clearly.
He-Man was a really odd cartoon now that I'm sitting down and watching it for the first time in all these years. It was such a unique blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero. What really makes it unique is the brand of fantasy that it drew from is the pulp-fiction, sword-and-sorcery kind that was really popular in the 30's and 40's. Well, that actually shouldn't be too surprising. We have to remember He-Man was created when that brand of fantasy was experiencing a resurgence, thanks to the success of Conan the Barbarian.
I'll probably have more musings on He-Man in the days ahead.
I also finally broke down and bought Pushing Daisies: The Complete First Season. Oh, woe that the show has been canceled! No word yet on when the final three episodes will air...rumour has it in the summer.
And creator Bryan Fuller has said that it may not end, and he's thought about continuing the series as a comic book. In a recent interview, Fuller said that he's currently in meetings with DC Comics about the comic book and that he's also putting together a movie pitch. The comic would be good...I could see it being a nice, quirky addition to DC's Vertigo label. And here's hoping that the sales of the DVDs are strong enough that it does lead to a movie...it'd be really nice if it were the next Firefly/Serenity.
And we already have a celebrity director who could do the movie! As we all know, it's quite common these days for a TV show to line up a celebrity director to film the pilot, maybe a couple episodes in the first season, and then sign on as an executive producer for the show's run. The most successful such collaboration so far has been Bryan Singer and House. Well, Pushing Daisies had it's celebrity director in the form of Barry Sonnenfeld.
Ah, Barry Sonnenfeld...that's a celebrity director who's due for a comeback. He proved he had what it took to do big blockbusters by bringing us The Addams Family films and the Men in Black films. He showed he could win over the critics by doing Get Shorty. Then he made Wild Wild West, which was the cinematic equivalent of shooting himself in the foot.
Sonnenfeld has actually been associated with a lot of "brilliant but canceled" TV. He was responsible for that remake of Fantasy Island in the late-1990s, and he also brought us the live-action version of The Tick.
Come on, Sonnenfeld! You turn your career around! Why not do it with a Pushing Daisies film? A fanboy can dream, can't he?
And finally, while I was doing my Christmas shopping, I finally spied Space: Above and Beyond -- The Complete Series in a discount bin, so I snatched it up. Simply a fantastic sci-fi/war show from the mid-90s, I loved it when I was in that netherworld between high school and college.
Again, it had some great talent behind the scenes. It was created by Glen Morgan and James Wong, who, at the time, were the greatest writers on The X-Files. Their most notable achievment on The X-Files is they are the accredited creators of the characters of the Lone Gunmen. Their fame on X-Files led them to create their own show, which was Space: Above and Beyond. When that joined the heap of brilliant-but-canceled TV, X-Files creator Chris Carter talked them into being the showrunners on his other show Millenium.
And what are Morgan and Wong up to now? The Final Destination franchise and occasional remakes of 1970s horror films.
Here's a thought: I always thought Space: Above and Beyond should be resurrected as a film franchise. How about it, Morgan and Wong?
All in all, I've got a lot of TV to watch.
First up, once again, special thanks to my best friend, who got me He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He got me Season 1: Volume 2, Season 2: Volume 2, and an apology for getting me the back end of each season. But still, it's really cool.
When I first fired it up, I was completely stunned. Watching it on my DVD player, hooked up to my massive TV with component video cables, it is a far cry from when I originally watched these episodes on my parents old 12" colour TV on peasant vision in my childhood. I just can't get over how clear and sharp it is...I've never seen the show this clearly.
He-Man was a really odd cartoon now that I'm sitting down and watching it for the first time in all these years. It was such a unique blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero. What really makes it unique is the brand of fantasy that it drew from is the pulp-fiction, sword-and-sorcery kind that was really popular in the 30's and 40's. Well, that actually shouldn't be too surprising. We have to remember He-Man was created when that brand of fantasy was experiencing a resurgence, thanks to the success of Conan the Barbarian.
I'll probably have more musings on He-Man in the days ahead.
I also finally broke down and bought Pushing Daisies: The Complete First Season. Oh, woe that the show has been canceled! No word yet on when the final three episodes will air...rumour has it in the summer.
And creator Bryan Fuller has said that it may not end, and he's thought about continuing the series as a comic book. In a recent interview, Fuller said that he's currently in meetings with DC Comics about the comic book and that he's also putting together a movie pitch. The comic would be good...I could see it being a nice, quirky addition to DC's Vertigo label. And here's hoping that the sales of the DVDs are strong enough that it does lead to a movie...it'd be really nice if it were the next Firefly/Serenity.
And we already have a celebrity director who could do the movie! As we all know, it's quite common these days for a TV show to line up a celebrity director to film the pilot, maybe a couple episodes in the first season, and then sign on as an executive producer for the show's run. The most successful such collaboration so far has been Bryan Singer and House. Well, Pushing Daisies had it's celebrity director in the form of Barry Sonnenfeld.
Ah, Barry Sonnenfeld...that's a celebrity director who's due for a comeback. He proved he had what it took to do big blockbusters by bringing us The Addams Family films and the Men in Black films. He showed he could win over the critics by doing Get Shorty. Then he made Wild Wild West, which was the cinematic equivalent of shooting himself in the foot.
Sonnenfeld has actually been associated with a lot of "brilliant but canceled" TV. He was responsible for that remake of Fantasy Island in the late-1990s, and he also brought us the live-action version of The Tick.
Come on, Sonnenfeld! You turn your career around! Why not do it with a Pushing Daisies film? A fanboy can dream, can't he?
And finally, while I was doing my Christmas shopping, I finally spied Space: Above and Beyond -- The Complete Series in a discount bin, so I snatched it up. Simply a fantastic sci-fi/war show from the mid-90s, I loved it when I was in that netherworld between high school and college.
Again, it had some great talent behind the scenes. It was created by Glen Morgan and James Wong, who, at the time, were the greatest writers on The X-Files. Their most notable achievment on The X-Files is they are the accredited creators of the characters of the Lone Gunmen. Their fame on X-Files led them to create their own show, which was Space: Above and Beyond. When that joined the heap of brilliant-but-canceled TV, X-Files creator Chris Carter talked them into being the showrunners on his other show Millenium.
And what are Morgan and Wong up to now? The Final Destination franchise and occasional remakes of 1970s horror films.
Here's a thought: I always thought Space: Above and Beyond should be resurrected as a film franchise. How about it, Morgan and Wong?
All in all, I've got a lot of TV to watch.
Labels:
Fishing in the Discout Bin
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Latest Targ's Up!
Are you all jazzed for the first new Targ of 2009? Are you? ARE YOU?
Good to hear!
To kick off the final year of the first decade of the 21st Century, I've got Episode 2.16: Reflections. I reflect on the Christmas that just was, my best friend's wedding, and a quirk of Japanese culture I never partook in.
Head on over to the main site and give it a listen!
Or, you can click on that button above and go subscribe to the Targ in iTunes.
Good to hear!
To kick off the final year of the first decade of the 21st Century, I've got Episode 2.16: Reflections. I reflect on the Christmas that just was, my best friend's wedding, and a quirk of Japanese culture I never partook in.
Head on over to the main site and give it a listen!
Or, you can click on that button above and go subscribe to the Targ in iTunes.
Labels:
U62: The Targ
Friday, January 09, 2009
G.I. Joe and the Transformers: Summer 2009
Ah, two of the classics from my childhood are coming to the big screen this summer, and I can hardly wait!
First up, Michael Bay is back in the director's seat for the gigantic Transformers sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. No word yet on the plot, we're just promised that it's going to be huge, gigantic, epic, and just bigger than the first.
Here's the teaser poster that went online today. The first trailer is expected at the end of the month, along with the SuperBowl.
Notice how it looks vaguely like the Decepticon logo from the eyes up? Nice touch.
And, coming in August, we have the live-action movie version of G.I. Joe. This one comes to us from Stephen Sommers.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra will detail the origins of America's daring, highly-trained special missions force, and the terrorist organization that is its arch-enemy.
The official website was launched yesterday. There's nothing there yet but the logo. Again, we're expecting the first trailer at the end of the month with the SuperBowl. Although, there have been scattered reports that the trailer has already been shown in some markets and that it's...not very good.
We'll know for sure come the SuperBowl!
First up, Michael Bay is back in the director's seat for the gigantic Transformers sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. No word yet on the plot, we're just promised that it's going to be huge, gigantic, epic, and just bigger than the first.
Here's the teaser poster that went online today. The first trailer is expected at the end of the month, along with the SuperBowl.
Notice how it looks vaguely like the Decepticon logo from the eyes up? Nice touch.
And, coming in August, we have the live-action movie version of G.I. Joe. This one comes to us from Stephen Sommers.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra will detail the origins of America's daring, highly-trained special missions force, and the terrorist organization that is its arch-enemy.
The official website was launched yesterday. There's nothing there yet but the logo. Again, we're expecting the first trailer at the end of the month with the SuperBowl. Although, there have been scattered reports that the trailer has already been shown in some markets and that it's...not very good.
We'll know for sure come the SuperBowl!
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Iron Man 2 Updates
Some news is going around today on Iron Man 2. And that news is...we have villains!
Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke will be doing battle with Tony Stark.
Rockwell is still best remembered to my fellow nerds for playing Zaphod Beeblebrox in the big screen version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and is currently winning critical acclaim for his role in Frost/Nixon as investigator James Reston Jr. In Iron Man 2, Rockwell will be playing Justin Hammer, one of Tony Stark's rival industrialists who funds a lot of supervillains.
Rourke is on a career high right now, having impressed comic book nerds with his turn as Marv in Sin City, and he's currently being touted as an Oscar hopeful for his role in The Wrestler. There's still some debate on which Iron Man villian Rourke will be playing. Some say he'll be playing Whiplash, a mercenary armed with electric whips. Others say he'll be playing the Crimson Dynamo, a Russian mercenary with his own set of super-powered armor.
Iron Man 2 is still on track for a May 2010 release. Jon Favreau is back as the director, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwynyth Paltrow are both back as Tony Stark and Pepper Pots, and Don Cheadle takes over for Terrance Howard as Jim Rhodes.
Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke will be doing battle with Tony Stark.
Rockwell is still best remembered to my fellow nerds for playing Zaphod Beeblebrox in the big screen version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and is currently winning critical acclaim for his role in Frost/Nixon as investigator James Reston Jr. In Iron Man 2, Rockwell will be playing Justin Hammer, one of Tony Stark's rival industrialists who funds a lot of supervillains.
Rourke is on a career high right now, having impressed comic book nerds with his turn as Marv in Sin City, and he's currently being touted as an Oscar hopeful for his role in The Wrestler. There's still some debate on which Iron Man villian Rourke will be playing. Some say he'll be playing Whiplash, a mercenary armed with electric whips. Others say he'll be playing the Crimson Dynamo, a Russian mercenary with his own set of super-powered armor.
Iron Man 2 is still on track for a May 2010 release. Jon Favreau is back as the director, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwynyth Paltrow are both back as Tony Stark and Pepper Pots, and Don Cheadle takes over for Terrance Howard as Jim Rhodes.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
My New Movie...Coming Soon
I enjoy walking. It's one of the few physical activities I make an effort to get out and do. Well, all physical activities require effort.... You know what I'm getting at.
Given my job, when I'm out on the streets of Athabasca, I'm occasionally stopped and mocked for listening to my MP3 player while I'm walking. "Don't you listen to the radio enough when you're at work?" they ask me.
And then I started goofing around with my YouTube videos and things started coming together.
So, for a while now, I've had this idea for a YouTube video called Walking. It would just feature footage filmed by me, walking down some of my favourite walking trails in and around Athabasca, with a soundtrack consisting of the music I'm usually listening to when I walk down that path.
While I was home for Christmas vacation, sitting around the house, I was hit with an inspiration.
As the snow started falling, I grabbed my camera, and filmed a short bit of me walking down the back alley. Then, I threw it together into this proof of concept/test footage/trailer thing.
So, here is...Walking: Test Footage.
Given my job, when I'm out on the streets of Athabasca, I'm occasionally stopped and mocked for listening to my MP3 player while I'm walking. "Don't you listen to the radio enough when you're at work?" they ask me.
And then I started goofing around with my YouTube videos and things started coming together.
So, for a while now, I've had this idea for a YouTube video called Walking. It would just feature footage filmed by me, walking down some of my favourite walking trails in and around Athabasca, with a soundtrack consisting of the music I'm usually listening to when I walk down that path.
While I was home for Christmas vacation, sitting around the house, I was hit with an inspiration.
As the snow started falling, I grabbed my camera, and filmed a short bit of me walking down the back alley. Then, I threw it together into this proof of concept/test footage/trailer thing.
So, here is...Walking: Test Footage.
Labels:
YouTube Movies
Friday, January 02, 2009
That's Good Eats!
I've always been amazed at how something in one culture gets re-interpreted into another culture. The past few days, I've been immersed in it.
I've been watching two shows by Gordon Ramsay. Well, actually, the same show, just one produced in the UK and one produced in the USA.
For those who don't know, Ramsay is one of the top professional chefs in the world. He's most famous for his reality TV show Hell's Kitchen, in which chefs compete for a job in one of his restaurants. But I've been immersed in his other show, Kitchen Nightmares. In this one, Ramsay heads to a restaurant that's in dire straights...on the verge of closing down for good. Ramsay then gives himself one week to diagnose the restaurant's problems and then solve them. On New Years Eve, BBC Canada was having a marathon of the original British version, and on New Years Day, the Food Network was having a marathon of the American version. I tend to avoid reality TV, but this 2-day marathon got me hooked.
I found the original British version to be more low-key. It's done more in a documentary style, and there's more focus on the restaurants themselves and what Ramsay has to go through to turn things around.
However, on the American version, all the cliches that we've come to associate with reality TV are in full swing. The dramatic music that's been recycled since Who Wants to be a Millionaire...talking-to-the-camera confessionals...extremely heavy editing to play up the drama. And the focus isn't so much on the restaurant as it is on squabbling owners and bickering staff members.
I will admit, the original British version does have something neat that the American verison lacks. And that is, in the original British version, each one has an epilogue where Ramsay pays a surprise visit to the restaurant about a month after his makeover to see if they've been able to follow his advice and turn things around.
But yeah. I do have to agree with the critics. Part of the appeal is that, in most reality TV shows, the host is the same, uncaring, variation on a game show host. But in Ramsay's shows, he seems to genuinely care about turning these restaurants around, making them successful and helping these people.
Reminds me of another example. American reality TV shows really live by the addage that "conflict is at the heart of great drama," and that they always try to amp up the agression.
Another reality TV show I was hooked on 7 years ago or so was Junkyard Wars, but all the true geeks refer to it by its original British name, Scrapheap Challenge. The contest: two teams have from sun-up to sundown to build a machine of some sort, and all the parts are scavanged from a specially-stocked junkyard. The next day, their machine has to accomplish a set list of goals. If their machine actually accomplishes the goals, that team wins. Yay, team!
I remember watching the original British version. The task was to build a harvesting machine of some kind. Sitting in the junkyard was an old swather, which I'm sure you'll agree was quite a coveted piece of junk in this challenge. Team A and Team B stumbled across the swather at the same time. Team A needed Part X, and Team B needed Part Y. So the two teams joined together, helped each other grab the parts they needed, shook hands, wished each other luck, and went back to working on their machines.
A year or so later, I was watching the American version. Exact same set-up. Building a harvester...old swather in the junkyard...the two teams each needed a part off it, and discovered it at the same time. Well, Team A and Team B descended into a screaming match over who "owned" this swather. The judges had to decend into the junkyard to make sure it didn't come to blows. After hearing each team's argument, the judges ruled that Team B owned the swather. Team B got their parts, and Team A had to head back into the junkyard to find a suitable replacement.
Everything about reality TV has to be about the agression, which is kind of what turns me off.
I've been watching two shows by Gordon Ramsay. Well, actually, the same show, just one produced in the UK and one produced in the USA.
For those who don't know, Ramsay is one of the top professional chefs in the world. He's most famous for his reality TV show Hell's Kitchen, in which chefs compete for a job in one of his restaurants. But I've been immersed in his other show, Kitchen Nightmares. In this one, Ramsay heads to a restaurant that's in dire straights...on the verge of closing down for good. Ramsay then gives himself one week to diagnose the restaurant's problems and then solve them. On New Years Eve, BBC Canada was having a marathon of the original British version, and on New Years Day, the Food Network was having a marathon of the American version. I tend to avoid reality TV, but this 2-day marathon got me hooked.
I found the original British version to be more low-key. It's done more in a documentary style, and there's more focus on the restaurants themselves and what Ramsay has to go through to turn things around.
However, on the American version, all the cliches that we've come to associate with reality TV are in full swing. The dramatic music that's been recycled since Who Wants to be a Millionaire...talking-to-the-camera confessionals...extremely heavy editing to play up the drama. And the focus isn't so much on the restaurant as it is on squabbling owners and bickering staff members.
I will admit, the original British version does have something neat that the American verison lacks. And that is, in the original British version, each one has an epilogue where Ramsay pays a surprise visit to the restaurant about a month after his makeover to see if they've been able to follow his advice and turn things around.
But yeah. I do have to agree with the critics. Part of the appeal is that, in most reality TV shows, the host is the same, uncaring, variation on a game show host. But in Ramsay's shows, he seems to genuinely care about turning these restaurants around, making them successful and helping these people.
Reminds me of another example. American reality TV shows really live by the addage that "conflict is at the heart of great drama," and that they always try to amp up the agression.
Another reality TV show I was hooked on 7 years ago or so was Junkyard Wars, but all the true geeks refer to it by its original British name, Scrapheap Challenge. The contest: two teams have from sun-up to sundown to build a machine of some sort, and all the parts are scavanged from a specially-stocked junkyard. The next day, their machine has to accomplish a set list of goals. If their machine actually accomplishes the goals, that team wins. Yay, team!
I remember watching the original British version. The task was to build a harvesting machine of some kind. Sitting in the junkyard was an old swather, which I'm sure you'll agree was quite a coveted piece of junk in this challenge. Team A and Team B stumbled across the swather at the same time. Team A needed Part X, and Team B needed Part Y. So the two teams joined together, helped each other grab the parts they needed, shook hands, wished each other luck, and went back to working on their machines.
A year or so later, I was watching the American version. Exact same set-up. Building a harvester...old swather in the junkyard...the two teams each needed a part off it, and discovered it at the same time. Well, Team A and Team B descended into a screaming match over who "owned" this swather. The judges had to decend into the junkyard to make sure it didn't come to blows. After hearing each team's argument, the judges ruled that Team B owned the swather. Team B got their parts, and Team A had to head back into the junkyard to find a suitable replacement.
Everything about reality TV has to be about the agression, which is kind of what turns me off.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
It Begins Again
So, here we are, the start of 2009. As I do on every New Years Day, I'm sitting here, sipping the last of the eggnog from my Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring collector's glass from Burger King (best fast food promotion EVER) and reflecting on the year that was.
2008 was monumental in one big way. I finally achieved a goal I set out to accomplish in 2003. 5 years of schooling, hard work, and waiting for the right opportunity finally all came together.
In 2008, I finally achieved my dream of becoming a radio announcer.
It was a difficult road...one that proved to be a lot tougher than when I first enrolled in NAIT back in 2003. Especially when most of my classmates were hired fresh out of school and it took me a year of begging and pleading to even get my foot in the door. But I eventually got my way in, worked my way up, and back in April, the company gave me a shot at the big chair.
From that point on, I kind of resolved to take things easy for the rest of 2008. The best analogy I could come up with was the end of Finding Nemo. I was just a fish in the ocean, bobbing up and down, trying to figure out where to go next.
And that is the trick, isn't it? Where do I go from here? So many things I can do, so many things I could do. What will get done?
I've always kind of frowned upon setting goals and working towards them. The problem I always had with goal-setting was that I always, always, always find some way to choke at the finish line. So rather than set goals, I find it's better to have a vaguely defined objective and see what kind of damage you can do while stumbling forward. I learned a long time ago that no expectations means no disappointment.
But still, I have this desire to do something...accomplish something. Will 2009 finally be the year I write that novel? Will I finally buy a bike and take up cycling again? Who knows? It's a new year, filled with all kinds of new possibilities.
And a new Quentin Tarintino movie, Inglorious Bastards, coming out on August 21. Sorry, just had to mention that.
Anyway, while I contemplate what the future may bring, it's time to sit back, and do the completely made-up New Years tradition I started a few years ago. I'm going to watch Titanic.
2008 was monumental in one big way. I finally achieved a goal I set out to accomplish in 2003. 5 years of schooling, hard work, and waiting for the right opportunity finally all came together.
In 2008, I finally achieved my dream of becoming a radio announcer.
It was a difficult road...one that proved to be a lot tougher than when I first enrolled in NAIT back in 2003. Especially when most of my classmates were hired fresh out of school and it took me a year of begging and pleading to even get my foot in the door. But I eventually got my way in, worked my way up, and back in April, the company gave me a shot at the big chair.
From that point on, I kind of resolved to take things easy for the rest of 2008. The best analogy I could come up with was the end of Finding Nemo. I was just a fish in the ocean, bobbing up and down, trying to figure out where to go next.
And that is the trick, isn't it? Where do I go from here? So many things I can do, so many things I could do. What will get done?
I've always kind of frowned upon setting goals and working towards them. The problem I always had with goal-setting was that I always, always, always find some way to choke at the finish line. So rather than set goals, I find it's better to have a vaguely defined objective and see what kind of damage you can do while stumbling forward. I learned a long time ago that no expectations means no disappointment.
But still, I have this desire to do something...accomplish something. Will 2009 finally be the year I write that novel? Will I finally buy a bike and take up cycling again? Who knows? It's a new year, filled with all kinds of new possibilities.
And a new Quentin Tarintino movie, Inglorious Bastards, coming out on August 21. Sorry, just had to mention that.
Anyway, while I contemplate what the future may bring, it's time to sit back, and do the completely made-up New Years tradition I started a few years ago. I'm going to watch Titanic.
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