A couple recent news items...
There is turmoil in Middle Earth as Guillermo del Toro over the weekend stepped down as director of the two planned Hobbit movies, prequels to the hugely successful Lord of the Rings trilogy. He will remain one of the writers, along with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens of the LotR trilogy. MGM's troubles are largely to blame for this; the studio, which shares financing rights to The Hobbit, has been trying to find a buyer since November, and its inability to do so thus far has put The Hobbit as well as other projects including the next James Bond film on hold. Because MGM is still in limbo, it hasn't been able to give an official green light to The Hobbit, and thus a start date for filming and a budget have yet to be set. Del Toro explained his decision in a statement: "In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures." (Variety)
I am very saddened by this news. I thought del Toro would have been a great director for The Hobbit. And I can imagine how hard it must be for him. He was willing to commit three years to living in New Zealand working solely on this project. He had already worked on it for two years (he signed on in April 2008), designing sets and costumes and planning battle sequences, etc. And now, considering that it may instead take six years, he feels he has to walk away. That's rough.
There is, however, a small possibility that Peter Jackson will end up directing. He obviously cares a lot about the project and might be willing to direct if necessary. "If that's what I have to do to protect Warner Bros.' investment, then obviously that's one angle which I'll explore." He does have other projects, though, that might prevent him from directing. (Variety) Hopefully it will all work out. I'm looking forward to seeing Gandalf and Gollum on screen again.
On a lighter note, Patrick Stewart was knighted today by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Sir Patrick Stewart. Though I know and love him as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies (playing opposite another knight, Sir Ian McKellen), I know that he has long been a key member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. I'd love to see him on stage. Ever gracious and admirable, he said of his knighting, "It was an unlooked-for honor but as I grew up as a child, falling in love with the theatre and Shakespeare, my heroes were Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Alec Guinness. The knights of the theater represented to me not only the pinnacle of the profession but the esteem in which the profession was held. And now to find myself, to my astonishment, in that company is the grandest thing that has professionally happened to me." (E! Online) A toast to Sir Patrick.
And now an amusing video:
Retro games destroy NYC
Showing posts with label X-Men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label X-Men. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Turtles, Wolverine, Real-world Hobbits and more!
It's been a long time since my last post on entertainment news that I found fun and interesting. Let's see what has happened since then...
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles celebrated their 25th birthday at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 23 (Variety, IMDb). Fans celebrated the Ninja Turtles with special events including a screening of the original Ninja Turtle movie, and the Empire State Building was even lit up "turtle green" for the day. The event coincided with the news that the franchise would be brought back for a new live action movie probably around 2011. Ah, the childhood memories. My brothers and I were fans growing up, collecting various action figures including one that talked if you pulled a red strip of plastic through its shell (wow, that seems so primitive now). One of my parents' favorite baby stories is how my little brother used to call "pizza" "bunga nummins", which was baby brother speak for "Ninja Turtle food" (work with me here--"bunga" as in "Cowabunga!", and "nummins" as in the noun form of "num, num, num" which is obviously what you say when you're eating). I can't say I've really kept up with them--I didn't see the 2007 TMNT movie--but the '80s/'90s child in me is happy to hear they're still around.
Tracking the future of "my shows"... ABC has picked up Lost for another season, though this was already assumed since they made a deal before Season 4 to end the show at the end of Season 6 (next season). Castle, starring Nathan Fillion, is still on the bubble (Variety). Fox gave an early pickup for another season of Fringe (Variety). I already reported that Sarah Connor hadn't been renewed, and I have yet to hear a decision about Dollhouse. The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, my two CBS sitcoms, will both be returning in the fall. NBC renewed Heroes, though it has fallen far from its lofty first season status. Chuck remains on the bubble. More decisions may be made in the next week or so. I love my shows, and I don't want any of them cancelled, but as you might have seen when I listed everything that I watch, my schedule is pretty full. It might be healthy for me if a few more were cancelled.
I've mentioned Gore Verbinski's planned live-action movie adaptation of BioShock a couple times (actually it made an appearance in what was basically my blog's first real post). The project has been put on hold, a victim of the bad economy (Variety, IMDb). Apparently, once the budget passed $160 million, executives at Universal Pictures halted production and let some production team members go. Verbinski is looking for ways to cut the budget, including a possible location move to London. The IMDb short mentions that Wentworth Miller, one of the two stars of Prison Break, is rumored to be starring in the movie. I like him. (I bought Mariah Carey's music video of "We Belong Together" on iTunes because he plays the boy with whom she belongs. Yes.) If this movie will bring him to the big screen, then I wholly support it. Save the BioShock movie!
Word on the boulevard is that Guy Ritchie, known for directing gangster/crime films such as Snatch and the upcoming Downey/Law Sherlock Holmes, is planning on directing a musical (IMDb). But you know what makes this even better? He's in talks to do this musical with B-action king Jason Statham (who did Snatch with Ritchie back in the day and has since done The Transporter, Crank, Death Race, The Bank Job, The Italian Job, etc.). Oh boy. We'll see if anything comes of this.
This was tagged on IMDb last week: The Biology of B-Movie Monsters. Mostly it analyzes the problems that unnaturally large or small creatures/people would face that are not recognized by the movies that feature them. It is so awesome. My Bridge of Khazad-dûm paper just can't measure up. No pun intended. Luckily, I think my Balrog is exempt from most of the criticisms presented in the article, seeing as it's a magical monster made out of molten rock.
I mentioned that ABC had greenlit a pilot for a new sci-fi TV series called "V", based on the original 1980s miniseries. But now I have heard that Alan Tudyk (aka Wash of Firefly) is starring in it! In a recent interview with Alan Tudyk, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello mentioned in one question "I'm assuming your role in ABC's V reboot--assuming that it gets picked up--could pose a complication...." (EW.com, but WARNING: Dollhouse SPOILERS from the 5/1/09 episode immediately once you get there). I love Alan Tudyk (Fun Fact: I saw him on Broadway in Spamalot). He's awesome. My interest in the show "V" is definitely greater knowing he's in it.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is barely out in theaters, and they're already planning for another Wolverine sequel (Variety, IMDb). I have not seen the new Wolverine yet because I heard it is disappointing (if one of my friends wanted to see it, I'd go, but I won't try to convince anyone to see it with me if it's going to be bad). I probably will see it at some point, since I like X-Men and I like Hugh Jackman (Fun Fact: I saw him on Broadway in The Boy from Oz). But if this one wasn't very good, I don't have high hopes for the quality of its sequel. The news doesn't stop with Wolverine. Twentieth Century Fox is planning another spinoff movie focusing on Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson, played by Ryan Reynolds in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Variety, IMDb). I gotta say, he is easy on the eyes, and the bit from the trailer in which he slices a bullet coming towards him in half and the two halves hit the attackers behind him was pretty sweet. But I really have my doubts about how good that one will turn out. A spinoff of a bad spinoff? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
How about a bit of real-world news? Has anyone heard about what are being called the Indonesian "Hobbit" people? Scientists discovered skeletons of 3 foot tall, 65 pound humans on the Indonesian island of Flores back in 2004, but they have recently concluded that this is a new species of human, rather than some variation of previous species (BBC News). I love that they're being called "Hobbits," though apparently their feet are not as big as the Hobbits of Middle Earth. A shame.
Lastly, critical consensus seems to indicate that the new Star Trek movie will be totally awesome! See compilations of reviews here, here, and here. It opens on Friday, May 8 (tomorrow), though some theaters will not only have midnight screenings but various screenings earlier this evening. It probably won't do as well as Wolverine did last week because the franchise hasn't had the recent blockbuster success that X-Men had (basically, Star Trek isn't tracking as well among younger people, since it's staler in people's minds). But it's undoubtedly a better movie, and it should do better at the box office. So go out and see it. Get your friends to see it. Support Star Trek!
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles celebrated their 25th birthday at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 23 (Variety, IMDb). Fans celebrated the Ninja Turtles with special events including a screening of the original Ninja Turtle movie, and the Empire State Building was even lit up "turtle green" for the day. The event coincided with the news that the franchise would be brought back for a new live action movie probably around 2011. Ah, the childhood memories. My brothers and I were fans growing up, collecting various action figures including one that talked if you pulled a red strip of plastic through its shell (wow, that seems so primitive now). One of my parents' favorite baby stories is how my little brother used to call "pizza" "bunga nummins", which was baby brother speak for "Ninja Turtle food" (work with me here--"bunga" as in "Cowabunga!", and "nummins" as in the noun form of "num, num, num" which is obviously what you say when you're eating). I can't say I've really kept up with them--I didn't see the 2007 TMNT movie--but the '80s/'90s child in me is happy to hear they're still around.
Tracking the future of "my shows"... ABC has picked up Lost for another season, though this was already assumed since they made a deal before Season 4 to end the show at the end of Season 6 (next season). Castle, starring Nathan Fillion, is still on the bubble (Variety). Fox gave an early pickup for another season of Fringe (Variety). I already reported that Sarah Connor hadn't been renewed, and I have yet to hear a decision about Dollhouse. The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, my two CBS sitcoms, will both be returning in the fall. NBC renewed Heroes, though it has fallen far from its lofty first season status. Chuck remains on the bubble. More decisions may be made in the next week or so. I love my shows, and I don't want any of them cancelled, but as you might have seen when I listed everything that I watch, my schedule is pretty full. It might be healthy for me if a few more were cancelled.
I've mentioned Gore Verbinski's planned live-action movie adaptation of BioShock a couple times (actually it made an appearance in what was basically my blog's first real post). The project has been put on hold, a victim of the bad economy (Variety, IMDb). Apparently, once the budget passed $160 million, executives at Universal Pictures halted production and let some production team members go. Verbinski is looking for ways to cut the budget, including a possible location move to London. The IMDb short mentions that Wentworth Miller, one of the two stars of Prison Break, is rumored to be starring in the movie. I like him. (I bought Mariah Carey's music video of "We Belong Together" on iTunes because he plays the boy with whom she belongs. Yes.) If this movie will bring him to the big screen, then I wholly support it. Save the BioShock movie!
Word on the boulevard is that Guy Ritchie, known for directing gangster/crime films such as Snatch and the upcoming Downey/Law Sherlock Holmes, is planning on directing a musical (IMDb). But you know what makes this even better? He's in talks to do this musical with B-action king Jason Statham (who did Snatch with Ritchie back in the day and has since done The Transporter, Crank, Death Race, The Bank Job, The Italian Job, etc.). Oh boy. We'll see if anything comes of this.
This was tagged on IMDb last week: The Biology of B-Movie Monsters. Mostly it analyzes the problems that unnaturally large or small creatures/people would face that are not recognized by the movies that feature them. It is so awesome. My Bridge of Khazad-dûm paper just can't measure up. No pun intended. Luckily, I think my Balrog is exempt from most of the criticisms presented in the article, seeing as it's a magical monster made out of molten rock.
I mentioned that ABC had greenlit a pilot for a new sci-fi TV series called "V", based on the original 1980s miniseries. But now I have heard that Alan Tudyk (aka Wash of Firefly) is starring in it! In a recent interview with Alan Tudyk, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello mentioned in one question "I'm assuming your role in ABC's V reboot--assuming that it gets picked up--could pose a complication...." (EW.com, but WARNING: Dollhouse SPOILERS from the 5/1/09 episode immediately once you get there). I love Alan Tudyk (Fun Fact: I saw him on Broadway in Spamalot). He's awesome. My interest in the show "V" is definitely greater knowing he's in it.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is barely out in theaters, and they're already planning for another Wolverine sequel (Variety, IMDb). I have not seen the new Wolverine yet because I heard it is disappointing (if one of my friends wanted to see it, I'd go, but I won't try to convince anyone to see it with me if it's going to be bad). I probably will see it at some point, since I like X-Men and I like Hugh Jackman (Fun Fact: I saw him on Broadway in The Boy from Oz). But if this one wasn't very good, I don't have high hopes for the quality of its sequel. The news doesn't stop with Wolverine. Twentieth Century Fox is planning another spinoff movie focusing on Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson, played by Ryan Reynolds in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Variety, IMDb). I gotta say, he is easy on the eyes, and the bit from the trailer in which he slices a bullet coming towards him in half and the two halves hit the attackers behind him was pretty sweet. But I really have my doubts about how good that one will turn out. A spinoff of a bad spinoff? Doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
How about a bit of real-world news? Has anyone heard about what are being called the Indonesian "Hobbit" people? Scientists discovered skeletons of 3 foot tall, 65 pound humans on the Indonesian island of Flores back in 2004, but they have recently concluded that this is a new species of human, rather than some variation of previous species (BBC News). I love that they're being called "Hobbits," though apparently their feet are not as big as the Hobbits of Middle Earth. A shame.
Lastly, critical consensus seems to indicate that the new Star Trek movie will be totally awesome! See compilations of reviews here, here, and here. It opens on Friday, May 8 (tomorrow), though some theaters will not only have midnight screenings but various screenings earlier this evening. It probably won't do as well as Wolverine did last week because the franchise hasn't had the recent blockbuster success that X-Men had (basically, Star Trek isn't tracking as well among younger people, since it's staler in people's minds). But it's undoubtedly a better movie, and it should do better at the box office. So go out and see it. Get your friends to see it. Support Star Trek!
Friday, November 21, 2008
AD movie, Mormon Musical, PD cancellation, Colbert Christmas, and more
Thank goodness it's Friday. I've somehow been very busy this week. I'm starting to panic about grad school applications enough that I've been spending time on them, but not panicked enough to actually be getting anything done. I'm also coming up with new and pathetic ways to waste time while not working on grad school apps. You have no idea how much time I can spend compiling an 18-track mixed CD, and I need a handful of them for my upcoming long car trip home for the holidays. Well anyway, here are my thoughts on recent entertainment events.
Filming in Buckinghamshire, England for the Prince of Persia movie has been disrupted by scorpions on set (IMDb). They apparently caught a ride over when the filming transfered from Morocco. The scorpions in question were PoP: SoT fanatics who had devoted significant time and resources to tracking down the film location and then following the set to England. Most were caught, but some escaped to post their on-set photos online.
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are teaming up with Avenue Q co-composer Jeff Marx to write a Broadway musical comedy about the Mormon faith (IMDb). I am not a fan of South Park, but I am a huge fan of Avenue Q. I get nervous when people make fun of religions, but I do think that people who can't put up with challenges to their religion don't have enough faith in it (and thus shouldn't be complaining). I have some friends who are Mormons, but I am not pleased with certain recent contributions of the church to a certain cause. Anyway, I'm not quite sure what to expect from this musical, and I don't know how people are going to react to it, but I do think it's hilarious that someone is writing a Mormon Musical.
Ron Howard has confirmed that an Arrested Development movie is in development (maxim.com, more confirmation at Variety). I have not seen every episode, and I did not see them even remotely in chronological order, but what I saw I found pretty hilarious. It is so much funnier than most comedies that are on today (How is Two and a Half Men the most popular sitcom? How?). They'll have to be careful about the budget, though, now that Michael Cera is such a hot commodity.
Domino's pizza has made a groundbreaking new deal with TiVo. TiVo owners can now order delivery pizza... on their TiVos (IMDb). "This is the first time in history that the 'on-demand' generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set," says Domino's marketing executive. Unfortunately, the pizza itself will not be delivered from the TV set (I can't wait for that to happen!), so the customers will still have to stand up and walk to answer the door when the delivery guy shows up. Still, this is a significant step forward towards the ultimate American dream. And can I just reiterate: "couch commerce."
Filming in Buckinghamshire, England for the Prince of Persia movie has been disrupted by scorpions on set (IMDb). They apparently caught a ride over when the filming transfered from Morocco. The scorpions in question were PoP: SoT fanatics who had devoted significant time and resources to tracking down the film location and then following the set to England. Most were caught, but some escaped to post their on-set photos online.
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are teaming up with Avenue Q co-composer Jeff Marx to write a Broadway musical comedy about the Mormon faith (IMDb). I am not a fan of South Park, but I am a huge fan of Avenue Q. I get nervous when people make fun of religions, but I do think that people who can't put up with challenges to their religion don't have enough faith in it (and thus shouldn't be complaining). I have some friends who are Mormons, but I am not pleased with certain recent contributions of the church to a certain cause. Anyway, I'm not quite sure what to expect from this musical, and I don't know how people are going to react to it, but I do think it's hilarious that someone is writing a Mormon Musical.
Ron Howard has confirmed that an Arrested Development movie is in development (maxim.com, more confirmation at Variety). I have not seen every episode, and I did not see them even remotely in chronological order, but what I saw I found pretty hilarious. It is so much funnier than most comedies that are on today (How is Two and a Half Men the most popular sitcom? How?). They'll have to be careful about the budget, though, now that Michael Cera is such a hot commodity.
Domino's pizza has made a groundbreaking new deal with TiVo. TiVo owners can now order delivery pizza... on their TiVos (IMDb). "This is the first time in history that the 'on-demand' generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set," says Domino's marketing executive. Unfortunately, the pizza itself will not be delivered from the TV set (I can't wait for that to happen!), so the customers will still have to stand up and walk to answer the door when the delivery guy shows up. Still, this is a significant step forward towards the ultimate American dream. And can I just reiterate: "couch commerce."
Gossip Girl and OC creator Josh Schwartz has been tapped by Twentieth Century Fox to write, and possibly direct, a new X-Men "First Class" movie, which would focus on various mutant superheroes as teenagers at Xavier's school (Variety). Because Mutant High needs the Gossip Girl treatment. XOXO Rogue. Maybe they're trying to make X-Men appeal to teen and tween girls as well as teen fanboys. Well, as always, we'll see what comes of it.
Twilight is opening this weekend!!! OMG!!!!! A grad student at work (we work within sight of each other) asked me last night if I have read Twilight, since she was trying to get a group together to go see it. She's always having bunches of grad students over to her house for partying and drinking or going out with people to lunch or happy hour, and she has never invited me to anything. Ever. But she asked me if I wanted to go see Twilight. I guess I should be happy she bothered to notice me, but NO, I HAVE NEVER READ TWILIGHT. NO, I DON'T PLAN TO. JUST BECAUSE I'M A TOTAL FANTASY GEEK AND A GIRL DOES NOT MAKE ME A TWILIGHT FAN. Sorry, I don't mean any offense to Twilight fans (well, not to all Twilight fans at least.... The ones who faint when Robert Pattinson makes an appearance could use a little insulting). I just have to shake my head at the fact that I've been labeled as "Total fantasy geek, not fun at parties." Alas. Well anyway, with midnight numbers in, Twilight box office receipts are already astonishing. With a core audience of tween and teen girls, it is not expected to set records for opening weekend. But I wonder if this core audience will be an advantage in the long-term box office, since many will recall the power of the teen girl repeat viewing in Titanic's success.
And now for the tragic news of the day. It looks like Pushing Daisies has been canceled (IMDb). No, I'm not going to make any bad puns about the show's demise. I am too heartbroken. Eli Stone, Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Chuck are also looking shaky. If they all get canceled, I'll suddenly be finding myself with a lot of time on my hands. Still, of all my shows on right now (that means not counting BSG and Lost, which are on hiatus), if I could have saved one, it would have been Pushing Daisies. PD executive producer Bryan Fuller says that he has plans to continue the story in a comic and even in a movie. Comics are all well and good, but I am more interested in this movie option. I can't really picture the characters at this point without the actors in the roles. Chi McBride is hilarious, Kristin Chenoweth is absolutely brilliant, and... okay, fine, I find Lee Pace as Ned to be excruciatingly adorable. Maybe I'm no better than Pattinson's screaming girls (though I don't think I'd squeal if I saw him, and I am able to differentiate between Lee and Ned, thank you very much). Knowing how hard it is to get projects to the big screen, I'm not overly hopeful about the chances of a Pushing Daisies movie. Still, assuming that it does get made, will I be satisfied? What does this remind me of: critically praised but under-viewed show suffers premature cancellation, gets some comics to continue the story, then is made into a feature-length film? Yes, Serenity was a great movie, but it was not a satisfactory consolation prize for the canceled Firefly. I still mourn the too-soon loss of Firefly. But Serenity was certainly better than nothing. We'll see what happens.
Bringing a ray of sunshine, or at least some Christmas cheer, is none other than the amazing Stephen Colbert. His Christmas special, "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All", airs this Sunday night, November 23, at 10 pm on Comedy Central (Variety blog, NY Times). Be there or be square. I will be square, of course, since I don't get Comedy Central (or any other non-network TV channel), but folks like me can buy the DVD starting November 25. No, I am not advertising on my blog. Okay, maybe a little, but it's Stephen Colbert and friends doing a musical comedy Christmas special. This will be one worth adding to your family Christmas tradition, even if you don't celebrate Christmas!
Twilight is opening this weekend!!! OMG!!!!! A grad student at work (we work within sight of each other) asked me last night if I have read Twilight, since she was trying to get a group together to go see it. She's always having bunches of grad students over to her house for partying and drinking or going out with people to lunch or happy hour, and she has never invited me to anything. Ever. But she asked me if I wanted to go see Twilight. I guess I should be happy she bothered to notice me, but NO, I HAVE NEVER READ TWILIGHT. NO, I DON'T PLAN TO. JUST BECAUSE I'M A TOTAL FANTASY GEEK AND A GIRL DOES NOT MAKE ME A TWILIGHT FAN. Sorry, I don't mean any offense to Twilight fans (well, not to all Twilight fans at least.... The ones who faint when Robert Pattinson makes an appearance could use a little insulting). I just have to shake my head at the fact that I've been labeled as "Total fantasy geek, not fun at parties." Alas. Well anyway, with midnight numbers in, Twilight box office receipts are already astonishing. With a core audience of tween and teen girls, it is not expected to set records for opening weekend. But I wonder if this core audience will be an advantage in the long-term box office, since many will recall the power of the teen girl repeat viewing in Titanic's success.
And now for the tragic news of the day. It looks like Pushing Daisies has been canceled (IMDb). No, I'm not going to make any bad puns about the show's demise. I am too heartbroken. Eli Stone, Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Chuck are also looking shaky. If they all get canceled, I'll suddenly be finding myself with a lot of time on my hands. Still, of all my shows on right now (that means not counting BSG and Lost, which are on hiatus), if I could have saved one, it would have been Pushing Daisies. PD executive producer Bryan Fuller says that he has plans to continue the story in a comic and even in a movie. Comics are all well and good, but I am more interested in this movie option. I can't really picture the characters at this point without the actors in the roles. Chi McBride is hilarious, Kristin Chenoweth is absolutely brilliant, and... okay, fine, I find Lee Pace as Ned to be excruciatingly adorable. Maybe I'm no better than Pattinson's screaming girls (though I don't think I'd squeal if I saw him, and I am able to differentiate between Lee and Ned, thank you very much). Knowing how hard it is to get projects to the big screen, I'm not overly hopeful about the chances of a Pushing Daisies movie. Still, assuming that it does get made, will I be satisfied? What does this remind me of: critically praised but under-viewed show suffers premature cancellation, gets some comics to continue the story, then is made into a feature-length film? Yes, Serenity was a great movie, but it was not a satisfactory consolation prize for the canceled Firefly. I still mourn the too-soon loss of Firefly. But Serenity was certainly better than nothing. We'll see what happens.
Bringing a ray of sunshine, or at least some Christmas cheer, is none other than the amazing Stephen Colbert. His Christmas special, "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All", airs this Sunday night, November 23, at 10 pm on Comedy Central (Variety blog, NY Times). Be there or be square. I will be square, of course, since I don't get Comedy Central (or any other non-network TV channel), but folks like me can buy the DVD starting November 25. No, I am not advertising on my blog. Okay, maybe a little, but it's Stephen Colbert and friends doing a musical comedy Christmas special. This will be one worth adding to your family Christmas tradition, even if you don't celebrate Christmas!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Upcoming Movie: Push
Whoa, did movie producers pull a fast one on me this time. Here I am, flipping through the 8-8-08 issue of Entertainment Weekly (I fell behind on vacation), and I come across a page full of pictures of various actors posed in front of a white backdrop. The heading at the top of the page indicates that these were taken at Comic-Con. Now, normally I don't bother to read the pages that just have pictures of celebrities, but one picture catches my eye: a cute little portrait of Dakota Fanning. I think to myself, What is Dakota Fanning in that would be at Comic-Con? So I look at the little box with all the captions for the photos and it says "2. Dakota Fanning (Push)".
This stops me dead in my tracks. Push?? The Push that I know??? If they were making that movie, it would indeed go to Comic-Con, but it didn't have any little girls that Dakota Fanning would pl-- Oh, of course, it had that spunky little too-old-for-her-age 13-year-old, whom Dakota Fanning, being a spunky little too-old-for-her-age now-14-year-old, would be perfect for... But no way, how could this have slipped by me? A quick trip to IMDb, while not giving me as much information as I'd like, answers the relevant question: Yes, the sci-fi thriller script that I read two years ago, that I thought could make a really cool movie, is now in post-production, scheduled for release on February 6, 2009.
Sweet. Push stars Chris Evans in the lead role, supported by Camilla Belle and Dakota Fanning, with Djimon Hounsou playing the lead antagonist. While I have somehow never seen any movie with Chris Evans in it (I will get around to Fantastic 4 someday... I was so psyched about it until the first came out to such horrible reviews... Why Jessica Alba?!), I have had my eye on him for several years. I found him notable in that he had leading man roles, as opposed to leading kid roles, in his early 20s. (It's related to that phenomenon where an 18-year-old girl can be a leading lady, but men that age still look like kids; consider that, though Shia LaBeouf is just one year younger than Keira Knightley and a year and a half younger than Scarlett Johansson, the year 2003 saw the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Lost in Translation, and--wait for it--Holes... but I digress). I haven't had an interest in anything Camilla Belle has been in, but I won't hold that against her. I think Dakota Fanning should be good in her role, and Djimon Hounsou is very promising as the villain. With a cool script with a clever story and a strong cast, it's a good start. But having seen a beloved fantasy novel given a very strong cast but turned into a disappointing movie, I am cautious about getting my hopes too high. How the movie turns out, of course, will be largely dependent on how it is realized--the look, the tone, the pace, the action, the time paid to character development, etc., etc. Director Paul McGuigan has a few credits including Lucky Number Slevin under his belt, which makes me not ecstatic but at least hopeful.
******
Plot
Now, about the story of Push. It would probably be bad form for me to give away too much, plus I don't know how much has been changed between the original script and the actual movie, so I'll only say what I think 1) will not have been changed greatly in the final cut and 2) wouldn't give away anything that would make anyone mad.
Push is set in modern times in Hong Kong (original script was Beijing). During WWII, Nazi researchers experimented in the development of psychic abilities, and since their fall, other governments have continued the research with their own experiments, using genetic modification to endow humans with psychic abilities. Most of the agents put under the genetic alteration die, but those who survive become valuable psychic agents for their governments. Many, however, have fled the government agencies that made them and have taught their children, who inherit the abilities, to do the same. The story centers around Nick Gant (Evans), an American psychic hiding in Beijing from the U.S. psychic agency, Division. Nick is a Mover--a telekinetic. Fanning plays Nick's friend Cassie Holmes, a thirteen-year-old who as a psychic has been through enough to give her a perspective and attitude far beyond her years. She is a Watcher, able to catch glimpses of the (frequently changing) future. She finds Nick in Beijing because she believes he can help her find a woman that Division, which has incarcerated Cassie's mother, wants her to find. As Cassie predicted, Nick does run into this sought after woman, who turns out to be his old flame Kira (Belle) seeking his help to escape Division and find a cure for a mysterious ailment she has developed. Kira is a Pusher, able to "push" memories into a person's mind (hence the movie's title). On her tail are two Division Sniffer agents, who can psychically track individuals, and Agent Carver (Hounsou), another Pusher. Division also ropes in a dangerous mercenary Chinese family of psychics to help catch Kira. Nick, Cassie, and Kira, with a few other friends scattered around the city, must use their different abilities to save Kira from her pursuers, and maybe even make a little money while they're at it.
Note: In the actual movie, there is no monetary reward in the end as there was in the original script; the heroes do everything just to help bring down Division.
******
FAQ
Now I'll address some Frequently Asked Questions, or at least what I would ask myself or expect would be asked frequently.
Q: Is this a ripoff of Heroes?
A: Hardly anything is totally original these days, least of all Heroes. Let's just say that anything that Push has in common with Heroes had already been done long before Heroes. If that isn't enough, considering the fact that the script made it to me before Heroes made it onto TV, it's probably safe to say that the script was written before Kring pitched Heroes to NBC. So in short, no.
Q: Okay smahtie, is this a ripoff of X-Men?
A: *Sigh*. I don't imagine X-Men was completely original either, but I'm not helping much with these protests, so I'll give a proper response. Let's examine some relevant differences. For one, the origins and pervasiveness of the powers are different. In X-Men, the powers are the result of an unexplained genetic mutation that manifests itself in adolescents. Random people all over the world are suddenly discovering that they have any number of amazing powers. Heroes is similar, with a couple notable differences: the genetic anomalies have existed for hundreds and hundreds of years at least, and Heroes may discover their powers at a wide range of ages (usually at a time that makes them just as inexperienced as all the other Heroes who have to work with them to save the world). In Push, the powers are the result of genetic experiments. The only people with psychic powers are those who were experimented upon and their descendants. This leads to another difference from X-Men (and Heroes): the place of the people with powers within society. In X-Men, the general public fears the mutant condition like a pandemic. In Heroes, the Heroes work to keep their powers under the radar to avoid causing a panic. In both, as people discover their powers, they are bewildered and in many cases desperately need to find others like them to help them through their changes and trials. In Push, the psychics are outcasts and number few enough to keep under the radar. And since they generally learn about their powers from the agencies or their parents, there are no surprises, and no psychics desperately trying to learn what's happening to them. This difference strongly affects the feel of the story and the tone of the world that the psychics of Push are living in. Furthermore, the variety of powers is much more limited in Push. Since all of the powers are the result of experiments to create psychics, all of the powers are psychic-related. Powers in Heroes are much more varied, and even more so in X-Men. Push has no time stoppers, no super-sonic fliers, no electricity slingers, and no power stealers (or brain-slicing power stealers). Nor does it have any laser-shooters, blue-furred beasts, or people who walk through walls. The controlled variety of the powers makes them somehow more--dare I say it?--"realistic". Lastly, I'll point out that, unlike the X-Men and the Heroes heroes, the protagonists of Push aren't out to save the world. They're trying to lay low and get by. In this way, it's like comparing Star Trek to Firefly (though the Heroes and X-Men aren't Federation military or anything... please don't look too hard into that comparison, it doesn't go very far). All of these differences give Push a grungier, rawer tone and an edgy, more real-world feel than Heroes and the X-Men movies (there are so many X-Men comics that I won't make the mistake of implying that there aren't any grungy or edgy comic incarnations).
Q: Did you just call psychic powers "realistic"?
A: Okay, this was merely in comparison to powers in some other universes. The limited powers make the universe a little easier to imagine--they're significantly scary, but not so world-altering that you can't really imagine what it would be like if they actually did exist. Plus, the limited array of powers gives the universe a more controlled environment. I feel there is a difference between being able move things with your mind and being able to shoot from your eyes beams of red energy from another dimension that can punch through almost anything except your eyelids or a good pair of sunglasses. But I do use "realistic" rather loosely.
Q: The movie is named after the "push" ability, but just giving someone a memory of something that didn't really happen sounds kind of lame. What's the big deal?
A: "Pushing" is a subtler ability than straight mind control but when used well is quite effective. If I made you think that I was your sister, how would you treat me? If I instead made you remember that I was the murderer of your beloved sister, then how would you treat me? Besides, I think Pushers may be able to push small thoughts or ideas into people's minds as well--little suggestions like Don't you want a cup of coffee right now? or something.
Q: What are all the powers in Push?
A: These are the different kinds of psychics in the original script [Edit: names changed for the movie are in brackets]:
Movers - telekinetics
Watchers - see the future
Pushers - push memories/ideas into people's minds
Healers [Stitchers] - heal people
Sniffers [Sniffs] - track people
Shadows - can hide people from Sniffers and Watchers
Wipers - erase memories
These last two powers didn't have cute little titles in the script, so these are the names from the official movie promotion:
Bleeders - emit a piercing screech that bursts blood vessels, giving opponents a nosebleed... and much worse, if subjected to the effect for too long
Shifters - can temporarily alter the way objects appear.
Q: Did I hear that Dakota Fanning gets drunk in this film? And what's with all that leg she's showing in the movie stills? She was--what?--thirteen when she filmed this? Is that appropriate?
A: No, I don't suppose it is appropriate, but that's the character. As I said, Cassie is old beyond her years and pretty badass. She's making her way through the streets of Beijing alone. And as Fanning explained herself in an interview, the drinking is related to Cassie's powers; like her mother, Cassie's Watcher powers get clearer the drunker she gets (perhaps it has to do with letting loose her inhibitions, or maybe in a strange way the less clear the present becomes, the clearer the future is). In a desperate situation, she will get herself drunk as a last resort. I get the feeling that Cassie's naughtiness was toned down in the movie. In the script, she smoked cigarettes, and I recall her drinking more than simply as a last resort. From what I can gather (mainly a lack of controversy surrounding the issue), they've done away with the smoking thirteen-year-old, which is not surprising since there are strong movements to decrease smoking in movies because it encourages young people to smoke and having a young heroine smoke in a movie would be doubly bad.
******
Well, that's all for now I guess. Judging from the script, Push has potential, and its edgy sci-fi/fantasy action genre is right up my alley. A February release date isn't exactly a vote of confidence, but movies like 300 excelled in March, so who knows? With a promising cast and creative team, here's hoping that it'll deliver. I've got my eye on this one.
******
Edit 10/18/08: You can watch a trailer here.
Edit 12/6/08: Another trailer here.
This stops me dead in my tracks. Push?? The Push that I know??? If they were making that movie, it would indeed go to Comic-Con, but it didn't have any little girls that Dakota Fanning would pl-- Oh, of course, it had that spunky little too-old-for-her-age 13-year-old, whom Dakota Fanning, being a spunky little too-old-for-her-age now-14-year-old, would be perfect for... But no way, how could this have slipped by me? A quick trip to IMDb, while not giving me as much information as I'd like, answers the relevant question: Yes, the sci-fi thriller script that I read two years ago, that I thought could make a really cool movie, is now in post-production, scheduled for release on February 6, 2009.
Sweet. Push stars Chris Evans in the lead role, supported by Camilla Belle and Dakota Fanning, with Djimon Hounsou playing the lead antagonist. While I have somehow never seen any movie with Chris Evans in it (I will get around to Fantastic 4 someday... I was so psyched about it until the first came out to such horrible reviews... Why Jessica Alba?!), I have had my eye on him for several years. I found him notable in that he had leading man roles, as opposed to leading kid roles, in his early 20s. (It's related to that phenomenon where an 18-year-old girl can be a leading lady, but men that age still look like kids; consider that, though Shia LaBeouf is just one year younger than Keira Knightley and a year and a half younger than Scarlett Johansson, the year 2003 saw the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Lost in Translation, and--wait for it--Holes... but I digress). I haven't had an interest in anything Camilla Belle has been in, but I won't hold that against her. I think Dakota Fanning should be good in her role, and Djimon Hounsou is very promising as the villain. With a cool script with a clever story and a strong cast, it's a good start. But having seen a beloved fantasy novel given a very strong cast but turned into a disappointing movie, I am cautious about getting my hopes too high. How the movie turns out, of course, will be largely dependent on how it is realized--the look, the tone, the pace, the action, the time paid to character development, etc., etc. Director Paul McGuigan has a few credits including Lucky Number Slevin under his belt, which makes me not ecstatic but at least hopeful.
******
Plot
Now, about the story of Push. It would probably be bad form for me to give away too much, plus I don't know how much has been changed between the original script and the actual movie, so I'll only say what I think 1) will not have been changed greatly in the final cut and 2) wouldn't give away anything that would make anyone mad.
Push is set in modern times in Hong Kong (original script was Beijing). During WWII, Nazi researchers experimented in the development of psychic abilities, and since their fall, other governments have continued the research with their own experiments, using genetic modification to endow humans with psychic abilities. Most of the agents put under the genetic alteration die, but those who survive become valuable psychic agents for their governments. Many, however, have fled the government agencies that made them and have taught their children, who inherit the abilities, to do the same. The story centers around Nick Gant (Evans), an American psychic hiding in Beijing from the U.S. psychic agency, Division. Nick is a Mover--a telekinetic. Fanning plays Nick's friend Cassie Holmes, a thirteen-year-old who as a psychic has been through enough to give her a perspective and attitude far beyond her years. She is a Watcher, able to catch glimpses of the (frequently changing) future. She finds Nick in Beijing because she believes he can help her find a woman that Division, which has incarcerated Cassie's mother, wants her to find. As Cassie predicted, Nick does run into this sought after woman, who turns out to be his old flame Kira (Belle) seeking his help to escape Division and find a cure for a mysterious ailment she has developed. Kira is a Pusher, able to "push" memories into a person's mind (hence the movie's title). On her tail are two Division Sniffer agents, who can psychically track individuals, and Agent Carver (Hounsou), another Pusher. Division also ropes in a dangerous mercenary Chinese family of psychics to help catch Kira. Nick, Cassie, and Kira, with a few other friends scattered around the city, must use their different abilities to save Kira from her pursuers, and maybe even make a little money while they're at it.
Note: In the actual movie, there is no monetary reward in the end as there was in the original script; the heroes do everything just to help bring down Division.
******
FAQ
Now I'll address some Frequently Asked Questions, or at least what I would ask myself or expect would be asked frequently.
Q: Is this a ripoff of Heroes?
A: Hardly anything is totally original these days, least of all Heroes. Let's just say that anything that Push has in common with Heroes had already been done long before Heroes. If that isn't enough, considering the fact that the script made it to me before Heroes made it onto TV, it's probably safe to say that the script was written before Kring pitched Heroes to NBC. So in short, no.
Q: Okay smahtie, is this a ripoff of X-Men?
A: *Sigh*. I don't imagine X-Men was completely original either, but I'm not helping much with these protests, so I'll give a proper response. Let's examine some relevant differences. For one, the origins and pervasiveness of the powers are different. In X-Men, the powers are the result of an unexplained genetic mutation that manifests itself in adolescents. Random people all over the world are suddenly discovering that they have any number of amazing powers. Heroes is similar, with a couple notable differences: the genetic anomalies have existed for hundreds and hundreds of years at least, and Heroes may discover their powers at a wide range of ages (usually at a time that makes them just as inexperienced as all the other Heroes who have to work with them to save the world). In Push, the powers are the result of genetic experiments. The only people with psychic powers are those who were experimented upon and their descendants. This leads to another difference from X-Men (and Heroes): the place of the people with powers within society. In X-Men, the general public fears the mutant condition like a pandemic. In Heroes, the Heroes work to keep their powers under the radar to avoid causing a panic. In both, as people discover their powers, they are bewildered and in many cases desperately need to find others like them to help them through their changes and trials. In Push, the psychics are outcasts and number few enough to keep under the radar. And since they generally learn about their powers from the agencies or their parents, there are no surprises, and no psychics desperately trying to learn what's happening to them. This difference strongly affects the feel of the story and the tone of the world that the psychics of Push are living in. Furthermore, the variety of powers is much more limited in Push. Since all of the powers are the result of experiments to create psychics, all of the powers are psychic-related. Powers in Heroes are much more varied, and even more so in X-Men. Push has no time stoppers, no super-sonic fliers, no electricity slingers, and no power stealers (or brain-slicing power stealers). Nor does it have any laser-shooters, blue-furred beasts, or people who walk through walls. The controlled variety of the powers makes them somehow more--dare I say it?--"realistic". Lastly, I'll point out that, unlike the X-Men and the Heroes heroes, the protagonists of Push aren't out to save the world. They're trying to lay low and get by. In this way, it's like comparing Star Trek to Firefly (though the Heroes and X-Men aren't Federation military or anything... please don't look too hard into that comparison, it doesn't go very far). All of these differences give Push a grungier, rawer tone and an edgy, more real-world feel than Heroes and the X-Men movies (there are so many X-Men comics that I won't make the mistake of implying that there aren't any grungy or edgy comic incarnations).
Q: Did you just call psychic powers "realistic"?
A: Okay, this was merely in comparison to powers in some other universes. The limited powers make the universe a little easier to imagine--they're significantly scary, but not so world-altering that you can't really imagine what it would be like if they actually did exist. Plus, the limited array of powers gives the universe a more controlled environment. I feel there is a difference between being able move things with your mind and being able to shoot from your eyes beams of red energy from another dimension that can punch through almost anything except your eyelids or a good pair of sunglasses. But I do use "realistic" rather loosely.
Q: The movie is named after the "push" ability, but just giving someone a memory of something that didn't really happen sounds kind of lame. What's the big deal?
A: "Pushing" is a subtler ability than straight mind control but when used well is quite effective. If I made you think that I was your sister, how would you treat me? If I instead made you remember that I was the murderer of your beloved sister, then how would you treat me? Besides, I think Pushers may be able to push small thoughts or ideas into people's minds as well--little suggestions like Don't you want a cup of coffee right now? or something.
Q: What are all the powers in Push?
A: These are the different kinds of psychics in the original script [Edit: names changed for the movie are in brackets]:
Movers - telekinetics
Watchers - see the future
Pushers - push memories/ideas into people's minds
Healers [Stitchers] - heal people
Sniffers [Sniffs] - track people
Shadows - can hide people from Sniffers and Watchers
Wipers - erase memories
These last two powers didn't have cute little titles in the script, so these are the names from the official movie promotion:
Bleeders - emit a piercing screech that bursts blood vessels, giving opponents a nosebleed... and much worse, if subjected to the effect for too long
Shifters - can temporarily alter the way objects appear.
Q: Did I hear that Dakota Fanning gets drunk in this film? And what's with all that leg she's showing in the movie stills? She was--what?--thirteen when she filmed this? Is that appropriate?
A: No, I don't suppose it is appropriate, but that's the character. As I said, Cassie is old beyond her years and pretty badass. She's making her way through the streets of Beijing alone. And as Fanning explained herself in an interview, the drinking is related to Cassie's powers; like her mother, Cassie's Watcher powers get clearer the drunker she gets (perhaps it has to do with letting loose her inhibitions, or maybe in a strange way the less clear the present becomes, the clearer the future is). In a desperate situation, she will get herself drunk as a last resort. I get the feeling that Cassie's naughtiness was toned down in the movie. In the script, she smoked cigarettes, and I recall her drinking more than simply as a last resort. From what I can gather (mainly a lack of controversy surrounding the issue), they've done away with the smoking thirteen-year-old, which is not surprising since there are strong movements to decrease smoking in movies because it encourages young people to smoke and having a young heroine smoke in a movie would be doubly bad.
******
Well, that's all for now I guess. Judging from the script, Push has potential, and its edgy sci-fi/fantasy action genre is right up my alley. A February release date isn't exactly a vote of confidence, but movies like 300 excelled in March, so who knows? With a promising cast and creative team, here's hoping that it'll deliver. I've got my eye on this one.
******
Edit 10/18/08: You can watch a trailer here.
Edit 12/6/08: Another trailer here.
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