Cinematic Titanic makes Rolling Stone!

For those of you who have not seen the newest project from Joel Hodgson and the other geniuses behind the award-winning Mystery Science Theater 3000… get bust and see it. I approached The Oozing Skull with some trepidation. Though I watch the program on an almost daily basis, it has been years since I’ve seen anything new comer from them. My expectations were low. Very low.

As such I almost collapsed in tears when the movie proved to be an almost perfect distillation of everything I love about MST3K. The five performers (Trace Beaulie, Mary Joe Pehl, Josh Weinstein, Frank Conniff and Joel himself) took me right back to those late night viewings of Hercules and the Captive Women, or the belly aches I got from laughing at the ‘Tried to Kill Me With a Forklift!’ song from Fugitive Alien.

The only drawback was that it was over too soon. But I’m hoping that there are more on their way… soon.

Go here and buy a copy today!

AVP:R (christmas)

When I think of Christmas, I usually think of marauding aliens, people screaming and running all over the place randomly and lots of explosions. So this Aliens Vs. Predator thing couldn’t be released on a better day for me (the only thing it’s missing is my aunt stopping by).

The Predator franchise is a lukewarm moneymaker, but piggy-backing it to the Aliens is a great idea. So great, they did it in comics decades ago by Dark Horse Comics. But it took a while for Hollywood to catch up… and they still didn’t get it right.

The reaction to the preview screening of a whopping five minutes of footage has many thinking this might be a reason to ditch the family and enjoy some good old fashioned exploding aliens on XMas Day.

Hell, it would liven up my holiday.

Watch the footage here.

Cinematic Titanic gearing up!

For those of you who have not signed up to the email list for the newest project from the stars and creators of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Cinematic Titanic, here’s a brief visual update.

As you can see, work is underway for the December release of the first top secret project. Former mad scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester and puppeteer for the wisecracking Crow, Trace Beaulieu, can be seen here sanding a tube… of course.

I’m no going to draw a line between in the sand here, but after Trace left, MST was a very different show. I know many fans of the program who never warmed to the ‘Mike years’ or the ‘Sci-Fi Network years,’  but I can appreciate all 10 years in the right mood. Nevertheless, Trace brought a level of puckish humor and biting wit that I am eager to see once again in this new project.

Sign up at the official site to keep up to date! 

Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters

Behind-the-scenes hero to anyone who’s thrilled by giant monsters duking it out over Tokyo, Eiji Tsuburaya was the visual effects mastermind behind Godzilla, Ultraman, and numerous Japanese science fiction movies and TV shows beloved around the world. The first book on this legendary film figure in English, this highly visual biography details his fascinating life and career, featuring hundreds of film stills, posters, concept art, and delightful on-set photos of Tsuburaya prompting monsters to crush landmark buildings. A must-have for fans, this towering tribute also features profiles of Tsuburaya’s film collaborators, details on his key films and shows (most available on DVD), and features on the enduring popularity of the characters he helped create.

This fantastic book offers insight to the world of sweaty guys in rubber suits we call monster movies. From the first time we heard that weird trumpet blast from the Lizard King, many if us became Japanese Monster Movie Maniacs, while others just think they’re silly. Nevertheless, they hold a certain mystique that is still hypnotic to this day.

To purchase this great tome of wisdom, click here.

Evel Knievel R.I.P.

One of the most memorable heroes of 1970’s pop culture died yesterday, daredevil stunt man, Evel Kneivel.

The man described his life as full of adventure, saying that he had done it all in his time. Starting out as a car salesman daring customers to beat him at arm wrestling for a discount on a used car, Evel became a symbol of the American dream and its unstoppable momentum. I know how that sounds, but the man was dressed head to toe in red white and blue and survived a catastrophic level of personal injury but kept on getting back on his bike or custom-made ’sky cycle’ to astound fans and folks around the world.

According to Evel, the secret of his success was that the people wanted to see someone try to succeed against the odds. It wasn’t the success or failure of the stunts he performed, it was the simple act of bravery that he attempted them.

In the 1970’s, his likeness was merchandised by Ideal toys, launching a flurry of youthful fans who would at first fire up their toy stunt figure then get the crazy idea to launch his Huffy bike off a dirt mound in the backyard. It usually ended up in a skinned knee and a second thought the next time the idea came around… but we all tried it at least once.

But for many young boys of my generation, Evel was the walking talking Marvel Comics super hero, complete with swagger stick, indefatigable sneer and unstoppable motivation. You could say he was Captain America, Daredevil and Spider-Man all rolled up in one human being but truth be told, I bet Cap would be a little freaked out by Evel if they ever met.

But Cap would give him props.

Here is a selection of videos to pay homage to a living breathing comic book character that will forever be remembered as the epitome of the indomitable will to succeed… in flared trousers.

Knievel Jumps 11 Mack Trucks

Snake River Canyon Jump

Wembley Stadium Jump

(above is a selection from the PalidStallions Ideal Evel Kneivel catalog)

Here is a rare commercial featuring a toy built to crash… how times have changed.

Ideal Car Stunt & Crash

The Avengers Movie

Marvel Comics recently announced its upcoming projects for the coming years, which is well worth a glance:

Feature Film Projects Being Developed by Marvel – partial list
Iron Man, Marvel - Completed principal photography; May 2, 2008 release
The Incredible Hulk, Marvel - Commenced principal photography; June 13, 2008 release
Ant-Man, Marvel - Writer and director engaged
Captain America, Marvel - Writer engaged
Thor, Marvel - Writer engaged
The Avengers, Marvel - Writer engaged

Licensed Marvel Character Feature Film Line-Up
Punisher 2, Lionsgate - Commenced principal photography, slated for 2008 release
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Fox - Director engaged, slated for May 1, 2009 release

Marvel Character Animated TV Projects
Fantastic Four, Moonscoop SAS (France) - 26, 30-minute episodes; Running Internationally.
Spider-Man, Sony - In development; US distribution agreement with Kids’ WB for Spring 2008 release.
Wolverine and the X-Men, First Serve Toonz (India) - 26, 30-minute episodes in development; Fall 2008 release.
Iron Man, Method Films (France) - 26, 30-minute episodes in development; Fall 2008 release.
Hulk, TBD - In development.

Marvel Character Animated Direct-to-DVD Projects
Next Avengers, Lionsgate - Targeted July 2008 release
Hulk Smash, Lionsgate - Targeted October 2008 release
Thor, Lionsgate - Targeted April 2009 release
TBD, Lionsgate - Targeted September 2009 release

Marvel Character Live Stage Projects
Spider-Man the Musical, Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment
In development/opening date to be determined; Julie Taymor director; music & lyrics by U2’s Bono and The Edge

Marvel Video Game Releases (Release dates controlled by Publishing partner)
Sega, Iron Man - Targeted 2008
Sega, The Incredible Hulk - Targeted 2008

So… make sure to pre-purchase those tix to the Spider-Man musical everybody.

The reason I bring this up is because of the mention of an Avengers feature film. Despite a recent statement from Marvel EIC Joe Quesada that the chances of an Avengers flick were quite high, Zak Penn (X3: The Last Stand) was hired in 2006 to work on the screen play, so there has been some work performed on the project.

But what kind of film can we expect?

The Avengers were initially created in response to the Justice League of America across the street at the offices of the  Distinguished Competition. A team made up of Marvel’s all stars, the initial Avengers team consisted of Iron Man, Giant Man (or Ant Man depending on Hank Pym’s meds that day), The Wasp, Thor and ofcourse the Hulk. It wasn’t until the Hulk departed after one too many ‘why don’t you wear proper clothes’ remark and Captain America was defrosted just in time to lead the team.

The old order did changeth again in their 16th issue and the team roster was so shuffled that only Cap remained to lead a ragtag group of former villains. It was this team that really nailed the idea perfectly for me as a fan. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye all wished to clear their names with the public by becoming Avengers. The super villains of the world could only see the loss of heavy hitters Iron Man and Thor and judged this new Avengers line-up as weak. They were not alone. Fans still either love or hate this grouping, depending on their take on what the Avengers is all about.The scaled down and de-powered Avengers  group was an opportunity to show the value of teamwork over power, strategy over brawn. It also introduced one of the all-time best feuds in comics, Hawkeye vs. Captain America. See, Hawkeye hated being ordered around, especially by some has-been fossil like Cap. By contrast, Cap viewed his team as a commando group which must be tightly coordinated and trained to accomplish their goals.  While initially offering nothing but friction, in time the team grew to trust one another and became a fighting force far stronger than ever.
In 2000, Marvel introduced the Ultimate line of comic, a chance to dodge the dreaded continuity bullet that was then threatening their financial future. It’s hard to realize that not long ago Marvel was very close to bankruptcy and this was their last attempt to make a grab at the readers. Ofcourse the grab worked and the Ultimate Marvel line has been incredibly successful for them.

This version of the Avengers  was harder edged that the 1960’s version. Formed by SHIELD as a government sponsored super hero group, this team is hardly the loose and wild group that readers were used to. Prone to stories about extreme violence, government conspiracies and substance abuse, the series was an almost instant hit with readers who had grown to look at Marvel as old hat and the Avengers as a dull establishment series.

While the concept of the Ultimates by creators Bryan Hitch and Mark Millar was to realize a what if situation of a modern Avengers film… I hardly think it’s the right direction to go in. I’ve met Millar and while I enjoy some of his other work and like the man a lot, I found this series to be far too cynical and negative to the ideas of the original comics. I’m all for a modernization of an old idea, but do we really need a hyper violent Captain America and a delusional Thor?

However, the government-sponsored bit works great and would easily establish what the point of all these heroes working together was (as opposed to Tony Stark’s butler Jarvis serving a nice meal for the Hulk).

The team should also be made up of misfits and oddities, much like the issue 16 team. Hawkeye is a great foil, so he should be in there. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are interesting characters and could tie into the X-Men movie mythology easily. I’d also love to see the android Vision included as the opportunity for both character and special effects is fantastic. And ofcourse, you’d need Captain America to lead them.

But what do you think?

With so many great line-ups in the series history, it’s difficult to choose a ‘dream team,’ but give it a try!

Doctor Who - Time Crash

11/16/07
Doctor Who - Time Crash
Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor (1982-1984), returns to the role that made him famous to star opposite David Tennant, current Tenth Doctor, in a Children in Need Special.

Written by fan favorite writer and creator of Jeckyll, Stephen Moffat, I really expected more. This is hardly a real story. It’s more of a quick special for the fans… so why does it dig so much at fans in general (in a making of documentary Moffat remarked that all Doctor Who fans are sad men who live with their mothers… a negative stand that current producer Russell T Davies also holds) rather than tell a story… any story at all?

In any case, it was a pleasure to see Davison once again and give fans of the current series a peek at what once was… even if that peek consists of name-checking and Tennant and Moffat’s personal love for the Davison era that probably hooked each of them on the program as youths.

Good on you, Davo… you’ve still got it.

Tribute to Peter Davison
(to ‘Cricket’ by The Kinks)

Who are the Twelve?

Babylon 5 creator and comic book giant J. Michael Straczynski’s and fan favorite artist Chris Weston (The Filth) have teamed up for an unusual series featuring characters from long forgotten Golden Age comics.

 

Issue #0 will reprint their first appearances, including: “Rockman” from USA Comics #1 (August 1941) by Charles Nicholas and Basil Wolverton, the “Laughing Mask” by Will Harr and Maurice Gutwirth from Daring Mystery Comics #2 (February 1940) and Phantom Reporter by Mike Robard and Sam Cooper from Daring Mystery Comics #3 (April 1940). Also included are sketches and notes from JMS and Weston.

 

A sampling below:

Click here to read an in-depth interview with the creators.

Justice League casting continues

With the Internet and comic shops around the Nation a-buzz about the upcoming Justice League film, everyone wants to know who will play what super hero.

The follow-up announcement that it will be a cast of relative unknowns baffled many, and really put a kink in the rumor mill.

Nevertheless, we dream on.

Last week word was that Teresa Palmer was to don the red white and blue bikini of the Amazon powerhouse Wonder Woman. However, Australia’s Daily Telegraph recently announced that it is not Teresa Palmer, but super model Megan Gale (pictured left).

Oh good… a super model. How can that be a bad decision?

Tyrese Gibson is still in the running to play Green Lantern, but Common says he isn’t interested.

So far it looks like Ryan Reynolds will play the Flash, but even that is dubious news given the possibility that it may refer to the Flash solo movie.

So it looks like a solid casting announcement is still something for fans to dream about.

It looks like we’ll have Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Green Lantern (John Stewart) as characters for sure.

Personally, I’d like to see Tom Welling as Superman for one thing and casting Lucy Lawless as Wonder Woman is just a no-brainer to me, despite her age.

For Batman and the rest…

Who would you cast as the Justice League of America?

According to comicbookresources.com:

“Warner Bros. are confident that filming on the ‘Justice League’ movie will commence unabated regardless of the WGA strike. Casting is allegedly “100% locked,” the cast can’t talk about it, but an announcement is coming this week.”

Incredible Hulk script leaked

A full review of the Incredible Hulk movie script has surfaced over at Comic Book Resources’ Lying in the Gutters:

The Incredible Hulk - script by Edward Norton. A review by Brendon Connelly. I hated David Benioff’s script for “Wolverine” so much that Fox muscled up to me with 100% unjustified legal bullying just for publishing my opinion. I wonder if I can inspire the same kind of bitter stupidity in Universal? Let’s give it a go, shall we?

The first page of this Incredible Hulk script was marked “Part One Flight,” though the subsequent two acts aren’t eventually labeled once (or, indeed, if) you read that far. They are, however, really rather clearly delineated and I would suppose they were probably supposed to be called something like “Discovery” and “Confrontation”. You can file those as pretty conclusive plot spoilers, if you want, because the story really is that linear, predictable and simplistic.

You can read the rest here.