Sci-Fi Sunday: Watchmen, Hobbit, Magneto, Daisies, Sanctuary, Knight Rider + more November 16, 2008
by Rosario T. Calabria , Filed under: Sci-Fi , trackback
Believe it or not, there is other genre news outside of Star Trek, notably the release of new posters and a trailer for Watchmen. But we also have news on The Hobbit, Twilight sequels and another X-Men prequel and more movie images and vids. In TV news it looks like Sactuary is going to stick around, but Pushing Daisies is on its way to the door. We also have TV image and vid previews, including Fringe, Heroes, Lost and Doctor Who.
MOVIE NEWS
Watchmen Trailer and new posters
[HD Version: 480p, 720p, 1080p]
Posters (more here)
Del Toro Updates The Hobbit
Guilermo Del Toro spoke with iF Magazine and discussed "The Hobbit":
The way we view it, and I think it was Peter who said, “let’s stop talking about two movies, let’s talk about one story.” I thought “abso-f*cking-lutely.” Then it made sense. I was so worried about this and that. Then all of sudden, seeing it as one narrative, saying, “this is the story” and not only the two movies. When we agreed, “let’s think about the five movies as a single story – a single narrative thread,” it opened up the scope of what we’re doing. You don’t have to try to contain the HOBBIT book in one movie, which I think would be a disservice. People tend to think, “why two movies,” and you go back and take notes of the book. The book you read, is not the book that [you think it is]. The book is such an effortless read and it seems like it goes like a breeze, but there are so many events in THE HOBBIT. Especially if you’re taking into account, ancillary stuff, there’s so much there. It really is barely containable into two movies.
Del Toro also said that they are no longer looking at the film as a bridge movie to "The Lord of the Rings":
We’re not doing that. That was spoken about early on, as I said, we stopped talking about in terms of a bridge film, it’s a single film. We said, “we’re talking about a ‘film’ and we’re talking about two chapters of a film or two episodes.”
In a separate interview, Del Toro said that casting decisions have yet to be made, with the exception of Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Andy Serkis as Gollum: "There’s not lack of information. It’s not withholding. We really don’t have more information, because we’re writing." For more, including Del Toro’s thoughts on Smaug the dragon, "Hellboy III" and "Frankenstein" click here.
Academy Disqualifies The Dark Knight Score
Because the films music cue sheet lists five names as composers, the soundtrack to "The Dark Knight" has been disqualified by the executive committee of the Academy music branch. Formal letters will be sent out to composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard this week. Their previous collaboration, "Batman Begins", was similarly disqualified in 2005.
Sources inside the committee said that the big issue was the fact that five names were listed as composers on the music cue sheet, the official studio document that specifies every piece of music (along with its duration and copyright owner) in the film.
Zimmer said, in an interview with Variety prior to this week’s Acad action, that listing multiple names on the cue sheet was a way of financially rewarding parts of the music team who helped make the overall work successful. (Performing-rights societies like ASCAP and BMI use the cue sheet to distribute royalties to composers.)
Summit Developing Three Twilight Sequels
While "Twilight" hasn’t hit theaters yet (November 21st), distributor Summit Entertainment is confident in its future success and has acquired the rights to the next three novels in the series. Summit has hired "Twilight" writer Melissa Rosenberg to pen the scripts to "New Moon" and "Eclipse", the second and third books, in the series. The fourth book, "Breaking Dawn", has no writer attached just yet. Meanwhile, the film’s soundtrack debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the third No. 1 film soundtrack this year to accomplish the feat. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the soundtrack moved 165,000 copies in the US. 48,000–or about 29%–of those copies were digital downloads, making it the second-biggest digital week for a soundtrack since SoundScan began tracking album download sales since 2004 ("High School Musical" holds the record with 62,000 downloads in August 2007). SCI FI Wire, meanwhile, has interviews with director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. And finally, author Stephenie Meyer says she’s open to writing a fifth volume in the series, "Midnight Sun", which she currently has put on indefinite hold.
X-Men Origins: Magneto Plot Synopsis
The latest issue of Production Weekly has a new plot synopsis for David Goyer’s "X-Men Origins: Magneto:
“The original X-Men film began with a prologue that showed the character as a child being led to a concentration camp by Nazis and that is the period in which the Magneto film will take place. This setup will allow a future villain to at least flirt with the designation of protagonist since the character will be seen almost exclusively in his formative years. The storyline will heavily involve Professor X, the wheelchair-using X-Men leader. That character was a soldier in the allied force that liberated the concentration camps. The professor meets Magneto after the war and while they bond over the realization that they are alike in their special powers, their differences soon turn them into enemies.”
NEW IMAGES
Dragonball (more here)
NEW VIDEOS
2012 [HD Version]
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [HD Version: 480p, 720p, 1080p]
Prince of Persia
Punisher: War Zone (more here and here)
The Spirit
Twilight (another here)
MOVIE BITES
- Marvel Studios has signed Joe Johnston to direct the comic book adaptation of "The First Avenger: Captain America" (May 6, 2011). [THR]
- Sony Pictures seems to have set up a viral website for "2012" at InstituteForHumanContinuity.org. The tagline on the site reads: "Let Us Help You Prepare For 2012 Because Your Government Won’t." "2012" hits theaters on July 10, 2009. [/Film]
- Warner Bros has put "The Dark Knight" screenplay from Christopher and Jonah Nolan online for Awards consideration. You can download it for free at WarnerBros.com.
- "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves says Paramount is still interested in a sequel. Reeves says that there are a few ideas being floated for the sequel, one of which would set the film in Japan. One thing that is definite is that it won’t be a traditional sequel, instead, the filmmakers have discussed a movie that "wasn’t necessarily right after that night but had intersections with the original." Reeves also hasn’t decided if he’d direct the movie. [MTV]
- 20th Century Fox has moved up the release date of "Dragonball" from April 10, 2009 to Wednesday, April 8, 2009. [IGN]
- The upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release of "Babylon A.D." (January 6, 2009) will feature two cuts of the film: the original theatrical cut and an unrated cut. [CinemaBlend]
- Check out SCI FI Wire’s report from their set visit of "Final Destination 4", which hits theaters on August 21, 2009. [SCI FI Wire]
CASTING BITES
- Tori Spelling has finalized a deal to return to "Smallville" has The Daily Planets gossip columnist Linda Lake. The character was first introduced in a January, 2007 episode of The CW series. [EW]
- Djimon Hounsou has been tapped to voice the title character of BET’s upcoming animated series "The Black Panther". The series is being adapted from six issues of the 2005 Marvel comic of the same name. [Variety]
TV NEWS
SCI FI Renews Sanctuary
The SCI FI Channel has renewed "Sanctuary" for a second season, ordering 13 new hours of the series that stars Amanda Tapping ("Stargate SG-1", "Stargate Atlantis"). "Sanctuary" attracted more than three million viewers for its series premiere on October 3rd, making it the networks highest rated original series premiere since "Eureka" in July 2006.
"Sci Fi will continue to trail blaze the television landscape by further exploring the many worlds of Sanctuary through its unique green screen environments," said Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Original Programming at Sci Fi. "Technology and great storytelling makes Sanctuary a fantastic addition to Sci Fi’s 2009 lineup."
Pushing Daisies May Be Close to Cancellation
The well-reviewed, but low-rated ABC series "Pushing Daisies" may be close to cancellation, TV Week is reporting. ABC has not decided to produce any more episodes beyond the initial 13 episodes already produced. The series wrapped production on November 13th. Earlier this week, creator Bryan Fuller said that he plans to wrap the show’s storylines via a comic book should ABC decide to cancel the show. Fuller also spoke out again about the rumors of him heading to back to "Heroes", saying that he remains committed to "Pushing Daisies":
“I love Heroes. I had a wonderful time there during the first season. I love the writers. I love the cast. I love the crew. But I want Daisies to stay on the air. There are so many great stories in the back 9 that deepen the world and enrichen the characters. Is enrichen a word?”
Knight Rider reboot being rebooted
NBC is re-tooling its freshman drama "Knight Rider". Among the changes are the cast. The network has declined to pick up the options of three regulars on the show: Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Yancey Arias and Bruce Davison. "It’s a reboot," "Knight" executive producer/showrunner Gary Scott Thompson said. "We’re moving away from the terrorist-of-the-week formula and closer to the original, making it a show about a man and his car going out and helping more regular people, everymen." [THR]
TV IMAGES
Fringe (more here)
Lost
Smallville (more here)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (more here and here)
TV VIDEOS
Chuck
Doctor Who: 2008 Christmas Special
Lost (another here)
TV BITES
- Disney-ABC’s new first-run syndicated series "Legend of the Seeker" drew a 1.5/3 rating/share among 54 metered markets for its series premiere two weeks ago. The series improved upon its time periods by an average of 15% compared to the month prior. It’s performance among key demos was even stronger, improving upon October 2008 time periods by as much as 40% among men 25-54, 25% among men 18-49 and 20% among women 18-49.[B&C]
- Comic book icon Stan Lee is working with premium cable network Showtime to develop a Gay superhero project. The show is based on the Perry Moore novel "Hero" and focuses on an up-and-coming superhero who struggles to hide his secret identities. [Variety]
- HBO has greenlit production on the pilot for the fantasy drama series "Game of Thrones", based on the book series from George R.R. Martin. The pilot is described as "an epic struggle for power set in a vast and violent fantasy kingdom" [Variety]
- The third season of ABC Family’s "Kyle XY" premieres January 12, 2009 at 9pm ET. [M&C]
MISC IMAGES
Star Trek: First Contact (Concept Art–details and more at this link)
MISC BITE
- Neil Gaiman, who’s writing the upcoming "Batman" two-part comic "Whatever Happned to the Caped Crusader" says the cover art image that were released on internet was not real: “That wasn’t the cover,” Gaiman said. “What it was, was a trial of an idea to draw the cover of ‘Batman’ #1,” Gaiman explained, “and it didn’t work out really well.” Gaiman says that the comic will be "a last Batman story…"It’s my last Batman story". [MTV]
SCI-FI RATINGS
|
Top 10 SF&F Broadcast Shows |
HH Rating |
|
1) Eleventh Hour |
7.8 |
|
2) Ghost Whisperer |
6.3 |
|
3) Fringe |
5.5 |
|
4) Life on Mars |
5.3 |
|
5) Heroes |
5.1 |
| 6) Knight Rider |
4.4 |
| 7) Chuck | 4.1 |
| 8) Pushing Daisies | 3.7 |
| 9) The Ex List | 3.5 |
|
10) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles |
3.0 |
10/20/2008 to
10/26/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
|
Top 10 SF&F Syndicated Shows |
HH Rating |
|
1) Lost |
1.0 |
|
2) Stargate Atlantis |
0.6 |
|
3) Star Trek |
0.6 |
|
4) The Dead Zone |
0.5 |
10/20/2008 to
10/26/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
|
Top 10 SCI FI CHANNEL Shows |
HH Rating |
|
1) Ghost Hunters |
2.3 |
|
2) Sanctuary |
1.4 |
|
3) Jeepers Creepers 2 |
1.4 |
|
4) ECW |
1.3 |
|
5) Pumpkin Karver |
1.2 |
|
6) Stargate Atlantis |
1.2 |
|
7) The Ferryman |
1.0 |
|
8) Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud |
1.0 |
|
9) Saw II |
0.9 |
|
10) Cursed |
0.9 |
10/20/2008 to
10/26/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire
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Comments»
Great first contact stuff.
I’m sure it’s been said before, but this Earth Stood Still remake looks really dodgy… Instead of redoing classic films, why not use existing but yet unfilmed stories like Foundation, Ringword, Childhood’s End? If smartly made, they could be extremely exciting and successful.
Then again, after having seen misfires like I Am Legend, I Robot, and that horrible 2002 version of The Time Machine, maybe I shouldn’t get my hopes up even if things do move in that direction. Evidently, good source material isn’t a guarantee of a good adaptation. What are ‘they’ thinking when they bastardize these stories this way?? The original stories are so good.
BTW I wouldn’t put the upcoming Star Trek movie in the same category… As an old-time Trekkie, I think it’s cool I’ve lived long enough to see Trek reimagined for a completely new generation, like Robin Hood or Sherlock Holmes. If it’s really wild and different, so much the better. No point in getting upset about it I think, particularly since Nimoy is on board with this one. Besides, there will be still more different versions of Trek in the decades to come…
Bring on that Captain America movie Joe. Can’t wait to see a period piece done well. The super soldier formula, WWII, patriotism. All of it. Could be very exciting. Really looking forward to this. ….Oh and hope it’s good.
I think Watchmen looks pretty silly. After the realness of TDK, it’s gonna be hard to go back to fake looking superheroes.
-”Watchmen” looks AWFUL!
-Same for “The Spirit”
-More “X-Men”? Really? Is that necessary?
-What the hell is “Dragonball”?
-”Pushing Daisies” is a good, well-made, well-written, well-acted show, but I don’t think it’s an idea that can be maintained for entire seasons. The premise and cuteness gets old pretty fast. It would have been a great 6 episode show, or a 2 hour movie. But not a network TV show.
-”Lost”! YAY!
Are comic book movies on the down side of the wave? Did it crest with “Dark Knight”? Nothing meant by this question, just curious what people think.
Why all this prequels? I don’t like prequels.
I meant ‘these’.
#3
Right on about Captain America. I hope the whole thing is set during WW2, but even if half of it is set during that time period I’m cool with it.
Can’t wait to see the Cap take on a Tiger tank, maybe with Red Skull in the turret. Well, whatever Joe has in store for us should be great. Hopefully….
6. DJ Neelix
I don’t mind prequels or sequels or reboots or remakes or re-imagining. I’m just sick of SO MANY of them. Originality? Anybody?
Speaking of X-Men origin movies, I’m waiting for X-Men Origins: X-Men (hopefully with a better title). In other words, a movie which shows how the movie universe X-Men came together. There doesn’t need to be a lot of X-Men, just Cyclops, Jean, Storm, and a fur-less Beast. It would tell how Prof. X founded his school, how he “enrolled” his first four students, and their first battle against Magneto and his brotherhood. Magneto’s brotherhood would consist of Mystique, Toad, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver, and the latter two would be unsure of their loyalty to Magneto’s cause. If done right, that would definitely make for an interesting movie. Naturally, younger actors would have to be brought in to play the roles of the X-Men, though I think Stewart & McKellen could still play the Prof and Magneto.
The next step would be to find a way to eliminate the events of X-Men 3 from the timeline. Cyclops, Rogue, and Phoenix deserved better treatment than that. At the very least do a follow-up to X3 which is so good it makes up for the mistakes of X3. Bring in the Sentinels, Sinister, and Apocalypse. Bring back Cyclops, Phoenix, and Nightcrawler. Give Angel a more significant role. Make it epic. Oh, and keep Brett Ratner away from it. Give it to Joss Whedon or someone like that.
Lost, BSG, and 24 come back next month. Finally, some good shows!
Interesting design Sketches – the early Borg Queen design looked kinda H.R. Giger-esque…
Here’s hoping that A Game of Thrones is well received and HBO doesn’t pull the plug just when we’re all interested *cough*ROME*cough*
Unfortunately, that may be all I see of the “Doctor Who” Christmas special. I don’t even know if or when it will be shown in the US.
So they are willing to invest more money in retooling Knight Rider – a show that is basically on par with that awful Geico cavemen sitcom – but they’ll give the shaft to shows like TSCC and Pushing Daisies. Genius. Well done network execs, you’ve truly earned your positions.
If I were Fuller, I’d shop PD around to cable. Mad Men is one of the most critically-acclaimed shows on television, yet if it had been on a traditional network it would have been axed before it even finished its first season.
i see dr. manhattan has speedoes now, i guess warner’s got squeemish
ten-to-one says they get tom hardy to play the young professor x in the magneto prequel
Is “Lost” even sci-fi?
“enrichen the characters. Is enrichen a word?”
that was very whedonesque
#14: *Someone* in the US will show the Who Christmas special – if SFC passes on it, BBCA would happily step in, they’ve said so before. Even Who repeats (repeats for the US, after SFC finishes with them) do well for them, and they love Torchwood.
“enrichen?”
Watchmen looks better and better… that is, darker and darker.
2 Whos? Ha! I wish American viewers were as gaga for Trek as the Brits are for Who. Ah well.
Thanks Rosario.
I’m hoping they keep Deanna Russo around on Knight Rider.
Lost season four DVD finally arrives next month, just as the new season begins a month after; Everything will be back in order for me again. ;)
Watchmen looks amazing. The new trailer didn’t reveal too much new goodies to see, but it got me just as excited back when The Dark Knight came out. The new posters are very cool as well. Paramount’s spoiling us with thier promotion for this movie. :D
Lost is defiantly sci fi. It has time travel, and lots of doomsday sci fi type devices that were designed to destroy the world. The Lost island is like a big James Bond villain base.
Harry Potter as always looks to be great. Watchmen. Well. Ill wait till the movie comes out and then decide. I bet the Termanator the Sarah Conner Chronicles will be canceld due to low Ratings. Im so Pumped about Star Trek. Just Can’t Wait.
I was hoping to see the Watchmen trailer last night with Quantum of Solace, but noooOOOOOoooo.
I’ll watch The Day the Earth Stood Still just for the beefcake – if the rest of the movie is good it’s gravy.
That Borg Queen illustration reminded me so much of Ghost in the Shell. I wonder what Star Trek would look like if it was directed by Mamoru Oshii? ;D
GORT IS BACK!
#3 – That’s actually one of those things they deliberately touch on in the comic book though – that is taking these “costumed adventurers” (to quote the book) and contrasting them against a far grittier “real world”.
It’s one of those things that set the book apart from other fare of its time – that is – the fact that the characters in the book themselves frequently make references to the innately ridiculous nature of slapping on some fetish gear and whooping ass on the bad guys as something to be taken seriously.
I always liked the tongue-in-cheek humor that the book showed for some of its “camp” roots – ie: those Minutemen costumes – to me it really made Watchmen feel like some kind of natural progression (or degradation?) from that era.
As for the TV shows – what can be said for network TV? It’s become a joke as an entertainment medium. A good show on a bad network and you end up with the “Firefly Effect”.
So if you’re anything other than a sitcom, a reality show, or are produced by a big budget Hollywood team (ie: Lost, Heroes, Alias etc…) you’re already swimming against current.
Not that I’m against Lost, Heroes, Alias etc… – just commenting on how a show almost HAS to have that kind of backing to stay on the air for more than a season nowadays.
16 – In the graphic novel, Dr. Manhattan’s wears less and less clothing as time goes on. The speedo is consistent. His unit will be present in the film.
It looks like it is going to be really faithful to the comic, which I think is smart. I’m disappointed that they’ve lost the primary color scheme, though. I guess superhero movies just have to be dark. Thanks alot, Tim Burton.
#25
Terminator has been given a full order of episodes, so it can’t be cancelled just yet.
The Day The Earth Stood Still remake.
Enough said.
watchmen looks good. i’ll see that for sure. i might even whip up a nightowl costume to see it.
I’m not touching Watchmen since that puke Snyder altered the ending. Moore is so right sometimes.
And I hear a film adaption of Ender’s Game is being made. That’s something I would look forward to.
I don’t know. The Day remake just looks weird. It’s almost like a new movie with an old title slapped on it.
liked the dr.who bit but when i tried to watch The Day the Earth Stood Still video it gave me a stupid ad than did not show the video :(
I like the Watchman girl with the long hair but she should grow out those bangs!
Thank god they are retooling Knight Rider and getting rid of the 3 people that drove me crazy. Shows they are listening to people. next im sure they will get rid of the whole transformer effect and go back to the nano tech morphing. I dont care how they do it, can just go from one episode to the next and be a complete change i dont care I can easily accept that and roll with it. But I am glad they are changing things before its to late and gets canceled. Good work guys!
The Watchmen trailer looks promising; here’s hoping!
The Doctor Who preview is a hoot, though I still think this particular “Next Doctor” is a tease and no more (really) the next Doctor than Jenny was the Doctor’s Daughter ;) Bet it’ll be a fun Christmas Special either way, though.
Spirit: No. Just no. Ugly plus ugly equals ugly. It could be the best film in the world and I’d rather have my gonads ripped off by farm machinery than watch it, and that goes double with Miller involved.
The Day The Earth Got Pointlessly Remade: Um. Whatever.
I think the concept of Dr. Manhattan in the Watchmen is pretty cool. Would he be considered an extra-temporal being?
Plus, Silk Spectre looks heck a nice.
#2 grover said
“why not use existing but yet unfilmed stories like Foundation, Ringword, Childhood’s End? If smartly made, they could be extremely exciting and successful.
Then again, after having seen misfires like I Am Legend, I Robot, and that horrible 2002 version of The Time Machine, maybe I shouldn’t get my hopes up even if things do move in that direction.”
I agree. There is a wealth of excellent science fiction literature that has never been filmed. The Foundation series is a scifi classic with the same, or greater, stature than Dune. The three core books: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation; would make a superb trilogy if written, acted, directed, and given the same SFX budgets as the Star Wars and LOTR franchises.
I think the reason that adaptations like I Am Legend and I, Robot have failed is that they have been produced and directed by studios that don’t really understand the stories and the genre, and they have also tried to shoe-horn long and complex stories into a 2-hour frame. Studios should be more willing to tell a story as a 2-episode movie, if necessary, to properly do justice to the source material and to the fans. To this end, I’m happy to learn that The Hobbitt is being contemplated as a 2-movie story.
I REALLY hope Dr Who doesnt leave me with that xmas SAGGING feeling I’ve gotten every year with it.
The build up to it, the excitement the expectation the wait for the big day to arrive…
and then.. pffft a run of the mill story with no substance worth talking about.
the trailers always look pretty good tho’ so you get suckered in again, that and the fact that its already been off air just a “little” too long since the summer.
Next year is going to be HELL with only the couple of hour long “specials”
–
I think I’ll go see the earth standing (woodenly) still with the actor who can’t.
I’m a fan of the original, so.. yeah.. maybe.
Looking forward to the Hobbit, but if there is ANY way possible to get Christopher Lee into it, then please do so QUICKLY!
Next May is the REAL thing I’m waiting on though :)
Um…that ‘Dark Knight’ writer is Jonathan Nolan, not “Jonah” Nolan….
Man, the wait for ‘The Hobbit’ is going to be just as bad as the wait for ‘Star Trek’….
I’m so happy ‘Terminator’ got the full season.
Fingers crossed for a third….
The Day The Earth Stood Still is not a remake. It’s obviously a reboot.
I mean, the ship is round and there is a black kid. In original there were no black kids! Cannnon violation!
#14 Kyle Nin, BBC America is currently showing the latest season of Doctor Who and this past Saturday showed the Christmas special 2007 and the first episode of this past season with the return of the Donna Noble character.
And as for Jenny, she was the Doctor’s clone, not his daughter ;)
I Am Legend should have followed the book more closely, it was the better story, it would have been great having one of the mutated humans that Nevell worked with yelling for him to come out.
In my mind, the ghost of Vincent Price is now relentlessly haunting the people behind the 2007 “I Am Legend.” If anyone could do it, it’s him.
#46:
I’ve already seen the latest season of “Doctor Who” (back in the summer on The Sci-Fi Channel). What I want to know is if or when the Christmas 2008 special will be shown in the US. Since there is no season next year (just a few specials), I can’t assume that it will be shown all by itself.
Dark Knight score disqualified????
That is BULLSHIT!!!
I really hope Terminator keeps getting renewed.
It’s better than Fringe, for sure- and it’s got “River!”
Watchmen looks great. Oh, and whoever said they won’t see it because the ending might be altered … um, why? Do you like knowing what’s coming next? Kinda takes the surprise out of it, doesn’t it? And how do you know the new ending won’t be as good as the original… or better? Okay, yes, that’s doubtful, but still, to not see a movie simply because the filmmakers decided to be a bit creative and original with a product they didn’t create is just… well, kind of silly. That’s like not going to see Star Trek because the characters were recast and the Enterprise looks different. “Screw the story, if it doesn’t look like TOS, I’m not going! (*insert pouty face here*)” It makes me laugh when people say stupid stuff like that. When people start taking movies and TV shows that seriously, it’s time for some help. Yes, I can understand being uncomfortable with change, but in order for a franchise to be successful, it has to move forward. That generally means retooling old concepts, like characters and starships. If you choose not to see a movie, that’s fine, just make sure it’s for a rational reason.
Now that that rant is over with, let’s move on to the Harry Potter preview. Can you say total suckage? Yeah, I definitely don’t have high hopes for this movie in terms of quality storytelling. With the exception of Prisoner of Azkaban, all the Harry Potter movies were boring and extremely tedious. I’m still not sure how it’s become the phenomenon that it is. All three of the over-plotted, over-long Pirates of the Caribbean movies were more more entertaining than HP 1, 2, and 4 combined. (I haven’t seen #5 … when they did a good job with #3 only to return to the old ways with #4, they lost me.) I can’t wait for the Potter movies to be over, but I’m sure, knowing Warner Bros., they’ll find some stupid way to keep the franchise alive.
Angry rant #3: The Academy disqualifying the Dark Knight score… I didn’t know the Academy was qualified to disqualify products of significantly higher quality. “Oh, we don’t know who wrote it!” Gee, I wonder if it could be the two composers who were credited in the movie. Everyone who worked on the score agreed Howard and Zimmer would take the credit. So let them take the credit. Give them the nomination (or at least consider them).
And that’s all for now. :)
“Is enrichen a word?”
It’s a perfectly cromulent word.
#41. cugel the clever sed:
“I think the reason that adaptations like I Am Legend and I, Robot have failed is that they have been produced and directed by studios that don’t really understand the stories and the genre, and they have also tried to shoe-horn long and complex stories into a 2-hour frame.”
You’re missing the most obvious problem, Will Smith.
Well, I suppose the fact that they cast Will Smith is a sign they don’t understand the stories and the genre. ;-)
I love Prequals and sequals, even Spin-offs. Some people seem to be poisoning that word. I am not really a big fan of Reboots or Remakes, unless of course I never saw or heard the original. Athough there are a few exceptions.
I think Martin Freeman should play Bilbo. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t look much like Ian Holm – he still looks hobbity, and he’s a great actor as well.
“The Day The Earth Stood Still” looks… interesting. Not much like the original, but I didn’t exactly think the original was a masterpiece when I saw it so I’m open to a new story based on the same premise.
“Harry Potter”… the trailer doesn’t look bad, but given the track record of the Harry Potter films I’m pessimistic.