Film News

Turns out there was a mass of interesting film news yesterday, when I didn't bother to read any. Here's the best bits:

Mark Strong Joins Sherlock Holmes by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
Mark Strong's doing very well for himself these days. Following roles in Syriana, Sunshine and Stardust (I sense a pattern...), recent releases Babylon A.D. and RocknRolla, as well as forthcoming flicks Body of Lies and The Young Victoria, he'll be seen as a villain (not Moriarty) in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes.

Monster Of Florence Attracts Tom Cruise by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
My interest in this is heightened because it was a book I worked on promotion for while I was in New York recently. It sounds like a fantastic read too (I have a free copy, ha ha!), so hopefully it'll make a good film. Learn about the book here. No links for the film I'm afraid.

No Edge Of Darkness For Robert De Niro by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Sounds like The Clashing of the Egos to me.

Raimi And Maguire Back For More Spideys by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
I'm not sure whether I'm surprised or, well, not. Better news than a second-rate director and C-list star trying to emulate the formula, though hopefully it'll be an improvement on Spider-Man 3. In all honesty I hold little hope -- the last one was weak, and other recent attempts at shooting a pair of sequels back-to-back (Matrix, Pirates) have led to worse films. Still, they do have the writer of Zodiac on board, and a 2011 release date for Spider-Man 4 suggests they're not rushing it.

Who You Gonna Call... Again? by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Ghostbusters 3? With the original cast? Best. News. Ever. (Read the article for a somewhat deeper commentary on the news.)

TV

Dexter
2x01 It's Alive!
I happened to catch the first season of Dexter on FX (the UK one) last year, before all the hype surrounding it's ITV1 repeat run, and I'm very glad I did -- it's bloody brilliant, one of the best shows currently in production. Not having FX available to me this year (where season two is airing long before it makes its way to one of the ITVs), I'm having to find less than legal legal, honest, ways to watch this second season. Starting now.

Friday Night With Jonathan Ross
15x01 (5/9/08 edition)
Wossy returns for another 15 weeks of fawning over celebrities and wannabe-celebrities.

The Tudors
2x06 The Definition of Love

Fiction

Double or Die by Charlie Higson
Chapters 1 - 6
With the release this week of the fifth Young Bond adventure, By Royal Command, it's really time for me to get caught up so I can read the damn thing. So I now embark on the third book, The Deadlock Cipher... sorry, N.E.M.E.S.I.S.... sorry, Double or Die. It certainly has a strong opening, living up to Higson's description of it as "Da Vinci Code like". One of the best things about the Young Bond books is the level of variety contained within them (thus far, at least), especially as it's so successfully performed -- they don't just rehash each other in new locations with marginally different enemies, as even the regular Bond novels do at times.

Music

Greatest Hits 1970-2002 by Elton John

Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Original Soundtrack
Available worldwide from iTunes.

Websites

getcloser.com
HMV bravely try to launch a social networking site, based on the USP of connecting your interests in music, film, TV, and the people who produce them.

It's not a bad concept, but the world hardly needs yet another social networking site, especially when there are already places that do similar concepts better -- e.g. sites that let you list your DVD collection, or YMDB (Your Movie DataBase) that allows you to list your personal top 20 movies, or various sites for music preferences, particularly last.fm.

There are a couple of other features HMV tries to offer in a USP-ish manner. The main one is a connections feature, which allows you to link artists, albums, films, etc, in a sort of brainstorm (or whatever the PC term is these days -- mindmap?) It's intriguing, but not always smooth to use and often downright awkward. Similarly, the displays of your films/albums/TV shows/actors/etc on your profile page is a nice concept, but seems difficult to manage and prone to suggest you like someone/thing much more than you actually do. getcloser can do other nifty things, like import information from iTunes to quickly fill out your profile, or use the things you're interested in to show categories in different font sizes... though my largest interest by far is "General" -- so that feature works well then.

If you're interested in investigating further, try the tour, or jump to my semi-complete profile (a link that wasn't easy to find -- another strike against it then).

"The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones"

The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones

A bit of a flick-through this Indiana Jones tie-in, which, as I'm sure you can guess, is designed to be the character's journal. As such it's a bit of an odd volume -- it's not a novelisation, or a new story, or a guide book, or a making of, but more a ragtag collection of all those stripped to their most basic, combined with a 'prop replica' souvenir value (though it isn't really a prop replica). The text is a bit slight and the images spartan, but it still sounds like a cool idea. I rather suspect the latter was the governing idea here: someone thought it was cool, but then it couldn't quite be executed.

Perhaps its primary value is in providing a unified canon of the Indiana Jones universe: as well as covering the four movies (obviously) it includes the TV series, a bit of time before that, brief allusions to Indy's World War II service, and also the various computer games (most of the focus here is on the popular classic The Fate of Atlantis, but there are hints toward others too). I don't know if the comics get a mention (I suspect not), but the period in which the tie-in novels occur is 'ripped out'.

TV

8 Out of 10 Cats
7x01 (4/9/08 edition)
A whole episode without a single mention of Big Brother? The surest sign yet that Channel 4's method of torture reality show is on its way out.

God, the Devil and Bob
1x08 Lonely at the Top

Mock the Week
6x09 (4/9/08 edition)

Spooks
5x10 Aftermath [season finale]
It was all going fairly well... til the ludicrous climax that was too dependent on bad CGI water and huge coincidences. And then, just to make things worse, Ros didn't die. Anyway, I'm as now caught up on Spooks as I'm gonna get til series six is both released on DVD and has time to get cheap.

Articles

Del Toro Commits To Universal Until 2017 by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Following The Hobbit (and its mysterious sequel), he'll make/remake Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Slaughterhouse Five and Drood between 2012 and 2017. Worryingly, that leaves no sign of Hellboy 3 (can't imagine a decade-late sequel would be popular) or At the Mountains of Madness (which I suspect he'll get to if it's the last thing he does). I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Paxman: TV is biased against men
(from BBC News)
I hope not...

Two-Face Won't Be Back For Batman 3 by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
He's dead, fanboys. Dead. It's pretty clear y'know. Now, we just have to hope Nolan signs on for the inevitable second Begins sequel, cos otherwise it'll likely be shit. Unless Whedon gets it.

Bond from the Beginning #10: The Spy Who Loved Me

The Spy Who Loved Me is one of the few films that Moore Haters (like me) sometimes like. To be honest, I'm not sure why.

As the 10th film in the series, and one not at all beholden to the original text (Fleming allowed them to use the title but none of the plot), someone apparently made the decision to remake some of the hits from previous films. While the pre-titles ski sequence is excellent and has become appropriately iconic, the rest of the film is a bit of a damp squib, with a nothingy villain who barely features, a Soviet-spy Bond girl almost as unrealistic as The World is Not Enough's nuclear scientist, and a plot more recycled than usual -- those who call it a remake of You Only Live Twice aren't far wrong.

Egypt looks stunning, Jaws is a good invention, parts are entertaining, but it's not Moore's best (though is surely better than much of what was to come). As the theme song says, nobody does it better... except Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. Sorry Roger.

Dr Horrible 2!

Slightly late on this one, but only just found it:

Doctor Horrible Sequel, Soundtrack Planned by Michael Hinman
(from SyFy Portal)

The soundtrack's already been released, but it's good to hear there'll be a sequel as the first three episodes of Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog were fantastic.

I can't wait for the DVD either:

"the writing crew already is preparing for a DVD release, which will be far more than simply 45 minutes of Whedon musical talents. "You probably heard about Commentary: The Musical," Jed Whedon said. "If you haven't, there is going to be commentary that we're writing songs for." There also will be a chance for fans to be involved. The crew is preparing to accept video from fans featuring their character they would like to be accepted into the Evil League of Evil. The 10 best videos will be picked and included in the DVD release."

Also, in a more random incident, Dr Horrible's van remote can be found online here. You'll need an iPhone to appreciate that at it's best though.

Young Bond 5 cover art revealed

Ever-so-slightly old news (already), this, but still:

"In keeping with the royal theme of the novel, the artwork is in striking red, black and silver with an embossed union-jack and regal-red edged pages." (It looks even better in the flesh.)

And also, the arguably-cooler (except for those yellow bars) audiobook:

"The Young Bond books have to date sold over three quarters of a million copies in Britain alone and have been translated in to 24 different languages. The series was launched with SilverFin in March 2005 and was followed by Blood Fever, Double or Die [should've been The Deadlock Cipher] and Hurricane Gold." By Royal Command is the fifth -- and final, for now -- entry in the series.

Lost in Austen: Part One

"Is she mad, in a bonnet or back in time?"

ITV clearly think they have a huge hit on their hands here, based on the constant promotion it's been getting in their ad breaks and across their chat shows and morning TV thingies. And it's easy to see why, considering the mix of formulas they've concocted.

Period drama? Always popular -- just look at the recent success of series like Cranford and Lark Rise to Candleford, as well as innumerable others in the history of television.

Jane Austen? Especially popular -- look at the esteem in which the 1995 BBC Pride and Prejudice is still held, the financial and critical success of the recent Pride & Prej film, and again the success of ITV's even more recent adaptations of Austen's three lesser-done novels; not to mention the two biopics in the past year (or so), Becoming Jane and Miss Austen Regrets.

Time travel? Most definitely popular -- look at the ratings-dominating success of the revived Doctor Who, the more moderate but not irrelevant success of Primeval, and, most pertinent to this example, the critical and ratings success of Life On Mars and it's sequel/spin-off, Ashes to Ashes.

Put all these together -- with a dash of Bridget Jones for good measure -- and you get Lost in Austen, which mixes a cut-price Austen-esque cast (this is ITV rather than the BBC, after all) and all the popular tropes of traditional costume dramas, with time travel tomfoolery and jokes about reality TV and pubic hair styles (I kid you not). Plot-wise, it comes across a bit like they wanted to do an adaptation of Pride & Prej, but thought it was either too soon (considering the film was all of three years ago, and that felt hot on the heels of the then-10-years-old TV series) or that an ITV audience wouldn't be all that interested, so have given it a big twist.

After the first, largely entertaining, episode (of four), it remains to be seen if it can pass beyond being a LOM rip-off / yet another Austen adaptation to become something of its own.

TV

Gilmore Girls
5x03 Written in the Stars

God, the Devil and Bob
1x06 God's Favorite
1x07 Bob Gets Committed

Lost in Austen
Part 1 (of 4)
Read some of my thoughts on this here.

Articles

Benjamin Button and the Curious Stories Surrounding Him by Brad Brevet
(from RopesofSilicon)
Somehow, all this fuss over The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has completely passed me by. Obviously it hasn't been big enough news for anyone other than the navel-gazing likes of AICN & co.

TMNT To Go Live Action Again by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
"Following last year’s all-CGI TMNT and a clutch of movies and animated series, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may indeed be back in real-life if [their creator] Kevin Eastman is to be believed... “Although the CGI film did well enough to warrant a sequel, there has been much talk between Imagi and Warners to do a better ‘re-invention’ of the TMNTs... Back to basics, back to the origin and the intro of the Shredder." While it might sound like a great idea, the problem with "going back to basics and adopting the darker tone of their original comic books" -- you see, "far from kid friendly, their initial adventures were bloody and broody affairs" -- is that it would be too hard-edged to sell to kids and too ludicrous to sell to most adults,

Watchmen Trial Date Set by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
"The crux of the matter is that Fox is arguing that it still has distribution rights to the film, based on a 1991 agreement... the judge has ordered expedited discovery (a legal term which means "Show the other side all your paperwork already") but denied a preliminary motion to dismiss (in English, "I'll see you in court, Counsellor"), so the parties now have four months to examine each other's records, prepare for a case and work frantically on some sort of settlement on the side, before it all goes to court and out of their hands."

porn in the multiplex!

The full red band trailer (i.e. 18-rated) for Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Kevin Smith's latest comedic effort, is now available online.

Writers (and readers) at Empire seem to be reacting in much the way they might having watched a chunk of Zack and Miri's film -- "shaping up to be the man’s best for some time", "the perfect cross between Smith’s more caustic side and the ever-maturing sentimental streak", "the central relationship in particular looking particularly well-realised and full of warmth", "I haven't laughed that hard at a trailer in time", "the trailer is even funnier than i thought it'd be", "my most anticipated film of the year now has the best trailer I've seen this year"...

Maybe they were watching a different trailer to me. One that was funnier, for example, and had a warm central relationship. There were some amusing moments, but nothing that's going to have me rushing to see it on DVD, never mind at the cinema. Oh well.

"Midnight Sun" by Stephenie Meyer - Chapter 1

Earlier I reported on the leak of Midnight Sun, the uncompleted fifth book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. You can see what she'd completed for free, legally, here. I wouldn't recommend it though -- I made it to page 12 of the first 23-page chapter before I had to give up.

The novel retells the series' first book from the perspective of another character, and while this isn't particularly overt it does cloud things when you know it -- Meyer is clearly pulling some narrative gymnastics to slot this new perspective around established events, which will be a lot of fun for the series' fans but is awkward for a new reader.

The primary flaw with this lies in the fact that the first novel showed things from a human perspective*, while this utilises a vampire's -- not necessarily a fatal mistake, but for a newbie reader who doesn't know the characters it locks you out of the events that are occurring, while instead focussing on describing, at interminable length, the vampire's thoughts and feelings. This means it mostly reads like a fairly competent example of amateur/fanfic vampire writing, a sense that is exacerbated by the prose's style. It's not poorly written, but nor is it in any way exemplary -- unless you were looking for something slow and repetitive, that is.

So, having finally experienced a small chunk of the much-hyped (thanks to the forthcoming film) Twilight universe, I can assure you, dear readers, that I won't be bothering with any more of it. Except perhaps the film, depending on what the reviews are like, and once it's on DVD, and my rental site finally send it to me, which isn't likely to be very speedily.

* I should point out that I haven't read any other novels in the series, but know this from having read a little about it thanks to the upcoming film and this leaked manuscript.

TV

God, the Devil and Bob
1x05 Neighbor's Keeper

Mutual Friends
1x02 Episode Two
So, here's a comedy-drama, which, as we now all know, means it's neither very funny nor very dramatic. Except, sometimes, it is quite funny... just not funny enough to be a full-on comedy. But the drama's utterly pathetic, as if they knew it wasn't funny enough to be a comedy so decided to make it a comedy-drama. And thanks to it being a comedy-drama it's an hour, because I think they now want it to be more of a drama. But it gets dull after an hour, and would be better in a shorter dose. All this considered, it's a bit of a muddle.

Outnumbered
1x06 Episode 6 [2nd watch; season finale]
Unlike Mutual Friends, this is flat-out excellent. Certainly one of the best sitcoms ever made, perhaps plainly one of the best programmes ever made. As well as being completely hilarious every episode, it also manages higher levels of pathos and proper drama than most dramas, never mind comedies. The fact it's not broadcast in a prime time slot to greater acclaim and larger audiences is surely a crime against the viewing public. A second season airs on BBC One at the end of the month -- make sure you see it.

Articles

Don LaFontaine, voice of movie trailers, dies
(from Mail.com)
"LaFontaine has been a fixture in Hollywood for decades, working on about 5,000 movie trailers. Much of his fame stems from his trademark movie-trailer catch phrase, 'In a world where...'"

Review of Disaster Movie by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
"a possible hazard to brain cells, the only thing this offensive dross gets right is the title."

Twilight Series Halted, Read Stephenie Meyer's Midnight Sun Draft by Brad Brevet
(from RopeofSilicon)
"Midnight Sun, which would retell the Twilight stories only this time from the perspective of Edward. However, her draft found its way online... and she has decided to stop working on the story indefinitely... Meyer goes on to say the draft is incomplete, "the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes"... I thought that was her M.O." Ha ha.
I have to say, not only does the series sound rather crappy, but Meyer appears to be a dreadfully annoying J.K. Rowling wannabe who's probably decidedly bitter that she's not as big as Rowling and gets even more slated by those critics who have actually heard of her.

Some other articles read today can be found here and here.

Not the end for Young Bond?

The fifth and final book in Puffin's Young Bond series, By Royal Command, finally hits UK bookshelves tomorrow -- based on the preceding books and the hints that we've had about this one, it should be a good read.

Author Charlie Higson has been doing the rounds to promote the book, and it seems that this may not be the final book after all...

Take a look at:

Charlie Higson Talks Young Bond And Beyond by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
Covering the final book, the forthcoming SilverFin graphic novel, the potential for film adaptations, and what Higson has planned next ("basically 28 Days Later for kids").

Charlie Higson On The Future Of Young Bond by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
"The most intriguing aspect of the interview is Higson’s reply when asked if By Royal Command represented the end of the Young Bond books: ‘No. I'm taking a break for the time being.’"

And for the full version of the above:

Charlie Higson Interview - BBC Breakfast
(on YouTube; originally from BBC Breakfast)

"this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing"

Exclusive: Ritchie Talks Sherlock Holmes by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
I'm growing increasingly, but still cautiously, optimistic about this film.

Though this report is slightly more worrying:

Downey’s Holmes To Be “Bad-Ass” by 'Cybergosh'
(from UGO MovieBlog)
"Sherlock Holmes will be turned into a “bad-ass” martial arts expert in Guy Ritchie's hard-hitting new film... Robert Downey Jr. tells British newspaper The Sun, “I’ve got to spend some time with Guy and I love his take on it. We’re both martial arts enthusiasts and in the original stories of Sherlock Holmes, he’s kind of a bad-ass and a bare-knuckle boxer and studies the rare, fictional martial art of baritsu. If you look baritsu up, they can’t even really tell you what it is, so it gives us a lot of leeway.”" Hmm...