Merlin
1x01 The Dragon's Call
Not to be confused with the excellent Sam Neill-starring miniseries from 1998 (my God, has it really been so long?!), this is the BBC's revamped 'Young Merlin' series. Perhaps it should've been called Camelot? (Actually, that's just a flat-out bad suggestion. Why can't it be set in some distinctively-named hometown of the young Merlin, hm?) Anyhow, it was pretty good. Shows promise.
The Riches
2x01 The Last Temptation of Wayne
Ah The Riches -- still as utterly barmy as ever, trying to recover from the utterly loopy finale of the first season. I swear the writers must make this up as they go along, just writing and writing and writing until they reach the page count for an episode, then ending it and going right on to the next. Still, it's more or less cancelled (its status is still officially up in the air, but it's been a long time since season two aired in America) so there's only six more episodes of story to go. I bet it ends on a cliffhanger though... (Also, for anyone who clicks on my episode name links -- look how much TV.com's changed! Weird...)
Saturday, 20 September 2008
Articles
Alasdair Dewar - Part 2
(from doctorwhotoys.net)
See me mention part one here.
Silent Shakespeare by Nicci Gerrard
(from the Silent Shakespeare DVD booklet)
(from doctorwhotoys.net)
See me mention part one here.
Silent Shakespeare by Nicci Gerrard
(from the Silent Shakespeare DVD booklet)
Friday, 19 September 2008
TV
Dexter
2x11 Left Turn Ahead
2x12 The British Invasion [season finale]
And that's that -- all neatly wrapped up, I think. But I shan't say too much, because the finale doesn't even air in the UK til Sunday. Hehehe.
Ricky Gervais: Fame
No doubt edited by Channel 4 to squeeze it into a 65-minute slot. Still, pretty funny.
The Tudors
2x08 Lady in Waiting
2x11 Left Turn Ahead
2x12 The British Invasion [season finale]
And that's that -- all neatly wrapped up, I think. But I shan't say too much, because the finale doesn't even air in the UK til Sunday. Hehehe.
Ricky Gervais: Fame
No doubt edited by Channel 4 to squeeze it into a 65-minute slot. Still, pretty funny.
The Tudors
2x08 Lady in Waiting
Articles
The Big Picture
(from BBC News)
"Celebrities including The X Factor judges, Madonna, David and Victoria Beckham and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been transformed into Lego people to mark the 30th birthday of the toy figures."
David Hare on how the BBC killed the TV play by David Hare
(from Times Online)
It's somewhat ironic to start talking about there being no plays on TV just as the BBC go and air three of them, but Hare has a point nonetheless and it makes for interesting reading.
Doctor Who's secrets revealed, by Russell T. Davies
and
The Next Doctor
(from Times Online)
Surprisingly long excerpts from Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, a new book by Russell T Davies and DWM set reporter Benjamin Cook. Very interesting, especially to Who fans (the Dennis Hopper rumours were based on fact!), but be warned that part two contains some major 2008 Christmas Special spoilers. This is one thing that intrigues me about the book, actually -- it covers the period up to pre-production/production on that special, but is published next week! Surely the Great Big Who Secrecy Machine can't allow too much to be revealed, but if not much is revealed it might feel a bit... empty? At least the book begins by covering the 2007 Special (The One With Kylie), so it's not like we're missing out on any "how a Christmas Special is different" bits. Still, I expect I'll find myself getting this on Christmas morning... then skipping to the 2008 Special bits before it's on that evening!
Lumley Threatens To Quit Britain
(from WENN)
"Actress Joanna Lumley has threatened to... hand back her British passport and become an Indian national if... former Nepalese Gurkha soldiers lose their battle to stay in the country. She says, "There is something wrong here... If this should go wrong for the Gurkhas I'm prepared to hand back my British passport and I'll take up Indian nationality. I was born in India; I had to pay to belong to this country. I was a British subject but not a citizen. If they despise them so much then they can despise me."" Top news story today on WENN; can't spot it on BBC News though. Tsk.
Spielberg, Jackson Can't Get Budget OK For Tintin
(from Studio Briefing)
Oh dear oh dear...
Tennant's Hamlet play sells out
(from BBC News)
Sounds like old news? This is about the London leg of the play, which sold out in under three hours! "Around 270 people queued up outside the Novello Theatre to buy tickets and several people camped overnight. Some 6,000 tickets were bought for the show, which starts in December, but on-the-day tickets will be made available." No doubt to long, overnight queues for every performance.
(from BBC News)
"Celebrities including The X Factor judges, Madonna, David and Victoria Beckham and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been transformed into Lego people to mark the 30th birthday of the toy figures."
David Hare on how the BBC killed the TV play by David Hare
(from Times Online)
It's somewhat ironic to start talking about there being no plays on TV just as the BBC go and air three of them, but Hare has a point nonetheless and it makes for interesting reading.
Doctor Who's secrets revealed, by Russell T. Davies
and
The Next Doctor
(from Times Online)
Surprisingly long excerpts from Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, a new book by Russell T Davies and DWM set reporter Benjamin Cook. Very interesting, especially to Who fans (the Dennis Hopper rumours were based on fact!), but be warned that part two contains some major 2008 Christmas Special spoilers. This is one thing that intrigues me about the book, actually -- it covers the period up to pre-production/production on that special, but is published next week! Surely the Great Big Who Secrecy Machine can't allow too much to be revealed, but if not much is revealed it might feel a bit... empty? At least the book begins by covering the 2007 Special (The One With Kylie), so it's not like we're missing out on any "how a Christmas Special is different" bits. Still, I expect I'll find myself getting this on Christmas morning... then skipping to the 2008 Special bits before it's on that evening!
Lumley Threatens To Quit Britain
(from WENN)
"Actress Joanna Lumley has threatened to... hand back her British passport and become an Indian national if... former Nepalese Gurkha soldiers lose their battle to stay in the country. She says, "There is something wrong here... If this should go wrong for the Gurkhas I'm prepared to hand back my British passport and I'll take up Indian nationality. I was born in India; I had to pay to belong to this country. I was a British subject but not a citizen. If they despise them so much then they can despise me."" Top news story today on WENN; can't spot it on BBC News though. Tsk.
Spielberg, Jackson Can't Get Budget OK For Tintin
(from Studio Briefing)
Oh dear oh dear...
Tennant's Hamlet play sells out
(from BBC News)
Sounds like old news? This is about the London leg of the play, which sold out in under three hours! "Around 270 people queued up outside the Novello Theatre to buy tickets and several people camped overnight. Some 6,000 tickets were bought for the show, which starts in December, but on-the-day tickets will be made available." No doubt to long, overnight queues for every performance.
Music: "Another Way to Die"
Another Way to Die (song) by Jack White & Alicia Keys
The new Bond theme had its debut play on BBC Radio 1 this morning (news story). I have mixed feelings -- some bits are great, others mediocre, but it certainly sounds Bondian and should be great over the opening titles. I suspect it will grow on me.
If you're in a legal mood, you can listen to an official 40-second preview here; or you can track down the full song by listening to today's Jo Whiley show from the iPlayer (available until Thursday 25th). You'll need to fast forward to around 55 minutes in, and it's played after clips from Paul McCartney & Wings' Live and Let Die and a-ha's The Living Daylights (great themes both), and Whiley's variable (i.e. sometimes incorrect) opinions on previous themes.
On the radio broadcast, and on that news story, they share viewer opinions -- typically for the BBC, they seem to focus especially on the negative comments. British fans are very good at that.
The new Bond theme had its debut play on BBC Radio 1 this morning (news story). I have mixed feelings -- some bits are great, others mediocre, but it certainly sounds Bondian and should be great over the opening titles. I suspect it will grow on me.
If you're in a legal mood, you can listen to an official 40-second preview here; or you can track down the full song by listening to today's Jo Whiley show from the iPlayer (available until Thursday 25th). You'll need to fast forward to around 55 minutes in, and it's played after clips from Paul McCartney & Wings' Live and Let Die and a-ha's The Living Daylights (great themes both), and Whiley's variable (i.e. sometimes incorrect) opinions on previous themes.
On the radio broadcast, and on that news story, they share viewer opinions -- typically for the BBC, they seem to focus especially on the negative comments. British fans are very good at that.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
TV
8 Out of 10 Cats
7x03 (18/9/08 edition)
Dexter
2x09 Resistance is Futile
2x10 There's Something About Harry
Dexter's second season heads into its final third. It's gone by far too fast -- even though I've been trying to ration the episodes to one at a time (ep9's ending was too good to resist) -- which is entirely down to me no longer being able to get FX so downloading the episodes and churning through them in under two weeks! (As opposed to the twelve it would take when broadcast, which is how I watched season one.) It's its own fault -- it's just too damn good to put down.
God, the Devil and Bob
1x13 Bob Gets Involved [series finale]
And it's over. A shame.
Mock the Week
6x11 (18/9/08 edition)
Thunderbirds IR Trailer
Seems that, back in 2005, Carlton tried to do a new version of Thunderbirds as a puppets/CGI combo thingy, with new puppet & ship designs. Scott Tracy looks freaky. While some of it's moderately impressive, the use of puppets and CGI is more than a little jarring -- it looks like a spruced-up old series, not a brand new one -- and some of the dialogue is appalling. "Scott, pull up, it's too risky! The whole place is gonna blow in 10 seconds!" "Good -- I only need 9." Good? Good? It's not good. Anyway, I'm sure there's room for a decent Thunderbirds remake (the desire from critics for the crappy movie to be any good shows that), but I doubt this would've been it either. Oh well.
7x03 (18/9/08 edition)
Dexter
2x09 Resistance is Futile
2x10 There's Something About Harry
Dexter's second season heads into its final third. It's gone by far too fast -- even though I've been trying to ration the episodes to one at a time (ep9's ending was too good to resist) -- which is entirely down to me no longer being able to get FX so downloading the episodes and churning through them in under two weeks! (As opposed to the twelve it would take when broadcast, which is how I watched season one.) It's its own fault -- it's just too damn good to put down.
God, the Devil and Bob
1x13 Bob Gets Involved [series finale]
And it's over. A shame.
Mock the Week
6x11 (18/9/08 edition)
Thunderbirds IR Trailer
Seems that, back in 2005, Carlton tried to do a new version of Thunderbirds as a puppets/CGI combo thingy, with new puppet & ship designs. Scott Tracy looks freaky. While some of it's moderately impressive, the use of puppets and CGI is more than a little jarring -- it looks like a spruced-up old series, not a brand new one -- and some of the dialogue is appalling. "Scott, pull up, it's too risky! The whole place is gonna blow in 10 seconds!" "Good -- I only need 9." Good? Good? It's not good. Anyway, I'm sure there's room for a decent Thunderbirds remake (the desire from critics for the crappy movie to be any good shows that), but I doubt this would've been it either. Oh well.
Magazines: DWM #400
Doctor Who Magazine #400
DWM hits the big four-oh-oh. At 29 years old, it's surely one of -- if not the -- longest running TV-tie-in magazines ever?
It's a good issue too: Russell T Davies' Production Notes have little to say about the forthcoming specials, but there are dribs & drabs of news about them (the first will be at Easter, for example, and it would seem the Christmas 2009 special is by RTD, not Steven Moffat).
There are two centre piece articles. The first is The Sheer Brilliance of Doctor Who, named after the BBC continuity announcer's introduction to The Fires of Pompeii. As you might guess, it's all about why Who's so great. It also includes a wonderful short feature which I shall now describe: way back in 1999, DWM got five TV professionals to speculate on how the show might return. Nine years on, they've all worked on the revival -- Paul Cornell, Mark Gatiss, Gareth Roberts... and Steven Moffat and RTD themselves. It was always one of my favourite DWM features, and it's very amusing seeming their reflections on their predictions. Roberts is spookily spot-on...
The other key feature is Four Hundred DWMs!, whose subject is again eminently guessable -- it picks out key moments, articles, etc, from the past 400 issues. Side-boxes provide entertaining asides (appropriately enough). My favourites are the "12 Things We'd Never Heard Of When..." blobs, which list things that didn't exist or hadn't been heard of in the years issues 1, 100, 200 and 300 were published. They emphasise just how long DWM's been going, and how much the world has changed -- for example, #200/1993 includes "Harry Potter", "Oasis", "DVDs" and "The Internet", while #300/2001 includes "The iPod" and "9/11". The others include suitably major world changes and cultural events too, as well as amusingly specific Who references (just to go spoiling it -- "Adric", "Eric Saward", "The Cloister Bell", "The Valeyard", "Melanie Bush", "Andrew Cartmel", "Bernice Summerfield", "The Humanian Era", "Big Finish", and "Raxacoricofallapatorius" all feature, as well as other Who-related general ones).
There's also an interview with RTD, In the Midnight Hour, which I'm off to read now. It mentions his forthcoming very-good-looking book, Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale -- more about that in tomorrow's Articles column, probably. There's World of Adventures!, a preview of the forthcoming second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures (ooh, everything's forthcoming and previewed!); and Why DWM Made Me The Fan I Am, which I think is another of those interminable single-page "a fan's diary"-style columns they have these days. Ugh.
Amongst the other articles, I actually read the preview of The Forever Trap, the second audiobook-only story (read by Catherine Tate this time); the Extras section of the review of The War Machines DVD ("Powsht Offish Taah"); reviews of The Doctor Who Storybook 2009 (it feels too self-promotional that this is Pick of the Month), the Sonic Screwdriver Pen Set and Interactive Sonic & Laser Screwdriver Set toys; and the brief concluding interview, Who On Earth Is... David Tennant, which contains the following priceless exchange:
Tennant: "Shakespeare's all right, but he's lacking on spaceships."
DWM: "Shakespeare never won a BAFTA."
Tennant: "Well, that's my point. Shakespeare never won the Dennis Potter Award, so he can't be that good."
And to round it off, there're a massive six competitions! Usually it's two stuffed in a quarter-page box, but no, there's two whole pages on them here. Amongst the usual CD and DVDs prizes there's a print of DWM's four-cover spectacular from issue 398, and a chance to visit the set of Who! Good luck to anyone bold enough to enter.
Oh, and there's a double-sided poster -- Tennant on one side, all 400+ covers on the other. Spot where you began! (I'm #239.)
DWM hits the big four-oh-oh. At 29 years old, it's surely one of -- if not the -- longest running TV-tie-in magazines ever?
It's a good issue too: Russell T Davies' Production Notes have little to say about the forthcoming specials, but there are dribs & drabs of news about them (the first will be at Easter, for example, and it would seem the Christmas 2009 special is by RTD, not Steven Moffat).
There are two centre piece articles. The first is The Sheer Brilliance of Doctor Who, named after the BBC continuity announcer's introduction to The Fires of Pompeii. As you might guess, it's all about why Who's so great. It also includes a wonderful short feature which I shall now describe: way back in 1999, DWM got five TV professionals to speculate on how the show might return. Nine years on, they've all worked on the revival -- Paul Cornell, Mark Gatiss, Gareth Roberts... and Steven Moffat and RTD themselves. It was always one of my favourite DWM features, and it's very amusing seeming their reflections on their predictions. Roberts is spookily spot-on...
The other key feature is Four Hundred DWMs!, whose subject is again eminently guessable -- it picks out key moments, articles, etc, from the past 400 issues. Side-boxes provide entertaining asides (appropriately enough). My favourites are the "12 Things We'd Never Heard Of When..." blobs, which list things that didn't exist or hadn't been heard of in the years issues 1, 100, 200 and 300 were published. They emphasise just how long DWM's been going, and how much the world has changed -- for example, #200/1993 includes "Harry Potter", "Oasis", "DVDs" and "The Internet", while #300/2001 includes "The iPod" and "9/11". The others include suitably major world changes and cultural events too, as well as amusingly specific Who references (just to go spoiling it -- "Adric", "Eric Saward", "The Cloister Bell", "The Valeyard", "Melanie Bush", "Andrew Cartmel", "Bernice Summerfield", "The Humanian Era", "Big Finish", and "Raxacoricofallapatorius" all feature, as well as other Who-related general ones).
There's also an interview with RTD, In the Midnight Hour, which I'm off to read now. It mentions his forthcoming very-good-looking book, Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale -- more about that in tomorrow's Articles column, probably. There's World of Adventures!, a preview of the forthcoming second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures (ooh, everything's forthcoming and previewed!); and Why DWM Made Me The Fan I Am, which I think is another of those interminable single-page "a fan's diary"-style columns they have these days. Ugh.
Amongst the other articles, I actually read the preview of The Forever Trap, the second audiobook-only story (read by Catherine Tate this time); the Extras section of the review of The War Machines DVD ("Powsht Offish Taah"); reviews of The Doctor Who Storybook 2009 (it feels too self-promotional that this is Pick of the Month), the Sonic Screwdriver Pen Set and Interactive Sonic & Laser Screwdriver Set toys; and the brief concluding interview, Who On Earth Is... David Tennant, which contains the following priceless exchange:
Tennant: "Shakespeare's all right, but he's lacking on spaceships."
DWM: "Shakespeare never won a BAFTA."
Tennant: "Well, that's my point. Shakespeare never won the Dennis Potter Award, so he can't be that good."
And to round it off, there're a massive six competitions! Usually it's two stuffed in a quarter-page box, but no, there's two whole pages on them here. Amongst the usual CD and DVDs prizes there's a print of DWM's four-cover spectacular from issue 398, and a chance to visit the set of Who! Good luck to anyone bold enough to enter.
Oh, and there's a double-sided poster -- Tennant on one side, all 400+ covers on the other. Spot where you began! (I'm #239.)
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Music
The Cosmos Rocks by Queen + Paul Rodgers
Finally, it has arrived -- and it's brilliant. Hurrah! Packed with variety in a way only Queen seem to know how to do -- especially these days, when the first-listen of a new album often sounds like the same track played 10 times on loop. Stand out tracks for me (after one listen, mind) were:
Cosmos Rockin' -- a great opener; should've been the single, if you ask me
Time to Shine
Small
Call Me -- very different to the rest (a comment that could be used for several songs, but none more so than this)
Say It's Not True -- released as a free single last year, it's still a great song. That's just picking five from 14, mind, as I could also have mentioned Warboys, We Believe, Some Things That Glitter, C-lebrity, and Surf's Up... School's Out! The weakest moment, I thought, was track 3, Still Burnin'. It's by no means a bad song, but it suffers from poor placement -- too similar in theme to track 1, it would've been more effective as the final or penultimate track.
Still, these are minor gripes with an otherwise wonderful piece of work. Hurray!
Finally, it has arrived -- and it's brilliant. Hurrah! Packed with variety in a way only Queen seem to know how to do -- especially these days, when the first-listen of a new album often sounds like the same track played 10 times on loop. Stand out tracks for me (after one listen, mind) were:
Still, these are minor gripes with an otherwise wonderful piece of work. Hurray!
Articles
Alasdair Dewar Interview
(from doctorwhotoys.net)
"Exclusive Interview with Alasdair Dewar, Product Development Director of Character Group Plc, Maker of Doctor Who Action Figures". Clearly conducted via email too, but it does have some very interesting bits.
Fowl Author to Pen New Hitchhiker’s Guide Book by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
"Douglas Adams’s widow, Jane Belson, has given her blessing for Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer to write a sixth Hitchhiker’s novel, 16 years after Mostly Harmless [the 5th, and to date final, book in the trilogy] was published." Titled And Another Thing..., it's due out in October 2009.
Fox tackles contemporary Dwarfs by Nellie Andreeva
(from THR.com)
"Fox is developing a contemporary take on the classic Walt Disney tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs... Tentatively titled Georgia and the Seven Associates, the hourlong dramedy... is tonally described as The Devil Wears Prada meets Taxi set in Los Angeles' legal circles. It centers on Georgia Burnett, a young lawyer who is banished from a top law firm run by her stepmother and forced to team up with seven quirky lawyers at a storefront legal office... The associates at the firm will have the personalities of the Seven Dwarfs. For instance, Doc is an ambulance chaser who carries neck braces in his trunk, and Sleepy is a bike messenger who parties at night and naps in the office. Some of the legal cases will be modernized fairy tales, like one about three people whose homes were taken away by Wolf Corp. However, 'the tone we are looking to do is grounded, and the humor comes out of the characters,' Brancato said." A 'grounded' tone, with those characters and that idea? Good luck!
Thunderbirds (UK BD) in September by Dave Foster
(from DVD Times)
Ethnic discrimination on Thunderbirds cover! Well, kinda. Thanks to some kind of cock-up, thepuppets Tracy brothers of International Rescue are being threatened not by the evil Hood, but by their cook, Kyrano. 'Best Cover Image Mess-Up Ever'? Quite possibly.
(from doctorwhotoys.net)
"Exclusive Interview with Alasdair Dewar, Product Development Director of Character Group Plc, Maker of Doctor Who Action Figures". Clearly conducted via email too, but it does have some very interesting bits.
Fowl Author to Pen New Hitchhiker’s Guide Book by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
"Douglas Adams’s widow, Jane Belson, has given her blessing for Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer to write a sixth Hitchhiker’s novel, 16 years after Mostly Harmless [the 5th, and to date final, book in the trilogy] was published." Titled And Another Thing..., it's due out in October 2009.
Fox tackles contemporary Dwarfs by Nellie Andreeva
(from THR.com)
"Fox is developing a contemporary take on the classic Walt Disney tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs... Tentatively titled Georgia and the Seven Associates, the hourlong dramedy... is tonally described as The Devil Wears Prada meets Taxi set in Los Angeles' legal circles. It centers on Georgia Burnett, a young lawyer who is banished from a top law firm run by her stepmother and forced to team up with seven quirky lawyers at a storefront legal office... The associates at the firm will have the personalities of the Seven Dwarfs. For instance, Doc is an ambulance chaser who carries neck braces in his trunk, and Sleepy is a bike messenger who parties at night and naps in the office. Some of the legal cases will be modernized fairy tales, like one about three people whose homes were taken away by Wolf Corp. However, 'the tone we are looking to do is grounded, and the humor comes out of the characters,' Brancato said." A 'grounded' tone, with those characters and that idea? Good luck!
Thunderbirds (UK BD) in September by Dave Foster
(from DVD Times)
Ethnic discrimination on Thunderbirds cover! Well, kinda. Thanks to some kind of cock-up, the
Tuesday, 16 September 2008
Articles
And in the end... by Mat Snow
(from Mojo #179, p.70)
Mojo have heard some of the long-awaited Beatles remasters, three years (and counting) in the works. But they're nearly ready! I've never paid money for anything by the Beatles, so now (and by "now" I mean "when these are released") may be the time.
Born Again by Mark Blake
(from Mojo #179, p.82-95)
Long feature, marking the release of Queen's new album, that features remaining band members Brian May and Roger Taylor looking back at the group's late-'70s disco-influenced reinvention.
The Caped Cuss-Ader by Dareh Gregorian and Rebecca Rosenberg
(from New York Post)
First heard this story the other day, but this pun-packed title was too good not to mention. For those who missed it, DC Comics released issue 10 of All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (it's a title and a half, ain't it?) with swear words uncensored. And this is America, of course, where "damn" is controversial. They've tried to have all copies destroyed (to be replaced with an appropriately censored version), but naturally not everyone's complied -- copies are going for as much as $250 on eBay. Holy instant collector's item Batman! (Sorry.)
Che It Isn't So by Page Six
(from New York Post)
This blog seems to have wound up following the story of Steven Soderbergh's Che -- I'm not entirely sure how, or why, but there you go. As I've already reported, the film will see a limited cinema release later this year; but the latest addition to that development goes thusly: it's "going almost straight to video. Soderbergh refused to cut the 4-hour-and-22-minute biopic... Given that the audience at the Cannes Film Festival was underwhelmed, no one wanted to give the epic a theatrical release. [But IFC] will release it in theaters in New York and LA just long enough to qualify for the Academy Awards, and make it available simultaneously "on demand." Che will later be available on video at Blockbuster." Just at Blockbuster? Or is that just One Of Those Turns Of Phrase. Also, the persistence of the term "video" -- of course, it technically doesn't just mean VHS, but that's still what comes to mind.
Review of Journey to the Far Side of the Sun DVD by James Gray
(from DVD Times)
"neatly bridges the gap between the two phases of [Gerry] Anderson's career. His first foray into live action cinema came about after the relative flop of his last two Supermarionation series... but while the film might star Roy Thinnes and Herbert Lom rather than Troy Tempest and Scott Tracy it is very recognisably a production from the same stable... Much like Space: 1999 several years later, its biggest flaw is [an] aloof detachment which means that, together with a script not as disciplined as it should be, this is a film very easy to admire for its visual style but almost impossible to like."
Straight Shooter by Mark Blake
(from Mojo #179, p.95)
A surprisingly detailed side piece about the genesis of Queen + Paul Rodgers, and what it was like creating The Cosmos Rocks. (My copy didn't arrive today. I'm annoyed.)
(from Mojo #179, p.70)
Mojo have heard some of the long-awaited Beatles remasters, three years (and counting) in the works. But they're nearly ready! I've never paid money for anything by the Beatles, so now (and by "now" I mean "when these are released") may be the time.
Born Again by Mark Blake
(from Mojo #179, p.82-95)
Long feature, marking the release of Queen's new album, that features remaining band members Brian May and Roger Taylor looking back at the group's late-'70s disco-influenced reinvention.
The Caped Cuss-Ader by Dareh Gregorian and Rebecca Rosenberg
(from New York Post)
First heard this story the other day, but this pun-packed title was too good not to mention. For those who missed it, DC Comics released issue 10 of All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder (it's a title and a half, ain't it?) with swear words uncensored. And this is America, of course, where "damn" is controversial. They've tried to have all copies destroyed (to be replaced with an appropriately censored version), but naturally not everyone's complied -- copies are going for as much as $250 on eBay. Holy instant collector's item Batman! (Sorry.)
Che It Isn't So by Page Six
(from New York Post)
This blog seems to have wound up following the story of Steven Soderbergh's Che -- I'm not entirely sure how, or why, but there you go. As I've already reported, the film will see a limited cinema release later this year; but the latest addition to that development goes thusly: it's "going almost straight to video. Soderbergh refused to cut the 4-hour-and-22-minute biopic... Given that the audience at the Cannes Film Festival was underwhelmed, no one wanted to give the epic a theatrical release. [But IFC] will release it in theaters in New York and LA just long enough to qualify for the Academy Awards, and make it available simultaneously "on demand." Che will later be available on video at Blockbuster." Just at Blockbuster? Or is that just One Of Those Turns Of Phrase. Also, the persistence of the term "video" -- of course, it technically doesn't just mean VHS, but that's still what comes to mind.
Review of Journey to the Far Side of the Sun DVD by James Gray
(from DVD Times)
"neatly bridges the gap between the two phases of [Gerry] Anderson's career. His first foray into live action cinema came about after the relative flop of his last two Supermarionation series... but while the film might star Roy Thinnes and Herbert Lom rather than Troy Tempest and Scott Tracy it is very recognisably a production from the same stable... Much like Space: 1999 several years later, its biggest flaw is [an] aloof detachment which means that, together with a script not as disciplined as it should be, this is a film very easy to admire for its visual style but almost impossible to like."
Straight Shooter by Mark Blake
(from Mojo #179, p.95)
A surprisingly detailed side piece about the genesis of Queen + Paul Rodgers, and what it was like creating The Cosmos Rocks. (My copy didn't arrive today. I'm annoyed.)
Websites
Supermarionation entry on Wikipedia
"Not to be confused with Super Mario Land."
'Super Mario Nation', you see!
I don't usually descend to Internet-originated acronyms on this site, but as this is the Websites column... lmao!
"Not to be confused with Super Mario Land."
'Super Mario Nation', you see!
I don't usually descend to Internet-originated acronyms on this site, but as this is the Websites column... lmao!
Music
Normally I'd carry these over to Tuesday's entry, but that will surely be dominated by The Cosmos Rocks, so here they are in an unusual inbetweeny post instead.
James Bond Theme (Casino Royale Trailer Version) by Pfeifer Broz. Music [many listens]
I've only had this track two-and-a-half weeks, but it's already my 9th most played song of all time on iTunes -- and I'm obsessively thorough with keeping those play counts up-to-date, so that means something (well, to me).
Runaway (song) by Queen + Paul Rodgers
It doesn't really sound specifically like Queen -- with the exception of Brian May's guitar, which is always recognisable -- but, regardless, it's an utterly fantastic cover. Recommended. (This song is currently available exclusively through iTunes.)
Summer in the City cover versions (originally by the Lovin' Spoonful)
Another great song, which I've acquired a selection of covers of, by:
Los Challengers -- Latin-Rock-y, and great. Probably my favourite.
Pierre Belmonde -- instrumental on panpipes. Seriously.
Subt Lemon -- kinda punkier. But, like, modern punky.
TEA -- '70s cover (of the '60s original). Rock-y. They're all pretty good, in my opinion.
(Click the artist's name for an iTunes link.)
James Bond Theme (Casino Royale Trailer Version) by Pfeifer Broz. Music [many listens]
I've only had this track two-and-a-half weeks, but it's already my 9th most played song of all time on iTunes -- and I'm obsessively thorough with keeping those play counts up-to-date, so that means something (well, to me).
Runaway (song) by Queen + Paul Rodgers
It doesn't really sound specifically like Queen -- with the exception of Brian May's guitar, which is always recognisable -- but, regardless, it's an utterly fantastic cover. Recommended. (This song is currently available exclusively through iTunes.)
Summer in the City cover versions (originally by the Lovin' Spoonful)
Another great song, which I've acquired a selection of covers of, by:
(Click the artist's name for an iTunes link.)
Monday, 15 September 2008
TV
The Children
Part 3 (of 3)
The ending was a bit of a muddle -- while I quite liked the 'how they each could have done it'/'alternate endings' bit, the desperate attempts to re-implicate everyone in the run up to the conclusion were forced and the identity of the real killer seemed unbelievable to me -- but everything else about this series was top-quality drama, with an emotionally complex plot and depressingly realistic, consistently unlikable characters. If only everything on telly could be this good... then we'd all be depressed the whole time -- I'll take my "good guys always win" dramas too, thanks.
Dexter
2x07 That Night, a Forest Grew
Gilmore Girls
5x06 Norman Mailer, I'm Pregnant!
God, the Devil and Bob
1x11 Bob's Father
Part 3 (of 3)
The ending was a bit of a muddle -- while I quite liked the 'how they each could have done it'/'alternate endings' bit, the desperate attempts to re-implicate everyone in the run up to the conclusion were forced and the identity of the real killer seemed unbelievable to me -- but everything else about this series was top-quality drama, with an emotionally complex plot and depressingly realistic, consistently unlikable characters. If only everything on telly could be this good... then we'd all be depressed the whole time -- I'll take my "good guys always win" dramas too, thanks.
Dexter
2x07 That Night, a Forest Grew
Gilmore Girls
5x06 Norman Mailer, I'm Pregnant!
God, the Devil and Bob
1x11 Bob's Father
Films
Agatha (1979)
[#62 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Southland Tales (2007)
[part of 100 Films in a Year 2008]
[1st half]
A dodgy rental DVD means I had to stop this halfway through, hence no number til it's done.
[#62 in 100 Films in a Year 2008]
Southland Tales (2007)
[part of 100 Films in a Year 2008]
[1st half]
A dodgy rental DVD means I had to stop this halfway through, hence no number til it's done.
Articles
George Takei marries longtime partner Brad Altman by Sandy Cohen
(from Mail.com)
Star Trek star George Takei and his partner, Brad Altman, have "agreed to live long and prosper together." *Groan* I dread to think how many articles about this have used that pun.
Little Britain Angers Gay Rights Groups
(from WENN)
Ah, the little British (ho ho!) show that could. What amuses me most is that it's a gay rights group complaining. Clearly, gays in Hollywood don't have a sense of humour -- I mean, I'm not Little Britain's biggest fan (I will give the American relocation a go though, when it turns up), but it's pretty clear it's not homophobic by any means.
(from Mail.com)
Star Trek star George Takei and his partner, Brad Altman, have "agreed to live long and prosper together." *Groan* I dread to think how many articles about this have used that pun.
Little Britain Angers Gay Rights Groups
(from WENN)
Ah, the little British (ho ho!) show that could. What amuses me most is that it's a gay rights group complaining. Clearly, gays in Hollywood don't have a sense of humour -- I mean, I'm not Little Britain's biggest fan (I will give the American relocation a go though, when it turns up), but it's pretty clear it's not homophobic by any means.
Websites
Videos from the Queen + Paul Rodgers Album Club
Primarily, an interview with the band about their new album, The Cosmos Rocks (released today; still waiting for my copy). The videos begin with a notice about the group's YouTube channel, but if anyone can actually find this please let me know.
Also revealed is that they recorded a 20-minute cover version of the excellent song Runaway, originally by Del Shannon, though decided not to put it on the album. However, thanks to Wikipedia's Runaway entry, I've discovered it's available as an iTunes exclusive -- edited to a sensible five-and-a-half minutes.
Primarily, an interview with the band about their new album, The Cosmos Rocks (released today; still waiting for my copy). The videos begin with a notice about the group's YouTube channel, but if anyone can actually find this please let me know.
Also revealed is that they recorded a 20-minute cover version of the excellent song Runaway, originally by Del Shannon, though decided not to put it on the album. However, thanks to Wikipedia's Runaway entry, I've discovered it's available as an iTunes exclusive -- edited to a sensible five-and-a-half minutes.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
TV
By Any Means
Part 2 (of 6)
Dexter
2x06 Dex, Lies and Videotape
Poirot
11x01 Mrs. McGinty's Dead
ITV may screw over both Miss Marple and Christie's sundry other characters by adapting them all willy-nilly in Marple, but Poirot sticks firmly to canon in its aim of filming all her stories about the Belgian detective. 61 down, 11 to go...
Part 2 (of 6)
Dexter
2x06 Dex, Lies and Videotape
Poirot
11x01 Mrs. McGinty's Dead
ITV may screw over both Miss Marple and Christie's sundry other characters by adapting them all willy-nilly in Marple, but Poirot sticks firmly to canon in its aim of filming all her stories about the Belgian detective. 61 down, 11 to go...
Films
Bond from the Beginning #11:
Moonraker (1979)
[2nd half; 3rd or so watch]
See here for my thoughts on this film.
Moonraker (1979)
[2nd half; 3rd or so watch]
See here for my thoughts on this film.
Articles
Apocalypse then by Ed Potton
(from The Knowledge Sept 13-19, 2008, p.12-13)
The fact that articles like this can be found online these days almost makes you wonder why they publish the magazine. Though, on the page it does have a review of the new DVD release (identical to the US one from a couple of years ago, by the sound of things). It comes in a Steelbook, which the people at The Times have obviously never heard of, bless them, as they insist on calling it a "steelbox". In a rare instance of Steelbook-beating, I prefer the US packaging.
David Blaine: death-dealer by Michael Joseph Gross
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
"'A lot of people in England don't like me for some reason,' Blaine continues." Because he's a pretentious show-off dick, a bit like Derren Brown only less entertaining and based on tricks of endurance rather than skill. This article does nothing to dispel such an opinion. In fact, if anything, it makes it worse.
(from The Knowledge Sept 13-19, 2008, p.12-13)
The fact that articles like this can be found online these days almost makes you wonder why they publish the magazine. Though, on the page it does have a review of the new DVD release (identical to the US one from a couple of years ago, by the sound of things). It comes in a Steelbook, which the people at The Times have obviously never heard of, bless them, as they insist on calling it a "steelbox". In a rare instance of Steelbook-beating, I prefer the US packaging.
David Blaine: death-dealer by Michael Joseph Gross
(from Telegraph.co.uk)
"'A lot of people in England don't like me for some reason,' Blaine continues." Because he's a pretentious show-off dick, a bit like Derren Brown only less entertaining and based on tricks of endurance rather than skill. This article does nothing to dispel such an opinion. In fact, if anything, it makes it worse.
Bond from the Beginning #11: Moonraker
Moonraker has some good bits. A shocking thing to say, I know, especially for me -- but it's true!
Sandwiched between arguably the two most popular Moore films, it's probably the most reviled film in the entire franchise -- though A View to a Kill runs a close second these days -- but there are a number of redeeming qualities that prevent it being a total loss as a film -- though it helps to think of it as a generic sci-fi-tinged spy thriller, rather than a film starring Ian Fleming's James Bond.
The pre-titles sequence is a stunning piece of stunt work, the like of which you would surely never see today; Drax is an excellent villain, with some of the best one-liners in the entire series; and many other bits work marvelously too. But there are also huge lapses of judgement -- as if a motor-powered gondola wasn't bad enough, it has to turn into a hovercraft... with a double-taking pigeon, just to hammer home that final nail. There are others, far too numerous to mention -- though the constant repetition from earlier films is blatant when watching in sequence, and the huge sin that is the laser-gun space battle cannot go unacknowledged (and after most of the space bits were relatively realistic too!)
The real shame about Moonraker is it doesn't have to sink to such lows. Despite how "James Bond in space" sounds, the concept isn't inherently flawed -- it's only You Only Live Twice with Bond getting in the spacecraft -- but there are so many misguided bits that they sometimes become hard to ignore. On the bright side, if one can ignore the silly bits there's actually a hugely entertaining film here.
I never thought I'd say this, ever, but Moonraker is not my least favourite Bond film, and by some margin. (In the not-unlikely event that you can suddenly feel shooting pains in your left arm now, please call a doctor.) Perhaps there's hope yet for View to a Kill...
Sandwiched between arguably the two most popular Moore films, it's probably the most reviled film in the entire franchise -- though A View to a Kill runs a close second these days -- but there are a number of redeeming qualities that prevent it being a total loss as a film -- though it helps to think of it as a generic sci-fi-tinged spy thriller, rather than a film starring Ian Fleming's James Bond.
The pre-titles sequence is a stunning piece of stunt work, the like of which you would surely never see today; Drax is an excellent villain, with some of the best one-liners in the entire series; and many other bits work marvelously too. But there are also huge lapses of judgement -- as if a motor-powered gondola wasn't bad enough, it has to turn into a hovercraft... with a double-taking pigeon, just to hammer home that final nail. There are others, far too numerous to mention -- though the constant repetition from earlier films is blatant when watching in sequence, and the huge sin that is the laser-gun space battle cannot go unacknowledged (and after most of the space bits were relatively realistic too!)
The real shame about Moonraker is it doesn't have to sink to such lows. Despite how "James Bond in space" sounds, the concept isn't inherently flawed -- it's only You Only Live Twice with Bond getting in the spacecraft -- but there are so many misguided bits that they sometimes become hard to ignore. On the bright side, if one can ignore the silly bits there's actually a hugely entertaining film here.
I never thought I'd say this, ever, but Moonraker is not my least favourite Bond film, and by some margin. (In the not-unlikely event that you can suddenly feel shooting pains in your left arm now, please call a doctor.) Perhaps there's hope yet for View to a Kill...
Saturday, 13 September 2008
TV
Spaceballs: The Animated Series Trailer (direct link)
Apparently this series is going to air at 5PM in the US. Based on this trailer, I find it hard to believe they're going to get away with that. Also, I'm not convinced it will be very funny -- partly because I watched Spaceballs again a year or two ago and struggled to be amused, and partly because this trailer has no laughs. Not even one. And it's clearly been done with Flash animation, so looks cheap as chips. And, to be honest, just looks like it wants to be cartoon porn.
Apparently this series is going to air at 5PM in the US. Based on this trailer, I find it hard to believe they're going to get away with that. Also, I'm not convinced it will be very funny -- partly because I watched Spaceballs again a year or two ago and struggled to be amused, and partly because this trailer has no laughs. Not even one. And it's clearly been done with Flash animation, so looks cheap as chips. And, to be honest, just looks like it wants to be cartoon porn.
Articles
Temporary Production Shutdown on Dollhouse by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
"Production on Joss Whedon's Dollhouse has temporarily shut down... Apparently, "Whedon had been busy directing two of the first three [episodes], which kept him out of the writers' room. As a result, the studio, network and Whedon agreed that the show's fourth script needed work. Whedon also requested the production reprieve to get ahead on the next few scripts.” The show will still air as scheduled in the New Year."
Oh dear. This is after the news that the network half-insisted there by a new pilot episode (Whedon claims he agrees, stating the show needed setting up better, and Pilot #1 will now air as episode two). Depending on your perspective, these pieces of news are either:
Good! They want to produce the highest quality show possible. I'm an optimist, yay!
Bad! It's struggling under network pressure already and will surely go the way of Firefly. I'm a pessimist, boo!
Well, we'll have to wait and see won't we. Networks always interfere and quality shows still happen. I'm a realist. So there.
Movie Reviews: Righteous Kill
(from Studio Briefing)
"Taken purely on its merits as a psychological thriller, Righteous Kill is probably a two-star film. The third star is there strictly for De Niro and Pacino. Playing off each other, they stir up the ghosts of past greatness." A shame, because from the trailer I thought this looked like it could be a great thriller with two great stars. I'll judge for myself at some point, of course.
Movie Reviews: The Women
(from Studio Briefing)
Even the women hate The Women, which sounds to be as bad as the trailer looks. Except Roger Ebert, who praises it, yet again seeming to disagree with everyone else (see: The Mummy 3).
Unrelated by clydefro [online for a limited time]
(from clydefro)
"In 2004, the cities that had been attacked [on 9/11] picked one person as the best man to further protect us while nearly everyone else picked someone else, the eventual winner. With a new election just weeks away, these uncertainties and fears once again feel necessary."
Be sure to check out today's other Articles post for some Bondage.
(from SFX)
"Production on Joss Whedon's Dollhouse has temporarily shut down... Apparently, "Whedon had been busy directing two of the first three [episodes], which kept him out of the writers' room. As a result, the studio, network and Whedon agreed that the show's fourth script needed work. Whedon also requested the production reprieve to get ahead on the next few scripts.” The show will still air as scheduled in the New Year."
Oh dear. This is after the news that the network half-insisted there by a new pilot episode (Whedon claims he agrees, stating the show needed setting up better, and Pilot #1 will now air as episode two). Depending on your perspective, these pieces of news are either:
Movie Reviews: Righteous Kill
(from Studio Briefing)
"Taken purely on its merits as a psychological thriller, Righteous Kill is probably a two-star film. The third star is there strictly for De Niro and Pacino. Playing off each other, they stir up the ghosts of past greatness." A shame, because from the trailer I thought this looked like it could be a great thriller with two great stars. I'll judge for myself at some point, of course.
Movie Reviews: The Women
(from Studio Briefing)
Even the women hate The Women, which sounds to be as bad as the trailer looks. Except Roger Ebert, who praises it, yet again seeming to disagree with everyone else (see: The Mummy 3).
Unrelated by clydefro [online for a limited time]
(from clydefro)
"In 2004, the cities that had been attacked [on 9/11] picked one person as the best man to further protect us while nearly everyone else picked someone else, the eventual winner. With a new election just weeks away, these uncertainties and fears once again feel necessary."
Be sure to check out today's other Articles post for some Bondage.
Articles: Bond, James Bond
Another Way To Drink? by Matt Weston
(from CommanderBond.net)
Seems the Coke Zero Zero 7 ad has caused quite a stir -- so much so that I'm not going to quote the article, just recommend you go read it.
By Royal Command: Judging A Book By Its Cover by Tanner
(from double o section)
"I know most of you probably think me certifiable after reading this post, but I also know that there are some readers and collectors who know exactly what I’m talking about."
Charlie in Command by John Cox
(from The Young Bond Dossier)
Fairly extensive interview with Young Bond author Charlie Higson. Contains spoilers for By Royal Command, so do be careful.
David Arnold Audio Interview: Scoring Quantum of Solace by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
Interesting comments on both the film and its score.
Looks like I just need some articles beginning with E to Z...
(from CommanderBond.net)
Seems the Coke Zero Zero 7 ad has caused quite a stir -- so much so that I'm not going to quote the article, just recommend you go read it.
By Royal Command: Judging A Book By Its Cover by Tanner
(from double o section)
"I know most of you probably think me certifiable after reading this post, but I also know that there are some readers and collectors who know exactly what I’m talking about."
Charlie in Command by John Cox
(from The Young Bond Dossier)
Fairly extensive interview with Young Bond author Charlie Higson. Contains spoilers for By Royal Command, so do be careful.
David Arnold Audio Interview: Scoring Quantum of Solace by Devin Zydel
(from CommanderBond.net)
Interesting comments on both the film and its score.
Looks like I just need some articles beginning with E to Z...
Websites
Evil Dead: The Musical
I kid you not. Recent rumours have that it may be getting a film adaptation...
I kid you not. Recent rumours have that it may be getting a film adaptation...
Adverts
Coke Zero Zero 7
The new Coke ad allegedly uses music from Another Way to Die, the theme to Quantum of Solace. If that's true, I can't decide whether it sounds reassuringly Bond-like or depressingly generic-Bond-like -- if the article didn't claim it was the new song being used, I'd just assume it was some Bond-alike track Coke had found/had done. Either way, it's a fairly nifty advert, though most amusing is the Guardian's claim that it "is an homage to the Bond movie franchise's highly stylised pre-credit sequences" -- for a paper so into the arts and claiming such intelligence, you'd think they could tell the difference between the credits and pre-credits.
See today's Bond Articles post for more on this.
The new Coke ad allegedly uses music from Another Way to Die, the theme to Quantum of Solace. If that's true, I can't decide whether it sounds reassuringly Bond-like or depressingly generic-Bond-like -- if the article didn't claim it was the new song being used, I'd just assume it was some Bond-alike track Coke had found/had done. Either way, it's a fairly nifty advert, though most amusing is the Guardian's claim that it "is an homage to the Bond movie franchise's highly stylised pre-credit sequences" -- for a paper so into the arts and claiming such intelligence, you'd think they could tell the difference between the credits and pre-credits.
See today's Bond Articles post for more on this.
Friday, 12 September 2008
TV
Dexter
2x05 The Dark Defender
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
21x07 (3/1/08 edition) [2nd watch]
The Tudors
2x07 Matters of State
2x05 The Dark Defender
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
21x07 (3/1/08 edition) [2nd watch]
The Tudors
2x07 Matters of State
Fiction
Double or Die by Charlie Higson
Chapter 17
Trivia time: the events of this chapter are (briefly) referenced in canonical continuation novel Devil May Care.
Chapter 17
Trivia time: the events of this chapter are (briefly) referenced in canonical continuation novel Devil May Care.
Articles
Favreau Talks the Future of Iron Man by Devin Faraci
(from CHUD.com)
Faraci boasts (several times) about his very long interview with Iron Man director Jon Favreau. Handily for those of us only interested in the highlights, he hasn't got round to typing it all up yet, so summarises the best bits. They include:
"Favreau said that he very much wants War Machine in the second film. He said that Rhodey had a smaller than anticipated role in the first movie and that he would like to rectify that."
"The Mandarin is the overarching, behind the scenes villain of Favreau's planned trilogy, but he's very aware of how hard it is to keep a character like that cool. [He] is also 'surrounded by minefields,' specifically the racial aspects and the fact that his powers are arcane in nature."
"Favreau wants to complicate the personal stories in the sequels, not the plot lines. He sort of pointed at The Dark Knight as a movie that had a very complicated plot... To him it's about the characters first and the stories should be simple and fun." (No bad thing -- complex plot-driven stories suit Batman, not so much Downey Jr.'s very light take on Iron Man.)
"Favreau sees his trilogy as almost one long story, comparing it less to the Spider-Man films, which are modular, and more to The Lord of the Rings or even a season of a TV show." Aiming high indeed!
Ray Winstone Joins Edge Of Darkness by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Ray Winstone replacing Robert De Niro? Well that's just odd.
Viva Che (Just When It Seemed Dead)
(from Studio Briefing)
"Nearly four months after it was screened at the Cannes Festival to widespread critical acclaim and a best-actor award for its star, Steven Soderbergh's Che has finally landed a distributor... Soderbergh indicated that it was still uncertain whether the film will be released in two parts or as one four-and-a-half hour feature. (At Cannes, it was shown both ways, and Soderbergh had indicated he would like it to be shown that way upon its release, allowing ticket buyers to decide for themselves whether they wish to see it in two installments or in one.)" That'll be fun for IMDb to list, then -- though they must've made a similar decision for Grindhouse at some point, so I guess there's a precedent. That said, in Grindhouse's case the double-feature versions are notably different to the individual releases; if Che is just The Argentine and Guerrilla stuck together, it might be a different matter. Currently they just list them both separately, so what would they do if it was only released as a single feature, eh? Ah the things I think about...
(from CHUD.com)
Faraci boasts (several times) about his very long interview with Iron Man director Jon Favreau. Handily for those of us only interested in the highlights, he hasn't got round to typing it all up yet, so summarises the best bits. They include:
Ray Winstone Joins Edge Of Darkness by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
Ray Winstone replacing Robert De Niro? Well that's just odd.
Viva Che (Just When It Seemed Dead)
(from Studio Briefing)
"Nearly four months after it was screened at the Cannes Festival to widespread critical acclaim and a best-actor award for its star, Steven Soderbergh's Che has finally landed a distributor... Soderbergh indicated that it was still uncertain whether the film will be released in two parts or as one four-and-a-half hour feature. (At Cannes, it was shown both ways, and Soderbergh had indicated he would like it to be shown that way upon its release, allowing ticket buyers to decide for themselves whether they wish to see it in two installments or in one.)" That'll be fun for IMDb to list, then -- though they must've made a similar decision for Grindhouse at some point, so I guess there's a precedent. That said, in Grindhouse's case the double-feature versions are notably different to the individual releases; if Che is just The Argentine and Guerrilla stuck together, it might be a different matter. Currently they just list them both separately, so what would they do if it was only released as a single feature, eh? Ah the things I think about...
Thursday, 11 September 2008
TV
8 Out of 10 Cats
7x02 (11/9/08 edition)
Dexter
2x04 See-Through
Mock the Week
6x10 (11/9/08 edition)
If only some Americans could see our satire, as opposed to their own pathetically weak attempts at it, they might sensibly rethink who they were voting for. Though if they knew it was satire by Foreigners it would probably just encourage them.
7x02 (11/9/08 edition)
Dexter
2x04 See-Through
Mock the Week
6x10 (11/9/08 edition)
If only some Americans could see our satire, as opposed to their own pathetically weak attempts at it, they might sensibly rethink who they were voting for. Though if they knew it was satire by Foreigners it would probably just encourage them.
Fiction
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison & Dave McKean
Arkham Asylum is one of the most acclaimed Batman books ever written -- for one example, it came 4th on IGN's 25 Greatest Batman Graphic Novels -- and, as the blurb on the 15th anniversary edition proudly proclaims, is still "the most successful graphic novel of all time" (I took that to mean best-selling, but upon re-reading it's obviously completely vague). It's certainly unlike any other Batman book you will ever see; in fact, it's hard to believe something so unusual was ever released by a mainstream publisher; even more so that they allowed it to be about one of their most popular creations. It's very dark, very bleak, very dense, and, despite its wide-spread high acclaim, is surely an acquired taste.
The 15th anniversary edition (it seems like this was only recently released still, but Arkham will be 20 next year!) includes Morrison's complete original script, plus new annotations. It's hard to believe people got by a decade and a half without this, as his comments in the original script explain so much, and his new notes flesh out many bits further. I haven't read it through in full yet, but did refer to it on multiple occasions while reading the graphic novel, and will unquestionably be reading it properly at some point.
Double or Die by Charlie Higson
Chapter 16
Arkham Asylum is one of the most acclaimed Batman books ever written -- for one example, it came 4th on IGN's 25 Greatest Batman Graphic Novels -- and, as the blurb on the 15th anniversary edition proudly proclaims, is still "the most successful graphic novel of all time" (I took that to mean best-selling, but upon re-reading it's obviously completely vague). It's certainly unlike any other Batman book you will ever see; in fact, it's hard to believe something so unusual was ever released by a mainstream publisher; even more so that they allowed it to be about one of their most popular creations. It's very dark, very bleak, very dense, and, despite its wide-spread high acclaim, is surely an acquired taste.
The 15th anniversary edition (it seems like this was only recently released still, but Arkham will be 20 next year!) includes Morrison's complete original script, plus new annotations. It's hard to believe people got by a decade and a half without this, as his comments in the original script explain so much, and his new notes flesh out many bits further. I haven't read it through in full yet, but did refer to it on multiple occasions while reading the graphic novel, and will unquestionably be reading it properly at some point.
Double or Die by Charlie Higson
Chapter 16
Articles
The Dark Knight Set For Re-Release by Glen Ferris
(from Empire Online)
"Warner Bros. is... planning to re-release the comic-book epic in IMAX cinemas in January, the height of Academy Awards voting season. The move will fuel speculation that the studio hopes to win a posthumous gong for Heath Ledger, as well as attempting to grab all the other big prizes." Hey, if Titanic of all things can take ludicrous amounts of money and win all the Oscars, why can't The Dark Knight?
Paul McGann back as Dr Who by Jen Blackburn
(from The Sun)
I hope to God it's true, but I won't believe it til I see it confirmed somewhere official-like, considering the reliability of The Sun. That said, in the past they've got a surprising number of things right about Who... but they've also been known to print fan speculation from forums as facts and/or 'insider info', and this sounds exactly like that. But in case it isn't, the rumours go as follows: McGann "is expected to begin filming in October or November for one of four feature-length specials to be shown instead of a series in 2009. Flashback scenes will see him battered from the Time War and shorn of the long hair he had in the film. An insider said: “Fans loved Paul's Doctor and feel he was never given the proper chance to shine. Reference is often made to the Time War which wiped out the Time Lords and this will give them a taste of that.”... David Tennant will also appear." Fingers firmly crossed!
Tennant: I'll be movie Doctor by Sara Nathan
(from The Sun)
More from The Sun: "we can now reveal that the star has agreed to make a full fifth series [of Doctor Who] in 2010 if the big screen role can be tagged on to the deal." Considering the source, it's worth taking this with a pinch of salt. Actually, make that a handful. Actually, make that a bucket.
(An amusing postscript: The Sun's confusion over previous Who movies. "Two previous big-screen versions of Dr Who have been made, starring Peter Cushing in 1965 and Paul McGann in 1996." The facts, of course, are that there were two Cushing cinema releases (1965 & 1966) and the McGann effort was just a TV movie.)
Young Bond Loses His Innocence (non-spoiler version) by John Cox
(from The Young Bond Dossier)
Review of the fifth Young Bond novel, By Royal Command. Cox concludes the novel is "a picture perfect landing, touching down cleanly and evenly on every aspect of James Bond’s past and future life... a surprisingly profound and introspective chapter that takes a leap in quality and maturity from all that has come before." The rest of the review merits reading too, and if you want a spoiler-filled version can be read here.
(from Empire Online)
"Warner Bros. is... planning to re-release the comic-book epic in IMAX cinemas in January, the height of Academy Awards voting season. The move will fuel speculation that the studio hopes to win a posthumous gong for Heath Ledger, as well as attempting to grab all the other big prizes." Hey, if Titanic of all things can take ludicrous amounts of money and win all the Oscars, why can't The Dark Knight?
Paul McGann back as Dr Who by Jen Blackburn
(from The Sun)
I hope to God it's true, but I won't believe it til I see it confirmed somewhere official-like, considering the reliability of The Sun. That said, in the past they've got a surprising number of things right about Who... but they've also been known to print fan speculation from forums as facts and/or 'insider info', and this sounds exactly like that. But in case it isn't, the rumours go as follows: McGann "is expected to begin filming in October or November for one of four feature-length specials to be shown instead of a series in 2009. Flashback scenes will see him battered from the Time War and shorn of the long hair he had in the film. An insider said: “Fans loved Paul's Doctor and feel he was never given the proper chance to shine. Reference is often made to the Time War which wiped out the Time Lords and this will give them a taste of that.”... David Tennant will also appear." Fingers firmly crossed!
Tennant: I'll be movie Doctor by Sara Nathan
(from The Sun)
More from The Sun: "we can now reveal that the star has agreed to make a full fifth series [of Doctor Who] in 2010 if the big screen role can be tagged on to the deal." Considering the source, it's worth taking this with a pinch of salt. Actually, make that a handful. Actually, make that a bucket.
(An amusing postscript: The Sun's confusion over previous Who movies. "Two previous big-screen versions of Dr Who have been made, starring Peter Cushing in 1965 and Paul McGann in 1996." The facts, of course, are that there were two Cushing cinema releases (1965 & 1966) and the McGann effort was just a TV movie.)
Young Bond Loses His Innocence (non-spoiler version) by John Cox
(from The Young Bond Dossier)
Review of the fifth Young Bond novel, By Royal Command. Cox concludes the novel is "a picture perfect landing, touching down cleanly and evenly on every aspect of James Bond’s past and future life... a surprisingly profound and introspective chapter that takes a leap in quality and maturity from all that has come before." The rest of the review merits reading too, and if you want a spoiler-filled version can be read here.
Music
C-lebrity (song) by Queen + Paul Rodgers
Not their best work, if I'm honest, but it's a good concept and I wager it'll grow on me. Nonetheless, I still can't wait for the album. Though it's not been dispatched by HMV yet...
Not their best work, if I'm honest, but it's a good concept and I wager it'll grow on me. Nonetheless, I still can't wait for the album. Though it's not been dispatched by HMV yet...
Torchwood on the radio
As some/all readers will surely be aware, yesterday BBC Radio 4 broadcast an exclusive 45-minute full-cast Torchwood audio drama, tied in to all that fuss about "Big Bang Day" (y'know, the CERN thing).
Anyway, the drama -- which I've yet to listen to, typically -- will be released on CD next week (with a bonus feature thingy; Play.com are cheapest), but if you're snappy you can download an MP3 of it free and, importantly, legally, from Radio 4's website. Here's the Torchwood Big Bang Day page, here's a relatively similar page on the Torchwood official site, and here's the file itself.
Anyway, the drama -- which I've yet to listen to, typically -- will be released on CD next week (with a bonus feature thingy; Play.com are cheapest), but if you're snappy you can download an MP3 of it free and, importantly, legally, from Radio 4's website. Here's the Torchwood Big Bang Day page, here's a relatively similar page on the Torchwood official site, and here's the file itself.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Films
Casino Royale Collector's Edition DVD & Blu-ray Trailer
Finally getting the release it deserved first time round, here's a trail for the great-looking three-disc re-release of Casino Royale (Collector's Edition in the States, Deluxe Edition over here, I believe). Time to flog my 2-disc on eBay, methinks.
Ghost Town Trailer
After a surprisingly long wait, it's The Ricky Gervais Movie. Except it isn't -- that'd be This Side of the Truth, which is completed but not due til sometime in '09 -- but he does star in this one. And he plays the same character he played in The Office, Extras, cameo-size parts in films, his stand-up gigs, and on every chat show interview he's ever done. He can be a very funny guy, but this repetition is as bad as the overuse of catchphrases that he derides so much. Still, the film looks quite funny.
Fast & Furious Teaser Trailer
The third (can you believe it?) sequel to The Fast & the Furious, with a title so different I'm sure it won't cause confusion for anyone. With Vin Diesel (and a couple of others) finally returning to the franchise, and Paul Walker back having skipped a film, I won't be surprised if your average brain dead boy racer -- the film's primary market, surely -- thinks this is a pointless re-release and returns to their DVD of the original. That said, this first trailer -- mostly consisting of one action sequence and little plot detail -- makes it look like it could be as surprisingly entertaining as the first, though hopefully with less reliance on CGI.
Knowing Trailer
An interesting premise, but similar films recently have turned out to be pretty crappy so it's best not to be too hopeful.
Quantum of Solace Trailer [2nd watch]
Following the excellent teaser -- and, of course, the huge level of hype -- this had a lot to live up to. It's a slightly unusual trailer, with minimal use of the iconic Bond theme (it's really in need of it properly at the end) and an odd pace (a slightly lacklustre 'big final montage', for one thing), but it still delivers because everything looks great. Not exactly an exciting trailer in its own right, then, but the movie it promises looks bloody fantastic. Only seven weeks til the UK release!
Sukiyaki Western Django Trailer
Spaghetti Western (or should that be something like 'Sushi Western'?) from "famed Japanese auteur" Takashi Miike. It's hard to tell if it's going to be trashy & cool or just trashy. Whether they were or not, the bits featuring Tarantino look cheaply tacked on for a Western audience.
Finally getting the release it deserved first time round, here's a trail for the great-looking three-disc re-release of Casino Royale (Collector's Edition in the States, Deluxe Edition over here, I believe). Time to flog my 2-disc on eBay, methinks.
Ghost Town Trailer
After a surprisingly long wait, it's The Ricky Gervais Movie. Except it isn't -- that'd be This Side of the Truth, which is completed but not due til sometime in '09 -- but he does star in this one. And he plays the same character he played in The Office, Extras, cameo-size parts in films, his stand-up gigs, and on every chat show interview he's ever done. He can be a very funny guy, but this repetition is as bad as the overuse of catchphrases that he derides so much. Still, the film looks quite funny.
Fast & Furious Teaser Trailer
The third (can you believe it?) sequel to The Fast & the Furious, with a title so different I'm sure it won't cause confusion for anyone. With Vin Diesel (and a couple of others) finally returning to the franchise, and Paul Walker back having skipped a film, I won't be surprised if your average brain dead boy racer -- the film's primary market, surely -- thinks this is a pointless re-release and returns to their DVD of the original. That said, this first trailer -- mostly consisting of one action sequence and little plot detail -- makes it look like it could be as surprisingly entertaining as the first, though hopefully with less reliance on CGI.
Knowing Trailer
An interesting premise, but similar films recently have turned out to be pretty crappy so it's best not to be too hopeful.
Quantum of Solace Trailer [2nd watch]
Following the excellent teaser -- and, of course, the huge level of hype -- this had a lot to live up to. It's a slightly unusual trailer, with minimal use of the iconic Bond theme (it's really in need of it properly at the end) and an odd pace (a slightly lacklustre 'big final montage', for one thing), but it still delivers because everything looks great. Not exactly an exciting trailer in its own right, then, but the movie it promises looks bloody fantastic. Only seven weeks til the UK release!
Sukiyaki Western Django Trailer
Spaghetti Western (or should that be something like 'Sushi Western'?) from "famed Japanese auteur" Takashi Miike. It's hard to tell if it's going to be trashy & cool or just trashy. Whether they were or not, the bits featuring Tarantino look cheaply tacked on for a Western audience.
Articles
Attenborough: "ET Better Than Gandhi" by Dave Golder
(from SFX)
Sir Richard Attenborough, director of acclaimed Oscar-winning movie Gandhi, has said that "his film was honoured partly for its subject matter and that Spielberg's ET was a better movie, cinematically speaking." Bless dear old Dickie. (While I first came across this courtesy of SFX, it's spread wider, including BBC News and IMDb's Daily Poll (permalink for results of the latter).)
More Marvel Films From Fox? by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
Good news all round, if you ask me. "X-Men Origins: X-Men Mates: Deadpool" -- yep, best title ever. Though, if I'm honest, more Daredevil pleases me more -- I actually really liked the first one; still not seen the director's cut though... Is a reboot a good idea? Well, while I wouldn't mind it being a sequel, there's never any harm in getting rid of Ben Affleck, and as the original hardly captured the public's imagination few will notice if it's just ignored. As for what rebooting can do for quality... the same concept didn't work for The Incredible Hulk at the box office, but it certainly made for a much better film. But Casino Royale and Batman Begins were also reboots, and look what happened there.
Also check out the news about Queen's new album. Yay!
(from SFX)
Sir Richard Attenborough, director of acclaimed Oscar-winning movie Gandhi, has said that "his film was honoured partly for its subject matter and that Spielberg's ET was a better movie, cinematically speaking." Bless dear old Dickie. (While I first came across this courtesy of SFX, it's spread wider, including BBC News and IMDb's Daily Poll (permalink for results of the latter).)
More Marvel Films From Fox? by Helen O'Hara
(from Empire Online)
Good news all round, if you ask me. "X-Men Origins: X-Men Mates: Deadpool" -- yep, best title ever. Though, if I'm honest, more Daredevil pleases me more -- I actually really liked the first one; still not seen the director's cut though... Is a reboot a good idea? Well, while I wouldn't mind it being a sequel, there's never any harm in getting rid of Ben Affleck, and as the original hardly captured the public's imagination few will notice if it's just ignored. As for what rebooting can do for quality... the same concept didn't work for The Incredible Hulk at the box office, but it certainly made for a much better film. But Casino Royale and Batman Begins were also reboots, and look what happened there.
Also check out the news about Queen's new album. Yay!
Queen are back!
Somehow I mostly missed this til today, but Queen's first new studio album for 13 years -- entitled The Cosmos Rocks -- is out next Monday! Yay! I'm thoroughly over-excited, so here's a few bits & bobs about it:
Classic Rock Magazine's review is rather positive, which is obviously a good sign. "The Cosmos Rocks, while characterised by having Rodgers's raw blues in place of Freddie's flamboyance, is undisputedly the work of Queen. Not only can The Cosmos Rocks sit proudly in the Queen canon, it can also do the same alongside Rodgers's work with Free and Bad Company... Overall The Cosmos Rocks has more than enough power to take your breath away. Freddie's legacy is in safe hands."
Freddie's legacy
The lack of Freddie Mercury is understandably something that has concerned many, often leaving uninformed commentators to suggest he'd be spinning in his grave. Really? These comments from the order page for the "Exclusive Queen Online Tour Edition" of the album suggest otherwise:
"Rodgers... can stand assured in the fact that Mercury always rated him as one of the best rock voices of his time. It is public record that Mercury would make a point of dropping into the Marquee or any number of other London venues when Rodgers was performing with his band Free. Mercury often in his past acknowledged Free's Fire and Water as one of the albums to most influence Queen."
So ner to all those Rodgers haters. That page also has these promising snippets of info to impart:
"The first thing you notice... is "all tracks written by Queen and Paul Rodgers"..."produced and performed by Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor" (indicating that between them they played all instruments, including bass - Paul and Brian swapping duties - in case you were going to ask). This is obviously not a case of Rodgers lightly stepping in to fill a vocal gap, as some might have been drawn to assume would be the case when the three of them got into the studio together." (Another ner!)
Old style
"There's a lot of guitar orchestras and some of our old trademarks, but at the core of it you'll hear the three of us playing. People really, truly playing together in the studio - you don't get that much these days. But, you will get it on their new album. Do they still call them 'albums'? I don't even know. But this is really, we believe, an Album in the old sense of the word - something you can put on and listen to all the way through, and it takes you on a journey... the subjects and moods in it are widely spaced - but nevertheless, a challenge to the listener to put his day on hold for an hour or so, be drawn in, make connections, and experience something new."
"These days it has seemed to us that few people have this in mind - CD's by large tend to be a collection of songs, often produced by different teams, assembled in random sequence - with the idea that folks will shuffle the order on their iPods anyway. Of course you always have that option! But our teachers were the Beatles, Hendrix, blues + soul and... you know where we’re going with this."
"'Albums' in the old sense" are certainly preferable to a mere collection of songs as far as I'm concerned, so bring it on.
Buy buy buy
Of course, Queen have pleasingly embraced new technology in other, more fan-friendly ways. As well as being available as a, y'know, CD, the new album can also be had in a CD & DVD edition (featuring a full 15-track live gig on the DVD!), a digital download, and that Queen Online exclusive version, with slipcase and poster. There's even a vinyl version, just to fill out the spread. On top of that there's the Album Club that you can join for £2. For your money, you get three live tracks from the 2008 European Tour; first listen to tracks from The Cosmos Rocks; automatic entry into 12 prize draws to win exclusive prizes; exclusive video and pictures galleries; opportunity to purchase an exclusive ‘Album Club’ T-shirt; an exclusive album club forum; plus the latest tour news, set lists and reviews. Considering three tracks on iTunes would set you back £2.37 anyway, it's not bad really. (Those lucky enough to have joined before 8th September get 15 free tracks, the gits. Look out for them on Torrent sites, then.)
Anyway, that'll do for now. The countdown to release begins now... HMV better get my copy to me for Monday! (Hey, sometimes they get stuff to me the Saturday before release -- fingers crossed!)
Classic Rock Magazine's review is rather positive, which is obviously a good sign. "The Cosmos Rocks, while characterised by having Rodgers's raw blues in place of Freddie's flamboyance, is undisputedly the work of Queen. Not only can The Cosmos Rocks sit proudly in the Queen canon, it can also do the same alongside Rodgers's work with Free and Bad Company... Overall The Cosmos Rocks has more than enough power to take your breath away. Freddie's legacy is in safe hands."
Freddie's legacy
The lack of Freddie Mercury is understandably something that has concerned many, often leaving uninformed commentators to suggest he'd be spinning in his grave. Really? These comments from the order page for the "Exclusive Queen Online Tour Edition" of the album suggest otherwise:
"Rodgers... can stand assured in the fact that Mercury always rated him as one of the best rock voices of his time. It is public record that Mercury would make a point of dropping into the Marquee or any number of other London venues when Rodgers was performing with his band Free. Mercury often in his past acknowledged Free's Fire and Water as one of the albums to most influence Queen."
So ner to all those Rodgers haters. That page also has these promising snippets of info to impart:
"The first thing you notice... is "all tracks written by Queen and Paul Rodgers"..."produced and performed by Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor" (indicating that between them they played all instruments, including bass - Paul and Brian swapping duties - in case you were going to ask). This is obviously not a case of Rodgers lightly stepping in to fill a vocal gap, as some might have been drawn to assume would be the case when the three of them got into the studio together." (Another ner!)
Old style
"There's a lot of guitar orchestras and some of our old trademarks, but at the core of it you'll hear the three of us playing. People really, truly playing together in the studio - you don't get that much these days. But, you will get it on their new album. Do they still call them 'albums'? I don't even know. But this is really, we believe, an Album in the old sense of the word - something you can put on and listen to all the way through, and it takes you on a journey... the subjects and moods in it are widely spaced - but nevertheless, a challenge to the listener to put his day on hold for an hour or so, be drawn in, make connections, and experience something new."
"These days it has seemed to us that few people have this in mind - CD's by large tend to be a collection of songs, often produced by different teams, assembled in random sequence - with the idea that folks will shuffle the order on their iPods anyway. Of course you always have that option! But our teachers were the Beatles, Hendrix, blues + soul and... you know where we’re going with this."
"'Albums' in the old sense" are certainly preferable to a mere collection of songs as far as I'm concerned, so bring it on.
Buy buy buy
Of course, Queen have pleasingly embraced new technology in other, more fan-friendly ways. As well as being available as a, y'know, CD, the new album can also be had in a CD & DVD edition (featuring a full 15-track live gig on the DVD!), a digital download, and that Queen Online exclusive version, with slipcase and poster. There's even a vinyl version, just to fill out the spread. On top of that there's the Album Club that you can join for £2. For your money, you get three live tracks from the 2008 European Tour; first listen to tracks from The Cosmos Rocks; automatic entry into 12 prize draws to win exclusive prizes; exclusive video and pictures galleries; opportunity to purchase an exclusive ‘Album Club’ T-shirt; an exclusive album club forum; plus the latest tour news, set lists and reviews. Considering three tracks on iTunes would set you back £2.37 anyway, it's not bad really. (Those lucky enough to have joined before 8th September get 15 free tracks, the gits. Look out for them on Torrent sites, then.)
Anyway, that'll do for now. The countdown to release begins now... HMV better get my copy to me for Monday! (Hey, sometimes they get stuff to me the Saturday before release -- fingers crossed!)
100 Films makes Top 10!
I just wanted to briefly boast that my other, film-centric blog, 100 Films in a Year, has made it into the list of Top 10 Journals at its host site, FilmJournal.net.
I'd also like to point out that the list is determined by reader/member votes on blogs, not hits or what have you, so is an assessment of quality rather than just counting the number of people who've somehow found my site via a search engine.
A minor achievement, perhaps, but it still feels good.
Reviews Update
While I'm at it, the last time I posted an update on reviews from 100 Films was way back on 26th June, so here's a round-up of what reviews I've posted since then:
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience (2008)
The Golden Compass (2007)
Hairspray (2007)
Hamlet (1996)
The Happening (2008)
Hard Boiled (1992)
I Am Legend: Alternate Theatrical Version (2007/2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
Presto (2008)
Superhero Movie (2008)
WALL-E (2008)
Wanted (2008)
As always, there's more to come in the future.
I'd also like to point out that the list is determined by reader/member votes on blogs, not hits or what have you, so is an assessment of quality rather than just counting the number of people who've somehow found my site via a search engine.
A minor achievement, perhaps, but it still feels good.
Reviews Update
While I'm at it, the last time I posted an update on reviews from 100 Films was way back on 26th June, so here's a round-up of what reviews I've posted since then:
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience (2008)
The Golden Compass (2007)
Hairspray (2007)
Hamlet (1996)
The Happening (2008)
Hard Boiled (1992)
I Am Legend: Alternate Theatrical Version (2007/2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
Presto (2008)
Superhero Movie (2008)
WALL-E (2008)
Wanted (2008)
As always, there's more to come in the future.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
TV
Dragons' Den
6x08 (8/9/08 edition) [season finale]
At some point, I watched 6x07 and seem to have completely forgotten to mention it. Oops.
Gilmore Girls
5x05 We Got Us a Pippi Virgin
The National Movie Awards 2008
A surprisingly good celebration of all that's popular in film. Despite a spectacularly weak opening monologue, James Nesbitt developed into a funny and enjoyable host. Though I do rather feel that, as they're British, they should be "Film Awards". Still, Quantum of Solace trailer! Yay! It was a slightly odd one, I thought, but still brilliantly exciting. (As of the end of this programme, the trailer is available online here, including HD options.)
6x08 (8/9/08 edition) [season finale]
At some point, I watched 6x07 and seem to have completely forgotten to mention it. Oops.
Gilmore Girls
5x05 We Got Us a Pippi Virgin
The National Movie Awards 2008
A surprisingly good celebration of all that's popular in film. Despite a spectacularly weak opening monologue, James Nesbitt developed into a funny and enjoyable host. Though I do rather feel that, as they're British, they should be "Film Awards". Still, Quantum of Solace trailer! Yay! It was a slightly odd one, I thought, but still brilliantly exciting. (As of the end of this programme, the trailer is available online here, including HD options.)
Articles
24 Boss Orders Seventh Season Rewrites
(from WENN)
It's good to see they're making a concerted effort to up the quality, after a couple of decidedly poor seasons.
Favorite live-action musical of the 00's (so far)? (poll results)
(from IMDb)
I vote in IMDb's Daily Poll most days, though don't usually mention them. Yesterday's earns one though, due to the extraordinary closeness of the top two: Moulin Rouge edges into first with just 7 more votes than Sweeney Todd. When the total number of votes is 21,523, that's a tiny margin -- 0.03%, in fact. I was one of the 2,735 people who preferred Baz Luhrmann's colourful explosion of joy and sorrow, a film packed with light and shade... whereas Sweeney, while good, was all just shades of grey -- literally.
Knightley Finished With Pirates
(from WENN)
Definitely no more Pirates, or just no more Pirates with Keira? The latter seems more likely.
We Cast Potential Spider-Man 4 Villians
(from Empire Online)
With Spider-Man 4 and 5 seemingly confirmed, Empire has a go at predicting which villain(s) might turn up and who might play them. (Note that they misspelt "villains" in the article's title... and then in the article itself too! Ho ho ho!)
Also check out some bits & bobs about this weekend at the US box office.
(from WENN)
It's good to see they're making a concerted effort to up the quality, after a couple of decidedly poor seasons.
Favorite live-action musical of the 00's (so far)? (poll results)
(from IMDb)
I vote in IMDb's Daily Poll most days, though don't usually mention them. Yesterday's earns one though, due to the extraordinary closeness of the top two: Moulin Rouge edges into first with just 7 more votes than Sweeney Todd. When the total number of votes is 21,523, that's a tiny margin -- 0.03%, in fact. I was one of the 2,735 people who preferred Baz Luhrmann's colourful explosion of joy and sorrow, a film packed with light and shade... whereas Sweeney, while good, was all just shades of grey -- literally.
Knightley Finished With Pirates
(from WENN)
Definitely no more Pirates, or just no more Pirates with Keira? The latter seems more likely.
We Cast Potential Spider-Man 4 Villians
(from Empire Online)
With Spider-Man 4 and 5 seemingly confirmed, Empire has a go at predicting which villain(s) might turn up and who might play them. (Note that they misspelt "villains" in the article's title... and then in the article itself too! Ho ho ho!)
Also check out some bits & bobs about this weekend at the US box office.
Dubya
Empire have a gallery of rather nifty posters for W., Oliver Stone's premature George W. Bush biopic. Most of the posters are amusingly similar (in a good way), so I thought I'd share my three favourites with you. (Click on any to enlarge.)
This is the best one. Brolin looks the most like Bush that I've seen to date here, allowing it to convey exactly what the film's about (W.'s a rather mysterious title, after all), while his looking to the sky conveys a mixture of carefree idiocy and "please help me God", something I'm sure Bush must've thought often.
Again conveying Bush's carefree -- or care-less -- attitude, especially with his boots on the desk like that. He looks too dreamy though, as if he's just come up with some grand plan that will save everything, and only he, with his reckless irreverence, can pull it off. Which is obviously not the case. Not a particularly close second favourite, then -- the top one's far better.
Though there's alway this one...
Monkey see monkey do!
On second thought, that's a lot better than the second. While those are my favourites, the very fact there are six so similar posters works brilliantly -- one hopes cinemas will choose to display all/several of them, in the way they do with different character posters for major releases, rather than just choosing their favourite.
This is the best one. Brolin looks the most like Bush that I've seen to date here, allowing it to convey exactly what the film's about (W.'s a rather mysterious title, after all), while his looking to the sky conveys a mixture of carefree idiocy and "please help me God", something I'm sure Bush must've thought often.
Again conveying Bush's carefree -- or care-less -- attitude, especially with his boots on the desk like that. He looks too dreamy though, as if he's just come up with some grand plan that will save everything, and only he, with his reckless irreverence, can pull it off. Which is obviously not the case. Not a particularly close second favourite, then -- the top one's far better.
Though there's alway this one...
Monkey see monkey do!
On second thought, that's a lot better than the second. While those are my favourites, the very fact there are six so similar posters works brilliantly -- one hopes cinemas will choose to display all/several of them, in the way they do with different character posters for major releases, rather than just choosing their favourite.
This weekend at the US box office
A couple of bits about the past weekend's box office in the US...
Box Office: The Winner Tanks
(from Studio Briefing)
"Although it opened in first-place at the box-office, the Nicolas Cage thriller Bangkok Dangerous was considered an unmitigated flop this weekend as it drew just $7.8 million... This was not a pretty weekend at the box office." Nope, it was a thoroughly shocking one. Total ticket sales were just $51.6 million, "the smallest number of tickets sold in at least five years".
And the reason why?
Movie Reviews: Bangkok Dangerous
(from Studio Briefing)
...And here's the primary reason why, as the critics pan the only new release. And I thought the trailer looked quite good. Oh well.
Additionally, the all-conquering Dark Knight is still sitting pretty in 3rd, taking a further $5.52m -- increasingly thanks to IMAX screenings. It was originally announced as coming 4th this weekend, but actual figures (as opposed to the estimates they publish on Sunday, which are almost always correct about positions) show it beat The House Bunny by $0.01m.
Box Office: The Winner Tanks
(from Studio Briefing)
"Although it opened in first-place at the box-office, the Nicolas Cage thriller Bangkok Dangerous was considered an unmitigated flop this weekend as it drew just $7.8 million... This was not a pretty weekend at the box office." Nope, it was a thoroughly shocking one. Total ticket sales were just $51.6 million, "the smallest number of tickets sold in at least five years".
And the reason why?
Movie Reviews: Bangkok Dangerous
(from Studio Briefing)
...And here's the primary reason why, as the critics pan the only new release. And I thought the trailer looked quite good. Oh well.
Additionally, the all-conquering Dark Knight is still sitting pretty in 3rd, taking a further $5.52m -- increasingly thanks to IMAX screenings. It was originally announced as coming 4th this weekend, but actual figures (as opposed to the estimates they publish on Sunday, which are almost always correct about positions) show it beat The House Bunny by $0.01m.
Monday, 8 September 2008
Articles
CBn Forum Member Suggestion Makes The Cut In By Royal Command by Matt Weston
(from CommanderBond.net)
Higson loves the fans. (On a similar note, By Royal Command includes a thanks to the webmaster of The Young Bond Dossier, the fansite so prolific they feed its news on the official Young Bond site.)
Inside Man 2 Is A Go, Says Spike Lee by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
I really enjoyed Inside Man, which came a little out of nowhere two-and-a-half years ago (has it really been so long?!) Hopefully this sequel can live up to the first film.
Troubled Movie Productions
(from Empire Online)
Inspired by the recent spat over Babylon A.D. ("I never had a chance to do one scene the way it was written or the way I wanted it to be... The script wasn't respected. Bad producers, bad partners, it was a terrible experience"), Empire takes a look at ten other famously tumultuous productions. Featuring American History X, Apocalypse Now, Brazil, Dune, Fitzcarraldo, The Invasion, Kingdom of Heaven, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Three Kings, and Waterworld. (If you've never heard of the Don Quixote film, it's cos it was never finished. The documentary film Lost in La Mancha documents how spectacularly wrong things went.)
For more articles from today, see here and here; and don't miss the Serenity-centric post right next to this one.
(from CommanderBond.net)
Higson loves the fans. (On a similar note, By Royal Command includes a thanks to the webmaster of The Young Bond Dossier, the fansite so prolific they feed its news on the official Young Bond site.)
Inside Man 2 Is A Go, Says Spike Lee by Chris Hewitt
(from Empire Online)
I really enjoyed Inside Man, which came a little out of nowhere two-and-a-half years ago (has it really been so long?!) Hopefully this sequel can live up to the first film.
Troubled Movie Productions
(from Empire Online)
Inspired by the recent spat over Babylon A.D. ("I never had a chance to do one scene the way it was written or the way I wanted it to be... The script wasn't respected. Bad producers, bad partners, it was a terrible experience"), Empire takes a look at ten other famously tumultuous productions. Featuring American History X, Apocalypse Now, Brazil, Dune, Fitzcarraldo, The Invasion, Kingdom of Heaven, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Three Kings, and Waterworld. (If you've never heard of the Don Quixote film, it's cos it was never finished. The documentary film Lost in La Mancha documents how spectacularly wrong things went.)
For more articles from today, see here and here; and don't miss the Serenity-centric post right next to this one.
Articles: Serenity comics
An Interview with Scott Allie
(from Stakes & Salvation)
Allie is the editor of Buffy Season Eight. Not a hugely interesting interview to be honest, especially as it's over a year old; unless you're really into exactly how Season Eight works behind the scenes.
Ron Glass announces A Shepherd’s Tale comic, reveals (some) secrets
(from SerenityStuff)
Slightly old news this (like, eight months) but I've only just come across it. As the prospect of a sequel to Serenity becomes increasingly unlikely, it seems the 'verse will be continuing in comic-form. Hopefully this third miniseries can improve on the first (I haven't read the second yet, though will when it hits tpb). It certainly looks set to be the best yet, potentially answering the largest remaining question(s) left hanging: who is Shepherd Book, and what is his history? I'm certifiably excited.
Whedon Can’t Get Enough Serenity by Wil Moss
(from Publishers Weekly)
Another article from 2007 (clearly no one's had anything to say in the last year), in which Joss discusses why Serenity would never work as an ongoing comic and why there aren't tie-in novels. The 'verse is still one great big missed opportunity, and it's a shame there's no suitable way for Joss to continue his larger story -- after all, a show that he was thinking would run for 150+ episodes has been reduced to 14, a movie, and three (standalone) comics. Hardly balanced, is it.
(from Stakes & Salvation)
Allie is the editor of Buffy Season Eight. Not a hugely interesting interview to be honest, especially as it's over a year old; unless you're really into exactly how Season Eight works behind the scenes.
Ron Glass announces A Shepherd’s Tale comic, reveals (some) secrets
(from SerenityStuff)
Slightly old news this (like, eight months) but I've only just come across it. As the prospect of a sequel to Serenity becomes increasingly unlikely, it seems the 'verse will be continuing in comic-form. Hopefully this third miniseries can improve on the first (I haven't read the second yet, though will when it hits tpb). It certainly looks set to be the best yet, potentially answering the largest remaining question(s) left hanging: who is Shepherd Book, and what is his history? I'm certifiably excited.
Whedon Can’t Get Enough Serenity by Wil Moss
(from Publishers Weekly)
Another article from 2007 (clearly no one's had anything to say in the last year), in which Joss discusses why Serenity would never work as an ongoing comic and why there aren't tie-in novels. The 'verse is still one great big missed opportunity, and it's a shame there's no suitable way for Joss to continue his larger story -- after all, a show that he was thinking would run for 150+ episodes has been reduced to 14, a movie, and three (standalone) comics. Hardly balanced, is it.
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