I actually already put this up over at PackRat but I wanted to make sure it was here as well.
At The Walking Dead season 2 party I attended, special effects artist, director, actor and writer Tom Sullivan made an appearance. I asked him if he could spare a few minutes for an interview and he agreed wholeheartedly. Check it out below!
Alright, Scrooged, Bill Murray’s (then) modern-day take on A Christmas Carol was supposed to be a comedy. I mean, it is a comedy and a brilliant one at that. I can appreciate it now that I’m older, but watching it as a child scared all of the Christmas spirit right out of me. It wasn’t just one scene, but a few that I remember only as the purest stuff that nightmares were made of.
Oh wow. Just, wow. I just finished watching Thankskilling. It is a delightful piece of B-movie schlock that you absolutely must watch. I should’ve left this to The Monster Popcorn crew, but I just couldn’t help myself.
Now, I’m not going to review this on the standard scale, but rather I am going to use Thankskilling for the establishment of an entirely separate review system. Why? Because judging it by traditional standards would be akin to pitting a Big Mac against a Filet Mignon- yes, it’s technically worse but under the right circumstances it’s damn tasty.
First off, I’m a huge fan of the original The Thing (wow, that looked weird), and while I haven’t stayed too abreast of what’s going on in the prequel that’s been a long time in the making, I’m intrigued. Apparently its about the initial research team that discovered the parasitic being prior to its escape and subsequent hell-raising in the original 1982 classic from John Carpenter.
I’m not sure yet if there’s a midnight release but I’d certainly be down for checking out.
Anyone else excited for this or is it just another cash-in on 80s nostalgia?
Editor’s note: The following post is the first in a long series of posts from CP, our longtime friend and geek aficionado. So welcome, Chris and we look forward to your future posts!
I can remember crawling into a grocery store as a six year old kid with a cast on my broken leg in order to get to the comic book shelf so I could read Marvel comics.
That was how passionate I was about Marvel then and I still feel the same way all of these years later. I was lost in a world I could only dream of ever realizing and Marvel did it better than anyone else.
I had to wait a few decades to have Marvel Comics finally hit the big screen and the X-Men did not disappoint in 2000. Sadly though there would be disappointments along the way like X-Men Last Stand , Daredevil , and the Hulk.
These properties are among Marvel’s finest so why were these movies so poorly conceived? It was not for a lack of material. These titles have existed since the 1960′s with literally hundreds of issues and tons of fantastic story lines to utilize. What then was causing this abysmal drivel on the big screen?
Control. Or better put- a severe lack of control.
A recent article I came across on the twitters spoke on how Hollywood’s presence at San Diego Comic Con this year was especially meager when compared with years past. The prevailing theory seems to be that in a take-my-ball-and-go-home kind of way Hollywood is shunning the geeks at SDCC on account of previous marketing efforts not abating failures like Scott Pilgrim at the box office.
I’m not saying this definitively the reason for a smaller studio presence; it’s all speculative at this point as to why geeks are being given the cold shoulder. However, if this is the case, expecting that your attendance at a few geek gatherings will guarantee you a box-office smash is pretty naive thinking. Content is king and if you can’t produce something worthy of our time, we’re likely to have a luke-warm reaction at best and move on.
I exist within the very niche to which studios are trying to appeal, but one of the things that I feel characterizes geeks is a very analytical nature. We tend to be natural rebels and especially questioning of polarized opinions- especially when those opinions come from what you might call an outsider, or someone who is out to capitalize on the geek subculture instead of an established member of the group.
Is all lost for geek movies? I sincerely doubt it. In fact, in a way the term geek is becoming more hazy as mainstream encroaches on our territory more and more with its adoption of things we secretly coveted in our secret club of sorts. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but I personally won’t lose any sleep worrying if they’re ever going to make another comic book movie.
I’ll confess off the bat that while I’ve always enjoyed Spielberg’s work, I don’t get that rush of excitement a lot of people do whenever a new project bears his name. Of course, just because his name is involved doesn’t mean its strictly a Spielberg production and in this case, J.J. Abrams headlines as the directorial talent here and make no mistake, he certainly is talented, but great names do not necessarily a great movie make.
I’m very much looking forward to the forthcoming X-Men: First Class film. I ran across this a while back and forgot to post it, but follow this link to Unreality Magazine to see more rad fan art movie posters like the one above!
I adore Simon Pegg and Nick Frost so it was pretty much a given I’d be seeing this as soon as I could. Unfortunately I had to wait a bit longer to see it than I would’ve liked, but I will review it now just the same.
Paul is about two British sci-fi fanatics who come to America to attend Comic-Con. They also intend to take a sci-fi road trip while visiting America and eventually have a close encounter of their own after running into a flesh-and-blood alien named Paul. Wacky hijinks ensue as they try to help Paul escape a mysterious government agent played by none other than Jason Bateman. Along the way they also pick up a new friend (and romantic interest), Ruth, a religious fanatic whose faith is called into question upon meeting Paul.
The jokes come fast and easy with rapid-fire execution and more thoughtful humor throughout. The sheer amount of sci-fi references in Paul is overwhelming to say the least and a little intimidating if you’re a self-respecting geek. I feel like I caught most of them, but am sure there were many more that I didn’t. Combining a clear reverence for sci-fi as a genre with unapologetically foul humor for its entirety makes the film a must-see for anyone who enjoys either but especially so for those that hold both dear.
My only real problem with the comedy is the same problem I have with so many celebrities- its desire to push an agenda of sorts or at the very least resort to the low-hanging fruit of persecuting the religious. I found it all in good fun, but just the same felt a twinge of irritation at the nigh-relentless assault on religion that comprises the latter half of the movie. It’s not so much that it detracts from the movie by and large, but ultimately I found myself a bit disappointed in the creative lapse in the same way you’d roll your eyes at an aging catchphrase.
That minor beef aside, the characters are endearing and well-acted. A friend of mine also pointed out that where in other Pegg/Frost collaborations, Nick is often characterized as the more dopey of the two with his role more focused on comic relief that being the voice of reason. In Paul however this is reversed, with Nick Frost’s character serving as the more grounded of the two and it really is a refreshing change for the duo. Kristin Wiig also does well and it’s good to see that she’s getting more of the screen time she deserves than serving in more ancillary roles.
Paul is the real treat here though. Voiced by Seth Rogen, the tiny alien is as rude as he is charming. Between all of the foul things he says and does, there’s an undeniable heart here. The design of the only CGI character in the movie is, well, a pretty standard alien one. However, the care that the animators put into conveying emotion and character in Paul’s movements and facial expressions makes him almost immediately endearing. Aside from Rogen’s excellent delivery, the masterful union of voice and character is what allows him to truly shine.
Ultimately, if you’re a lover of aliens, classic sci-fi, or humor then you’re sure to have a good time with Paul as Simon and Nick again strike comedy gold.
Paul is awarded 4 out of 5 stars.
Apparently Super is a new comic book (kinda) movie starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page that I had absolutely no idea existed. A friend turned me onto the clip below and while it feels like it’s in the same vein as Kick-Ass initially, it’s far, far darker. Discretion advised for the squeamish and the non-squeamish should eat this up. Enjoy!
