Author Archives: Leo Choy

About Leo Choy

Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Leo Choy stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Leo can see and hear. And so, Leo finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

Anthony Head Joins Nathan Fillion in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

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A casting changeup has been made to Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters.  It was originally believed that the movie would feature a complete returning cast; at least those alive still.  The movie sequel to the 2010 book adaptation of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief has added Anthony Head to its cast.  The former “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star has been cast in the role of Chiron, originally played by Pierce Brosnan, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Chiron, who’s mortal alias is Mr. Brunner, is the teacher of Peseus “Percy” Jackon, who gives Percy a powerful weapon.  While in the form of Mr. Brunner, he is confined to a motorized wheelchair, with his legs covered in a blanket.   Chiron’s true form however is that of the centaur; the wheelchair magically concealing his horse bits.  Touted as the Wisest of all Centaurs, Chiron is often the tutor to many heroes, such as Heracles, Achilles, and Jason of the Argonauts.

This may prove to be annoying to fans when a significant character is recast, but not as annoying as the first movie’s storyline.  While the movie wasn’t bad from the perspective of the uninitiated, those that read the book were not impressed.

Characters such as Annabeth not being blonde gave fans of the book a facial tic.  While this seems trivial to those not familiar with the story, staying true to the content is often a course of discontent.  According to the book, the character was based on being the antithesis of blonde stereotypes.

Then there’s what appears to be Luke dying; or just ending up in the water.  Though it wouldn’t be hard to bring him back, there would have to be a lot of ret-con flashbacks which shows Kronos influencing his actions.

The movie adaptation also took liberties with the storylines within the separate books.  Percy for example wasn’t suppose to receive his shield until much later on.  Mixing and matching of storylines and plot devices may have been to condense the movie.  I didn’t think Hollywood would make a sequel, they might have thought so too, as it felt more of an all or nothing effort by the screen writers.

Based on the Rick Riordan’s Camp Half-Blood book series, the sequel finds Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), the son of Poseidon, continuing his epic journey to fulfill his destiny, as he teams with his demigod friends (played by Alexandra Daddario and Douglas Smith) to retrieve the Golden Fleece, which has the power to save their home and training ground, Camp Half-Blood.

Wait, three magical children go off on an action filled adventure to save the place where they learn.  The first book was about a kid and a thunderbolt.  Hmmm.  I’ve seen this somewhere.  Lightning thief indeed.

Anthony Stewart Head in any role is great.  I just hope this turns into a career revival rather than a sinkhole for him.  I’ve seen his appearances in BBC shows such as Dr. Who and the Inbetweeners, but what I liked him the best in was his show The Invisibles.  The show which is a comedy-drama was about a couple of urban legend criminals come out of retirement.  In the first episode, Head is trying to muster back his skill and confidence as the world’s best safecracker.  Looking into the cameras, he utters, “I am William Shakespeare, Bobby Moore, and The Beatles, and once, blood ran through my veins!”  Said with such conviction, it really resonated in me how much will the character was pouring into his work.

Head who recently appeared on the big screen in The Iron Lady, will be joined in the Percy Jackson sequel by Mary Birdsong, Yvette Nicole Brown and Missi Pyle.  The former Watcher will also be joined by another star from the Whedonverse, Nathan Fillion, who will play the role of Hermes; whom I’m assuming is fast of mouth as he is of feet.  While I’m not a fan of the movie or the books, I really want the movie to do well just for Anthony Head and Nathan Fillion.  The Thor Freudenthal film is set for release on March 27, 2013.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Outshines in the Box Office

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Shareholders must be impressed, as Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has surpassed its predecessor in the global box office earnings.  The first movie which hauled in a worldwide gross of $524.4 million has been outdone, as the Game of Shadows earned $186.7 million domestically and $342.3 million internationally.  This brought in total a grand sum of $529 million dollars to the Sherlock Holmes title, according to Warner Bros. Pictures.

This was anounced by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, alongside Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures.

Now these current earnings are just beating the benchmark mind you.  The second movie is still earning and will continue to outdistance itself from its first movies earnings.  Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows has drawn large crowds on opening night and repeat business since its debut late December.  It’s continued success and great reviews must have given it momentum as the film rolled out internationally.  In the states, the movie opened at #1, spending six weeks in the U.S. top ten.  Meanwhile, the film was #1 internationally for three straight weeks, holding the position from the weeks of January 8 to January 23.

Fellman had this to say about the movie’s success:

Our successful box office continues to prove the appeal of Sherlock Holmes, especially in the hands of guy Ritchie and his amazing cast, led by Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.  The film had outstanding results throughout the holidays and continued to gain traction well into 2012.

Kwan-Rubinek added,

Rolling out this film internationally has been tremendously exciting, as the film has clearly resonated with audiences around the globe.  The first ‘Sherlock Holmes’ was such a tremendous success overseas, and to surpass that number in these same markets is truly a remarkable achievement. We congratulate the filmmakers and cast, as well as our international teams, on these excellent results.”

Sue Kroll, the Studio’s President, Worldwide Marketing went on to say,

‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ gave moviegoers another opportunity to experience Guy Ritchie’s fun and inventive take on the legendary detective.  The movie is a great adventure – complete with action, humor and great characters. Congratulations to the filmmakers and cast, who were truly our partners in bringing Sherlock Holmes back to an enthusiastic worldwide audience.”

Robert Downey Jr. switches his role from the arrogant Iron Man, to reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.   Think of it, in this interpretation of Holmes, he continuously follows his weird experiments while being socially, uhm, unique.  He continues to act out and drag others into his wild world, without ever consulting them about their needs.  Then there’s the not so clean living.  It’s basically Sheldon Cooper merged with a Frat boy version of Batman.  Jude Law returns as Dr. Watson, college and openly ‘just friends’ with Holmes.

The first movie really struck me as a new type of buddy cop genre film, which I hereby dub, Bromantic-Action-Comedy.  At first I was going to call it Bromantic-Action, but it sounded off.  I honestly was surprised that in either movie, Holmes did not bring out a copy of the bro-code; from the television “How I Met Your Mother”; and start quoting it at Watson.

Official synopsis of the movie:

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective. Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his sinister plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.

The chase scenes in this movie reminded me a lot of classic Jackie Chan movies, where everyone is running around and fighting in a colorful setting.  Swinging from rafters and doing parkour tricks, the sequel continues to overuse the bullet time sequences popularized in the 2009 film.  It’s even skirted in the movie that Holmes’ abilities are more preternatural in nature, maybe even based on innate fortune telling, rather than to his reasoning skills.  Whatever this skill is, I’m sure studios are trying to conjure up their own to decide if a sequel to this movie will be made.

Will this series run out of steam, or will the success of the first two movies propel studios into making more?

The Walking Dead Season 2 Finale Swarms the Cable Ratings!

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AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, continues to garner high ratings.  First it was broken in October 2011 with the season 2 premiere of the show.  Clocking in 7.3 million viewers.  In February, the show did it again, raising the bar to 8.1 million viewers for the mid-season premiere, the highest in cable history.  Well, it was up until the season finale last Bloody Sunday.  Again it has shattered its own basic-cable ratings for a second time this season.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show brought in 9 million viewers.  A zombie show that draws in mindless zombies that infect and create more mindless zombies.  Go figure.

As I take out my leather journal that contains the secrets of the future; dyed the color of police telephone box blue; I would like to issue a warning to any who have not watched AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, especially the season two finale.

Spoilers: You have been warned.

A herd is formed by the appearance of a helicopter.  One moved towards it with purpose.  others followed.  Then they kept walking a straight line, not knowing who was following whom.  It was like watching so many hipsters going towards the Apple store for their new iPad 3.

Now that Shane is dead, the invisible force field that protected the farm and all that dwell on it has weakened.  I think it was powered by the undiscovered fission produced by high school drama.  Nature of course abhors a vacuum, so an zombie herd immediately appears to fill the void that Shane’s homicidal tendencies has left behind.  Could the season finale actually be about surviving a real zombie threat?  Sweet Jeebus!  This is one episode of “The Walking Dead” I did not see coming for once.

In true zombie genre fashion, everyone flips out and makes moves that are questionable to survival.  It’s as if this is everyone’s first exposure to real zombies and has put them into shock.

Rick somehow gets flanked by zombies that were originally far behind him.  Rick and Carl then run into a barn, thus getting Carl and himself boxed inside.  Rick then lets zombies into the barn.  Instead of running, casually walks to the ladder almost within arm’s reach of being killed. Carl then sets zombies on fire with kerosene, while he and Carl wait in the protective comfort of wood and hay shelter.  They set the fire on the ground, so how could it possibly spread further?

Then there’s the rest of the group, who are unable to form coherent strategies without their genius leader Rick; or the sound of someone flipping out.

Team Humans first plan: Waste ammo and gas, driving around the farm in circles and shooting the walkers.  The idea is to get the attention of the dead and lead them off the farm.  Instead, let’s everyone drive, sow chaos and do donuts in the grass.

Team Humans second plan: Attempt to evacuate fifteen minutes after the walkers are first spotted.

Hershel does his best to stay as long as possible.  He needs to have the farm.  It’s his legacy, plus it’s always good to own land.

Lori can’t seem to keep a track of her child.  So she holds up the evacuation to look for him some more.  In fact, no one keeps an eye on Carl.  It’s not as if they’re engaged in work all the time.  Why can’t anyone keep an eye on the kid?  Here’s an idea.  How about give the kid a mentor, who passes on skills that he can later use to survive?  When the kid learns all that he can, he’s released from that mentor and on to the next babysitter.  If you want off babysitting duty, make the kid demonstrate a new skill with competence.  Sorted!

Team Humans third plan:  Drive away and hope for the best.  There is no set meeting place or technology to help them communicate.  The plague you see has somehow taken out all walkie-talkies and CB radios.

Team Zombies plan:  Find live flesh and eat them.  It’s worked out rather well.  I hope they win.

Oh, and some supporting cast get eaten.  Really, let’s stop the RV and park right outside a burning barn surrounded by zombies.  Oh mister red shirt.  I hardly knew your name.

Once the immediate threat are over, it’s time to sink back into drama.  To save time, let’s just list them off.

Lori is mad at Rick for killing Shane in self defence.

– Yet Lori was also the one to tell Rick that Shane was a threat.

– She also went out of her way to explain to Shane that she is thankful for all the things he’s done to protect her and Carl thus far.

– Lori also goes out of her way to tell Shane that she doesn’t know who the father is of the unborn child within her, again giving Shane false hope.

Carol wants to be feel safe.  To do this, she needles Rick with her nagging, while attempting to get Daryl to turn on Rick.  You know, because he’s the leader they deserve, not the one that they need.  In the awesome Batman sort of way.

Carl begins to cry knowing that his dad has killed Shane, even though he’s responsible for indirectly killing Dale.  Stupid kid.

Rick lays out how their new situation will work, which is:

1. Everyone shuts up.

2. Everyone does as he says.

Everyone appears upset at this outburst and are shocked, as if they were oblivious to their own idiocy which causes it.  It’s almost as if you can hear the gears of mutiny turning.

Instantly the force field is back up and no more real zombie threats are to be had.

While other plots may have appeared within the season finale; such as the television series first introduction to the sword-wielding heroine, Michonne, played by Danai Gurira.  The best part of the finale is the finale shot.  A backdrop of the prison, which in the gloom of the pale moon light, looks like Castle Hogwarts.  If we’re lucky, maybe Snape will replace Shane.

Who Will Write the Movie Adaptation for Y: The Last Man?

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Final negotiations are underway to determine who will write New Line Cinema’s adaptation of Y: The Last Man. Just when I thought Hollywood couldn’t possibly be any dumber, they go and do something like this…  and totally redeem themselves!

The acclaimed comic book from Vertigo is easily one of the best modern comic series of our time.  Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Pia Guerra, Y: The Last Man follows the misadventures of Yorick Brown, an amateur magician and escape artist, along with his pet and companion, a male Capuchin monkey named Ampersand.

Following the current trending of world ending plagues, Vaughn and Guerra came up with a better idea back in 2002.  A world that was half-dead.  Not undead, but where half the population all died simultaneously.  An incident which is referred to in the comic as the plague kills every living mammal possessing a Y chromosome, including embryos, fertilized eggs and sperm.  Well, except for Yorick and his monkey.  Aside from these two, the plague persists and kills anything else that pops up with a Y chromosome.

Due to the near instantaneous deaths of all men worldwide, many disasters occur.  Think of a driver passing out at the wheel on the highway.  Now apply that to every piece of machinery and destructive toy out there.

What’s left of society is plunged into chaos as women everywhere try to cope with the loss of men and the knowledge that unless something is done soon, humanity faces extinction.

As if Carl Jung was correct about the collective consciousness or morphic resonance, Yorick is suddenly connected to a field that is near 100% full of women.  It is the only explanation I have as to why Yorick travels the world, disguised as a woman in search of his lost love and the answer to why he’s the last man on earth.  Yes, the last guy on earth is a nice guy who is finishing last.  I get it.

The series that began in 2002 has since ended in 2008, but left an amazing and complex story.  This isn’t a surprise as Vaughan has penned some great work, ranging from work on “Lost”; I’m assuming when it was good; to his exceptional creation of the comic Ex Machina.  Gives me chills just thinking that they’ll make that into a movie someday, barring the whole 9/11 thing scenario contained therein.  Vaughan hasn’t let up either, having just returned to the comic world recently with another new original series, titled Saga.

Wait a tic.  Since Vaughan is an awesome writer, why can’t he pen the adaptation script?  With other things going on, he might have too many irons in the fire already, or he’s just worried about screwing up his work.  I’m sure the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender learned the hard way watching the live action movie.

Originally a script was written by Carl Ellsworth, with D.J. Caruso attached as director, but it has since been scrapped.  It’s currently writing duo Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia whom are in final negotiations to write the adaptation.   J.C. Spink, Chris Bender and David Goyer have been lined up to produce the film.

Speaking of writing, I suddenly understand why my friend Mina Kelly of Boomtron was asking me about this comic.  This is what she had to say about Y: The Last Man…

“With the amount of content held in the series of Y, New Line may be looking at a franchise if the first film goes over well with audiences. Y touches on some very dark topics such as the collapse of society, cloning, and some disturbing scenes of mental and physical torture. Y takes you on a journey to save humanity where humanity is collapsing in on itself. It is reminiscent of the popular “disease” genre. Take for example zombies and how they came in to existence – usually its some biological virus that infects the human race. Much like the zombies coming after the last “live” humans, there are groups of women who want to get their hands on Yorick, either to kill him or to lock him up, take your pick, either way Yorick is a wanted man.”

“Even though this comic, and by association the film, may have dark undertones, there are some comedic moments to lighten the mood such as the instant noodles – the cheapest food in existence becomes the most wanted thing on Earth driving its price up to the price of a train ticket, and how Yorick nearly kills himself by not reading the label on canned food. Ok the last one might not be as funny unless you have a morbid sense of humor like I do.”

Here’s a bit of meta-morbidness, I think it was within the comic somewhere another comic called X: The Last Woman.  Which is kind of like reading Watchmen.  Just think how messed up it would be for the last woman on Earth surrounded by men.  Dear Gott in Himmel!  I can only hope it ends in suicide after the first few pages of the book.

Y: The Last Man is actually long and complex.  I doubt it can be condensed enough to be made into one film, so a lot of awesome bits are going to be cut out.  I also don’t see this being turned into a saga of movies.  The novelty should wear off after the first film.  Instead, I think the comic should have been adapted into a television series.  Just look at AMC’s “The Walking Dead”.

New Game of Thrones RPG Trailer Revealed

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A new trailer has been released for the upcoming Game of Thrones RPG. This time it focuses more on how the combat system will work and what we can expect in player controls.

Official Press Release:

Today Game of Thrones RPG opened its official website, showing off the combat system with an exclusive narrated video trailer that details the gameplay mechanics. This role playing game for PlayStation® 3, Xbox 360® and PC, based on the famous universe from George R.R. Martin’s saga and the HBO television series, should please all RPG players who seek perilous quests, compelling stories and epic battles! Discover today the very first look at its combat system, promising tactical and spectacular battles!

Today’s new video will immerse players into the combat system of Game of Thrones and its bloody battles. All along your adventure, numerous enemies will challenge you. To defeat them, you will have the ability to slow down time during combat to analyze, anticipate and adopt the best strategy to attack or defend yourself. You can plan multiple special attacks for each of your playable characters and activate them at the right moment to amplify their effect. A large selection of armor, weapons and skills will be at your disposal, based on the choice you made for each of your character’s classes and abilities.

…

Game of Thrones is a big role playing game developed by Cyanide for PlayStation® 3, Xbox 360® and PC. The game is based on the famous series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, which has already sold over 15 million units around the world, and which HBO® has recently adapted into the critically-praised TV series Game of Thrones.

This is the most ambitious project of Cyanide Studio. Developed on Unreal Engine 3 and written under the supervision of George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones will allow fans of the series, and more generally adepts of role-playing games, to live an exceptional adventure in one of the most finely-worked universe from the medieval fantasy literature.

Along the 30 hours of gameplay offered by Game of Thrones, play as Mors, sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, and Alester, a Red Priest in search of redemption who is back to Westeros after a long exile. The Hand of King Robert Baratheon has just passed away, and these two charismatic heroes will find themselves dragged in a grand quest that will lead them through familiar and gorgeous places of Westeros, such like the Wall and its region, or the famous King’s Landing. In this grand adventure, they will meet famous faces: Queen Cersei, Varys the Spider or Jeor Mormont, the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch faithfully reproduced from the TV series.

In Game of Thrones, you will choose the class of your characters, find your fighting style, reach a good balance between your strengths and weaknesses, and get ready for epic battles! Find, buy or loot new equipment and weapons to fit your approach of the fights, and gain experience to improve your skills or learn new ones. Slow the time down during battle to analyze the situation and choose your next moves. In game of thrones, political skills can be as lethal as a sharpen sword, so never underestimate the power of a silver tongue to solve a critical situation!

Watching the game play trailer, it definitely shows that time has not fully stopped. I think I saw an axe blade make it’s way towards Mors’ neck as the player tried to make decision in time before getting chopped. It’s pretty interesting that it allows these kind of mid-action changes, but it would probably help if it allowed the player to modify the characters decision making tree. Such as, “Attack the weakest opponent first.” “Run for safety if you fall below 25% health.” and, “Push curious boys off of window ledges if spied upon.”

The skill tree system reminds me a lot of D&D. You can focus in a single class specialization, or divide up your skill points into various classes; but for less oomph as you’ll never fully be able to master all classes one should think. It’s this kind of balance that makes this game sound like an RPG that we can all be familiar with, plus with more game friendly controls.

ATLUS, in collaboration with Cyanide Studios has also unveiled a limited pre-order bonus art book for the game. The bonus art book offers sixty-four full color pages that include sketches, concept art, photos, screenshots and renders from the game, complete with DVD Commentary like text from the game’s developers. The package will also include behind the scenes materials, like a special message from Martin; possibly telling us to drink more Ovaltine; and a portrait of the development team. That’s what I’m missing from my life, more portraits of development teams. The bonus book measures at 8.5″ wide and 11″ tall, hardbound and printed on the most premium of stock papers. You know, the hard glossy kind that resists fingerprints and could kill children with paper cuts.

I sure can’t plum wait for this game to come out. Everything looks so great.

What do you think about this combat-system for an RPG?

Visit the official website here for more information about the upcoming game.

Check out the Game of Thrones Combat-system trailer below

Warner Bros. Summons Mandrake the Magician to the Screen

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Bereft of low hanging apples to pick from, Warner Bros.; like most studios; are always on the look out for the next easy title to option. This time they turning to the old media, newspaper comic strips. Mandrake the Magician, a comic strip created by Lee Falk; who also created the Ghost Who Walks, the Phantom; in 1934 centers around an illusionist with the power set of speed hypnosis; with but a gesture, he can create illusions real to his foes. Warner Bros. Has picked up the movie rights to this old time comic with Atlas Entertainment to produce, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

As the strip was created and published in 1934, Mandrake is arguably the world’s first comic superhero. If anything, the hypnotist with the fast hands did it’s part in inspiring the golden age of comic books that started in the late 1930’s; like when Alan Scott was the sentinel of the magical Green Lantern.

Mandrake is assisted by his strongman companion, Lothar who together fight various villains. This must have been when creating a comic book character was easy and considered original to do. As the forerunner, Falk could create disposable villains like gangsters, mad scientists, dimension hoppers or aliens. Falk even got ahead of the curve, conjuring up an Evil Twin brother for Mandrake; was his name Mandark? Current day comic book villains are easily borrowed and interchanged amongst superhero rogue galleries.

Hollywood has long tried to capture the elusive Mandrake for the movie screens. Back in 1939 when superheroes were the glittering blood sucking genre, Columbia Pictures made a twelve part serial, and a made-for-television movie in the 1970s. That’s the closest the Mandrake has come to hitting the big screens since.

Disney; the owner of Marvel Comics; had the rights to Mandrake for a while, but the most recent holder of the property was Baldwin Entertainment and Hyde Park who tried their hands at developing an adaptation Chuck Russell and Mimi Leder were to direct, staying Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Hayden Christensen. Atlas Entertainment became involved with the project in 2009, going as far as to develop a script with David and Janet Peoples; they made that weird time travelling movie about 12 Monkeys.

This won’t be the first time that a movie has been successfully turned into a movie. Touchstone Pictures did well with Dick Tracey back in 1990. The concept of miniaturized video conferencing technology was stuff of pulp science fiction back then. Now we have it built into our cellphones. I wonder what Mandrake will show us about the potential future to come.

Warner Bros. Is looking for a 21st century makeover, hopefully going towards another bromance actionfest like Sherlock Holmes. As long as it doesn’t turn into an update like they did with Jules Verne’s books like the Journey series of movies. If it does, they might as well cast that Mindfreak magician to play the part of the updated Mandrake.

I’m sure  plum  excited about this movie and can’t wait to see it.

Who do you think should play Mandrake in the movie?

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower May Yet Light Up Theaters

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Between movies based on the re-imaginings of fairy tales, literary remixes and one shot book deals, production companies are looking for the next big franchise. For popular comic book titles like Batman and Spider-man, some properties can even be remade until the heat death of the universe. So what will be the next big thing? Who will take over for the Harry Potter series or the Twilight Saga for multi-film dominance? (editors note: The Hunger Games!)

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. Is very close to completing a deal which will bring the Stephen King name once again to the movie screen. Not a contrived horror story about an evil lamp or stapler; Thank you Simpsons; but instead the films will be adaptations of King’s Dark Tower series.

This screen adaptation has currently been written by Akiva Goldsman, who will also produce the movie alongside Brian Grazer and Stephen King. Ron Howard has been brought on to direct the first feature film in what might be many more to come. To compound the ability to make money in this multi-film deal, there is even talks of a television series that might supplement the action between films; lots of Spartacus like prequels. Wow. I just realized that’s what they might end up doing for Ender’s Game if they go into sequels. Not only are there little short stories that serve as prequels, but they’re making new comics based on the life of Mazer Rackham.

King’s Dark Tower is a post-apocalyptic story that is equal parts spaghetti western and Tolkian fantasy. Portions I recall from the bits and pieces of comics I’ve read involve a wandering gun slinger who paid with things from his grow-bag; a magical pouch that would spit out coins and the occasional gem. The movie was initially pitched to Universal Studios back in 2010 as a three film deal with two limited-run television series. Probably thinking it was too much of a gamble to fully commit, the studio only gave the green light for one film. It’s the safe choice to make considering that the Dark Tower series is seven books long. As popular as the series has become, The Dark Tower is not as family friendly as Harry Potter was; a lot more violent and more horrific.

Nothing is written in stone yet, so don’t get your hopes up too soon. Warner Bros. Hasn’t fully committed, but with the momentum that the Howard and his team has built up, The Dark Tower looks like it’s prime for Hollywood plucking. So who will play Roland Deschain, the last living member of the knightly order of gunslingers? When the film adaptation was in Universal Studios’ hands, Javier Bardem; No Country for Old Men; was attached to the lead role. Who else would be more perfect to play an emotionless, compassionless killing machine? If schedules all work out in time for the potential filming of The Dark Tower, Bardem will likely keep the role.

 

AMC Theaters Unleashes an Ultimate Marvel Marathon

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AMC Theaters has announced today that they will be holding an all-day Ultimate Marvel Marathon on May 3 in select cities. The event that will start at 11:30 AM, will show five previous movies from Marvel Studios, beginning with Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, in that order. Mind you that these movies are the ones that Marvel acknowledges as being tied into The Avengers movie. This will culminate towards a midnight showing of The Avengers.

You can watch all six movies as a special movie package for the one time price of $40, that you can purchase now from select AMC theaters.

Boston Common 19 Boston, MA

Burbank 16 Burbank, CA

Downtown Disney 12 Anaheim, CA

Aventura 24 Aventura, FL

Empire 25 New York, NY

Garden State 16 Paramus, NJ

Downtown Disney 24 Lake Buena Vista, FL

Metreon 16 San Francisco, CA

Alderwood 16 Lynnwood, WA

Tysons Corner 16 McLean, VA

Depending on how ticket sales go, I’m sure there will be more theaters announced; AMC says on March 16th; and more tickets will go on sale the same day.

There are several reasons why this is a good and bad idea.

To begin, a person will spend $40 for the honor, nay, the privilege of being the first to watch new super hero movie. This will include a long lineup that begins well before the 11:30AM start time, as hard core fans camp out the night in a line up, all in attempts to jockey for the best seats in the house. You can definitely expect there will be many people in attendance so you will have to be prepared to spend the evening in a cramped busy place.

Yes, like the Rocky Horror Picture show fan base, this movie event will draw in cosplayers. So if you are someone who that might make you uncomfortable, then you might want to stay at home. On the other hand, if you love cosplaying (or at least don’t mind it) then you will probably have a great time here!

Then comes concessions. This is how the theater makes it money back. During the thirteen some odd hours of being cooped in a pig pen like atmosphere, people are going to want to eat. Hopefully there will be unlimited refills on all large sized drinks, because $20 to $30 for popcorn, candy and a drink is a lot of money to be spending. Then again, can you last that long without real food? Woe to the person who sits next to someone who’s smuggled in tin foil wrapped food. The crinkling of bags and foil throughout the theater will drive everyone mad.

The best argument going for why this is a great idea is for the experience and the atmosphere. Somehow the expected camaraderie of what may be a nerd support group is suppose to make the entire experience worthwhile. Who doesn’t love experiencing things like this with others who feel the same as you do? Having others there who are enjoying it as much as you, can make this event even more fun for attendees.

Frankly, the only thing that makes this idea seem bad for me, is that it might be tough being there all day (but anyone who has camped out for a premiere will not find this a problem) and the large crowds of people this is sure to attract. But in the end, true superhero fans and self-proclaimed geeks/nerds will find this a fantastic night and definitely worth the money to attend.

Note: this article was edited and rewritten in certain parts by the editor. 

Two More Game of Thrones Trailers Released

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The popular HBO television series based on the books of George R.R. Martin will begin anew come April 1st. With this rapid approach of the season 2 premier of Game of Thrones, we can watch online as marketing gears up for the upcoming coming war.

No, not the war depicted in the storyline, but the war for our consumerist souls. HBO at this point expects a huge viewership turnout for the season premiere, but it wants more. AMC’s The Walking Dead broke cable rating records simply with a mid-season premiere. From what I can tell, the success of this was based on the infectious nature caused by the season 1 fanbase, trailers, teasers, stills, and rocking posters, exactly like what a movie production does. So HBO’s marketing team must have noticed this because it’s seems to have revved up their campaign as of last month.

Since December, we’ve seen multiple production trailers shot at exotic locations; anywhere beyond the city or town you live in is exotic really. Lots of behind the scenes talking to the cast either enjoying their lovely stay in tropical where ever, or freezing their butts off in depressive Iceland.

Then after The Walking Dead did it’s thing on television in February, we got hit with Game of Throne teaser posters, tag lines “War is Coming!”, stills and the release of the first full trailer for season 2, which they call Power and Grace. Yes, they even named their trailers.

Of course, there’s a reason for going to all this trouble. It’s because HBO stands to make a lot more merchandising. There’s the HBO branding and their affiliated products; like online players; DVDs, props; I’m sick of seeing these GoT swords everywhere. The new hot button item that’s going to come out are the two new GoT video games. One of them which is a massive multiplayer online role playing game. Sure it’s free to play now, but how much would a hardcore GoT fan pay for their own dire wolf? A dollar? Ten? How about a hundred?

Not to be outdone by The Walking Dead, HBO’s marketing team has gone a step further and released two new trailers, more hip and cool than the last. One trailer is called The More You Love, which examines the theme of love and how all characters entwined to it seem to walk a path of death and agony in the GoT. It’s loaded with imagery combined with intense words and phrases, like the image of a shadowy Arya Starks simply stating, “Anyone can be killed.” The trailer ends with a jaded viewpoint, “The more people you love, the weaker you are.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if the HBO marketing team was split into two and pitted against each other. Their task, to create a better trailer, because the second trailer takes an entirely different path in drawing attention.

The second trailer is called Seven Devils, and like really good trailers for movies, has a really cool song attached to it. It’s exactly like an Apple commercial at this point. It has lodged an annoying catchy songs in my head and I can’t stop hitting repeat on my music player. The song is also called Seven Devils and it’s by an English indie pop band called Florence + The Machine. So there isn’t a mainstream saturation of this song; yet. If this band wasn’t popular before, I would not be surprised if this trailer puts the band on the map or on the charts.

The sound of this song has the biorhythm beats like early Sarah McLachlan, vocals like Annie Lennox, mixed with the primal sound of a shaman’s drum. It’s the the touch of Celtic that makes the entire trailer and actually makes me excited to watch the Game of Thrones for once.

Check out the latest Game of Thrones trailers below and judge for yourself.

Trailer #2: Seven Devils

 

Trailer #3: The More you Love.

Undying Love For Audiences Everywhere

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The vampire movie genre isn’t done yet. Even with Twilight nearing it’s long run come December, it seems that studios execs are under the impression that audiences want more vampire cow bell. Alexandre Aja of Piranha 3D is currently in talks to direct an action packed vampire adaptation of Undying Love according to Deadline.

Undying Love is a graphic novel series from Image Comics, written and illustrated by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman.

The story is officially described as follows:

 A horror-action tale, equal parts vampire mythology and Chinese folklore, set in modern day Hong Kong. Ex-soldier John Sargent has fallen for a beautiful Chinese woman named Mei. The only thing keeping the star-crossed lovers apart: Mei’s a vampire. To free Mei from the curse, Sargent sets out to destroy the vampire that made her. The only problem: Mei was turned by one of the most powerful vampires in history…

Keeping with the times and being able to adapt, Coker and Freedman have written the script. This is refreshing to hear because it means the story will be more close to the authors vision than any re-write hack can come up with. It also means that if the story becomes corrupted, they have no one to blame than themselves. Chris Bender, Stephen L’Heureux and J.C. Spink will produce this movie. It is unclear whether or not Warner Bros. Is still attached to the property as they were last year.

First lets get into the story. “Boy meets girl. Falls in love. But can’t take vampire home to meet mom. So what does he do? He loads his guns and fills the gas tank.” – Tong, the chain smoking, ancient Chinese healer in the body of a ten year old. Tong, a character in the Undying Love story sums it up nicely.

Aside from the simple love story, there are so many layers from the four comics. There are the politics that come from meddlesome Chinese spirits, criminal activities in Hong Kong, and plain old racism.

One of the more interesting lies that Sargent is told is that the ancient vampires are being industrious. Picture beautiful Asian slave girls that never age and are instantly indentured with a few drops of blood. That’s actually believable and smart. With that kind of power and corruption, why wouldn’t you market it?

I can’t be sure if it was Coker or if it was Freedman, but one of them watched a lot of Chinese gangster movies. In one scene where Sargent crashes a vampire club, he finds three Chinese vampires doing their thing in a karaoke room. One singing next to a pile of cocaine. Second one drinking booze and playing with pai gow domino tiles, and the third just chilling and reading porn mags; which is weird becomes there are two semi-naked girls next to him. The best part of the image were the crazy spiral straws sticking out of the bloody chests of the girls. That is what I call class.  If they wanted to get more cliched as to the lives of Chinese gangsters, they would have had one guy eating noodles while chain smoking and playing Chinese poker.

While the scenes are interesting, it takes a lot of understanding to know some of the finer things happening in the comic book. For example, there is a spirit in the form of an older lady who switches her appearance to that of a fox back and forth. It’s later that you realize that while they speak with one voice to Sergeant, they are distinctly different entities that argue with one another.

Then there’s the Chinese chi spells; called hex spells in the comic. It’s not explained yet how John Sagent not only understands the use of written symbols, but how to activate them. To barricade a door from an onslaught of shapes shifters, Sargent flips a Chinese calendar and searches for a symbol to activate; settling for the Chinese symbol of strength. When did he learn Chinese? Chinese girlfriends don’t teach you the good stuff that quickly.

The comic which is brilliantly drawn merges realism and high packed action. The writing though reminds me a lot of the Firefly television series as the writing lapses a lot into Mandarin. Thank goodness not everyone knows Mandarin, their racist terms and swearing slang.

Currently Undying Love is comprised on one volume containing four issues. The story isn’t even done yet, so either the movie will be a condensed story; that loses a lot of cool scenes; or chopped up and lead into a new saga of vampire movies. If they do make a movie,

If the movie does go to production, they won’t have to white wash the lead role for once; as the noble white guy saves the Chinese slave girl and all.  I do hope however that they cast James Hong as one of the bad guys. I will never forget his villain role in Big Trouble in Little China. You know, the 80’s movie about the white guy with guns fighting a bunch of Chinese spirits. Bai ren kan bu dong.