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.

Look Out! Here Comes the Amazing Spider-Man Trailer

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A new trailer was released by Sony for The Amazing Spider-Man that includes some new footage. The trailer which is best seen in 3D has at times a striking resemblance to the video game trailer for Mirror’s Edge. The film which will be released on July 3rd will be available in theaters in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen and Sally Field.

The first things I noticed in this new trailer was Captain Stacy being played by Denis Leary; he really plays a convincing… Well if you’re old enough, you know. The next thing to hit me was the realization that Emma Stone was playing Gwen Stacy; who I agree with the internet in saying that she would have been a more convincing Mary-Jane Watson.  Stone already did well as a red head in Easy A.

How exactly does a science obsessed teen know how to sew that well? One of the things that’s never addressed in the films is how Peter Parker manages to sew together such a complicated body suit. Whether it’s the raised texture from the original films or the ribbed for his pleasure version in the new film, both materials are not off the shelf fabrics. Maybe Parker created the fabrics with science, owing to the radioactive blood again for passing on the ability to weave complicated webs to produce high tech fabrics. I’m still having problems fixing the ends of my pants ’cause they’re too long and being destroyed by my boots. If this new suit is any indication of the movie, it appears that the new take will be darker and gritty compared to that of Rami’s Spider-Man.

So what annoyed me in the original film is how the webs are organic and come out of Spider-Man’s wrists; rather than other orifices that would approximate a spider’s anatomy better. Which is annoying, because some of the best bits in the comics is when Spidey runs out of web fluid and has to change his cartridges out before going splat; or chuck them into the maws of a lizard who punctures the canisters in his mouth. In this trailer, you clearly see Parker experimenting with mechanical web-spinners.

Also what annoys me to this day are my failed web spinners I tried building as a kid. Wrist mounting a re-purposed supersoaker, filled with a rubber cement mixture solution does not spin webs, it clogs sinks. The only good part of my experiment; that got me severely disciplined for ruining the sink; was how I created the pressure release trigger for the device. A few months later I saw it built into the official Spider-Man wrist mounted silly string shooters. I nerd raged in the Toys R Us that day.

Check out the new trailer below:

First TV spot for Mirror Mirror Revealed

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To paraphrase the Dark Knight Begins movie series, these are not the movies we needs, but the one we deserve. Cashing in on the public domain stories, Tarem Singh’s Mirror Mirror goes slightly against the mainstream trend and opts to be a spirited adventure comedy instead of going all dark and gritty; which is weird considering that Singh directed Immortals with the zombie Titans.

The movie which will release on March 30 will star Roberts as the Queen, Lily Collins as Snow White, Armie Hammer as Prince Alcott, Sean Bean as the King; Winter is Coming; and Nathan Lane as the Queen’s bungling servant, Brighton. In this adaptation of the Brothers Grimm story Snow White, an evil queen steals control of a kingdom and the exiled princess enlists the help of seven resourceful rebels to win back her birthright in this cartoon-like, slapstick comedy filled with jealousy, romance and betrayal.

Singh’s Mirror Mirror will get first crack at audiences as it’ll be released well before Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and the Huntsman. I’m honestly wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a third Snow White movie in the works that I’m not aware of, but I’ve ranted a bit about my suspicions as to why we’re seeing all these fairy tale revisions here

“Cashing in on the likes of the largest market in the world with disposable income; nerds and 14 year old girls; more and more shows and movies have been focusing on fairy tales. This I believe is based on the popularity of a series of comics called Fables.”

“Looking towards the instant win section for comics, “Fables” and all the characters that are used in the story are part of public domain. So why wouldn’t the industry cash in?”

For a more in depth analysis, check out how the two Snow White movies compare thus far here in Battle of the Snow Whites.

As the first television spot for Mirror Mirror, what’s shown is weak by comparison to the official trailers opening sequence. In Bollywood style, the official trailer opens with a dance sequence and catchy ditty that hitches a ride on the subconscious. This is worse than last song syndrome, it’s new infectious song syndrome. “I believe, I believe, I believe in love, in love.” What I don’t believe is why I can’t find the song online. I know that the song is called “I believe” by Iranian singer Googoosh, but it seems to be a contemporary cover of the actual song. I blame this on Alan Menken, the scorer of this film for dropping the beats. Menken’s known for creating some of the most audibly addictive sounds, having covered music for many a Disney movie to broadwas musicals. The songs are so prolific in my short term memory, that I have to play the song trump game to get rid of some. In my case, “I believe” is trumped by Dr. Steel’s “Singularity” that’s beaten by Basement Jaxx “Take me back to your house” which has to be replaced with Katy Perry’s “E.T.” minus Kanye, then a U Penn Off the Beat capella of Sarah McLachlan’s Possession. All which then burns in me until I fall unconscious for being this crazy to begin with.

So until the Mirror Mirror comes out; or the official soundtrack; I’m going to go crazy with a fraction of a song stuck in my head. For all I know, it’s just a song that’s appearing in the trailer only which will cause my insanity to grow.

Check out the trailer and tv spot for Mirror Mirror below

Mirror Mirror Official Trailer

Mirror Mirror TV Spot

The Extended Super Bowl Spot for Marvel’s The Avengers!

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There was a collective geekasm on the internet following the Super Bowl as comic book fans went wild over the slew of commercials aired. For some, waiting for the ads to be released online was more entertaining than the sport itself; I know that I enjoyed watching the over the top commercials.

In the commercial lineup were a number of trailers with never seen before footage and Marvel’s The Avengers did not disappoint. Opening on May 4 in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters, the film directed by Joss Whedon; Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog, All Things Nerdawesome!; will feature a large list of stars and heroes. There’s Robert Downey Jr. as the Arrogant Iron Man, Chris Evans as Evil Ex… Er… Uhm… I mean Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, God of Abs; Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow; with superpowers of martial arts and using a gun; Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye; Updated to be more like Bullseye but more badass; Tom Hiddleston as the anemic Loki, Stellan Skarsgård as some supporting character from the Thor movie that analyzes the cosmic cube, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

The Avengers team lineup has changed a number of times throughout the ages, but with tie ins from other Marvel movies, I expected; no, wanted; to see Spider-man and Wolverine part of the assembled crew. Spider-man for his wise cracks; doesn’t need alcohol like Stark; and Wolverine for his no-nonsense slice you up attitude. The movie seems to be based on one of Marvel’s many reboots of their comic universes, this one being their Ultimates series.

With the end of movie Easter Eggs for the Avengers related scenes peppered throughout other Marvel superhero movies, the excitement has been building for a long time. I thought it was getting so out of hand; and awesome; that I was sure I was going to see Nick Fury show up at the end of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and invite Mister Pilgrim to join the Avengers.

Black Sabbath T-Shirt: Check. Ironman on full blast: Check.

Besides the hype and internet agreement that the trailer delivered the good, it’s the little things about the trailer which makes me want to see the movie. First there’s Tony Stark referring to the Avengers as “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” which puts the Amazing in Spider-man and Incredible into Hulk. Then there’s Stark wearing a Black Sabbath shirt; I Am Ironman!; playing knifey-spoony with Loki. The best part of the trailer is the protective circle of win made by all the Avengers in a circle crane shot; better than any slow motion shot of the heroes walking in a line over debris and fire.

Check out Marvel’s The Avengers Super Bowl XLVI Commercial (Extended) below:

A Look at the Extended John Carter Super Bowl Spot

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The Super Bowl; which features two teams of athletic and over muscular men battling one another in an arena; helped Walt Disney Pictures debut a new spot for the upcoming John Carter movie. While there are parallels to draw from this, there are instead more braincells to kill with visual explosions by watching the new trailer below.

Having covered some of the John Carter media push, I’ve had this to say.

“Almost a hundred years in the making, the theatrical adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs classic sci-fi novel is due to hit theaters March 9. Originally penned by Burroughs in 1913; when the public obsessed over the planet mars as if it were a sparkling bloodsucker and many pieces of fiction churned out as much life on mars paraphernalia as possible; the Barsoom series which it was originally called, has been retold and remade many times over.”

“The movie version which is directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton is still a Walt Disney Pictures venture and will abide by the very safe standards set by Princesses Jasmine and Ariel. The film will feature a cast starring Taylor Kitsch as John Carter, Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas and Lynn Collins as the Princess Dejah Thoris.”

Lynn Collins as the Princess Dejah Thoris

The movie which will open in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D on March 9 had it’s trailer extended, featuring a montage of superhuman on alien violence, mosaic use of imagery to dull my short attention span and a heart felt inspirational speech made to the alien equivalent of medieval Scots a la Braveheart; I swear I saw blue face paint on John Carter’s face during that speech!

 “Carter finds himself dragged into another war zone, only to discover that as the alien from another planet; Earth; he has superpowers here on Mars. The power set is thanks to the 62% less gravity that he’s used to; pretend that you’ve had weights and restraints you’ve been wearing all your life taken off. We’d get to keep our milk money for once.”

Upon examination, it’s wasn’t paint, it was blue colored blood from a xenomorph Carter probably killed in the arena. Aside from comparing scenes to Braveheart 1995, the plot begins to sound more like Avatar. So like Avatar, a wounded military officer; haunted instead of maimed; goes to an alien planet, befriends the natives of the land, then leads the natives to battle for their freedom while rediscovering himself.

So this begins to make me think of this as a koan. Which came first? I know that Warlord of Mars, the novel that John Carter is adapted from that was written nearly a hundred years ago. I also know that the film adaptation does not reflect the whole Barsoom series, so it must have been condensed or adapted so the story will fit modern day attention spans and big screen releases. I also know that Avatar was released in 2009 but essentially mimics the novel. So who copied who? Was it Avatar that drew from the 100 year old novel, or was it John Carter the movie that drew from Avatar?

John Carter: Extended Super Bowl Ad:

Bite Sized Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance Trailers

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Three more TV spots for Colombia Picture’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance aired; one which aired during the pre-game show for the Super Bowl. Each spot was a mini copy of the official trailer using slightly different imagery or audio.

Come February 17, Nicolas Cage will once again hit the big screen as Johnny Blaze. This, “Gritty” new vision for the character will show Blaze struggling with his inner demons. As the flaming skull superhero for the movie adaptation, the Ghost Rider’s purpose on the mortal realm will be to act as the Devil’s bounty hunter. Directed by Mark Neveldine and Bryan Taylor; Chev-Chelly-Crank-Os; the Ghost Rider will risk everything to save a young boy from the devil; who’s trying to take human form; and hopefully rid himself of his curse forever.

The movie trailers have shown more bubbling and boiling of tar like leather and flaming pee. Hoping to out-do; or even distance themselves from; the 2003 movie of Ghost Rider, it appears that touting the franchise as dark and gritty is the sell point. Is this admission that the previous movie was fun and campy? I’m still trying to get over the poor man’s Batman known as the Daredevil. His superpower was to be able to see; the better to sue you; but I’m still trying to unsee the movie version.

In the past, I’ve created a running theory on how to determine if a Nicholas Cage movie will be good or not. Originally the theory was that the longer the hair, the worse the movie, but as time progressed, the idea had to be adapted. Using simple observational skills, I’ve postulated that the better groomed or kept Cage’s hair is, the better the movie. The wilder or worse the hair, the worse the movie will be.

Nicholas Cage's hair: Short and Neat

Cage; who seems to be accepting any script that comes his way; nearly destroys my theory by making me question which hair I’m suppose to be observing. The hair for Johnny Blaze, or the flaming hairless skull that is the Ghost Rider. In the trailers I’ve seen, Johnny Blaze’s hair is all over the place. While the CGI Ghost Rider is on fire; which is wild and out of control. So both do not meet the prerequisite for being well groomed. Ergo, the movie should flop.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen a reworking or reboot of a marvel film superhero flop. At the zenith of the Spider-man franchise popularity, superhero movies were being cranked out as fast as they could film them. Some of them were not so good and fans were not forgiving. So after assessing the damages done, some movies were either redone or a sequel was reworked. The Incredible Hulk (2008) smashed the Hulk (2003) as a sequel. The Punisher (2004) was replaced with Punisher: War Zone (2008). While some movies like Electra were so bad that they were forced from the collective consciousness a la Highlander II; not even the sequels acknowledge it’s existence.

Long and Crazy

Also, if there’s a superhero who’s the Spirit of Vengeance, that would be Detective Comic’s Spectre; the actual wrath of God, not the devil’s errand boy that Marvel has.

Check out some of the Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengence TV spots below:

Romeo and Juliet Principal Photography Begins

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Nadja Swarovski of Swarovski Entertainment, Ileen Maisel of Amber Entertainment UK and Echo Lake Entertainment announced today that the principal photography (the actual filming) has actually started on award winning director Carlo Carlei’s Romeo and Juliet.

Swarovski Entertainment and Echo Lake Entertainment are co-producing and co-financing the film. The movie which is being filmed in Italy was adapted by Julian Fellowes to produce a love story based on Shakespeare’s opus for a new generation. The last modernized version was released in 1996 that involved recreational drugs, guns and lavish parties.

If the new adaptation is to be modernized for the current generation I can almost picture it being reduced to a sexting exchange.

JuliDiva96: ohhai romeo

JuliDiva96: r u there romeo?

JuliDiva96: **Buzz**

SkRilleo: omg ur needy

SkRilleo: go away am busy

JuliDiva96: wanna come over and do stuffs? <3

SkRilleo: YES! >:)

@SkRilleo “Gonna put on a thinking Capulet lol. Post pics in a bit.”

TyBOLT @SkRilleo “c u soon” #montaguesmackdown #war

 

Fellowes had this to say about love in the movie.

 “Every generation is interested in love, I mean, there is something about young love that is heartbreaking, and I think every teenager in the world would agree. All of that is very powerful. The point about teenage love is it’s before cynicism comes in to reshape one’s attitudes. You love when you’re young in a way that you’ll probably never love again.”

 

Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld of True Grit fame, will play the Juliet next to Douglas Booth; known from his role in Great Expectations; as Romeo.

The star-crossed lovers will be joined by a star studded cast including Damian Lewis, from the show “Homeland”; as Lord Capulet. Natascha McElhone known for the show “Californication” as Lady Capulet. Lesley Manville from Another Year will play Shakespeare comedy relief as the Nurse. You will also see Ed Westwick most known for Gossip Girl; as the hater, Tybalt.

The line up for the rival house of Montague will consist of Tomas Arana as Lord Montague, Laura Morante as Lady Montague and Kodi Smit-McPhee from Let Me In; as Benvolio.

Other actors will include Christian Cooke who played in Cemetery Junction; as the best character of the story, Mercutio, Paul Giamatti from Sideways as Friar Laurence, Tom Wisdom who played in 300 as Count Paris, Leon Vitali known for his role in Eyes Wide Shut as the poisonous Apothecary and Stellan Skarsgard, the one from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, not “True Blood” (Editor’s note, this movie might better if it DID feature the very hot guy from “True Blood” instead); as Prince Escalus of Veronia.

With this lineup all I can think is how inadequate; or nonexistent; my abs are.

Ileen Maisel from Amber Entertainment had this to say about the movie.

 “We are thrilled to be bringing this story to life with a vibrant new cast,” commented Amber Entertainment’s Ileen Maisel. “The support of Swarovski Entertainment has helped us to re-conceive this story for a new generation. As Shakespeare once said, “one man in his life plays many parts,” and we are honored to partner with Swarovski as they take on yet another role and make their first foray into motion picture production.”

Nadja Swarovski, Chairman of Swarovski Entertainment Ltf and Executive Producer had the following to say.

 “Swarovski’s move into film production is a natural evolution for us. We have worked with creative talents in costume and set design ever since the emergence of the silver screen, and we are committed to supporting creativity across industries such as fashion, jewellery, design, and film. Romeo and Juliet felt like the perfect project to deepen that involvement and collaborate with established visionaries like Ileen and Julian but also support today’s emerging talent. The young stars have a chemistry that translates beautifully onto the big screen and will captivate audiences around the world for years to come.”

The three time Oscar-winning costume designer, Milena Canonero, will serve as co-producer. Canonero will be involved in all visual aspects of the movie. This means she’ll have input in everything from wardrobe, hair and make-up to the art department. Peter Honess; LA Confidential; will serve as editor and David Tattersall; Star Wars; as cinematographer in this production.

Viola Davis Joins the ‘Jeesh’ in Ender’s Game

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It’s pronounced jay-eesh and it means army, allies and friends. If you don’t have one, then you won’t be surviving battle school. Welcome to Ender’s Game. Based on the novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game is a science-fiction masterpiece where children are pitted against one another to save the human race from extinction.

Viola Davis, an Oscar nominee for her role in The Help; A movie that’s already won three Screen Actor Guild Awards; has signed up for two movies, both which are novel-to-screen adaptations. Davis will be playing the lead in the supernatural thriller Beautiful Creatures and a supporting role in Ender’s Game reports Variety.

In Ender’s Game, the role Davis will be playing is that of a military psychologist, probably one of the many to monitor the mental stability of each student at the battle school; notice I said stability, not health or well being. The children of this story are continuously pitted against one another in mock battles that take place in their orbiting space station, all in preparations for an alien invasion that may wipe out all of humanity.

Davis will be joining a growing a cast of stars including Harrision Ford, Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin and many more. The movie; which would do well to draw from the Marvel comic book adaptation due to length; is to be directed by Gavin Hood; X-Men Origins: Wolverine; and is set in Earth’s future, telling a story of a young boy Andrew “Ender” Wiggin that will be played by Asa Butterfield. Production is gearing up now in New Orleans, aiming for a March 15, 2013 release.

Andrew Wiggin is the third child of a family in a world that only allows two per household. Specially licensed to exist, Ender; a nickname which he has grown to think of himself as; is sent to Battle School. This isn’t some school for the magically gifted, those with mutant genes or other special powers. This school isn’t for just the smart either, nerds who spend their time with their heads buried in books, studying furiously. This school is for the brightest geniuses on Earth who have the character traits to lead and to win.

In the book series of Ender’s Game, after the main plot is satisfied, Ender and his Army is divided and sent their separate ways. As they have saved humanity and hold an undefeated battle record; longest run ever in the history of the school; each member of Ender’s army is sought after by each sovereign nation of Earth to lead their armies; or assassinated by the competition. Even if they were just supporting members of the army, they were heralded as saviors.

This is how well I think the cast members of The Help are doing right now. The popularity in the media is so high that each movie in pre-production is trying to get their piece of a winning army.

Orsen Well Card really was a prophet, envisioning such a dystopian future. “Human beings are free except when humanity needs them.”

New Photos for Snow White and the Huntsman

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More photos from the upcoming movie, Snow White and the Huntsman, were recently released online by Universal Pictures. This was done via the movie’s official Facebook page and I’m sure we’ll see more in the near future until the release date June 1st.

Cashing in on the likes of the largest market in the world with disposable income; nerds and 14 year old girls; more and more shows and movies have been focusing on fairy tales. This I believe is based on the popularity of a series of comics called Fables.

Fables started in 2002, published by DC Comic’s Vertigo. The series is about a number of characters from various fairy tales and folklore who have been forced out of their homelands by the great Adversary. The Fables; what they refer to themselves as; have traveled to the real world and formed a secret community in New York City known as Fabletown. I wonder if my attachment to these characters are how ancient Greek children viewed their gods. A collection of stories that are as flawed as we mortals are.

Looking towards the instant win section for comics, “Fables” and all the characters that are used in the story are part of public domain. So why wouldn’t the industry cash in?

Snow White and the Huntsman is another story that’s been adapted for the big screen based reworked fairy tales. Drawn from the tales by the Brothers Grimm, Snow White and the Huntsman adds to the long procession of movies or television shows aimed at children stories gone dark; which they really didn’t have to go any further than the original story, not rewriting them to be Twilighty. For example, in the original Snow White story, the evil queen dies dancing to death, forced to wear red hot iron shoes.

According to the official movie website, the story goes as follows.

 “In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) who was dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power.

The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.”

Yes, I get the portion where the megalomaniac decides to save on time and resources by outsourcing the labor to a source of cheap and skilled workers. What I don’t get is that in what world, real or fantasy is Kristen Stewart hotter than Charlize Theron? Considering that this is a fairy tale, it’s the least believable part.

As the incarnation of the Mirror said to the queen in the trailer, “You are fairest, but there is another destined to surpass you.” Meaning that Stewart is not the fairest yet. A bit of foreshadowing, especially if the Queen is killing anyone that looks remotely attractive, once Queeny bites the dust, Stewart will win by default; two of the sweetest words of the English language. Dee Fault!

So this isn’t going to be the last of reinterpreted children stories. What we’ll see instead are more and more until the next genre of “Whats in” kicks in.

Considering my bias towards actors in this movie, I think of a Fables storyline. Jack of Fables; all those stories about a guy named Jack are about him; breaks one of Fabletown’s oldest rules and gets into the entertainment industry. Jack creates a successful film trilogy about himself which he believes will make him nearly immortal; the theory in the comic is that the more popular a Fables’ story is, the stronger his power. So the inverse should be true. If a character story is not liked, forgotten or repeatedly killed, so should the subject become weaker or forgotten.

I’m rooting for the Witch on this one.

Check out the new photos below or at the official Facebook site http://www.facebook.com/snowwhiteandthehuntsman

 

 

 

The Help Bags Three SAGs

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The feature-film The Help took top honors at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards Sunday night. The civil rights drama took the awards for best cast, best actress and best supporting actress, making this movie a heavy contender to watch out for as the Oscars night approaches.

The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett, is the story of an aspiring author Skeeter Phelan, played by Emma Stone of Zombieland fame. Taking place in Jackson Mississippi during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Phelan decides to write a book detailing the point of view of two African-American maids. The maids, Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson; played by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer respectively; tell Phelan about the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.

The book; and in turn the film; has ruffled many feathers due to the content reports Los Angeles CNN Entertainment. Before the movie had even been released there had been calls to boycott it. Some complaints are that the story encompasses the age-old Hollywood image of the “white savior” who helps a group of visible minorities who can’t help themselves. While the positive views see it as a touching and moving portrayal of friendship, integrity and triumph. Director and screenwriter Tate Taylor had this to say about the controversy “What I’ve discovered is that many people who (criticize The Help), usually about 80 percent, have not read the book, which I find a little frustrating,” Taylor, who adapted the novel has been a long time friend to the author and feels Stockett had a right to tell the story.

As a child, Stockett had a maid, Demetrie, who took care of her. Intrigued by the life of Demetrie, Stockett’s story was borne from a woman who had an impact on her life outside of the relationship of caregiver and child. As a nurturing figure in her life, Demetrie made Kathryn the woman she is today.

Taylor understands the criticism and complaints that have arose; due to past works of fiction; and encourages audiences to leave their judgment behind and keep an open mind when watching the film.

Despite the controversy over The Help its stars are in full support of the story and indicate that the main character Skeeter, is not the “great white hope” in the book or in the movie. The maids Aibileen and Minny are the ones in charge of their own lives and they are proactive in bringing change to the community. By allowing Skeeter into their lives they teach her; which in turn teaches Jackson Mississippi.

I’m sure the lesson was briefly learned in the 60’s, reserved for those that took the time to read the book and enjoyed reading. (Again, people have learned nothing. Nothing!) Meanwhile the story was lost on those drinking down at the bar.

Octavia Spencer Takes a Ride on the Snowpiercer

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Octavia Spencer, the co-star of the award-winning film, The Help, has joined the cast of the upcoming sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer.

The Snow Piercer which is based on the French graphic novel “Le Transperceneig” is about the only survivors of the human species who are living on a massive train that goes around in an endless loop. This train which breaks the laws of thermodynamics by running forever even after an ice age hits; is massive and is divided in a hierarchical system. The rich go to the front, poor to the end. Contained within this chain are military carts and food supplies. Like any class system, there are always those that aim to misbehave and go about with a revolution.

Published in 1983, the post-apocalyptic future, black and white comic was made by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette. The book has since been translated to Korean where it may have finally made it’s way to director Bong Joon-ho; who co-wrote and directed the comedy-horror classic The Host. Bong Joon-ho bought the rights to the comic in 2005 and will be teaming up with Park Chan-wook (The director of Oldboy! *GLEE!*) and Dooho Choi to produce the movie. The most recent draft for the project was written by American screenwriter, Kelly Masterson, who is best know for writing the screenplay for the film “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead.”

Spencer will also be joining a star studded cast which includs Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton and star of The Host, Korean actor Song Kang-ho, reports Heat Vision. Currently set to shoot Mandate’s untitled Diablo Cody project, Spencer will then move on to Snow Piercer at the end of April. There she will play a passenger on the super train who joins the revolution to save her son.

Since the comic is available in French, Korean and German, hopefully I can find an English scanlation somewhere out there I can read. My current speculation about the film is that the train is somehow responsible for the ice age as the power source that allows it to run forever is introducing entropy into Earth’s system and screwing around with the second law of thermodynamics; perpetual energy at the cost of the free ambient energy. Shutting it down may fix the long white night.

As a fan of The Host and an absolute fanatic of Oldboy, I have high expectations for the Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook team up, but it sounds an awful lot like the 2008 movie, City of Ember, which of course is also set in a post-apocalyptic world. Instead of being stuck on a train, the inhabitants of Ember are underground and running out of supplies and power.

As I’m currently obsessed with horror movies, I hope the snow thaws and out come the zombies.