Category Archives: Movie Adaptations

Bleach Manga To Become Live Action Film? Please No!

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Haven’t we had enough terrible live action versions of animated movies in our time? I mean c’mon Avatar the Last Airbender as a live action film, who thought that would be a good idea? And even worse, please, world, stop turning amazing animes into live action films! Just stop!

Apparantly, my appeals go unheard as Warner Bros. recently announced plans to adapt Tite Kubo’s manga series Bleach into a live-action feature. It is already an anime and a manga which usually go hand in hand so I am ok with that, but a live action movie? I have definite reservations.

If you haven’t read the manga or seen the anime here is the plot:

Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki who is a teenager gifted with the ability to see spirits. His life is drastically changed by the sudden appearance of a Soul Reaper—one who governs the flow of souls between the human world and the afterlife—named Rukia Kuchiki, who arrives in search of aHollow, a dangerous lost soul. Ichigo obtains the powers of the Soul Reaper (死神 Shinigami, literally, “Death God”). With her powers diminished, Rukia is left stranded in the human world until she can recover her strength. In the meantime, Ichigo must take over Rukia’s role as a Soul Reaper, battling Hollows and guiding souls to the afterlife realm known as the Soul Society. – it is bascially pretty awesome.

With it already being super popular in terms of anime fans, I can see why they would want to make it a movie that everyone would enjoy but it would lose so much  of the reason it is awesome.

Firstly, if they want it to be a huge commercial success they would have to move it from Japan to America. They made the decision to do this to the live action adaptation of Akira and look what happened to that? It got put on hold! (and it upset many fans who felt that a story set in Japan should stay in Japan and I agree).  I can imagine this would similarly piss off many of the fans of the original because a change in setting changes much of the feel of the show and manga. Also, if you a hardcore fan of the series you probably watch it in its original Japanese language subtitled in English. Which certainly will not be the case if it is a feature length live action film. (This would also mean that most likely it would feature american actors rather than Japanese which would just be… weird!)

You can not turn these characters into live people!

Secondly, can you imagine a main character with bright orange hair? You probably think, yeah just get an actor with naturally red hair, a ginger! But no, if they do the same as they did on Dragon ball Z you know that they will probably try to style the hair just like the anime which will look ridiculous on a live human person.

Yeah, Kind of like this. It is just ridiculous.

So, I really think if they try to live action it, the characters that I love will end up being just ridiculous looking. Anime features are exaggerated for a reason and can’t be on a real person! (Although I am looking forward to seeing what they do with Kon….live action killer stuffed animal? hmmmm….)

Also, if this is to be commercially successful much of the humor will have to be changed or it definitely won’t be appropriate. I mean if they kept in every reference to Orihime’s boobs then you can bet that many people will not be amused. It would also mean that much of violence would have to be cut down because some of those hollows are pretty intense.

Basically what I am saying is this: PLEASE DONT MAKE THIS LIVE ACTION! I think a CG version could be cool but in reality it will probably look like the Hulk movie from 2003. The only saving grace is that it has a decent director attached. Peter Segal, who most recently directed Get Smart, will produce and potentially direct while Dan Mazeau (Wrath of the Titans) is attached to draft the screenplay.

But if they put the live action film, Akira on hold, I wander if this will even go any further? But as a fan of the manga series, Bleach, I can only hope they do this film adaptation correctly, and not have another Dragon Ball Z situation unleashed on world giving anime fans a bad name.

The Secret World of Arrietty Makes Waves in Japan With $8.1 Million U.S. Opening

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The Secret World of Arrietty did the unexpected and gained $8.1 million on it’s opening weekend in the States. This is the biggest take for the animators Studio Ghibli to date for a stateside release, making headlines in Japan.

This is impressive because when compared to Spirited Away; another animation by Studio Ghibli; the film only took home half a million stateside on its opening three day bow. While the film itself had earned a record breaking $230 million in Japan, it only ended up with $10 million in America.

Studio Ghibli attributes their success in the united states to Disney, who released the dubbed version. This was openly communicated on the official website for Studio Ghibli in Japan.

The Secret World of Arrietty, which is known as Karigurashi no Arrietty in Japan, opened on over 1500 screens and finished the weekend in eighth spot. The film was first released in Japan, July 2010 and took $115 million home, the highest grossing domestic film that year. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the inspiration for the film was drawn from The Borrowers, written by English author Mary Norton; the creator of Disney classic Bedknobs & Broomsticks!

The Borrowers which was first published in 1952, is the first in a series of children fantasy novels. The stories are about tiny people who infest the homes of normal people, often scavenging for supplies. According to the books, they “borrow” things to survive while ensuring that the world stays ignorant of their existence. We have that too in the real world, the little people are often just the homeless that are cracked out on drugs they bought pawning “borrowed” goods.

The story goes on to tell a story about Arrietty Clock, the spirited teenager of the tiny people variety. From what I can see in the movie adaptation, she becomes friends with a human who’s discovered her existence. Instead of being sentenced to death for violating the masquerade, they carry on their friendship despite the cultural hurdles they face; size does matter.  I believe they made a live action movie in 1997 starring John Goodman also called “The Borrowers.”

Now that I think of it, I remember an animation on television which also became a movie. It was called The Littles. It too was adapted from a series of children’s novels written by John Peterson, this time an American author in 1967. Hmmmm… Curiouser and curiouser. The Littles were also a family of tiny people; with mouse like features such as tails, teeth and ears; that infested the home of the Bigg family; har har. They built wacky contraptions from household items to aid in their survival. Having been discovered by one of the Bigg children, they form a trusting relationship which allows them to mooch off the humans more efficiently. Wow. Someone’s been doing some borrowing themselves writing this.

What is it with these remakes of British entertainment? Do people somehow believe that things seen in the UK will be seen as fresh and new ideas in the states? They take great ideas and make these bastardizations that make me cringe. How do people get away with this? It’s not like I can go and pitch an idea about angst filled teens on probation with superpowers and not get caught!

Gah! It’s like my mind refuses to accept this.  Watch the trailer for The Secret World of Arrietty below:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Viral Marketing

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So the marketing department has fired off a few viral things of their own for the upcoming film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I’m sure the 16th president wasn’t much of a social gamer on Facebook, or much into online ciphers with GPS caching scavenger hunts. What was more within his reach however were parcels delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

Bound in rope and wrapped in really good stock paper, various websites like Coming Soon and Crave Online received packages containing what seems to be a preserved journal from what we can presume at this point is the late former president of the United States. At least that’s what we hope, and that Lincoln doesn’t stalk the night, living in the hollowed out statue of himself. Included with the monogrammed leather bound journal was a photo of Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Todd Lincoln, and a silver bullet USB drive; possibly made with steampunk technology, everything is powered by steam! When I first saw these images, my immediate reaction was to go, “Who’s Al?” and be annoying about it. It’s got to be a good life when marketing peeps send you free swag like that.

On this stylish USB drive; manufactured in the past but popularized in the coming future where everyone will want one; contains a featurette for the upcoming movie. So it’s a trailer with interspersed commentary from the production crew.

The one thing that really caught my attention was when director Timur Bekmambetov explains that Lincoln was the Batman of his time. I didn’t think of that until now. It all makes sense. Lincoln has a parent he loved dearly, die before his eyes. Check. Lincoln knows that this is a direct result of underworldly elements that believe themselves to be above the law; and humanity. Check. Goes over the edge with control issues by training himself physically and mentally to be the best. Check. Finds specialists to teach him how to be better at it. Check! Vows to rid the world of anymore suffering due to the element that killed his parent. Check! Iconic costume and trappings that everyone can immediately identify. Stovepipe hat on. Axe sharpened. Double check! The white house even has a secret underground bunker, just like the Bat Cave!

The portion then that annoys me is how Tim Burton, producer of this film can say, “It’s an amazing story. I just felt like it’s something I haven’t seen before.” When in fact he has, having directed The Dark Knight himself.

It all ends with the cute joke, “Are you a Patriot or a Vampire?” encouraging viewers to go to the movie’s official Facebook page.  Which reminds me a lot of “You’re either with us, or against us.” No, not said by a unreasonable bully with psychological problems or control issues, but by a former President of the United States of America.

The featurette actually looked better than the official movie trailer itself. I was actually amped watching this and can’t wait to finish reading the book; half-way through right now.

The film is set for release by Twentieth Century Fox on June 22nd, based on the novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith.

You can go to Coming Soon and look at images of their official Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter propaganda here.

Check out the new featurette below.

Watch The Two Official Television Spots for The Hunger Games

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Lionsgate has officially started airing two new TV spots for The Hunger Games. This big screen adaptation of the novel by Suzanne Collins is being directed by Gary Ross.

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the governing body, the Capitol, of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Katniss Everdeen volunteers as a tribute to save her sister from going in to the ghastly arena. She is joined by Peeta Mellark, a boy she knew who once saved her life.

You can see the official cast below:

  • Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
  • Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
  • Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
  • Willow Shields as Primrose “Prim” Everdeen
  • Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
  • Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
  • Lenny Kravitz as Cinna
  • Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen
  • Amandla Stenberg as Rue
  • Alexander Ludwig as Cato
  • Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh
  • Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove
  • Jacqueline Emerson as Foxface
  • Leven Rambin as Glimmer
  • Jack Quaid as Marvel
  • Donald Sutherland as President Snow
  • Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
  • Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane
  • Latarsha Rose as Portia

The Hunger Games novel is followed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay. The film will hit theaters on March 23 and you can see the two television spots below:


New Hunger Games Character Stills Released

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We almost a month away from the big screen premiere of The Hunger Games and with that comes tons of new stuff. Recently released were several new stills from the film featuring some of the main characters.

The images feature a close up of Katniss and Peeta, as well as Gale Hawthorne, Effie Trinket, Caesar Flickerman, Cinna, Haymitch Abernathy, President Snow, Cato and Clove, and Seneca Crane.

Along with the character still, a brand new IMAX poster for the film release was also revealed online.

The film is a adaptation of the bestselling novel, The Hunger Games, which is the first book in the trilogy. It is followed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay. It first novel and film follows Katniss Everdeen as she volunteers to be a tribute in the 74th annual Hunger Games, where her and 23 other tributes will fight to death as entertainment and a reminder of the power of the Capitol. Only one winner can emerge as victor. Her and her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark, are mentored by former victor Haymitch Abernathy as they try to survive the games.

The film will (finally) come to theaters on Mach 23.  It has Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, Liam Hemsworth as Gale, Elizabeth Banks as Effie,Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Wes Bentley as Seneca, Stanley Tucci as Caesar, Donald Sutherland as Snow, Alexander Ludwig as Cato, and Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove.

You can see the image gallery below:

Will Smith’s I Am Legend Continues

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That’s right, on February 17, Warner Bros. finally closed a deal with the film’s producer Akiva Goldsman and Overbrook Entertainment to do another installment to the 2007 hit film, I Am Legend reports Deadline.

So will this be a prequel? “Oh Hells no!” Why show the raw clash of humanity, people versus people struggling to survive, cutting into each other like so many rose thorns? Why would anyone want to watch the trouble that the Last-Man-on-Earth-to-be has to go through, surviving other idiots and super zombie/vampire proofing his home? That would be like watching an epic version of “The Walking Dead.”

Instead it looks like I Am Legend will turn into a Monty Python sketch. While everyone is bringing out their dead, Will Smith’s portrayal of the last man on Earth, Robert Neville, isn’t done yet. “I’m still alive!” The film will serve as the next installment; sigh… sequel; to I Am Legend.

Arash Amel who wrote the screenplay to Grace of Monaco, has been signed to write for the new I Am Legend movie. Amel will have his work cut out for him, as he’ll have to explain how Smith didn’t die at the end of the last movie. I believe he died giving the super vampires a Falcon Punch using live grenades in a last ditch attempt to save the girl. They were in his hands when the room went boom.

It was reported that there was an alternate ending where Smith survived but it was not used in the final version. Will Smith is expected to reprise the role as Neville, but reportedly is not committing until the script is finished.

That’s not so bad, and I’m happy that Smith is hesitant until seeing a script and prehaps researching online what reactions might be. He might have had to learn this the hard way. Originally it was rumored that Smith was going to play as the main character in a Hollywood version of Oldboy, based on the manga. Fans of the original Park Chan-wook film were probably relieved to to hear that the project has since died. It was reported that DreamWorks and Mandate Films couldn’t reach an agreement getting the rights to the original manga.

As awesome as Oldboy is, it’s violent, envelope-pushing film that was to star a guy who doesn’t know how to be mean on camera. Hancock was the most annoyed I’ve ever seen Smith. To be Oldboy, not only would he have to be vicious and crazy, but he’d have to do some things to his daughter that I don’t think North America audiences are prepared to see. Not publicly that is. So Smith was being attached to that imagery before plans for the movie were even ironed out.

Official description of the film, I Am Legend:

“Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague — The Infected — lurk in the shadows… watching Neville’s every move… waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered… and quickly running out of time.”

The 2007 film, I Am Legend was adapted from a book of the same name. Written by Richard Matheson, the horror fiction novel was seminal to the development of the zombie genre that we know and love today. The novel also popularized and the concept of worldwide apocalypse due to disease; yes it’s popular. How many movies of this kind and fear based news have you been exposed to in the last ten years?

The novel which was written in 1954 became a success and was adapted for many films. There was The Last Man on Earth in 1964, The Omega Man in 1971; starring the gun toting Charlton Heston, and as I Am Legend in December 2007. There was also a direct to video production called I Am Omega, released November 2007. The novel was also the inspiration behind the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. It’s like each film bit another film and started this whole chain of events that lead to the zombie apocalypse genre.

I originally thought that I Am Legend was a well funded production and adaptation of I Am Omega. I Am Omega was such a poor budgeted production, laughable in quality and starred the current chairman of the Iron Chef shows, Mark Dacasos. It was fun to watch Dacasos as Neville going stir crazy, living alone, then using martial arts on zombies.

So far none of the film adaptations have remained true to the book. In the book version, it turns out that all the infected are getting over their monstrous tendencies and becoming civilized. As Neville is the only human on Earth, he’s public enemy number one as he’s been slaughtering them all that time. They actually capture him, imprison him and sentence him to be executed. This is where Neville finally realizes that even though the infected appear to be the boogeymen of horror stories, it’s him who’s become their nightmare as the last human. Too bad Hollywood tends to change this ending; it’s as if we’re not allowed to see ourselves as the problem. There can be a lot to learn from endings like this.

The last words spoken by Neville in the book, “Full circle. A new terror born in death. A new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I Am Legend”

More Actors Come to Play in Ender’s Game

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The film which may already be in production, continues to grow in numbers as they add another familiar actor to the ranks. Nonso Anozie joins the jeesh, playing the part of Sergeant Dap in the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s novel Ender’s Game, Deadline reports.

One of the best novels of its’ time, it is a science-fiction masterpiece in which children are pitted against one another to save the human race from extinction. The cast for Gavin Hood’s adaptation of this book has been coming together quickly and the movie has built a lot of momentum; if not close fanatic attention.

Anozie was last seen in Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller The Grey, but the British actor could be seen everywhere from Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla to Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky to last year’s Conan the Barbarian. Anozie will also show up in the second season of “Game of Thrones”, where he plays Xaro Xhoan Daxos.

In addition, Anonzie will also be joined by Stevie Ray Dallimore; Joyful Noise; and Andrea Powell; “One Tree Hil”l; as the parents of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, John and Theresa Wiggin. The original story of Ender’s Game doesn’t flat out say this, but because the three Wiggin children are extraordinarily gifted it’s assumed that the parents of the children are just as intelligent. It’s later addressed in a prequel short stories by Orson Scott Card titled “The Polish Boy” and “Teacher’s Pest.” Ender who is going to be played by Hugo star Asa Butterfield, is the greater sum of his parents constituent parts, excelling in intelligence, leadership and empathy.

An excerpt from my previous article, Viola Davis Joins the Jeesh in Ender’s Game:

“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 school is for the brightest geniuses on Earth who have the character traits to lead and to win. ”

I think Lionsgate caught on to a formula that works. They bought Summit Entertainment which is producing this film. Combined they have produced movies such as the Twilight Saga films and the upcoming film The Hunger Games. Could it be that Lionsgate is focusing on optioning titles that already have a large following? Well I hope they’re prepared for backlash if the movie adaptation remains true to the novel and shows Ender killing other children. We’re not even talking teenagers here. For decency, I’m sure they won’t be that stupid. However I hope they shoot a scene of Ender giving a Stilson the bully a good thrashing. Just so I can hear him say to the bully’s remaining friends:

“You might be having some idea of ganging up on me. You could probably beat me up pretty bad. But just remember what I do to people who try to hurt me. From then on you’d be wondering when I’d get you, and how bad it would be.” – Excerpt from Ender’s Game

The large ensemble cast for the Summit Entertainment production, currently includes Harrison Ford, Sir Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin. The film is expected to be released March 15, 2013. Filming begins in New Orleans this month.

The Woman In Black: DanRad in Victorian Wear- A Review

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Why are you interested in this adaptation?

Elena-

This movie is kind of a duh for me.

It is Harry Potter.  I want to see if he can actually, you know, do something besides wield a wand with great conviction and look by turns sullen and put-upon.

It is a ghost story that looks like it might actually be scary, not just jumpy or gory but actually creep you out scary.  Far too many of the horror movies out these days are either not creepy-scary or are so blood-soaked the terror is split between fear and disgust, which generally lessens the degree to which you feel either emotion.

Also it is a Victorian ghost story so…COSTUMES!
Rachel-

Harry Potter influence disclosure!!! Plus I really like ghost movies (The Others, anyone?). The film is based on a book of the same name by Susan Hill. It has already been adapted into a very successful and long-running play on London’s West End and I’ve heard from friends who have seen the play that it would probably make a better movie, but the play is still pretty good.

That’s… as good a recommendation as any, no?

Ok, so it’s Daniel Radcliffe in period costume. SHUT UP.

 


What would make it awesome?

Rachel-

This question makes no sense. Daniel Radcliffe in period costume. What the hell else do you want?

I’m going to assume that this is going to be a little old fashioned, British scary movie. Meaning that it isn’t gory as much as it is classically scary.

Elena-

If it’s scary and smart, with good acting, some artsy directing, and a nice ambiguous ending like the best ghost stories all have.  Oh, and if Dan wears a waistcoat with distinction!

Rachel-

I just want to say that whenever I hear the term “waistcoat” my brain always says, “Why don’t people just say VESTS?” I mean really… what do old timey people have against vests?

Elena-

But—but—but—it was an underCOAT! Worn to cover a man’s WAIST.  It makes PERFECT SENSE.  What is a vest?  It’s a shortening of vestment, I think?  So…a really short priest’s robe?  That’s even worse.

What would make it suck?

Rachel-

If the story is easily figured out, if DanRad is awful, if no one is wearing period costumes.

Elena-

If Daniel Radcliffe proves he has no acting abilities whatsoever.

If it goes stupid the way so many haunted house stories go stupid…I guess by that I mean if it’s totally predictable and full of people running up the stairs when they should be running out of the fucking house, etc.

If the theater is full of stupid tween DR fans who scream every time he shows up on screen.  This happened to one of my friends opening night.  It convinced me to wait to see the film a bit later on its theatrical run.

Thoughts on casting/production?

Rachel-

I have no idea who else is in this film. I think from the trailer that I’m supposed to accept that DanRad is a family man. That…is kind of dumb. He’s what? 18? (I know he’s older than that but give me a break, he’s not a FATHERLY person.)

Now I’m thinking about the HP epilogue, and it’s making me upset!

Elena-

Right?  That epilogue was just…sad.  Also I know Victorian gents of good morals probably married early (I mean how long is he gonna wait to dip the wick, amiright?), but I don’t think “early” meant…16.

Anyway, I’m excited to see what Harry can do out of Hogwarts.  I know this isn’t his first role in a non-HP film or anything, but it’s the first movie I’ve been interested in as a film to go see him in.  The other(s) he’s done just didn’t have an independent appeal, and while I like DR and wish him well and am curious about his career prospects, I just don’t feel any of those things strongly enough to go to a movie solely because he is in it.

Otherwise, I…really don’t know much about this movie.  I know it’s based on a book that was written in 1983, so not an ACTUAL Victorian ghost story (which might have been cooler, to be honest), just one set then.  I also don’t know much about the director or the studio even though everyone is talking about Hammer rising from the grave to make this film.  Um…okay.  This is where growing up under that rock becomes obvious, because…what’s Hammer studios?  Why do I care?  Right.  Where’s Harry Potter?

Reaction to film:

Rachel-

Delightfully old fashioned scary movie! It reminded me a lot of House on Haunted Hill (the old one) because it relied on suspense mixed with scary noises and the imagination of the audience to generate the majority of the scares.

It was definitely far stronger in the beginning than it was in the ending (the motivation of the Woman in Black wasn’t very satisfying for example) especially the 20-minute scene when DanRad spends the night for the first time in Eel Marsh House. I found myself jumping at every noise, peering into every shadow. It’s in the interaction with the inhabitants of the village and the ending that force me to give this one a B- rather than an A. The rich couple with the lost child confused me, I was convinced they were the sister and brother-in-law of the Woman in Black until I got home and looked it up on Wikipedia.  They weren’t, which kind of pissed me off because I just couldn’t figure out the whole “NEVER FORGIVE” twist of the film without it being a vengeance gig against at least ONE of the onscreen characters.

Stupid.

Poor DanRad, he worked so hard to “solve the mystery” and then just got smacked in the end. WRONG. Thanks for helping me out in the only way you could but I’m going to kill you anyways! “Never Forgive” except DanRad never did ANYTHING to you stupid dead cow! LEAVE DANRAD ALONE!!!!

Besides the ending, which is pretty much what happens in the book, I had a few other beefs with the film. Namely that DanRad’s character was kind of dumb. Really dumb. Like, take me to the lonely decaying mansion that is only accessible during low tide in this creepy village where all the children kill themselves, and I’ll just wander around said decaying mansion thinking I can see my dead wife and generally going INTO rooms where creepy noises come from, with a culmination of jumping into a gross marsh bog to retrieve a mummified corpse.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU DANRAD? JUST ALOHAMORA YOU’RE FUCKING WAY OUT OF THERE! RUN! GET OUT!

Is it that you can’t use the Internet yet in Ye Olde England or Scotland or wherever the fuck you are?

I CAN FIX THAT.

Here’s a telegram I could have sent you near the beginning of the film:


Here is one I could have sent after I peeled my hands off of my face and summoned up the courage to look at more of the screen than the bottom right corner while my boyfriend made fun of me – only to see you carry about a tar-covered child-mummy for a while which totally freaked me out and you should not have done that, but then it only got worse:

Here is the telegram I would have sent after the fiftieth time DanRad assured everyone that despite the hangings, and the possessed ladies, and the poisonings and the fires and the jumping to their deaths out of windows incidents involving the children of this town – that you are still having your toddler son come to visit you:

And finally, here is the telegram I would have sent to you at the end of the film, when that stupid whore of a ghost lady decided that despite all your hard work and effort and jumping into bogs that she in fact, did NOT appreciate you or feel at ease or placated or whatever it is that makes ghosts not stupid whores…and you wouldn’t have received it, but maybe that nice nanny who didn’t ask to be dragged to the evil possessed town and I hope she gets back to London OK, could read it for you:

 

Elena-

This turned out to be one of those movies that you like well enough when you first come out, but there’s a bit of confusion so you start talking about it with your friends, and the more you talk about it the more you realize the story is full of holes and doesn’t quite take you to where it was probably trying to.  And then come the inevitable comparisons to how the book set up the scenario, so why did they change this or that because it didn’t just make things more dramatic, it changed the whole implications of that part of the story, etc.

I mean, on the whole the movie wasn’t bad.  I enjoyed the very gothic feel of its visuals a lot.  The house was fucking perfect.  Daniel looked good in the waistcoat, and suitably gaunt and haunted in the way only a melancholic Victorian gentleman could.  I will go see him in more movies.  He still might not be enough of a lure on his own, but he will still be one point in a film’s favor if I am undecided.

There were parts of the movie that creeped me the fuck out.  I just…wish it had all been a little bit tighter in the motivations.  What I mean by this more than anything, I think, is that I had to suspend disbelief in a few too many places for the whole thing to seem credible.

I mean, I really wanted to send this telegram to the villagers:

This is the telegram I wanted to send to DanRad Kipps when he saw his dead wife for the twentieth time:

And why would the woman in black still go after Harry when he did his best to lay her ghost and give her back her child?  And how did she even know he had a kid to begin with to come after him away from the house?  It made more sense in the book, when he didn’t try to do anything for her, that she might come after him again later.  Here it was like…well, damn, you’re just the cuntiest ghost in Christendom, ain’t ya?

 All of this detracted from the chills and fuck-me jumps experienced during the actual viewing experience.

Rachel-

Here is where I think I’ll blame the stage production rather than the book. Because, honestly, if the kid had been mown down by a carriage and DanRad had lived to be a cranky old ghost-hunter in a VEST…well actually that would have been a good movie.

Nevermind.

Final Countdown to Justice League Doom!

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The latest of DC’s projects gets released this February 28th on DVD and Blu-Ray and it’s the 13th animated movie of the Justice League series is ominously titled Justice League Doom, from writer Dwayne McDuffie.

So what’s so awesome about this? Aside from premieres in Beverly Hills and a little bit of coverage, this almost feels like a straight to video deal. Meanwhile Marvel has The Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers coming out soon, while Nicholas Cage is currently doing his crazy hair thing as Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, right now in theaters. What’s there to celebrate with an animation that’s not in 3D or worth an overpriced ticket to see?

What fans of the superhero genre have learned is that Marvel might turn out a great live action feature film but Detective Comics crafts an awesome animation combined with memorable stories; with recent Batman movies as the exception of course.  How many times do I need to be surprised by a radioactive spider before I realize it’s just not enough.

Justice League Doom is based on the comic book series JLA: Tower of Babel storyline by Mark Waid. Waid has been a long time writer in the comic book industry, having notable work with titles such as the Flash, Captain America, Kingdom Come; almost the epic era of comics. Waid is also the creator of two titles, Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which tell a story not unlike a What if… or Elseworld series. If they were to describe Irredeemable as anything, it’d be, “What if Superman went evil?” Not in the Superman Rex storyline where he attempts to control earth, but kill and destroy anything that annoys him evil and laugh about it. That is the kind of storytelling that Mark Waid has brought to the table.

That’s right, Justice League Doom is not a rehash of an origin story, but a… adaptation of an epic story that’s only been done once; so far. To point out how this is different from the movie reboots happening right now, let say this: Statistically in the world, Thomas and Margret Wayne must die every twenty minutes in a retelling of Batman.

JLA: Tower of Babel runs a dark storyline about how each member of the Justice League of America is picked off one by one. Not by throwing their evil counterparts of the day at them, but incapacitated with calculated hits that maximize their weaknesses, physically and psychologically. Ra’s al Ghul, a near immortal villain of the Batman franchise is the one that makes these things happen, but it’s the Batman who’s to blame.

So who gets hit?  The JLA at the time consisted of Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern; Kyle Rayner; and wait for it… Plastic Man.

The comic book version of Batman is nearly infallible. If he gets hit, it gets corrected quickly, otherwise he’s a paragon of all that is awesome that’s prepared for everything. The comic book version also paints a picture of a psychopath who’s a mixture of indomitable will, paranoia, and control issues. What does this mean? It means that Batman has studied every superhero that’s a potential threat, and has created contingency plans on how to put them down if he ever needs to. Given enough time, resources and preparation, Batman has laid the smack down on Gods. So what happens when a villain steals all of these plans?

So this storyline has been re-imagined and adapted by writer Dwayne McDuffie. The Justice League roster will change; no doubt to be in line with DC’s The New 52 reboot atrocity; so will the villains and so will the methods of how the heroes are put down. The original story was darker and inferred a lot more pain and death, but I won’t hold it against DC. Especially in light that Nathan Fillion; Firefly, Castle, Slither; will be voicing the part of Green Lantern again!

Elizabeth Banks Talks Hunger Games, Harry Potter & What To Expect

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Courtesy of the people over at BuzzSugar, who recently sat down with star Elizabeth Banks, we have a good idea about what she thinks regarding the upcoming film The Hunger Games as well as Harry Potter and her other film What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

Banks talked about how she feels about her film, The Hunger Games now that she is a parent. Banks plays the role of Effie Trinket in the upcoming film adaptation of the novel by Suzanne Collins.

She also spoke about her role in the film, What to Expect When You’re Expecting which is a film adaptation of the incredibly popular pregnancy manual. It was written by  Heidi Murkoff and is one of USA Today’s “25 Most Influential Books” of the past 25 years.

You can see the interview below:

As a parent, did you have any reservations about The Hunger Games’s dark subject matter?
EB: The movie is going to be PG-13, and I think that’s about right. My nephew’s 11, and he read it and loves it. The book has adult themes, for sure. Gary Ross, the director, and Suzanne Collins [who wrote the novels] did a great job patrolling what happens visually in the movie, what we can show and what we can’t show. But I remember taking my 6-year-old niece to a Harry Potter movie with those dark shadow things that were scary as sh*t, and the guy doesn’t even have a f*cking nose. That’s like nightmare stuff, in my opinion. This is a lot of hand-to-hand combat, but it’s nothing you wouldn’t see on a video game or an episode of “CSI.” We don’t have guns.

What was it like making the transition from The Hunger Games to What to Expect When You’re Expecting?
EB: They’re just so different, it’s literally night and day. I don’t have the same voice, I don’t have the same hair, I don’t have the same anything. Literally nothing, it’s completely and utterly opposite. The good thing about this is that it’s a role much closer to myself, so it’s easier.

What helps you get into character?
EB: Well what’s great about both of these characters, Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games, and Wendy, is that there’s so much external stuff to build the character with. Effie has the great wigs and the crazy clothes, and the accent, and all that. That’s all something that really helps feed you. And this character has the boobs and the bump and the back pain, and the shoes that don’t fit, and all of those things that really feed you in the moment, which is great. It’s a lot easier than having to come up with a bunch of emotional sh*t that you have to deal with from internally. They’re nice characters that you build from the outside in, instead of from the inside out.

The Hunger Games is set to hit theaters on March 23 and What To Expect When Expecting will hit theaters May 18th.

Personally, I am super excited to see Banks in the role of Effie. From the trailers I’ve seen, she really fits the way I pictured her when I read the books. It was definitely nice hearing her opinion about her character considering we’ve heard from other members of the cast already.

And also, she is right on about Harry Potter.