Category Archives: TV Adaptations

The Walking Dead Continues to Kill in the Ratings

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After the huge success of the mid-season premiere for “The Walking Dead”, the show continues to garner high ratings. The mid-season premiere was the most watched show in the history of cable television with 11 million viewers combined; from both time slots. The next episode, number 9 of season 2, didn’t yield as many viewers, but still nothing to laugh at with 8.5 million viewers combined. Again, this doesn’t even begin to count the ones that found online alternatives to watching the show.

Already “The Walking Dead” has been signed for a third season. With things moving as slowly as they are, I’m sure the cast will be almost off the farm by then. Gah!

The episode begins with a little flashback of Lori learning her lesson for being an idiot. Ignoring the conventional wisdom of the buddy system, she left last episode to find Rick who’s in town finding Hershel; who in turn is finding solace at the bottom of a bottle. Lori decides that the best way to navigate her way to town is to drive fast while looking down at a road map. Was she that confident in a world where there are no other drivers around? She’s surprised by a slow walking zombie in the middle of the road. Instead of driving through it, she brakes and swerves, totalling the car.

To outline how stupid she really was and to send a message to the rest of the world, I was hoping that they’d show her driving again, but this time looking down to text message.

So the scene begins with what appears to be night time and a zombie scratching at the car windshield, trying to get at an unconscious Lori. Coming too, Lori gives a little scream realizing how much danger she’s in. The scream resonated in me and made me go, “Good. I hope you die.”

The television adaptation has so far been a source of irritation for me. It depicts the cast from comics which I complete enjoy, but have churned out something that I can’t stand but won’t look away either. Is it good writing or am I just that faithful to the source material? The characters portrayed on television want to do so much to live, yet they’re not willing to think anything through.

Robert Kirkman, creator and writer of The Walking Dead comic, and executive producer for the AMC show went on to comment on the episode. This was in an interview with Entertainment Weekly who lead off with, “No one could say that this episode was not action-packed.”

Kirkman replied saying, “That’s true. I mean, look, there’s all that tension in the bar with those people outside and we barely even see them. It was a really cool move on [the part of showrunner] Glen Mazzera working with David Leslie Johnson on this script. They’re this strange outside threat and I think it makes them more scary because everything is played inside and it’s all done off the looks of Scott Wilson and Steven Yeun and Andrew Lincoln. I think the performances in that scene are tremendous.”

The performance of the scene may have been tremendous, but that’s only thanks to the actors doing their best to go along with the faulty writing.

We then go back to Rick, Glenn and Hershel. Having killed two interlopers who had clearly escalated their threat potential. Rick in a sweeping badass movie kill both of them where they stood. That was smart thinking that was completely on instinct. Somewhere a writer must have said, “We can’t have that! Quick! Make him an idiot again!”

With the new threats around them, Hershel somehow mans up and maybe realizes the people he’s taken in are complete idiots. Why are they idiots?

When more outsiders who come looking for their recently shot friends walk towards the bar, Glenn’s first reaction is to push his back against the door as it opens. He had all the time in the world to get in front of it. Was he trying to simulate a locked door? Doesn’t matter because they now know that someone is in there. I think Rick gives Glenn the face of, “You just got in my way. They were going to walk in and I would have had the element of surprise and clearly killed them.” Yes, this is what I’ve interpreted and read into. Bite me.

They all had guns, element of surprise and could have avoided any of them getting in any real danger.

“Yo, someone in there? If someone’s in there, we want no trouble. We’re just looking for our friends.”

Rick who’s just shot Glenn the, “You screwed this up for us look.” Lapses back into his moral and narrative ways; the annoying way he speaks into the radio; first beginning with, “They drew on us.” Then goes on to explain how he’s killed their friends and that they should be reasonable; unlike their dead friends; and go their separate ways. I’m sure Rick would have understood if it was the other way around, right? “You killed Shane? Awwww. Bye.”

The episode, entitled ‘Triggerfinger’ then turns into a gun fight. Let’s speed this up. Outsiders die or abandon their friend who’s impaled himself on a fence. Rick and the gang save him and bring him back to the farm. The show then slows down and turns into something else entirely. I believe it can be boiled down to Office Politics. Why didn’t they shoot this portion of the show like a fake documentary the way they do with The Office.

Shane doesn’t like Rick making all these decisions that he believes are wrong. If he was in charge, he’d do things differently and better. Less taxes and all that rot. Andrea and some others back Shane. Meanwhile Shane secretly confesses his stalker like love for Lori and how she belongs to him.

The show now is setting up into camps. Team Rick and Team Shane. Screw that noise. If they’re so interested in fighting for the zombie matrix of leadership, then I’m voting Team Zombie. Where the Hades is the horde?

Justice League: Doom, Where Are Your Heroes Now?

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As fans of the superhero genre have learned, Marvel might crank out a good live action movie, but it’s Detective Comics that makes a great animation. With the upcoming release of the 13th animation in the Justice League series, we wait in eager anticipation for Justice League: Doom. Until then, let’s do what comic book nerds do best and nitpick.

Justice League: Doom at first doesn’t sound like a proper title. It sounds like a file name that writer Dwayne McDuffie came up with when he started with this piece and never got around to correcting before he passed away last year. For a while I even assumed it was the code name that Batman kept all his Justice Leaguer information under. I do know that for the longest time I couldn’t even see the colon in the title and thought it was just a merger of Justice League of America and Legion of Doom.

Justice League: Doom is based on the comic book series JLA: Tower of Babel, an epic storyline heralded as one of Mark Waid’s best works. Dwayne McDuffie was hired to adapt the storyline for animation, which required many changes and may have lost some of the impact felt in the original.

The first change I saw was the cast. The roster for the Justice League constantly changes but there are some comic book archetypes that need to be seen. So there’s the big three: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Their story hardly ever changes. Then there’s a Green Lantern and The Flash. These two can be interchanged with other incarnations that wear their mantle.

Green Lantern can be switched out with any member of the Green Lantern Corp, but the Justice League tends to use the human ones. This leaves John Stewart, Guy Gardener, Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan; Alan Scott doesn’t count. The Flash is also narrowed down to Barry Allen, Wally West or Bart Allen.

In the original comic, it was Kyle Rayner who wore the ultimate weapon in the universe, while he was still the inexperienced Last-of-the-Green-Lanterns. The speed force was wielded by Wally West, the former Kid Flash who was forever trying to outrun the shadow of his mentor.

For Justice League: Doom, the storyline follows the rest of the Justice League series and uses Hal Jordan and Barry Allen to play the Faster Friends; yeah, they used to have a comic title together with that tag line.

This leaves Martian Manhunter who this time has gone through a slight reboot. The Manhunter now wears more complete clothing that doesn’t match the chest baring Barsoom novel series. This doesn’t change the fact that his real physical appearance and inspiration is a direct lift from that book series. If you see the live action movie called John Carter, then you’ll have a very good idea of what I’m referring to.

So what about the seventh member? The Justice League is usually comprised of several key members. In tower of babel however we saw Aquaman, the worlds most useless superhero, and Plasticman, the shape changing unitard wearing sight gag; didn’t he get the memo to wear the underwear on the outside? Both were replaced with Cyborg, the affirmative action, token superhero.

The Justice League cartoon series had John Stewart who was lord of the green lantern ring, which worked out fine as there was perfect continuity for it. This matched later on with the JLA comics switching out Rayner for Stewart as well. Again, proper as Rayner had to go out and play intergalactic cop in the Green Lantern title. So why Cyborg? Let’s forget that he’s a visible minority with disabilities and the best HMO in the world. I also want to forget that he was originally a thirty something adult that spent a lot of time with adolescent Teen Titans. This brings us to The New 52.

The New 52 is a revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing superhero books. All of its existing titles were canceled, and in it’s place 52 new series debuted starting at issue #1. Nothing more than a large publishing event that came after the Flashpoint crossover storyline. Apparently the Flash’s time traveling screwed up continuity so badly it affected the real world. So while titles restarted at issue #1, rebooting all the characters to allow them to be reintroduced in a contemporary manner; for a new generation of readership; the only title that somewhat survived was Green Lantern. They poured a lot of time into the storyline over the last five years, having been the focal point for two big crossovers; Blackest Night, and War of Light. They’d be stupid to abandon that goldmine now, reboot be damned.

While the New 52 is not being received well by older fans, it’s understandable why DC would want to cut ties with a complex continuity that has been in place since the 1930s. Without the reboot, the next logical step would have been to add footnotes to each comic rather than flashbacks and editor notes.

The entire Justice League series of animation that have gone direct-to-DVD seems to support the New 52 as well, as it also neatly ignores a lot of back story. Almost like a game of red rover, Cyborg from the New 52 Justice League was called over.

The best way to describe the current state of things in the DC comic universe right now is to compare it to a lie. Almost as if older nerds were hazing a lesser nerd, trying to convince them that all they held dear would be destroyed. A lot of fast talking would have to be done, based on an inch of truth called back story. So just like such a hypothetical joke, a lot of work had to be done to fill in the gaps of this lie called the New 52.

Hence, why Cyborg is a member of the Justice League now. Aside from the more sinister reasons of his membership, Cyborg is also the bridge between children raised on the Teen Titan cartoons, which is why I wasn’t surprised at the anime influence for The Justice League: Doom.

So there you have it, the current roster for the Justice League. Everyone is annoyed and feels betrayed because Batman essentially could back stab them at any point when he wanted. You can read more on what happened in Final Countdown to Justice League Doom, here. This wasn’t a back stab, it’s what I will now refer to as a Bat stab. Unlike villains, middle-management and high school bullies, Batman never needs to lord this over anyone. As far as anyone else was concerned, they didn’t need to know how screwed they were until he dropped the bat hammer on them. In addition, back stabbing sounds like a last ditch ploy to win, while every plan that Batman has come up with were winning moves, not moves of desperation.

So was this all a good movie by DC? Yes, I wanted to see more of their animation. No, because I felt cheated out of a better storyline. Will I ever watch DC Animations again? It can’t be helped, I’m an addicted comic book nerd. Think of it as solidarity. I’ll be with them no matter what.

So where are the villains and what exactly did Batman do?  Stay tuned next time.  Same Bat Time.  Same Bat Channel.

Watch the Visual Effects Featurette For The Walking Dead

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AMC hit show, “The Walking Dead” is often praised for its visual effects. Many critics have commented on the visual appeal of the show as well as the content. AMC recently released a featurette showcasing the visual effects of the series.

“The Walking Dead” is based on the comic book series, The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. It is currently in the middle of its second season. AMC announced in October 2011 that the show would be renewed for a third season due to the fact the premiere of season 2 broke cable records in their demographic. On January 14, 2012, AMC announced that the third season will contain an extended episode order of 16 episodes.

The Walking Dead tells the story of a small group of survivors living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Most of the story takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, as the survivors search for a haven away from the shuffling hordes of predatory “walkers” who devour and infect any living thing they catch. The plot is focused primarily on the dilemmas the group face as they struggle to balance their humanity with their survival.

The group is led by Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln (You can see an interview with Lincoln here), who was a sheriff’s deputy in a small Georgian town before the zombie outbreak. At every turn they are faced with the horror of the dead walking again, the changing dynamic of their group, and hostility from the scattered remains of a struggling human populace who are focused on their own survival now that the structures of society have collapsed.

You can watch the exclusive featurette below:

9 Doctor Who Episodes You Might Not Know Were Inspired By Novels

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“Doctor Who” is and always will be my FAVORITE show of all time. And after spending an entire snowy weekend rewatching all the seasons, I realized something. Many of the episodes (or serials in the earlier seasons) were actually based on or inspired by novels. Some of them were incredibly obvious like the “The Shakespeare Code” which appears in season 3 of the revived series. Also “The Myth Makers” serial from season 3 in 1963. That whole serial is based on the Illiad. Not to mention “The Unicorn and the Wasp” in 2008 is based on novels by Agatha Christie

However, those are just to obvious. (and there were over 20 in my original list till I cut it down to 9). So here are 10 episodes of “Doctor Who” that you might not have known were inspired by novels. Allons-y!

The Android Invasion

This is the fourth serial of the 13th season and was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 22 November to 13 December 1975. It featured perennial favorite Doctor, Tom Baker and Sarah Jane Smith as the companion.

To most this seems a simple Auton or android storyline that appears in much of science fiction. And they would be right, partly atleast.  This serial was originally influenced by the film and novel Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It would be the last Terry Nation script for Doctor Who for four years.

Some people will notice the similarities which is why it is number 10 on the list (and not number 1).

Image of the Fendahl

This is the third serial of the 15th season and was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 29 October to 19 November 1977. It featured once again, Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor, and Leela as the companion.

This is one of my favorite references and inspirations for an episode ever. Not only is it my favorite show, but this episode is inspired by my favorite little known Kurt Vonnegut Jr. novel, The Sirens of Titan.

The major plot device of this episode, that alien life has influenced and pushed along the evolution of mankind and brought contemporary humanity to where it is today, is highly influenced by the plot of the 1959 Vonnegut novel.

Underworld

This is the fifth serial of the 15th season and was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 7 January – 28 January 1978. It featured once again, Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor, and Leela as the companion (along with K-9!)

I think this is one of the most blantant episodes inspired by written work. The reason it is on the list is because I love the way it references the work that inspired it. Jason and the Argonauts (And I am not entirely faithful that the population has read that particular myth anyway.)

The references are MANY in this episode. We have the “Minyan” race which are related to the Minoans, the search for “P7E” references Persephone, and character names such as Jackson “Jason”, Orfe “Orpheus”, Herrick “Heracles”, Tala “Talaus”, Idmon and Idas. The connection is highlighted at the end of the episode, with the Doctor likening Jackson and his journey to Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece.

This one is obvious, but I love the parallels it draws while retelling the story in a new setting.

Revelation of the Daleks

This is the sixth serial of the 22nd season and was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 March and 30 March 1985. It features the sixth Doctor portrayed by Colin Baker and the companion Peri Brown.

This particular episode was loosely based on the book The Loved One written by British novelist Evelyn Waugh. It is also in part, influenced by the film and novel Soylent Green (novel  Make Room! Make Room!). It features the eating of people as a food source which is promptly stopped by the Doctor in favor of something similar to the soybean.

Paradise Towers

This is the second serial from the 24th season and was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1987. It features Sylvester McCoy as the seventh doctor and has Mel as a companion.

“Paradise Towers” is storyline that follows a luxurious 22nd century high rise apartment building now fallen into disrepair and chaos. It has gangs that are always fighting and yes there are robots. This seems like a pretty standard set up for an episode but it is actually based in part on the J. G. Ballard novel High Rise, which depicts a luxury apartment building which descends into savagery.

And yes, this episode aided in one of my fears of swimming as a young child.

The God Complex

The first on this list from the revived seasons of “Doctor Who.” It is the eleventh episode of the 6th season (renumbered beginning when it was revived in 2005) and first broadcast on BBC One, BBC America and Space on 17 September 2011. It featured Matt Smith as the eleventh doctor and Amy Pond and Rory Williams as the companions.

This isn’t the first of the revived series to base on literature but it was the first that was obvious but needed to be said. And no not because of the minotaur. I mean yes that is based on mythology but that is not the point that needs to be made. This episode was highly influenced by Stanley Kubrick’s film The Shining which as most know is based on the novel of the same name. The overall look of the hotel it takes place in as well as the use of long corridor shots are very reminiscent of The Shining. 

However there is another influence that many might not catch. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four inspired much of this episode as well. From the concept of rooms containing each person’s deepest fear, which is a major plot point toward the end of the novel. But also in the quoting of the english nursey rhyme “Oranges and Lemons” is also in the novel.

Remember: “Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head!.”

Planet of the Dead

This is actually a special that aired in between seasons while David Tennant was off being Hamlet for a year. It was the first of the four specials aired between the fourth and fifth season. It aired in April 2009 and featured David Tennant as the doctor and a one time companion of Lady Christina de Souza.

This one isn’t an adaptation as such but a direct influence. The writers used the novel  The Highest Science as a jumping off point for this episode. The novel featured a train stuck on a desert planet but the writers substituted the train for a bus and went from there.

The Eleventh Hour

This is the first episode of the fifth season and also the first episode to feature eleventh doctor Matt Smith. It also featured companion Amy Pond for the first time. (Also pretty awesomely it feature amateur astronomer and The Sky at Night presenter Patrick Moore in a guest appearance as himself!)

While the main influence of this episode came from a crack in the writers’ sons bedroom wall, he also drew inspiration from A.A. Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner. This is noticeable in the scenes where the new doctor claims to like everything but then proceeds to reject everything offered to him. Finally Amy (or Amelia) figures it out and he is able to eat something to fuel his regeneration. Definitely one of the silliest influences but nonetheless it is one derived from a children’s book.

The Girl in the Fireplace and MANY many others.

This one is kind of a doozy so I put it in the end. There are two characters who are influenced by one novel. It is not necessarily that their story lines in each episode were inspired by novels but more of the core of their person and their relationship with the Doctor.

The novel? One of my favorite, The Time Travelers Wife written by Audrey Niffenegger.

When knowing someone who can time travel, you have to assume you may or may not have met them prior when they were, well, time traveling. What makes these two characters so similar to the novel is that they are both women, who meet the doctor as children when he is an adult, and both have romantic escapades with him.

The first character only appears in one episode, “The Girl in the Fireplace” which is the fourth episode of the second season featuring David Tennant as the Doctor and the companion Rose and Mickey. The woman is Madame de Pompadour (the mistress of King Louis XV). The Doctor greatly admires her and through the course of the episode falls for her (and she falls for him apparently since she was a child….?)  He falls into her world at different time periods through her life, promising to return for her (and making out with her) while the episode is structurally different from the novel it features a similar understated connection.

The second character is a biggie. Not just for this article but for the Doctor, for the fans, and for the over all mystery of the question “Doctor Who?”. River Song. She rests as one of the most enigmatic characters in the series at the beginning because of her familiarity with the Doctor, the fact she knows his name, his REAL name, and also that she seems to know many different versions of him. The character creation and conception of River was directly influenced from the name novel. (Steven Moffat must have loved that novel as much as I did). Much like River and The Doctor, Niffenegger’s lovers in the novel experience an asynchronous and tragic love story. Also River, when he first meets her, she has known him her entire life (much like Clare and Henry in the novel) and she informs him that she is his WIFE. She is literally a Time Travelers Wife. This ends up occurring at the end of the season 6 when the two actually wed.

So bam. 9 Doctor Who Episodes you probably didn’t realize were based on literature, and if you did, then bravo because that means you probably like the show just as much as I do.

Child Becomes Powerful True Blood Vampire

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The American television series True Blood, created and produced by Alan Ball has cast the reoccurring role of Alexander Drew for the upcoming season 5, a Chancellor of the vaunted Vampire Authority. Also known as “The” Authority for emphasis.

Based on “The Southern Vampire Mysteries” novel series by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is about the co-existence of vampires and humans in a fictional world were vampires have revealed themselves to be unliving amongst humans. To sway humans that they’re no threat to them, a blood substitute called True Blood is popularized as the alternative to human blood. The television series focuses on the fictional small town of Bon Temp, in Louisiana, around the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse; played by Anna Paquin. Sookie here is a well-to-do waitress with telepathy and problems discerning love and lust.

Though the veneer of the show is about vampires and other supernatural creatures that go bump in the night, True Blood is essentially the fantasy version of racial tension, bigotry and organized crime.

Alexander Drew will be played by nine year old child actor

Jacob Hopkins, the Newest Face of Evil

, reports the Hollywood Reporter.

Well hopefully this will be one supernatural creature that Sookie won’t be sleeping with. I know, it would end up breaking the theme of the show and possibly other vampire related filmography that encourages old vampires and underaged teens.

As the member of the Authority, Alexander Drew is a Chancellor of the vampire governing body. Turned at the age of nine. Thanks to the suspended belief of immortality, Drew is most likely an ancient creature that has lived longer than Erik Northman’s maker, Godric. I suggest this because usually in vampire related storytelling, age equates to power. So frozen in time in the body of a nine year old, Drew is probably three thousand years old. Or at least old enough to know he’s missing out on life.

Alexander has been described as an impetuous vampire who likes to taunt those around him, irritating his fellow council members and smoking cigarettes. Whether or not HBO will ever show the child smoking is another matter. Even if they CGI it.  I would be worried because of impressionable idiot children that irresponsible parents let watch the show might light up. Said parents will probably attempt to blame True Blood for convincing their children to smoke their favorite brand of cigarettes; up to only three packs a day now.   Ow!  Circular thought. In your heart you know this to be true.

So yay. Another creepy vampire child. In a fantasy world that forbids making children into vampires. They had problems turning redhead Jessica into a vampire because she was a teenager. It’s really annoying when the powerful get to flaunt how badly they break their own rules.

Many vampire shows and films often brandish a child vampire at one point or another. Often emphasizing power in an unexpected form. Same thing with superheroes. The more innocent, cute and young the vampire or superhero appears, the more powerful they are. For vampires the set includes knowledgeable and ruthless. Oh, and did I forget to mention evil?

To truly make this a shocking twist would have been to move away from the child vampire cliché. Instead they could make the member of the vampire ruling class an evil dolphin or infant that spoke in a creepy baritone, like King Xerxes in 300.

The fifth season of “True Blood” begins this summer.

NBC Green-lights Hannibal Lecter. Allez Cuisine!

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Morbid fans of the fictional serial killer, Hannibal Lecter can finally crack a smile; presumably from their unfeeling, detached lips. The psychotic psychiatrist with a hunger; not of the cow bell variety; will be re-imaged for television, this time in his early years.

The show will expand upon the events alluded to in the novel Red Dragon, written by Thomas Harris. Set in Lecter’s early days, the show will examine the time Lecter went head-to-head with FBI agent Will Graham, instead of instead of Harris’ original protagonist, FBI trainee Clarice Starling.

The CW is doing the same with Sex and the City, in the process of making “The Carrie Diaries” aimed at a younger generation. Maybe that’s what NBC is trying to do with a new crop of uneducated sociopaths. Giving them a chance to learn their fictional roots and plenty of “how to” lessons. Both shows follow a form of passion really.

NBC must have liked what they saw in the script, because they’ve given the green light for 13 episodes to L.A.-based indie studio, Gaumont International Television. No pilot was needed either. It’s straight to series for them. Written by Bryan Fuller, the Hannibal project is a one-hour drama that will essentially set as a prequel to the Hannibal Lecter films.

As a fan of Showtime’s “Dexter”; for the first two seasons; which invariable is a show about politeness and acting human, I worry about how Hannibal on television will turn out. Bryan Fuller is also the creator of “Dead Like Me” and “Pushing Daisies.” One’s a satire about existence and death, the other is the equivalent of a live action cartoon… and death. On top of that, he was co-producer of Heroes. No, not the awesome first season. The other failed seasons. So unless the Hannibal television show is about sarcasm, I’m rather worried.

Not that it would be Fuller’s complete fault. NBC isn’t the first place to think I’d find small screen cannibalism.

I’m sure the show follows the literary Hannibal Lecter as he is described in the novels. I just can’t see anyone else follow the cinematic portrayal of a Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, or play the part other than him.

If the new show is going to be remotely faithful to the novel’s character, he’ll have to be sadistic, manipulative and have no moral quandaries about killing people. Lecter is a thinking man’s serial killer. He should kill people because they annoy him or bore him. Eat them because he’s hungry and because he sees them for the mindless cattle that they are!

Hopefully the show won’t descend into a prime time cliche where Lecter uses his brain powers to find bad guys and then eat them off screen. “Oh, you have something on your face.” says the barista. “Ah, clumsy me. I must have missed a spot when I last had dinner with your friend.” suggests Lecter with a slightly diabolical laugh.  The barista nods and titters nervously as Lecter continues. “In fact, you can almost say that I ate him and he’s in my stomach right now. No wait, scratch the last part.”

Game of Thrones In Production Featurette in Iceland

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While other cast members of HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones” get to go experience sunny Croatia, or scenic Belfast in Northern Ireland, there are poor sods who have to film their portion North of the Wall. That’s right, Iceland, during the middle of winter no less.

The critically acclaimed show, based on George R.R. Martin’s book of the same name is revving up the marketing engines. While releasing what is called teaser art, a poster image with the words, “War Is Coming” HBO also released a video to help fans ease their wait.

The teaser poster as explained in the article HBO Warning: War Is Coming to the Game of Thrones.

“Based on the family words of the House of Stark, “Winter Is Coming”, the war that is promised ties in from the first season of “Game of Thrones”. The eldest Stark is coming to whoop the false King for killing their father and holding their sister captive. Though not an official saying in the book series of the same name by George R.R. Martin, the phrase War Is Coming appears to the HBO’s tagline for the second season.”

Winter apparently didn’t come fast enough, so they went to winter instead. The cast and crew discuss in this video how the beautiful environment comes with it’s costs. Featuring soundbites from cast members including James Cosmo, Mark Stanley, John Bradley, Kit Harington and Simon Armstrong. The breathtaking scenery does help the actors dive into character, all contained in the cold and bleak fictional world. Though there are obvious pains for the production crew. Off handed remarks about “nearly” falling off of cliffs and falling into crevices for starters. Then the 4 hour window of light they have a day to film.

Everyone in the video looks cold and annoyed with life. I’m not sure how any of them can manage the smiles when their faces are that numb and exposed. For actors like John Cosmos, that’s either incredible make-up, or some of these actors have cold dried skin burn on their faces.

Woe to the skinny, under-weight actors with visible abs. They must be envious of John Bradley, the actor who plays the fat and timid Samwell Tarly. Though he feels the cold, I’m sure he must retain heat a little bit longer than the rest of them.

Also a sneak peek at Qhorin, also known as Halfhand played by Simon Armstrong. Was it me or did he look a little like older Leonard Nimoy Spock in this video?

Kit Harington, the actor who plays Jon Snow in the series said, “One of the most incredible experiences of my life. Epic.” Of course it is. You’re being paid. Other people endure the cold because they have no choice. Again, You know nothing, Jon Snow.

Game of Thrones returns with Season 2 on April 1st.  Check out the production trailer below.

HBO Warning: War Is Coming to the Game of Thrones

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“War Is Coming” the central words behind the new piece of teaser art released by HBO. In preparations for the season 2 release of “Game of Thrones”, the new promotional piece is a banner for the upcoming conflict the series promises.

Based on the family words of the House of Stark, “Winter Is Coming”, the war that is promised ties in from the first season of “Game of Thrones”. The eldest Stark is coming to whoop the false King for killing their father and holding their sister captive. Though not an official saying in the book series of the same name by George R.R. Martin, the phrase War Is Coming appears to the HBO’s tagline for the second season.

That or it’s HBO’s warning to AMC’s “The Walking Dead”, which broke cable records of most watched show last Sunday. HBO seems to be gearing up with their own promotional war of sorts. Like a another family from their show, they may be going for the effect of, “Hear me roar!” or better when competing against record breaking numbers, “A Lannister always pays his debts.

Okay, the poster doesn’t seem like a tease to me. I feel more like, “Oh. Okay. Shall I go along my merry business until its here?”

Already with a vast cast of actors, intricate story lines, and rabid fans waiting with swords at the slightest book deviation, the Game of Thrones will be adding a whopping sixteen new faces; some which will be in guest appearances. Joining the cast are the likes of Stephen Dillane, Nonso Anonzie, Natalie Dormer, and Jeyne Westerling; Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughter!?! With so many to mention I’m worried that I’m going to need a flowchart or venn diagram to keep track of everyone. Or at least I should make a dead pool of which episodes they’ll start killing characters in.

Mina Kelly of Boomtron explains why:

“As quickly as these characters are born, they will likely also perish. It would be wise not to become too attached to any particular person in this series as any die hard fan would surely know. The lesson was learned when Eddard Stark, who gave the impression of “main character” lost his head near the end of season 1. And, after the initial shock of Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) being pushed out of a castle window by Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) wears off, you learn quickly that anything can happen.”

Apparently in between the sex scenes, the nudity and violence, there’s a story too. (Looks at his stacks of unread books) Yes, I’ll get to it.

The Season 2 premiere of Game of Thrones will bring the noise April 1st at 9pm EST.

Upcoming Adaptations for February 2012

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February is definitely a slow month for the book adaptation world. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. It seems like everywhere you look a new book is being remade into a movie (or a show) and you might not always hear about them, even the good ones. So because every month there are new and exciting remakes of books into movies and television, we will try to keep you updated.

You can see their release dates for all the new upcoming remakes for February 2012.

 

February 3rd

The Woman in Black

Starring:

Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Liz White, Janet McTeer, Alisa Khazanova

It follows a smart young lawyer named Arthur Kipps who must travel to a remote and slightly deserted village and handle a deceased clients papers and files. However, as he toils over the work, he begins to unravel tragic secrets of the village and the client. This is accompanied by a mysteriously woman in black who he glimpses more and more. When he questions the locals he gets no answers. He is forced to set out on his own to figure out the true identity of the woman and stop her from her true intent.

Based on the novel of the same name by Susan Hill.

Big Miracle

Starring:

John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell.

Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, the rescue adventure ‘Big Miracle’ tells the amazing tale of a small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and a Greenpeace volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.

Based on the 1989 book Freeing the Whales by Tom Rose

 

February 17th

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Starring:

Nicolas Cage, Johnny Whitworth, Fergus Riordan, Ciaran Hinds, Violante Placido, Idris Elba, Christopher Lambert

Johnny is still struggling with his curse as the devil’s bounty hunter – but he may risk everything as he teams up with the leader of a group of rebel monks to save a young boy from the devil… and possibly rid himself of his curse forever.

Based on the Marvel Comics antihero Ghost Rider.

The Secret World of Arrietty

A 2010 Japanese animated fantasy film based on Mary Norton’s juvenile fantasy novel The Borrowers. The film was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, was written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, and stars the voices of Mirai Shida as the titular character, Ryunosuke Kamiki as Sho, and Tatsuya Fujiwara as Spiller. The film tells the story of Arrietty, a young Borrower who lives under the floorboards of a typical household. She eventually befriends Sho, a human boy with a heart condition since birth who is living with his great aunt Sadako. When Sadako’s maid Haru becomes suspicious of the floorboard’s disturbance, Arrietty and her family must escape detection, even if it means leaving their beloved home.

 

Upcoming Remakes For January 2012

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In the month of January and the beginning of the new year sees a ton of new book adaptations. It seems like everywhere you look a new book is being remade into a movie (or a show) and you might not always hear about them, even the good ones. So because every month there are new and exciting remakes of books into movies and television, we will try to keep you updated.

You can see their release dates as well trailers for all the new upcoming remakes for January 2012.  Continue reading →