Tonight my wife and I settled in for the highly anticipated Captain America: The First Avenger – and on opening weekend, no less! The trailers for this movie have looked awesome. Did the movie do as well?

Yes and no. Visually, I really think they nailed it. The costumes, the set designs, . . . → Read More: Review: Captain America]]> (Man, I’m actually burning through my movie picks this year. This is awesome – big thank you to my parents for babysitting.)

Tonight my wife and I settled in for the highly anticipated Captain America: The First Avenger – and on opening weekend, no less! The trailers for this movie have looked awesome. Did the movie do as well?

Yes and no. Visually, I really think they nailed it. The costumes, the set designs, the effects… all excellent. It was set in a romanticized 1940′s and featured enhanced humans, cartoonish disfiguration, futuristic weaponry, and a goody-two-shoes hero. By all rights this thing should fail miserably, but it works. I liked the main characters and acting (especially Stanley Tucci – he created the most human character in that movie). Red Skull was really done well, visually. The set pieces were cool. It was fun to watch.

Unfortunately, it was also predictable and spent significant time setting up the Avengers movie instead of simply telling a Captain America story. I’m not sure it works as well as a stand-alone film as it does a part of a larger story. A lot of the “surprises” in the film are given away in the trailer. There were two major montages, both of which should probably have been shorter, or in the case of the action montage, replaced completely by something better. It was cool to watch, but felt more like an assembly of action shots they wanted to fit into the movie but didn’t have time to get to otherwise.

There are really quite a few ways for me to nit-pick this thing to death, if I’m honest, but that would depress me, so I’m not going to do it. In the end, it was a fun movie and I’m glad I saw it. It looked great and I had a good time watching it. (Can you tell I’m really tired, and my energy for writing this has petered out? Sorry. Maybe I’ll revisit it later – but maybe not.)

This is one of those stories that I think would work well as a TV series. It would be a bit different than most series, in that it covers two time periods at once, but that’s part of what makes it compelling. The basic structure of an issue is . . . → Read More: The Colors of Control: Ex Machina]]> An extremely long time after I started it, I just finished Ex Machina‘s 50 issue run. Brian K. Vaughn puts on a heck of a story.

This is one of those stories that I think would work well as a TV series. It would be a bit different than most series, in that it covers two time periods at once, but that’s part of what makes it compelling. The basic structure of an issue is that it starts in the past, and then moves into the present.

The story in the past covers the origin and selected high points of Mitchell Hundred’s career as “The Great Machine” – a flawed superhero with the ability to listen to and command machinery. For example, he can command a gun not to fire, a truck to drive away, or a bomb to not explode (for a while). He can have a cell phone tell him where it’s been… or tell it to shut-up. We see the “accident” that gives him this power, and watch as he learns to fight crimes, petty and large. We meet his nemesis, Pherson, who has the ability to command animals (excluding humans), and uses this power to cause destruction and death. And we see him in his final act as The Great Machine: stopping one of the planes on 9/11.

Each story in the past, however, quickly gives way to (and informs the plot of) the present. Mitchell has parlayed the popularity of his time as The Great Machine into a run as the mayor of New York City. Here we see him dealing with many social and political issues, intertwined with resurfacing issues from his super-heroic past. He’s vowed to put his past behind him, but can he ignore the ramifications of what he’s learning about himself and the true source of his power?

The government is watching him. His police commissioner is watching him. One of his ex-partners wants him back on the job as a super-hero, even if that means destroying his political career. The other will protect him with his life. He’s having dreams of his future – and visions of pain.

Can he single-handedly stop the destruction of the world, or is he fated to be the architect of its demise? Or maybe it’s somewhere in between?

It’s pretty cool stuff!

Excerpt from issue #1 - and more foreshadowing than I realized, despite its bluntness

Color plays an important role in the books. Those gifted with powers are scarred by lines on their faces that look like wire leads. Mitchell’s scars glow green. Pherson’s glow purple. White plays an important role later. Each color is part of the spectrum of control. Green for control over machines, purple for animals, white for … well, that’s a spoiler.

Even the final word in the entire series is a color: black. And it’s layered with self-reference, not to mention a kind of breach of the “fourth wall.”

Really well done. I recommend it as one of the better comics I’ve read. It’s for adults, though – graphic language, themes, violence, and visuals do appear. This one isn’t for kids. The themes explored about the nature of corruption and man’s motivations, hero worship and disappointment are pretty seriously tackled. (For more, with spoilers, about that, check out the view “from the gutter.”)

If you want to see Issue #1, DC Comics has made it available online.

Have you read it? Any thoughts?

(Btw… just because I avoid spoilers in the post doesn’t mean they aren’t in the comments.)

Created on Toonlet.com

Thankfully, it almost all looks better than the first official trailer, which I basically panned.

It’s still a little too obviously computer-generated for my tastes, but still better than the first trailer. Apparently I’m not the only . . . → Read More: Seeing Green… Lanterns]]> How many major “cons” are there in a year (that’s “conference” for the un-geeked)? New footage is spilling out like water from WonderCon, held recently, and Green Lantern is pouring out 4 minutes of mostly new scenes.

Thankfully, it almost all looks better than the first official trailer, which I basically panned.

It’s still a little too obviously computer-generated for my tastes, but still better than the first trailer. Apparently I’m not the only one who didn’t like that trailer. According to statements made at CinemaCon:

…Warner Brothers worldwide marketing president, Sue Kroll is admitting the first trailer may not have been all it could or should have been.

“Part of the reason the response to the first trailer was lukewarm was that the big-scale sequences weren’t ready to show, and we suffered for it. … We can’t afford to do that again,” Kroll said at CinemaCon this week.

Warner Brothers underestimated the amount of time it’d take to complete the elaborate 3-D sequences for the film. Now they’ve got it all sorted and, according to their president of motion pictures, Jeff Robinov, their marketing plan is in place: “We won’t be in this position again.”

This is a good first step. I hope they don’t go too far, though, and show basically the whole movie in previews and clips now.

What do you think? That’s an awful lot of aliens to pull off, and I’m not sure they’re doing it convincingly. I think they just bit off more than they can chew with the scope of this one, visually. It’s still a bit video gamey/cartoony, though. Hopefully I can drop my expectations a bit and enjoy it. It does, as I said, look better than the original trailer.

In the end, though, I think it’s going to come down to the actor, Ryan Reynolds, to pull this movie off. I wish I had more confidence in him. I’m trying to keep an open mind, though. And from a scene or two here it seems possible.

By the way… as lead up to the movie, WB is releasing another animated movie to DVD, following the same pattern as Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight – multiple stories each telling part of a larger story. In this case, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights will showcase Nathan Fillion as the voice of Hal Jordan (funny how that worked out). From the press release:

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights weaves six legendary stories of the Green Lantern Corps’ rich mythology around preparations for an attack by an ancient enemy. As the battle approaches, Hal Jordan mentors new recruit Arisia in the history of the Green Lantern Corps, telling tales of Avra (the first Green Lantern) and several of Hal’s comrades – including Abin Sur, Kilowog, Laira and Mogo. In the end, Arisia must rise to the occasion to help Hal, Sinestro and the entire Green Lantern Corps save the universe from the destructive forces of Krona.

Sounds like I’ll enjoy that film. Hopefully the live action film is worth all this effort!

According to Slice-of-Sci-Fi…

The weekend closed out the books for the summer season and while ticket sales were up to $4.35 billion, the highest total ever for a summer season, overall attendance was down. Attendance this . . . → Read More: Throwing spaghetti on the wall]]> This post is going to be like throwing spaghetti on the wall: I’m just gonna toss a lot of stuff up here and see what sticks. It worked for Oscar Madison (okay, that was linguini – work with me).

Movie prices

According to Slice-of-Sci-Fi…

The weekend closed out the books for the summer season and while ticket sales were up to $4.35 billion, the highest total ever for a summer season, overall attendance was down. Attendance this summer was 552 million, the lowest total since 1997.

So basically, they’ve raised movie ticket prices to the point where they’re not just making up for low attendance in an effort to stay afloat like the rest of us, they’re gouging us to the level that they’re breaking income records, despite the fact that almost no one is showing up! And they’re still producing mostly crap. That’s just rude.

Websites

Dan, one of the fellow contributors to the Coalition of Awesomeness, has started a new blog called Kids Telly. The blog is meant to provide a perspective on pop culture aimed at kids, including movies, books, TV, music, and kids’ websites. The first website he’s reviewed is a real winner, I think, for the young crowd (Preschool/Early Elementary). Poisson Rouge is a site that kids can use without adult intervention, for the most part, and it’s educational and fun. Here’s how Dan describes it:

The outstanding feature of Poisson Rouge (or Red Fish for any fellow francophonicphobes out there) is it’s simplicity. There are no unfriendly menus, no instructions to follow, and most importantly no need to be able to read to use it. The numerous games are varied, intuitive, and elegant; but above all the site is a great deal of fun.

Check it out if you’ve got young ones… and by ‘it’ here I mean both Poisson Rouge and Kids Telly.

And speaking of the Coalition of Awesomeness, there’s some good stuff going on there as well. For my part, I’ve talked about the failed Babylon 5 sequel, Crusade, plus five other shows cancelled too early, and posited Kermit the Frog as my answer for “who would you entrust the safety of the world?” Later this week (I think) you’ll get to read my defense of a Nicholas Cage film. Check out the site later in the week to find out which one. [Update: here it is.]

While I’m plugging sites, check this out. Amadio Artworks is a great find if you’re looking for unique handcrafted home and garden art. I can’t call myself an expert, but I’ve seen this stuff in person and it’s really, seriously, good. My aunt got this started and sucked in the rest of her family. She’s been in some pretty prestigious art and craft shows and always does very well. Give it a look.

Good comics and bad adaptations

Last night I watched the movie version of The Losers. I had read the comic book about a year ago, and absolutely loved it. Really well done action book that just screamed out to have a movie made of it. It’s one of those rare books that I’d actually read with a big geeky grin on my face like I’d just watched a really good Zorro or Jason Bourne film. The action was great, if a little over the top (though that was part of its charm), and the characters and plot were well drawn. The movie I watched last night was, sadly, a pale reflection of that story. I totally recognize that the length of a movie couldn’t cover all that happened in the books, but this film started at just about mediocre and then went downhill. It wasn’t horrible – it could be enjoyed as a brainless action flick – but it just never pulled it together enough to even be something I cared about. I’d put it right about the same level as Fantastic Four. Skip the movie. Read the comics.

These days I’m reading the The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. I’m on book 4 at the moment, and I’m just now starting to enjoy it. I actually kind of disliked the first book but kept going due to it’s reputation. Books two and three were noticeably better, but I was mostly reading it as mildly entertaining. Book four now is starting to feel more cohesive and worth my time. It’s the first hint I’ve gotten that it might live up to its reputation. I’ve also just read that Warner Brothers is in negotiations to make a TV series of the story. That’s the kind of news that has fans hopeful, but with a huge – almost overwhelming – fear that they’ll screw it up. Honestly, I can’t see network TV doing it justice, even though I’m only about halfway through the story. Maybe something like HBO (who are also mentioned as pursuing the idea) could pull it off, but not a network. They’d have to go too mainstream.

Music

A few nights ago on Facebook someone posted a video of “Birdhouse in your Soul” by They Might Be Giants. I really like that song, and it managed to pull me into a YouTube session for a couple of hours. The last time that happened, I ended up revisiting some of my favorite Homestarrunner.com bits. This time I ended up going a different direction and exploring some of the kid-focused music of TMBG and Barenaked Ladies… and a little Animaniacs. Here are a couple of the highlights:

Here Come the Geese – Barenaked Ladies (I couldn’t find the album version)

Meet the Elements – TMBG

The Alphabet of Nations – TMBG (love the piano)

Nations of the world – Animaniacs (a classic)

There were a lot more in that session, but that’s a decent representation. Fun and educational!

Well, I think that’s enough for now. This turned out to be a little longer than I thought, and didn’t even get to the frustrating Doctor Who news (they’re splitting the next season in half – dumb, dumb, dumb!).

I gotta go clean up the spaghetti I used as the inspiration for this post. In the meantime… what’s on your mind?

Over the years, a few versions have been recorded, but this is probably my favorite update. And the dancing is actually pretty cool, too. I think these guys do a great job.

Then there’s this… yeah, the dancing sucks, but . . . → Read More: Spider-man dances (and so does The Flash)]]> No one has written a super-hero theme song yet that beats the one from the 60s Spider-man cartoon. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some great themes written, but Spider-man’s is the swinging-est.

Over the years, a few versions have been recorded, but this is probably my favorite update. And the dancing is actually pretty cool, too. I think these guys do a great job.

Then there’s this… yeah, the dancing sucks, but The Flash shows up and the end is really funny. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while.

Why?! Why did they do it?!

Similar to Lee’s story in the blog entry that I’m blatantly ripping off, even to the point of taking his graphics, when I heard about a live action G-Force movie I could feel the 10-year old geek in me pushing and punching the 38-year old (at the time) actual geek that is me to race to . . . → Read More: G-Force ROCKS!]]> NO! I am not talking about the insipid, rodent-filled name-stealer.

Why?! Why did they do it?!

Similar to Lee’s story in the blog entry that I’m blatantly ripping off, even to the point of taking his graphics, when I heard about a live action G-Force movie I could feel the 10-year old geek in me pushing and punching the 38-year old (at the time) actual geek that is me to race to the computer sooner than humanly possible to bring up the trailer. I also remember the internal scream of agony from that 10-year old geek when the trailer appeared and I realized that I wasn’t watching some dumb ad for a kids movie preceding the awesomeness of G-Force, I was watching some dumb ad for a kids movie that will now forever soil the name G-Force.

I’m only judging that movie by the trailer and its name. I haven’t seen it. I can’t bring myself to do it. I would feel like a traitor. Watching that movie would mean I accept its claim to the title “G-Force.” I can’t do that to the real G-Force:

G-Force: Mark, Tiny, Keyop, Princess, and Jason

G-Force is the team that saved the planet on a regular basis in Battle of the Planets – a 1979 American import of a 1972 Japanese animation (heavily edited), and then reworked and released as G-Force: Guardians of Space in 1986.

Check out the opening credits:

That Fiery Phoenix is too awesome for words.

So Battle of the Planets started in 1979, when Star Wars was completely changing the game in popular culture. Everybody was trying to cash in somehow. As a result, we got those receding title screens and the obviously edited-in 7Zark7 to appeal to the newly minted droid-lovers. (The music and voice-over should also cause flashbacks to the 70s Superfriends cartoon. Both the title composer (Hoyt Curtin) and narrator (William Woodson) did very recognizable work on both shows.)

G-Force was originally, as I said, a Japanese show called Gatchaman. When it was brought in for young American audiences, it was heavily edited down to remove the graphic violence, profanity, and transgenderism of the original. Apparently, though, the American version retained much of the storyline of the original, compensating for the large cuts by exposition and the inclusion of the 7Zark7 character to smooth things over and provide some comic relief.

I didn’t know any of that until I saw Lee’s blog and learned about Gatchaman. He found this very cool trailer for a new CGI movie of Gatchaman under production:

Apparently it’s unclear whether this will make it into theaters. It’s already missed a couple of release dates, and the studio is clearly having financial trouble. The creative team appears to have gone through some changes, as well, though it’s heartening to know that Paul Dini (of Batman: The Animated Series fame) wrote the original script treatments. Still, Wikipedia (arbiter of reality that it is) claims that the studio is now shooting for 2011 (and in 3-D, too).

I hope they pull it off. This looks very cool.

I may try to get my hands on the original Gatchaman as well. I just watched most of an episode on YouTube and really liked it.

On the heels of Avatar, though, it seems like every big movie is being filmed in 3-D. While I’m okay with that, it means two things: feeling a little weird wearing those glasses, and higher ticket prices. Just going to a 2-D movie is more than I want to pay for movies these days. . . . → Read More: Movies 2010 – must see or must miss?]]> It looks like we’re headed into another year of big movies. I’m getting all fan-boy giddy just thinking about what’s coming.

On the heels of Avatar, though, it seems like every big movie is being filmed in 3-D. While I’m okay with that, it means two things: feeling a little weird wearing those glasses, and higher ticket prices. Just going to a 2-D movie is more than I want to pay for movies these days. The only 3-D movie I’ve seen since my college days (trust me, it’s been a while) is Avatar. In that case, I think the 3-D was used utterly perfectly – not for shock, but for immersion in a beautifully realized world. Can all these upcoming movies really get it right, too?

Let’s get to the list. At the end you get the chance to vote… if you could only see ONE of these films this year, which would it be? And I’ll tell you my answer.

I’m already annoyed about missing The Book of Eli. Looks like a really good film and I’ve heard nothing but great reviews from friends.

Alice in Wonderland – in 3-D. This one looks like some great eye-candy, but I can’t get excited enough to worry about seeing it. I’ll be disappointed not to get the 3-D experience, but this one’s a rental.

Clash of the Titans. Again, some great eye-candy (that phrase probably applies to most movies in this list). I haven’t been able to decide yet, though, if I think this is worth seeing in the theater. It’s got some good will because of the original film, but with so much vying for my dollar this year, this one might be a casualty of having seen the story before, regardless of how good the effects are.

The Losers. Holy cow, I didn’t even know they were making this movie until 2 minutes ago. The comic was awesome! I was so psyched to see this movie until I saw the trailer. I still want to see it, but I’m worried now that they may have added too much comedy. Gotta learn more.

Iron Man 2. Oh yeah. I will be seeing this one. The first movie was excellent. The trailer looks great. It’s simply on the absolutely-must-see list.

Robin Hood. Russel Crowe as Sherwood’s hero? I’m okay with that. Looks like it’ll be a gritty Hood. This is one of those, though, that I really want to see, but may not make the cut for the theater. We’ll have to see how things are going when it’s released.

Shrek Forever After. No. Sorry. I’d love to see it, but it’ll be on DVD.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Can’t say I’m a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan, but this trailer sold me hook, line, and sinker on this movie. I will be seeing this in the theater, and I’m pretty excited about it.

Sex and the City 2. Seriously? Why?

The Karate Kid. Loved the original. This could be good. I like Jackie Chan. Still… not sure.

The A-Team. “I love it when a plan comes together.” Nostalgia wins on this one. I’ll likely be seeing this film in the theater.

Toy Story 3. This is a tough one. I want to see it, but I want to see it with my kids, who may not be ready for it. The only Pixar movie they’ve been able to get through without being scared is Wall-E. We’ll have to see how it goes.

Knight and Day. Yeah, I know Tom Cruise is in it. I still want to see it. It looks really good. Funny too.

The Last Airbender. There’s a really good chance I’m seeing this in the theater. I like the teaser trailer better than the full trailer, though. I hope the teaser captures the feel a little better.

The Sorceror’s Apprentice. I don’t think Nicholas Cage is the right choice for this film. Still, I will go see it if at all possible. Just the car flipping through the mirror is enough to make me want to see this.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I. Yes. There’s little doubt I will see this one in the theater. It better be worth the effort, too. I’ve seen all but Half-Blood Prince on DVD, and was a little disappointed in that one.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Again, an absolute definite, unless the trailer is completely disappointing. I love this series, and the first two movies do nothing to detract from that feeling.

Smurfs, Yogi Bear, and The Green Hornet. All three of these are scheduled for release on the same day. All are at least intriguing to me. I’d like to learn more about them and look forward to the trailers. But they will all be beaten to a bloody pulp and ground into dust by the other film scheduled for release on the same day. And that would be…

Tron: Legacy. This is the film I’ve been looking forward to for 25 years. To say that it’s definite that I will be seeing this in the theater, in 3-D, would be an incredible understatement. I will likely see it more than once.

So… which one is my number one absolute must see will not miss it event movie for 2010? Come on. If you don’t know the answer you didn’t read what I said above. Don’t expect me to give you answers if you’re not willing to put the effort in…

I realize, however, that some of you may feel differently. This is a year with some pretty big hitters, and you may have other priorities. You’re certainly entitled to be wrong. I accept that. So which one is at the top of your heap?

I took a few out of the running, but feel free to choose “Other,” and then add your vote in the comments below. And tell me why you voted for your film. What about it makes it the top of your heap? Was it a difficult call between a couple of them?

On to the topic at hand…

Iron Man and War Machine

The Iron Man 2 trailer has been released, and it looks excellent.

Tony Stark, Pepper Pots, and Rhodey (now played by Don Cheadle) are back to save the world from . . . → Read More: Iron Man 2 trailer released]]> First of all, I have to say how shocked I am that I’m mentioning this before Lee. Somebody must have him locked in a very nasty dungeon. Good luck with the escape, Lee!

On to the topic at hand…

Iron Man and War Machine

The Iron Man 2 trailer has been released, and it looks excellent.

Tony Stark, Pepper Pots, and Rhodey (now played by Don Cheadle) are back to save the world from Whiplash, a Russian with an axe to grind against Tony.

Rhodey, as is apparent from the screen shots, takes on the mantle of War Machine to fight along side Tony as Iron Man.

Whiplash is apparently no moron. I’ve never read a comic with that character, but he’s apparently smart enough to whip up (see what I did there?) one of those power devices to add some special effects to his whips… and a bunch more of them to power his band of merry killer-bots.

Iron Man and War Machine vs. the bad guys

War Machine’s auto-aiming gun is pretty cool, too.

I hope they include some real character growth here. One of the dangers of a sequel is just throwing the characters into an action bonanza and forgetting that the characters, not the action, are the more important piece of the movie. I’m not saying that’s what they’re doing, here – it looks like Tony’s still got a lot of cocky to lose, based on the beginning of the trailer.

Also, I love that Gary Shandling is getting work, and it’s against type. And of course, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury makes a quick appearance.

Can’t wait! Bring it on!