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Special Features - Twilight... It's not exactly Shakespeare

November 14, 2012, 10:23 am
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As Twihards everywhere gear up for the release of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Anghus Houvouras buries the Twilight franchise...

Twilight. It's not exactly Shakespeare.

And that's fine. Not everything has to be. The soap opera style antics of vampires and werewolves has been plaguing theaters for some time and raking in the cash in spite of being truly awful. The films are total trash. Again, that's fine. There are a lot of people who love trash. Hell, Quentin Tarantino has made an entire career out dumpster diving.

This week sees the release of the latest and last Twilight movie: Breaking Dawn - Part 2. I have suffered through every Twilight movie, a by-product of my chosen hobby, and I have to say that every single one of them was a chore. Mediocre movies based on flawed fiction that has infected pop culture for far too long. You would think as the final film is being released that critics and online film sites would take the opportunity to say 'good riddance'.

And yet, something else is happening. People seem to be stepping up and giving praise to the final Twilight film. The same critics who bashed the previous entries. The same online personalities who called the fan base a pox of teen hormonal angst and raged against sparkling vampires are giving Breaking Dawn - Part 2 a pass. Instead of coming together en masse drawing knives and stabbing the film with the rage of Brutus, they are raising a glass in honor and toasting the series as if it is something to celebrate. And I think I know why. Allow me to present the theory of Critical Relent...

Critical Relent:

The theory that film critics will eventually come around to a popular series of films, no matter how terrible, out of not wanting to feel culturally irrelevant or out of some misguided theory that anything popular must have some merit.

Past examples:

Fast Five
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Fast Five is basically a best of/mash up of the previous films with The Rock thrown in for some added fun. The previous Fast & Furious films were harmless fun but critically brutalized while Fast Five was somehow 'a breath of fresh air'.

Revenge of the Sith was the same mediocre, poorly plotted soulless mess with terrible acting as the first two prequels. And yet, this one got a pass. To be fair, most of the Star Wars prequels got a pass because of the original trilogy.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon was the same plot, almost note for note, as the first two films. And yet critics treated the third one like it was somehow better than the previous two when in fact it was the same basic movie as the first two with the same nonsensical plot and same ending.

Now you have all these online film sites saying Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is somehow a superior, standout installment when I'm guessing it's probably just like the other four. If you like the other four, fantastic. But let's not pretend this is some kind of standout film that deviates from the formula and provides a unique moviegoing experience. It's more of the same. Some people like the same. But let's stop pretending these overproduced monstrosities with wooden acting has somehow stumbled into quality.

I've seen all of the Twilight films. They are not good on a number of levels. They struggle to get to adequate. Sub-par movies based on sub-par fiction. The kind of films that creates a fan base of crazy tweens and teens who get murderously angry because K-Stew boned the director of Snow White and the Huntsman. This is not an intelligent fan base or people familiar with quality. These is the demo that made things like New Kids on the Block, NSync, and the Backstreet Boys multi-millionaires. The demo that made Disney think there was a movie career for Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Very few things of quality are ever birthed from this demo. Do you really see a stunning film legacy for good looking blocks of wood like Taylor Lautner or Robert Pattinson?

You could make an argument that Leonardo Dicaprio is the lone diamond produced from the hormonal overflow of this demographic with the massive success of Titanic. Thank God he was smart enough to pick challenging roles. He could have ended up relegated to the inside of lockers and neglected trapper keepers. Sure, movies like Celebrity and The Beach are hardly worth mentioning. But you had an actor who sought out Woody Allen and Danny Boyle instead of starring in big budget studio trash.

Twilight is finally over. Let's take a minute, reflect on its mediocrity, and await the next big young adult series to infect our lives for five or six years. Don't waste words trying to justify its existence. Trash is trash. Some trash is very successful. It doesn't mean it deserves our praise. Don't be fooled. These middle aged writers giving Breaking Dawn - Part 2 a pass are doing so out of a misguided sense of relevance. Make no mistake, as this heinous series comes to a close...

I come to bury Twilight, not to praise it....

Anghus Houvouras
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Andrew Garfield reveals a February start date for The Amazing Spider-Man 2

November 14, 2012, 11:14 am
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Andrew Garfield has revealed that filming on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will get underway this coming February. Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier this week to promote his new beard, Garfield confirmed that the script is complete and pre-production is now underway on the Sony-produced superhero sequel, which will see Garfield reprising the role of Peter Parker / Spidey alongside the returning Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy) and director Marc Webb.

In a seperate interview with E!Online, Garfield also discussed his hopes for the sequel: "I feel really excited, I feel like we got over a hump with our first one. We had to reinstate the character, and we had to reinvigorate an audience to the character. And I hope to bring more of this theme—the theme of the orphan. I wanna keep exploring that theme of being fatherless, being motherless, searching for purpose and finding a purpose within himself, being a self-made man, I guess."

Apart from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, so far the only other name officially confirmed as appearing in the cast of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is The Descendants star Shailene Woodley, who will portray the character of Mary Jane Watson. However, Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) is said to have signed on to appear as the super villain Electro, while it's thought that Norman and Harry Osborn will also feature in the sequel, with recent rumours suggesting that Damian Lewis (Homeland) could be in the frame for the role of Spidey's arch-nemesis.


The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is scheduled for release on April 18th 2014 in the UK and May 2nd 2014 in North America.
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Benicio Del Toro in talks to play Pablo Escobar

November 14, 2012, 11:53 am
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According to Variety, Benicio Del Toro (The Usual Suspects) is in final negotiations to play notorious Colombian cocaine trafficker Pablo Escobar in the forthcoming film Paradise Lost.

The thriller / romance has been written by actor turned writer Andrea di Stefano (Life of Pi), who is also set to make his directorial debut with the film; based on true events, Paradise Lost centres around Nick, a young surfer who visits his brother in Colombia and falls madly in love with a beautiful local girl called Maria. Their romance seems idyllic until he meets her uncle, Pablo Escobar!

One of France's top indie players, Dimitri Rassam, who is the son of famous French producer Jean-Pierre Rassam, will produce the new film. “Having Benicio Del Toro on board to play Pablo Escobar was an incredible motivation. He's one of the rare actors with enough charisma and range to play such a multi-faceted character as Escobar, who could be wonderfully charming yet dangerous and menacing." said Rassam.

But don’t get too excited as this will not be a Pablo Escobar biopic, with Rassam explaining that “the film will have a narrative structure in the vein of The Last King of Scotland, weaving Nick and Maria's romance with Nick's ambivalent and destructive relationship with Escobar”
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New Thor: The Dark World set photos reveal Malekith the Accursed

November 14, 2012, 12:28 pm
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It's been a few weeks since we've had much in the way of news from the set of Marvel's upcoming superhero sequel Thor: The Dark World, but with the cast and crew back out on location in London, a new batch of images have emerged giving us our first look at Christopher Eccleston's (Doctor Who, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) villain Malekith the Accursed, along with his army of Dark Elves. Check them out courtesy of MTV Splash Page...




Considering the CG markers on this last image, it's probably safe to assume this isn't Malekith's final look. Still, it gives us a pretty good idea of what Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder will find himself up against in his second solo outing, and speaking of the Mighty one, here's a couple of shots of him in action over the past couple of days (via SplashNewsOnline)...



Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Directed by Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones), Thor: The Dark World sees Hemsworth joined by fellow returnees Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson, Jaimie Alexander and Tadanobu Asano. Zachary Levi (Chuck) has replaced Josh Dallas in the role of Fandral, while Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost) is set to line-up alongside Eccleston's Malekith as another villain, Algrim the Strong, a.k.a Curse.

Thor: The Dark World is scheduled for release on November 8th, 2013.
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Jack Reacher director Christopher McQuarrie eyes Mission: Impossible 5

November 14, 2012, 12:45 pm
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Tom Cruise (Top Gun) and Christopher McQuarrie (Way of the Gun) have recently worked together on their forthcoming film Jack Reacher and according to Deadline they are now poised to re-unite on the next instalment of Cruise’s hugely successful Mission: Impossible franchise. McQuarrie seems to be the first choice to direct Mission: Impossible 5, which is still in the early stages of development at Paramount Pictures.

The previous M:I movie - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - was directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles) and grossed close to $700 million worldwide, so there are massive expectations for the fifth instalment. McQuarrie, who also worked with Cruise on the World War 2 drama Valkyrie, is a well respected writer and director, having earned an Oscar for penning The Usual Suspects.

The move to secure McQuarrie's services for the new Mission: Impossible movie may be due to the genuine excitement and buzz around Jack Reacher, which is based on the novel One Shot by British author Lee Child and is part of the Jack Reacher series of novels. The story centres on a sniper murdering people in a seemingly random killing spree. A military sniper who the police believe is behind the killings claims his innocence in the face of overwhelming evidence against him, so in steps Reacher - an outlaw of sorts devoted to ensuring justice prevails even if it means bending or breaking a few rules on the way.

Jack Reacher will be released on December 21st in North America and opens in the UK on Boxing Day, while there's yet to be an announcement on a date for Mission: Impossible 5.
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Thoughts on... Womb (a.k.a. Clone) (2010)

November 14, 2012, 11:40 pm
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Womb (a.k.a. Clone), 2010.

Written and Directed by Benedek Fliegauf.
Starring Eva Green, Matt Smith, Lesley Manville, Peter Wight, Hannah Murray and István Lénárt.



SYNOPSIS:

A woman's consuming love forces her to bear the clone of her dead beloved. From his infancy to manhood, she faces the unavoidable complexities of her controversial decision.



Easily the most disturbing film I've seen this year, the critically acclaimed Womb (or Clone on UK DVD releases) from Hungarian director Benedek Fliegauf certainly doesn't make for easy viewing.

I came into this film not really knowing what it was about, which was probably a good thing as the storytelling kept me in a permanent state of shock, all the while transfixed with the plot. Fliegauf chooses the German Baltic Coast in the north of the country for the backdrop for his story, and the vast endless landscapes of sea and sand really contribute to the almost suffocating feeling of isolation that imposes itself on the story and the characters. The lack of dialogue enhances this, as Eva Green and Matt Smith are forced to truly get into character in order to deliver their emotive performances. A difficult role for any actor would be Eva Green's character, Rebecca, who is morally corrupted to say the least. Her grief and longing blinds her morality and she is forced to stare the consequences in the face on a daily basis. Some uncomfortable scenes include what can almost be described as sexual tension between herself and her ten year old son (played fantastically by the superb Tristan Christopher), and later her blatant jealousy when the now-older Tommy (played by Matt Smith) brings home a girlfriend.

Exploring the idea of grief and a clash between environmental awareness and new technology, Fliegauf's film recognises that although Green and Smith's characters have somewhat off-kilter moral compasses, it is still possible to find sympathy with them, though they make uncomfortable decisions. The Gattaca-esque premise of the film leads the audience to question themselves and what decisions they would make in similar situations. And this, against the stunning backdrop of the coastline creates a truly claustrophobic and riveting experience.

Not for the faint hearted, though. Reading a few forum posts, some viewers said that they had to turn it off due to the uncomfortable nature of the naked children, which they felt was borderline child pornography. I think it is necessary to give Fliegauf credit where it's due, as Womb tackles disturbing content in a sensitive and artistic way. 

Flickering Myth Rating - Film ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★

Kirsty Capes
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A conversation with Jesse Vile, director of Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

November 14, 2012, 11:45 pm
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Piers McCarthy chats with filmmaker Jesse Vile about his directorial debut, the documentary Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet...

Piers McCarthy: When did you find out about Jason’s story and what made you want to make this documentary?

Jesse Vile: I first heard out about Jason when I was a teenager and I was taking guitar lessons and a guitar teacher of mine told me about Jason and gave me some of his music and I immediately fell in love with it. Then when I read more about his story and heard more about him I just became more and more interested in him as a musician and as a person. And so over the years [I] just loved his story and wanted other people to know about it.

I would always try and introduce people to his music and show them songs and things like that and tell them, and they’d always go, “Wow, that’s amazing!” And I just wanted to do that visually and I have been involved in film for many years – I studied film – and so, naturally, making a film about him was the next step.

PM: You’re producer of the Raindance Film Festival, which specialises in promoting new filmmakers, how long were you part of that?

JV: Well I was. I was from 2006-2008.

PM: When did you start prepping for Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet?

JV: It was under 2 years. Essentially I’ve been in the film industry for 10 years or but it was always in the position of helping other filmmakers and I wasn’t doing my own work and I went to film school, I want to be a director, and so I don’t want to take a back seat. I was at a point in my life where I decided I was going to make my own dreams hopefully come true, so that’s what really launched it. And I saw a lot of filmmakers, who I met, and I saw their work, and I saw that it was doing really well and I thought, “Well, I’ve met them and they’re not any smarter or more creative than I am; I’m sure I could do something just as good, if not better.” That’s the attitude you have to have in life – just go and try and do it. So, yeah, it was under two years.

PM: How was it going about the process of making it? How easy was it to get Jason and his family involved, and to collate all that footage and material?

JV: We spent a good three or four months just taking on the phone and on email. I sent them over a ton of questions and they’d send them back and I’d just always ask questions and try and get a better understanding of who they were as people; where they fit into the story, where everyone else fit into the story and then take it from there.

They’ve been a part of the process from the beginning all the way until the very end. It was very important to have them involved for many reasons. Mainly, because I thought it would make a better film. So anything from giving me their archive—their footage of Jason as a kid, as a teenager, photos, any audio, any scrap of anything I wanted. So they had to dig everything out (they hadn’t done that in years) but it’s good because I digitally archived everything and gave them a copy. So now they havecopies of everything saved on DVD and stuff.

PM: There’s a scene in the last third of the film where Jason and his dad are communicating through the sign language...

JV: They call it “vocal-eyes”

PM: Well when we see them using the “vocal-eyes” technique, it all seems second-nature to them and very interesting to watch, was there any thought about extending stuff like that? With all that footage you mention, how did you decide on a particular length/structure?

JV: Well we went through various cuts and various versions of the film and the final film was the one that we were the happiest with; we felt it was the best film we could make. We initially discussed having a more past/present, present/past in the way we told the story – mixing up the way we told the story/the form – but I was just always more interested in the classic three-act structure. Mainly, with the first two acts being a telling of Jason’s story in a linear fashion, and the third being the present day – that’s just the way I envisioned it and when you wrote it down and laid it out that’s, I think, the easiest way to digest the story and it also helps to tell the best story.

PM: The pacing is handled expertly. And this is your first feature film, is that right?

JV: Yeah.

PM: Well drawing upon that: the start of Jason’s story looks at his musical education (Bob Dylan, for instance), what education did you bring to the project? Did you watch a lot of documentaries before starting?

JV: I watched a ton of documentaries; I mean that’s all I watched. I mostly watched biographical ones; just to get an idea of how other directors did things – not to copy anything but to get a sense of how certain things are done, or how certain things can be done. You watch anything that’ll educate you or help you develop as a filmmaker. There were certainly ones I gravitated more toward – it’s really the ones that were more honest and true, that captured the spirit of the individual as that was more of what I was going for.

I would send Jason DVDs of documentaries to watch also, as I don’t think he watched too many docs and I think, at first, he was a little wary of opening up so much. My initial conversations with him I think he was planning on putting on a front but not revealing himself as much as I wanted him to. So without saying anything I sent him documentaries like Tyson, in which he [Mike Tyson] reveals a lot about himself (he even cries) and Anvil, which Jason was like, “Oh my God, I hope you don’t make me look as ridiculous as those guys!”. But they’re honest and open and they don’t hold anything back, so I sent him those films (and a few more) just so he could see that to make a good documentary it’s really great when people are honest and open.  So I watched a ton of documentaries and I read Jean-Dominique Bauby’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. I had seen the film a couple of times before I started making this film but I wanted to read the book and get a sense of what it’s like to be trapped inside your body. So I definitely read and watched a lot.

PM: Sadly, the success of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is something Bauby was not able to experience; this isn’t a nice thing to bring up but the fact that Jason’s disease is terminal, did that dread affect you as you were making the film?

JV: It didn’t in terms of making me feel weird or anything, but because it’s so up in the air (his life expectancy), no one really knows – it’s unprecedented. So I was always panicked that we weren’t going to finish it or that he was going to pass away before we had chance to finish it. Not for any other reason than I wanted him to see it and experience any kind of publicity or fan-fare that he would get from it, and so thank God that that didn’t happen. That’s probably the only time I ever really thought about his terminal illness. Because every day is a miracle for him; I was like “Wow, it’s almost three years—three and a half, that’s a lot of miracles.” So thankfully he’s still around.

PM: Well it is a miraculous story and it has the chance of reaching a massive audience because of that story of a strong human spirit. What are your expectations of the film?

JV: Thanks, and I know what you mean, but unfortunately documentaries aren’t the most popular form so it really just depends on cinemas picking it up and putting it out there, getting it into the press or just something happening (it being on a famous talk show). There’s a lot of great films that don’t get seen by as many people as they should, so I don’t know. I just hope it helps Jason and his family and that people take away something positive from the experience of watching it.

PM: Well documentaries are kind of thriving at the minute, so has there been any push from distributors?

JV: Yeah, well we have UK distribution, US and Canadian distribution and hopefully they’re doing their jobs in trying to get word out as much as they can, and having the film into as many outlets as they can. But they can’t control the cinemas – if the cinemas don’t want to book it, for instance. But we have a Facebook page with 40,000+ strong around the world. And Jason has a huge following. So we just promote every screening and try to get as many people as we can to go, and try to do as many interviews as we can, and that’s essentially all we can do. I’m a one-man-team – doing all this stuff on my end and there’s only so much I can do. But hopefully it gets out there.

PM: Well I imagine anyone who’s seen it so far – me included – hopes the same. You mentioned being on your own for the promotional side of things but when it came to making the documentary how did you assemble your crew?

JV: Most of them were NFT [National Film and Television School] graduates and so what’s really good about NFT grads is that they’re usually very talented, very creative, and they’re looking for projects; they’re fresh out of film school with all this knowledge and talent and looking for big projects. So I asked one of my co-producers, Peter King, if he knew anyone and he’s worked with some people and he gave me a few recommendations - that’s how I found my sound designer and my cameraman. With my editor I was just asking people – I asked my sound designer for any recommendations he had (people he knew, people he’d worked with) and he gave me a few names and then I went to an editing talent agency – I can’t even remember how I got the other guys – to interview them and the one I gelled with the most, and the one I felt the best energy from, and whose work I liked the most was who I went with.

It was a small budget – they weren’t doing it for free but compared to what the top editors earn it was very little. It was really just getting recommendations from people and meeting them and making sure their ideas for the film gelled with mine and that I got a good feeling from them.

PM: Did their love for music come into that choice at all?

JV: I think originally – it definitely helps if they like music (none of them liked Jason’s music to begin with) – I was looking for an editor who was a shred guitar fan; I felt I needed someone who knew what that type of music was about and just got it. But then that didn’t happen (it didn’t break my heart that it didn’t happen – I wasn’t beholden to that idea) and after I picked my editor I realised it’s actually better they’re not into that kind of music because I wasn’t making the film for fans or fans of shred guitar, I was making it for people that don’t even know about it but will still like the film. So I thought it was more important to have someone who was into music, but not into that type of music because then you would have had a fan-boy putting in lots of stuff, and as a director I would have stopped them, but it would gotten in the way of things. The main thing was that they were all in love with Jason’s story and that was important. Everyone who worked on it was very passionate about Jason’s story and that was the important thing with putting it together. This wasn’t a money project; it was more about getting experience (of course getting paid, too) and believing in the story.

PM: Speaking of music, what’s your favourite track of Jason’s? It’s incredible that even after being diagnosed and becoming paralysed that he still writes music – are you a fan of the new stuff or more taken with the old classics?

JV: Well I like everything that he’s doing, but my favourite stuff is the stuff that turned me on to him because it’s nostalgic and it’s what launched this whole thing for me. My favourite track (which is probably pretty much everyone’s) is “Altitudes” which is on his first solo album, Perpetual Burn– that’s what made me stop and say, “Wow, I can’t believe this 17 year-old is exuding this much emotion in their music with the guitar” and that’s what made Jason stand out for me, so for those reasons I prefer his early work.

PM: I know you mentioned it not being a money project but would you release the soundtrack for the film?

JV: I don’t think so because I know nothing about the music industry and, again, it’s just me and I don’t have the time or resources to put out the soundtrack and I don’t think his record label does either.

PM: But it’s all out there anyway?

JV: Yeah, the only thing you can’t get is the original score that Michael Lee Firkins did, which is not throughout the whole film (it’s mainly in the first half of the film – it doesn’t appear at all in the third act).
Actually, there are two tracks in the film that you can’t get yet but I’m sure they’ll be out soon.

PM: Right at the end we see that concert honouring Jason – is that more common now? Are people more aware of the man behind the music thanks to the documentary?

JV: I’m not sure how it’s affected his album sales but he’s going to a lot more screenings and he’s a lot more active now because of the film so that’s been really great for him. It gives him stuff to look forward to and to go out with his family and friends, celebrate his life and meet new people – in that regard it’s been really great for him.

PM: Veering off from the film, have you got any future projects lined up?

JV: Yeah, I’m developing one at the moment. It’s way too early to get into it – I’m not supposed to say anything about it – but it’s the early stages of development. It’s quite a complex story but hopefully it does happen.

Thanks to Jesse Vile for taking the time to take part in this interview and to DogWoof Productions for setting it all up.

Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet has a limited release starting from the 16th November, you can read our review of the film here.

Piers McCarthy - Follow me on Twitter.
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Listen to the complete soundtrack for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

November 15, 2012, 12:04 am
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In just four weeks time Peter Jackson will take fans back to Middle-earth for the first of his three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit, and to further build anticipation for the fantasy epic (as if it's needed), the full soundtrack for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is now online for our listening pleasure.

The soundtrack is composed by Howard Shore, who bagged himself a trio of Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Best Music, Original Score) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Original Song), and will be available to buy from December 10th in both standard and deluxe editions.

Check out the full soundtrack in its entirety here...


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens on December 13th and features a cast that includes Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Elijah Wood and Benedict Cumberbatch.
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Chronicle's Dane DeHaan among the contenders for Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2

November 15, 2012, 3:25 am
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Sony's superhero sequel The Amazing Spider-Man is currently in pre-production ahead of a February 2013 start date, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, director Marc Webb has identified a shortlist of actors for the role of Harry Osborn - Peter Parker's (Andrew Garfield) best friend and the son of Spidey's arch-nemesis, Norman Osborn, a.k.a. The Green Goblin.

Said to be in contention for the part of Harry - who was portrayed by James Franco (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy - is Chronicle star Dane DeHann, along with up-and-coming actors Brady Corbet (Melancholia) and Alden Ehrenreich (Beautiful Creatures). THR goes on to state that there could also be other names in the mix as the character is said to have evolved from requiring "a bigger athletic actor" to one who is "dark and edgy."

Joining the returning Andrew Garfield in the cast of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, while Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) will appear as Mary Jane Watson and Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) is thought to have signed on as the villain Electro. Meanwhile it's also been rumoured that Band of Brothers and Homeland star Damian Lewis could be set to join the cast as Norman Osborn, after reportedly passing on the role of Electro.
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Twins sequel Triplets finds its writers

November 15, 2012, 4:09 am
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Josh Gad and Ryan Dixon have been signed up by Universal Pictures to draft the screenplay to Triplets, the sequel to the 1988 smash comedy, Twins. According to Deadline, Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator) and Danny DeVito (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) will reprise their roles as the unlikely brothers and the comedy sequel will see the addition of a new sibling in the form of the even more unlikely Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop).

Gad stars as Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon and is also executive producer and star of the upcoming NBC comedy 1600 Penn, which centres on a dysfunctional family living in the White House. The series is set to premiere in January and stars Jenna Elfman (Two and a Half Men) and Bill Pullman (Scary Movie 4). The comedy actor is also starring in the forthcoming film Thanks for Sharing alongside Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) and Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers), which made its debut at Sundance.

Ivan Reitman, who directed the original Twins film, will return as producer on Triplets, while a release date is yet to be announced.
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9 minutes of Star Trek Into Darkness hitting IMAX 3D this December

November 15, 2012, 11:56 am
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Considering it hits cinemas in just over six months time, it's amazing how little we know about Star Trek Into Darkness, director J.J. Abrams' hugely-secretive follow-up to his hit 2009 Star Trek reboot. Apart from a handful of spy shots and two frames of footage (!), there's been absolutely nothing - no cast photos, no poster, no teaser trailer...

Well, that's about to change as Paramount Pictures has announced that the first 9 minutes from the eagerly-awaited sequel will premiere across 500 digital IMAX 3D theatres from December 14th, with the exclusive first-look set to screen alongside Peter Jackson's epic fantasy prequel The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It's only the third time that IMAX has hosted a first-look, after doing so with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and The Dark Knight Rises.

"Our longtime partners J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and the Bad Robot team have really hit it out of the park – the footage is absolutely incredible," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, on today's announcement. “Their use of the IMAX Camera and canvas is sure to impress current and future Star Trek fans alike, and we’re thrilled to once again work with our friends at Paramount Pictures to offer this extended ‘first look’ at this highly anticipated summer blockbuster."

Update: According to TrekMovie, the first official trailer will be attached to non-IMAX screenings of The Hobbit: "TrekMovie has exclusively learned from multiple trusted sources that the first trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness will premiere with screenings of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on December 14th. To be clear this Trek trailer is a completely different thing than the 9-minute preview of the beginning of the new movie which will be shown at IMAX screenings of the Hobbit film"

Star Trek Into Darkness sees Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Anton Yelchin reprising their roles as the crew of the USS Enterprise, while Bruce Greenwood also returns as Captain Pike. Newcomers to the cast include Alice Eve (Men in Black 3), Peter Weller (RoboCop), Nazneen Contractor (24), Noel Clarke (Doctor Who) and Nolan North (Young Justice), while Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) will star as the as-yet-unconfirmed villain. The film hits cinemas on May 17th, 2013.
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A new plot synopsis for The Wolverine

November 15, 2012, 12:35 pm
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Hugh Jackman dons the adamantium claws once again next July as Fox releases the latest instalment in its X-Men movie franchise, The Wolverine, which is set to adapt the classic 1982 Japanese story arc from comic book writer Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller. We've already had a short plot outline for the film back in August, but now a new synopsis has been uncovered by The Lebanese Cinema Movie Guide, which gives us a few more details about the storyline for the forthcoming sequel:

"Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before."


It's interesting to note that Logan is now immortal (and presumably still kicking about in the alternate future of Bryan Singer's upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past?) and the description of him "emerging more powerful" than ever before certainly seems to support the promises from Jackman and director James Mangold (Knight and Day) that The Wolverine will finally deliver the full-on beserker rage that X-Men fans have been clamoring to see... Well, either that, or they've mixed up the script with the Highlander reboot.

The Wolverine has been written by Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) and Mark Bomback (Jack the Giant Killer) and also features Will Yun Lee (Total Recall), Brian Tee (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai), Hal Yamanouchi (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), Svetlana Khodchenkova (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and newcomers Rila Fukushima and Tao Okamoto. It is due to hit cinemas on July 26th, 2013.
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Comic Book Review - 2000 AD Prog 1809

November 15, 2012, 11:36 pm
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Luke Graham reviews the latest 2000 AD prog...

This week’s strip is an intense affair. The overarching story interwoven between the three Mega-City strips (Dredd, Low Life and Jack Point) escalates in tension, reaping plot-points sown in previous issues and different strips, creating a much more rewarding reading experience. 

Judge Dredd: The Cold Deck, part four

Script: Al Ewing, Art: Henry Flint

Chief Judge Hershey confronts Dredd over his failure to retrieve the Wally Squad list this issue. It’s a very tense affair. Hershey and Dredd have history going back to the early years of 2000AD, and Ewing highlights this with a flashback to The Judge Child storyline from 1980. The contrast with the brighter past (with a neat art effect evoking old printing techniques) and the grimmer present is a nice touch.

Hershey is hurt that Dredd did not trust her judgement to place Bachmann on the council, and that his actions have not only put Wally squad under threat but given Bachmann ammunition to use against Hershey’s administration.

But as Bachmann points out, Hershey is thinking too small, as Bachmann gives the order to her black ops troops to start assassinating Wally squad judges. It’s a scary conclusion.

We get some clues on the broader plan at work. The giant, shark-shaped city being built on the moon, Luna-2, also called the God City, will descend from the moon to destroy Mega-City, allowing Bachmann to implement her new, presumably theocratic order.

It’s a good issue, with strong dialogue and lots of seeds being planted for the rest of the story. One instance of this is when Judge Maitland has a moment of déjà vu, which shows her giving information about the finances of Black Ops to an unseen Judge dunking biscuits in tea. Could this unseen senior figure be Judge Smiley, who keeps appearing in Dirty Frank’s flashbacks over in Low Life?

It’s an innocuous two panels, but it suggests an explanation for how Smiley (and I’ve just figured out who that’s referencing) knew about Overdrive and planted Dirty Frank on the moon.

My only complaint with this week’s Dredd strip is that Henry Flint’s design for black ops Judges is different to how they’re drawn in Low Life. Flint gives them balaclavas wrapped around their heads, while Simon Coleby gives them gas masks, hoods and katanas. It’s a petty complaint, but at least both have those ominous growing red eyes.

Low Life: Saudade, part five

Script: Rob Williams, Art: D’Israeli

It turns out Frank managed to survive last week’s cliff-hanger, but has been captured and is being tortured by Mr. Overdrive and his mercenaries.

The strip begins with a flashback giving us a hint at Dirty Frank’s origin: the sole survivor of a mission that went wrong, Frank had lost an eye and his wits, at which point the mysterious Judge Smiley (the old, plain, glasses-wearing Judge with a fondness for tea gets a name this week as his badge is visible) suggests he could cope with this trauma by becoming someone else entirely, and assigns him to Wally Squad.

It’s little character moments like this that support my belief that Frank is the most relatable character in 2000AD, a man who faced such trauma that he escaped into delusion. A character who started as comic relief garners a great deal of pathos.

Whoever Judge Frank used to be, we get a hint of it this week, as a botched psychic interrogation unleashes a far more effective and dangerous individual, who reclaims the list from Overdrive, but is he too late to save the rest of Wally Squad?

ABC Warriors: Return to Earth, part ten

Script: Pat Mills, Art: Clint Langley

ABC Warriors feels like it’s spinning its wheels this Prog. After last week’s intense confrontation between Hammerstein and Quartz, Hammerstein is forced into hiding at a second-hand robot dealership. There he meets Ro-Jaws, an amusing recycling droid.

After waiting a year, it is announced that war has been criminalised and sale of war robots banned. Hammerstein’s mission was a success!

And that’s about it really. It’s basically a cooling off period, and is just a conversation between the two droids. The dialogue’s good and the art strong as usual. The moment where Hammerstein passes the time by recalling the costs of war (specifically the millions of casualties) is interesting, and a tad seditious on the part of Pat Mills.

Brass Sun: The Wheel of Worlds, part ten

Script: Ian Edgington, Art: I. N. J. Culbard

The plot of Brass Sun moves forward nicely this issue, as Wren and Conductor Seventeen meet the ruler of The Keep. The father of Helena (the huntress who saved the pair from the brown robots, revealed to be called Scythes) is a pugnacious and slightly revolting lord, his face covered in food as he loudly complains about his servants, reminiscing about how it used to be okay to brutalise and intimidate one’s slaves.

With such a delightful demeanour, it’s no surprise that parts of his giant estate have gone wild and are inhabited with traitors and runaways (presumably future progs will explore this area). The ruling family also seem to be at war with another family, the “Grand Dame” who controls the scythes.

Wren and C-17 are sent off with a servant to the forge to find out information, only for Ramkin the servant to pull a gun on them.

With a new set of interesting characters, future stories are ripe for drama and political intrigue. The art is great as usual, with a final splash image of a sprawling city.

Brass Sun is ticking along nicely.

The Simping Detective: Jokers to the Right, part five

Script: Simon Spurrier, Art: Simon Coleby

Bachmann’s decision to have the Wally Squad wiped out pays off straight away, with a Black Ops ninja judge attacking Jack Point, with the strip closing on a cliff-hanger with Point on his knees and a knife heading for his neck.

Ties between the Church of Simpology and Overdrive Inc are hinted at this strip, as Jack gets brainwashed in a sleep machine. As I’ve come to expect from Coleby, there are some truly trippy drawings spread through the strip.

In addition, Simon Spurrier’s writing is top notch once again, with great narration and pacing.

It’s a really good strip, with lots of revealing character moments for Jack, who keeps spiralling downwards and still has not hit the bottom. Point’s being played a patsy by someone, but is it by Bachmann or Smiley?

Strip of the Week!

The three Meg-world strips just keep getting better, so Strip of the Week goes to all three. As we get some answers, we’re left with even more questions, which is a sign of very good writing. It feels like things will come to a head very soon, but I have to congratulate the 2000AD team for orchestrating all these story elements and plot threads between three very different writers and characters.

See you next time.


Luke Graham is a writer and graduate. If you enjoyed this review, follow him @LukeWGraham and check out his blog here.
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Jane Goldman in talks to write Pinocchio

November 16, 2012, 2:09 am
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Jane Goldman (Kick -Ass) is in talks with Warner Bros. with a view to writing the script for their forthcoming live action adaptation of the classic children’s tale Pinocchio. An initial draft has already been created by Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) and according to THR the studio are eyeing Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands) to direct the new film and are also looking to land Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man) as Pinocchio’s master Geppetto.

Pinocchio was written by Italian Carlo Collodi and centers around a woodcarver called Geppetto, who creates a puppet that becomes a real boy and whose nose grows whenever he tells a lie. When Pinocchio goes missing, Geppetto embarks on a quest to reunite with his creation. The story has been most famously told in the 1940 animated Disney classic.

The British writer who is also the wife of talk show host Jonathan Ross is certainly building a name for herself in Hollywood after collaborating with fellow Brit Matthew Vaughn on the popular films Kick-Ass, Stardust and X-Men: First Class, as well as penning the script for the big screen adaptation of the Susan Hill novel The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe.
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Anime Giveaway - Win Trigun: Badlands Rumble on Blu-ray

November 16, 2012, 7:14 am
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LOVE AND PEACE! It's been over a decade since pacifist gunslinger Vash the Stampede last rode off into the sunset, but now Trigun's legendary outlaw is back and causing more chaos than ever! Set on the sci-fi Wild West world of Gunsmoke, the new Trigun: Badlands Rumble movie sports big budget visuals and scintillating action scenes while staying faithful to the characters that Trigun fans all know and love.

Trigun: Badlands Rumble is out now on DVD and Blu-ray and we have a copy of the Blu-ray to give away to one lucky reader courtesy of the lovely people at Manga Entertainment. Read on for a synopsis, and details of how to enter...

20 years ago, laid-back sharpshooter Vash the Stampede foiled a bank heist by notorious thief Gasback but also saved him from his own double-crossing henchmen. Now Gasback is in Macca City once again, eager to settle scores with his former gang - one of whom has become the town's mayor. But while the master criminal finds an ally in trigger-happy preacher Wolfwood, the 300 million double-dollar price on Gasback's head also attracts a horde of heavily-armed bounty hunters. 

Amongst them is the redheaded Amelia, a gunslinger with a grudge against Gasback …and an unwanted admirer in the shape of doughnut-loving disaster magnet Vash the Stampede. Add gun-toting insurance agents Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson into the mix, and the scene is set for a showdown of epic proportions. Vash's deadeye marksmanship and lightning fast reactions may belie his goofy exterior, but can even The Humanoid Typhoon bring love and peace to Macca City?

Order Tigrun: Badlands Rumble on DVD and Blu-ray.

To be in with a chance of winning, firstly make sure you like us on Facebook (or follow us on Twitter)...



...Then complete your details below, using the subject heading "TRIGUN". The competition closes at midnight on Saturday, December 1st. UK entrants only please.

 
 By entering this competition you agree to our terms and conditions, which you can read here.
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Thoughts on the House of Cards trailer

November 16, 2012, 7:41 am
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Piers McCarthy discusses the trailer for House of Cards...

David Fincher and Netflix have been working on an American version of Michael Dobb’s House of Cards for some time now. Yesterday we were able to see snippets from the fruits of their labour with the first trailer.

The new series follows Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), whose drive to become President leads him to unflinchingly tackle all of his superiors. Spacey is joined by Sakina Jaffrey, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Kate Mara and Corey Stoll as the supporting colleagues, family and friends. Spacey and Wright have significant billing but this clearly isn’t a star-studded picture aiming for massive commercial success. Instead, Fincher and the additional directors and producers are making a smart, refined television drama for a demographic, realistically, of adults aged 30 onwards (with some student and general politically-minded audiences to boot).

Tonally, House of Cards looks highly sophisticated – not only from the issues it's dealing with but also from its aesthetic. Fincher frequent uses sharp angles in his frames along with a mustard and glaucous colour-tone; even with Fincher only directing two out of the 11 episodes, his style will imaginably run throughout. With Beau Willimon (writer and co-producer of The Ides of March) in amongst the team of 7 producers, the mood of Clooney’s political thriller/drama and Fincher’s 2010 film, The Social Network, have become beautifully compatible in the creation of this new adaptation. It looks sleek and entertaining. Plus, it will be a great new political television drama to fill the void since The West Wing ended.

Fincher is arguably one of the smartest and most critically adorned directors working in Hollywood today though, only now, has he turned his attention to politics. Many of his films deal with issues of obsession, pressure along with matters of deception and conflict – this will fit his filmography as perfectly as his serial-killer subjects do.

It all appears well crafted and with tight collaboration between known associates. Fincher previously worked with fellow producers Dana Brunetti, Joshua Donen, Eric Roth and, of course, Kevin Spacey. Brunetti was one of the Oscar nominees for The Social Network whilst Eric Roth wrote The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’s screenplay. Previous partners should allow for extremely lucid filmmaking.

Additional directors include James Foley (who worked with Spacey on Glengarry Glen Ross), Joel Schumacher (Batman & Robin but also well-regarded films such as Falling Down and The Client), Charles McDougall (The Office) and Allen Coulter (The Sopranos).

Spacey, apart from Fincher, is the stand-out name on this project and looks fantastic in the lead. Known for several distrustful and manipulative characters in the past (including John Doe in Fincher’s Se7en), Underwood will undoubtedly become a historical role for him. Already with lines like, “We’ll clear you from the heard and watch you die in the wilderness” and “That’s how you devour a whale: one bit at a time”, something about his callous performance will have him raking in the nominations and (hopefully) wins.


House of Cards is set to premiere on Netflix on February 1st, 2013.
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Thor and Malekith go head-to-head in the latest set photos from Thor: The Dark World

November 16, 2012, 9:16 am
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The cast and crew of the upcoming Marvel Studios superhero sequel Thor: The Dark World have been filming on location in Greenwich this past week and following on from our first look at Christopher Eccleston's (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) new bad guy Malekith the Accursed a couple of days back, we now have some spy shots of the Dark Elf going up against Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder courtesy of SplashNewsOnline and Dan Mumford:












And here's a set video of the two in action:



Thor: The Dark World is directed by Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) and reunites Hemsworth with Thor stars Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, Ray Stevenson, Jaimie Alexander and Tadanobu Asano, while franchise newcomers include Zachary Levi (Chuck) as Fandral and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost) as Algrim the Strong, a.k.a Curse. The film is set to join Iron Man 3 as part of Disney's 2013 slate, hitting cinemas on November 8th next year.

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The Walking Dead Season 3 - Episode 5 Review

November 16, 2012, 11:13 am
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Piers McCarthy reviews the fifth episode of The Walking Dead season three...

After last week’s grand spectacle of chaos and loss, I was fearful that episode 5 would slow down. I don’t expect The Walking Dead to continually be a show of amped up action and gore; though after Season 2 I wanted it to take a different direction. As of yet that’s exactly what the show’s writers and directors are doing; episode 5 has to show some mourning but it shows it in a more visceral way. What’s more, the programme is starting to look at deeper, darker themes that effectively catalyse a lot of the drama.

Major spoilers follow…

Rick Grimes has had to suffer the loss of his wife twice – when he escaped from a coma and hospital he found a world of death around him (visiting his home he believed his wife and son to be lost in the ruin), and now after she fatally gave birth to his daughter. He has had to endure the stages of grief more than anyone would care for, though he has never had issues with the anger stage. For all the tension between him and Lori since her confession about Shane, and the ambiguity about his feelings for her, Lori’s death sparked something inside of Rick. Episode 5 picks up immediately after 4 and Rick is in a near catatonic state of rage, marching his way through the prison, hacking up all the walkers that he finds.

Andrew Lincoln has owned the show all the way through. Now, however, the push in his character’s situation enables him to explore the more morbid side of Rick and bring more to the character. As he slashes his way through the zombies (fantastically shot to begin with, as the camera acts partially as POV shot with blood splatters surging from the audience’s/zombies’ viewpoint) we are seeing the most animalistic and unrestrained version of this man. We have seen his instinctual side before (more recently with the murder of the Latino convict) though as Glenn later tries to pull Rick back from his sanguine storm, you can see no humanity in his eyes. Rick’s cry in the end of the last episode and his blood-stained avenger in episode 5 show him as a wounded and lost man (it will act as great evidence for Lincoln’s deserved Emmy and Golden Globe nominations).

The others allow Rick to deal with his unforeseen widower status and instead focus their attention on the newborn. That means for Maggie and Daryl to head out to find supplies (mainly baby formula) – something we haven’t seen for a while. Unfortunately this excursion from the prison is fleeting but adds some humour amongst the gloom of the episode (Daryl shooting a possum and calling it as dinner). Daryl additionally adds some light on the darkness later on by naming the new baby “Ass kicker” after Carl’s ideas of naming the baby after their dead companions.

In the alternate Walking Dead arc the “will they stay/will they go” aspect of Michonne and Andrea’s story is becoming tedious. Thankfully, Michonne’s attitude toward the town finally leads her to walk out the gates. It takes some aggressive interaction between her and the Governor before this happens as both are becoming too wary and hostile to one another.

The episode starts with the Governor combing a little girl’s hair, stroke by stroke until a clump of hair and a patch of skin are pulled out by the brush. As the scalp rips away the girl starts lashing around on the floor. She is a “biter” (as the Woodbury clan call them) and the Governor’s daughter. He has kept her with him in hope a cure would come (one can assume). This is one of the motifs that has ran through the series – the notion of keeping your loved ones close, even if they are undead. The hope that a cure will be found is something Hershel held on to, and clearly the Governor too. Michonne witnesses this from below the Governor’s window and later finds a cage full of walkers who she warms up with up after repossessing her sword. This scene loses some of its credibility due to some very poor CGI work but later model and practical effects fortunately help you forget it.

The Governor confronts Michonne after her little spot of “exercise”. They discuss the caged biters and then talk about secrets (mainly to do with a list Michonne finds). The Governor, on hearing about the list’s names, shows a tiny bit of fear and anger in his expression. Nevertheless, he goes back to his manipulative mode, appearing collected and caring. Michonne, still untrustworthy, grabs her sword and points it to the Governor’s throat. We know she wouldn’t kill him but it’s an affirming nod to Michonne’s hatred of the place and the people who run it; we now know that she will not and cannot stay.

With Michonne going, Andrea decides to stay (further adding to the parallel themes of departure and continuation). Michonne desperately tries to tell Andrea of the uncanny nature of Woodbury but, as of yet, it is only Michonne and the audience who can perceive it. A scene with Merle and helpers wrangling together walkers, killing some and maintaining others (by maintaining I mean pulling out their teeth to leave them relatively harmless) adds to the audience’s suspicions about the place. We later discover the walkers to be set up as walls in a bizarre arena where a gladiatorial fight takes place between some of the townspeople. It is set out as entertainment and the crowd go wild as the two men wrestle in amongst a circle of clawing, biting walkers. Andrea watches with the Governor and soon sees some truth in Michonne’s warning. She is appalled at the display and even with the Governor explaining the fake aspect of it (the toothless zombies, for one) she cannot find any decent quality in it. The zombie arena is also a good pretext for keeping the zombies alive (yet, as we understand, the Governor still longs to find out a way to repair the virus’ effects).

The penultimate scene shows Daryl laying a flower on one of the graves Glenn, Axel and Oscar dug. Daryl is perhaps the most likeable in the show – this poignant moment emphasising that further. Amongst the depressing aspects of this and last week’s episode, there are many uplifting and touching moments. Last week’s was Hershel stepping out and this week’s “Say the Word” has Daryl at the grave and Hershel and Glenn momentarily bonding (Hershel obviously sees Glenn as the perfect partner for his daughter Maggie). The Walking Dead is built on humanism (and ironically on zombies) so it always includes a moment or moments like this.

Finishing on Rick’s exhausted charge through the prison, he stops in the boiler room. In there he finds a bloated walker, having devoured all of Lori (though the lack of bones leads me to believe that is not the case completely and maybe Carl did not shoot her). Rick sticks his gun barrel into the undead’s gullet and fires. Not finished there, he then stabs the stomach of the zombie repeatedly, as if to prevent any kind of digestion of Lori (if that is at all possible with them). He slumps back, tired from his day-long excursion and distress. As he stares into space an alien sound suddenly breaks the silence – a telephone in the room is ringing. Rick walks up to it and answers. The more I think about it the more intrigued I become; not only for the fact that there is no power in the prison, but also by the query of who could be calling and why specifically that room. It is a very decent cliff-hanger that highlights the entertaining quality of Rick’s story far more than Andrea’s (that has lost some momentum and personal interest).

Piers McCarthy - Follow me on Twitter.
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2000 AD and DC Comics announce The Batman Judge Dredd Collection

November 16, 2012, 11:36 am
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2012 has been a pretty good year for fans of DC Comics' Batman and 2000 AD's Judge Dredd; both of the iconic characters have graced the silver screen to varying degrees of success, with Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises grossing over a billion dollars at the box office, and Pete Travis' Dredd 3D banishing the ghost of 1995's Sylvester Stallone-headlined Judge Dredd. Now 2000 AD and DC Comics have announced that the duo will be teaming up for The Batman Judge Dredd Collection, a hardcover edition reprint of the four classic 90s comic book crossovers.


Here's the official press release, courtesy of ComicBookResources...

Two of the biggest characters in comic books duke it out in their own iconic cities - more than 20 years since it was first published, the epic Batman vs. Judge Dredd stories are still the most brutal crossovers in comics!

2000 AD is very proud to be working with DC Comics to co-publish the highly anticipated THE BATMAN JUDGE DREDD COLLECTION, which brings together the four team-ups between the Lawman of the Future and the Dark Knight for the first time in a brand new hardback edition, with a fantastic roster of superstar talent, including Simon Bisley and Glenn Fabry.

Originally released between 1991 and 1998, these epic crossovers - Judgment on Gotham, Vendetta in Gotham, The Ultimate Riddle, and Die Laughing - brought the dynamic duo together to fight their ultimate foes. From alien super-fiend Judge Death escaping to Gotham to the Joker teaming up with the Dark Judges to cause mass slaughter in Mega-City One, THE BATMAN JUDGE DREDD COLLECTION brilliantly captures the lunacy and non-stop action of these two all-too-similar worlds from either side of the Atlantic.

Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner leads a pack of top names, including Alan Grant (Batman, Lobo), Simon Bisley (Hellblazer), Glenn Fabry (Preacher, Hellblazer), Val Semeiks (The Demon, Lobo), and Cam Kennedy (Batman, The Light and Darkness War) - all contained in a cover from Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.

Published by 2000 AD in the UK and Ireland, and by DC in North America, this ultimate new edition also includes the hard-to-find meeting between Dredd and psychotic biker Lobo, and deserves a place in the collection of any self-respecting Dredd or Batman fan.

The Batman Judge Dredd Collection will be released on November 27th.
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Movie Review - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)

November 16, 2012, 12:36 pm
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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, 2012.

Directed by Bill Condon.
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Mackenzie Foy, Ashley Greene, Maggie Grace, Michael Sheen, Nikki Reed, Jamie Campbell Bower, Kellan Lutz and Dakota Fanning.


SYNOPSIS:

With the birth of Renesmee, and Bella’s new life just beginning, the Cullen family gather various vampire covens in preparation for a showdown with the Vulturi.


I thought I might be in a different position than most reviewers. That is to say, I’ve never hated The Twilight Saga. Though they are hardly the pinnacle of cinema they are harmless, and if you really had an issue with the whole thing, then you don’t have to take any notice.

So, without a care I went to a midnight showing with my better half. She has read the books (before the first film might I add) and chatted with me enough about them that I know the difference between the Vulturi and Quileute. I was expecting more of the same melodrama, longing glances and pained expressions.

As prepared as I was though, Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is rather poor.

With all the money that these films have made you would have thought that they would spend some of it on making things look decent, especially for the grand finale. Sadly there are several moments in the film where shoddy CGI completely takes you out of the film.

Newborn Renesmee grows extremely quickly due to her unique parentage, so the likeness of the eventual older Renesmee is placed upon various children. The result is horrific and resulted in laughter and gasps. I personally felt a sense of relief when she grew up and we no longer had such poor work foisted upon us.

The vampire’s movement is the other major let down. I don’t feel like any of the directors ever got a good handle on portraying their speed, but here it really is terrible. Characters either move in the same vein as The Flash, or we get to see them running normally with scenery whizzing past, which just looks naff.

The wolves are much more convincing, and we are spared a long telepathic wolf pack chat this time round. Thank God. When you add this to a visually much more impressive opening, you wonder how they could have gotten some things so right and others so wrong?

So moving on, does the acting make any of this bearable? Well, if you’ve seen any of the previous entries (what are you doing here if you haven’t?) you can expect more of the same. I don’t feel like I can be too disparaging towards anyone though, since there are so many characters introduced that no one gets time to really make anything of their character. Stewart does a decent job of portraying Bella’s newfound vampire confidence, with a few amusing lines and in a shock turn of events provides with more than her usual dead-eyed expression. Pattinson gets to pout and look moody; Lautner gets to take his shirt off and the rest of the cast just do enough. Some praise is reserved for Michael Sheen however, who is clearly aware of where he is, and hams it up accordingly. Though he is the main villain of the piece, he adds some levity to an otherwise stodgy affair.

The running time comes in at under 2 hours, but really it could have done with more time to flesh out the large cast. Who cares if the Irish coven gets killed if all I’ve seen is 10 seconds of them using stereotypes to get across that they are from across the pond?

Poorly written characters are not my biggest issue with the script however.

In typical Hollywood fashion we have a final battle. This one is a stand out however; as we are treated to one of the laziest pieces of writing and cheap shock tactics that I’ve ever seen. It really did cheapen a lot of what happened, and whilst it elicited many gasps of shock it was ultimately meaningless. This is the single biggest flaw with the film, as not only does it feel extremely hollow, but I know that if I was a fan of the books, I’d be disappointed and possibly quite angry.

Twilight was a decent enough introduction to the world, even though Edward’s hair was a bit too crazy. After the bore-fest that was New Moon, the series really picked up with Eclipse and appeared to be carrying on in that vein with Breaking Dawn –Part 1. Like Bella faking breathing to fool her Father into thinking she is still human, Breaking Dawn – Part 2 attempts to use a trashy twist and poor CGI to make us feel something.

Whilst cinema goers worldwide rejoice at the (possible) end of the franchise, I’m left wondering at what point Billy Condon etc. stopped caring.  Having never been offended by these films and even having enjoyed them at times, I can’t help but feel for those to whom this was more important.

Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★  / Movie ★

Chris Cooper
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