Monthly Archive: October 2008

Sex & Gasoline, by Martha Thomases

  • News
  • October 18, 2008

The campaign is almost over. The last Presidential Debate was Wednesday. Those of us who are not Joe the Plumber may wonder what the candidates have to say about the issues that matter to us.

You can go to the candidate’s websites here (Obama) and here (McCain) to find out what they say. There’s a lot there, but it’s written in political speak, designed to offend as few potential voters as possible. Will anyone tell us about where he stands on the issues in words we can relate to?

I have my own opinions. Take a look, and you’ll see why I’ll never be elected to any public office:

• The candidates in DC Decisions seem to be running for office in the year 2000.

No one is talking about the price of gasoline. No one is talking about the war or windfall profits. No one is talking about gay marriage (the hot button issue of 2004). Maybe corporations are less greedy in the DCU. Maybe people there are more tolerant. It seems to be a wonderful place. They have a black woman running for the Republican nomination. People come to her rallies. No one has mentioned if she’s a Muslim.

• The Marvel Universe is having its own election. They get to vote for Stephen Colbert.

• There are a lot of graphic novels about cancer, including this one, this one and this one. There are no graphic novels or comic books about health insurance.  There is, however, a wonderful <a href=”

on the subject.

• Similarly, religion plays a huge part in our national conversation every four years. We don’t see that in comics. How would Rao vote? What would Odin do?

• Can dolphins vote in either version of Atlantis? If not, why not?

• One of the ways the Guardians of the Universe recognized Hal Jordan as a man without fear was his experience as a test pilot. John McCain crashed six planes. Would he get a ring? If so, what would his energy constructs look like? (more…)

Pitt Embarks on ‘Odyssey’

  • Uncategorized
  • October 18, 2008

brad-pitt-abs-7873954Warner Bros. is quietly setting up The Odyssey with Brad Pitt’s Plan B producing and George Miller (Mad Max) attached to direct. The hope is that Brad Pitt will also star as Odysseus, who embarks on his long journey home from the Trojan War after declining to become a god.

WB previously released Troy, which was essentially a retelling of Homer’s The Illiad. While The Odyssey would continue the translation of Homer’s poems to the big screen, there’s a big difference between the two versions: Warner Bros. wants to put Odysseus in space.

Variety reports: "[The WB’s] intention is to transfer the tale [of The Odyssey] to a futuristic setting in outer space."

The announcement of a science fiction twist on The Odyssey comes shortly after Ridley Scott’s recently announced The Forever War. Scott describes that flick, which is based on the Joe Haldeman novel of the same name, as "a science-fiction epic, a bit of The Odyssey by way of Blade Runner." Forever War is being set up by Fox 2000, a rival company of the WB’s.

Brad Pitt will next be seen in David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a reverse aging epic with much rumored Oscar buzz. George Miller is currently most known for Justice League Mortal, the controversial adaptation of the beloved DC Comics property. It’s still unclear as to whether the film is being made, as several executives and journalists call the project "dead in the water," but others attached to the film, such as would-be Batman Armie Hammer, continue to speak as though the movie is still on track. Personally, a George Miller directed sci-fi version of The Odyssey sounds a lot better than his proposed Justice League film.

Sam Raimi Discusses ‘Spider-Man’

  • News
  • October 18, 2008

Hold onto your web fluid capsules, Spidey fans. It’s gonna be a while before your friendly neighborhood wall crawler swings his way back onto the big screen.

Sam Raimi sat down with MTV to discuss his recently announced return to the Spider-Man franchise, and admitted that it could take some time for the sequel to get off the ground.

"I’m really excited about Spider-Man, and I’m hoping to direct it," he tells MTV. "I don’t have a script yet, but production would start probably by March 2010." That gives Raimi and his team plenty of time to sit down and figure out how to approach the franchise, especially in light of rumors that back-to-back sequels will be filmed.

"That had been talked about," admits Raimi. "[Shooting back-to-back] would be a real endurance test, probably only Peter Jackson knows how hard something like that would be."

"If Tobey and me, and all the producers, like the story for two pictures and [Sony co-chairman] Amy [Pascal] wanted to do it, then we would do it. [The script] just hasn’t been written yet."
  (more…)

‘Grayskull’ Crumbles at Warner Bros

  • Uncategorized
  • October 17, 2008

grayskull-2779654Latino Review states that Grayskull, the reimagining of the He-Man property, is dead in the water over at Warner Bros.

According to the Web site, the WB had a short list of directors they’d be comfortable handing the film to, including Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) and Bryan Singer (Superman Returns). Both directors and others passed on the property, despite some "up and coming directors that were gung ho on the script, but the studio wasn’t feeling them."

Additionally, the film’s biggest champion, Navid McIIhargey, left Silver Pictures, the company developing Grayskull, to become a Senior Vice President at New Regency. As a child, McIIhargey grew up with the He-Man character and was doing work "day to day to get He-Man over the mountain and get the movie made." As such, without a strong advocate, Grayskull never stood a chance.

The site also reports that Mattel, the company that holds the rights to He-Man action figures and related merchandise, is "infurated at Warner, [and] they want the property back to take it elsewhere." The toy company is understandably frustrated as Paramount continues to pump out films for 80’s darlings Transformers and G.I. Joe, allowing Hasbro to reign supreme as the ruler of the action figure market.

Grayskull is a script from Justin Marks, who also penned the upcoming Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li and Hack/Slash. Latino Review wrote a rave review of the He-Man script, calling it another potential "Lord of the Rings combining both mythology and science fiction." Other Web sites, such as Ain’t it Cool News, disagree completely with Latino Review’s praise.

In the He-Man universe, Castle Grayskull is a fortress on the planet Eternia. The castle is a high priority target for Skeletor and his cronies who believe the secrets locked within would lead the way to become Masters of the Universe.

Kevin Smith to Make Sci-Fi Comedy

  • News
  • October 17, 2008

During the promotion for his new film, Zack & Miri Make a Porno, Kevin Smith began talking up a science fiction comedy he had in mind.  In fact, he was riffing for reporters about how it was going to be dark and different for him as a filmmaker.

This morning The Hollywood Reporter runs the story that Smith will do this as his next project after Red State, which he will shoot next spring. He anticipates the film to run in the $45-50 million budget range. The trade says the new feature “will reference other sci-fi movies and revolves around a father-son relationship.”

Smith will produce with View Askew partner Scott Mosier and The Weinstein Company is the most likely studio to handle the project. The trade reports Harvey and Bob Weinstein have already read a draft of the film’s script.

"The moment someone steps out of the spaceship, it’s going to cost a little more," Smith said of the budget, his largest ever.

"All the relationships in the flicks I’ve done have been done before, have been either a guy falling for a girl or two dudes hanging out in a ‘bromantic’ comedy," he said. "I wanted to explore a father and son."
 

Manga Reader Charged for Obscenity

  • News
  • October 17, 2008

cbldf-logo-4176638The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has defended several arists and retailers in the past. But now, for the first time, they have been called to aid an actual comic book collector.

Christopher Handley of Iowa is facing obscenity charges under the PROTECT Act (18 U.S.C. section 14661) for ordering and possessing manga that is allegedly "obscene." Although no photographic material is contained within the manga in question, the charges allege that the material includes drawings depicting minors engaging in acts of a sexual nature. The material was reported by a postal inspector.

The"objectionable" manga in question is only a small part of Handley’s collection, which included over 1200 volumes of various manga. Despite this, authorities have taken possession of Handley’s entire comic book, magazine, manga and DVD collection, as well as his computer, in their search for further evidence.

If found guilty, Handley could face up to 20 years in jail. CBLDF legal counsel Burton Joseph commented, "I have never encountered a situation where criminal prosecution was brought against a private consumer for possession of material for personal use in his own home. This prosecution has profound implications in limiting the First Amendment for art and artists, and comics in particular, that are on the cutting edge of creativity. It misunderstands the nature of avant-garde art in its historical perspective and is a perversion of anti-obscenity laws."

As of now, Handley and the CBLDF-assisted defense team have been able to achieve partial victory. The court has ruled that sections of the PROTECT Act are infirm because they "do no require that the material be deemed obscene" by a court-appointed jury but rather by Congressional standards.

In the latest CBLDF update, it states: "Handley now faces charges under the surviving sections of 1466A, which will require a jury to determine whether the drawings at issue are legally obscene."

The following are the legal standards that would make the material "obscene." All three must be met in order for there to be a conviction.

A. Whether the average person, applying comtemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest.

B. Whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law.

C. Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

For more information and how you can help, check out the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund web-site.

A Third Sequel is ‘Bourne’

  • News
  • October 17, 2008

bourne-ultimatum-insert-caption-300a-1-8274432Jason Bourne may have trouble recalling his past, but Universal remembers it fondly as an incredible cash cow. Unsurprisingly, the studio is returning to the bovine in question for more milk.

An untitled fourth installment in the Bourne franchise is officially headed for the scripting phase, reports Variety. George Nolfi, who co-wrote The Bourne Ultimatum with Tony Gilroy, will script the latest round for the amnesiac assassin. Matt Damon is attached to the project, as is Paul Greengrass, who directed The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Frank Marshall produces, with Jeffrey Weiner and Henry Morrison as executive producers. The untitled Bourne film is said to be a top priority for Universal as they continue to mount tentpole properties.

Although Matt Damon is attached to star, it’s likely that a fourth film would feature several brand new faces. The franchise has a history of killing off its leading characters, including (spoiler alert) those played by Chris Cooper, Brian Cox and Franka Potente. Julia Stiles and Joan Allen’s characters remain at large. With Stiles’ Nicky set up as a potential love interest in Ultimatum, odds are good that the character could resurface. Unless she’s already committed to Save the Last Dance 3.

Unlike the previous three installments, Variety states that the latest Bourne adventure will not be based on the original novels from Robert Ludlum. In actuality, though the first three films share the titles of Ludlum’s original three novels, the movies are dramatic departures from the books in terms of plot, content and characters. In fact, Ludlum only wrote three Bourne novels, all of which have already been "adapted" to the big screen.

If the film franchise continues to borrow names from the novels, the fourth film may be called The Bourne Legacy based on Eric Van Lustbader’s 2004 novel. The author, who continued Ludlum’s franchise after his death in 2001, also wrote The Bourne Betrayal and The Bourne Sanction. It’s unlikely that the films will follow Legacy‘s plot, seeing as Bourne is approximately 60 years old in Lustbader’s series and Damon is still a few years shy of senior citizen status.

What would you like to see in a fourth Bourne? What would you want the title to be? ReBourne? Still Bourne? Bourne in the USA? Weekend at Bourney’s? As always, sound off below!

TV Tidbits

  • News
  • October 17, 2008

Michael Ausiello writes at Entertainment Weekly, "Good news: A Sci Fi source confirms to me exclusively that the last half of season 4 premieres on Friday, January 16, at 10 p.m. Which, by my calculations, puts the series finale (boo-hoo!) at Friday, March 20." This means the network will not skip the three-day weekend i nFebruary as they normally have in the past, which is good news for one and all.

CBS has given a full season order to The Mentalist starring Simon Baker. The freshman series has garnered good ratings and positive reviews encouraging the Eye Network.

NBC has ordered three additional scripts for its midseason drama Medium. The peacock network may be forced to add the series to its schedule before the end of the year given some weaker than expected ratings for its lineup.

AMC has ordered a third season of the wonderful Mad Men.  Creator Matthew Weiner and Lionsgate, though, are still talking contracts with the studio hoping to sign the creator/producer to a two year deal which would encourage AMC to green-light a fourth season sooner than later.  Regardless, the second season of the award-winning drama will reach its conclusion October 26.

Brian Cox has been cast opposite Katee Sackhoff in the NBC pilot Lost and Found. He will play her character’s fractious partner Burt Macey, described by The Hollywood Reporter as "a foul-mouthed, racist dinosaur of a cop who does things the old-fashioned way: with blunt force and bigoted rants." The two are assigned to the worst possible cases after Sackhoff’s Tessa pisses off her Los Angeles Police Department superiors. Cox has also been cast for a multiple-episode story arc for the network’s midseason replacement, Kings.

Manga Friday: New and Different

  • News
  • October 17, 2008

This week: three books with very little in common. Oh, they’re all recently published – on paper, and in English, even! – but that’s about it. So you won’t be bothered by my heavy-handed attempts to link everything together this time….

B.Ichi, Vol. 1
By Atsushi Ohkubo
Yen Press, October 2008, $10.99

In the nation of Japon, in the city of Toykyo, in the busy Chinjuku section – are your ribs sore from all of the nudging yet? mine were – an impressionable and unworldly young man named Shotaro is looking for his good deed of the day. You see, in this alternate world – you did get that it’s an alternate world, didn’t you? Because the alternative is that the translator was just really, really bad at spelling – there are “dokeshi,” who use more of their brains than the rest of us, to unleash superpowers, but they also each have a condition that governs those powers.

(OK, just for the record. The “people only use 10% of their brains” idea? Bunk. Utter bunk. It’s not true now, and it never was true – it was misreporting from an era when scientists studying the brain only knew what 10% of it did. But, even then, they knew it was all being used for something – they’d just only figured out part of it. But some people are so gullible they’d drown if they looked up during a rainstorm…)

Anyway, back to Shotaro. His power is that he gets the abilities of animals by chewing on their bones. (In the ever-lovin’ Animal Man vein, as if birds needed “superpowers” to fly, rather than wings, light bones, and strong muscles.) His condition is that he has to do a good deed a day. And his disposition is that intense sunnyness seen only in manga protagonists who have no clue about the actual rules of their world. (more…)

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