Yearly Archive: 2008

Twilight, shockingly, is #1 this weekend; sequels announced

  • News
  • November 23, 2008

Yeah, yeah, Twilight is the top grossing movie of the weekend. No surprise. What is a surprise is the amount of money generated: over $70 million. Since the movie was comparatively low-budget, no big name stars or special effects, that’s really profitable.

Which leads to the stories of the sequels. We’d already discussed the making of #2 New Moon, but now there’s talk of filming #2 and #3, Eclipse, at the same time. It certainly makes sense– we’re dealing with ageless creatures, wouldn’t do good to have them looking older in a few years. Also no word about making #4, although that might be a good thing.

Nikki Finke has a note from Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart to the fans:

ComicMix Radio: Zombies 101

  • News
  • November 23, 2008

Pop culture loves zombies, yet did you ever consider the problems faced by the actors behind the make up. Making a living by playing dead ain’t easy, as Sherman Howard (Day Of The Dead) and Reggie Bannister (The Rage) tell us, plus:

Robotech moves closer to the movies
New Heat Miser for the holidays!
W meets Stan Lee

And what’s the connection with Lex Luthor and a certain zombie? Find out when Press the Button!

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-6959013 or RSS!

 

Review: ‘Roman Holiday’

  • Uncategorized
  • November 23, 2008

When it opened, Roman Holiday enchanted a world that had largely never really seen Italy.  The film was one of the first filmed entirely on a foreign location and it became as much a travelogue to a post-World War II America as it was a fresh romantic tale about a princess and a commoner. The second film in Paramount Home Video’s Centennial Collection, it has been cleaned up and remastered, looking sharper and richer than previous editions.

The film introduced the world to Audrey Hepburn, the fresh-faced gamine who became an instant star and fashion trend-setter. Paired with the relaxed Gregory Peck, they made an engaging couple as the two spent a full day seeing the sights.  She’s Princess Ann, in Rome as part of a European tour and tired of her over-scheduled, protected life.  When she escapes for a day off, she strikes up a friendship with American journalist Joe Bradley (Peck).  They go off to explore the city, opening his eyes to a less cynical world as she sees the real people of the city.  They’re tailed by Eddie Albert in a beatnik beard, who’s playing a cameraman smelling a scoop.  It’s poignant, funny, romantic, and a delight that has held up through the years, thanks to a sharp script from Dalton Trumbo.

Trumbo was one of the celebrated screenwriters pilloried during the Congressional witch hunt seeking Communists throughout Hollywood.  His credit was withheld from the film for fifty years but it proudly restored here and his heroism is recounted in [[[Dalton Trumbo: From A-List to Blacklist]]], one of the all new features.  Interesting, most of the extras from the 2002 disc are gone with the exception of Restoring [[[Roman Holiday]]] which is a fascinating look at the process.

Being Hepburn’s debut, she is spotlighted in the thirty minute career piece, [[[Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years]]], followed by [[[Remembering Audrey]]], which looks at her affect on the world and her charitable efforts.

Behind the Gates: Costumes is part of the series’ look at the filmmaking process and spotlights legendary costumer Edith Head although we have a look at random clothes from various films that have been carefully preserved.  We also get Paramount in the ‘50s once more which practically is an ad for future titles in this welcome series.

You get a look at Rome at a time when the war debris had been cleaned up and the city hadn’t been filled to the brim with tourists and cars. The antics are innocent and the characters a little thin but certainly enjoyable.  The film holds up and is well celebrated here.

Interview: Tim Pilcher Talks Erotica, Part 2

  • News
  • November 23, 2008

Yesterday, Tim Pilcher, author of Erotic Comics, talked about the research into the second volume, coming out  here in March. Now we focus on the evolution. Speaking of sex, given the subject matter, we advise you that the art does the subject justice.

ComicMix: How different is erotica in America, Asia and Europe?

Tim Pilcher: Well, obviously Europe and Asia have had a more mature approach to comics for adult readers far longer than America or Britain, and consequently their erotica tends to be more prolific and explicit, and there is a greater acceptance of it, it’s no big deal there. I was in Spain and went in a shop to see the erotic monthly anthology, Kiss, racked alongside Asterix! Everybody there knows that the kids aren’t interested in Kiss and will pick up the Asterix instead. There’s a common sense which seems to have disappeared from US and UK cultures, where everybody is overly cautious and litigious. So there’s a more relaxed attitude to sex in general on the continent, particularly in France, Spain and Italy.

A small minority of Japanese Manga, I have to say, left me feeling uncomfortable as it was quite pernicious. But having said that, if it feeds a market that gets a release through reading the comics—rather than enacting their dubious fantasies — then all well and good. After all — unlike photography or video — there’s no models or actors being coerced or exploited. It’s simply an artist, a pen and their thoughts. And if you don’t agree with their thoughts, don’t buy or look at the Manga, it’s as simple as that.

CMix: Did any of that change through the years?

TP: I think, if anything, sadly the old maxim of “less is more” is well and truly dead when it comes to erotic comics. I would much rather artists were more sophisticated and subtle in their storytelling and less graphic with today’s trend of extreme genealogical close-ups. Having said that, there are some women who are doing great things with erotic sequential art, like Melinda Gebbie, Jess Fink, Lynn Paula Russell and Giovanna Casotto, who are creating very mature works. In fact the more I think about it, it’s more of the women’s work that I’m attracted to, and theirs tends to be a more cerebral approach.
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‘True Blood’ Concludes First Season Tonight

  • News
  • November 23, 2008

trueblood-2-1903424HBO’s adaptation of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, True Blood, reaches its first season finale tonight.  A second season has already been green-lit and in production for fall 2009.

With vampires all the rage, as witnessed by this weekend’s explosive box office for Twilight and other vamp tales getting optioned, the timing seemed serendipitous for the premium channel, which needed a hit.

The series, starring Anna Paquin, has seen its viewership rise by 66 percent since its debut in September, now averaging 6.8 million viewers.

"After Six Feet Under, where as an artist and a person I got to explore my whole relationship with grief for about five years, I just felt, OK, I don’t really need to spend any more time staring into the abyss," series creator Alan Ball told the Associated Press.

His pitch was readily accepted by HBO and the series quietly went into production. A viral marketing campaign, centering on Tru Blood, the synthetic blood substitute that allows vampires to come out of the closet, so to speak, launched over the summer and got mild buzz.

The series aired to good reviews but smaller than anticipated audiences. Yet, the numbers have been slowly but steadily growing with execs noting that despite airing throughout the week, the peak numbers have skewed towards the Sunday at 9 p.m. debut. This is the first series to generate that sort of attention in the timeslot since Sex and the City and The Sopranos.

Since then, the network has failed to create a show with similar cache.

"You start worrying," Michael Lombardo, HBO’s chief of West Coast operations said. "You see other networks putting on important programs on Sunday nights and you worry, `can you bring them back?’ What has been fantastic is to see the subscribers have been waiting for a Sunday night show they can make appointment viewing again."

Fortunately, the first season largely adapted the first novel with six more in print and another on the way. All feature Sookie, a southern girl who possesses ESP, making her unique in a world with vampires trying to integrate into society. The world also features shape-shifters and humans sipping on vampire blood get a better high than from any pharmaceutical. The core of the series revolves around the romance between Sookie and Bill Compton, a vampire returning to his homestead and played by Stephen Moyer.

Adult Swim Titles to DVD in December

  • Uncategorized
  • November 23, 2008

3d-sku-athf-s6-2-1085712metal-3dskewweb-2-6293875On December 2, Metalocalypse: Season Two will be released by Warner Home Video. Along with featuring all the latest escapades of destruction, murder and mayhem from Dethklok — the world’s most brutal and incompetent heavy metal band — this long-awaited release features a plethora of bonus features that fans will have to find. That’s right. Anything worthwhile demands some work after all! This perfect stocking stuffer arrives after Dethklok’s debut CD — Dethklok: The Dethalbum — became the fastest selling death metal album of all time, debuting at #21 on the Billboard Top 100 list.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 6 follows on December 16. For the first time, creators Dave Willis (Squidbillies) and Matt Maiellero (12 Oz. Mouse) will debut four never-before-seen episodes on the DVD, along with nine others from the series’ sixth season. The DVD is also loaded with bonus materials including "I’m Pissed" — Carl Sports Blogs, the "Radical Axis Presents Radical Axis Presents" behind-the-scenes featurette, commentary and more! In this latest installment, Frylock, Master Shake and Meatwad once again join forces with their lewd neighbor Carl and do their best impersonation of crime fighters who never actually come close to fighting crime.
 

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Economy Forces Sparx to Reduce Size

  • Uncategorized
  • November 23, 2008

igor-onesheet-2-1012859Sparx, the animation studio that produced this fall’s disappointing Igor, is closing its Paris office according to Variety. The bulk of its work will remain in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam while retaining a Los Angeles office.

“We’ve been hit by the shockwaves of the U.S. financial crisis,” said Thomas Schober, Sparx’s head of production. “Since our industry relies heavily on private financing, the crisis has made it extremely difficult for us to get work on features.”

Igor, released in September by The Weinstein Company, has managed to earn only $25,532,257 worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. They have since dropped out of working on Exodus Films’ Bunyan and Babe.

“Eventually we’ll be back working on big, sophisticated animated features from our Vietnam facility,” said Sparx CEO Renaud Biscarratr. “But for now, we’re going to focus on what we used to do before: commercials, TV series and videogames.”

Sparx has made their name by producing CGI effects for European features, trailers and commercials.

Review: ‘Sunset Boulevard’

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  • November 22, 2008

The cult of celebrity has been with us for millennia but it really entered a new phase when everyone could see and react to the same experience, such as the era of Silent Films. From coast to coast, people could see the same story performed the same way and it helped bring people together as many performers suddenly became household names and were the first people haunted by the paparazzi.

The coming of sound altered the cast of characters and many notable stars could not handle the transformation and faded from fame and memory.  That tragic reality became the premise for Billy Wilder’s brilliant Sunset Boulevard which is the lead title in Paramount Home Video’s new Centennial Collection. The first three volumes were released last week and we’ll be looking at them over the next few days.  Each comes in a heavy cardstock box and provide you with two discs – the actual film and all new extras plus an 8-page booklet. Overall, the numbered cases look very nice side by side.

The story of Joe Gillis, a struggling screenwriter, who accidentally enters the warped reality of silent film star Norma Desmond, has long been entrenched as a classic. Gillis’s seduction is slow and careful as Desmond reels him in with charm and money.   The idea that he could turn her mountains of pages into a script and sell it, making his name and erasing his debts, is more tempting than his original notion so he goes along.  What he slowly comes to realize is just how far from grace Desmond has fallen, her ego fed by her former director turned caretaker, Max. 

The performances by William Holden and Gloria Swanson still hold up today, thanks to Wilder’s strong script and visual direction.  On the disc, the remastered print brings out subtle shadows and shades that enhance the creepy atmosphere of the mansion that becomes his home and remains her asylum.

Disc 2 provides a wealth of extra that set the tone for the discs that follow.  There’s [[[Sunset Boulevard: The Beginning]]], which offers up the usual assortment of information on the film came together. Novelist Joseph Waumbagh largely narrates [[[The Noir Side of Sunset Boulevard]]], taking a closer look at a neglected aspect of the film. Other pieces have the surviving actors reminisce in [[[Sunset Boulevard Becomes a Classic]]], [[[Two Sides of Ms. Swanson]]], and [[[Stories of Sunset Boulevard]]]. Archival footage of Swanson herself talking about the film is well used throughout.

Recording Sunset Boulevard looks at Franz Waxman’s Academy-award winning score that is icing atop Wilder’s cake.

There’s also a piece on Holden that largely focuses on his career up to making this film, saving the full retrospective until volume three.
 
As part of the centennial celebration, you get a look at the Paramount Lot from its silent film days through its merger with Desilu in 1967 that shaped the studio as it is today. There’s also a clip-filled look at the studios’ output tin the 1950s which largely informs the first 5-6 offerings in this collection. Original script pages, trailers and other treats await the connoisseur.

‘Firefly’ Universe Mapped

  • News
  • November 22, 2008

Browncoats are Firefly fans and some fans seem to go to extremes to show their appreciation for the Joss Whedon series which lasted a mere season on Fox.

One group of fans has named themselves the Firefly Ship Works and have devoted countless hours to studying the series in minute detail.  They’ve done schematics for the Firefly-class ship that the cast traveled aboard and now they have unveiled their map of the universe, including all the planets visited and mentioned on the series and the film Serenity.

According to their website, “our goal is to create reliable, flexible and affordable transport for you and yours, as you endeavor to reach vistas unseen and wilderness yet to be tamed. As such, we have put together this Cortex Wave Server (CWS) to keep you informed of our efforts to create the ‘Verse’s first and only screen-accurate Firefly Series 3, the Serenity Artisan Replica.”
 

‘City of Ember’ Coming to DVD in January

  • News
  • November 22, 2008

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced a January 20 release date for City of Ember on DVD.

To save the human race, an underground city was built to last 200 years… now time is up and they must unlock the secret for their survival. For generations, the people of the City of Ember have thrived in an amazing underground world of flickering lights.  Built as a refuge for humanity and powered by a massive generator, the city’s time is almost up and now Ember is falling into darkness as the generator fails.  In a race against time, it’s up to two brave teenagers to unravel the mystery behind the city’s existence, maneuver around corrupt politicians and save the City of Ember. 

“Imaginative, heartfelt and exciting” (St. Paul Pioneer Press), City of Ember is based on the 2003 best-selling novel, The City of Ember, by Jeanne Duprau.

 The cast includes Tim Robbins (Best Supporting Actor, Mystic River), Golden Globe-winner Bill Murray (Best Actor, Lost in Translation) and Academy Award-nominee Saoirse Ronan (Best Supporting Actress, Atonement). 

Synopsis:

A heart-thumping, edge-of-your-seat adventure comes to light in this exhilarating family film based on the best-selling novel by Jeanne Duprau.  For centuries, the residents of the underground City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights and quiet contentment.  But when the City’s massive power generator begins to fail, the street lamps start to fade — along with the hopes and dreams of the townspeople.  Now it’s up to two courageous teenagers to follow a trail of clues left by the ancient Builders and find a way out of Ember before their world is plunged into darkness forever!

DVD Special Features:

The City of Ember DVD will be presented on a flipper disc in both full screen (1.33:1) and wide screen features (2.35:1 ratio) with English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish and French Dolby Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.

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