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Box Office Democracy: San Andreas

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I’ve been dreading San Andreas since the first trailer I saw of it. I don’t like movies where cities get destroyed especially if they’re cities I happen to live in, I think 9/11 ruined that for me forever. I do, however, have a deep, profound, love for Dawyne “The Rock” Johnson going back to the late 90s, long before any buildings fell down around me. San Andreas is a battle between a genre that’s felt stale for as long as I’ve been aware of it, one that offends me personally, and a man who is possibly the greatest American action star in history. Unfortunately, not even The Rock can carry this movie and judging from the size of his arms these days that’s probably the only thing he can’t carry.

San Andreas is the same as Volcano, which is the same as The Day After Tomorrow, which is the same as 2012. It hits all of the same beats and has basically all the same characters. The Rock plays the action hero, in this case a LAFD rescue chopper pilot his family is collapsing around him but nothing that can’t be patched up by saving them from a cataclysmic once-in-a-lifetime disaster. Paul Giamatti’s considerable talent is wasted as the scientist who tries to warn people but is ultimately useless because no warnings he gives could possibly be useful and all of the science is nonsesne anyway. There’s the smug rich guy (played by Ioan Gruffudd) who treats everyone like garbage as soon as things start going wrong and gets his comeuppance in a seemingly random twist of fate. There’s the attractive young woman, in this case Alexandra Daddario playing Johnson’s alarmingly white daughter, who is constantly in peril while wearing impractical clothing. I suppose the twist on the formula is that Daddario’s character is stunningly competent and frequently saves the men around her as opposed to the other way around but I’m not sure it counts for anything when none of these characters have any sort of depth or even narrative arcs. Every character just sort of runs towards or away from things as needed and the movie doesn’t end with any resolution just by the characters all being in the same place.

Johnson tries his best to save this movie and he very nearly pulls it off. He has the same effortless physicality he brings to all his movies; impossible things look more possible when he does them. He gets all the best stunts, approximately 90% of the emotional content of the movie, and he gets to perfectly pilot three different vehicles through every manner of hell imaginable. Everything that works in the movie works because of him but that doesn’t save it from being a bland, predictable film with a script that feels two levels above a Syfy original movie.

I suppose it’s the spectacle of San Andreas that’s supposed to make me fall in love with it but it doesn’t do it for me. The grandness of the destruction is counterbalanced frequently by just how blatantly the film ignores how things would actually happen. Not that I expect this to be some kind of slavishly accurate depiction of a big earthquake but I feel like with all the tsunamis that have caused such devastation in recent years that I’ve been told so many times how they work to just completely ignore that. There are also some particularly pandering shots of things like the American flag being flown in the rubble of the Golden Gate Bridge and fences full of fliers looking for missing persons that are designed to evoke real world tragedies in a way that feels less authentic than exploitative. In a movie with more genuine heart I might give it a pass but everything feels just a bit too slick and phony in San Andreas.

The Point Radio: UNREAL Exposes Reality TV

With a tagline like “when bad people make good TV”, we have to watch UNREAL when it premieres tonight on Lifetime. Constance Zimmer and Sheri Appleby talk about why this series will blow the cover off of reality TV. Also have you been binging NBC’s AQUARIUS yet? Cast member Grey Damon tells you what you have missed plus how cartooning turned to acting in his life.

 We’re back in a couple of days with a look at a new twist on one of pop culture‘s oldest traditions – the horror movie host!

Ed Catto: The Batman Nobody Knows… Yours

batezpip008-w370-3882730 One of the marketing trends today is for consumers to take a brand and make it their own. An example is the phenomenon of customizing phones. I’m sure that just about everyone you know has selected a cellphone case so that their phone has really become their phone. And a few years ago, I had a role in a Kia Soul marketing campaign. The big idea was that you, as a car owner, could customize the Soul in whatever way worked best for you. And there’s more of this brand customization in the future. Centennials, the group that comes after Millennials, are even more passionate about personalizing brands.

Geek Culture’s passionate fans already have their own personalized visions of popular entertainment brands and characters. They are a finicky bunch, especially when it comes to change. Long gone are the days when they blindly accepted reboots or revisions to a character without a critical eye or, at the very least, a thorough internet analysis. Just think about the extreme level of scrutinization for the recent Star Wars trailer. And didn’t the Internet just about break when Ben Affleck was announced as the latest cinematic Batman or when Wonder Woman’s movie outfit was revealed?

Now, I’ve enjoyed a few Batman stories over the years. But I admit that when I do, I am also guilty of personalizing this entertainment mega-brand. And my version of the character is “The Batman Nobody Knows”.

But first, a quick digression. The marketing folks behind today’s comic series typically use anniversary issues – the “significantly” sequentially numbered comics – as mini-celebrations. Today, the 50th or 100th issue of a comic may include an important event or special story and that screams “Buy Me Now!” But that wasn’t the case back in 1973 when DC published Batman #250. Although we consider the creators “giants” today (Dick Giordano, Frank Robbins, Irv Novick) the cover and the stories within seemed to be pretty standard fare. There was no “call to action” cover blurb urging fans not to miss this “250th Anniversary Smash Issue”.

But you know what? There should have been. The third story in this comic is outstanding. “The Batman Nobody Knows”, written by Frank Robbins and penciled and inked by Dick Giordano, is a clever tale about the different interpretations of Batman. A bunch of kids gather around a summer campfire as each explains his or her own notion of what Batman is really like. And as you can guess, each kid’s version is wildly different from that of the others.

olan-soule-9178916My Batman, my tweaking of this brand, is a little different from yours, I’ll bet. Even though I was introduced to the character via the Adam West Batman ’66 TV show, whenever I read Batman’s dialog I naturally hear the voice of Olan Soule in my head.

Who’s that, you ask? You probably know Adam West and Christian Bale. You probably know Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and everybody knows George Clooney. And for Batman’s voice, perhaps you imagine the vocal talents of Kevin Conroy, Peter Weller, Troy Baker, Roger Craig Smith or Diedrich Bader. I’m pretty sure none of you think of the three Batman voices from the golden age of radio: Matt Crowley, Stacy Harris or Gary Merrill.

Olan Soule was a character actor who appeared in thousands of roles in old radio shows. He was the lead in Mr. First Nighter, a kind of Broadway/showbiz weekly comedy-drama. He also appeared in many TV shows – everything from The Twilight Zone to The Love Boat to ..the Adam West Batman ’66 show. Soule was also on the Silver Screen, in movies as diverse as Hitchcock’s North by Northwest to Disney’s The Apple Dumpling Gang. Trust me – you’ve seen him so many times.

filmation-batman-8895015Soule’s turn at Batman was, in retrospect, unique. His Batman wasn’t the brooding vengeful avenger. It wasn’t even really the campy, silly superhero. In the Filmation The Batman/Superman Hour cartoon, and later in Hanna Barbara’s Super Friends series, he brought a quiet, focused heroism to the role. And then he infused it with confidence, urgency and a sense of purpose. His Batman was cool under pressure and always seems to know that with a little hard work, everything would be all right in the end.

Every now and again, I’ll hear Olan Soule in some show. He’s instantly recognizable. A few Saturdays ago I was watching an episode of The Monkees with one eye. But when I heard one character’s lines, I perked right up and knew it was Olan Soule. He had a meek, bespectacled look, but his voice was full of timbre and gravitas. And that’s how I like to personalize one of my favorite heroes. To me, Batman is not a vengeful, driven-over-the-edge clenched teeth kind of guy. He’s not a goofy, parody of a hero, either. He’s just a driven, focused guy trying to make a difference and taking what comes with a smile.   That’s not so bad, right?

But, enough about me. How do you personalize your brand of Batman? And it’s okay if it’s just via your cellphone case.

REVIEW: Jupiter Ascending

jupiter-ascending-blu-ray-box-art-e1432936073656-5444786Many cultures initially believed you could not own the land, just use it. Then other cultures thought otherwise and ownership became the norm. Now imagine discovering that some intergalactic race owns the Earth and all its inhabitants. Pretty cool idea, no?

The Wachowskis don’t do much with this in the film Jupiter Ascending, a pretty misfire that has plenty of ideas and plenty of plot holes turning it into more of a mess than a state-of-the-art science fiction tale. It’s a shame really; these are the creators who blew our minds nearly twenty years ago with a little something called The Matrix.

The film, out this week from Warner Home Entertainment, starts on Earth and tells the story of the oddly-named Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis). She and her family her emigrated from Russia to America where they have a family-run housecleaning business. It’s not much of a career for a young woman and she hates it but she endures scrubbing toilets to raise the funds to buy a telescope to gaze at the stars as she once did with her father Maximillian Jones (James D’Arcy). Short of cash and desiring this treat, she was prepared to sell her eggs to complete her fundraising.

A funny thing happened during the harvesting process: aliens come looking for her. Before they can do away with her, for reasons as yet unknown, she is rescued by Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), yet another alien and Jupiter’s life will never be the same.

jupiter-ascending-28-e1432936195184-5692277Through Caine and then Stinger Apini (Sean Bean), Jupiter begins to learn that she is somehow the reincarnation of House Abrasax’s matriarch, who was murdered some 90 millennia earlier. We’re told about Keepers and Entitled and those who strike their better lose their wings, and on and on. It all boils down to the climax of a long game being played by Kalique Abrasax (Tuppence Middleton), Titus (Douglas Booth) and emperor Balem (Eddie Redmayne). If Jupiter is killed then one of them can inherit the Earth or maybe marry one of the others and then kill her so the groom can inherit the Earth. Why? Apparently, we’re a hardy bunch and we’re a rich supply of the life essence that keeps these royals immortal. Truly.

The goal is to keep Jupiter from claiming her birthright but first she has to be convinced this is all real and then she has to go to the realm and deal with interstellar bureaucracy to establish her claim is legit.

jupiter_a-e1432936225459-2267665There’s running, jumping, fighting, double-crossing, last-minute rescues, verbal byplay, true love, and every other stock element you want in your sci-fi popcorn films. What’s missing though is the gravitas that this is real and the stakes are high. Jupiter accepts this all with barely any wide-eyed wonder and is then all gung-ho to get involved. Things take a decidedly nasty turn when the emperor has kidnapped her family, including momma Aleksa (Maria Doyle Kennedy). She will surrender the Earth or watch her loved ones be killed.

There’s then more running and things blowing up and the world coming apart and somehow a series of nick of time rescues that stagger the imagination followed by two incredibly unbelievably moments of serendipity that makes you groan loudly because by the then, this story has gone off the rails.

jpiter-spacecraft-3875838The film is sumptuous to look at with amazing rocketships, costumes, cityscpaes, and tech gear, Everyone from Kunis to Redmayne is attractive and scrubbed to a glistening sheen. The special effects are lovely making you ignore much of the nonsense dialogue, thin characterization, and lapses of logic. Making fun of the government offices requiring a reincarnated heiress prove her legitimacy is a fabulous notion then the Wachowskis made it resemble Earth way too closely down to a cameo from Terry Gilliam, who did similar things in his own films.

The movie looks just fabulous in high definition with an impressive video transfer with matchless audio. None of it makes up for the nonsensical story, but boy, it’s pretty watch although Michael Giacchino’s score sounds crisp yet tired.

The film comes on Blu-pray disc, supported with the standard assortment of features, none of which feels out of the ordinary or particularly special, much like the film itself. We have Jupiter Jones: Destiny Is Within Us (7:00); Caine Wise: Interplanetary Warrior (5:00): The Wachowskis: Minds Over Matter (7:00); Worlds Within Worlds Within Worlds (10:00), letting us finally linger over the cultures, alien races, planets, fashion, androids and designs;  Genetically Spliced (10:00); Bullet Time Evolved (10:00), a look at the latest rev of their patented special effect;, and finally, From Earth to Jupiter (And Everywhere in Between) (10:00),  an attempt at sorting through the film’s plot.

Singapore Arts Council pulls $8,000 grant for Sonny Liew graphic novel

Sonny Liew, artist on the upcoming Dr. Fate series written by Paul Levitz for DC Comics, has published a graphic novel overseas that’s gotten a bit of political attention in his home country of Singapore…

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A hot-off-the-press graphic novel seems to be in hot water, with the National Arts Council (NAC) revoking its $8,000 publication grant because of the “sensitive content”.

The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by award-winning comics artist Sonny Liew tells the story of a Singaporean artist who represents 60-odd years of local history through his satirical comics.

Founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and his political rival Lim Chin Siong appear in the 340-page book in cartoon form.

The 1987 Operation Spectrum, when 16 people were detained allegedly over a Marxist conspiracy to overthrow the Government, is turned into a plot to replace all music in Singapore with the melodies of American singer Richard Marx.

Published here this month by Epigram Books, the comic scored a publishing deal with American publisher Pantheon for an international edition next year.

It was awarded a grant of $8,000 from NAC before publication, of which $6,400 was disbursed, according to Epigram Books’ publisher Edmund Wee. He will return the $6,400 and is printing stickers to cover up the arts council logo in the printed books.

via National Arts Council withdraws $8,000 grant for newly published graphic novel by Sonny Liew – Books News & Top Stories – The Straits Times.

Sonny Liew is also known for his work on [[[My Faith in Frankie]]] together with Mike Carey and Marc Hempel, and Marvel Comics’ [[[Sense and Sensibility]]] adaptation.

John Ostrander: Choose Your Future!

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There’s an interesting duel going on at your local Cineplex – two very different views of the future. One is Mad Max: Fury Road and the other is Tomorowland. The first is a reboot of the classic Mad Max films, set in a very dystopian future, while Tomorrowland is based, in part, on a section of Disneyland. (While that might seem a bit thin a premise on which to base a film, keep in mind that the initial Pirates of the Caribbean was based on a ride at Disneyland and, the initial film at least, was delightful.)

While I haven’t yet seen the latest Mad Max incarnation, I know its predecessors very well and the trailers have certainly more than suggested that it’s the same landscape. Tomorrowland posits a city founded by the likes of Jules Verne, Thomas Edison, Nikolai Tesla, and Gustave Eiffel. In some parallel dimension, they created a utopia where the best and the brightest from all walks of life, art as well as science, can come and are encouraged to do anything they can dream. The four recruit other scientists and dreamers with a pin that has the letter “T” on it. It’s supposed to be science although for all extents and purposes, it’s a magic talisman.

I’m not going to do a review of either film but I am interested in the two contrasting visions of the future. Tomorrowland acknowledges the problems facing this world, any of which could lead to a dystopian future but it maintains that this future is not inevitable. As the villain in the piece, Governor Nix, maintains what makes it inevitable is that humanity embraces that dystopic vision, even runs towards it, because it is easier. All we have to do is nothing. Changing it requires doing something. I think doing something requires belief that the actions will have a positive effect, that the future can be changed, that it all can be made to work.

And that’s where it becomes a problem for me.

Dystopian futures are my stock in trade. Hell, dystopian present is a familiar stomping ground for me. That’s become even more so in the past few years. I look at the world, at the greed and the political insanity and the climate change and the droughts and the intolerance of all stripes, not only religious, and I don’t see it changing. I think humanity, like lemmings, are heading for the cliff and will jump off it.

Belief comes hard to me these days. For example, on the notion of God/god/ghod (pick a god, any god) I’m an agnostic in general and an atheist in specifics. Could there be a god out there? I don’t know. Quantum mechanics suggests all sorts of strange things; maybe within that a notion of god could exist. However, in regards to a specific god – Yahweh, Allah, Jesus, Zeus, Eshu, Thor, Shiva, Vishnu. Hecate and on and on – I don’t believe in any of them. The stories are interesting and can even have moral worth but I don’t believe any of their gods are real. If you do, fine. I’m not trying to correct you and tell you your belief in a specific image of god is wrong. It’s not mine, however.

Nor do I believe that humanity can or will come to its collective senses in time to avoid any of the disasters that seem lying in wait for us. There’s not enough profit, political gain, or perceived power to be had in doing something about any of this even if we could agree that something needs to be done and what that something would be.

And yet. . .

And yet, my heart responds to Tomorrowland. In it, they use the metaphor that we all have a bright wolf and a dark wolf within us fighting for control. Which will win? Whichever one you feed.

I know which future I think is more likely given who we are as a species.

But I want one of those pins with the “T” on it. I want to hope. I want to believe despite everything I think I know.

I want to go to Tomorrowland.

Chris Pratt As The New Indy?

In this exclusive interview with our friends from VOICES FROM KRYPTON, Chris Pratt talks about the importance of the new JURASSIC PARK reboot, how he still is amazed at how big GUARDIANS was and the possibility of picking up the hat and whip to become the new Indiana Jones!

Marc Alan Fishman: Crowdsourcing All My Fears

blogpostcrowdsourcingimage-300x269-1173195Oh what an age we live in! Marvel banks billions at the box office. DC hits homerun after homerun on the silver screen. And Boom!, Avatar, IDW, and Image continue to stretch the boundaries of the original source medium like no one before them. Yet, it’s we, the lil’ indie folks that are living in the most golden of ages. Why? Because the marketplace has found a way to make us matter; to give us a national (if not international) fanbase all at the click of the mouse. And now, before any art is ever born (outside some sizzling promotional pieces) whole projects can be given birth at only the pitch level. Rao bless you, Crowdsourcing.

Of course… they say the Devil is in the details. Right? Back in 2011, when Unshaven Comics was nothing but a lowly anthology series and an educational graphic novel, we opted to use Kickstarter to fund a dream – the creation of a cosplay suit of armor for our Samurnauts series. We had high hopes that if we really stretched out our arms and begged every single person we knew, we could raise the necessary funds (A whopping $1100 to cover the design, materials, and labor to produce a very high quality suit by some great artisans, Malmey Studios). Well, after an agonizing month of hustling? We succeeded. And in funding the suit, and sending out the prizes? We were left in the hole. When the magnificent suit arrived, we couldn’t be happier. And the joy that our live model (both in the suit and in the book, natch) brought to the kids at various cons over the next 2-3 years? It was well worth the effort.

What tickles me to no end is that what we raised then is a mere pittance in comparison to what our compatriots are pulling down today. And to be honest? It scares the poop right outta my colon for our chances, now that we ourselves are considering returning to crowdfunded-fracas. Even funnier? When Unshaven Comics needs 250 people to vote for them, for free, we’re still having trouble. But I digress.

I look no further than my northernly neighbors Tom Stillwell or Gene Ha, and marvel at their recent successes. Stillwell’s Fangirl garnered over 300 backers, and tipped the scales at over $12,000 to help him produce his excellent story of a murder mystery taking place at the largest comic con in the nation. And hey, if that sounds like you want a copy, look no further for a pre-order. And ole’ Gene? Well, not that long ago, he was begging Unshaven Comics for tips on attending a comic con successfully (no lie! He wrote about it here). And now? He’s proven how much of a powerhouse he is, with his Mae graphic novel project boasting over 1,300 backers, and more money than I’d like to type out. Girl power, indeed.

It would appear perhaps these successes are a boon; that finding a fanbase is totally doable, and with the right moxey, the money needed to see our dreams become reality is just a little elbow grease away. But alas, that’s the kind of fluffy talk that sounds wonderful until you try it. Back in October, my Unshaven cohort, Kyle Gnepper, sought backing for his project Toolbox. It’s a strong concept, paired with a wonderful artist (and no, I’m not talking about me, or the other Unshaven guy). But with all his gumption, moxie, and lucky rabbits feet in tow, Kyle was only able to see close to half his needed goal. In the fallout, he’s been paying for the project anyways, a page at a time. His passion – no different than Tom’s, Gene’s, or any of the other successes we know – wasn’t the key to success.

As it were, name recognition matters. The time you debut your campaign matters. The time you promise it takes to bring the completed project to market matters. The price-points of your wares matters. I could go on. What was once a breezy and open marketplace is now its own economic ecosphere, held in place by unseen forces and unknown rules. Where promotion was once tethered to your facebook fan page, a few reddit groups, and maybe your dusty e-mail newsletter list… is now a fully-developed campaign where updates are a necessary evil, along with stretch goals, and swag far beyond the standard tee-shirt or sketch promise. Heck, in the successful campaign for Albert the Alien, I paid a handsome fee to ensure Unshaven Comics be drawn into the book. Why? Because my money was burning a hole in my pocket, and the guy running the show, Trevor Mueller, is too damned nice.

So, here I sit, with a litany of burning questions broiling in my draft folder for those smarter than myself (it’s a long list, trust me). Does Unshaven Comics actually have a shot at seeing several thousand dollars for a graphic novel of our Samurnauts series? If so, should we be launching it before all the material is done, to ensure we’re far enough away from the holidays so-as to attract wandering buyers? Do we go with IndieGoGo where failure is far harder to achieve (with a lower bar to victory), or go all-in with Kickstarter? Do we seek way-out-of-the-box merch tie-ins for bigger backers? Do we offer wacky and wild limited prizes? Do we call in every favor owed to us by known names in an attempt to garner attention from those who likely don’t know or care to know us? Do we plan a staged coup at a big-time comic con in hopes of being written about on CBR, Newsarama, Bleeding Cool, or Ain’t It Cool News?

The answers, my friend, are all yes. Stay tuned for my greatest leap of faith, perhaps ever, in comics.

Ash Is Back, Baby: New Teasers for “Ash vs. Evil Dead”

aod-7902901The Starz Original series “Ash vs Evil Dead” is rolling out new teasers this week for the 10-episode first season of the half-hour series executive produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell, the original filmmakers of the franchise, and Craig DiGregorio who will serve as executive producer and showrunner.  “Ash vs Evil Dead,” which is currently in production in New Zealand, is the long-awaited follow-up to the classic horror film franchise The Evil Dead and is set to premiere on Starz in Fall 2015.

Ash, his boom stick, and his chainsaw have made numerous appearances in comics, both in his own series from Dark Horse and Dynamite, and crossing over with a wide variety of characters such as Marvel Zombies, Darkman, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Dracula, Xena, Danger Girl, and Re-Animator.

Campbell will be reprising his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead.  When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal.  Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.

The cast is led by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) in the role of Ash Williams, Lucy Lawless (“Salem,” “Spartacus”) as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago (“Touch,” Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones (“Sleepy Hollow”) as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.

Raimi (Spider-Man) is directing the first episode of “Ash vs Evil Dead” that he wrote with Ivan Raimi (Darkman, Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell), and Tom Spezialy (“Chuck,” “Reaper,” “Desperate Housewives”). Raimi will also serve as executive producer, with Rob Tapert (Evil Dead, “Spartacus,” Xena: Warrior Princess”) and Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) along with Craig DiGregorio (“Workaholics,” “Chuck”) who will serve as executive producer/showrunner. Ivan Raimi will co-executive produce and Aaron Lam (“Spartacus”) and Chloe Smith (“Spartacus”) will serve as producers.

 

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