Zombieland Movie Review

So there I was laying in bed disgusted with the Yankees getting trounced by Kansas City and desperate for something to watch at around 10:00 at night. A search of the cable movie channels came up with one movie I thought I could endure. I had lucked out and caught Zombieland just as it had started. Staring me in the face was the latently insane puss of Woody Harreleson. Ok, I was hooked. I must admit, I have a soft spot in my heart for Zombies and Zombie movies. Perhaps this mild obsession started as a child watching Zacherly at night. Ghouls, goblins and zombies were part of my staple diet. I actually believe that zombies have gotten a bad rap most of the time but it's not nearly as bad as the plight of ghouls in Hollywood. But that's another story for another time.

Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin, is a well done, funny movie of interest. It's not as outrageously funny as Shaun of the Dead, nor is it as scary, but it demonstrates a tongue in cheek humor worthy of praise.

There are a few things that stood out for me about this movie. The first is Bill Murray. Murray's cameo role adds a touch of class to the middle transitional scenes. They are superbly done. The screenwriters shine as they integrate Murray so seamlessly but absurdly into the ongoing travels and travails of our antiheroes. BM, as he is known in the movie, plays himself in an understated, gem of a part. The movie is worth seeing just for this. He remains a master.

The second area of interest for me, and an area for which I am very grateful, is that the movie does not take itself seriously. Whenever it looks like the plot will turn to a traditional zombie motif, the Harrelson and Eisenberg characters through sheer stupidity stop that process in its tracks. But it is their endearing charm as characters that makes the pair stand out and worthy of our concern.

It's also the little things that perk things up throughout the movie: two arms attached to a steering wheel with no body, a zombie clown, a zombie killing nun, obese zombies, wedding zombies, etc., etc.  I loved this.  The writers took the time to imagine what a zombie epidemic might be like.  Very funny.

Zombieland is not a perfect movie, it drags at times and a tad more scary stuff would have helped. The ending scenes could have had a greater sense of urgency. Harrelson saves the day with an outrageous Alamo like zombie, human stand off at a concession stand.

Zombieland is worth seeing. It's entertaining and different enough to sustain ongoing interest. By the way, the Yankees defeated Kansas City that night with a spectacular come from behind victory. I missed all of that because I was watching Zombieland. What could be the meaning of this?

Bruce Lee Says...

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done.”

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan Says...

Bobby referring to Scary Sherri and Shawn Michaels:

Brain: She is in love with that man
Gorilla: Yeah, but is the feeling mutual?
Brain: Pardon?
Gorilla: Is the feeling mutual?
Brain: Oh, what do you think, she's there, isn't she? He doesn't allow any bim.... uh woman to be there
Gorilla: Bimbo? Did you say bimbo?
Brain: I didn't say that, I coughed. I said 'Buimmmh'.

Hogan is Back!

Hulk Hogan is back in wrestling. He signed with TNA to wrestle and is also the creative director. Bischoff also joined the company. WWE could be in for serious competition now. Just from the names of these two people will increase the ratings. Hogan has yet to prove himself in his new position. I am not criticizing Hogan, I just do not know how much he knows how to express himself as a creative director. But I am sure he knows a lot about how to put on a show.

Hogan's offical press conference joining TNA (Credit: Spike TV):

Hulk Hogan Joins TNA | SpikeTV | SPIKE.com

Bruce Lee Says...

I figured I will post some fantastic Bobby Heenan quotes I might as well post something more worthy...

“If you make an ass out of yourself, there will always be someone to ride you”

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan Says...

I figure some humor once in a wheel will be good. I will post a new quote every week or so from Bobby Heenan.

"Tito Santana is like a cue-ball. The more you strike him, the more english you get out of him."

Ghostbusters Game Xbox 360 Part 2

After the hotel, you are taken to the streets of New York City. The one problem is that the streets are a mess because the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man is roaming around. Stay Puft looks exactly like the movie and they did a pretty good job in the motion of the beast. As you follow Stay Puft, he throws marshmellow's at you that turn into these crawling critters that are very annoying. You finally arrive at the theatre where you have to fight opera ghosts, random ghosts, gargoyles and the marshmellow critters all at the same time. It took me twice to get a handle of the first real group attack on the Ghostbusters.

Catching one of the Opera Ghosts...



Stay tuned for the next post...

Ghostbusters Game Xbox 360

I should've posted this much earlier but I will do the best I can to detail my Ghostbuster adventure on the Xbox 360. Firstly, I didn't know how this game was going to turn out. I pre-ordered the game a month before it came out. Even though it was a risk the game was worth the purchase.

First you go through training. The training is simple and not too thorough. The training informs and lets you practice the essential controls of the game. Then you get a call and you have to go to Hotel Sedgewick. Hotel Sedgewick is the same hotel where Slimer was in the original movie. And if you did not know, the Hotel Sedgewick is the The Algonquin which is located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan. You get to the hotel and objects move unexpectedly which is creepy especially if you are playing in a basement with the lights out at night. The PKE meter is used to find ghosts, slime, and artifacts. Catch Slimer in the ballroom and then as you are returning back to the elevators there is a flash flood on the hotel floor. You walk around fight some ghosts and until you run into the Fisherman, the first boss. He is a little hard at first but it was fun fighting him. Now it is off to Times Square where the next level begins...

The real Hotel Hedgewick in New York City...



Fighting random ghosts in Hotel Sedgewick...



Fighting the Fisherman ghost...



Stay tuned to the next post...

Knowing...Ambitious Scifi movie...or black eye for the genre?

Knowing is a pretty strange film. Its from Director Alex Proyas, a pretty strange director. Alex’s work includes The Crow, Dark City and I Robot. Very dark films with gloomy yet opimistic storytelling.

Knowing, I have to say, is one of the first movies in a while where I am absolutely and utterly speechless. I’m not sure what to make of this movie, and this is not a good thing. It is hauntingly depressing and morbid. I understand where they were going with this and maybe what I’m feeling now is exactly what they wanted me to feel. So in that case they succeeded. I just absolutely did not expect it to happen the way it did. I think this really could have been an awesome movie but its reduced to something with bad acting and a very thought provoking storyline and twist that just felt tacked on at the end.

I’m usually a big fan of scifi movies with awesome twist endings like this but its just too morbid. But again, Proyas probably wanted me to feel exactly as I do right now. Although that touch of hope is there at the end, I just feel like its too forced. Knowing is not a bad movie its just way too morbid in an era of society where “terror” has been too prevalient on our minds.

But this movie is timely as 2012 is approaching, a year prophesized to be plagued by a cataclysm. Some say solar flares could be something we need to watch out for, something that plays a pivotal role in this film. My only advice is, after watching Knowing, watch a comedy, it’ll put you in better spirits. Out of 10 I give Knowing a 6.5.

Now that I know the big secrets of Knowing I’ll have to watch it again sometime in order to take it in again and appreciate it for what it is, a very ambitious scifi cautionary tale. Now that I think about it, Knowing really feels like a longer Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode.

STAR TREK IS REBORN!!!!!

I just watched the eleventh Star Trek film in the theaters. I was completely blown away and totally satisfied by what JJ Abrams has done. This truly was a successful reboot of the franchise. It was funny, exciting, thrilling, nostalgic and epic. This movie has brought new life to a series that has been dead for several years. Star Trek has always been a "geeks" only club for years and when it was announced that J.J. Abrams (Felicity, Alias, Mission Impossible III and Cloverfield) would be directing a reboot film where it would tackle the monumental task of satisfying the millions of fans as well as bring in new ones. Abrams succeeded as Star Trek is the best reviewed movie of the year and the highest grossing Trek film ever!

The cast was great, all of them were able to breathe in new life to their characters. The hook for long time fans was to see these classic characters at a younger age. What was Kirk, Spock and McCoy like during their academy years? What brought them all together? In this new and altered timeline, long time and new fans were able to see how this all came about. Secondary characters like Sulu, Uhura, Scotty and Chekov really stood out, especially with the addition of comedy to their roles. I am a firm believer that if an audience can laugh with or at the character, it builds upon the connections.

Karl Urban's take on "Bones" was especially good. He managed to channel Deforest Kelly with is mannerisms and speech patterns. The scenes with Urban's Bones are some of the funniest higlights in the film for me.

This movie really didn’t need the Nimoy cameo but it was the icing on the cake that really made this film more than just great…it made it fantastic. This truly is the first Star Trek for everyone. I know that I had said that Intellectual Trek died on Friday when this film came out but now that I’ve seen it, the heart and soul of the franchise is back again. This time in the capable hands of talented writers, actors and Abrams himself.

The Summer Movie Season!!

Hello everyone!

After several months of downtime I've decided to return to writing entries about the entertainment biz. As of June 15th several movies have come out....some good....some bad. I'll review several of these films shortly. Below is a brief glimpse of what's worked and what hasn't this summer season.

Winners:
Star Trek - The best reviewed movie of year, a surprise success! Star Trek is fun, dramatic and action packed again!
The Hangover - Funniest movie of the year!

Disappointing?
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Terminator Salvation

Fail:

Land of the Lost

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles

The show Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles does not get the justice it deserves. When I first watched the show in early 2008, the show was really good. There was great action, suspense and drama. I mean why wouldn't you want to see how the leader of the human race, John Connor, develop as a teenager?

I am guilty of not watching the show during the fall. I dvr'd all the shows and watched them all in two weeks. One of the problems is that the show is dragging on. There are a few characters that get annoying. Riley being the most annoying character. Another problem is that the show is focusing too much around Sarah Connor. I think the best shows revolved around John Connor. I know that sounds funny since the show is titled as the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Every episode Sarah Connor's gets more nuts, looney, and crazy that the show is weird and uninteresting to watch. I think the writers are trying to get somewhere but it is killing the show. What keeps me watching the show is the development of Skynet and the action scenes which has been occurring more in the recent episodes. And of course the weird things that is going on with Cameron (this must be leading to something).

I am waiting for something to happen in the later episodes that will be catastrophic. I have a feeling something like that will happen. If you have not seen the show yet, try to watch a few. Buy the first season on dvd and I will guarantee you will want to see what is going to happen in season two.

-djoliva

The Watchmen - Two Thumbs Up

SPOILERRRRR

I saw The Watchmen yesterday just after work. I give the movie a 9 out of 10. I am not going to give a review, just some thoughts and comments about the movie. The movie just like the book, was sophisticated and set a point. The movie is about war, peace, ethics, mortality and politics. There is a lot of talk about the Russians threatening a nuclear attack on the United States when Nixon was elected for a fifth term. Dr. Manhattan is working on an alternate energy source meanwhile its the destruction of 1 million lives which will save billions. But will this idea only postpone saving lives? Is it a permanent solution? This is not the typical super hero movie. The characters are not supposed to have super hero powers like Spiderman or Superman. The movie also talks about the banning of superheroes. That idea sounds familiar...oh yea Civil War by Marvel. The movie is also involved in the dark sides of being a super hero. It's not easy being a super hero.

Friday the 13th Movie

The new tv trailers came out for the Friday the 13th movie. I have to be honest that I think this movie will actually be pretty good, especially for a Friday the 13th movie. There has been many remakes and movies from the 80's. Most of them being really good such as Transformers. Here are a few reasons why I think the movie will do pretty good. 

First, we have the main characters. Jared Padalecki is a decent actor. He stars in the show Supernatural. He knows how to act in a horror flick. Danielle Panabaker was nominated for the Best Young Artist award in 2006. She didn't win but just to be nominated means something special. Victor Miller is the writer wrote some of the original Friday the 13th movies. He has some good experience writing these type of movies. Michael Bay is the producer. He is really good and will definitely take the lead in this cast. He did such recent movies as Transformers and the Unborn. He is also working on a remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street movie which should be interesting.

Some cons are the directors and writers. None of the directors or writers with the exception of Victor Miller who wrote the original movies, have a whole lot of horror movie experience. There is also a short list of movies created by this team of writers and directors. I do not know how involved Victor Miller in this film. I hope he can set a good impression with the team of writers. The director is Marcus Nispel has more involved in direct music videos but did direct The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He does have experience in the music industry so we will see how he will direct this movie.

I just have this feeling the actors and producer will make this movie. There does not have to be a lot of special effects. Acting will be key in this movie. I thought I would never say acting will make a horror/slasher movie. The video below is one of the recent tv trailers.

Djoliva's grade: B-

Heath Ledger wins the Golden Globe

Heath Ledger has won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor! The next step could be the nomination for Academy Award!

Tues. Jan. 20th Watchmen Judgement Day!

According to The Los Angeles Times, lawyers for 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. have agreed to let a federal judge decide whether Warner Bros. will be allowed to release Watchmen as scheduled on March 6.

U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess will decide on Jan. 20 whether Fox can block Watchmen's theatrical distribution as part of Fox's copyright infringement.

On Dec. 24, Feess ruled that Fox has the distributions rights to the movie, not Warner Bros., and urged the studios to reach an agreement.

The ruling will not only impact the film's release, but also potentially programming for the New York Comic Con and WonderCon, as well as licensed materials based on the movie.

I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst. This is especially upsetting for me on a selfish level because I was going to the NYC Comic Con dammit!!

Iron Man 2 villians

Early reports show that "The Wrestler" Mickey Rourke is in talks to play the villian Crimson Dynamo in the Iron Man sequel. This is great news for Rourke as he's also in talk to be in Sylvester Stallone's new star studded action movie The Expendables. Rourke's comeback is indeed in full effect as he's becoming a very sought after commodity in Hollywood. Rourke would play a tattooed Russian heavy named Ivan who becomes a man with deadly, technologically enhanced coils. The Crimson Dynamo is considered to be an evil version of Iron Man because he battles the superhero in a nuclear-powered suit of armor.



But the threats to Iron Man don't end there. Sam Rockwell is rumored to play Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist Tony Stark.

Shazam movie is dead.

At least for now. Apparently the powers that be want a darker kind of film for this second tier superhero. Black Adam, the major nemesis for Shazam, was heavily rumored to be played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson; not a bad choice if you ask me.



But now the powers that be at Warner's wants a darker movie in light of the Dark Knight. These guys at Warner Brothers never learn. If the material isn't dark then it won't work. This goes with the recent Superman movie rumors where they wanted him to be darker. THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK! SUPERMAN ISN'T DARK! BATMAN IS DARK! God, these guys don't learn. Iron Man wasn't dark it was realistic...maybe the brains over at WB should think about that for their properties instead of forcing certain properties to be something they're not. The Shazam script was more in the vein of being comedic. If they want dark they need to becareful to not step on the aspects of what makes Shazam and his world who and what it is.

Don't know who Shazam is? He's just as powerful as Superman and has been around just as long.

New Watchmen Japanese Trailer

More never before seen footage here in this trailer. I hope the legal issues get sorted out because I really think this is going to be one of the best movies of the year. If you've never read the graphic novel, go out and buy it. I've even seen women reading graphic novels on the train! There's a slow women's revolution in the uber geek society lol! The two graphic novels I saw them reading were Anita Blake Vampire Hunter and the other novel was the Watchmen! Buy a copy now before it sells out.

Early 2009 Movie pics

Here are some sneak peek pics for several 2009 movies.

Terminator Salvation. Not sure what to think of this movie. I can tell already that since the powers that be want this to be a trilogy, this film is going to end in a big twist. There have already been some spoilers released about the film so beware when you surf the net. And btw, if this movie is a success then I hope James Cameron and Governor Arnold will finally give McG and crew some credit.



X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Release Date: May 1st. Ya know, when they first cast this unknown actor by the name of Hugh Jackman in the role of Wolverine nearly ten years ago, I really worried about that first X-Men movie. Now, all these years later, I can't see anyone else playing this role. If this movie is successful I can almost definitely expect more films to come.



Land of the Lost

Release Date: June 5th. Based on the 70s cartoon series. I vaguely remember this series but remember as being great fun. With Will Ferrell in the lead role here one thinks will this be a goofy comedy like most of his work or will there be some serious scary stuff happening in this.

Exclusive Watchmen Video

Last week a very revealing Watchmen video was posted on the Fox owned Myspace. Kinda interesting considering that Fox wants to hault the release of that movie. No word on what the recent status of that legal battle is just yet but enjoy the video...while we still have it.

Watchmen Exclusive

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

During the Holiday season, pictures from Michael Bay's Transformers sequel hit the nets. I really enjoyed the first Transformers movie as it had everything, comedy, drama, action and giant freakin' robots. Apparently there will be 40 robots in this film not to mention a climactic battle at the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Which, btw, is the first time a major motion picture has ever filmed at the historic monuments. Feast your eyes at some of the pics.

The Dark Knight Nominated for Best Picture of 2008 by PGA

Good news for the Dark Knight and comic book fans all over the world. The PGA, Producer's Guild of America, has just nominated the Dark Knight as being the Best Picture of 2008. The competition includes The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, and Slumdog Millionaire. Doubt and The Wrestler could sneak in there but at the moment the PGA's announcement is a good indication of where the Academy will go with. Batman fans keep your fingers crossed. If the Dark Knight wins, it will be the first comic book film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

djoliva's Top 3 Movies of 2008

There were many movies this year that can be the number one movie of 2009. However, there can only be one winner. Of course my top picks will be a sci-fi or action movie.  Here are my top three picks:

1. Iron Man - Very disputable as the number one movie of the year. I am a big Iron Man fan. Robert Downing was the best actor for the role of Tony Stark. I enjoyed the movie a lot!

2. Dark Knight - Batman is more popular than Iron Man which I believe is why this movie grossed a lot. The first Batman movie proved to be good and the Joker been out of action since 1989. But this movie was great! The Joker stole the show. 

3. Wall-E - I did not want to see this movie in the theatre and I regret that decision. The movie was so cute and emotional. Wall-E was also funny. Everyone should see this movie if they want to have a good time. 

- djoliva

20th Century Fox to kill the Watchmen movie

There are big time legal woes over the Watchmen movie. U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess last week agreed with Fox that Warner Bros. had infringed its copyright by developing and shooting the film, scheduled for release March 6. Feess said Monday he plans to hold a trial Jan. 20 to decide remaining issues.

Fox believes they still own some rights to the film as they had during the late 1980s. Now that the film has been made by Warner Bros. Fox has demanded distribution rights. Warner's does not believe they have any legal claim and has stated that a settlement will not happen. If they don't get this, they're looking to suspend the opening of movie which was slated in March.

This is terrible news as who knows how long it will take to resolve this. The Watchmen film was shaping up to be a great film, and dare I say and dream...an extraordinary film just like the comics were. If you're a fan of this film, keep your fingers crosssed because this doesn't look like its going to be easily resolved.

Eartha Kitt 1927-2008

Eartha Kitt was an American actress, singer, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her 1953 Christmas song "Santa Baby". She'll also be remember widely for taking over the role of Catwoman for the third season of the 1960s Batman TV series. Orson Welles is quoted as called her the "most exciting woman in the world. For those that grew up watching 60s television you know that African American women started to show off some more sex appeal and confidence. Want another example? How about Nichelle Nichols' Uhura from Star Trek? It must have been a groundbreaking type role for Kitt as Catwoman has always been a white female. Kitt's Catwoman was strong, fiesty and pppuurrrfect.

Unfortunately, Kitt died after a long battle against colon cancer on Christmas Day, 2008 in Weston, Connecticut at the age of 81. There's no question that she left a mark on several generations of people but now through the power of websites like youtube a new generation can enjoy her work both as a singer and as an actress.

Comics Syllabus

Here is the second entry of the Comics Syllabus.



The Dark Knight Returns - A great Batman graphic novels the follows the exploits of hte Caped Crusader as he reaches old age and yet is still trying to carry on his "never ending" battle against Gotham's criminals. This is a very dark, brooding and violent book by the one and only Frank Miller who was the man for graphic novels during the 1980s. This is required reading if you want to see what a possible future for a run down Batman would be like. Not to spoil anything but the final battles with the Joker and Superman should peak your interest in reading.

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas everyone. Happy Holidays! I am currently watching It's a Wonderful Life, a great Frank Capra film from 1946. It stars Jimmy Stewart, Lionel Barrymore and Donna Reed. To me, this is the ultimate holiday movie. I know there are a lot of people that would like to contest that but if you think about it, the list for classic Christmas films is short but It's a Wonderful Life stands atop of that list.



For many, the holiday season is tough. Not everyone has a happy life, not everyone has what they want and there are many that are struggling through the hardships of life. The Christmas season is a highly emotional season, one that is supposed to be full of happiness and joy. Sometimes, because of life, this can be difficult. Watching It's a Wonderful Life really puts things in perspective. How so? Did you know that this movie deals with the idea of suicide? Bet ya didn't know that!

If you feel no pain during this season I hope you never have to. Some of us do. This movie puts things in perspective. It makes you think about how precious life is. We don't get a second chance in life unlike Jimmy Stewart in this film. Its a cautionary tale that almost begs us to make sure we're making the best of our lives and not squandering it away.



For those that refuse to watch an "old" movie but are willing to watch such a magnificent (sarcasm) youtube video...these are four pivitol scenes of the movie. Maybe, if you are willing and patient, might see the treasure in these scenes and opt to watch the film in its entirety. I for one cannot go by one holiday season without watching this film. If I do everything feels a bit empty. The point of this post? No matter what religion you celebrate during this time of year, It's a Wonderful Life personifies the heart and passion and joy for life that we have or for some; are desperately searching for. If you've never seen it, give it a chance. If you have seen it, enjoy it once again!









Happy Holidays everyone!!

Green Lantern Pre-Production Ratings

There has been many discussions about the Green Lantern movie. Finally, they are getting ready for production. The third draft of the script was just finished. The writers of the film are Marc Guggenheim, Michael Green and Greg Berlanti. Donald De Line and Andrew Haas are the producers of the movie. My main concern is the quality of the movie. I am afraid of this movie failing. Movies that have disappointed me recently such as Ghost Rider, Hulk, Elektra, Catwoman and soon to be Punisher. The Daredevil movie was not bad but I believe Green Lantern sits in the same level of popularity. Lets take a look at the history of directors, writers and producers work:

Greg Berlanti: Eli Stone (writer and executive producer), Brothers & Sisters (executive producers, wrote three episodes) ,Dirty Sexy Money (executive producer), Everwood (writer and executive producer), The Prince (producer), Jack & Bobby (writer and executive producer), Dawson's Creek (co and executive producer for four episodes), and the only movie The Broken Hearts Club.

Djoliva's Grade: C+

Mike Green: Heroes (co-executive producer and wrote three episodes), Everwood (supervising producer, co-executive producer, producer and writer), Smallville (co-producer, producer and writer) and Sex and the City (wrote one episode).

Djoliva's Grade: B+

Marc Guggenheim: Eli Stone (writer and executive producer), Brothers & Sisters (consulting producer and wrote two episodes), In Justice (wrote one show), CSI: Miami (supervising producer and wrote three episodes), Law & Order (co-producer, producer, executive story editor and wrote eight episodes), L.A. Dragnet (wrote one episode), The Practice (wrote two episodes), Call of Duty 3 video game (writer)

Djoliva's Grade: B-

Donald De Line: Producer of Body of Lies, Fool's Gold, Without a Paddle, The Stepford Wives, The Italian Job and Domestic Disturbance.

Djoliva's Grade: C

There is a rumor that Nathan Fillion will play Hal Jordan in the film. If this is case lets see Nathan's filmography:

- Trucker, Waitress, White Noise 2, Slither, Serenity, Outing Riley, Water's Edge, Dracula 2000, Blast from the Past, Saving Private Ryan and Strange and Rich. Nathan has done many television shows. He is most know for the Firefly where he plays Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

Djoliva's Grade: C-

Djoliva's overall pre-production grade: C

From the looks of the movie in its early stages doesn't look out to be a great movie. I would consider this average and compare it to movie such as Ghost Rider and the Hulk. At this point I feel as if Daredevil is better. I am a huge fan of Green Lantern and I hope I am wrong. There are many characters and the story line can be broad. Green Lantern can come out with many movies if done correctly. They can bring characters in this movie and setup crossovers. There is a rumor that Superman might make a cameo. That will be hot! Below is a fan made trailer for Green Lantern.



-djoliva

James Cameron to direct Forbidden Planet?

Forbidden Planet remains one of the best scifi movies of not only the 1950s but in the entire genre. It is the predecessor of the original Star Trek series as it merged sex, violence and adventure into one movie. A young Leslie Nielson (Naked Gun, Scary Movie) plays a starship captain that lands on Altair 4 and discover a father and daughter who are the only remnants of a crashed vessel. They've been living peacefully on the planet now with their robot servant Robbie. But with the arrival of Nielson and his men, a dark threat has reemerged to cause havoc for everyone.

Now the word is that James Cameron is interested in doing not only a remake but a prequel/trilogy type of story. This wouldn't be James Cameron's only trip into outer space as he directed what I believe is the quintessential scifi alien action movie: Aliens. Sorry Independence Day.

If this is indeed true and Cameron comes on board then this may very well be a good remake. However the only big criticism of Cameron's is that his Avatar film is still in production with a ballooned budget. When this remake will be made is anyone's guess but at least its a good start.

Here is the trailer for Forbidden Planet.



Here is the trailer for Aliens:

Frank Miller directing The Green Hornet and Buck Rogers

Ok so some of you might know who Frank Miller is. He's the man behind classic graphic novels and most recently film adaptions of Sin City, 300 and now the Spirit. Early word is that the Spirit isn't going to live up to expectations but we'll have to wait and see when it comes out. Regardless of the bad early buzz Frank Miller is still the man about town in Hollywood. So you might be asking, who the hell is Buck Rogers and The Green Hornet?



Buck Rogers is actually one of the earliest cinematic science fiction heroes in history. We're talking the 1930s here! Rogers is best known from the long-running syndicated newspaper comic strip. He also appeared in a 1939 movie serial, a 1979television series, and several comic books. The adventures of Buck Rogers comic strips, movies, radio, and television became an important part of American pop culture as it helped pave the way for other space adventure properties such as Star Trek and Star Wars.



The Green Hornet is a lesser known hero who debuted back in the 1930s. Originally created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker for an American old-time radio program in the 1930s, the character has appeared in other media as well, including film serials in the 1940s, a network television program in the 1960s, and multiple comic book series from the 1940s to the 1990s. Though various incarnations sometimes change details, in most incarnations the Green Hornet is Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher by day who by night goes out in his masked "Green Hornet" identity to fight crime as a vigilante, accompanied by his similarly masked Asian manservant Kato and driving a car, equipped with advanced technology, called "Black Beauty". Seth Rogan (Superbad, Knocked Up) and Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) have been tapped to play the duo for Sony Pictures with a 2010 release.

Even though both of these properties are pretty obscure and never made it to the pop culture forefront like Superman or Star Wars, if done right, these properties can find a new life. I haven't been much of a fan of remakes lately ie War of the Worlds and The Day the Earth Stood Still, but I still feel that you can take a dirty penny and shine it up. They just need the right people at the helm. Frank Miller? Let's see how the Spirit turns out.

Clint Eastwood's Grand Torino

We've been covering a lot of science fiction on this site lately so I wanted to swith it up and post this trailer for Clint Eastwood's new movie. If there is ever an actor that has meant less to science fiction than anyone else its Clint! I honestly can't remember any scifi movies Eastwood has been in but it doesn't really matter. Eastwood is a great actor and a fantastic director. Eastwood IS Dirty Harry. He IS the embodiment of the Western genre. And he IS a great director bringing us movies such as Oscar winning films Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby. The trailer for Grand Torino looks very promising. The aging and time worn Eastwood still has a lot to offer. Check it out.



Will there be another Dirty Harry? Get Clint's opinion on it.



And see what Arnold Schwartzenegger says about Dirty Harry.

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry has passed away

Who is that? To science fiction and especially Star Trek fans she is truly a familar name. Majel was the wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. She was also a key actress on several of the Trek series as she played numerous roles such as Dr. McKoy's nurse assistant in the original series, the voice of several Starfleet computers and the mother of Deanna Troia on Star Trek the Next Generation.



For those that are fans of Star Trek this is terrible news. For those that aren't into Star Trek I'm telling you that this is a terrible loss as this woman was a big advocate of science fiction and is one of the biggest reasons why Star Trek has been around for so long. For those that have never discovered Star Trek or for those that may rediscover it this May when the new J.J. Abrams Trek comes out, we all need to recognize that this is a loss and her story will always be remembered. Not only in Star Trek lore but in the whole world of science fiction.

Tron 2!!!

I do not know much of Tron 2 at this point. I will update everybody when I have more information. For the mean time I have the best copy of the Tron 2 sneak peak video.

The Wrestler opens today!

Mickey Rourke? Remember him? Many of you probably don't as his big shot at stardom came in the mid 1980s. What happened to him? From what I've read and heard, he squandered what could have been a fantastic career as he had become known as a "difficult to work with actor." Many believe that as a result, someone like Bruce Willis in Die Hard took the spot that Rourke could've had.

Now 20 years later, the much older and time worn Rourke returns to the big screen as the much older, time worn pro wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson. The similarities between both the actor and the character are so striking that many can see exactly why there is such strong Oscar buzz behind Rourke's performance. Its almost as if Rourke is exorcising his demons just as his character is. The Ram is a broken down 80s wrestler who refuses to hang up the boots. The days of wrestling in front of thousands in sold out arenas is long gone. Now he wrestles in front of crowds that are considerably less. Sounds familiar to Rourke's acting career which he completely left some time back to become a pro boxer, which too didn't last.

You can read about it everywhere, The Wrestler is getting rave reviews and Oscar buzz. This year's Oscars is shaping up to be very interesting so far. Two movies about wrestlers and comic books are in serious contention for awards. Who ever thought that such a thing was possible? What I would love to see is Rourke and Ledger win for their respective roles as they both churned out truly great perfomances. Keep your fingers crossed.

Legion of Superheroes on Smallville

Smallville continues to be the only superhero series going strong on television today. No I'm not counting the struggling, boarderline and quite frankly pathetic Heroes on NBC. Smallville is actually bringing many of DC Comics' classic heroes to the small screen. Geoff Johns, DC's most popular writer is bringing the Legion of Superheroes to Smallville on Thursday, January 15th.

For years Smallville has been laughed at, scoffed and despised by many people for many different reasons. Too often using kryptonite in each episode as well as the dreaded love triangle between Clark, Lex and Lana. Thankfully with the departure of former producers Gough and Miles, the new producers have been able to shed the shackles of this beaten to death story arc in order to feature some of the most exciting characters of the DC Universe. For a show that has truly had many ups and downs over the last eight years it still remains a strongly rated show on Thursday nights.

The cast of characters that have appeared on the show includes Green Arrow, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Maxima, Doomsday, Brainiac, Supergirl and now three Legion of Superheroes: Cosmic Boy, Lightening Lad and Saturn Girl. I know, not the most awesome of names but they're supposed to be teenagers. This version of the Legion depicts them as late teens and their superhero codenames probably won't be mentioned. This will be a great episode, which I hope will convince everyone involved with the show that a NINTH and more than likely final season needs to be ordered.

What if Smallville isn't renewed for next season? The producers have promised a heroic send off for Clark as he becomes the man we all know as Superman. As for spin offs, Aquaman and The Graysons have tried and failed in the past. Now, rumor has it, that a Martian Manhunter series can be created where DC's favorite martian will meet many more characters within its universe. I for one would love to see the small screen versions of Blue Beetle, Booster Gold (BOOSTER!!) and Guy Gardner. Check out the trailer for the Jan. 15th episode. Hey, its gotta be better than Heroes at this point right?