With its recent advertising campaign for the December-launching Marvel Noir line, the House of Ideas drove even average comic fans crazy trying to figure out what series or event the posters were promoting. Was it another Secret Invasion-size event? Was an A-list character getting a reboot? Was a fan-favorite writer returning to Marvel?
“Every time one would come out, the comic book Web sites would go nuts with people trying to figure out what’s going on,” remembered Dennis Calero, artist and co-creator of X Men Noir and the posters in question. “Some people were saying it was Frank Miller coming back to Marvel and doing X-Men like Sin City, which isn’t too far off from what we’re trying to do.”
I for one am very excited. It has been rumored for weeks now, only to be confirmed earlier today. Well hopefully Raimi gets to have his way and not have villains thrown on him and shoved down his throat. I personally don’t believe the blame is entirely on him, just the studio wanting too much in so little time. Spider-Man, to me, is the greatest comic hero ever created. Yes, even above Big Blue or the Caped Crusader. His creation revolutionized how things were done. However, I digress. This is how Marvel will try and stay ahead of the game…especially with DC on the verge to bombard our cinemas with Wonder Woman, Green Lanter, Green Arrow, etc.
Constant Velocity is a trio out of Bloomington, Illinois and “Muttonhead” is their latest album that was released earlier this year. Their sound is unique. Stirring, yet quirky. They’ve been compared to the Violent Femmes and the Minutemen. They’ve been put in the “punk” pigeonhole, though I don’t really hear that. They remind of me of a heavier version of Cake with some country (yes, country) mixed in.
It’s no secret that Warner Bros. is sitting a superhero goldmine, but has so much trouble getting their material out there. That could soon change, as Warners is readying to revamp how DC’s properties are developed — changes that could be announced within the next month. This article really intrigues me. It’s interesting that they decide this now after Marvel has been doing it for about a decade now. Not all of Marvel films have been as successful and DC knows what failure of a possible franchise-starter feels like (Catwoman) as well as a multi-million dollar reboot (Superman Returns) crash to the ground. Though things could be looking up. (more…)
Brett Ratner is a busy man; he has recently moved to Paramount and while there he wants to make “mainstream tentpole” movies, reports Variety. One of the first two he says he will be working on is Harbinger. From the article: Ratner said after directing “X-Men: The Last Stand,” he was eager to build a superhero franchise from the ground up. Though it should be noted that this past March, it was announced that Paramount Pictures acquired the rights of Harbinger, enlisting Brett Ratner as director. Alexandra Milchan, Jay Stern Dinesh Shamdasani, Jason Kothari and Ratner will all produce. It seems with his departure, they managed to come to some sort of agreement. (more…)
(left to right: Eric Wagler, Ryan Wagler, Mike Burtett, Mike Nichols)
With an album titled Memento Mori, a Latin phrase that roughly translates to “remember that you are mortal, remember you will die”, there is a lesson and message to be heard. The album fittingly reveals we must live each day to its fullest, for tomorrow may not remember us. Since they’ve been together for more than a decade, they don’t seem like a band, more like a brotherhood and their music truly shows how they in sync. (more…)
Guests of San Diego Comic-Con this year have been treated to a sneak peek at the animation for a new Grant Morrison project. That’s right– animation. In collaboration with Virgin Comics and Perspective Studios, Morrison is bringing the classic Indian myth of The Mahabharata to life with his project titled MBX. Combining the tale of ancient families at war with technology and super humans, this collaboration is a first for both companies and versatile– feature film and video game adaptation announcements in coming months are expected.
Three years ago, Christopher Nolan and Co. released Batman Begins. A movie that gave rebirth to the Batman franchise after being destroyed by Joel Schumacher and his “comic” feeling. I don’t mean as in comic book, I mean…well, you’ve seen Batman and Robin, right? Yeah. Nolan did away with that. With proper casting and a darker feel and environment. He gave not only life to the Caped Crusader…but even Gotham City felt like a character in its own right. With sets like the Narrows and Wayne Tower and a monorail so you can see how far it goes, and how you felt that the city was crumbling under it’s own corruption. Nolan made sure that Batman didn’t always fight “colorful” villains, he can take down mob bosses and immortals alike. And at the end of film…with the conversation with Gordon about a certain someone with a “taste for the theatrical”. Just a hint of things to come. Simply put: one of the best movies of the decade.
I saw this last night a special preview screening. I had seen the trailer here and there, and I it freaked me out. Though I kept making jokes about the Scarecrow asking for a cup of sugar. It played well on one of my two main fears: home invasion. The other one being child ghosts, but this movie is realistic to the point where it could happen. No demon-possessed janitors. No chainsaw-weilding freaks of nature. Just weirdos in masks, looking for a good kill. The thing about this movie is that The Strangers was filmed in the United States beginning in 2006 and finishing in 2007. The production’s estimated budget was around $10,000,000. The release of the film was postponed…twice. The producers originally intended to release the film in Summer 2007, but due to complications, the date was pushed back to the Autumn. The release was pushed back yet again to May 30, 2008. Possibly trying to not get loss in the shuffle of torture-porn movies already in the works around that time. (more…)
Chris Gore is a speaker and writer on the topic of independent film. He is also the main writer and founder of Film Threat, a project dedicated to covering independent and underground movies. He appears weekly on the G4 television program “Attack of the Show” in a segment entitled DVDuesday in which he reviews the newest DVD movies released that day. His books include The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made , The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 3rd Edition, and The Complete DVD Book: Designing, Producing and Marketing Your Independent Film on DVD. Sidenote: he remembered me as the guy who loved “Amalgam Comics”.
Yep. I’m the second caller.I called him up recently so get an insight of the future of film and any other projects he has in the works and to see what lies in that spiky head of his.
Last night, my local movie theater had a special preview showing of Iron Man at 8 pm. So a few of my cronies and I piled up in a clown car and headed out. After the new “Dark Knight”, “Indiana Jones”, and “Incredible Hulk” trailers finished, it was showtime. This was just an all-around good movie. Not just a movie that’s part of the “superhero” genre, but a fun, action-packed movie that everyone can enjoy. Seriously, I’m thinking of asking my mom if she wants to go see it sometime. Possibly for Mother’s Day. While I’m not a huge Iron Man fan, I know the backstory and are familiar with the supporting characters.For those of you out of the Marvel loop for the past 45 years or so, here’s a quick backstory: Created by writer-editor Stan Lee, writer Larry Lieber, and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, Tony Stark (and his iron-clad alter ego) first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 in March 1963. Tony Stark, after being gravely injured and forced to build a devastating weapon, instead created a suit of power armor to save his life and help protect the world as Iron Man. He is a wealthy industrialist and genius inventor whose suit of armor is laden with technological devices that enable him to fight crime.
I wasn’t aware of this movie until after SXSW. I didn’t know it had a viral campaign dealing with Jason Segel’s character, Peter, making fake signs about how much Sarah Marshall sucks and so on. However, once I saw the trailer, I knew this movie had to be seen. If I could recommend any movie out in theaters now, it would be this one. (more…)
A couple of days ago, I got back from vacation, so my internet access time was somewhat limited. So yesterday as I browsed all my favorite sites (one being sescoops.com…even though sometimes I feel like I’m playing Galaga with the pop-ups) and I learn that ECW has a new announcer to replace Joey Styles. His name is Mike Adamle. I have never heard of him before, so I begin the google search. A handsome enough guy, though reminds me a tad of William Regal. Anyroad, I read articles about him and how he’s known for fudging lines and being out of touch with the product. Adamle also has a very hefty price: around $300,000 a year. Though the reasoning of the switch is interesting to me. Apparently, Joey Styles made the announcement that he will be the “head of WWE.com”. Though according to PWInsider.com WWE employee Brian Kalinowski will still be in charge of WWE.com, however Styles will assume a “managing editor” role, similar to what Michael Cole used to do.
So here’s the problem I have: they promoted some high-price nitwit and just replaced one of the greatest play-by-play announcers of our generation. Michael Cole used to be an announcer and run the site…so, couldn’t they have just had Styles do both, give HIM the raise, and fire some no-namer? I mean, that would save the company a little bit of money and frees up Adamle’s time to do whatever he wants.
PWInsider.com also notes that while Styles may be gone from tv airings, he will continue to attend the weekly SmackDown & ECW tapings. Along with that, he will also attend WWE RAW every night and will be sitting in on meetings with WWE’s creative team. Management wants Styles to be aware of upcoming storylines and know what to emphasize on the website.
Though with this youtube video made by Burngun50, I’m thinking it will only be a matter of time before Styles returns.
This was the debut of Daimon Striker on WCW Pro in 1996. His match was against Meng, accompained by Hugh Morris. The match doesn’t go one long, but the young star gets proper television time. If the name “Daimon Striker” doesn’t sound familiar, it is because the jobber now goes by another name…
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