Inside Man: inserting social commentary on video games into film

Spike Lee's Inside Man got a bit of attention in the gaming community earlier this year for a scene that showed a computer generated sequence made to look like a violent video game. I just saw the DVD on the weekend, and I have to admit I'm a bit suprised at the clumsily inserted social commentary. I could understand using the wounds of the World Trade Centre as a point of reflection in 25th Hour, but Inside Man's approach to criticizing violent video games simply felt gratuitous, from multiple viewpoints. It seems that the bigger Lee's budget, the lesser his tact.

The Temple of Doom: Orphan of the Indiana Jones Trilogy?

Ask anyone which chapter of the Indiana Jones trilogy is their favorite and they will name Raiders of the Lost Ark (mine) or The Last Crusade. I have not met a single person who told me that they felt The Temple of Doom was the best, as it is largely considered the weakest of the trilogy by both fans and critics. Why? While it may suffer from being the middle movie in the trilogy, the film stands solidly on its own as a typical Indiana Jones adventure. Part of the problem is that you can't help but compare it to the other two chapters in the Trilogy, and as a result seems terribly out of place due to its unfamiliar cultural backdrop. After watching it recently I've collected some of the reasons how this movie dissociates itself from the Indiana Jones oeuvre, and likely influences its standing in the minds of viewers.

I forgot Constantine

I intended for my recent article about the state of the comic book movie to be comprehensive. I assembled the micro-reviews by memory, and last year's Constantine (a somewhat loose adaptation of DC's Hellblazer series) somehow slipped by. Though I guess that says a lot about the quality of the movie. I've added it to the article for completeness.

Hollywood and comics: a tenuous relationship

In getting that review of X-Men: The Last Stand off of my chest, I started thinking about the role comic books have played in Hollywood cinema over the past few years. While it isn't a new occurrence for Hollywood to borrow liberally from other forms of media as the basis for the latest screenplay (the lack of original screenplays lately being another topic entirely), it seems that after the box office and critical successes of Sam Raimi's Spider Man in 1999 and Bryan Singer's X-Men the following year, interest seems to be peaking. How could the American film industry continue to pass up this previously neglected well of unused properties? In conversations with fellow comic book fans at the time, I even went so far as to say that the comic book movie was experiencing a true renaissance - the producers and directors were finally realizing that they couldn't simply rely on the hardcore fanatics to fill theatre seats. This statement was egregiously misguided, however, as the comic movies to be released in the years that followed would show.

the last stand, indeed

If we can expect a sequel after the funeral pyre that was X-Men: The Last Stand, it can be considered a turning point for the series. Similar to what happened to Batman with Batman Forever, the previous two films by the same director had successfully established a universe (despite its liberties with the comic books), created characters out of familiar icons and weaved an adequate storyline that can be enjoyed by comic purists and casual moviegoers alike. With the third installment, we have a new director who clearly wanted to make his mark on the series and added his own "creative vision" to the franchise. The work had already been done for him up to this point, and yet coming on to a project of such popularity and magnitude would probably feel overwhelming for someone still trying to make a name for themselves. Joel Schumacher at least had a track record before picking up the Batman franchise with Batman Forever. He selected two popular actors at the time to play the villains (to this day I have no idea why each Batman film requires two villains - at least Batman Begins handled this tactfully) threw a few cans of neon paint at Tim Burton's world of perpetual darkness and called it a day. Three Batman actors and two directors later, the series seems to be back on track after the serious, grounded-in-reality Batman Begins.

Assuming the X-Men can continue their momentum after the latest installment, can we presume the same treatment of the series?

cover my eyes, please

I saw the trailer for Doom a couple weeks ago and I cringed. This wasn't going to be pretty. I read the reviews as they rolled in after its release on Friday, which were more or less a bloodbath.

When I first heard that a movie was being made based on Doom, I thought it was some kind of industry joke. I figured that Hollywood would tack on the subtitle "Knee Deep in the Dead" and call it a day, letting fans wait a decade before the project fell into the overflowing pit of development hell. Then I saw that The Rock would be starring, which brought the movie into the realm of frightening possibility - it's not like the guy has a reputable career to maintain. You can look forward to him starring in John Woo's rendition of Spy Hunter in 2006.

Doom is a first person shooter that has no real story; the player is simply asked to single-handedly dispatch a horde of Hell-spawned demons that have overrun a base on Mars. This provides very little framework for a film in the traditional sense; naturally, the filmmakers have to fill in 95% of the movie with a manufactured plot to push the action forward. Which is why many were afraid this movie would have about as much to do with the original game as Super Mario Brothers did with its source material.

Unfortunately, when a producer sees a culturally resonant property like Doom they get all excited and want to shoehorn in as many references as possible that end up alienating the casual viewers as much as they annoy the ones that actually "get it" in the first place.

Getting back to creative liberties with the plot. There is talk of mapping the human genome on a distant science facility. A very timely bit of research, considering this was actually done last year. There are the expected character archetypes and accompanying clever nicknames for the soldiers in the team that are to take on the evil demons. There is a 15 minute "FPS" sequence that lets audiences experience the video game...without playing it. I think there is a scientist named "Dr. Carmack". Was Doom simply intended to be pieces of fan service strung together as proof that they can create a film based on our beloved PC game?

The most important part of a "nod" to fans is subtlety. It's key if you want to maintain credibility. You want the hardcore to feel special, because they'll appreciate the effort you put into hiding it for them. Some of my favorite examples of this include the scene in X-Men 2 where Mystique is on a computer that shows references a few X-Men that aren't in the films, and hints at some storylines from the comics. Or in Spider Man, where one of Peter Parker's professors, missing an arm, is identifiable as the Lizard (and we learn he is in fact Curt Connors in Spider Man 2). Nobody makes the viewer process these kinds of things to get to the next part of the film - they're in there to establish substance in the film's world, not define it.

All the makers of Doom had to do was watch Aliens and they would get a pretty good idea about how to do it right. Why not copy this proven formula instead of falling back on a poorly written screenplay full of well-worn cliches that obviously discredit the entire film? Doom should have been the next great science fiction action movie. All the elements were there - no one said it had to be deep or harbor some overcomplicated storyline.

I'm not against movies being made based on games - I just want to see them done right. There's always potential for great storytelling, as long as the game provides a solid foundation for a capable screenwriter to build upon. Take Alone in the Dark, for example. While its cartoonish graphics would never achieve the intended effect compared with modern entries in the horror genre, it provided a suitably creepy atmosphere for an adventure game at the time. It could have been a good movie had it been handled properly. Instead Uwe Boll - a man insistent on cashing in on video games as Hollywood's great untapped resource - completely decimated this opportunity, and is contributing to the stigma of video game movies being instant failures.

Video games as a cultural force are still being absorbed by modern day society, so to see that movies based on popular games are being made at all is a good indication of its acceptance as a worthwhile undertaking. As the game industry matures, perhaps we'll start to see them being taken more seriously as they are translated into other forms. Then maybe we'll be given something worth our time, instead of the hastily constructed, throwaway films that simply act as a painful reminder of the big-budget development process for the games these movies are based on.

throw the walls into the fireplace

Revenge of the Sith: closing the circle

Short answer: I loved it. This movie was woven from the same fabric of the Star Wars I remembered. It tied everything together, and left nothing to criticize except minutiae that can only be dreamt up by fanboys such as myself. Which is largely going to be the content of this review, if I can even call it that. The usual warning against spoilers applies, but I'm sure the only people reading this are the ones who have seen it anyway.

games that copy movies that copy games

My favorite example of a game that copies another game that was obviously inspired by a movie is Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. In 1996 Tomb Raider gave the adventuring archaeologist oversized breasts and dual pistols instead of a whip and genuine charm, and created an extremely successful franchise in its own right. After essentially ignoring the Indiana Jones brand for seven years (I don't consider Desktop Adventures a recognizable sequel) Lucasarts clearly designed Infernal Machine with the success of Tomb Raider in mind. Though the intentions were good and the spirit of Indiana Jones was intact, the controls and derivative gameplay made it an inferior game compared against its inspiration; a game that basically brought 3D platforming to the PC.

I think Vivendi Universal's Scarface: The World is Yours is next in line for this strange trend. De Palma's over the top, violent epic was the inspiration for many games, most notably the GTA series. In GTA III one of the radio stations is the entire Scarface soundtrack, not to mention your ultimate goal of ascending the ranks of Liberty City's underworld. The mansion you eventually get in GTA: Vice City was modelled after Tony Montana's stronghold at the end of the film. So why do we need a Scarface game?

"Having the chance to now bring gamers the authentic experience is an opportunity and challenge we are looking forward to," is the reason we get from VUG in a press release, though their reference to "cutting edge technology" is debatable. I might be missing something, but the screens look absolutely horrid even for a console port (yes, this will be on PC).

EA's The Godfather is another movie-game to tap into the free form gameplay of GTA, and will also feature some of the voice talent of the original film's actors despite being disowned by Francis Ford Coppola himself.

I know that GTA III+ is the latest trend in "mainstream" gaming - both Fear and Respect and 50 Cent's Bulletproof are hoping to grab audiences that want to live the thug life without fear of bloodshed or jail time sharing a cell with guy named Big Earl. I could easily compare this landslide of unoriginality to the copious number of WW2 shooters we've seen in recent years. GTA III was critically lauded because of its lack of linear gameplay. I remember spending many sessions simply stealing cars and performing stunts; the missions I found boring and repetitive. Casual gamers liked it for the unabashed violence and freedom to perform criminal acts without consequence. It's been the thorn in the side of lawyers eager to cash in on the video game industry's seeming complacency towards creating and selling "murder simulators" to our youth. Publishers are taking notice of this controversy and want to exploit it. Pretty soon the only complacency we'll be seeing is on the part of the consumer, who are more than happy to forego innovation and shell out money for a dated design concept.

i've got another

the spice must flow

It was a hard task to pull myself away from the development of my dwarven paladin, but I managed to do it long enough for a viewing of the Director's Cut of the Dune TV miniseries this past weekend. The special effects are probably the only faults I have with this adapation of Frank Herbert's science fiction epic, because there are way too many times where it was clear the cast was running around a closed studio piled with sand. The computer generated ships and planet locations were passable, but also looked as if they were created under a tight budget. The acting was generally good, and unlike the Lynch version that required a working knowledge of the entire Dune universe before viewing it, the story was carefully assembled into three highly watchable episodes. This isn't to say that Lynch's film is completely terrible, because I think it suffered from being released at the wrong time - audiences weren't ready for such a complicated plot in a movie that was expected to be a typical big-budget popcorn movie.

All of this got me thinking about how ripe the Dune universe is for video gaming. Yet it remains ignored, except for the occasional lackluster release. Looking back, it's not like the subject was completely overlooked; there's a prototype for the Atari 2600 floating around for a game inspired by the 1984 film. However, the first official Dune game was released for the PC in 1992, and was a kind of action/adventure hybrid that doesn't make a whole lot of sense based on the screens. Though what most of us would remember is Westwood's Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty that came out the same year, considered to be the inspiration for every RTS game you've ever played. There were three separate campaigns based on three major royal houses: Atreides (good), Harkonnen (evil), and Ordos (more or less neutral) all vying for control of Arrakis. The base and troop building that most of us learned playing Command and Conquer had already been established in this game.

It wasn't until 1998 that I actually got my hands on a Dune game, and this was Dune 2000, a desperate Command and Conquer clone also published by Westwood. It was a little ironic when considering the game's pedigree; after all, this was just an update of the game that inspired the genre in the first place. The graphics and strategies were uncomfortably familiar, and as such resulted in a forgettable experience. Then again, John Rhys-Davies did appear as the Atreides mentat in one of the game's many live-action cutscenes.

The release of the TV miniseries in 2001 renewed interest in the setting, and spawned two games: Frank Herbert's Dune and Emperor: The Battle for Dune. Frank Herbert's Dune was intended as a direct tie-in with the miniseries, but resulted in a dismal failure both in its disregard for the source material and lack of attention to actual gameplay. Emperor was apparently a pretty good RTS game, and probably marked EA's entrance into 3D strategy before the release of C&C Generals the following year. After these games, development on anything Dune related basically stopped.

The sequel to the TV miniseries, Children of Dune, originally aired in 2003 but I never watched it, because frankly I had no idea it was even being made. The first miniseries I considered only a moderate success, because interest in Dune seemed to wane rather quickly and I figured that would be the end of this renaissance. I haven't read the recently started series of books co-authored by Brian Herbert (Frank Herbert's son) and Kevin J. Anderson (who has also penned his share of Star Wars novels). They don't seem well received, and feel more like novels written to simply pacify fans eager to see the series continue. In other words, very much like the Star Wars novels. I have even seen the likes of a limited run tabletop RPG, Chronicles of the Imperium, and another one rumored to have been in development by Wizards of the Coast that was later cancelled. The Dune series is largely regarded as one of the pillars of modern science fiction writing, and yet it's consistently pushed into the background as if to disregard its influence on the genre.

The Dune universe is one full of political intrigue and a more spiritual view of a possible future when compared with conventional science fiction that obsesses over technology. Though Dune may lend itself well to strategy titles, what's stopping the creation of a roleplaying game? Ascending through the ranks of a royal house, plotting and scheming; a smuggler in the quest for spice; or a Fremen footsoldier simply braving the unforgiving desert could all be adapted to this type of gameplay. The world of Dune is more complex than previous games have given it credit for. I'd like to see a developer take advantage of this, and not simply use the Dune name to sell an action or strategy game in an established formula. It obviously comes down to a financial return, but I think fans would appreciate more dignified treatment of the material, and would be more than happy to answer with their wallets. Most importantly, it would open up the market for science fiction games without the prefix of Star Wars or Star Trek.

been there, Saw that

"I fell asleep in my shithole apartment and wake up in an actual shithole." - Adam

So begins Saw, a modern horror/thriller that tried so hard to be Seven, but ends up being diversionary entertainment. The premise is mysterious: two men wake up on opposites sides of a dingy bathroom with their legs cuffed to pipes while a blood-drenched body lies motionless in the middle of the room, quickly setting the tone for the entire film. Like Seven, dingy setpieces and rumpled characters are the norm. Adam (Leigh Whannell, the screenwriter) is an angst filled twentysomething that appears to be innocent. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) is a self absorbed doctor that has an idea who might have put them there. They each receive a hacksaw, obviously too dull to saw through the heavy chains. The mind begins wandering into dark places.

trailer binge

The new Episode III teaser trailer leaves me feeling a bit crestfallen. It was supposed to be an exclusive for paying members of Hyperspace, but as everyone knows this exclusivity doesn't last long. I found a few mirrors, but you can also grab it on the official site if you don't mind the wait. I liked how Obi-Wan Kenobi was spliced into the trailer to tell the story of Vader from his "certain point of view", connecting the two trilogies and preparing us for the ultimate fall from grace. Indeed, a battle between capital ships, a climactic face off between old friends, and the Emperor hovering over his new creation were all merely hinted at. I have to admit, regardless of how these movies turn out, the trailers have all been outstanding at building up expectations.

Planet Gamecube posted links to a massive number of demo reels from Nintendo Japan, most of which I've only been able to take cursory glances at. Fire Emblem for the Gamecube looks like, well, Fire Emblem for the Gamecube. I was completely enthralled by the GBA version, and this Gamecube version looks like a straightforward transplant into three dimensions. This isn't to say that its receiving the same treatment as Advance Wars, mind you, because the turn based strategy thankfully remains intact.

Seeing the DS in action was pretty fascinating, and even though Advance Wars DS only got a split second I can see how the second screen will be coming in handy. And naturally WarioWare will have some cleverly distracting minigames that utilize the touch screen. I have to admit I was a little uneasy about the Nintendo DS when I first heard about it, but I avoided outright condemnation of the thing like so many media outlets were quick to do. As the feature list became more tangible, most were quick to change their tune. I'm this close to adding it to my Christmas list, as the unique gaming possibilities are seemingly endless. I've also determined that the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS are not direct competitors; where one is satisfied to pander an existing mindshare, the other is pushing portable gaming in new directions.

You can also find some gameplay videos of assorted Gameboy Advance titles, and if there's one game I'm more interested in after seeing it in action it would be Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. A sound decision was made to include Advance Wars and its sequel in one cart - any fan of turn based strategy that missed out the first time now has no excuse.

I thought that Blizzard was the master of introductory cinematics until I played Dawn of War. That doesn't mean that the World of Warcraft intro video misses the mark; rather, it does a fine job of mixing together the various races of the game and puts them into a short film to let you know what kind of mess you're getting into. I read about the possibility of the Open Beta starting today, and I envisioned an Internet that was incessantly bursting at the seams.

"And lo, Blizzard did begin the Open Beta, and there was much rejoicing. But it was like a mighty flood unto their servers, as thousands of keys were secured in an instant."

i knew it wouldn't last

Star Wars week

My agenda when I got home from purchasing the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD consisted of mainly one item: to make myself a liar. I wanted to believe in my heart of fanboy hearts that there is no way Uncle George would ever go through with modifying the Original Trilogy to suit his needs of justifying the Prequel Trilogy. But there it was, Luke staring knowingly into the darkness of the Ewok village outskirts, looking upon the ghosts of his former masters: Obi-Wan, Yoda and his father...Hayden Christiansen. I guess it's not like Sebastian Shaw can put up a fight, him being dead and all, but was it really necessary?

After The Wife picked me up off the floor, tears streaming down my cheeks, I skimmed briefly through the discs checking over some of the key scenes that I had heard received a bit of a touch up. I half expected to see Jabba re-replaced with Declan McCullaugh in A New Hope, but instead I saw a more freckly Jabba that had obviously been remodelled to look less like inserted CG than it did in 1997. Fair enough. All of the lightsabers look a lot brighter, and I was really suprised at how clean the film-to-DVD transfer was. In an even longer celebration sequence at the end of Return of the Jedi was a brief shot of the celebration on Naboo, which I suppose was inevitable now that we know it's part of the Alliance.

I kept looking at the DVD covers with a sneer on my face, thinking about how Lucasfilm took extra special care in trying to awkwardly place clearly old pictures to mimic the covers from the Prequel Trilogy. I decided to toss in the Bonus Materials disc, not defeated, but definitely feeling a bit demoralized. I watched the exclusive preview for Episode III, and I was a jellyfish again.

The Duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin, the fight this entire Prequel trilogy has been cultivating, will be the mantlepiece for the entire film. Watching McGregor and Christiansen rehearse against the blue screen, you can only imagine what environment is around them. Observing the extremely talented artists in Lucasfilm's costume studio create a more "modern looking" Vader suit, I got goosebumps. It wasn't until one of the sculptors working on Vader's facemask said something that made you realize just how 70s the original Vader helmet looks. It's not like they gave him glowing eyes or a platinum grill or anything, they just made some subtle changes to the entire outfit so it would seem appropriate on Christiansen's obviously smaller frame. When he walked on set in it for the first time, the entire crew cheered - fuck, I cheered - and I was ready to jump up and wait in line for this stupid movie.

There are also three featurettes on the disc, one of them being about the evolution of the Lightsaber. I mean everyone knows the story about sound man Ben Burtt's quest to search for what would be come one of the most famous sound effects in movie history, but there was a playful, even mythical quality to the whole thing that made you look at the Lightsaber as not just a prop or special effect, but a cornerstone of the entire series. I really doubt Star Wars would have gone anywhere if the effects crew decided to keep the rods wrapped in highly reflective tape.

The highlight of the bonus disc though is the amazingly detailed two and a half hour documentary that shows everything from Star Wars the concept and Lucas' merchandising foresight, to the fan reaction at the release of the prequels. Anyone that's seen From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga knows that it was more of a promotional tool for Jedi's theatrical release. Empire of Dreams is the story behind the Star Wars saga proper, something desperately needed to ground everyone's expectations about this series. Indeed, things have gotten a bit out of hand with people like me acting as if Lucas himself pillaged our childhood memories, but the series still remains a great concept and a monumental influence on modern Hollywood cinema, despite Lucas' efforts to distance himself from the Hollywood machine. The whole thing had a very VH1-feel to it, but I suppose we're better off without Mark Hamill's narration and the talking puppets in Star Wars to Jedi.

The release of Star Wars: Battlefront this week was met with average reviews, and much to my disappointment the demo released with the DVD set is for XBox only (and apparently overwrites your dashboard - modders beware!). Fortunately, my local electronics superstore had an outright buffet of Star Wars media to consume, the foremost being a tricked out PC with Battlefront on it. Pandemic's engine looked very hazy and surreal, apparently sharing this behaviour with Full Spectrum Warrior. The Naboo battlefield was presented quite nicely, and this haziness served as a kind of fog that wouldn't be out of place on this planet. The controls were standard, as were the basic gameplay objectives. I didn't play it long enough to justify an instant buy; then again, I also can't name too many people that wouldn't want to aim a blaster rifle at a Gungan's head.

I also checked out Apprentice of the Force, something I thought would end up as a "Star Wars" emblazoned turd. The animations are suprisingly smooth, and reminiscent of the acrobatics found in The Sands of Time (GBA). However the sprites remain undetailed, the backgrounds lack substance and are overall presented quite shabbily - right down to the pixellated movieframe cutscenes. You traverse the entire trilogy, faced with battles along the way for the most menial of tasks. I don't remember Luke having to fend off a legion of Stormtroopers just to sell his damnable landspeeder, but I guess you have to gain experience for your future Force abilities somehow. The level design is uninspired and excruciatingly repetitive, and incredibly easy to play through. It's a decent action game for serious SW fans only. And when I say serious, I'm talking about the same kind that shelled out $60 CDN on Tuesday for Hayden Christiansen's ghost. But I'm not bitter or anything.

another slow train to the coast

the circle is now complete?

The renewed interest in the Star Wars mythos caused by extended sessions of Star Wars Galaxies inspired both me and the Wife to look on the films with feelings of an unwritten duty. How could we continue to play this game without watching the source material again? I've seen both the classic trilogy and the prequels countless times - some volumes more than others - but watching them recently after an admittedly long hiatus from monthly viewings caused me to absorb them in an entirely different manner. Instead of just taking it all in, cries of "I've been there!", "We fought a few of those!" took precedence over my favorite pieces of dialogue. After watching the final installment of Return of the Jedi, I concluded that this was no chance encounter with the classic trilogy. This served as a sobering reminder of what has been lost, and what we can only hope to receive in the final chapter of the prequel trilogy.

Over the years, the classic trilogy has come to symbolize my personal definition of a cinematic triumph. Everything about the movies was perfect, or pretty god damned close. Whether it was the subtle mysticism, or simply illustrated battle of Good versus Evil, these films had something to offer for all ages. And I don't want to hear any disparaging remarks about the Ewoks - yes, they were designed to sell toys, and Kashyyyk was supplanted by Endor - but wasn't it heartwarming to see them triumph over the technologically superior Empire? I'd at least like to believe that it was more amusing than watching Jar Jar goof around on a computer generated battlefield.

When The Phantom Menace arrived in theatres, I lined up with the best of them - multiple times. How is it, then, that it could easily rank as one of the biggest letdowns in the history of Star Wars? The story was not even woven from the same material. Trade blockades? Political machinations? This is hardly something that would appeal to me as a youngster, let alone at my current age. Putting aside all negative reactions to Episodes I and II for a moment, I want to believe that they were simply building up to what becomes the turning point for a galaxy, with Anakin Skywalker at the centre. I want to believe that Episode III will deliver us the fall of Anakin Skywalker, the rise of Darth Vader, and the extermination of the Jedi in a dignified and logical manner. I don't want glossed over violence or comic relief. This is the beginning of a dark time for the Republic, and anything less would only contribute to the convoluted state of the prequels. A few weeks ago, the official title for Episode III was announced: Revenge of the Sith, which cleverly takes a bit from each trilogy.

Besides the codename Blue Harvest, Return of the Jedi was known under another name: Revenge of the Jedi. I still have a 1982 re-release poster for A New Hope with "Coming soon to theatres: Revenge of the Jedi" on the bottom right corner. Many other posters displaying the film's original name have been seen by the most casual of fans, which has in turn become part of the entire Star Wars mythos. The reason for the change of course was that "Revenge" was not Jedi-like at all, and really held a double meaning: was the revenge in question to be had by Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader? It was a wise decision to change this name, and now has a real connection to the last part of the prequel trilogy, closing the circle that is Anakin Skywalker's life.

However what disturbs me are the rumours that started earlier this year about Hayden Christiansen's Anakin being added to the ghost sequence at the end of Return of the Jedi, along with a few other low-key edits to the DVD release of the classic trilogy. Ashamed as I am to admit it, I waded through the many vitriol-soaked messages left at AICN and still refused to believe my eyes. Surely this was the work of Adobe's many products! Why would this addition be necessary? Greedo shooting first is almost preferable to this kind of messing around. One might think that Uncle George's idea behind it was to close a perceived gap between the two trilogies, by using the completely ham-fisted tactic of showing the saga's most prominent likeness of Anakin Skywalker. It may be that Anakin "died" when he turned to the Dark Side, leaving behind all remnants of his life to that point. Problem is, I don't see anything wrong with Sebastian Shaw representing the man behind the mask. Is killing the Emperor, his Master that he swore to honor and protect, to save his only son not good enough? I'd consider the Light Side content of Anakin's soul at that point pretty fucking obvious.

I am still excited about the DVDs that will be released this September, as it would be against my very nature to avoid buying this collection. But I fail to see the purpose of continually tinkering with the special editions that have only been begrudgingly accepted by the fan community. Is this about Uncle George's "ultimate vision", or just creating an excuse for fans to spend more money? The number of upcoming Star Wars game previews that are appearing on the Bonus Disc is staggering - the release of these DVDs is less about addressing something that was supposed to have been done years ago, and more like some kind of multi-media circus. It's become so transparent, and in a way, taints the intention of these films. Indeed, George Lucas established the true meaning of movie merchandising more than 25 years ago, but the original trilogy at least had a clear underlying message and timeless story that was easily grasped by all audiences. Unless Revenge of the Sith manages to salvage the story surrounding the most important figure in the Star Wars saga, we may be witnessing the latest waste of creative potential in a growing group of arrogant filmmakers in control of successful properties.

here's where the story ends

showdown at the house of blue leaves

From an accountant's viewpoint, Miramax timed the release of Kill Bill Volume 1 on DVD and Volume 2 in theatres perfectly. The people that were able to sit through Volume 1 without walking out in disgust or confusion can then run to their local theatre to see the conclusion. Given that it was Miramax's decision to hastily cut down Taratino's latest film, I'm sure this was their intention all along. Nevertheless, I still felt cheated at the abrupt ending - this film does not stand on its own.

the matrix revulsion

The in-laws are currently stationed in Hong Kong, and aside from the huge culture shock they seem to be enjoying it very much. They have fantastic weather all year round, and access to a lot of unfamiliar things that make their daily lives more interesting. As a result, we tend to get a lot of stuff "imported" via courier that they have purchased such as VCDs (completely legal of course), magazines, and an amazing variety of snack foods. Last week we got a copy of The Matrix Revolutions, and decided to check it out. Leaving the theatre crestfallen after weathering the massive hype of Reloaded, I expected great things from a movie that is supposed to tie everything together. A few reviews from friends when it was in theatres assured me that it was better, and so when we finally sat down to watch it I was ready to be vindicated after Reloaded's mis-steps.

The Matrix Revolutions is the insult to Reloaded's injury. Trying not to degrade into clever combinations of foul langauge, I still can only say that it is absolutely fucking awful. Overdramatic in its delivery, convoluted in plot and in its action scenes, and completely pointless as a sequel.

The completely eye-rolling final battle involving giant exoskeletons a little too reminiscent of the power loaders from Aliens ended (for the most part) with an EMP blast from a ship barely making it inside Zion's docks. What was the point of the final power loader stand if there was always this "last ditch effort"? How did bullets actually manage to stay the crushing blow of highly agile robots that probably number in the billions? Neo's final confrontation with the machine's hive mind regarding their common enemy was an interesting way of cleaning things up, but not enough to save this disaster of a movie from collapsing on itself.

The convoluted explanation on why The Oracle actress changed was also extremely frustrating to listen to. Indeed, it was sad that Gloria Foster died during filming, but there's not a whole lot you can do except continue as planned. Just look back at The Crow, which saw the death of its star, and could still be salvaged (the makeup helped, of course). I'd like to think that audiences can accept these unfortunate circumstances without having to slog through rhetoric and double-speak that confuses the issue. Taking a cue Microsoft's idea of security the Wachowskis plan on making their story so obscure it's impossible to tell if it's actually doing the job or not. The only sequence I enjoyed in this movie was the assault on Merovingian's club - but even that was a "re-imagining" of the famous lobby scene from the first film. The climax is a Woo-like standoff that's so over the top that it was cool by default.

With Revolutions the Wachowskis have given the entire franchise a viking funeral. The very concept of both sequels was incredibly indulgent and expecting the masses to choke down this insipid, lazy mess without complaining was cavalier at best. As far as I'm concerned there's only one Matrix film, and I will happily continue to watch it for years to come. The sequels were pointless and told me absolutely nothing except how incredibly vain and contemptuous the creators are.

don't play truth or dare

of Hellboy and secret windows

A movie like Hellboy almost never gets made - theoretically, the core audience is incredibly limited. I've only read a few of the early books; Dark Horse is one of those publishers that ensnared me with their Aliens, Predator and Star Wars licenses, and I rarely drifted far from that comfortable triumvirate. The first time I saw Mike Mignola's Hellboy on the racks in my local comic shop, I reacted with the typical disdain shown towards trendy books, having seen Jae Lee's Hellshock released a short time before and every other comic's current storyline seemed to be based around Hell, demons or some form of the occult underworld. I blame Toddy McFarlane and Image comics for this trend.

Mignola's artwork was murky, gritty and blocky; luckily, Guillermo Del Toro manages to capture these sentiments and put them to film in one of the most accurate comic book universe adaptations in recent memory. You can tell that Del Toro is extremely fond of the source material - he is a confessed fan of Mignola's character - but this ends up being detrimental to the overall experience. Having only rudimentary background information, I still felt left out when trying to understand the relationship between Liz and Hellboy deeper than the clichéd on-screen romance.

I found that the film was very tongue-in-cheek throughout, and reminiscent of the comedic take on the occult of Ghostbusters. Ron Perlman's Hellboy was fantastic, and had some laugh-oud-loud one-liners in the true spirit of the character. I think a lot of the good reviews are really referring to this performance, and maybe because it was developed from a comic and really did suprise people as I originally suspected.

If you've seen Del Toro's Blade II, you can expect action scenes of a similar quality. I was thoroughly unimpressed by the fighting onscreen in Hellboy - Kroenen's blades and Hellboy's Samaritan were oozing with cool-factor, but they hardly had a chance to be shown off. Rick Baker's amazing makeup effects do well to compensate for this lack of visual stimulation. Still, I think H.P. Lovecraft called and wants his demons back. I also felt that Sammael was not very threatening - or was is that I felt safe knowing that I was protected by a 7-foot tall demon-man who files his horns? The story was well executed, and Del Toro has crafted an extremely enjoyable film that is worth seeing whether you're a fan of comic books or not.

As an aside, check out Drew Struzan's limited edition poster - it's terrific, but strangely familiar. This poster never saw release in theatres, though it can easily be purchased online.

Hellboy was one of three movies we saw this past weekend at the local drive-in. We also managed to sit through Secret Window and 50 First Dates despite the sub-zero temperatures in my unheated car (no headlights allowed, you see). I'll try to make this as painless as possible: Johnny Depp proves once again his skills as an actor, pulling a superb performance out of an extremely tired plot contrivance. David Koepp is not a very original director - he should stick to writing. You might recognize his name from the Spider-Man credits, as he handled scripting duties for both the original and the upcoming sequel. I've never read the short story it was based on in Stephen King's Four Past Midnight, but I hear the story is constructed a lot better without giving away the resolution too early, and leaves less of a vacuous feeling in your head when the credits roll.

As for Sandler's latest attempt at romantic comedy, I felt like I was watching every other Sandler character: the cute smugness was slathered onto every scene, with Rob Schneider providing the predictable comic relief. I consider myself a fan, though, since I honestly believe that Happy Gilmore is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Regardless, I still couldn't help feeling that I've watched this all before, as The Wedding Singer had the same on-screen coupling and campy 80s soundtrack (50 First Dates' being that of the modern, crappily remixed variety). For $24 admission though, I call it a bargain. Laying down $28 for one movie and kicks in the back while having to listen to the snide remarks of vapid trendsters is hardly worth the price these days.

the black ink fuels our notions

metroid on film

The Hollywood Reporter explains that John Woo has optioned the rights to turn Metroid into a feature film after Zide/Perry Entertainment let their option from January 2003 expire. He will definitely produce the film, with the option to direct, and aims to have it in theatres before 2006. With the glut of video game related movies recently announced, this kind news makes me extremely skeptical despite my feelings toward the franchise, and I'll tell you why.

I haven't been too happy with video game movies in the past, because they aren't made by people deeply familiar with the medium, and I highly doubt anything will change. You can't take an interactive concept and tranfer it to a format whose consumption is typically limited to an audience without having any first hand experience with the source material. Assumptions and compromises are quickly made, resulting in a product that is incredibly transparent and a waste of everyone's time. With games taking on more movie-like qualities every year, Hollywood should at least start paying attention if they expect this trend to pay off.

This film will be created for North American audiences: when you look at Woo's recent Hollywood-spawned offerings there isn't much to them. Some fans of his early Hong Kong action films were justifiably excited about his entrance into American cinema; I remain unimpressed. The man has the ability to spin an action packed yarn, but just because the guy's name is attached to a project doesn't make it gold. I have my reservations even about Metroid on film, for a number of reasons: First, who will be cast as Samus? This is probably my greatest fear given the corpse-laden car wrecks of Tomb Raider and its sequel. Picking a sex object to play Lara Croft was almost inevitable; still, picking someone a little more capable of acting would have at least made the characterization interesting when the story took a dive. Secondly, the Metroid universe is pretty limited, unless you want to start adding a ridiculous cast of characters to make up for a lack of story. I love Metroid, but every single game has Samus versus the Space Pirates while regaining her suit's powers and fighting metroids in one form or another. I'm not bashing the Metroid mythos; rather, in the wrong hands I think it would create an incredibly boring movie, or a mangled mess hardly resembling the source material. The only story that could work, in my mind, is an origins tale referencing heavily from the elements that were revealed in Zero Mission. Taking this "super hero" approach might also make the movie easier to grasp; non-gamers or those unfamiliar with the Metroid series would probably find anything else unwatchable (why does Samus have such an intense hatred of Space Pirates? Where do Metroids come from and why do they exist?). The framework for an outstanding science fiction film has been formed over the course of the games, but it must be handled delicately and by someone who gives a damn about making a quality product true to its source.

Also buried in the news release is that Nintendo anticipates a November North American release for Metroid Prime 2 - a month earlier than I expected. But this is the games industry, so I'll just be resting easy until I get the official word at this year's E3.

shrinking oscar down to size

Oscar Night. At one point in my life it was a very exciting evening, but after too many years of my favorite films, actors and directors getting passed over in favour of the lastest film portraying the life of a terminally ill man, or some actor doing his best imitation of a mentally challenged person. It seems any departure from an actor's normal role or behaviour is immediate grounds for an Oscar win. Well I have an idea, how about an entire world that is a departure from the typical setting? Star Wars, probably the defining moment for a generation of Sci-Fi fans, lost to what, Annie Hall? And Sir Alec Guinness, one of the finest and most dignified actors to ever grace the screen was not given an Oscar for his Obi-Wan Kenobi performance. The man is an accomplished stage actor, yet completely humbles himself for the role of Obi-Wan and played it with such class and genuine charm, only to be denied at the 1978 Oscars.

Indeed, the 11 Oscar wins of The Return of the King brought about some very mixed emotions from yours truly. I never actually watched the show yesterday, mostly because I was preoccupied with getting my ass handed to me in The Sands of Time. Besides, everyone should know by now it's a forum for the political leaning of the day, or where some windbag of a sound editor gets to thank his fourth grade science teacher in his laundry list of a speech. So like everyone else I saw the results in the news today, and I am ecstatically happy for Mr. Jackson. Nevertheless, a part of me can't help but view this victory cynically, and brush off these token awards. Completely sweeping all 11 categories for which it was nominated was a grand feat, on the same scale as the Battle of Minas Tirith. But why for the past two years were Fellowship and The Two Towers neglected? Return of the King was a great film, but not the best as I've noted before. The answer is simple, really: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences knew that the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was an accomplishment unmatched by any production in recent years, and to ignore it once again, after the final act even, would be an embarrassment to the industry. Everyone clearly recognizes that the movies were fantastic, regardless of its genre, and so to avoid the risk of seeming out of date (which the Academy usually is) they handed out the awards almost apologetically.

Even Mr. Jackson's reaction to the whole affair was seemingly one of indifference. He knows what he has done. He has created new fans of the series (and even subject - it is said that the Fantasy genre is finally being tapped for its long dormant potential), and reaffirmed the adoration that existing fans have had for the timeless story. Getting formal recognition for the Lord of the Rings is almost trivial; he already has the fan credibility and public acceptance in hand. What's a bunch of gold statues as well?

fan service or marketing ploy, it's still awesome news

It's official: the classic Star Wars Trilogy will be available on DVD on September 21st, 2004, quashing earlier reports that said it might be released in November.

Interest in the series seems to be fading fast since Episode II's release, so the announcement doesn't really come as a suprise. For those that are looking for the saga to be returned to its former glory, though, keep holding your breath. These DVDs will be digital transfers from the Special Editions, and forever into eternity, Greedo shoots first. Lucasfilm also seems to be taking a similar route as they did with the re-release of The Adventures of Indiana Jones, and including a bonus fourth disc that contains a full two hours of documentary footage.

I love Star Wars. I'm not exactly thrilled with the prequels after watching each many times, hoping to glean some unseen information or partial wisdom that Uncle George just couldn't seem to develop. And as good as the novels in the early 90s were, it was nice to get something canonical after a 22 year dry spell. We've witnessed the Jedi as they existed before they were pitilessly exterminated by Darth Vader; we've seen Darth Vader before he donned the fearsome black armour. Even though the story was slightly mismanaged - okay it was extremely mismanaged - there will always be magic in the series for me.

hollywood storms the comic store

By now I think it's pretty obvious that Hollywood isn't satisified to settle for boring adaptations of hack novelists and instead are raiding the material that geeks have held dear for many years. I made the mistake of visiting Apple's Quicktime Movie Trailer Emporium on the weekend, and so I present my findings in full.

• Spider Man 2: What more can I say? I was more than happy with Raimi's directing on the original, creating a believable yet fantastic story about a young man learning to live with his new found superpowers. Seeing Doctor Octopus realized in live action gave me goosebumps; my cynical side expected to see half-assed attempts at CG. This is one I don't want to miss.

• Van Helsing: I know this isn't based on a comic, but I believe that it possesses a bit of "geek cred" based on the main actor and the subject matter. I watched it intently, awaiting the shining moment that would make me want to run out into the streets to see this movie. But alas, it never came. Big budget summer blockbuster? You bet. Captivating story? Hardly. With all the cameos in this film, I'd sooner compare it to The Monster Squad than a suspenseful action movie. Luckily Mr. Jackman has no reason to worry about being typecast, as he's had an extremely diverse career. Which is probably why we'll see a Wolverine solo picture before we see X3.

• Hellboy: Ron Perlman is one of those actors that always tends to do a fine job in a supporting role. This time he's been cast as the lead in this oddball sci-fi/fantasy comic book adaptation. Since no one outside the sphere of comic book fans will be familiar with the material, this film will more than likely surprise the typical audience. For this reason I think it will do well. The trailer is intriguing without resorting to the characteristic choppy editing of most big budget action movies.

• The Punisher: Someone please tell Marvel to settle down. With three new properties hitting the screen in as many years, it will be easy for things to get out of control. And in the case of The Punisher, I believe they have. I found it disturbing that I was able to predict that the ominous voice in the background would utter the phrase: "They thought they had murdered him. But they were wrong - dead wrong" before its end. How John Travolta made it into this one I'll never know, and I think that Dolph Lundgren's original will be better almost by default.
  

By some masochistic principle I viewed the trailer for Kevin Smith's latest, Jersey Girl. Please, if seeing Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in the same frame causes you to lapse into a Gigli-like coma, avoid this one. I'm extremely disappointed at Smith's obvious choice to go the safe, sentimental route. What, doing the ultimate fan service wasn't good enough for you?

I heard Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a very tasteful and reverent addition to the Terminator saga. The previous two films that gave us a very jarring look at a possible future ruled by machines many years before The Matrix was an accomplishment indeed. However while watching it this weekend I couldn't help but ask about the necessity of a third installment. Judgement Day was prevented in T2, so why not leave it at that? The T-X had some suprising tricks up her sleeve, but even the chase scenes were rehashed. Claire Danes did not belong in this film, and it is clear that something was missing from the beginning. The ending is wide open for a sequel, so if you don't mind seeing Arnold go through the motions one more time, the multiplex is waiting for you.

I make a list to throw it away

review: The Return of the King

What starts with the origins of Gollum and is the ending to one of the most epic and courageous cinematic endeavors of all time, should probably be entitled to an award of some kind. I'd even be happy if the so-called "Academy" made one up specifically for this purpose, because they always seem to snub fantasy and science-fiction films as if they are lacking some sort of dramatic or heart-rending component. I assure you Return of the King is missing none of these, and if it does not get recognized for Best Picture and Best Director the entertainment world is as hopeless as I had believed.

I imagine many people in Hollywood told Peter Jackson he was probably signing his own death certificate when he started work on the LOTR Trilogy back in 1999. If he failed it would probably end his career on the spot, not to mention let his name live forever in infamy as the man who attempted to bring Tolkien's classic saga to the big screen. Yet Jackson managed to take New Zealand's awe-inspiring scenery, place several well-known actors in exquisitely made costumes, give them tight, believable dialogue and immediately convince us we were in Middle-Earth. Success is hardly the word to describe this.

Where The Two Towers was spent following the journey of Frodo and Sam, Return of the King focuses on the ascent of Aragorn to Gondor's throne. Frodo and Sam do have prominent roles in the film as they journey closer to Mount Doom, but this movie is a climax on multiple levels, and I found that Aragorn's character progressed quite naturally in this installment.

The city of Minas Tirith is completely breathtaking. When Gandalf and Pippin first arrive and ride through its rising concentric circles, I could not believe what I was witnessing. It eventually serves as the centerpiece of one of the most well executed and beautifully directed battle sequences in recent memory. During the siege of Minas Tirith, we see catapults launching debris the size of city walls, easily crushing its ramparts and the attackers below. It is here that we truly get a sense of the battle's scale, because the pace does not let up for a second during the action that follows.

The scene where Legolas takes out an Easterling war elephant (including its crew) by himself is gives way to a well-timed one-liner from Gimli, when spirits should have been low in the face of their innumerable enemies. In another jaw-dropping scene, after Eowyn disobeys her father and rides into battle, she single-handedly decapitates a Nazgul's mount. She is then met with a truly fearsome adversary - The Witch King. When the camera revealed the length and size of his morningstar, I mentally crapped my pants. She then dispatches him with ease and another memorable one-liner. Aragorn's rallying of the Army of the Dead prompted a nice clean finish to the battle that drifted a bit into the realm of Hollywood deus ex machina, but it was still incredible to watch them devour the orc hordes.

I'll be honest and say that I would rather Liv Tyler just disappear and never get in front of the camera again. When I found out she would be supplying the role of Arwen in the Lord of the Rings, and that her part was significantly changed for these films, I feared the worst. However I am happy to report that the romance of Arwen and Aragorn is most tastefully dealt with and does not hinder the conclusion of the series.

In hindsight this seems like a frivolous point, but I found the character of Lord Denethor, Steward of Gondor and father of Boromir and Faramir to be fairly useless. Indeed he was a short-sighted and selfish man, but when Pippin sings a very sad song over Denthor's opulent and sloppily eaten dinner while intercut with Faramir's certain death in his charge on Osgiliath is one of those typical Hollywood over-the-top moments that I couldn't ignore. Honestly!

However the film clearly shows us we have made an emotional investment in these characters when Frodo and Sam are climbing the final steps of Mount Doom. Sam speaks a most unforgettable line: "I may not be able to carry your load Mr. Frodo, but I can carry you." It resonates on the same wavelength as Boromir's speech before dying in Aragorn's arms, a scene that still puts a lump in my throat every time I think about it. Sean Astin was a fucking giant in this movie, and should at the very least receive some formal recognition for this performance.

Another weighty sequence begins when the four hobbits return home to Hobbiton, greeted by a Hobbit with the same grumpy scowl as the beginning of the trilogy, even though every one of them were clothed in unconventional hobbit garments and had been gone for over a year. Nothing had changed; the troublemakers had simply returned home. However the enormity of their quest really hits home when they sit down for a drink later that night at the Green Dragon. It wasn't a drink on a typical night for the four friends, regardless of the festivities going on around them. It is the end of a journey, the culmination of all the things they have seen, all the things we have experienced with them as an audience. Tears were almost flowing at this point, and when they raised their flagons in silent appreciation of one another, we were shown a real, tangible bond between them.

Walking out of Return of the King left me feeling very satisfied, however, I can't help but think back to Fellowship. It still remains the most solid film in the trilogy for me, and I know that we were really watching the end of a 9+ hour movie with Return of the King, but for some reason to it felt excessively long. This could be the multiple "endings" that did their best to wind down this massive tale, although only the last one should have remained on the cutting room floor.

A timeless and epic story, a visual masterpiece and a saga that will be remembered forever ends with Return of the King. I admit that it makes me a bit sad that I can't look forward to next December with the same excitement - but I suppose the extended DVD will suit just fine. Peter Jackson has delivered in full force, and I'm pretty sure in a New Line boardroom somewhere they have just given the go-ahead for him to make The Hobbit.

a sleepless malice

sky captain

I stopped by Cinescape this week. A self-professed guilty pleasure as it’s nothing more than a den for ads and sloppy seconds coming from either AICN or Dark Horizons; take your pick. I caught word that the trailer for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow will be hitting theatres and the inter-web next week, a movie I hadn’t even heard about until now. I’m pretty sure Angelina Jolie needs to fire her agent, because the eyepatch looked cool on Johnny Depp for a reason - he's a fucking pirate. Jolie looks like a rejected comic-book villain; it's about as embarassing as when she sported that spandex uni-tard for the sequel to Tomb Raider, forming the duology of films that will only be remembered for their complete perversion of an extremely popular license. Sky Captain piqued my interest because it seems to borrow generously from established settings like Crimson Skies and The Rocketeer. The Rocketeer is probably one of the most underrated films of the early 1990s – it successfully captured the "gee whiz" feel of the science fiction pulp magazines and comic books of the 30s and 40s. However I don’t think I’ve been frightened so much by Timothy Dalton’s acting since I saw him fencing in tights in Flash Gordon.

The movie takes place in the 1930s, and follows the adventures of a swashbuckling airman known as Sky Captain (played by Jude Law) as he tries to foil the plans of a mad scientist trying to take over the world. Awesome, an original storyline! The feature is directed by first timer Kerry Conran, and my expectations are minimal at best. Probably the same as when I saw the trailer for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Update: The trailer is available here. The effects are hopelessly uninspired and the movie overall looks incredibly mediocre. What the hell is Gwyneth Paltrow doing in there?

the knowles effect

Consider this an add-on pack to my post on Thursday. In my desperation to find more AvP film related information I found a review of Anderson's latest script for the AvP movie at AICN (thanks to Dark Horizons). First off I think Harry should take a look at his fucking web host because it obviously can't handle the number of posts being made by the self-righteous film pundits who take pride in flaming each other to blackened giblets in response to each article. With that out of the way, the review was pretty harsh, but as some people said there is still hope. Yes, it's kind of a stretch to have it based in the present day, but that can be easily explained with the frozen/lost colony angle that the movie seems to be taking. Furthermore, the abandoned ship that is found in the first Alien has a dead pilot and a bunch of Alien eggs. Who's to say that this isn't some ancient race that may not necessarily be prominent on earth, but still thrives in space? The explanation of such things would be outside the scope of the AvP movie, but I believe there is at least enough leg room to work out the supposed continuity issues. The presence of humans in the middle of the plot is not a bad thing, but minimal dialogue would be nice. Imagine this film where the dialogue is spoken in Predator "clicks" (with subtitles) with the Humans providing the essential plot development? The Aliens have no need to speak - they're in effect just animals, who speak in action and body language. It would truly add a sense of fear and the unknown to the atmosphere of the entire film. However I'm not so sure that today's movie audience would be ready for something like that. It would look good on Anderson's part - at least he tried something different (and for argument's sake, I happened to like Event Horizon).

Another game has been adapted for the screen - someone has purhcased the rights to create a Dungeon Siege movie. I've been personally waiting for a Diablo movie ever since I played the original, but I'll take what I can get. Despite all that, I'd be careful if I was Boll KG because you can hardly call House of the Dead a success.

adventure has a name

Today marked the DVD release of one of the greatest movie trilogies ever to grace the screen. Ol' Uncle George has always tended to keep his properties locked tightly away to be released according to some mysterious schedule. Just look at the surprise of fans when Episode I came out on DVD only a year after its theatrical release. Now we're just waiting for the original trilogy.

Today, however, we celebrate Indiana Jones being transferred from old film stock to digitally remastered, THX certified home-theatre goodness. Given what Lucasfilm had to work with, and after browsing all three flims, I consider the transfer to be very good, and the specially included fourth disc with the boxed set contains a very satisfying amount of bonus material.

The bonus disc contains a set of four featurettes detailing the stunts, sound, music and special effects of the trilogy. Although not known for it's work on this movie, ILM still managed to pull off a memorable sequence with the "Opening of the Ark" and it was cool to see how it was done. It also has some of the original theatrical trailers for each of the films, and some "unlockable" content that can be viewed at the official site. You need one of the DVDs in your computer and that stupid Interactual player installed to be able to get it though. Beyond some concept art and behind the scenes photos, there isn't much at the DVD-exlusive site worth checking out. Where the Special Features really shine are the individual documentaries on each of the films, kind of like what Lucas did for the THX remastered VHS release of the original Star Wars trilogy in 1996. We all knew Tom Selleck was originally up for the role of Indy, but to see a screen test of him and Sean Young (as Marion Ravenwood) was something else. All of the Documentaries and featurettes include various retrospective segments from Lucas, Spielberg, Ford and the rest of the behind-the-scenes crew, who recounted on how they helped create one of the most memorable movie heroes of modern cinema.

It shows that Uncle George and Steven Spielberg really took the extra effort to dig into the archives to give fans material that has never been seen before to make this an excellent package. And along with the remastered DVDs of the trilogy I can't say I'm disappointed.

hard to forget

Please note that that the Scarface 20th Anniversary Edition was released as well this week. I picked it up only because my DVD collection (and player) were nonexistent when the original disc was released back in 1998. The special edition claims to be remastered and have a bunch of extra stuff, but to be honest I don't see it. The '98 disc had the same "making of" documentary that's included on the bonus disc with this year's package. If you don't already own the movie, though, now would be a good time to buy because of the retrospectives on the bonus disc with Pacino, DePalma and Oliver Stone. And if you play Vice City, I think it's pretty obvious where the influence for that game comes from. Right down to the fucking soundtrack.

I suppose I should mention that we got a digital camera as a wedding present from my in-laws, the Canon Powershot S50. Once the dust has settled and I've been able to use it a bit I plan on posting my thoughts on this beautiful piece of hardware. Five megapixels and functionality I can only fathom by picking up the meaty instruction manual. Plus it's so god damned sexy, I'm afraid to hold it wrong.

batman 5, gladiator 2

The official announcement came this week that Christian Bale will be supplying the role of the next Batman. Christopher Nolan is directing - you might remember him from such stylish films as Memento and Insomnia. Yes, I do believe there may be hope for the franchise yet. Although I'm still not convinced that Bale can pull off Bruce Wayne. He doesn't have that brooding look about him, just maybe the pouty rich boy from Shaft. The film is supposed to get underway in February 2004 with the tentative title "Batman: Intimidation". It's also rumoured that both The Scarecrow and Rhas Al Ghul will be villains in this one.

There is also official word from Ridley Scott that there will indeed be a sequel to Gladiator. A great film with a lot of memorable lines, it was definitely entertaining. But does it deserve a sequel? It's hard for me to say, because I must admit I found the setting extremely appealing. Scott says the script is complete, and they are focusing on a time period after the first film that chronicles the life of Lucius (the little boy) probably when in his late teens/early 20s. I imagine he will be either the Emperor or a high-ranked solider; one thing for certain is we will be seeing some more large scale battles like in the beginning of the first film. Interesting news, but I'm not getting excited or anything.

(thanks to Dark Horizons for the tips)

darkness forever (and scandanavian leather)

Look, I'm sure the gothic look is making a comeback or something, maybe because of the influence of The Matrix on any given film targeted at young people. When I saw the preview and read about the movie, I instantaneously thought of another Romeo Must Die fiasco. The classic Hollywood attempt at trying to soup up a tired old story with flashy visuals and diarrhea-inducing action scenes for the kids. I think I'll be hanging on to my $13.

There was a bit of discussion over at Tony's site about Underworld a while back when the previews for the movie came out. It was evident from the themes and characters presented in the movie that it possessed similiarities to White Wolf's "World of Darkness", and I was a little unsure if this was officially sanctioned material. I used to play both Vampire and Werewolf, and as cool as those games were at the time, looking back they were kind of gimmicky. I suppose everyone was in their Vampire phase after reading Interview or seeing the long winded and homoerotic movie starring Tom "I swear I'm not gay" Cruise. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But I'm coming to a point here. Do I think White Wolf should be getting any money out of this lawsuit? If it's through new sales of their game supplements after this exposure, sure. This is a capitalist society after all. But as Penny Arcade has noted, White Wolf is walking a fine line when they whine about copyright infringement by Sony. They based a lot of the background story for their game on Anne Rice's series of novels. I think this whole media blitz is partially a way to rejuvenate interest in their RPGs and the company overall, since WotC has completely annihilated the market by constantly flogging hobby stores with new RPGs. I mean when you look back on the Vampire official TV series, it was a hastily produced mockery of the game universe that we had come to know. They fucked up their own brand, and so now they want back in on it? Not so fast.

Update: It appears that White Wolf has made some headway with the court proceedings. Good luck with that, guys.

Return of the King

Cinescape says that the first trailer for Lord of the Rings: Return of the King will be in theatres September 26th. It will be playing before Secondhand Lions, a "comedy/drama starring Haley Joel Osment, Robert Duvall and Michael Caine". From the description I don't think this movie will be at all interesting, so it will be up to the discretion of the fanboy if they really want to pay to sit through the next "feel good" movie starring that kid from the Sixth Sense (oh yeah he was in Forrest Gump, too). Who the fuck came up with that title, anyway? It's retarded. I bet the little punk has some really witty dialogue, showing much disrespect to his elders, and once again reflecting Hollywood's insistence that precocious children are somehow funny. Fuck that. I'll wait and download the trailer from Apple.

this post may be infected

I stopped playing Golden Sun this weekend long enough to get in a movie - this time it was 28 Days Later. I consider myself a huge fan of Danny Boyle, but after seeing this latest film I'm beginning to think success has made him lazy. It's got his style, that's for sure - but the story is extremely weak in some points. Most of all, though, it just wasn't scary. For something that's quoted as being "the scariest movie you'll see all summer" I was kind of disappointed. Both the violence and the "infected" were almost comical. The reviews have been extremely favourable, however I'm not so sure they're legitimate. Perhaps these so-called critics are afraid of looking uncool by slagging the latest film from the maker of Trainspotting, a milestone in modern cinema.

The film is clearly divided in half. I enjoyed the first act; it was extremely creepy when Jim wakes up to find nobody around. The soundtrack definitely added to this sequence. I found when Jim came across the message board was equally disturbing. However his first encounters with the Infected are pretty standard, and from then on it becomes kind of a convention of action and suspense movies. Some have even made comparisons to Resident Evil, but I don't really see it. Well, except that both of these films were terribly executed.

Once everyone gets to the military compound, it takes a huge turn for the worse. Every new character introduced is not fleshed out or becomes a parody. And for some reason Boyle loves his attics, and Jim is almost like David in Shallow Grave at the end of the movie, including the way each of the soldiers are dispatched. Is it considered an homage when you rip off your own material?

That being said, I still have to give Boyle credit for filming it entirely on digital video - it was a bold move and should be considered by all directors, in my opinion. It eliminates a lot of the glossy and expensive Hollywood-style post-production that can compromise the atmosphere of a film. I hope to see Cillian Murphy in a few more films now that this one has him as a lead in a prominent film. The guy has potential. This movie, on the other hand, was pretty shyte.

another bug hunt

I caught a newsbite at Cinescape this week about James "I have a huge ego and have not made a good movie since Terminator 2 even though I call myself King of the World" Cameron, expressing interest in directing another installment in the Aliens saga. It originally appeared at Dark Horizons, and as much as I love that site for its juicy movie rumours, it looks like hell and is impossible to sift through for a single piece of news. They also got his opinions on Terminator 3 , which apparently he liked, and means about fuck all to me.

So Alien 5, eh James? It seems you hated Alien3, even though it was done by a director with a little more style. Sure it may not have been the best in the series, but when taken alongside the massive shitstain that was Alien Resurrection I think you can be a little less harsh. In fact, while we're name calling I still want you to explain what the fuck Titanic was all about. How you can trivialize the death of thousands as a setting for a pathetic snorefest of a love story is beyond me. Meanwhile, the assclowns in the Academy award you for this.

My excitement for another Alien movie is fairly subdued, in comparison to say, an Aliens vs. Predator movie. Well, theoretically. The only issue of course being who Fox and their incredibly stupid production team got to do it. If the crapfest that was Resident Evil is any indicator, the AvP movie is doomed. In the early stages of development, the AvP movie was said to have been based on the original comics. A script based on this series would easily redefine sci-fi action movies. Instead though the guy is creating some new and incredibly retarded story that is only loosely based on the comics. And there is talk of Arnold Schwartzenegger and Sigourney Weaver making guest appearances, which boggles the mind. What the hell is this movie going to be, a mishmash of past Fox action spectaculars? Worst of all, the AvP franchise will remain separate from Alien, which makes it completely obvious these people have no idea what they are doing.

Hot properties are not enough to make a movie, folks. You need good screenwriters and someone who at least knows a little about the material. With any luck AvP will remain in development hell.

the five points

After waiting patiently for months, I purchased Gangs of New York on DVD today. It's an epic film with a great cast of characters and a great setting. Because it was hyped beyond belief before its release in theatres, I was reluctant to see it. Now I'm kind of angry that it got completely snubbed at the Oscars. Not like they mean anything. And no, Leonardo DiCaprio does not look good with facial hair. In fact, I would be willing to bet that his facial hair is entirely fake (see: Catch Me If You Can).

In addition to that, like a true sucker, I sprung for one of those stereo headphone wing wongs for my GBA SP this past weekend. The earbuds that came with my version suck, as they are made of cheap plastic and were promptly tossed aside. Switching to my wraparound headphones, I quickly learned that this is the way GBA games must be played. Full stereo sound. The soundtrack in Aria of Sorrow is pretty sweet, the most memorable tracks being "Clock Tower" and that first tune you hear when you begin the game in the main corridor. In the past I've heard the official soundtrack for say, Symphony of the Night arranged with full strings and electric guitars and it simply rocked ass. Don't think that I'm all into videogame soundtracks or anything, because for the most part they're pretty stupid. I just think that the Castlevania theme played with an orchestra fronted by guys shredding metal simply blows the fucking roof off.

Reloaded: IMAX style

I think the planets must have aligned or something this past weekend because I've finally seen The Matrix Reloaded. Naturally I am writing about it because a million other fanboys have already posted their opinions on the web, so why not add to the pile? I don't know if I'm giving this movie more credit than it deserves, but I've actually had to let it simmer for a while before writing. I find though that I'm not thinking in the same way as after I saw The Matrix, in fact, I'm actually questioning my fandom. By all rights, I should have thouroughly enjoyed every aspect of this movie. Especially after playing the video game and watching The Animatrix to get the whole story. Despite all that, I left the theatre unsatisfied and with a head full of unanswered questions. Blame it on the cheap cliffhanger ending, I guess.

The story in The Matrix Reloaded was weak. So weak, that it had to depend on exposition from its enourmous cast of characters. The dialogue in The Matrix was well-written and very memorable. It conveyed the story through more than one character without explanation. Reloaded has the Oracle, Merovingian, Morpheus, and The Architect all guilty of long-winded and tedious speeches in some form or another. In fact, I found a lot of the dialogue to be tedious and purposefully cryptic. In some places it felt like it had been written by The Sphinx from Mystery Men.

The effects were passable, and it is no longer the groundbreaking material that was presented in The Matrix. The CG work on Neo in the courtyard battle with the clones of Agent Smith was pretty lackluster.

This is all ground that has been trampled long before, so instead of overanalyzing the movie, I'm going to summarize my assessment in terms of "cool" and "pointless".

Cool

• Neo
  
• Morpheus - freeway scene, anyone?
  
• Niobe - ok, so she's just attractive.
  
• Link - nice bit of comic relief
  
• Agent Smith - xcopy in the flesh
  
• Seraph - coolest setup/fight scene in the movie
  

Pointless

• "the Twins" - basically glossed over henchmen. they were more annoying than useful. and what's with the switchblades?
  
• Merovingian - he offered up his house for a fight scene. Oh yeah, and he swore en Français.
  
• Persephone - plot contrivance.
  
• the Kid - I saw the Animatrix short. I still think he's pointless.
  

I wanted to add the Keymaker and The Architect to the second list, but they did serve a purpose somewhat. Still, it felt kind of like they were characters out of a videogame. Trinity seemed overly pathetic in the movie, and it was pretty obvious that Neo would have to save her in the end somehow. The ending where the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar is outside of the ship confirmed for me the "matrix within a matrix" theory, especially when taken alongside the Architect's many revelations in his snore fest of a speech.

I don't usually browse movie message boards, but I came across an interesting bunch of posts at IMDB regarding the different themes presented in the movie, as well as ideas about the upcoming The Matrix Revolutions. Be prepared for bad grammar and spelling, but worth skimming for some additional perspectives.

Seeing The Matrix Reloaded in IMAX definitely was an experience; the sound system and enourmous screen are unmatched. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you want to see the movie again. I don't doubt the Wachowskis' intentions of creating an innovative and accessible science-fiction universe with the Matrix series of movies. However I can't help but feel that there was so much potential for Reloaded that was lost in a poorly written screenplay. I can only hope that The Matrix Revolutions doesn't disappoint, or this could turn into another Star Wars fiasco.

hyper matriculated

I'm what you would call one of those poor saps who has not seen The Matrix Reloaded yet. As a result I have received much ridicule. However I have played a good chunk of the PC game, and just recently I watched The Animatrix. Although the game is severely lacking in most respects (being a mediocre console port is one), this DVD compiling nine anime shorts is outstanding. If you haven't seen it, you're doing yourself a disservice. It's hard to choose a favorite, but the Best Style award definitely goes to "Kid's Story".

I have to give the Wachowski brothers credit for putting together a successful multi-media campaign. Even though the movie and game received lukewarm reviews, these three products do a fantastic job of deepening the Matrix mythos and interweaving the storylines. Uncle George could take a few pointers from this, if he ever decides to unleash another multimedia bloatfest like