Batman: Brave and the Bold is a Stirling example of how a quality writing team as well as a well thought out and consistent tone, can make a show SO much more entertaining than it’s initial premise.  Billed as a Batman for younger audiences and taking more of it’s cues from the 60′s TV series and comics, rather than the darker more grim tone of the 80′s, 90′s and beyond, Brave and the bold is more than the sum of it’s parts. While it is played for laughs and is campy as hell, the show still manages to tell some great stories, introduces numerous characters that haven’t perhaps had that much exposure in the past.

Heroes like the Jaime Reyes version of the Blue Beetle along with Douchiest Green Lantern; Guy Gardener can be teamed up with comedic characters like Bat-mite and Plastic-Man! Yet in the next episode Batman may be working with Sherlock Holmes or The Demon Etrigan! It has even introduced a long running storyline of the invasion of the Starro creatures. It’s scope is impressive and it’s consistent tone sells a concept that might easily have fallen on it’s ass.

Now we’re getting a game based on the show and it seems to have kept much of the trademark humor along with what might be a fun little side scrolling action game for, of all systems, The Wii and Nintendo DS! There is not a huge amount of actual gameplay in this clip, but it’s worth the watch just for some great Bat-Mite action!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Will you be swing on out there to pick up some Brave and Bold action?  Or will you be waiting for Arkham City?  OR…. Will you just get both?!  Feedback Bat-fans! Same Bat Time, Same Bat-website!

Stories Covered

• Wolverine 2
• Ghostbusters 3
• OTAKU love nest
• Kick Ass 2
• Sandman TV
• Doctor Who
• Blockbuster going bust
• The Stig
• Mark Waid vs the World!
• Periodic Table of Awesome

Transformers: war for Cybertron is an enjoyable action game with a great selection of characters and play-styles however probably the coolest aspect of the game is it’s awesome character designs. They are at once reminiscent of G-1 (for non transformers fans G-1 is Generation 1 or the first lot of 1980′s cartoons) while having elements of the Michael Bay movie aesthetic and a distinctively new look all of their own. Yet they also manage to retain the central points of what makes the characters identifiable; body shapes, head shapes or personality traits are exemplified in the this design style.  It’s shouldn’t really be any surprise then, that a selection of the characters are making the transition off the screen, into the blister packs and going from pixels to plastic.

When the game was first announced there was no indication that there would be a toy-line associated with it, and in fact there technically isn’t. These figures are being released under the “Transformers Generations” banner and are included in wave with classic G-1 character re-designs like Thrust, and Comics exclusive characters like Drift. (a character created by our pal Shane McCarthy!) By the looks of it we’ll only be getting four War for Cybertron characters, those being Optimus, Bumblebee, Soundwave and Megatron, though there is a Legends size class figure of Starscream floating around somewhere as well. Optimus and Bumblebee both were released in the first wave, while Soundwave and Megatron are in wave two and three respectively.

ROBOT MODE

Robot mode has a certain "Gundam-esq" vibe.

Optimus Prime is an iconic character, there is no question about that, and each aspect of his design is all about increasing his heroic proportions and yet maintaining a recognizably distinctive silhouette. In Robot mode he looks spot on to the game model, with his arms having an impressive range of movement and yet having enough interesting folding panels to keep the design form being too simplified.  On my figure the hip joints were a bit loose, and as such the legs feel a bit floppy, but the figure still remains surprisingly posable. The ball joined head allows for plenty of variety in pose and the fairly full range of movement in the shoulders is also good.  The ankles could have done with a bit more movement but the folding toes do a lot to assist in achieving interesting leg stances.

The light piping plastic in the head is good and subtle, but unless you have a very strong overhead light, there is little that makes it through the fairly dark blue plastic. Another nice touch is the placement of the front wheels on the figures back almost as a backpack. It mirrors the game model accurately (and you see a LOT of the characters back in the game) and due to their range of movement allows for some helpful balancing pieces. It really is in the Transformation though where this figure goes from being just cool, to something pretty freaking impressive!

TRANSFORMATION

For a robot, he's SO MANLY!!!

The engineering on this thing is incredible, there is no other word for it folks, simply IN-CREDIBLE. I made the mistake that hundreds of folks will make with this figure, in thinking that I was smarter than it. I was not, and nor my friend, are you. In typical “boy with toy” fashion i decided to try to transform the figure without instructions. I got about halfway in before i realized that:

A) i wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

B) Toto was now a giant doberman, and…

C) My Ruby slippers were made of sausage-meat.

The figure has engineering in places you don’t expect and most certainly don’t see in robot mode while certain swivels and panels need to be done in a very specific order otherwise the process stops dead. There are 3 separate swivelling pieces at the waist joint which must be moved in the right direction at the right time and a chest plate that spins around in a way you simply don’t expect. I needed those instructions, to the point where even with them I was still lost and confused!

VEHICLE MODE

Sleek lines and big guns. SIgh....

Yet when you finally do get the figure fully converted there is a sense of both accomplishment and wonder as you find yourself looking at a figure with smooth panel lines, surprising detail and fantastic screen accuracy.  The “Bonnet” is a cool two layer design which utilizes the spun chest piece to give the impression of an engine underneath an armoured shell, while the side panels lock together so smoothly that it’s hard to see where the different segments come from and what locks into what.  Again, around the bottom of the figure, in this case, around the back wheels, there are some slight looseness issues: The panels that the back wheels are attached to could have done with a clipping mechanism to keep them vertical though they really aren’t deal-breakers. Perhaps the biggest issue is the actual color and paint scheme on the figure. The colors chosen are the iconic red and blue combination, but the quality of the red on the plastic sadly looks a bit thin? I can see it has iridescent metallic stuff in there, but it suffers the fate of all red plastic, in that it looks a bit see-through.  I think a darker red and maybe a paint wash may have made the figure a little closer to the game model and just a bit less “plastic”

All that said, this is a damn fine toy. The Robot mode’s design is reminiscent of a the best in Gundam design (especially the shoulder pieces and the style of the head) while the vehicle mode is a refreshing change of pace. I love the lack of windows and doors, these vehicles are clearly not meant for people to ride in, they are just a faster way of moving around. They are a creative take on familiar designs and are totally worthy of adding to your collection. That being said, they are most definitely not for the younger collector and should be looked at more for the fans of the game and older collectors out there.

COOL

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Have you bought into the War for Cybertron?  Have you chosen a side? Well we try to keep things non-political here so lets not get too shirty… But feedback and let us know if you have any of the figures and what you think of them!?

Hugh Grant Amanda Donohoe and Catherine Oxenberg star in this mix of heart-stopping horror and campy humor. James D’Ampton (Grant) returns to his country castle in England. Legend has it that James’ distant ancestor once slayed the local dragon-a monstrous white worm with a fondness for the sweet flesh of virgins. The young Lord dismisses the legend as folklore until archaeology student Angus Flint unearths a massive reptilian skull and the ancient worship site of a pagan snake god on James’ property. When James’ virtuous girlfriend Eve (Oxenburg) suddenly disappears he and Angus set out to investigate the foreboding cavern said to be the worm’s lair where a centuries-old mystery begins to uncoil.

• Director: Ken Russell
• Writer: Ken Russell
• Year of Release: 1988
• Actors: Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Amanda Donohoe, Peter Capaldi
• Genre: Horror
• Country of Origin: UK

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

When I was a kid and a “young adult”, John Marsden was the king. He wrote some of the most read and acclaimed Australian books of my life and many of his books live on the enormous bookshelves at my parents’ house [and I keep his book "Everything I Know About Writing" at my house, just in case I need it].

Tomorrow When The War Began, since its release, has sold between 2 and 3 million copies in Australia alone and has been translated into at least 5 other languages.

It always seemed of the books I read as a kid, this would be the one to become a movie – but to say I was apprehensive about the idea would be an understatement. Books inherently have to be changed to become movies, and sometimes that can mean are bastardised, cut short or that they simply don’t live up to their potential.

It’s lucky for everyone then that this movie is really good!

I won’t go into the plot here, but those that have read the book will find that it sticks reasonably close to the source material, even using some of the best lines from the book in the script. And luckily for the cinematographer and set designer Marsden actually used real places for his settings in the book [with different names of course] so the backdrops are pretty much exactly what the book describes.

The film is artfully shot, although at times may feel like a Tourism Australia advert with all the long sweeping shots of the Australian landscape. It can be forgiven for this though not only because it really does look beautiful, but also because they are obviously hoping this film will sell overseas and will entice tourists.

The acting was great from the relatively unknown cast, and each character seemed to feel exactly how they did in the book. Caitlin Stasey who plays Ellie seemed to take a little while in the first act to “get into” the character, but it got better and it feels as though all the actors will grow into their roles. [Another minor issue with Ellie was I felt Stasey had a bit too much makeup on for the character, but others may not care/notice].

Some of the special effects in the film seem a little cheap, but that is simply because they were. By Hollywood standards this wasn’t made for much money, and they obviously did the best they could with the funds available. It was also good to see they used a Sydney based FX company for them.

My only major problem with the film, and it is a very slight one I suppose, was after the final scene had played and the audience was feeling that rush of “I can’t wait till the next one” some action credits played that seemed to be incredibly cliché and I felt ruined the end of the film. But all the problems I had with the film were very minor, and are more simply critiques in the hope that the sequels [when/if they are made] can excel.

It may not carry the feeling of nostalgia that I had for viewers who have not read the books, but it is a solid story about young people making the best of things while learning their way in the world and learning to deal with the horrors surrounding them.

Solid COOL rating ^_^

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

What do you think? Are you a fan of the book series? Is this the modern Australian Young Adult masterpiece we’ve been looking for, or the Kickstart to Australian enre film we’ve been needing?  Feedback and let us know, and make sure to check out our exclusive interviews with the Director Stuart Beattie and Star Chris Pang!

• Directed By Dario Argento
• Starring Michael Brandon, Mimsy Farmer, Bud Spencer, Jean-Pierre Marielle and Francine Racette

The ‘lost’ film from Argento finally hit DVD in America last year, so I dutifully grabbed a copy to see what I’d been missing, and then let it lay around collecting dust for at least 6 months before I finally popped it in the player.  Was this all worth the wait?  The easy answer is ‘sorta’.

The film opens on a musician named Roberto (Brandon), who finds himself under surveillance by a strange man wearing shades, a man who has dogged his every step for the better part of a week and a half.  One night after band practice Roberto spots his ‘tail’ lurking around a corner and pursues him, a short chase which leads into an old theater, where he confronts the man.  The guy pulls a knife on him, and during the ensuing scuffle Roberto stabs him before the man falls into the orchestra pit.  These events are photographed by yet another strange man (this one wearing a mask) from one of the balconies, who then disappears back into the shadows, leaving Roberto rattled because he’s committed a murder and there are photos of it floating around out there with a total stranger.

He keeps these minor details from his significant other Nina (Farmer), instead lying awake at night mulling over his next move.  The next few days bring strange hang-ups on the phone, the dead man’s passport in the mail and noises in the house that rouse Roberto from sleep in the night.  He’s attacked by the masked figure, garroted into submission and told in no uncertain terms that he could be killed, but that this mystery man wants to help him instead, if he’ll just keep quiet.  Nina pressures him to tell her why he’s acting so strange and he finally fesses up about what happened.  Nina thinks he needs to see a psychologist friend of hers, but Roberto instead visits his pal Godfrey (Spencer), who lives in a shack down by the river with his parrot/sidekick named Jerkoff.

Godfrey suggests that Roberto enlist the aid of a private eye named Arrosio (Marielle), a man whose homosexuality seems to put Roberto off more than a little bit, as he camps it up big time.  The plot soon thickens with a blackmailing maid (and who are these people that they have a fucking maid anyway? How successful of a drummer is this guy?  They live in an apartment, not an estate!), plus the sudden arrival of their friend Dalia (Racette) for an unexpected stay at their place.  With another person bumping around the apartment it naturally takes no time at all for Dalia to wander in on them as they discuss their increasingly limited options in dealing with the masked stranger, Arrosio begins to dig into the case, which proves to more dangerous than he anticipates and increasingly incriminating photos turning up in the mail.

The film has the typically winding mystery that one expects from a Giallo, though this one is peppered with humor like the bits with Arrosio and a scene in which Roberto attacks his mailman because he thinks he’s ‘lurking’ outside his building.  Oh and in a later scene we see Dalia bathe Roberto (?) while his woman is out of the house identifying a body for fuck’s sake, and then they screw!  I suppose there’s worse ways to take your mind off of impending death at the hands of a mysterious masked stranger, but seriously, why do it with your wife’s gal pal right there in the apartment?  Have some class, man!

The film has been MIA for years as far as a legitimate release goes, due to rights issues that Paramount had no interest in dealing with, so I was happy to finally have a chance to check it out, though as far as Argento’s catalog goes, I wasn’t as blown away as I thought I might be.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s an enjoyable film, I suppose you just build things up in your mind when you’re told that you can’t see them, and the ensuing experience was a little bit of a let down compared to the masterpiece I might’ve been imagining all these years.

The film is still well worth a look, and in the parlance of the site, I’d give it a Cool Minus.  Give it a rental.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Do you have a maid for your apartment? Tell us about it, you lucky dog!

Movie trailers are often the only thing most moviegoers see before they watch a movie, so a trailer can make or break a film.  Unfortunately, The Kids Are All Right has a very misleading trailer, one of a happy family with a bizarre lifestyle and funny moments amidst a happy backdrop.  While the story may not be much like that, the misleading nature should not be the sole deciding factor on seeing the film.

The plot of the movie is a pretty tried and true formula.  Enter the life of a family and toss in an event that shakes things up, and see what results.  The difference being the family is two lesbians with a teenage daughter and son and the event is meeting and getting to know the sperm donor who gave his sperm to make them.  All this can be gleamed from the trailer, but the tone of the movie is very different.  At the start we see the difference in behavior of the two children and a similar one in the parents.  After the children hatch the plan to meet their sperm donor, the film becomes about the teens’ growth, but things take a turn when one of the parents decides to do landscaping on the donor’s house.  Without spoiling anything, the film becomes a bit depressing and becomes about how a family endures a crisis.

One thing that throws most of the audience is the sexuality in the movie.  In fact, people have walked out after only a few minutes of watching.  This is due to a sex scene that while not explicit could offend many conservatives.  Which was an interesting choice, as it completely broke the “family movie” vibe.  From another perspective it was nice to see the contrast of straight and gay sex

As a whole, the movie is really an experiment in trying to show that gay couples are just like straight couples, which should be admirable, but the plot revolves around an incident which feels very strange and predictable.  What is irritating is the moment of discovery, which feels simple and leads into the final portion of the movie that showcases more predictability.  The only solace is the end, which makes the movie feel real and does not try to hollywood us.

Ratings time, while I like The Kids Are All Right and I would like to see more movies that represent a family as not just a man and a woman with kids, the predictability of the plot and the last portion make the movie a bit too rough for me to say it is a cool, but I think you have to consider this film as a step in an interesting direction, so a cool-, just don’t go in expecting a family friendly movie.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Liked the film, think there should be more gay/lesbian films, leave a comment…

I have a terrible thing to admit.

A terrible, horrible thing.

I didn’t mind Nicholas Cage in this movie.

Perhaps because he played an old crazy wizard [sorry, sorcerer] who wore a long leather jacket and hobo full arm gloves, but seriously, he wasn’t that bad. He as a gruff rough and tough 1000 year old wizard [sorry, sorcerer] cast against the delightfully nerdy Jay Baruchel [who I have a HUGE crush on] was quite a good decision.
Such a pity then that the movie is simply a rehash of many similar films and stories.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a story of Dave [Jay Baruchel] who is a nerdy loner who of course becomes the Chosen One for an epic battle which has been going on since long before he was born between the wizards [sorry, sorcerers] who were the apprentices of history’s greatest wizard [sorry, sorcerer] Merlin. It is a coming of age story where he learns his true powers, learns to make his own way in the world and learns that love is more powerful than anything else. Feel like you’ve heard it before? You have.

This doesn’t actually mean this is a bad film. It’s certainly not the worst film I’ve ever seen, and I did have fun watching it. It just means it’s never going to break new ground. Some of the comedy from Baruchel is fresh and cute [if you like nerdy, awkward humour] and a good hit to the crotch can make anyone laugh at times, but it’s nothing more than a coming of age story involving wizards [sorry, sorcerers].

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice [the fable, if you can call it that] is a very old story which Disney have already used many a year ago in Fantasia. And should you watch this film having already seen Fantasia, you will understand the similarities, particularly in one scene that parallels Mickey’s adventures from 1940. That simple story is one of being too headstrong for one’s own good. And in both Fantasia and in Sorcerer’s Apprentice, this causes all kinds of trouble, until the main character learns he must train his powers to be the Chosen wizard [sorry, sorcerer] he is supposed to be.
Personally, I would say Fantasia’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice [which only runs for approximately 10 minutes] is much more emotionally powerful than this new live action film. Watch Fantasia before you see this to understand the parallels. But all in all it is a simple coming of age story involving nerds and wizards [sorry, sorcerers] and action and will entertain you for a couple hours if all you’re looking for is light entertainment. I would recommend it as a movie night DVD.

As a footnote, a sequel is already set up within the film [and in the after credits scene] should it do well at the box office. It really doesn’t need a sequel, but it does seem to be the way Hollywood is going lately – a film does ok, let’s give it a sequel! Maybe they should consider leaving stories be once in a while…

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Do you agree? Is Nick not that bad? oOr is his haripiece really doing all the work?  Feedback and let us know!

After two and a bit shit-house live action attempts at bringing the world Streetfighter to the screen (the Hong Kong “Future cops” is not really a film), and a few animated films and TV series’ we’re all but done with seeing any of the Streetfighter characters given a decent treatment. Chun-Li has been sent packing, Guile has been wrongfully thrust into the lead role and strangely enough the two longest running characters have all but been forgotten. Ken and Ryu are the traditional brotherly rivals of the series and their stories have been all but neglected. Ryu and his descent into evil have been explored with Akuma in anime, but poor old Ken…. what’s his deal?

This Short film goes some way to redressing that balance and finally gives us a proper Streetfighter live action experience. Even if it is only for 3 minutes.

Some of the best things in life happen in 3 minutes…

THE FILM

[See post to watch Flash video]

Who would you like to see in a live action Streetfighter films? I would like to see Ben Kingsley as Dhalsim!  Who would make for the best live action version of your favourite character?  Feedback damn you! FIGHT!!!

Stories Covered

• Douglas Adams’s ‘Holistic Detective’ Dirk Gently TV Show
• Human Centipede 2
• Doctor Who on DS & Wii
• Doctor Who 1996 Movie coming to DVD
• Dragon Age
• Satoshi Kon Passed Away
• Elentir Presents
• PS3 Modchip
• and more…

News

• Bendakk’s Eyebrows
• Blue Water Will Bend You Over
• X-Men: First Class
• Spiderman Reboot
• Dylan Dog
• Green Lantern

Jeph Loeb Spotlight

• Wikipedia Page
• Batman: The Long Halloween [Buy from Amazon UK]

AMC has been proactive in recent years bringing us some pretty epic pieces of Television, Their recent effort “The Prisoner” may not have lived up to it’s predecessor but it certainly was an applaud-able effort. Their next large scale series will be taking it’s cues from an interesting source, namely Robert Kirkman’s popular Image Comics series “The Walking Dead.”  The Series follows a lone Sheriff trying to make his way to his family during a good old worldwide Zombie outbreak. You know, that old thing.

This series is being directed by cinematic heavyweight Frank Darabont, who has, in the past, given us such supernatural scaries as The Mist and A Nightmare On Elm St III, as well as Oscar nominated films like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Gale Anne Hurd is the producer, and her credits are just as impressive including the Terminator films, and the Incredible Hulk. (among MANY others) That being the case, we’re in pretty safe hands.  It looks like a damn good zombie story which will hopefully live up to it’s potential.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Are you looking forwards to the zombie apocalypse on horseback?  Will we be having high noon shootouts with monsters barely able to move their arm, let alone draw a pistol? Feedback and let us know!

It’s so nice when one of our pals makes something that we can all look at and go oooh and ahhh… That’s what’s happened here ya see. Back in 2005 we met a british author in Canberra and proceeded to get mightily sloshed with him. We spoke of many things, Galactus and Macadamia nuts, Torchwood and Doctor Who… and we drank. Turns out that British fellow is quite a well known author called Dan Abnett and he has written a bunch of Warhammer 40K novels, not to mention heaps of other stuff!  He has also written a film based on the Warhammer 40k universe and it’s called Ultramarines.  Its entirely CGI and damn if it doesn’t look like a whole heap of awesome!  It’s got an amazing voice cast including Terrence Stamp and Sean Pertwee, and what sounds like John Hurt in this trailer.

The games are all about little painted miniatures and rolling dice on a tabletop and there have been video games as well, however this is the first fully produced feature film set in this universe. Check it out!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

It looks pretty special doesn’t it?!  Big suits, space marines and shooty shooty bang bang.  I’m there and I can’t wait!  What do you think?  Feedback marines!!!!

We have had the pleasure of showcasing some impressive fan productions in our time here at (Cool) Shite, they have spanned from Batman to Star-Wars and everything in between. There has been one universe that has, as yet gone un-tapped;  A rich vibrant universe with hundreds of potential stories and even more characters to explore. The saddest part is that this universe has also been given the once over by Hollywood, resulting in one of the least loved adaptations from comic to screen ever committed to celluloid. Judge Dredd could have been a darkly humorous dystopian tale of the lawmen of Megacity 1, instead it was a vehicle for Sly Stallone to prove conclusively that he really just didn’t get it.

With another attempt in the offing to bring Dredd to the screen, this time starring a fully masked Karl Urban things are looking brighter, but before a frame has been shot on that film, we’re being given a sneak peek at a fan film which might be the answer to our prayers. Who or what Judge Minty is, really doesn’t concern me in the least, but the look and feel of this film is spot on and I for one cannot wait! Make sure you check out their production blog too! There is some amazing looking design work at play here folks! http://judgeminty.blogspot.com/

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Will Karl “The Urbinator” Urban be bale to top this little beauty? Or is Judge Minty as fresh as the name indicates?  Feedback drek-heads and let us know!

• Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith
• Starring Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, Lynda Stoner, Michael Craig, Noel Ferrier, Roger Ward, Carmen Duncan, John Ley, Michael Petrovitch, Gus Mercurio and Bill Young

I decided to give this film a second look, as it is possibly the only film I’ve seen by cult director Brian Trenchard-Smith, and I wanted to refresh my memory before I started to dig further into the director’s catalog.  Filmed & released in Australia under the name Turkey Shoot, it was released in the US under the Escape 2000 title, despite the mid-90′s setting, so prepare for some confusion straight out of the gate.

Set in the far flung future (at the time) of 1995, the film opens in a grim world where even the slightest step out of line will get you thrown into a government prison for reconditioning.  We see a van transporting three such degenerates to a remote facility in the jungle, their tormented dreams filling in little shorthand bits of back-story.

A concrete definition of ‘stepping out of line’ is rather sketchy in this totalitarian society, as we see Paul (Railsback) running his own little anti-government radio broadcast before jack-booted thugs break in to capture him, but in Chris’ (Hussey) case all she does is question the amount of careless violence the police use when they crash into the store she works in, beating the dogshit out of a suspect.  She’s arrested because they assume that she knows the criminal in question, rather than simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  It’s not revealed at this point, but let me save you some time: their fellow inmate Rita (Stoner) was accused of being a prostitute, which she emphatically says isn’t true when she tells Chris her story later.  Personally, I remain unconvinced, but that’s neither here nor there.

Our leads are given the standard indoctrination spiel from Red (Mercurio), who chews scenery and cracks a whip very much like what a lion tamer in a circus would use, so that makes for a weird visual as he looks a lot more like a ringmaster than a prison guard as he barks at them about the rules.  The hopelessness of their situation is further illustrated by Ritter (Ward), a giant of a man who singles out the tiniest woman in the crowd of prisoners to basically beat the hell out of to indicate what they’ll get if they step out of line.  I don’t get it either, it’s just sort of funny at first because he’s about 2 feet taller than his victim, then really sad because he does actually beat the hell out of her.  What a badass.

Paul naturally taunts the guards, which earns him several hours in a metal cage supporting a large weight to keep it from crushing him.  When he’s dragged back into the barracks later, Chris desperately tries to reason with him over the dangers of fighting back, still convinced that keeping your head down will keep you safe in this hostile environment.

The camp director is one Charles Thatcher (Craig), who is currently entertaining three VIP’s in his quarters, Secretary Mallory (Ferrier), Tito (Petrovitch) and Jennifer (Duncan).  These folks are affluent clients who have traveled to his remote location to participate in one of his ‘turkey shoots’ in which they each select an inmate that catches their fancy to be released into the jungle.  They will then be allowed to hunt and kill them for sport.  Thatcher warns them all that they only have their own target to chase, and that there’s “No poaching.” allowed.  Y’know, because who wants any underhanded behavior in their ridiculously illegal bloodsports, am I right?

Paul stands guard that evening while Chris showers, but he’s quickly overpowered by guards who are intent on having their way with the new arrival.  Chris is able to get away from Red, but the ensuing struggle draws Ritter’s attention and he breaks it up, warning Red away from her because she’s been promised to Mallory.

Thatcher makes the prisoners the offer of clemency in exchange for their participation in a bit of sport. The group naturally includes all three of our new arrivals, plus squirrelly inmate Dodge (Ley), who steals a hidden knife from fellow prisoner Griff (Young) in an effort to arm himself against his pursuers.  When he can’t resist bragging about it like a dumbass in their quarters, Griff attacks him and secures his own position in the hunt, as Thatcher uses this as an excuse to rid himself of another troublemaker.

The next day the group are released at 30 minute intervals, Chris first and Paul dead last just to make certain he won’t be able to catch up easily and aid in her escape, then the bourgeoisie begin their chase, armed with comically complicated weapons like a crossbow with exploding arrows and a weird front-loader ATV armed with a machine gun.

Oh, did I mention that for no good reason whatsoever Tito has a circus freak wolf-man creature as his hunting dog?  Yeah, it’s worth a watch just for that kinda nonsense.  The latter half is full of jungle shenanigans as the hunters pursue and torment their prey and the poor convicts desperately try to elude them and find a way to turn the tables.

I enjoyed this one a lot, as the over the top violence is fairly cartoonish and ridiculous, the acting is campy and the Jennifer woman is just ridiculous in her mania for the hunt, she proves to be the most dangerous of the hunters by far.  The death scenes are memorable, and if you’ve ever wanted to see a wolf-man toss a scrawny guy around like a ragdoll, then this one is worth a blind-buy, hands-down.  Oh, and for no good reason you also see Lynda Stoner taking a fully clothed bath in a river, splashing about as if there’s no one trying to kill her, it’s as though they wanted a second nude scene but couldn’t get her to play ball in the latter half of the film.

If you’re in the mood for some light, corny 80’s action, give this one a look.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Have you taken your werewolf hunting lately?

Qdog & Mr Moyle have a chat with Chris Pang who plays Lee Takkam in Tomorrow When The War Began

Thanks to Paramount Australia for setting up the interview.

Tomorrow When the War Began opens in Australian cinemas on September 2nd 2010

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Stories Covered

• Channel 7 on Ps3
• Deadpool
• Frankenstein
• Star Wars Blu-Ray & Deleted Scene
• Hellboy
• Wolverine 2
• Avatar
• X-Men First Class Casting
• Scoobie-Do Reboot
• Scott Pilgrim
• Terminator Animated
• Black Swan

Kenneth Branagh Interview WALLANDER II: FACELESS KILLERS
I’ve been watching tremendous American television. Mainly because of the way the viewing patterns of watching movies have gone, it seems like a lot of risk-taking and a lot of imagination is regenerating in television, in a way that I think makes for a pretty exciting period. Back home, there’s a reference to the Golden Age of television. For me, that seems to apply to what’s happening with American television. I’ve been extremely impressed by the range and the quality of programming, so I think it’s a fantastic medium to be in.

NBC Buys ‘Zombies Vs. Vampires’ Spec
NBC has closed a deal for Zombies vs. Vampires, a spec script by Jake in Progress creator/executive producer Austin Winsberg. Zombies vs. Vampires is described as a “fun buddy cop procedural.” It is set in a world where zombies are a part of society, controllable with medication. The show’s two leads (one secretly a vampire) are cops assigned to a squad specifically formed to deal with “zombie crime”. Winsberg, McG and Peter Johnson are executive producing.

Did Syfy Steal Sitcom Idea From Former Buffy Stars?
Syfy are making a new sitcom described as an alien version of The Office – a fact that doesn’t sit too well with former Buffy stars Amber Benson and Adam Busch, who’ve already made a movie based on the same idea. “We just find it hard to believe that no one involved with “Human Relations” (the writer, the producers, the network) ever sat down and Googled the words “aliens” and “office comedy” — because if they did, they would have discovered that the very network they sold their show to had premiered a trailer to a movie with the exact same concept.”

8 things you should know about the upcoming 3rd season of Fringe
This year we’re really going to get to see a lot of the alternate universe, so much so that Joshua Jackson doesn’t even work each week. “We’ll spend our time over there where everybody’s messing with our Olivia, and then over here we have this crazy double agent in our midst,” Jackson said. “One, three, five, seven, nine. Every odd-numbered episode. I’m jealous of that [opportunity], and then on the flip side, it’s really nice to have every other episode off. So I have a funny feeling I’ll get over it.”

Fox Remains Confident In ‘Fringe’ Despite Lower Ratings
Network brass said they plan little interference in what’s going on there
Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly says he’s so on board with what “Fringe” is doing, he’s been keeping his nose out of the kitchen. “We have no intention of screwing with ‘Fringe,’ because the show is going to be great,” Reilly said Monday at the Television Critics Association press tour. “It really came into its own last season. If I have any frustration, it’s that I’d like the audience to be bigger because people deserve to see the work.”

Chuck’s producers tell us how Linda Hamilton will kick ass
“She had heard about the show and that they were looking for Chuck’s mom,” series creator Josh Schwartz said. “She had heard about the fact that we were looking for Chuck’s mom and that a lot of people wanted her to be that part. That was a great idea, somebody we were excited about and didn’t know if we could get. We sat down with her and she’s like, ‘So, I hear I’m Chuck’s mom.’”

Syfy Announces Seven New Shows, Including Sci-Fi Robin Hood & Kevin Sorbo Mockumentary
Syfy announced a rich development slate of seven scripted projects featuring television icons Lee Majors and Kevin Sorbo; the Sanctuary creative team of Damian Kindler, Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping; a swashbuckling space opera and an alien version of The Office from Universal Cable Productions plus a single camera 1/2-hour about fighting zombies and a dramedy featuring supernatural villains.

7 ways The Event will be like Lost (and 1 way it won’t)
“Before NBC bought the pilot, I think the bible Nick developed was longer than the script,” said executive producer Steve Stark. “They were very clear where we’re going. We have tentpole marks we want to hit as the series progresses, into season three. We have these benchmarks we want to follow.”

MTV gives us a first look at their sexy, violent Teen Wolf show
With more werewolf screen time, the adapters of Teen Wolf came up with three different breeds of wolf we’ll see. “In the series there are three types of werewolves, an alpha, omega and beta,” director Russell Mulcahy said. “The omega being a full wolf. What you saw is the beta, and then there’s the psychotic, dangerous and totally original different design for the omega, which is the real monster of the show.”

6 ways Torchwood’s new season will change everything
Davies isn’t telling what kind of global event brings Torchwood back together, but he guarantees it will require the full 10-episode run of The New World when it comes to Starz, the American cable channel. “It’s far more complicated than just a monster,” Davies said. “I think it’s a brilliant idea, and when you hear it, it will make sense and you’ll see how big it is. It could have filled 20 hours. It’s a big 10-hour story.”

Scorsese would like to direct more ‘Boardwalk’
“What’s happening the past nine, ten years was what we had hoped for in the mid-60s when films were being made for TV,” he said. “We hoped there would be this kind of freedom and ability to create another world and develop long-form characters and story. That didn’t happen in the 70s, 80s and 90s. And, of course, [’Boardwalk Empire’] is a good example and the extraordinary series they have. I’ve been tempted to be involved with them over the years.”

‘Game of Thrones’ to premiere next spring
HBO confirmed: “Game of Thrones” will indeed premiere next spring. “It’s a genre we’ve approached somewhat cautiously,” said Michael Lombardo, HBO’s programming president. “We have two writers … who are so smart and so talented. Neither of us are particularly fans of the genre. It was such enormously compelling reading. It wasn’t the genre we responded to it was the storytelling.”

‘Torchwood’ gets new title: ‘The New World’
Starz’ “Torchwood” reboot will be titled “Torchwood: The New World” and creator Russell T Davies gave some insight into the storyline. The new story will follow a CIA agent (Rex) and analyst (Ester) who tackle an alien-related global issue. Torchwood, having been destroyed and disbanded, is “like a legend now … it’s like something that’s ceased to exist and is now spoken of only in whispers.” Soon, Rex and Ester are on the run and are seeking out the help of Captain Jack and Gwen.

James Purefoy joins Starz’ ‘Camelot’
Showrunner Chris Chibnall confirms the actor, who was so fantastic in HBO’s “Rome,” has joined the cast. Purefoy will play King Lot, who’s described as not a very nice guy, and is also not a series regular. Star Joseph Fiennes, who plays the ancient wizard Merlin, says that while the series will contain magic elements, it won’t be a driving element in the story. “The magic lies in the political essences of the piece,” Fiennes said. “Yes, there will be in dark arts — you’ll see things disappearing and changing shape, but it’s really about the birth of a legend. It’s [a land where] power is given to the wrong individuals, a country split by war and greed … and the assent of a pure king and noble minds.”

Scott Bakula: There WILL be a Quantum Leap movie
“The good news is that Don [Quantum Leap creator Donald P. Bellisario] is working on the film script and has a big time Hollywood producer who wants to do it … It’s about time. But what I always thought would happen, happened … [that he’s now too old for the role]. But Dean [Stockwell, who played Al] and I will have a part in it somehow. Don did say that as he was writing, he told me he was having trouble, ‘getting you and Dean out of my head.’ But I know he will do it.”

But Wait, There’s More…

• Breaking Bad Won’t Return Until July 2011, Minisodes Planned For The Hiatus
• The Future Of USA’s ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ Still In Limbo, May Return For Final Hurrah Sans Jeff Goldblum
• PTC warns CBS advertisers over ‘$#*! My Dad Says’
• ‘$#*!’ advertisers not worried over PTC warning
• Diablo Cody sells comedy pilot to Fox
• FX orders ‘Star Trek’ spoof pilot, renews ‘Louie’
• ‘Sons of Anarchy’ star bashes Emmys
• A New Enemy for The Office’s Michael Scott
• BBC confirms 13 new eps of Doctor Who will air next year
• Paul McCartney lobbying to get Beatles on ‘Glee’?
• Good news (and bad) about Spielberg’s time-traveling dinosaur show
• ‘Lone Star’ aims for a hit or ’spectacular failure’
• ‘The Event’ to critics: We won’t break your heart
• Why ‘Undercovers’ cast two black leads
• Terrence Howard joining ‘Law & Order: L.A.’
• Official: ‘Entourage’ series will end next summer
• Has Nat Geo found its Shark Week?
• Lucretia lives! Lawless in ‘Spartacus’ season two
• YouTube star Fred lands Nick deal
• Showrunner Ken Sanzel Exits ‘Blue Bloods’ After Creative Tension With Tom Selleck
• IFC greenlights Fred Armisen comedy
• Mindy Kaling on Steve Carell, ‘Outsourced’ (video)
• Mary Hart to leave ‘ET’ after its 30th season
• Soundtrack For DOCTOR WHO Specials To Be Released
• Syfy Is Bringing Yet Another Shark Movie To The Small Screen, Be On The Lookout For SWAMP SHARK!
• How much is an Emmy worth?
• No Ordinary Family Not Sci-Fi, Superheroic
• MTV renews ‘Hard Times’
• Tom Baker Returning For Another Round of DOCTOR WHO Audio Adventures
• ABC’s Paul Lee braves the critics, says no fall schedule changes
• ‘Detroit 187′ producers hopeful about new regime
• Little-known facts about select Emmy nominees
• NBC shifts focus to development, primetime; Entertainment chief Gaspin says ‘the goal is to rebuild’
• NBC: Mistakes a ’self-fulfilling prophecy,’ ‘30 Rock’ live, early premieres, ‘Idol’
• TNT renews ‘Leverage,’ ‘Closer’
• Robert Carlyle and David Blue on ‘Stargate,’ its future, and Comic-Con

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

On an island off the coast of North America, local residents simultaneously fight a zombie epidemic while hoping for a cure to return their un-dead relatives back to their human state.

• Director: George A. Romero
• Writer: George A. Romero
• Year of Release: 2010
• Actors: Alan Van Sprang, Kenneth Welsh, Kathleen Munroe, Richard Fitzpatrick
• Genre: Horror
• Country of Origin: USA

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

An American werewolf goes back to London, this time with a number
The Weinstein Co. division bought remake rights to the 1981 classic, which starred Naughton as a U.S. tourist who believes he’s being hunted by a werewolf, from Landis in June 2009. Now the company is in talks with a writer, Fernley Phillips, best known for scripting Jim Carrey’s “The Number 23,” to give it a modern spin, sources say.

Maggie Grace In ‘Lockout’ Mode With Luc Besson
Maggie Grace has signed on for Lockout. The picture transports a Taken-like premise to outer space. Besson hatched the script with directors James Mather and Stephen St. Leger. Guy Pearce is attached to play a man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. He’s offered his freedom if he can rescue the president’s daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates.

Echo Lake nabs medieval action script ‘Man at Arms’
Echo Lake, one of the companies behind the David Duchovny-Demi Moore indie “The Joneses,” has nabbed the medieval action script “Man at Arms” from Jeremy Lott. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but “Arms” focuses on Lancelot and his adventures after the breakup of Camelot. Echo Lake is hoping to attract a filmmaker that can give the movie a distinct visual style.

THE CHUD INTERVIEW: ADAM MCKAY (THE OTHER GUYS)
[Mark Wahlberg] was just learning about [improv] as we went along. He certainly wasn’t aware at all about the culture of the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, he wasn’t aware that there are thousands of people out there where this is what they do. There’s a lot of people out there who don’t know that. So it led to some of the funnier moments. Mark was like, ‘Why do they always fuck with me?’ The reason they always fuck with him is what is funnier than fucking with Mark Wahlberg?

Routh Hopes To Be Launched Into Raimi’s ‘Warcraft’
“I’m kind of a gamer. They just announced that Sam Raimi is directing [Warcraft], so that’s very cool,” said Routh. “My friends over at Legendary are working on that. … So I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen with that.”

‘Dead Space’ Adaptation A ‘Prequel,’ DJ Caruso Expects A Screenplay ‘In A Few Months’
It’s one of those things where the storytelling of it and trying to get into the prequel [is a challenge],” he said. “You have have the whole sort of brainwash-y/Scientology thing and ultimately the Necromorphs. It’s interesting to try to get the major studios to understand that this [isn’t ’Event Horizon.’] So you’ve got to sort of steer their brain out of that. So we’re fighting some of those elements. … I’m still looking forward to getting going.”

Ridley Scott’s Forever War writer revealed (and it’s GOOD news)
Ridley Scott had said that he had a “good writer” hard at work on the script for his 3-D version of Joe Haldeman’s classic novel The Forever War. Then, a couple of months ago, Scott added that the screenwriter was “on a fourth draft of the adaptation.” But he never revealed the NAME of that writer. Now Haldeman—perhaps inadvertently—has. Over on his blog, Haldeman wrote yesterday that: “Scott has a script; last I heard, it was the fourth rewrite. I’ve talked to the writer — he has good credits, like Unforgiven.” And who’s credited with writing Unforgiven? David Webb Peoples, who also wrote the screenplay for Twelve Monkeys, Ladyhawke … and Blade Runner.

MGM Off To The Outer Limits
Anthology series becoming a movie?
MGM has found a pair of writers to start mining the resource that is the rights to classic sci-fi anthology show The Outer Limits. The original series ran from 1963 until 1965 across the pond and over here, ending up in endless late-night repeats. Blending “what if” stories with more of an action and suspense bent than clear inspiration The Twilight Zone, it nevertheless trod a similar path. An attempt to rejuvenate it saw an update on the air from 1995 through 2002. But now MGM is trying to get a film version on to screens.

The Jack Ryan Franchise Gets Lost Director Jack Bender
Paramount’s long-gestating reboot of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan spy franchise is finally coming together: Lost executive producer — and frequent director — Jack Bender is a cat’s breath away from landing the job as the director of Moscow, in which a fresh-from-the-Marines Jack Ryan goes to work as an analyst for a Russian billionaire, but winds up on the run after being implicated in a terrorist plot.

THE CHUD INTERVIEW: NEIL MARSHALL (CENTURION)
There wouldn’t be a Lord of the Rings without John Ford, as far as his mastery of shooting landscapes. If you’re going to have guys with swords in a mountainous landscape you’re going to get a Lord of the Rings comparison, but that movie didn’t invent that. I grew up with Excalibur and Conan and that has similar kinds of things in it as well. These inspirations are ingrained it me but I didn’t set out… with Doomsday I set out to make a homage, with this one if the comparisons are there it’s unconscious. With the exception of I think one shot which I did totally take from Butch Cassidy, the one scene where they’re climbing up the hill and the camera pulls back and you see the riders in the far distance. It’s the scale I love in Western movies that you don’t really see in British movies. You don’t get that outdoors wilderness adventure in the UK, it just seems absurd. This could be the first of its kind!

Willis, Weaver in action for ‘The Cold Light of Day’
Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver will star opposite Henry Cavill in “The Cold Light of Day,” the kidnapping thriller from Intrepid Pictures and Summit. Willis’ deal is done while Weaver is still in negotiations. Mabrouk El Mechri, who directed the faux Jean-Claude Van Damme documentary “JCVD,” is behind the camera. The story centers on a cocky young Wall Street trader who reluctantly vacations with his family in Spain. When his family is kidnapped, he is thrust into a government conspiracy and must unravel the secrets of his father (Willis) in order to save his loved ones. Weaver would play the villain.

Arrested Development’ movie script half done
“Were writing it; we’re halfway through,” creator Mitch Hurwitz said. “The reason I’ve been so cagey about is because I know it’s taken us a while to get it going, and  fans have been so kind to us. I really want to do it. Jason Bateman gave an interesting quote recently saying ‘when we get it, we’ll read it and decide if we want to do it [Hurwitz gives ’What? Really?’ look].”

J.J. Abrams producing period robot movie ‘Boilerplate’
J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot banner are tackling the tale of a robot set in the Victorian Age. Paramount has picked up rights to “Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel,” a graphic novel-picture book hybrid by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett, the creators of comic book series “Heartbreakers,” for an adaptation to be produced by Abrams and his banner. “Boilerplate” purports to tell the story of the world’s first robot, who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt and Lawrence of Arabia, journeyed to the South Pole and was involved in the silent movie business before disappearing on the battlefields of World War I. The book tells Boilerplate’s story by inserting the character into pictures drawn in the style of the age.

Warner Bros. nabs genre project from Josh Zetumer; ‘Zombieland’ director to exec produce
Warner Bros. has picked up an original project from Josh Zetumer, the scribe who previously nabbed plum gigs writing “Dune” and a “Bourne” installment. Ruben Fleischer, the director behind “Zombieland,” is on board to executive produce. Details for the story are being kept under wraps. The untitled project is star-driven and has a genre component to it, although it is not sci-fi. “You can’t put it in a box,” was how one studio insider described it. The studio bought the pitch in the room.

Thomas Lennon on A VERY HAROLD AND KUMAR CHRISTMAS 3D; Says There’s a Lot of Nudity Including Showering Nuns
I’m still at that point in my career. I’m in the very fun point of my career of being movie actor without being movie star. I assure you it is more fun because nothing’s riding on you when you’re a movie actor. Being a movie star is stressful as hell. You’ve got to do crunches all day long. You’ve got to get up and learn lines. I don’t do any of that. I wander in; I make a couple faces in 3D in this case. No but I auditioned for the role. There were a lot of people up for this role as a matter of fact. I was auditioning for this role against many of my best friends in the comedy world, so…and I was thrilled to get it. Of course then when I got the role I’m now, basically, in the back alleys of Detroit filming nights holding a 2-year old baby in very single scene that I’m in.  So it’s basically one of my worst nightmares sprung to life.

The Cutting Room Floor

• Amy Adams Joins Viggo Mortensen For ‘On The Road’ Trip
• Tony Scott could get Grisham-ed
• Three actors eye ‘Dolphin Tale’; Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr. and Ashley Judd
• Sean Penn in talks to play famed literary editor; Bill Pohlad will direct Max Perkins drama
• Kurt Russell to star in football film ‘Touchback’
• M-Appeal debuts label with gay zombie film
• HE’S BACK: Nicolas Cage Changes Mind, Returns To Millennium’s ‘Trespass’
• Will Jonathan Demme ‘Honeymoon’ With Robert De Niro And Bradley Cooper?
• ‘Juno’ Reteam Puts Charlize Theron At Center of Jason Reitman-Diablo Cody Pic
• Rachel Weisz Plunges Into Deep Blue Sea
• Neil Jordan Takes Part Of ‘Skippy Dies’
• Trio signs on for ‘ATM’; Brian Geraghty, Josh Peck and Margarita Levieva to star
• Karyn Kusama looks to get out of the rut
• Bryan Cranston Joins Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘Drive’
• Paramount Cuts Tom Cruise’s Up-front Salary for Mission: Impossible 4
• William Petersen finds first post-’CSI’ role; Christina Hendricks, Lucy Liu in ‘Detachment’
• Relativity nabs Nicholas Sparks’ ‘Safe Haven’
• Alan Tudyk reveals his character in Transformers 3
• Director And Producer Talk Middle Men
• Dustin Hoffman Joining LITTLE FOCKERS At The Last Minute!
• Bruce Willis on ‘Unbreakable,’ vodka and the enduring appeal of ‘Jaws’
• Will Ferrell Exclusive Interview THE OTHER GUYS; Plus His Thoughts on ANCHORMAN 2 Falling Apart
• ‘Breaking Dawn Part 2′ release date set; Nov. 16, 2012
• THE CHUD INTERVIEW: TODD SOLONDZ (LIFE DURING WARTIME)
• ‘SEX 2′ TOPS MOST-PIRATED MOVIES LIST
• Industry fights for rights to Nicholas Sparks’ ‘Safe Haven’
• Liam Neeson quits Spielberg’s Lincoln biopic
• Guillermo del Toro Left a Tom Cruise Van Helsing Project to Direct Mountains of Madness
• THE OTHER GUYS Press Conference Featuring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton and Director Adam McKay
• ‘127 Hours,’ ‘Black Swan’ release dates set; November 5 and  December 1, respectively
• Q&A: Sonam Kapoor, Bollywood veteran’s daughter begins to make her own mark
• SDCC 2010 Video Interview: The Cast of Paul
• SDCC 2010 Video Interview: The Cast Of Priest
• Josh Hutcherson to Star in and Produce Horror Comedy with Dane Cook
• Comic-Con 2010 Interview: Tron Legacy Director Joseph Kosinski
• Tudors’ actor to star in kidnapping thriller, ‘Cold Light of Day’
• DiCaprio exit from Mel Gibson project a no-brainer
• Director Jay Roach Exclusive Interview DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS; Would Like to do AUSTIN POWERS 4 in 3D, and a Lot More

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

The Star Wars Universe is an ever expanding behemoth of different stories told in a multitude of different ways, from CGI to Live action, in games, comics and novels, even in iPhone apps. Yet from this wall of noise a single clear voice has emerged, a voice that has done more to redeem the Star Wars brand than any number of games, MMO’s or Toylines. The Clone Wars TV series has gotten past its first seriously wobbly steps (that being the first movie) and has broken into a steady stride, regularly providing impressive action sequences and occasionally even some great mystery and intrigue along with some real character development. It’s detailed accounts of the ongoing Clone Wars finally give some indication to the scope of these conflicts and make up for their limited appearance in the films.

We’re coming into series 3 now and things look to be getting steadily darker, we’re still introducing new characters and storylines to deepen the overall plot, along with some cool new bad-guys to keep shifting the toys off the shelves. Check out these two new Promo’s and see what season 3 has in store for us.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Have you gotten on the Clone Wars Train yet? If not, why not? Feedback and let us know!  OR ELSE WE’LL SICK SAVAGE OPRESS ON YA (yes that’s a seriously dumb name)!!!!

What is the greatest lie ever created? What is the most vicious obscenity ever perpetrated on mankind? Slavery… the Holocaust… dictatorship… NO! It’s the tool with which all that wickedness is built. Altruism.

Whenever anyone wants others to do their work, they call upon their altruism. “Never mind your own needs,” they say, “think of the needs of …” of … whoever. Of the state. Of the poor. Of the army. Of the king. Of God. The list goes on and on. How many catastrophes were launched with the words “think of yourself”? It’s the “king and country” crowd who light the torch of destruction. It is this great inversion, this ancient lie, which has chained humanity to an endless cycle of guilt and failure.

And so, I asked myself, in what country was there a place for men like me? Men who refused to say yes to the parasites and the doubters. Men who believed that work was sacred and property rights inviolate. And then one day the happy answer came to me, my friends: there was NO country for people like me. And THAT was the moment I decided… to build one. – Andrew Ryan 1960

These words led us to understand the creation of one of the greatest settings in modern gaming, the underwater failed utopia Rapture. Created by Andrew Ryan as an answer to the tyrrany of the world Rapture was intended as a haven for the individual. It ended up being a hellish nightmare. But now in Bioshock Infinite we seem to be bidding farewell to the Rapture we have come to know and be terrified of. Farewell to the Big Daddies, Little Sisters and wave after wave of Splicers and hello to a vision of freedom in the clouds: freedom named Columbia!

Departing from Rapture and taking us back in time from the 1960′s to 1912, Bioshock Infinite does seem to be keeping some of the successful elements of the first two games, The Big Daddies are back, from what we can tell, so is some kind of Proto-Little Sister, if this trailer is anything to go by. However series creator Ken Levine has stated that there are no “Sacred cows” and everything is up for grabs. Let’s stop mucking about and let you watch this amazing trailer.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Is Columbia going to be your next holiday destinations (wherever it is?) or does this departure from Rapture lead you to your departure from the game series? Feedback below and let us know.

A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.

• Director: Sylvester Stallone
• Writer: Sylvester Stallone, Dave Callaham
• Year of Release: 2010
• Actors: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, David Zayas, Mickey Rourke
• Genre: Action
• Country of Origin: USA

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Qdog & Bruce have a chat with the screenwriter and director Stuart Beattie about Tomorrow When The War Began.

Topics include

• Red Dawn Similarities
• Adapting a fan favorite text
• Directing for the first time
• Differences between writing massive blockbusters like GI Joe & Pirates of The Caribbean and Tomorrow When The War Began
• Sequels and more…

Thanks to Paramount Australia for setting up the interview.

Tomorrow When the War Began opens in Australian cinemas on September 2nd 2010

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Stories Covered

• Skyline Trailer
• Tsui Hark’s Detective DEE Trailer
• Avengers
• Kilowog Revealed
• Torchwwod Writers & Story
• R18+ & Aussie Election
• Avatar Sequels
• Eastern Promises 2
• Tekken
• Spider Man Musial
• More Superheroes on TV
• Quantum Leap Movie
• Clone Wars Session 3
• Arkham City
• and more…

Joss Whedon had to go and do something different… like a sing-a-long blog starring NPH.

News

• Kraven as the new man without fear
• Gregory Noveck leaving DC
• Bluewater names new VP of creative development
• Avengers vs Thunderbolts
• RED One Shot to coincidence with movie
• Boom and Pixar comics
• Axe Cop

Review

• The Authority #25
• Deadpool #1000
• Green Arrow #2
• Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher #1
• Wanted – [Buy from Amazon UK]
• The Red Star – [Buy from Amazon UK]
• Queen & Country – Volume 2 [Buy from Amazon UK]

Question of the Week

• What is the worst thing to happen to your collection?

The latest offering from the DC Animated Universe is an adaptation of a Batman story that dealt with the fallout of one of the darkest moments in The Dark Knight’s history. Spoilers will follow for those who aren’t too familiar with continuity from the last five or so years…

High in his mountaintop fortress, international terrorist and Immortal Ra’s Al-Ghul is horrified to hear that the Joker has taken Batman’s partner, the second Robin, hostage.

His fears are justified; the Joker is using a crowbar to beat the bound Robin into a bloody stain on the floor of a warehouse in Sarajevo. Batman is on his way to rescue his partner, but before he can arrive the Joker leaves and blows the warehouse up leaving the Dark Knight the grim task of pulling the dead and broken body of his partner from the wreckage.

Five years later in Gotham City, a new criminal calling himself the Red Hood is muscling in on the drug trade controlled by the Black Mask. Batman and the first Robin, now called Nightwing; investigate this new Red Hood (a common alias in Gotham’s criminal fraternity). However, this new Red Hood seems to know far too much about Batman and his methods. The Dark Knight soon becomes obsessed with unmasking the Red Hood, and comes to realise that he may be able to rectify one of the greatest mistakes of his career…

Iconic imagery, Supergirl or Robin 2...

Since Warner Bros. Animation started creating original animated films based on the DC Universe but not directly linked to the popular DC Animated continuity, they’ve fallen into three distinct types; new stories, origin stories, or adaptations of popular/big events from the comics. Under the Red Hood falls into the latter category, but it’s an odd choice.

This film is based on 1987’s A Death in the Family and 2005’s Under the Hood. Big events to be sure, but they’re not exactly popular for the right reasons.

Time for some comic book history:

In 1982, Dick Grayson stepped down as Batman’s partner to become Nightwing. Realising that Batman needed a sounding board, in 1983 the editors at DC created Jason Todd, a likeable young circus acrobat who was adopted by Bruce Wayne after his parents were murdered by Killer Croc.

Sound familiar?

After the major reboot to the DC Universe due to Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, Jason Todd’s character was changed to be “darker and edgier”. He now met Batman in Crime Alley, where Batman caught him stealing the wheels off of the Batmobile. Seeing potential in the boy, and to steer him away from a life of crime, Batman took on the young Jason as the new Robin.

This new characterisation was also far less likeable than the original, to further remove the character from Dick Grayson, the guy all the heroes in the DC Universe trust most after Superman. Realising his was unpopular with the fans, the DC Editors wanted to get rid of him, and used the opportunity to try something new with fan interaction. They were also probably inspired by the implied death and monument to Jason in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.

In 1988, A Death in the Family was published as a four issue miniseries. DC invited fans to phone a number to vote for whether Jason lived or died. It was close, but fans voted that Jason should die. Incidentally, 1988 was the year that The Killing Joke was published. Between crippling Barbara Gordon and beating Jason Todd to death, it was a dark and busy year for the Joker.

A new design for an old villain.

With Jason’s memorial mounted in the Batcave that should have been the end of the story of Jason Todd.

Then in 2002, the Hush storyline began. The plot concerned a villain conspiracy trying to unbalance and overwhelm Batman to bring him down. Part of this involved tricking Batman into believing that a resurrected Jason Todd was behind the conspiracy. It was a ruse, but left the hanging plot thread of why Jason Todd’s grave was empty.

The answer was given in 2005 with Under the Hood, which revealed that Jason Todd was resurrected (via wacky comic book logic), and he has acted as a somewhat sympathetic antagonist to the Dark Knight ever since.

One of the main strengths of these new DCAU films is that they can streamline plots from older comics for modern audiences, especially those that aren’t familiar with some of the craziness that comic plotlines can generate. Here A Death in the Family and Under the Hood are stripped down to the basics, yet still manage to tell a compelling story with strong doses of action and emotion, despite the short running time.

Adapted subject matter aside, the influence of Nolan’s live action Batman films is felt all throughout this production; this film is brutal. The previous standard had been set by the Director’s Cut of Return of the Joker, and it has been surpassed here. The torture scenes are wince inducing and the fight scenes are hard hitting, and some of the best I’ve seen in Western animation.

Voice Director Andrea Romano once again shakes up the casting of otherwise familiar roles with unfamiliar actors. Cries of, “Why aren’t Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in this?” are always going to be heard, but the cast here is strong, and in some cases a wonderful surprise. The performances are made even stronger by the animation style, which comes somewhere between a more detailed Justice League Unlimited look and a toned down version of the style from Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Suffice to say, it looks great with interesting choices regarding character design that pay off. Special mention must be made of the Joker, which I’ll discuss in detail below.

As to the voice actors, Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) portrays an older Batman than we’re used to seeing normally, and manages to alter his voice well between the present-day and younger Batman seen in flashbacks. This allows the viewer to differentiate between the two even if they miss the visual cue of the change his costume. He also manages to convey the emotion necessary for this story; this is Batman being forced to confront tragic elements of his past and, if not make up for them, at least apologise. Greenwood pulls it off.

Jensen Ackles as Red Hood has the tough job of playing a villain, but one that the audience must find sympathetic, and he manages to make it sound easy. This was Ackles’ first voice-over work, and it doesn’t show as he holds his own with the veterans.

Neil Patrick Harris’ Nightwing could arguably be the definitive take on the character; professional yet lighthearted, not taking his job as seriously as his former mentor does. He’s not really given much to do though, aside from show the viewers that there was a first Robin prior to Jason Todd. He is also given Captain Obvious’ shield to throw one too many times, but these are nitpicks.

Hello Jason Isaac's and Talia.

Jason Isaacs plays the role of Ra’s al Ghul. He manages to make The Demon’s Head wonderfully noble and believably contrite in his brief screen time as he apologises to Batman for his actions.

Vincent Martella as the teenage Robin, Alexander Martella as the young Robin, and Jim Piddock as Alfred are worth mentioning as they all do yeoman’s work with their small roles.

The first surprise is Wade Williams as the Black Mask, who as a fairly standard Gotham Mobster with a gimmick chews the scenery with relish that adds humour and threatens to upstage the main villain in every scene they share.

The biggest and most welcome surprise is John DiMaggio’s Joker. If you’d told me that Futurama’s Bender would make a fantastic Joker, I’d have laughed. Though I suspect that was the reaction some had when they heard Luke Skywalker would be playing the Joker back in the day.

It’s unfair to DiMaggio, who has great range. He’s managed to even play my favourite take ever on Aquaman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. His Joker here is funny, unpredictable, terrifying, and understandably influenced by Heath Ledger’s iconic take on the character. The performance is enhanced by the Joker’s redesign; a craggier and bulkier version than we’re used to, and the animators keep him doing interesting things and looking absolutely insane. Imagine Bruce Campbell in Joker make-up and you have a rough idea. DiMaggio’s Joker is a definite highlight here.

Despite the vocal talent here, two of the big emotional moments rely solely on the animation. Early in the film Batman knocks over his chair in shock when he realises the Red Hood knows his identity. Later when the identity of the Red Hood is revealed, Batman is startled by a crash behind him. The camera pans across to Alfred, gaping in horror and having dropped his tray in shock. These unspoken losses of composure demonstrate the enormity of what is happening to these characters.

Jensen Ackles looking as emotive as ever.

Christopher Drake’s music is great, possibly the most noticeable of the DCAU movies. It seems to blend the best of all the Batman scores that have come before, giving us a score that fits perfectly with the tone of the film.

Penultimately, the best thing about this film is that in the climax it poses and answers an important question that is arguably long overdue; why hasn’t Batman just killed the Joker? He is a criminal who has killed hundreds, possibly thousands, threatened millions, and personally impacted Batman’s life by crippling the first Batgirl and murdering the second Robin and Commissioner Gordon’s second wife, Sarah.

The answer goes beyond Batman’s moral code and ties in nicely with comments made in the previous, unconnected film Crisis on Two Earths. If Batman started killing his enemies he would not stop, as he would enjoy it too much.

I have no problem with Batman; a functional psychotic; having thought about murdering his enemies but deciding it best not to cross that line. Whether this is a satisfying explanation will depend on the viewer, but it answers the question without fundamentally undermining Batman as a character, which is ultimately what keeping the Joker running around risks.

Finally, without spoilers here, I loved the ending. It’s an emotional sucker punch, but damn if it isn’t perfect and heartbreaking all at once.

Batman: Under the Red Hood takes a controversial story from Batman’s long history and manages to turn it into something special and worthy. This is the new high standard of quality future DCAU installments will have to meet. It gets a Cool Plus from me, and I strongly recommend you pick this one up and watch it if you’re a fan of Batman or the DC Universe.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Do you agree with Magnus’ review or violently disagree?  Is this the best Batman Animated movie since Mask of the Phantasm or Return of the Joker? Or is it more like Mystery of the Batwoman? Feedback let us know and give Magnus some love for an epically long review!

• Written & Drawn by Justin Randall

Ever bought a graphic novel without really knowing anything about it? You know, you liked the pretty pictures and hoped the story would live up to the artwork.

We at (Cool) Shite have a bit of a love affair with Australian indie comic book publisher Gestalt and as such, we generally pick up everything they print. Let it be said that in 2010 they have published what I consider the gold standard in Australian comics; Changing Ways by Justin Randall.

Admittedly I picked up the book for 2 reasons: 1, it was pretty and 2, it was by Gestalt. Once purchased it sat in the stack of novels waiting for it’s turn in the sun. Now that I have read it, I wonder why it wasn’t on the top of my stack, actually everyone’s stack. This book kicked me in the head and dragged me into it’s world so quickly that I had to struggle to put it down to do my day-job.

David Barrot is a family man, he has a pregnant wife, a young daughter and has recently moved to Grey Oaks; a small country town. In the recent past, rumours of an infection have turned up in the media. Weird scars have turned up on animals, insects and now people. The side-effects of these scars are different to each person, but when his neighbour’s dog jumps through their bedroom window in the middle of a massive rainstorm, shit just gets stranger and more violent from there on in.

It is inevitable that people who read lots of comics will see the artwork as something similar to Justin’s contemporary (and former pupil) Ben Templesmith. But that is where the comparisons should stop, Justin’s brings a realistic freshness in his life-work and amazing colourisation that give this story an atmosphere that is truly unique. Gestalt have printed the book lavishly on glossy paper stock with black bordered pages, which makes the artwork just pop. The little details that Justin has placed in the backgrounds of his scenes are amazing and give us much more opportunity to see the world building at play. These give us readers an excuse to re-read the book to see if we missed any clues.

While Justin’s artwork is impressive, his story writing skills are also a match. We experience the unfolding horror through the Barrot family and eventually some of the other citizens. The emotional roller-coaster of David & his wife Lucy and their need to protect their daughter feels real. The police are on what has to be the start of the worst night of their lives and some of the crazy towns folk give you a sense of community gone horribly wrong. The characters feel solid and motivations are clear. David’s struggle with a secret that brought him and his family to Grey Oaks is compelling and we the reader really want to see how this plays out.

Justin has done a marvelous job with this first novel in a series. It will be something you will read and re-read and share with friends. It blew my head off and I think it will do the same for you. Go out and buy it and see the changing face of Australian comics!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Just bear with me for a minute or two here while we plough through all the usual crap about video game to movie translations:  Yadda yadda Uwe Boll, blah blah Mario Brothers, something something Resident Evil… Ooh, don’t forget to mention Mortal Kombat and Streetfighter…. and Silent Hill, that wasn’t bad was it?  Ahh the eternal tedium of talking about adaptations of a format that is inherently interactive into a format that is passive… IT’S ALL BEEN SAID BEFORE!  No matter how many times we complain about the inability of film-makers to make good on our gaming experience in a cinematic realm we keep feeling the need to re-open old wounds when reviewing the newest attempt. Are we only capable of comparing video game translations to other video game translations? Can we not look at these films with unjaded eyes?

No. We can’t.  Because they keep making films like this.

Based on the long running fighting game series, Tekken is set in a dystopian near future (2039) in which the world is no longer divided into nations, but is run by a number of huge corporations, the largest of which is the Tekken corporation which lords over what was North America. Their tool for maintaining peace and entertaining the populace is the Iron Fist competition or King of the Iron Fist.  (I feel sorry for any japanese translators here, as the use of “Iron fist” and “tekken” must be nightmarish) Street-rat and (of course) parkour exponent Jin Kazama is running contraband and making a tidy living out of it, when his mother is killed by the Tekken “Jackhammers” or “nameless-police-stand-in’s”.  Going against her express wishes that he not get involved in the Iron Fist tournament, Jin signs up and proceeds to kick the crap out of the first of many “player characters” namely Marshall Law. That’s where things start to go off the rails.

There seems to be only one set. For real.

This initial fight is a strong indicator for what is to come and sadly it’s not very good.  The casting for Law is off (how hard would it have been to find a talented Bruce Lee lookalike?) and the fight is lacking in energy. Compounding this problem is the way in which it is shot. Or not, as the case may be. I would think that in a movie based on a fighting game, the one thing you’d want to nail, is the fights.  Here however, the director is cutting all around; to the crowd, to the fight promoter, to seemingly anything but the fight! The actual skills on display are sadly under-represented by the camerawork and the whole thing feels half baked. There is little if anything of the characters distinctive fighting styles on the screen (apart from Eddie Gordo later) and surely that would be something you’d be aiming for?!

The costume designs and characters feel accurately Tekken-ish though it is hard to escape the feeling that you’re watching some well trained cosplayers in a ring as opposed to real characters. I’m all for slavish accuracy, but i like mine tempered with a film-makers vision please!

Cosplay anyone?

Sadly the films major failing is in it’s lead actor. Jon Foo’s Jin Kazama is as bland as bland can be. He is clearly a talented martial artist, but his character and charisma is simply not enough to hang a film on. Putting other bland characters around him doesn’t help either! The lineup of Tekken characters is hardly a “who’s who”, but more a “who’s that?” Recognizable characters like Kazuya and Heihachi are all well and good, and i’d dread to think what would happen if we had not seen Yoshimitsu (who fails to spin around at all) there would have been riots… Or at least annoyed letters. But for every one of those, there is a Sergei Dragunov or a Miguel Rojo hanging around.  I find it hard to believe that Brian Fury was the best the could come up with as a “Mid boss.”

Tekken feels like what it is: a direct to dvd film, when myself and most other Tekken fans were hoping for a film that at least felt like a theatrical release. It is uninspired and does little justice to the epic storytelling that has gone before it in the game series. I guess the easiest way to explain this film is to do exactly what I set out not to do….  compare it to another video game movie.  Dead or Alive knows what it is, revels in it and makes no apologies for itself. Tekken aims to be more than it is and fails on almost every level.

MEH.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

I think the saddest thing about films like this, is that it means it’ll be even longer before someone tries to do it right. What do you think? Whats your favourite V/G to Movie adaptation? Is it better to have no Tekken movie or a crap Tekken movie? Or did you like it? Feedback or i’ll get in the ring and beat you up myself!

Hey Everyone,

We have 10 double passes to give away for Disney’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Official Synopsis

Walt Disney Studios, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub, the creators of the “National Treasure” franchise, present THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE – an innovative and epic comedy adventure about a sorcerer and his hapless apprentice who are swept into the centre of an ancient conflict between good and evil.

Balthazar Blake (NICOLAS CAGE) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (ALFRED MOLINA).  Balthazar can’t do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (JAY BARUCHEL), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé.  The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness.  It’ll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE.

TO ENTER

In The Sorcerers Apprentice we can see what happens when magic is used to get some menial chores done. The famous “dancing mop” sequence adapted from the Disney animated classic Fantasia, is a fine example of making magic go to work for you. It’s also a pretty good example of magic going wrong!

in 200 words or less tell us:

How would you use magic in your day to day life?  And what might some of the dangers be?

Could you enchant all the red staplers in your office to magically return to your desk when they are no longer being used?  Would they then try to staple you with all their misguided love and affection?

Just comment below and make sure your email address is valid and you check it often.

Competition closes August 30th

The tickets are for Australian Cinemas, so don’t enter if you cannot use them.

For More information on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice head on over to http://www.disneymovies.com.au

Only at the movies from SEPTEMBER 9th

Thanks to Walt Disney Studio Australia and Carroll-Jung PR & Promotions.

We look at Matt Smith’s and Karen Gillan’s first season of Doctor Who and see if it really is all that.

• Show Runner: Steven Moffat
• Year of Release: 2010
• Actors: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan
• Genre: Sci-fi
• Country of Origin: UK

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Stories Covered

• Erik Larsen
• Paul Dini on Ultimate Spider-Man
• Scott Pilgrim loves Macs
• Transformers MMO
• Stephen Sommers on G.I. Joe 2
• Dead Space Movie
• The Forever War
• Tony Robbins
• Venture Bros Season 5!
• X-Men First Class Rewrites
• Justice League Mortal
• Doctor Who Sixth Session
• and more…

Retired, Extremely Deadly? Really Effing Dull? Rolling Everyone’s Dollars? Ooh! I know!!! Riding Electric Dolphins!  When your film title is an acronym you have the potential for folks to not have a clue what you’re actually saying. Thankfully with it’s crazy pants cast line-up, RED is in no danger of slipping past anyone.  Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovitch…. you’d be forgiven for thinking that maybe this was an artsy film about growing older with dignity.  Add some Bruce Willis and maybe it’s a more comedic take on the theme…  I doubt anyone is expecting a balls to the wall explosive action comedy of RED, with Mirren playing an expert in wetwork (killing folks) and Malkovitch chewing scenery as one of the most drugged men in the world of international espionage.

It also features our mate Karl Urban back in the spy saddle for some more biffo.  It looks like lots of silly-ass violent fun with some great actors clearly enjoying themselves! check it out! In case you were wondering, yes it’s based on a comic, this one by acclaimed writer Warren Ellis!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

What do you think?  Do we all need to dose ourselves up on HUGE amounts of Acid like Malkovitch’s character, just to make this seem enjoyable?  Or is it going to be as much fun as it looks?  Write your deep insightful feedback below!  Really Excellent Discussion?  Roughly Entirely Derivative!  Feedback damn you!

Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty and finally KHANNNNN!!!!

Hey there guys and gals!  in conjunction with the lovely folks at Paramount we’re giving away five family passes to the upcoming mega action family adventure “The Last Airbender”in 3-D.  Based on the hit Nickelodeon animated series Avatar, the Legend of Aang,  the film follows the adventures of Aang The Last Airbender in his conflict with the Fire Nations. And adventure that will hold the fate of four mighty nations.

Official Synopsis

Air, Water, Earth, Fire.  Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and courage, Aang (Noah Ringer) discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to restore balance to their war-torn world. Based on the hugely successful Nickelodeon animated TV series, the live-action feature film “The Last Airbender” is the opening chapter in Aang’s struggle to survive.

Directed By M Night Shyamalan.

TO ENTER

For your chance to win one of these 5 family passes all you have to do is tell us in 140 characters or less:

What element would you bend if you could, and why?

Remember you have the entire periodic table to choose from and that includes the lesser known elements like Coolshiteum (Cs) Unobtanium (U?) UweBollium (Fu)and the strongest element of all Chuck Norrium. (Cn)

Entries will be accepted in Email, Through Facebook (on the competition post) and on Twitter (#cscomp) until the closing date: September 3rd

The tickets are for Australian Cinemas, so don’t enter if you cannot use them.

For More information on The Last Airbender in 3-D bend your eyes over to www.thelastairbender.com.au

Only at the movies from SEPTEMBER 16

Also playing in 2D

Copyright © 2010 PARAMOUNT PICTURES.  All Rights Reserved

‘Killable Hours’ by Clay Blakehills, and ‘Gravesend’, by Jason Fischer — volumes 1 and 2 of a new zombie fiction series published by Black House Comics

Is anybody ever going to publish a definitive ‘zombie’ story, or is the whole brain-eating, shambling, undead thing essentially a movie trope? It’s a good question, and if anyone is going to provide an answer, I think it’s likely to come through the new ‘After The World’ series of novellas from Black House Comics.

The books are small — about sixty A5 pages — and inexpensively produced, stapled at the spine, with glossy covers featuring gory illustrations which would have done justice to the legendary EC comics of the ‘50s. An equally inexpensive $5.00 cover price makes them a bargain for readers of horror and action: quick to pick up, easy to read through in one decent session. Absolutely the perfect air-travel fare.

And the contents?

I’ve been given the first two issues for review purposes. The plan from Black House seems to be about getting a range of writers each to create their own ‘take’ on a world over-run by the aforementioned brain-hungry types. While the undead are pretty much your classic slow, shambling, flesh-eating zombies whose bite can infect the living, what is actually interesting and original about this series is the fact that the world of the narrative is a shared one. That is, the novella ‘Killable Hours’ by Clay Blakehills is set in Melbourne at the beginning of the outbreak, but Jason Fischer’s novella ‘Gravesend’ is set in England of the same imaginary world, some months after the outbreak has really taken hold. In this way, I imagine that Black House intend to create a greater arc of story, like all the best forms of serial narrative. How will it turn out? I have no idea, but to judge by the first two books, it will be fun finding out.

The two books couldn’t be more different in tone. In ‘Killable Hours,’ Blakehill is clearly riffing off the classic movies. The entire story unfolds over the course of a single afternoon or so, in a law office in an inner-city Melbourne high-rise.  Terry Daniels is a young law clerk, midway through his term at Walters Kendall, and more than a little ambivalent about his future as a lawyer. In keeping with his youth, he’s something of a cipher, a character not yet fully developed. His point of view is clear and well-maintained, punctuated by pop culture references and just enough hipster cynicism to make young Terry a sympathetic protagonist.

The best thing about Terry is that he’s not actually stupid, and it’s this aspect of his character which Blakehill plays up in his riff on zombie mythology. Clearly, Terry has seen All The Right Movies. When the dead start to rise (and they do so with astonishing rapidity) he doesn’t panic or dither. Instead, he grabs the nearest heavy, blunt instrument and starts looking for a place to hole up. And really, that’s about it for the storyline — because clearly, Clay Blakehill has also seen All The Right Movies. He has plenty of fun subverting zombie-movie stereotypes and cliches. He takes an evident delight in action, violence, and an acceptable degree of gore. He creates enough sympathy for his protagonists to develop suspense as they struggle to escape the building and find safety — in fact, in all ways, he does a pretty good job of replicating the Romero zombie-flick experience in print.

But is that really the way to go? Does recreating the zombie movie in print form provide for the zombie-lover the kind of satisfaction that Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, or even Rice’s ‘Interview With The Vampire’ gave to the fang-hags? To be honest, I can’t say. I find Romero’s movies (particularly the original and in my opinion, the best) interesting, but not particularly engaging. For me, it’s a case of ‘seen one, seen ‘em all’ — and thus, for me ‘Killable Hours’ is nothing special. Fast-moving, well-written and entertaining, but it holds nothing I haven’t seen in one form or another on the screen already.

Jason Fischer’s ‘Gravesend’, on the other hand, is a far more recognisably ‘literate’ work. The zombies are still there, along with the gore and the action and the violence, but the structure is that of a true book, rather than a movie. Tamsyn Webb is a school-age girl now living in a fortified compound in the town of Gravesend, in Kent. She’s got issues of her own, what with having lost her mother in a car accident, and growing up in a single-parent family is obviously a hell of a lot harder in a world where the dead are constantly trying to break in and eat everyone you know.

Gravesend is a postapocalyptic  siege city. The city’s defenses are jerry-rigged, and must constantly be observed and patrolled. The numbers of the dead outside are constantly increasing. Supplies are hard to come by, and the morale of the motley group inside the walls is fraying fast. Against this dark backdrop, Fischer offers an effective, character-driven coming-of-age story in which Tamsyn must overcome the expectations of all those around her, and defeat her own inner demons before she can move on.

The action and horror are still there, and the story moves at a fine pace. However, this is clearly a book, not simply a printed-page rendering of a zombie movie. Characters have distinct and powerful personalities and motivations, and go through very real arcs of development as the story unfolds to a conclusion both eminently satisfying, and still gratifyingly open.

The contrast between the two books is fascinating. Bringing a true novellist’s sensibility to the zombie story, Fischer’s writing appeals to the dedicated reader while still reaching out to the horror film fan. Blakehills, on the other hand, brings us in close to the black jokes, the grotesque visuals and the crushing, relentless pace of the zombie movie, sacrificing the deeper complexities of character and theme which usually sustain an interesting book in the process.

I don’t think either of the two has yet created the definitive Zombie novel, but both books are entertaining, and Fischer’s has enough genuinely literary chops to provide some real depth to this high-concept backdrop. The question remains: can a fundamentally cinematic trope such as the zombie ever really be more than ‘just a setting’ inside printed fiction? Are we ever going to be able to engage with zombies as characters, in the fashion done so effectively with vampires, or are they doomed to remain brain-sucking, flesh-gnawing bits of (re-) animated scenery?

Keep an eye on the ‘After The World’ series, and you may just find out.

Both novellas are available from www.blackboox.net

No tights, no flights.

These were the words that were applied to the pitch of a Superman based TV series by it’s producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, nine or so years ago. They’ve stuck by those words through thick and thin, though these two rules have each been broken at least once or twice, (though never at the same time) by any number of characters.  Yet the rules have always applied to Clark Kent… never in the show would we see him A) flying and B) in the iconic blue tights at the same time. Originally conceived as a cross between Twin Peaks and the DC universe, Smallville was intended as a modern retelling of the story of how Clark Kent becomes Superman, avoiding all those messy Superboy bits that just made it all seem silly. It has run the gamut genres, from high-school drama,  International treasure hunter, saccharine soap opera, hard sci-fi, corporate intrigue and even, on its best days, Comic Book Superhero! In it’s darkest hour it’s been a campy, ridiculous, over the top farce and in it’s brightest moments, its been a beautiful love letter to the Superhero it’s based on. Sadly, knowing which episode is going to fall into which category is the hardest part.

There are now nine full season of Smallville of about 22 episodes each and we are about to go into our tenth and definitively final season. The new season of shows usually kicks off sometime around September and as such we now have a few months up our sleeve to catch our collective breaths, or possibly make the leap and get on board for the end of the ride. However if you’re thinking that 195 episodes is a bit steep to rip through, or you just want to avoid all the REALLY REALLY crap ones… we’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of what, in our humble opinion, are the best and brightest moments out of each and every season.  These episodes may not necessarily define the season’s story arc’s or even feature the biggest character developments, they are however the ones that we, as comic book fans, will get a kick out of. Whether they feature an appearance by a comic character, or great cameo, they will be the ones that you would not want to miss. Hopefully with these meagre few (about fifty) episodes under your belt you can soar into the last season with a basic knowledge of what has brought us there.

UPDATE: The entire run of Smallville has recently been released on iTunes in the US and the first 8 seasons are available in Australia. This should make it even easier to watch JUST these episodes and not have to run the risk of getting stuck with a complete stinker. Enjoy!

This season is where it all kicks off and as such it’s almost worth watching the whole damn thing apart from it’s painful “Freak of the week” formula. That said, you can get away with just watching these brief episodes, avoiding the crap and getting a good grounding on where it all started.

PILOT: Episode 1:  A meteor shower hits the Kansas town of Smallville and over a decade later, some dude named Clark Kent saves the life of some bald guy called Lex Luthor, things get weird from this point onwards… We meet all the major players and set up the next (7) 10 years of rivalry between Clark and Lex along with meeting Lana, the Kent parents, Pete Ross  and the new character Chloe Sullivan. It’s the beginning… you need to see it.

STRAY: Episode 16: A kid who can read minds is taken in by the Kents. Turns out he can read Clark’s mind and figures out that all is not what it seems. Ryan returns in the Season 2 episode “Ryan.”

TEMPEST:  Episode 21:  A tornado comes to town on the night of the Spring Formal saving us from an amount of bullshit teenage angst. Clark goes with Chloe, but of course he has to save Lana in the tornado…whoops! There’s that angst. Whitney announces he is leaving for the Marines and we all breathe a sigh of relief. Lionel decides to close the Smallville LuthorCorp plant. Plus in a rare moment of plot development, Investigator Roger Nixon finds the storm cellar and Lex has a choice to make… Part one of two.

Season Two fires up with the fallout of the last season’s tornado but it is noteworthy as the season that more of the Superman mythos started to come to the fore. That includes the introduction of a different kind of Kryptonite and some wonderful cameos.

VORTEX: Episode 1: After the tornado, Lex does his best to survive, Lana is confused…still.  Jonathan and Roger Nixon are buried alive, it gets weird down in the hole.

DUPLICITY: Episode 3: Pete Ross finds Clark’s spaceship and wants to tell everyone all about it. Clark must decide  whether or not to let him in on the truth. This is the first time (apart from Ryan) someone else finds out Clark’s secret and  leads to Pete eventually buggering off.

RED: Episode 3: Red meteor rock used in the class rings seems to make Clark a bad boy… Good old Red Kryptonite is a giggle and while this may not seem like a particularly impressive episode, it comes back into play over and over in the years to come. To the point where it gets a bit tiresome. (yes the colored Kryptonite is as lame a writing tool as ever)

RYAN: Episode 8: Ryan (from “Stray”) returns in an episode where Clark must rescue him from a facility where he is being mistreated. Plus, Ryan has a secret – he’s dying. One more in a long line of characters who find out Clark’s secret and then conveniently die or get brain-wiped.

ROSETTA: Episode 17: The octagonal disc which has been so important this season is placed into the wall of the cave, and Clark is infused with knowledge of his Kryptonian heritage. He is soon contacted by Dr. Virgil Swann, who offers more knowledge on Clark’s origins. Virgil Swann is played by the awesome Christopher Reeve who played Clark Kent/Superman in four Superman movies between 1978 and 1988. This episode is the first time the planet Krypton is named in the series,Most excitingly though, it is also the first time that the original John Williams Superman score is referenced.

CALLING: Episode 22: Clark and Lana FINALLY kiss, but lets be blunt… who cares?!  Clark receives more messages from Krypton, instructing him that he is the “Last Son” and was sent to rule. These messages come from his Kryptonian father Jor-El. Terence Stamp, who provides the voice of Jor-El, played General Zod in the first two “Superman” movies. The only reason this one is on there is because of the Jor-El introduction. Otherwise its a snoozer.

EXODUS: Episode 23:  Things are going nicely for Lana and Clark. As such you know shit must go downhill and when the voice of Clark’s Kryptonian father issues an ultimatum, it does. Lex prepares for his wedding, we prepare to sleep, and Lionel works at manipulating a jealous Chloe. Things go badly and Clark decides he has to leave. Putting on the red Kryptonite ring and saying goodbye to Lana, Clark rides off to Metropolis. Meanwhile, Lex is plunging to the bottom of the ocean…. Not a strong season-ender, but bad boy Clark is a laugh.

A Bit of a “Meh” season this one, the overarching storylines were underwhelming and the show did feel like it may be running out of steam. Thankfully things picked up and we were given a couple of great episodes including an appearance of a character who would not appear again until season 9.

EXILE: Episode 1: Under the influence of red Kryptonite, Clark is following a life of crime in Metropolis bringing him into contact with a young version of Intergang.  Lex is forced to confront his personal demons on a desert island, while Lionel holds a funeral for his presumed-dead son. And Jonathan Kent must pay a high price for the power necessary to bring his son back home. Rutger Hauer as Intergang Boss Morgan Edge is amusing.

PERRY: Episode 5:  An aging alcoholic tabloid reporter named Perry White comes to town and thinks he sees Clark throwing tractors around. This episode features some really impressive visuals and a great performance by Michael McKean, Anette O Toole’ real life husband who would return in season 9!

LEGACY: Episode 17: Lionel seems to be coming closer to learning Clark’s secret, and goes to Dr. Swann for help. Meanwhile, it seems that Jonathan is somehow communicating with Jor-El, and the consequences of the deal the two of them made are coming to the forefront. Another appearance of Christopher Reeve is worth a mention and some big plot stuff is rocking.

FORSAKEN: Episode 21: The mystic knife that has been the focus of this season may fulfill a prophecy, but what will it reveal in the end? Do you still care? The burden of Clark’s secret causes Pete to make a big decision and Lex finally has the evidence to put Lionel behind bars. Lex still seems like an Ok dude, but we’re seeing the cracks.

COVENANT: Episode 22: A girl claiming to be “Kara” from Krypton wants to bring Clark home, it’s a good start, but it’s SO not Supergirl. Meanwhile Clark learns about the deal Jonathan made with Jor-El.  Clark finally learns the secret of Lex’s secret room and as the episode ends, it appears Chloe’s gone boom, Clark’s been sucked into the cave wall, Lex is poisoned, Jonathan looks dead, and the Kent Farm is on fire… Sucked into a cave wall man…. now that’s a cliffhanger.

A season that could easily have been left on the cutting room floor, the main overarching storyline involves Lana being possessed by a witch and concludes with a globe trotting adventure to secure a certain special crystal. The Flash and Krypto are highlights of an otherwise ordinary season. Oh and the final shot.

CRUSADE: Episode 1: Clark emerges from the cave completely embracing his Kryptonian background and with the ability to fly. He calls himself Kal and wears all black and it’s SO slimming. Lois Lane comes to town to investigate the death of her cousin, Chloe. Meanwhile, Lex is on a crusade of his own, and Lana is posessed while rubbing a floor carving of Countess Theroux… This “countess” shit is awful but the introduction of Lois is worth the pain.

RUN: Episode 5: Clark meets a young man with a power of speed that exceeds his own, but the boy lacks responsibility for his actions. Also, Lex finds a manuscript that appears to be some sort of Kryptonian map. Bart Allan AKA ‘Impulse’ is the Smallville version of The Flash and makes some fun references to lots of other Flashes!

JINX: Episode 7: A foreign exchange student called Mxyzptlk is using his Meta-human powers to manipulate high school football betting. Sadly, for a Mxyzptlk episode, this is pretty joyless, he’s not an imp from another dimension, he’s a gimp from Bulgaria… or somesuch crap.

PARIAH: Episode 12: Lana is attacked and evil returning Meteor Freak Alicia is implicated. Alicia suggests to Clark that maybe people would be more accepting of their relationship if they knew of his powers, and she arranges things so Chloe sees him using his powers. Finally Chloe gets in on the secret and a stronger freindship is formed. Not brilliant, but Chloe’s introduction is important.

KRYPTO: Episode 14: Luthorcorp animal testing gives two dogs power far beyond those of usual canines. This is a Krypto the wonder-dog story. That is all you need to know.

COMMENCEMENT: Episode 22: The season’s storylines come together and we can all be thankful that it’s mostly over. Lana becomes free of her posession. Lex wants her silly magical stone. Lana passes her stone along to Clark, who now has two of the three pieces. The eventual merging of the crystals summons a meteor shower on Graduation Day but opens up something even cooler.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

News

• The Rocketeer
• Wes Craven and Liquid partnership
• Khan Comic
• Cover artists announced for Days Missing:Kestus
• Smallville season 10
• Thor Trailer
• Green Lantern Trailer
• Comic-con Roundup

The Issues

• Wonder Woman issue #601
• Superman/Batman #74
• Secret Avengers #3
• Green Lantern #56
• PunisherMax  #9
• Wolverine: Origins #50
• Changing Ways
• Return of Bruce Wayne #4
• X-men Encyclopedia – The characters and their Universe [Buy from Amazon UK]

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job till date, Inception.

• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Writer: Christopher Nolan
• Year of Release: 2010
• Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy
• Genre: Drama, Action
• Country of Origin: USA, UK

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

This particular trailer is supposedly being pulled off the web at an alarming rate, which is a damn shame because i can’t think of a better way to promote this film straight out of the blocks!  It’s epically long, it features some great action sequences and some fantastic shots of Asgard, Odin, and all the things we’ve been waiting to see!  The only question this begs is, “WHY DON’T WE GET SHIT LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME?!” Why do we normally get a hokey teaser trailer with little to no footage, when at this early stage in the game a trailer as epic and awesome as this can be produced?

Ok, Ok… I know it’s all about building hype and slowly growing expectations… a well thought out and carefully orchestrated marketing plan that will have fans slavering for the film at precisely the right time… but seriously, a trailer as epic as this should not be kept in the shadows! Check it out before we get our cease and desist!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Are you as impressed as we are?  Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe still heading in the right direction for the Halls of Asgard, or has it lost it’s way on the rainbow bridge? Can you actually pronounce Mjolnir?  Feedback and let us know!

If the trailer you’re about to watch is just the opening cinematic to the sprawling MMO that is DC Universe online, then the game itelf has some serious work on it’s hands to catch up to the unbridled level of hardcore and awesome that we’re seeing in this 5 minute animation.  The difficulty that the game will face is that you need to create your own super powered hero, and you don’t get to be Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman. As such, the awe inspiring powers you see here, may not be at your command! This is always the problem with games like this though, just look at Star Wars: The Old Republic;  a MMORPG which has cinematics cooler than the feature films and in-game graphics that look like last generation visuals. Will I be playing DC universe online? Probably not, i think it looks a little too addictive to my particular sensibilities.  But will I watch all the cinematics? Oh HELL YEAH!

You may recognize some voices in there too, including Kevin Conroy as Batman (the one true Batman voice), Mark Hamill as the Joker and James Marsters as Lex Luthor!  Hopefully this voice cast will be continued into the game and beyond!

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

What about you guys and gals?  who’s gonna join up and fight the good fight?  Or more importantly, who’s gonna make me join up and be on my team to fight Granny Goodness?  Feedback true believers!

Stories Covered

• Predators Sequels
• Marvel Vs Capcom & SpiderHam
• Street Fighter vs Tekken
• Spider Man Audition
• Battlestar Galactica Webisodes
• Haven
• Original Storytelling
• Karl Urban is the Law!
• Marvel Anime
• The Amazing Screw-on Head
• Alien Prequel Writer Announced
• Chuck
• Bruce Campbell Burn Notice Movie
• 3D ruining 2D films?
• RoboCop Dead
• Nick Cave on The Crow
• Sucker Punch
• and more…

Let’s face it, I was drawn to this movie for the same reason you were – Angelina Jolie looks all sexy and alluring on the poster, and she’s probably going to shoot a bunch of ‘bad guys’ in it.

That’s not to discredit Jolie as an actress, however. Sure, she’s had some abominations – Wanted certainly springs to mind. And the Tomb Raider films were more about the amount of padding they’d managed to force under Jolie’s shirt (I know, I know… ‘accurate’ portrayal of the character and all that). And yet, films like Changeling, A Mighty Heart and Girl, Interrupted (for which she won an Oscar for best supporting actress) have more than proven Jolie’s wonderful depth and range as an actress. Enough, in fact – for me to walk into a film like this one knowing that, regardless of her many wigs and long eyelashes, she’s going to deliver a great performance.

‘Who is Salt?’ the film begs the question. Well, she’s a CIA agent. The story begins when Salt questions a man who claims to be a Russian intelligence operative – and a defector – who has breezily waltzed into their offices with some long-winded story about a woman and a baby… that supposedly died… er, long story short: he explains that there is a sleeper agent in their midst! To Salt’s surprise, the operative then announces that the name of the agent is ‘Evelyn Salt’, which is of course, our lead protagonist. Bit of a spanner, there.

So begin Jolie’s angry protestations “I’m not a goddamn Russian spy!”

Instead of sorting out this silly mess like adults, however – Salt decides instead to flee, and of course – epic gun-fights and high-speed chases ensue as she races across America in an effort to clear her name.

There is some good mystery at work here, though – as it’s not long before you start questioning Salt’s motives and wondering if she really is who she says she is. The film gets off to a bit of a rushed start – and while I understand the goal is not to waste precious epic-action-shoot-out screen-time, I find it a little less believable when not enough time has been spent developing the characters we’re presented with initially. Salt’s relationship with her husband, for example… although revisited with occasional flashbacks, seem a little hurried and contrived. Plus – with the various twists throughout the story – you’ll start to question every one of Salt’s relationships, so it would have been nice to have a greater set-up to offset all the second-guessing you’ll be doing.

Leiv Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejofor co-star as fellow CIA agents, who have now been assigned with the task of pursuing and capturing their former ally. Both seem to spend a lot of time standing around and battling with their own opinions of which side Salt is really on – and while you’re trying to decide that for yourself, it would seem that everyone’s actions come into play in such a way that you’re left wondering which heroes are villains, and which villains are heroes.

Director Philip Noyce does a relatively good job of hurling us through somewhat unbelievable action sequences and Mission Impossible-style rubber masks with a ‘Well, it’s a spy movie’ kind-of shrug. If you’re the kind of person who’ll happily suspend disbelief for pretty implausible action sequences (but I don’t mean in a bullet-bending Wanted kind-of way, that was just plain stupid), then you’ll enjoy this film and it’s guessing-game intrigue.

Interesting to note is that Salt was originally a film intended for Tom Cruise (which, let’s face it, would have given us serious Mission Impossible de jas vous!), with the title character being changed to female when Jolie came on board. This has left me re-imaging every scene, and I have to say – having a female lead protagonist in this kind of movie did put a refreshing edge on this style of spy action. We’ve had our Jack Ryans (Patriot Games), our Ethan Hunts (Mission Impossible) and our Jason Bournes (The Bourne Identity) – so I’m glad that Jolie got a run as Evelyn Salt. It satisfied that butt-kicking girls-with-guns craving in a way that was more sophisticated than something like Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

All-in-all – Salt is an solid film that’ll keep you guessing right to the very end. It gets a little caught up in itself with all the “who’s betraying who” confusion, but ultimately you’ll appreciate the ride… and the wigs.

(Well, I thought they were cool.)

3 out of 5.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

This time we look at the 1978 musical masterpiece by Jeff Wayne.

TRON is one of those series that has got everyone in a tizz. So much so that we’ve probably forgotten all about the original film and how slow and confusing it actually was. That said, it was a hell of a visual treat and this film looks to be delivering something equally as stunning. Just a bit more accessibly. (we hope)  This new trailer really shows off the CGI in the film in a whole new way however, not just in creating cool scenery and great looking costumes, but also in the creation of an entirely CGI Jeff Bridges from 30 years ago. That alone is worth waiting for this to load…. but the rest of the trailer also looks stonking, so get to it!

Its got lots of great footage of the cars, the bikes, the disks and even some hints as to whats actually going on in TRON.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

I cannot wait for this one, and i can barely even remember the old TRON, what do you guys and gals think?  FEEDBACK or i’ll fling a disk at ya!

News

• New Artist on Spawn
• Alan Moore Says No to More Watchmen
• X-Men Gets a World Record
• Ultimate Thor and Ultimate Doom
• Rocket Racoon and Groot
• Shinku
• Justin Bieber Comic
• Constantine Getting Married
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:Century

The Issues

• Vengeance of Moon Knight #10
• Ultimate Avengers #11
• Thunderbolts #146
• Avengers #3
• New Avengers #2
• Flash #3

Review

• Star Wars Invasion: Refugees [Buy from Amazon UK]

Zack Snyder’s new women kicking ass film has just had a teaser trailer released and I am blown away with the visuals. Here are the details of the film:

A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.

So basically we jump in to Baby Doll’s (Emily Browning) imagination which in itself isn’t a new concept, to me it’s a mash-up of The Fountain and Casshern with a twist of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow but taking it to the next level. Take a look at the teaser trailer and judge for yourself.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Does this set your world on fire?

A group of elite warriors are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators.

• Director: Nimród Antal
• Writer: Alex Litvak, Michael Finch
• Year of Release: 2010
• Actors:  Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali
• Genre: Action
• Country of Origin: USA

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]

Like Stephen King? Twin Peaks? If so, you’ll love Alan Wake – the game ITSELF even tells you that! Quite literally, the words “Stephen King” are the first you’ll hear in the game and they immediate set the tone of what’s to come: creepy stuff is about to happen, and you may not fully understand why. Ever. As King believes that explanations make psychological horror weak, so too do Remedy, developers of the game.

I’m going to go out on a limb right now and tag this review with “Game of the Year, 2010″…even if it is only June. Keep that in mind as you read on – I may not be as impartial as I should.

First up, the plot (of which you’ll notice I don’t get into much; this is purposeful). Long story short, Alan Wake (not italicised; I’m talking about the character) is a best-selling author who travels to a small town with his wife to try to get over a bad case of writer’s block. As he struggles to come up with a new novel, his wife goes missing and Alan blacks out only to wake up a week later, finding mysterious goings-on occurring all around him. As Alan travels through the small town trying to find his wife, he comes across manuscript pages he’s apparently written that describe macabre acts and murders that play out before his very eyes minutes later. Alan is forced to continue his rescue in the pitch-black night, fending off aggressors with the power of light (thanks Energizer batteries and conveniently placed flashlights!) while investigating if he’s responsible for the dark turn the town has taken.

The cool: Where open-world game environments are becoming the norm, Remedy (of Max Payne series fame – look out for references all throughout Alan Wake) went out on a limb and made you play through a story exactly as they crafted it. There’s no choice between good or bad and you won’t get a different ending the second or third time. You absolutely will travel in a straight line all game towards the next objective that will forward the plot…and all of that doesn’t matter because the twists and turns of the plot don’t let the game feel linear. Without spoiling anything, the story is insanely good and you should play this game simply to experience it if nothing else.

This game has been in production for years, and really feels like it. The environments were researched in painstaking detail — Remedy is based in Finland, but you’d be convinced they’re from a small logging town in the USA — and are reproduced so well that you can’t help but be immersed in your surroundings. The supporting characters in this game are amazing and further help build the world. Barry Wheeler is a character you will either loathe, or want to marry; it’s that simple. Fans of Twin Peaks will certainly get a kick out of the Lady of the Light, this game’s version of Peaks’ Log Lady.

This is Twin Pe...I mean, Bright Falls.

Alan Wake is an everyman. Whilst he does have freakishly good aim with a gun for a writer, he does play in every other way as a regular guy. He can run for a bit, then gets tired, and then needs to slow right down, wheezing in attempts to catch his breath. He doesn’t do flips around the environment, or spout bad-ass one-liners…he just freaks out as the inhabitants of Bright Falls descend into darkness around him and try to take off his head with axes or train cars (yes, train cars) – just like I did.

Barry is cool. He's wearing Christmas lights!

The combat at Normal and Hard levels is enjoyably challenging; gamers shouldn’t find too much trouble with Normal and will have fun learning when to use the flashlight to take out a bad guy’s darkness shield before pumping him with bullets, or when it’s just easier to take groups out with a flare gun shot or flashbang. Just like he’s not a marathon runner, Alan isn’t a superstar fighter either; it feels like you’re just getting by through dodging, running, and blindly firing your pistol through the night. When you manage to pull off a superhuman feat with your everyman, the world will go slo-mo and make you feel VERY cool.

The meh: There is none. I told you I’m not that impartial for this game — it’s either great, or in big need of improvement.

The shite: Facial animations of the characters are creepy and wrong, and really prove that the game has been in production for five plus years – they look old and sloppy. While this is apparently being fixed via future DLC, I don’t think Remedy can do much about the ugly and plastic-looking models of the supporting characters; sure, they’re rich and three-dimensional, but they look like crap.

The game’s hardest mode, Nightmare, is essential to 100% complete this Xbox 360 exclusive game. The mode is a bitch. Whereas Alan’s shortcomings make the game challenging in lower modes, his failings make portions of the game extremely frustrating. Fighting multiple super-enemies with limited resources and half the light sources that you were used to in other modes means you will be loading up the same check point time after time after time. Be warned.

The calm before the storm. Darkness vs light.

Some didn’t like finding out what was going to happen in the game via the manuscript pages, but I became anxious and unsettled when I read what I was about to face, almost deciding to turn off my Xbox at times because I didn’t want to have to do what the pages described. As you start playing the game and read through the first couple pages, I’d make a conscious decision then to either collect the pages, or not. It’s that simple.

Finally, product placements completely throw you out of the rich game world, and harshly and abruptly at that. If you can make it twenty minutes without noticing a reference to Energizer or Verizon, I salute you.

As far as the bad goes, that’s it. This game is rewarding as hell to play and finish (yes, even on Nightmare), and the ending does provide resolution while leaving the door wide-open for a sequel. You WILL want to talk about the ending for days on end as well, as it is VERY to interpretation. Just like King attests, there really is no fun if everything’s explained to you.

Do yourself a favour and pick up this game – it’s definitely a Cool Plus. Before you start playing however, go and check out the 6-episode webseries Bright Falls (at http://www.brightfalls.com). That, plus the game, make for a truly unique game experience and left me desperately wanting more. Thankfully, anyone who purchases the game gets a free code for the first DLC available in late July, and a second DLC pack shortly after that. Until then, I’m left to watch Twin Peaks – a series I had never had any interest in before – to get my fix of well-written, WTF-style psychological thrillers.

Trailer

[See post to watch Flash video]