December 2008 Archives

In 1998, I was introduced to an anime series entitled "Cowboy Bebop". To tell the truth, I wasn't all that excited about it after the first episode. Not a fan of westerns (another reason why I scoffed at Firefly), not a fan of the animation style (Spike wishes he was Bruce Lee), don't listen to all that much jazz music (sure, it's the famed Yoko Kanno composing, but...), and what was up with Spike's hair?!

I kept watching it because people said it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and it did end up growing on me (huge points for Ein, the awesome Welsh Corgi). I tend to hate episodic series, but the episodes were compellingly humorous or gripping, and tiny sprinklings of Actual Overarching Plot kept me watching until the end of the show alternately ripped my heart out then made me want to crush the VHS tapes. (Yes, VHS fansubs. Old. School.)

So when the movie, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, was released, I gladly pounced on it, loved it, then moved on thinking I had just left Cowboy Bebop for good as I assumed the movie had been the show's true final gasp.

I was wrong. So very wrong.

They're turning it into a live action movie that's being developed by Fox, produced by Erwin Stoff...

...and you'll never guess who's the frontrunner to play Spike.

Even though I might diminish some of my nerd-cred, I'm going to admit that I'm not familiar with Will Eisner's The Spirit (In my defense, I was much more interested in contemporary Marvel stuff). But I am familiar with Frank Miller thanks to Sin City and 300. I remember seeing the black and white footage coupled with selective oversaturation of Sin City, and the hyper-stylized look of 300 and being fascinated with the way directors were translating comic books to film.

Now comes Miller's rendition of Eisner's comic (I find it ironic that the first movie Miller is directing solo isn't based on his own source material--Sin City was co-directed by him and Robert Rodriguez, while 300 was directed by Zack Snyder), and he's now using the black and white concept of Sin City and the CG style of 300 and building on them for The Spirit

I mean, just check out the stylized movie posters...

And for something completely different...

Neil Gaiman, icon and author of scores of novels, comic books and films has another project in the pipes, and it's quite exciting: Coraline. (But don't click that link just yet! Read on in the jump for why.)

More in the vein of 2005's Mirrormask than Stardust (and even less in line with Beowulf), Coraline is a movie set for release in 2009 based on a YA novella Gaiman wrote.

Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) finds and unlocks a door in her new house that leads her into a fantastic new world filled with parallel "Other" versions of everything she knew in her own life. These new parents, neighbors and friends that are far more exciting than anything back home. In true Neil Gaiman fashion, however, things don't stay simple and fun as Coraline's story takes a turn for the dark and she must find a way to escape back into her real world.

Yes, this is another movie based on a Neil Gaiman story, but there's something even more special about it...

I have made Dollhouse my personal crusade. I haven't even seen a single episode of this show, and yet I am going to make every person I know watch this show because I feel guilty. Oh so very guilty.

Why? One word: Firefly.

Geek TV guru Joss Whedon's last ill-fated TV show was canceled after just 11 episodes were aired (of 14 produced), and caused an uprising of protest. On the back of strong DVD sales, Joss was able to get the money to create a bittersweet movie coda in the form of Serenity that proved just how amazing Firefly could have, should have and would have been.

I blame myself for it being canceled. I was one of those people who completely ignored the show, only to be later forced to sit through every DVD and came out of it 14 episodes later, angst- and guilt-ridden for not having gotten into the show earlier and thus, causing its untimely desmise.

And because of that I'm determined to see Dollhouse succeed, unless it really does suck, which isn't likely...

You have to love franchises. Blockbuster movies (see: Spiderman, Transformers, Quantum of Solace, the list goes on) are almost inevitably turned into video games, and gamers barely bat an eye as they've all come to expect the unfortunate mess that usually follows. Conversely, most gamers are torn the moment they hear an iconic video game is making the leap to the big screen as it can be either a dream come to life, or their worst nightmare.

So what's next in line for the great silver screen treatment? Ubisoft's sweeping epic franchise, Prince of Persia. Considering the video game series has been recently rebooted with the well received brand new Prince of Persia game, the timing is good for the upcoming movie.

And how is this movie attempting to escape the dismal fate of every single Uwe Boll movie?