Keeping up to date with Comic Con when you aren't there is difficult, but when three very interesting looking animated stories come through across one day, it makes you sit up and take notice.
The first is something which was announced quite a while ago, by the name of Black Dynamite. Based on a film of the same name, Black Dynamite is the main character, who is a homage to Shaft and the blaxploitation stars of the 70s. He is joined by friends and enemies to make one of the greatest spoof films ever, but is the move to animation the right one, or should the focus be on the sequel? Well, originally I was more concerned that if they made an animated series, that it could never match the intense wit and off-kilter action scenes from the movie at all. However, with the release of this trailer, my concerns have been singed, as this looks like not only a visual treat, but a hilarious addition to Adult Swim's line-up.
The next is another Film-to-series adaptation which has a good chance of making the transition well. You'll probably all remember Napoleon Dynamite, but you might not have heard that this will be coming to the small screen during the 2001-12 season. So far there have been four clips released through Comic-con, and the feeling of the film is still there in those clips, but what's even better, is that the series looks to invoke the feelings that the best 90s animated series had on their fans. The style of it, for me, seems perfect to capture the feeling of the film, but who knows whether this will be successful until it's air-date? Ahead is one clip for the series, with the other three here, here and here.
Last, but by no means least is a animated film adaptation of Frank Miller's incredible graphic novel Batman: Year One. With a voice cast headed by Benjamin McKenzie as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bryan Cranston as James Gordon, Eliza Dushku as Catwoman and Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Essen, there is no shortage of talent. As for thew look of the film, there now seems to be no reason to worry there either, as the trailer shows just how good it looks.
If there's one thing I love it's Batman. If there's another thing I love it's Stargate. So, putting someone as awesome as Christopher Judge in the next Batman film is nothing short of awesome news. No word on what part he'll be playing, or even if it will be anything more than a one-liner, but here's hoping. Although I think the last time I saw an old Stargate cast member in a huge film it was a very, very small part. When Paul McGillion of Stargate Atlantis turned up in Star Trek it was for about 10 seconds as a 'Barracks Leader', so considering Judge is in a similar position I don't imagine his part being much bigger than that. Judge tweeted the info yesterday:
@iamchrisjudgeI can finally confirm: I have been cast in "The Dark Knight Rises".
In response to fans tweets, Christopher Judge tweeted again a few hours later:
@iamchrisjudgeThank u all for your support!!! I am so lucky! Great gig, great woman, great family, great friends, and fans!!!! luv and peace! Xo
More news on this topic if and when it's released!
Over the past week or so, two images have hit geek websites everywhere and have been divisive to say the least. I want to chime in with my two cents on the images. Both are from upcoming TV projects that it's fair to say will at least draw a big crowd on opening night. Both are to tease the fans with just a little sip of the forthcoming. However, while one set my geek motor running, the other left me cold.
First up, Ronald D Moore's newest show that isn't a spin of from Battlestar Galactica is 17th Precinct, which is a cop show with a supernatural edge which has been described as 'harry potter for adults'. That last part made me take a step back at first, but finding out not one, not two, but three of my favourite BSG co-stars would make the main cast had me coming straight back for more. About 10 days ago the three came together on set for a group photo, which was later posted on twitter, and I love it. L-R: Tricia Helfer, James Callis and Jamie Bamber.
The other one? Wonder Woman. I'm a big comic book fan, and I was excited about this once upon a time (mainly when Whedon was still involved) but this image has just made me want to forget it ever existed. It's just too shiny... oh, and she's wearing trousers for some reason. I know that's a new look for wonder woman, apparently since last month (how convenient) but I don't recall that previously (happy to be proved wrong though. However, I think that this looks just plain weird and wrong.
Source, and a good article on how silly the whole darn thing is too.
I managed to catch 'Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut' at the Glasgow Film Festival, and the night before I watched the originally released Richard Lester version. The two versions of the film are as different as possible, and of course, there is a better version out of the two...
1. As if it is a sign of things to come, in reaction to Ursa beating a redneck at arm-wrestling, General Zod (having been on earth for about 10 minutes) actually rolls his eyes. Not only have we seen that Kryptonians are pretty stuffy and almost devoid of humour, but if Zod had that humorous bone in his body, his character would have been a whole lot different.
2. This happens in both versions, but there are scenes in the Donner version which are also in the Lester version, purely because the Donner version was incomplete without them. I may just be comic illiterate, but does Zod have telekinesis? When approached by the cops with a gun, he snatches the gun by using his heat vision on it and then moving it with his mind, which is not a power that Kryptonians have on earth. While it is true that the original writers invented a whole load of powers for Superman in the early days and that this may have been one of them, it was only the ones that stuck and became part of his list of powers that should have been used.
3. This extends itself to the fight in the Fortress of Solitude, in which Superman uses a plastic S shield to stop Non from attacking him. This is pure ridiculousness and I my eyes popped out of my head when it happened.
4. AND it also extends to Superman projecting many variations of himself across the Fortress in order to confuse Zod and his cohorts.
5. AND yet again, during that same fight all four Kryptonians display the ability to project some sort of white energy beam from their hands. Completely stupid, and a power that does not exist.
6. Possibly because the original Donner scene includes Marlon Brando and he doesn't appear in Lester's version at all, Clark regains his superpowers simply by finding the green crystal at the partially destroyed control centre in the Fortress. Is that really enough of an explanation of how he reaquires his superpowers? No.
7. This one can be pretty much put down to how Richard Lester did things, the big fight outside the Daily Planet has shots of people on the street who are going about their daily lives, after earthquakes and explosions. There is actually a guy who goes to eat ice cream when Zod, Ursa and Non begin to blow the pedestrians down the road, and it flies off and hits someone in the face. Then during the same fight, there's a guy making a phone call, who falls to the ground and continues talking BECAUSE APPARENTLY THIS IS NAKED GUN.
8. The disappearance of Gene Hackman in the lead up to the big fight at the Fortress. This is pretty much because the actor was pretty defiant that if Donner left, so would he. This is also the reason that he doesn't appear in Superman 3.
9. And the icing on the cake? Superman erases Lois Lane's memory by kissing her. This is just juvenile.
And to keep this open minded, here is a list of the ridiculous stuff in the Richard Donner cut:
1. The reusing of the first Superman's plot that sees the hero wind back time by going around the earth backwards. It's dumb, but allowable on account of it making sense within the context of the original story.
And that's it.
Here is some of the awesome stuff that you get in Donner's cut in comparison to Lester's:
1. Gene Hackman deserves his starring role, as his appearances aren't fleeting as in the Lester cut, in fact he plays a much more prominent role. This is because most of his work was left on the cutting room floor due to his insistence on only working with Donner. It's odd, as Hackman's performance is delightfully hammy, which should fit into Lester's almost entirely hammy original, but it doesn't. Here however, it's a lovely little detour, and we get almost two times the amount of Hackman than what we see in the original.
2. This is a biggie, obviously. This version has Marlon Brando. In the original, Jor-el's appearances have been substituted with ones featuring Lara, Clark's mother. The scenes here have more emotion and feeling in them, and of course, its always great to have brando's original footage restored in all it's glory. I'm unsure why Lester felt that he needed to lose the emotion on Clark's face during these scenes, but for me it's one of the most impressive selling points of the Donner cut of the film.
3. The build up scenes with Zod and co are menacing, rather than silly like they appear in the original. While the scene on the moon is exactly the same, when they reach earth, the way they act and the way that the people react to them is very odd in Lester's version. There is a sub plot about Non not being able to control his powers when he comes to earth, which doesn't make sense, and thankfully is gone and he actually becomes much more terrifying in Donner's cut.
4. Lois finds out Clark is superman in a much more convincing way. She doesn't just stumble upon it like in the original, she is brilliant reporter who is very savvy and in this version she becomes convinced that Clark is Superman, and chases after that fact until he is revealed. It's much more believable here and to be honest, when Clark Kent trips and falls into a fire in the original it is so out of character, that it is just stupid.
5. The fight in the street is genuinely gripping rather than the hammy crap in the first cut. The bit in which Non crashes Superman under the street is much shorter and it's purely just down to two facts. a) Donner is a better film-maker than Lester, and b) this cut has the benefit of time and being created by fans of the original series of films.
6. This may seem like a small thing, but after having the introduction to Superman 2 and 3 ruined by Lester, it was lovely to see the original titles in space come back. It really sets the mood for the big epic Superman film you are about to watch, and it gives you a brilliant chance to hear John Williams awe-inspiring score.
Donner's version of Superman is incredible, and its astounding that the Lester version made it to cinemas while this was effectively thrown in the bin. It's even more astounding that Lester got the chance to make Superman 3, killing the franchise as he did. Sure, there was a Superman 4, but the less said about that the better. The Donner double header is exactly what it should have been in the beginning, and now I know what I would change if I had a time machine. If you haven't seen the Richard Donner cut of Superman 2, you haven't really experienced superman at his best, and now is the time to see it.
At the end of both films, we see how Lester's version and Donner's much superior version compare in one single scene. In Lester's version, we see Superman carry the flag to the Whitehouse and say to the president "Sorry I've been away so long, I won't let you down again.", marking a very closed minded 'American' stance on the film, even when the film opens with a scene in Paris. However, in Donner's version, we see Superman fly over the earth, as it's protector. He has given up his powers for the one he loves, yet ultimately, his destiny is greater and he gives up the one he loves to protect the Earth. Sure, you could say that Superman fights for 'Truth, Justice and the American way' but that doesn't mean that he wouldn't protect the rest of the world if it needed it. It's what Superman truly means to the entire world that encapsulates that final image, and for me it sums up what a greater gift Donner's cut is than Lester's.
If you get the chance to see Donner's cut in a cinema like I luckily did, please go. You will not regret it.
