In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

This weekend is Hobbit weekend. Some friends and I will be seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Saturday and then we'll be going to Denny's to have a nice meal from the Hobbit-themed menu. Second breakfast perhaps.

I'm a pretty big fan of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and I'm also a big fan of the book The Hobbit, so ever since seeing the trilogy, I've been wanting Jackson to make a movie of The Hobbit. Although I'm sure it would have been very interesting to see Guillermo del Toro's version, I was also glad that Jackson stepped in for the job when del Toro left the project, since he was the one I originally wanted to direct it.

I'm so excited about seeing Martin Freeman play the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. I'm not sure I have any longtime readers on this blog or even any regular readers, but if I do, you might remember the early posts about me wanting him to play Bilbo. Way before I even had a blog, I wanted Freeman to play Bilbo. I still can't believe it's actually happening, and I think we're all so very fortunate to get to see it. Ian Holm was great as an older Bilbo, but when it comes to a younger Bilbo, I can't think of anyone who could do the job better than Martin Freeman.

I have no problem with The Hobbit being three movies now. I just really don't see a downside to that, and I don't understand what has so many people upset. As for material being added to the movie that wasn't fully explored in the book, I'm really looking forward to seeing the White Council. For me, one of the most exciting aspects of seeing that is getting to see Christopher Lee play Saruman before his corruption.

I know there has been a lot of criticism about the format the movie was released in. I've put a lot of thought into how I want to see it, and I am planning on seeing it in 3D and 48 fps. Mainly, my decision comes down to artist intent. And much like when I saw Avatar in 3D, I feel it's something I have to experience on my own to decide whether or not I like it rather than to trust other moviegoers who have different tastes to tell me how I should see it. I'm thinking of it as an experiment or even an adventure.

Clerks III open for business.

For a while now, it hasn't been a secret that filmmaker Kevin Smith, best known for his View Askewniverse series of movies (in which he also plays the character Silent Bob), was planning on retiring from writing/directing feature films to focus on working in other forms of media. His last movie was going to be a hockey movie called Hit Somebody, but that is now going to be a six-part television miniseries instead.

With Hit Somebody no longer being a feature film, the other day, Smith announced on his Twitter account that his last movie will be a third Clerks movie:

                    KEVIN SMITH

          So with the Hit Somebody shift, the minute Jeff Anderson signs on, my
          last cinematic effort as a writer/director will be Clerks III.

For those that don't know, Jeff Anderson is the actor who plays the character Randal Graves in several of the View Askewniverse movies, starting with the first Clerks. From what I've heard, Smith had to do a lot of convincing to get Anderson to be in Clerks II. Since Randal Graves and Dante Hicks (played by Brian O'Halloran) are the main characters in the Clerks movies, obviously a sequel couldn't be made without them.

I don't know about how Anderson feels, but I'm pretty excited about Clerks III. Not being that interested in hockey movies made it seem pretty anticlimactic to me personally for Smith's final movie to be one. I'm glad he's still getting to tell that story, but I'm also glad there will be a third Clerks movie. It's much more fitting as his cinematic grand finale, and I'd just love to see what Dante, Randal, Jay, Silent Bob, and even Elias are up to these days.

Although I don't love every aspect of Clerks II, I think it was a great sequel, and it had some really amazing parts. I know it might sound silly since I'm talking about movies containing jokes about dicks and donkey shows, but something I really love about Smith's movies are the really beautiful and emotional scenes that explore concepts like love and friendship. The jail cell scene in Clerks II is one of my favorites in all of Smith's movies, up there with Silent Bob's Chasing Amy monologue. I'm not at all ashamed to say it makes me cry every time I see it. If Clerks III has the same amount of heart, I can't imagine not loving the movie.

Aside from all that, I realized my post about the idea of Alec Baldwin having a cameo as the live-action Leonardo Leonardo is relevant again, and I'd still love to see that happen. It might be cool to see some of the other characters show up too. Brodie, Steve-Dave, Fanboy, etc. Maybe Ben Affleck could be in there somewhere too. He was da bomb in Phantoms, yo.

Every time I see someone say YOLO (You Only Live Once), I think of this...

Adele sings new Bond theme

It's been rumored for quite some time now, and it has just recently been confirmed that English soul singer Adele is doing the theme song for the new James Bond movie Skyfall.

Was there anyone who didn't see this coming?

I guess it just goes to show that sometimes the most obvious and predictable thing is the best thing to do.

Go to SuperHeroHype to hear the song.

Guillermo del Toro and the Swamp Thing

In a recent interview with ShockTillYouDrop, director Guillermo del Toro listed several comic characters he would be interested in being involved with adapting to television or movies. Among the characters were Swamp Thing and Etrigan The Demon. It very much excited me to read this.

Aside from Batman, Swamp Thing is my favorite comic book character. I especially love Alan Moore's work on the character.

For some time now I've thought the story would make a great television show with today's special effects. I know the character has been featured in his own live action television series, an animated series, and the live action movies Swamp Thing and Return Of The Swamp Thing, but the character and his story have a lot more potential than was achieved with any of those adaptations. I also know Alan Moore seems to hate having his comics adapted into movies, but I think this could really work, especially if it stuck very closely to the source material. I hadn't thought of it before, but I think Guillermo del Toro would be perfect to create this television series. I don't think anyone could make the argument that the director of Pan's Labyrinth wouldn't be perfect to adapt Swamp Thing. I think I like this idea even more than the idea of him working on The Hobbit.

Besides getting to use the Swamp Thing character, if sticking to the source material, del Toro would of course also get to use Etrigan The Demon, who would probably be a recurring character. It would also be an opportunity to do the characters Jason Woodrue and John Constantine the right way since they've both been featured, not so faithfully in the movies Batman & Robin and Constantine.

Anyway, it probably wouldn't ever happen, but if it did, it could be really amazing, and it sure was fun daydreaming about it today.

He is the law, and he's not happy about it.

What's wrong, buddy? Does Dredd need a hug? x(

Click the photo to turn that frown upside down.

FILM + photography = FILMography

I saw an interesting tumblr called FILMography today. It has been getting a lot of press the past few days, so you might have already even seen it, but I wanted to post it here anyway.

It was created by Christopher Moloney, who I guess prints out black and white screenshots from movies, goes to the real location of the shot, holds up the screenshot, and takes a picture of it framed by the real location. The one above is from The French Connection.

There are shots from some terrible movies featured, but there are plenty of great movies as well. Unfortunately sometimes the achieved effect isn't as strong as it could have been due to the screenshot not being held in the exact position it should, or because not enough details are shown in either the movie screenshot or the real location. Some of these are really quite striking though, and it's especially interesting with some of the older movies. Seeing black and white photos of characters from several decades ago framed in the present version of the setting they're in, and surrounded by modern people is really interesting to look at. For example this one of North By Northwest and this one from Arthur.

I'm looking forward to seeing more.

Tony Scott

June 21, 1944 - August 19, 2012

The news of Tony Scott's death is quite a shock. He truly left us much earlier than he should have. I know it's probably silly talking about movies when someone dies since their death is a big loss for many other reasons, but I think he had a lot of movies left in him that will never be made now. I like several of his movies, but there's one in particular that really affected me.

The movie True Romance is easily one of my favorites of all time. It was directed by Tony Scott. There are definitely other movies I love more, but I first saw that movie when I was a teenager and really fell in love with it. Those later teen years are a time of discovery and development where I think things have a greater chance of affecting you, and like so many other pieces of art have done, that movie made an indelible mark on me. As indelible as the tattoos that the characters Alabama and Clarence got in the movie.

Now I'll leave you with these somewhat relevant words from those characters:

                    ALABAMA

          I kept asking Clarence why our world seemed to be collapsing and
          everything seemed so shitty, and he'd say, "That's the way it goes.
          But don't forget, it goes the other way too."

"A Conversation With My 12 Year Old Self"

When Jeremiah McDonald was 12 years old, he filmed himself having one side of a conversation with his future self. Now, twenty years later, he finishes the conversation.

I'm writing some of my thoughts about the film below the embedded player. If you'd rather just let the film speak for itself, feel free to skip reading the rest of this post after you watch. I won't be offended.



I couldn't possibly love this short film more than I do. I can relate pretty easily to the themes explored, and I love it from a filmmaking point of view as well. The way Jeremiah used the twenty year old video (certain parts of which I'm sure were taken out of their original context) to create this conversation is inspiring. He has used the footage a few times before, but I think this time he really met the potential of the whole concept and made something truly special with it. It's funny, charming, and even incredibly touching and thought provoking. Especially for being only 3 minutes and 47 seconds long. I love the contrast in personality between the 32 year old and 12 year old Jeremiah. It perfectly illustrates the kind of change one goes through as they leave childhood and enter adulthood. The 32 year old Jeremiah's performance is also brilliant. I love the way he seems so impatient and even slightly bitter toward his younger self for being responsible for how he turned out. My favorite part and easily the most poignant part is when the 12 year old Jeremiah holds up a piece of artwork he did of a cartoon rabbit named Roy (that seems to be inspired by Roger Rabbit) and asks his older self if he still draws Roy. It's kind of heartbreaking.

"135 Shots That Will Restore Your Faith In Cinema"

Vimeo user Flavorwire uploaded a video a few weeks back with that title. I appreciate that the title isn't "The 135 Best Shots In Cinema" or something like that, but I still don't know if the title is that great because I definitely didn't need my faith in cinema restored. I did really like this video though. There are so many shots here from movies I've never seen or in some cases never even heard of, but I was proud of the fact that I knew as many as I did, and that several of them were from movies I really deeply love. The shots are shown without their audio, and instead a piece of Clint Mansell's score for the movie Moon is used.



If you're like me and wanted to know what the shots you didn't recognize were from, Flavorwire also recently uploaded an annotated version of the video that shows the title of the movie each shot is from and the name of the cinematographer who worked on the movie.

Deh-Shay Deh-Shay Bah-Sah-Rah Bah-Sah-Rah!

"What does that mean?"

Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman

Catwoman, a character whose real name is Selina Kyle, has been around for over 70 years. She was originally a villain known as The Cat. Later on she became a cat burglar we know now as Catwoman, who is less of a villain, and more just a criminal. During her burglary career, she has developed a complicated relationship with Batman, who chases her because she's a criminal. It's not the most healthy relationship, but it's still arguably the best romantic relationship Bruce Wayne has ever had.

There have also been many different portrayals of Catwoman in other forms of media. She has shown up in many animated shows, for example Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman, and in several video games, the most popular of which is Batman: Arkham City. In live-action media she was perhaps most famously portrayed by Julie Newmar in the 1966 Batman television show, and when the actress had other commitments, the character was portrayed by Eartha Kitt in later seasons of the show, and by Lee Meriwether in the 1966 Batman movie based on the television series. Decades later, the character was played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton's Batman Returns. There was a standalone Catwoman movie with Halle Berry in the title role, but she was actually playing Patience Phillips rather than Selina Kyle, so that portrayal doesn't really count. I know many would disagree with me since there are many Catwoman comics without Batman, but I find the concept of a standalone Catwoman movie to be kind of uninteresting since, in my opinion, the most interesting part of the character is her complicated relationship with Batman. It's like if there was a Miss Moneypenny movie, and it didn't have James Bond in it.

As I stated in the previous blog entry, Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. And like I said, I have no idea if I have any problem with that casting since I'm not that familiar with Hathaway as an actress. I guess I'll know if I like it or not when I see the movie. Perhaps we can pretend for the remainder of this blog entry that we're in the time period before she was cast in the movie, because there is a different actress that for quite a while now, I've thought might make a perfect Catwoman. That actress is Alison Brie.

She is an incredibly versatile actress, and I could see her as the perfect Selina Kyle. I can imagine her interacting with Bruce Wayne the way Selina Kyle should, and interacting with Batman the way that Catwoman should. People might think she is too young since she plays a younger woman in the television show Community, but I think she's perfectly capable of pulling off a more grown up look and personality. Here is a little picture I made of Catwoman from Batman: Hush with Brie's face pasted in instead. When I said I could see her as Selina Kyle, I wasn't even talking about her looks, but I think it looks pretty great in this picture. And seriously, no one could honestly tell me that Ms. Brie wouldn't look fantastic in a catsuit.

Speaking of which, in my opinion, her costume should be what I outlined in the previous post. Like I said there, Catwoman has had many different costume designs throughout all of the media she has been featured in, but certain elements seem tailor-made for a Nolan movie. Combat boots with sensible heels, a cowl with cat ears covering her hair, and the iconic goggles seen in the image I linked to above. I think the claws and whip typically included on different versions of Selina's costume are a bit gimmicky and unnecessary, and I wouldn't include them. When Selina is not wearing her Catwoman costume, maybe she could have dresses that are inspired by various other classic Catwoman costumes like this one or this one.

Regarding the approach to the character, Selina wouldn't be a villain, but just a criminal. Specifically a cat burglar. She would just steal stuff from rich people because she's addicted to the thrill of it, and loves the challenge. She wouldn't really be a danger to anyone, so she would just be more of a distraction for Batman from his more serious work. He would chase her because she's a criminal, and she would think of it as a game. At some point in the movie, she would end up helping out Batman, and they would develop feelings for each other. I don't know if this is the approach they're taking in The Dark Knight Rises, but it's the approach I think would be best.

Catwoman costume in The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway is playing Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan's new Batman movie. I don't know what I think of the casting of Anne Hathaway yet, as I haven't seen most of her movies, so I don't have any idea what she's capable of as an actress. I do know though that I don't really like her Catwoman costume in the movie.

It's really confusing to me that they went the direction they did with the costume, because of all the very different versions of Catwoman's costume from the comics and other media, there are definitely some designs that seem tailor-made for the style of Nolan's more realistic Batman world.

One of my problems with the costume is the thigh-high boots with the ridiculously tall heels. They bring to mind Selina's backstory in some of the comics in the 1980's where she was a prostitute, a characterization which I never found appealing whatsoever. A lot of Batman fans love it though, and many of them think it's perfect for the Nolan's movies because of how "dark and gritty" they are. Sure Nolan's movies are a bit dark and gritty, but I think people completely overstate just how dark and gritty they are. Making Selina Kyle a prostitute is just going overboard in my opinion. Besides the association with Selina's hooker backstory in the comics, I also just think the boots are just impractical. A pair of fashionable, yet sensible women's combat boots that go almost up to the knee would have looked great.

Speaking of impracticality, I also have a problem with the long hair. I know many versions of Catwoman over the years in the comics and on television have included her long hair, but it seems pretty silly having long hair if you're Catwoman. Wouldn't always be getting in the way? Wouldn't it be a huge weakness in physical altercations? Why not have a cowl to cover it up? Even with the cat ears. It really doesn't seem farfetched to me at all for Selina to take on a cat persona in response to Batman's bat persona. She loves toying with him, and generally sees their relationship as a game.

It also really baffles me that they gave her goggles, but not the goggles that seem the obvious choice to give her. When the Catwoman character and costume were revamped in 2001, she had a pair of goggles, which are very unique and distinctive. Since then, they've been a feature on many different versions of the costume, including in the comic Batman: Hush, the animated television show The Batman, and the video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.

Although these goggles have only been around for a little over a decade, they've become iconic. They're arguably the most iconic part of the Catwoman costume throughout all the different versions of it in the 72 years she's been around. They would have looked fantastic on a realistic and practical Nolan movie Catwoman.

Edward Nigma a.k.a. The Riddler

The Riddler is another incredibly popular villain who has been around for many decades. Almost everyone probably knows who he is. The character, whose real name is Edward Nigma, is obsessed with riddles and puzzles, both solving them and creating them. He often sends riddles to Batman or the police to challenge them, giving them clues to catch him. It's a way of teasing them with his superior intelligence, something he is very proud of. The question mark is a symbol he associates with, and it can usually be seen not only on his riddles, but also on his outfit. With a color scheme of green, with black or purple highlights, Nigma's wardrobe typically consists of a unitard or a suit and tie, with a domino mask and bowler hat. Sometimes he even carries a staff with a big question mark at the top.

The Riddler has been in live-action media in the past. Most famously by Frank Gorshin in the 1960's Batman show and movie, and by Jim Carrey in the Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever. In that movie, the character's name was Edward Nygma. Although I enjoy those portrayals, I think they both really missed the mark when it comes to what makes the character unique and interesting. The Riddler has also been portrayed in many animated shows, such as Batman: The Animated Series, and later The Batman, in which a very outside the box gothic interpretation of the character was something I found very intriguing. The character was also present in the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum in voice only, taunting Batman to solve riddles and find trophies hidden all over the island. He was again present in the sequel Batman: Arkham City, but this time appeared in person. I haven't played Arkham City, but judging from the trailer I saw and what I've read about The Riddler's part in the game, I feel it's another example of the designers going way overboard with or going in the wrong direction with the dark and gritty aesthetic. Riddler seemed more like a villain from one of the Saw movies, and that's an approach I just don't find to be at all interesting.

Before Christopher Nolan had even begun development on The Dark Knight Rises, it was rumored that The Riddler would be the main villain, and that he would be played by Johnny Depp. It was recently revealed that the studio wanted The Riddler to be the main villain as well, but instead wanted him to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Personally, I'd much rather see Edward Nigma being played by Jason Isaacs.

I know that this one is also basically type-casting considering Isaacs is no stranger to playing villains. Captain Hook, Lucius Malfoy, Colonol Tavington. He also played "pretty much the smartest man on the planet" in Armageddon. I just think he's perfect for this role though.

Speaking of which, Edward Nigma should be pretty much the smartest man on the planet, or at least in Gotham City. He should be a nerd, but a cool nerd. Vast intellect and intelligence, perhaps superior to even that of Bruce Wayne's and Lucius Fox's. Although it's a trait that is usually underutilized in the movies, Batman is a highly skilled detective. The elaborate puzzles and riddles that Nigma creates would be the perfect way to show Batman's brilliant detective skills. Nigma would kind of be a Professor Moriarty to Batman's Holmes. The riddles and puzzles would be incredibly difficult to solve too. The riddles in Batman Forever were just ridiculously stupid. Nigma should also be a lot more quiet and a lot less flamboyant than he has been in certain previous portrayals. A pleased smirk rather than a maniacal laugh seems like it would better fit the character, while also differentiating him from Joker.

As for the visual aspects of the Riddler character, I'd cut down a little on his obsession with question marks. There wouldn't be any question marks on his tie or his suit. The question marks would still exist on his riddles, and he would use it as a symbol, but that's it. He absolutely wouldn't have a unitard, but would wear suits. He would wear glasses instead of a domino mask, and would use a cane rather than carry a question mark staff. The character's affinity for the color green could be a lot more subtle. I imagine the character having a huge library with a desk, and on the desk would be one of those banker's lamps with the green glass shade. Stuff like that.

I think that things from our modern world could be used to update the character in really interesting ways, making him especially relevant considering certain things that have been happening in recent years. Possibly more relevant than he ever has been before. I imagine an approach inspired by Julian Assange, Anonymous, and even the graffiti artist Banksy. Edward Nigma could be a hacker (or hacktivist) and "The Riddler" could be his handle. Maybe the name "Edward Nigma" could even be an alias the character uses, since it's maybe a little too silly a name to be realistic, and his real name could be unknown. He could use the question mark as his avatar or logo. Anonymous has actually been known to use an image with a man in a suit with no head, who has a question mark floating above him.

Thinking about this internet age approach to the character, the marketing possibilities for a movie with The Riddler in it are pretty exciting as well. Early on in the promotion of The Dark Knight, there was a viral marketing campaign, which you can read about on the Wikipedia page for The Dark Knight. It featured websites, clues, hidden messages, scavenger hunts. There has also been an arguably less complex and less inspired viral campaign for The Dark Knight Rises. If there is one character a viral marketing campaign for a movie is perfect for, it's definitely Edward Nigma. An elaborate series of interweaving puzzles, riddles, and scavenger hunts on the internet seems exactly like something a modern real-life Riddler might do. And just imagine what could be done with it.

Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. The Penguin

The Penguin, whose real name is Oswald Cobblepot, is a wildly popular Batman villain. While he's usually portrayed as a short man with a tuxedo, a top hat, and a monocle, some of his other common traits differ from portrayal to portrayal. Sometimes he's an aristocratic mobster or thief, and sometimes he's a deformed outcast. He often has an affinity for birds, especially penguins, and often has penguin-like mannerisms. Many times he has various kinds of umbrellas that are also gadgets. Umbrellas that hide blades, shoot bullets, transform into propellers, etc. In some of his appearances in the comics and other media, Oswald Cobblepot owns a nightclub called The Iceburg Lounge. Several other criminals regularly spend time there, and the club is often a front for whatever criminal activities Cobblepot is involved in.

The Penguin is probably best known from his live-action portrayals. He was played by Burgess Meredith in the 1960's Batman television show and movie, and was played by Danny DeVito in the Tim Burton directed movie Batman Returns. The character has also appeared in many different animated movies and shows. One of the other things I grew up seeing him in was a Scooby-Doo Meets Batman And Robin VHS I had when I was a child, where he was teamed up with the Joker. Like Hugo Strange and The Riddler, he was also featured in the video game Batman: Arkham City. Unfortunately, I think the designers of that game went overboard trying to make it dark and gritty, and a good example of that is that the Cockney accented Penguin appeared with the bottom of a broken glass bottle wedged in his face covering his eye rather than having a monocle.

There are a lot of people who really want The Penguin to be the main villain in a Christopher Nolan Batman movie. I mostly don't understand his appeal as a main villain. Maybe it's just that those people grew up with The Penguin, seeing Burgess Meredith or Danny DeVito play him, or maybe seeing him in Batman: The Animated Series or that Scooby-Doo cartoon like I did. The Penguin is really cheesy though. If he was portrayed how he traditionally is, he wouldn't fit in Nolan's Gotham City at all. Even if they tried to go dark and gritty like in Arkham City, a portrayal which was really cheesy in its own way. Nolan has also expressed no interest in including The Penguin in one of his Batman movies. He explained why in 2007 during a Q&A with Esquire:

                    CHRISTOPHER NOLAN

          There are certain characters that are easier to mesh with the more 

          real take on Batman we're doing. The Penguin would be tricky.

The problem is if he's changed to be more realistic, he becomes too uninteresting to be a main villain. That's why if he was in a Nolan movie, I don't think he should be the main villain, but instead have a much smaller role. A lot of people are in love with the idea of Philip Seymour Hoffman playing Oswald Cobblepot. I do love Philip Seymour Hoffman. He's an incredible actor, who is especially chilling in movies like Mission: Impossible III and Punch-Drunk Love. However, he doesn't really fit my idea of Cobblepot. I would much rather see the character played by Edward Hibbert.

Edward Hibbert has the right look for the character. He's perfect to play a man who fancies himself a gentleman. He even has vaguely birdlike facial features. (No offense, Mr. Hibbert.) He previously had a small but very memorable role in Christopher Nolan's movie The Prestige. Nolan seems to like working with many actors he's already worked with in the past. Maybe he would be interested in working with Hibbert again.

In the movie, Cobblepot could be more of a crooked businessman than an outright villain, and could own The Iceberg Lounge, where many members of the mob hang out. He could maybe be shaken down by Batman for information. They shouldn't go down the grotesquely deformed route with him. They shouldn't give him a monocle, and probably not even a top hat. Gotham City could be having a rainy season throughout the movie, giving Cobblepot reason to carry around an umbrella when he's outside. He shouldn't have any gadgets in the umbrellas, aside from an umbrella where the handle comes out, revealing a knife, kind of like Joker's shoe knife in The Dark Knight. I'd love to watch a scene where he pulls the knife out of his umbrella and threatens or fights either some thugs or Batman with it.

Professor Hugo Strange

Hugo Strange was one of Batman's first adversaries, having been around even longer than the Joker has. He doesn't really have any specific theatrical gimmicks like most of Batman's villains do. You can read about story lines he is known for on his wikipedia page if you'd like. The character has appeared in several animated shows, like Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, and The Batman. When Tom Hardy was cast in The Dark Knight Rises, it was rumored or speculated that he would play Hugo Strange. Around that time, the character's popularity had just spiked due to his inclusion in the then forthcoming video game Batman: Arkham City, the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum. Obviously we now know that Hardy was cast as Bane instead.

I've seen a lot of ideas from fans about who they would like to see play the role of Hugo Strange in a Christopher Nolan Batman movie, including Robin Williams, but I think the best person for the job is Kelsey Grammer.

It is perhaps typecasting, but in my opinion, he has the presence, the intellect, the intensity, and the right kind of voice for the character. I could picture him with the bald head, the glasses, and the distinctive beard, and he doesn't look too silly to me to fit in with the style of Nolan's world. When I was searching for a photo of Kelsey Grammer to post here, I actually found a picture of him with a beard that looks exactly like a perfect Hugo Strange beard!

Despite his silly name, I think Professor Strange is one of the characters who would fit right into Nolan's Gotham City. I imagine him as a brilliant professor of criminal psychology at Gotham University who uses rather unorthodox or possibly unethical techniques to try and understand the mind of a criminal. He would probably be consulted by the police to find out Batman's secret identity, and in the process would become more and more obsessed with Batman, to the point of going crazy and wanting to actually be Batman.

Reinterpreting Batman villains for movies.

One of the things I really love about the character Batman is all of the wildly different takes on him, his city, and the other characters in that city. For most of them, there just aren't any definitive versions in my mind, and I find the different interpretations and portrayals to be fascinating.

One version I'm a huge fan of is Christopher Nolan's take on Gotham City and the characters in it. Nolan's Gotham City is certainly not the definitive Gotham. Batman in Nolan's movies is not the definitive Batman. The Joker in Nolan's movie is not the definitive Joker. But I love what the director has done with that world and those characters in his movies. I loved Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Christian Bale has been a great Bruce Wayne (and his Batman voice doesn't bother me at all), Heath Ledger was amazing as The Joker, and I think Gary Oldman as James Gordon is one of the best comic book movie casting decisions that has ever been made. The third movie in the series, The Dark Knight Rises, is one I'm very excited about. Unfortunately, it has been widely reported as the final Batman film made by Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale. Although Bale recently stated it was a possibility that he would come back for a fourth movie, it probably won't happen.

Ever since I saw Batman Begins, I've thought a lot about what existing Batman characters could fit into the Nolan's vision of Gotham City, and what kind of role they might play in a movie. It's a lot of fun to think about, especially with the villains. Obviously a lot of Batman's villains just wouldn't fit, and if you changed them to try to make them more realistic, trying to force a square peg in a round hole, you'd probably strip away everything that made the characters interesting in the first place. Everything that made you want to see them in a live-action movie. Other characters though, with some tweaking, could fit right in. I think characters like The Riddler, Hugo Strange, Black Mask, and Hush could each make good major villains in Nolan's Gotham City, and characters like Firefly, Penguin, and possibly even Ventriloquist and The Mad Hatter could be minor villains.

I also really like thinking about who could play these characters in movies if they were ever made. For some of those characters I listed above, I've thought of people who I think could be perfect to play them. I think of it as a fun creative exercise, and I thought it might be fun to share some of these thoughts on my blog, so I'll be making three posts this week about a few villains that I think would fit well in Nolan's Gotham City, with my thoughts about how the characters could be interpreted and adapted to fit in a Nolan movie, and my own suggestions for what actors could play them. I know that Christopher Nolan would have his own interpretations of these characters, were he to feature them in a new movie, and it's pretty much impossible to predict who he might cast, because his casting decisions have often been pretty surprising. These posts are just meant to be my own ideas, not predictions of who he would cast. And on Thursday, July 19th, the day before The Dark Knight Rises comes out, I'll be making a few more post that are a bit different, featuring what is sort of my own alternate interpretation of a character that Nolan has already featured in a Batman movie.

Prometheus, brought to you by Adult Swim

Prometheus.

Zombieland

I just saw Zombieland (directed by Ruben Fleischer) for the first time. I'm pretty sick of zombie movies, so I hadn't been interested in seeing this until it kept getting recommended to me by people who have a grasp of my taste in movies. I gave it a shot because being sick of zombies doesn't keep me from enjoying the hell out of Shaun Of The Dead.

Besides Zombieland being a zombie movie, it kind of felt like it was tailor-made for me, as if the writers know me. I love Bill Murray, I'm afraid of clowns, and I hate Sno Balls (coconut is my Kryptonite). That scene where they find the Hostess truck hit me really hard emotionally.

I'd love to see a sequel. I read that it would be in 3D. I think that would be very interesting for when the "rules for surviving Zombieland" pop up on the screen and interact with the characters and environment. The first movie actually had several shots that would have been beautiful in 3D. Slow motion shots with various objects flying through the air, such as in the beginning credits sequence, or later in the movie when the main characters trash a shop.

Another celebrity should probably cameo in the sequel as well, but who would be a good choice after Bill Murray? I think William Shatner would be... He could give the sequel the same level of geek cred as Murray did with the first movie, and he could be really enjoyable playing an exaggerated version of himself.

I won't be seeing Dark Shadows in the theater.

I never saw the original Dark Shadows television show, but considering the fact that it was a soap opera, I was assuming Tim Burton's movie adaptation starring Johnny Depp would be primarily a drama.

When these four beautiful shots from the movie were released, they made me want to see the movie. Enough that I thought seeing the movie in the theater might actually be worth the insane cost of ticket prices. Don't these seem like images from a beautiful looking gothic drama?

I'm fascinated by the colors and composition of these pictures. The more I looked at these shots, the more I wanted to see the movie.

Then they released the first trailer. What the hell was that? The movie is a comedy? I might not have been so bothered either if it wasn't such stupid humor. I was incredibly disappointed, and I no longer had the urge to see Dark Shadows.

I was explaining this to someone, and I wanted to show them the beautiful pictures I saw. The ones I've now posted above. At the time, I couldn't find them though. Finally, I found the article I originally saw them in, but they weren't there. In their place was an update saying they were removed at the request of the movie studio. Those were the pictures that made me want to see the movie, and for whatever reason, the studio didn't want people seeing them? I didn't understand that at all. What they should have done is left those pictures up, but tried to keep people from seeing that terrible trailer.

I ended up finding the pictures still up on ScreenCrave. When I saw them again, all I could think was "I want to see the movie those shots are from, not the movie that the trailer is for," as if they were two different movies. I wish they were.

Dark Shadows came out today, but I won't be seeing it in the theater. I will check it out when it has been released on DVD, mostly to see Michelle Pfeiffer and Chloë Grace Moretz play mother and daughter.

Rear Window Timelapse

Jeff Desom created a timelapse video compositing everything (?) that the character L. B. Jeffries sees outside of his apartment window in Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 movie Rear Window. It's not only a brilliant idea, but it's beautifully executed, and quite a striking display.

Indiana Jones and the Shot-By-Shot Remake

I saw this a while back and thought it was interesting. Just as Raiders Of The Lost Ark was an homage to old adventure movie serials, this shot-by-shot remake was put together from old adventure movies as an homage to Raiders Of The Lost Ark. One of those "coming full circle" situations.

2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony: A Dream?

Remember when The Social Network was being made, and I thought it sounded more like a weird dream I would have? 

The 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony sounds like a dream I'd have too. Film director Danny Boyle is the artistic director, Underworld (one of my favorite bands) are the music directors, and unless it's an April Fools' Day joke as commentators across the internet are claiming, it's going to have Daniel Craig's James Bond in it.

And again, it seems like all of that information should be preceded by the phrase "Last night I had a dream where..."

"Last night I had a dream where Danny Boyle was the artistic director of the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, Underworld were the music directors, and it had Daniel Craig's James Bond in it."

Doesn't it make more sense that way?

I may have to watch the opening ceremony this year.

Maybe Danny Boyle should direct the next James Bond movie after Skyfall and have Underworld do the title song.

Fake movie poster starring Ryan Gosling as Walt Disney

I'm sure everyone with an internet connection has seen this by now, seeing as how it was on the front page of Yahoo, but I really loved it, so I wanted to post it.

A fellow cinematic mind, French graphic artist Pascal Witaszek created a movie poster for a fake movie called Walt, which stars Ryan Gosling as Walt Disney, which I think is a brilliant casting choice. Aside from the interesting trivia that Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse, and that Ryan Gosling was in the Mickey Mouse Club revival, Gosling really does somewhat resemble a young Disney. In fact, if I had seen Ryan Gosling in character with that moustache, I think I might have been able to guess who he was playing.

Click on the poster to visit Witaszek's website to view more of his fake movie posters.

Ralph McQuarrie

June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012

I think almost every big Star Wars fan has that point in their life when they find out who Ralph McQuarrie is and check out a bunch of his concept art for the original Star Wars trilogy. It's almost like a rite of passage.

While George Lucas and the teams of people he employed to help make the Star Wars trilogy did a great job converting McQuarrie's images into live action, and I love the way the original trilogy turned out, many of McQuarrie's concepts during the early development stages of each of the movies create this alternate Star Wars universe in my head, and I can't help but wonder, "What if?" What would it be like if the movies more closely resembled McQuarrie's concept art? For a long time now I've thought it would be interesting to remake the Star Wars movies to more perfectly mimic much of McQuarrie's artwork. Maybe even just certain re-shot scenes. Imagine the picture of C-3PO and R2-D2 roaming the desert above converted perfectly into live action. I always loved the blank canvas that is Darth Vader's helmet in the movies, where you can see different emotions in his face depending on the context of the scene even though the helmet is actually exactly the same throughout. But at the same time, how can anyone not also love the more sinister looking version of Vader in the image above? I even have the action figure inspired by that painting proudly displayed on my movie shelf.

Anyway, McQuarrie's work is undeniably beautiful, and is a huge part of what made the original Star Wars trilogy so amazing. The fact that he wasn't involved in the making of the prequel trilogy is one of the many reasons that it is sub-par.

If you'd like to read what George Lucas wrote in response to Ralph McQuarrie's passing, as well as view a high-quality slideshow of some of McQuarrie's concept artwork, visit the "Ralph McQuarrie Remembered" page on starwars.com.

Jason Isaacs stars in Awake on NBC

You might know the actor Jason Isaacs from the many movies he's been in, playing memorable characters such as Colonol Tavington in The Patriot, Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, and the traditional dual role of Mr. Darling and Captain Hook in Peter Pan.

Isaacs is now starring in a new television show on NBC called Awake.

I've been looking forward to this show for a long time, ever since I first watched a trailer for it last year. Isaacs plays a police detective who gets into a car accident with his wife and teenage son. From then on, he experiences two realities. One where his wife died and his son is still alive, and one where his son died and his wife is still alive. Every time he goes to sleep, he wakes up in the other reality.

It starts on Thursday night (March 1st) on NBC, at 10/9 Central after the rest of the Thursday night lineup of 30 Rock, Parks And Recreation, The Office, and Up All Night.

Although Awake hasn't aired on television yet, NBC put the first episode on the internet for people to watch. I saw it, and it's such a good show. The acting by B.D. Wong and Cherry Jones (the two psychiatrists), and especially by Jason Isaacs is incredible. Isaacs' monologue at the end of the episode made the hairs on my arms stand up. Besides the acting, the whole concept of the show is very interesting to me, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, and I really enjoy the music. I'm really looking forward to seeing more. I'd love to see the show do well, and I highly recommend you check it out. The first episode has also been getting great reviews.

You can watch the first episode on NBC.com, youtube, hulu, or just watch it on the embedded player below.

UPDATE: The episode has now been removed.

If you'd rather wait for Awake to actually be on TV, like I said, it will be on NBC this Thursday night (March 1st) at 10/9 Central. Maybe you should go set it to record right now.

Alternate Universe Movie Posters

Can you imagine an alternate universe where movies we know and love were made in completely different eras by completely different people?

Artists like Peter Stults create the movie posters for some of these alternate universe movies. Click on the poster to see more.

"Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!"

Dan Aykroyd visited the office of Empire magazine today and answered some questions about the development of Ghostbusters 3. Questions that were responded to with rather baffling answers.

Aykroyd said that Bill Murray's "position on his involvement in Ghostbusters 3 has been made clear," and according to Empire, then hinted that Bill Murray may not return as Peter Venkman, and that the character could be played by a different actor, a la Jack Ryan, a character created by Tom Clancy that has, to date, been played by 3 different actors in movies based on Clancy's books.

Speaking about the possibility of the retired Rick Moranis returning to play his character Louis Tully, Aykroyd said, "None of us would want to do the movie without having him as a participant." So they'll make the movie without Bill Murray, who was the star of the first two Ghostbusters movies (and easily the best thing about the movies), but they wouldn't want to make it without Rick Moranis, who played a supporting character? That doesn't make any sense to me.

Han shot first, What's on second.

I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the "Han shot first" controversy surrounding a scene in the Star Wars movie A New Hope in which Han Solo kills Greedo. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on February 9th, George Lucas claimed that Greedo always shot first:

                    GEORGE LUCAS

          The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode
          IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it 

          upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who 

          shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer, but he 

          actually isn’t. It had been done in all close-ups and it was 

          confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in 

          there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but 

          everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to 

          think that he actually just gunned him down.

I don't know, Mr. Lucas. I still think Han is the only one who fired his blaster. Take a look at this clip from the theatrical version of A New Hope.



I don't know what you see, but this is my perception of the scene: Han and Greedo talk, while Greedo points his blaster at Han. Han secretly goes for his blaster under the table, and the audience can see this. Greedo heavily implies that he is about to kill Han. One shot is heard, sparks and smoke are seen in front of Greedo. Here, I think the editing was supposed to be ambiguous. It's one of those classic and cliche movie scenes where there is gunfire, and for some amount of time, the audience doesn't know who was hit. It gets the audience involved in the scene because they are concerned for one of the characters until it is revealed who actually got shot. That's what happens in this scene in A New Hope until a second or two after the blaster fire when Greedo falls onto the table. Not only did Han shoot first, but he was the only one to shoot.