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THE BIPOLAR GEEK GENIUS
It was our second consecutive month of presenters awarding prizes
related to their topic, but this time, knowledge, not luck, was the key.
Donna Burke began our evening of Quentin Tarantino Films with
a biography of the man himself. He began as a humble clerk in a video
store, where he was able to indulge his love of films during business hours
(often to his boss’s chagrin as QT liked to put rather inappropriate films
on the store’s screens). He caught his first big break when Harvey
Keitel saw the script for RESERVOIR DOGS. Near that time, he also
got his scripts for TRUE ROMANCE and NATURAL BORN KILLERS made into films
by other directors. At the time, he was hoping to direct TRUE ROMANCE,
but he was yet not a big enough name. All of that changed with a
little film called PULP FICTION. And from there, we all know the
rest of story.
Some things to look for in Tarantino Films? Mexican Standoffs,
Red Apple Cigarettes (because he hates product placements), a character
named Scagnetti and Chevys. He also claims that Danny Bonaduce saved
his life – whilst in a ‘Quentin Detest Fest’ episode of suicidal depression,
he caught an episode of THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY – it was so funny, it inspired
him to continue living.
But, on to the prizes. Donna first devised a quiz to list
character names for Quentin’s most used actors (i.e. David Carradine was
“Bill” in KILL BILL VOLS 1 & 2). Most of us looked at the quiz
and gave up almost immediately… All of us except for Mr. Oscar Pool himself,
John Ward, who answered 99% correctly and walked away with a T-Shirt like
the one worn by John Travolta in PULP FICTION.
Excellent job on the presentation, Donna! We hope
you sign up again sometime before 2010!!
RESERVOIR ZIP
The club voted and RESERVOIR DOGS, the film which put Tarantino
on the map, was the winner. The film is your basic double-cross heist
revenge film, but with lots of pop-culture references, even more blood
and violence and enough salty language to stop all the monsters in THE
HORROR OF PARTY BEACH! But, QT himself was very proud of making a
film with such extremes.
THE HOTEL QUADRILOGY
As an extra bonus feature, we screened the last segment of the
anthology film, FOUR ROOMS with Tim Roth channeling Jerry Lewis as a bellhop.
The segment was THE MAN FROM HOLLYWOOD directed by our subject du jour,
Mr. Tarantino. To quote an IMDB reviewer: “This part of the movie,
with its ridiculous premise (lifted from an old Hitchcock episode, which
it acknowledges out loud), moves along speedily, and the actors take to
it as naturally as any other movies by Q.T. Basically playing himself,
Tarantino is hilarious. If anything, he knows A) how people really act
when they're drunk (i.e. not like Dudley Moore caricatures) B) why people
think he's so obnoxious, like a real-life, fast-talking Jar Jar Binks and
C) how to put some bang in his visual storytelling. It's low-rent Tarantino,
don't get me wrong, but it's also the best part of FOUR ROOMS”. Well
said – and another film to check out in it’s entirety.
AMENDMENT GOT PRESENTMENT AND APPROV-A-MEND-MENT
For the business part of our meeting, we voted on an amendment
to the ICS constitution. Our club's been blessed with a mostly harmonious
membership. This amendment will help to assure that we stay that way. We've
given the Board a formal set of tools to respond to disruptive behaviour.
Should a disciplined person want to take legal action against the ICS,
we have a written procedure and documentation to justify why we acted on
their behavior. The amendment was unanimously approved and will
go into the books as follows:
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
The Imaginative Cinema Society exists to promote fellowship among
those interested in film. If the Board should find that a member’s
behavior significantly violates the spirit of fellowship and unity,
the Board of Directors may take any of the following measures:
VERBAL WARNING: Warn the member to correct their behavior.
WRITTEN WARNING: The warning may be transmitted by conventional
mail, electronic mail or fax.
EXPULSION: The person’s membership would be permanently revoked.
The e expelled member would be asked not to attend any further ICS functions
or to participate on our web forum. The ICS will refund the former
member’s prorated d dues.
SPECIAL JULY GUEST! PHD ZOMBIE EXPERT AND AUTHOR!
On July 30th we have a special guest presenter. We have Dr. Peter
Dendle, an Associate Professor of English from Penn State’s Mont Alto campus.
According to the university’s catalogue, Dr. Dendle’s fields are Old English
language and literature, World Folklore and Zombie Movies and Literature.
Dr. Dendle is the author of the work that’s considered to be the definitive
work on undead movies – The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. He will discuss
zombie films from the early WHITE ZOMBIE days to current films like 28
DAYS LATER and DAWN OF THE DEAD 2004. The presentation couldn’t come
at a better time being that Romero’s LAND OF THE DEAD is due to be released
in October 2005.
And I can’t go on without thanking John Clayton for volunteering
to move his July movie night to December so we could host Dr. Dendle (prompting
another big thanks to John Ward for giving his December night to John C.)
– Thanks, Johns, and thanks Dave Willard for lassoing Dr. Dendle.
THE LIVING DEAD AND THE DOMINO EFFECT
Now, how many of us can handle two zombie months in a row?
Why do I only see 5 hands raised? To prevent Zombie Overload, on
June 25th, we will have another change. Andrew Kent, who was going to be
presenting an evening of Zombie films will now be offering an evening of
Jackie Chan. More info to come later.
And one more thing… Our annual Pizza Night, usually held in July,
will be moved ahead to August, so we will have two special summer meetings
instead of just one.
TSUNAMI RELIEF - $59 IN THE MARCH KITTY!!! THANKS!!!
The ICS is having a pledge drive from now until May to collect funds
to donate to the Save The Children Tsunami relief charity. There
will be a cigar box at the April and May meetings where donations may be
dropped. We are accepting checks made out to “Save the Children”
(put "Tsunami Relief" in the memo line). Your cancelled check is
your receipt if you want to include it as a 2005 charitable donation.
Save the Children told us that they will also try to send individual receipts
to those who send checks. We are also accepting cash in the cigar
box and paypal over the net (to ICSFILM@HOTMAIL.COM). Regina can
provide a receipt for any cash or paypal donations, but we do not know
if the IRS will accept an ICS receipt as proof of a charitable donation.
If you’d like to donate, but cannot attend a meeting, please send checks
payable to “Save the Children”/memo line “Tsunami Relief” to:
Regina Vallerani
1 E Chase St Apt 405
Baltimore, MD 21202
We will hold all donations until after the May meeting. Then,
we will bundle your individual checks and write a check from the ICS checking
acct for cash/paypal donations and send them to Save the Children on behalf
of ICS.
Joe Plempel has generously agreed to match up to $1000 of funds donated
by club members. Thanks, Joe! To date, we have collected
$59, make that $118, for the charity. Thanks Everyone!
HORRORFIND
We are going to participate in the Horrorfind convention
from August 19-21. We'll need folks to staff the table. We will be passing
out a list to see who’s interested in helping out and who can confirm to
a time.
We will also be collecting movies to sell at Horrorfind.
No books or collectible figures or toys, please. Those items are
harder to sell and take up more space. Again, MOVIES ONLY please.
NEWS OF OUR NEXT MEETING
Our next meeting will be held on Saturday April 30th at 5:30
P.M. at the church hall behind the Perry Hall Presbyterian Church located
at 8848 BelAir Road. Take Baltimore Beltway exit 32 north on Belair Road.
Turn left onto Joppa Road. Immediately past the miniature golf course turn
left into the parking lot. If you miss it there are ample turn-around opportunities.
If you get stuck call 443-570-6455. That's Dave Willard’s cell phone. He'll
talk you in.
THE DOCTOR IS IN
And since it’s Dr. Jekyll and not Dr. Who, let’s hope he doesn’t
make house calls (although when Dr. Who shows up, you know there’s gonna
be trouble, so scratch that). Dave Henderson is taking the reigns
this time around and may have a surprise or two up his sleeve. Be
there or be square!
THAI TO TAY AWAKE
For our April late night show!! It’s ONG-BAK, a Thai martial
arts film advertised as “No stunt doubles, no computer images, no strings
attached.” The Plot: When the head of Ong-Bak, the sacred Buddha
of a poor village is stolen, the population is plunged into misery. The
Buddha was the focal point of an anniversary vigil believed to bring rain
to the drought-stricken area. Young Ting is selected by the villagers to
travel to Bangkok and rescue the relic in time for their ceremony. Ting
has an affinity with the statue as he was left on the temple steps as a
baby and raised by monks, who taught him muay thai, but forbade him to
use it in combat. But now he is forced to delve into a seedy underworld
and try to avoid temptation. The film was released theatrically earlier
this year and Steve Vaught has a copy for us.
AND EVEN FURTHER AHEAD
On May 21st, Barry Murphy attempts to answer the question, “Are
They ICS-Worthy?” and we can finally figure out what that darn poll (you
know, the poll that did NOT include MYSTICS IN BALI) was all about!
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MAY MEETING IS NOT THE LAST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH.
2006 CALENDAR NEWS
For 2006, we are trying a new approach with the Calendar theme
– call it Pot Luck. The months and front and back covers are for
sale to members for a fee. If you decide to purchase a month, you
must provide a movie still by the August meeting (nothing objectionable
please – some calendars are kept in places where young, impressionable
children can see them). You will get credit on the calendar for that
month. The Front Cover, and months March, June, September and December
are $15 and are color months. The back cover and remaining months
are $10 each and will be printed in black and white. Here is the
current month status:
JANUARY Dave Willard
FEBRUARY John Ward
MARCH Steve Vaught
APRIL open
MAY open
JUNE Lisa Schilling
JULY open
AUGUST open
SEPTEMBER Andrew Kent
OCTOBER Regina Vallerani
NOVEMBER Jim & Betsy Childs
DECEMBER Masked Auctioneer & Minimum Bid Kid
BACK COVER Sue Feder
YOUR LAST ICS FILES???
It’s time to renew your dues if you haven’t already. The
Cost is $25 per person or $40 per couple. Family memberships are
available at $25 for the initial family member and $15 each for the second
to nth family member. Unfortunately, unless you renew now, this will
be last ICS Files.
Dues can be paid in one of the following 3 ways:
Cash or Check to Regina at a meeting
Mail a check to Regina at:
REGINA VALLERANI
1 E CHASE ST APT 405
BALTIMORE, MD 21202
Via Paypal to ICSFILM@HOTMAIL.COM. There is a Paypal link from
the ICS Website (WWW.ICSFILM.NET).
This is the list of people who have paid their dues. If
you have paid your dues, but are not on this list, please contact Regina
at RVALLER107@HOTMAIL.COM to correct the omission.
Rick Arnold
Joe Auslander
Donna Burke
Betsy Childs
Jim Childs
Linda Conrad
Suzanne Cooper
David Dellman
Sam DiBlasi
Troy Farwell
Sue Feder
Heather Fleming
Tim Fleming
Diane Gervasio
Peggy Gervasio
Ralph Gervasio
Dave Henderson
Andrew Kent
Kelly Klein
Mitch Klein
Mike Laird
Jeanne Matcovich
Barry Murphy
Tom Noll
Robert Ostrosky
Skip Phillips
Joe Plempel
Norman Prentiss
Justin Proveaux
Tom Proveaux
Rick Rieve
Gary Roberson
Ruth Roberson
Lisa Schilling
Mike Schilling
Dava Sentz
Sue Ellen Sherblom
Blake Sherblom-Woodward
Taylor Sherblom-Woodward
Richard Smith
Courtney Spies
Jack Tydings
Regina Vallerani
Teeka Vallerani
Beth Vaught
Steve Vaught
Neil Wagenfer
John Ward
John (son) Ward
John Weber
Dave Willard
Charles Wittig
Tom Woodward
A Special SNEAK PREVIEW from Dave ‘Hendo’ Henderson
I know the calendar says April’s topic will be Hammer Frankensteins
presented by Skip Phillips. There’s been a bit of a change- Skip can’t
make it, so his presentation will be next April. So you’re going to be
treated to my presentation- “The Doctor is In – Jekyll & Hyde in the
Movies”.
Use the words “Jekyll and Hyde” to refer to someone, and
odds are everybody will know your meaning. Even if they have never read
Robert Lewis Stevenson’s novella, even if they have never seen a single
film adaptation of Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll &
Mr. Hyde”, they will probably know what you mean. That you are referring
to a person who shows opposite personalities at different times.
Stevenson wrote his novella in 1886. Actually he wrote
it twice, a second time after his wife trashed his first version. Stevenson,
like many Victorians, was fascinated by the concept of good and evil that
reside in a single person. Men like Freud were exploring the many facets
of a person- leading to Freud’s famous concept of the Id, the Ego, and
the Super Ego.
Stevenson got the inspiration from a dream that he had.
He used the idea of science and medicine as a means of splitting the good
from the evil, having his Dr. Jekyll concoct a potion that could release
his bestial side. Unfortunately in the long run, the drug began to need
to be increased in potency in order to sluff his Hyde self. Worse,
he started turning into Mr. Hyde without the drug. His evil self was asserting
itself over his good side.
Stevenson’s story was a big hit. It was made into a stage
play about two years after publication. In the play Hyde stalks London
in evening dress and top hat. In 1888, when Jack the Ripper made his appearance,
this depiction of Hyde started to merge into the popular image of the Ripper,
too.
Stevenson’s idea of good vs. evil in one person manifested
itself in many forms and many media. For example, Batman creater Bob Kane
admitted that the Jekyll/Hyde scenario was his inspiration for the criminal
Two-Face. One can also see this concept in The Hulk. The notion was also
picked up in the movie “Forbidden Planet”, where Dr. Morbius’s Id is given
form and substance to carry out his primitive rages.
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde has been adapted numerous times.
Sometimes the idea is a straight adaptation. Sometimes the idea is
a twist on the theme. In all cases, the underlying premise, the struggle
of one side to assert itself, has been the paramount driver for the story.
The movies for the night will be:
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: featuring Frederick March. Considered the
“classic” version, March won an Oscar for his portrayal. The only annoying
thing is that they call him “Gee-Kul” instead of “Jek-ill”. March’s Hyde
is a true neanderthal, who gets uglier and meaner with each transformation.
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: featuring Spencer Tracey. Tracey is one of
my favorite actors. He was miscast in this film. Using a minimum amount
of makeup, Tracey just doesn’t work.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: featuring Jack Palance.
A well done version by Dan Curtis, the master of the Gothic Afternoon Soap
Opera Dark Shadows. Shown on TV in the 70s, it did so well that Curtis
hired Palance to play Dracula in his version of Stoker's story.
I, Monster- a rare gem from Amicus Studios. Amicus was a low(er) budget
studio version of Hammer, that often borrowed Peter Cushing and Chris Lee
for their movies. Nowhere near as polished as Hammer, I was amazed to find
this movie was actually out in DVD. For some reason, the names are changed
to Dr. Marlowe and Mr. Blake. Go figure.
Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde: Speaking of Hammer, they made a few movies
based on Stevenson’s novella. This is probably the most well known adaptation,
featuring Ralph Bates and Martine Beswick. Done by Brian Clemens (of Avengers
fame), it is a step above the usual Hammer fare. Instead of turning into
an evil man, Jekyll turns into an evil woman, superbly played by Beswick.
Mary Reilly: A fairly recent version of J&H, told from the point
of view of a servant inside Jekyll’s household (Julia Roberts). John Malkovich
plays an older bearded Dr. Jekyll whose potion makes him a younger, clean
shaven, and attractive Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde: Another variation of the man into woman theme,
with Tim Daly and Sean Young. This is played more as a comedy, and not
a very funny one (IMHO). Ms. Hyde is not evil- but she is a schemer, and
she wants to be the top dog at the company Jekyll works at. But that means
getting rid of Jekyll- permanently.
So there you have April’s cornucopia of movie selections that you will
be voting on. In fact, just email me your votes so that I only have to
bring in one DVD! Just kidding- it’d be silly to vote in advance for a
movie, since the people who are actually there should do the voting. So
I hope you’ll show up for my presentation on ---
The Movies of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.
tv news tv news tv news the glass teat tv news tv news tv news
GOYER CROSSES THRESHOLD
David Goyer, who co-created the CBS SF television pilot
THRESHOLD for CBS, said that the show's premise involves a new kind of
alien invasion. "It's an interesting one-liner," Goyer said. "It has to
do with an alien invasion, but you never see the aliens. It's a very novel
approach to an alien invasion story, because they're invading us through
our DNA. They're bio-forming us. They're altering us."
Goyer said he based the idea of the series on an obscure
scientific fact. "Something like 80 to 90 percent of our DNA is junk DNA,"
he said. "We don't know what it does. And the aliens have figured out a
way to activate it and are slowly, literally, changing our chromosomes.
They're basically, over the course of generations, turning us into them.
Along with that they've got genetic racial memories, things like that,
that they're starting to implant in us."
Goyer will direct the pilot and serves as an executive
producer on the series, alongside Brannon Braga (Star Trek: ENTERPRISE)
and David Heyman (the Harry Potter films). Goyer said he has been involved
in every aspect of the series so far, from writing to casting to editing.
Although CBS has not officially made a commitment to the
series, Goyer is optimistic that the show will be on the network in the
fall. "That's what they say," he said. "You never know for sure until you
do the up-fronts [the yearly event in New York City where the networks
roll out their schedules], but we're just finishing the post on it now.
We'll know for sure in about five weeks."
DE RAVIN DELIVERS ON LOST
"I guess that's yet to be revealed, whether the baby is
normal or not," Emilie de Ravin said. "It seems normal.", Emilie de Ravin
who plays Claire on ABC's hit series LOST, said that she doesn't know whether
her character's new baby will turn out to be good or evil.
De Ravin's character gave birth on the April 6 episode
of the show. To play Claire's new infant, "We've got twins we're working
with," de Ravin said. "They're very cute and very tiny. I think it's definitely
going to add a dynamic to the set, having a baby around."
Until the recent episode, "Do No Harm," the Australian
actress had spent months walking around the LOST set in Hawaii sporting
an ever-expanding pregnancy suit. Actually depicting the child's birth
presented a whole other challenge, she said. "That was an interesting episode
to shoot, not being a mother myself," she said. "Talking to my sisters,
who both have children, and doing all the research I did about this labor
that was obviously looming for Claire since day one, and really getting
into it for the episode, was such a strange thing, because it's such a
gritty, personal thing, giving birth. It's different for every woman in
every situation. I'm really happy with it. It turned out really well."
It helped, de Ravin added, that an obstetrician was on
set. "She was great, guiding along, helping, because we wanted to make
it as realistic and natural as possible for TV,"
For many LOST fans this was a traumatic episode in another
way – one of the main characters died. Boone, played by Ian Sommerholder
died just as the baby was being born and this made for a very interesting
episode twist. He said “I will be missing the friends I have made in that
show, Matthew Fox (Jack) most of all. Sommerholder said that “I didn’t
know it was going to happen until just a few episodes before” His death
was accidental and an important part of the plot. He is inside a crashed
plane calling for help when it slides of a cliff. “It was a tough episode
to shoot for me because I really enjoyed the cast and crew.”
BBC APOLOGIZES TO WHO STAR
The BBC, which earlier reported that DOCTOR WHO star Christopher
Eccleston was leaving the show after the first season, issued an unusual
apology to the actor for mischaracterizing his reasons for departing. The
BBC said that it failed to consult Eccleston before confirming the actor's
departure and that it erroneously attributed statements to the actor that
he was leaving because he feared being typecast and found the show's schedule
grueling.
In fact, the BBC reported, the network broke an agreement
with Eccleston not to reveal that he had planned to film just one season
of the hit show all along. "The BBC regrets not speaking to Christopher
before it responded to the press questions on Wednesday 30 March," the
BBC's head of drama and commissioning, Jane Tranter, said in a statement.
"The BBC further regrets that it falsely attributed a statement to Christopher
and apologizes to him."
The BBC has already ordered up a second season of the
new DOCTOR WHO, which is airing in the United Kingdom to record ratings.
The BBC confirmed that it is in talks with actor David Tennant as a possible
replacement for Eccleston.
ENTERPRISE TALKS DENIED
Organizers of Trek United, the fan fund-raising campaign
to save UPN's canceled STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, are telling fans that they
are in secret discussions with Paramount representatives about keeping
the show alive, and that the reps have left open the possibility the show
may return. But a spokesman for Paramount denied that such talks are taking
place, adding definitively: "That is not true. The decision to end the
show is final."
So what's the truth? "I think it's probably a case of
the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing," Candice McCallie,
the Houston-based spokeswoman for Trek United, said in a separate interview.
"I mean, it's a large company, of course, and we've talked to a couple
of different people there. Now, as far as whatever they're telling you,
my guess is, you know, we've tried to be as open as possible about it.
Until something is signed sealed on the dotted line, they're not going
to say anything different from what they said back in February." McCallie
declined to name the group's Paramount contacts, except to say they were
"people above the producers."
McCallie added: "Just because he doesn't know what is
going on doesn't mean that we haven't talked to someone about the possibility
of the show coming back. ... Obviously, if the possibility wasn't there,
they wouldn't fool with us. "
Trek United has raised nearly $3.14 million in pledges
and contributions from fans eager to finance a fifth season of Enterprise,
and McCallie said that donors are promised their money back if the show
doesn't come back, "except for the 5 percent handling fee to cover the
banks and Paypal and all that kind of stuff."
Some fans have raised concerns about Trek United and its
campaign. McCallie said that she understood such concerns, but added that
the group has been aboveboard in its representations.
“We've been pretty open about the whole entire thing.
Our only goal is to try to get the show back, and we're spending a lot
of time and a lot of money out of pocket, and there's no reason for us
to do that if we can't get the show back, because, obviously, we've got
a legally binding agreement with the contributions. So there is no danger
of our embezzling the money or anything like that."
GUNMEN FORESHADOWED 9/11
Dean Haglund, star of the short-lived THE LONE GUNMEN
TV series on Fox, said that the show's pilot eerily foreshadowed the terrorist
attacks on New York's World Trade Center, though it was shot months before
Sept. 11, 2001. In the pilot, which aired in March 2001, the title characters
prevent a commercial airliner from crashing into the World Trade Center
with barely enough time to spare.
"Conspiracy theorists might say otherwise, but we had
no way of knowing," Haglund recalled. "When 9/11 occurred, and I actually
witnessed those planes crashing into the towers, I was in a state of shock.
We shot that eerily prescient episode eight months before 9/11. Soon afterward,
everyone was carefully viewing episodes of THE LONE GUNMEN to reveal further
prophecies, which was nonsense. For example, I personally don't believe
the government has an army of super-intelligent military chimps. We weren't
the Nostradamus of TV programming."
Haglund played Langly, one of a trio of ubernerds who
investigated paranormal phenomena, in THE LONE GUNMEN, a spinoff of THE
X-FILES. The show's 13 episodes have just been released on DVD.
SHATNER ADMITS IOWA GUILT
William Shatner, who stars in the hoax reality series
INVASION IOWA on Spike TV, said that he felt guilt pulling the wool over
the eyes of the residents of a small Iowa town, who thought the original
STAR TREK star was there to make an SF movie. In fact, the series was designed
to fake the residents out, and there was no movie production in Riverside,
Iowa.
"I felt tremendous guilt," Shatner said. "Every night,
we'd come and spend three hours in front of the camera saying, 'Oh, my
God, I feel so guilty. I cannot believe it. There were actors who cried
out of the pain of lying to them."
Since the hoax was discovered, some Iowans have expressed
displeasure at the stunt.
For his part, Shatner said that he grew close to some
of the townspeople. "There's an old fellow in the coffee shop who took
me out to the grave where his wife was buried, because he had become my
friend," Shatner said. ‘He starts to cry, and I start to cry, and I tell
him I know exactly what it is to lose a wife."
Shatner added: "Everybody became like buddies, and that
was the pain of the last day when we had to tell them it was all a gag."
In the end, Shatner said, the townspeople took it pretty
well. The show also donated about $100,000 to the town of Riverside and
also helped out individual residents financially.
SCI FI UNVEILS REALITY SLATE
SCI FI Channel announced that it was developing a slate
of new shows, including several that stretch the definition of reality
television, building on the success of its hit series Ghost Hunters and
Scare Tactics.
The following project was given the green light for production:
•Master Blasters, a half-hour weekly documentary-style show produced
by First Television, pits teams of amateur rocket scientists against each
other in a race to design, build and launch some bizarre things into orbit,
from rocket-bolstered La-Z-Boys to fuel-injected Mini Coopers.
The following alternative series are in development:
•Gordian, a half-hour weekly animated series from First Television,
depicts a futuristic world where humans and robots live side by side. It
centers on ex-video jockey Jake Gordian and his band of laser-cowboys,
robots, animal freaks and talking body parts.
•Mind Game, an hourlong weekly series produced by Hallock-Healey Entertainment
(Scare Tactics), is a reality competition series in which contestants must
rely on their powers of observation, recall, judgment and intuition to
collect clues and be the first to claim the grand prize. The Mastermind,
a mysterious unseen figure, will guide contestants through a series of
situations that offer signs to advance them toward their goal.
•The Gauntlet, a weekly reality competition produced by Reveille and
Hoegl/Singer, in association with Princess Productions, challenges contestants
to navigate an elaborate, futuristic maze over a 24-hour period, with no
sunlight, no rest and, seemingly, no way out.
•Dallas in Wonderland, a weekly half-hour reality series executive produced
by R.J. Cutler, from Actual Reality Pictures, is hosted by Dallas Campbell,
who undergoes a bizarre set of challenges, from applying to NASA to become
an astronaut to asking the Raelians to clone him.
Previously announced alternative series in development include Monster
Smash, which puts a SCI FI spin on competitive wrestling by introducing
fictitious, genetically engineered monsters into the sport, and Amazing
Screw On Head, an animated series about a robot secret agent charged with
defending President Lincoln against a band of evil villains. The series
is written by Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me) and Mike Mignola (Hellboy), based
on his comic.
movienews movienews Silver Screen movienews movienews
PHILLIPS BACK IN SCI FI IN ISLAND
Ethan Phillips, who played the alien cook
Neelix for seven years on Star Trek: Voyager, said that he's glad to be
back in the sci-fi fold as a clone in Michael Bay's upcoming action thriller
film The Island. "It's nice that I don't have to wear the makeup," Phillips
said during a break in filming last week on the movie's set in Downey,
Calif. "I really appreciate that. I save myself five hours a day of sitting
in a makeup chair."
In The Island, Phillips plays Jones Three-Echo,
one of several "agnates," or human clones, living in a top-secret compound.
He co-stars with Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episode
III—Revenge of the Sith). The Island is "science fiction, but it's more
of a thriller that takes place in the future," Phillips said. "It's not
aliens, and it's not outer space, things like that. It's more like the
evolution of science and what's happening with genetics and things like
that."
Surprisingly, Phillips and McGregor never
talked between takes about their participation in two of sci-fi's biggest
franchises. "I think he knows I was on Star Trek for seven years, and I
know he did two Star Wars movies, and we never really ... talked about
that," Phillips said. "No, that's weird." The Island opens July 22.
No Man's Land Gears Up
Producer Walter F. Parkes said that he and
partner Laurie MacDonald are in pre-production on a new sci-fi thriller
film titled No Man's Land. Parkes (The Island) described the film as War
of the Worlds meets Chinatown. "It's really good, ... because it's kind
of a melding of science fiction and noir cop fiction. Just yesterday, [makeup
guru] Rick Baker just started working on designs for the aliens." Baker
just worked with Parkes and MacDonald on the upcoming horror sequel film
The Ring Two.
Les Bohem, who wrote and executive produced
the television miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, wrote the script
for No Man's Land. No director has yet been attached.
"It takes place in New York City eight years
after ... the alien invasion that we lost," Parkes said in an interview.
"And it imagines New York City kind of like Paris during the Vichy government
[under Nazi occupation during World War II], where we've all sort of just
given up. And there's this race of aliens living there that get all the
good tables, and the shops are kind of collaborating. And there's an incipient
underground movement to take the Earth back."
Parkes added: "The main character is a cop
who lost his wife when the aliens destroyed London, and so he's given up
trying. Just trying to keep his [eye] on his eight square blocks of Manhattan,
his beat. And there's a murder there, and it seems to be the murder of
a human by a 'blue' [an alien]." The movie centers around his murder investigation.
Tarantino Mulls Friday The 13th?
New Line has contacted director Quentin Tarantino
about helming what would be the "ultimate" Friday the 13th movie in the
wake of the success of 2003's Jason vs. Freddy, and Tarantino is reportedly
interested enough to take an initial meeting. The director of Kill Bill
is being asked to write a script for the latest incarnation of the 25-year-old
slasher franchise, which features the antics of hockey-masked Jason Voorhees.
Tarantino's representatives at William Morris confirmed that a meeting
with New Line is on the books, but also cautioned that Tarantino frequently
takes off months, if not years, between projects.
DARK PHOENIX RISING
Dark Phoenix is indeed the big villain in
X3. Not the Sentinels, Mr. Sinister, Dr. Bolivar Trask, or the Hellfire
Club. It was said, however, that it still doesn't make her the main story.
So far this is in line with what Avi Arad has stated.
Also in regards to X3, Halle Berry seems more
open about returning to play Storm - "I have not read the script. All I
asked is that if I come back Storm needs MORE TO DO. So, if they have in
fact written her closer to the comic book, then I'm in ...if not then I'm
out. I hope I'm in though. I love Storm and really want to be a part of
the last film" said the Oscar-winning actress during an online chat.
THE SANDMAN COMETH
Multiple spies at Sony have confirmed that
Thomas Hayden Church will indeed be playing the villain The Sandman. There's
apparently a ton of Sandman conceptual art all over the Spidey-offices.
The character was a prison escapee hiding out at an atomic testing facility
when a explosion goes off. His molecules fuse with sand, giving him essentially
shape shifting ability along with various other skills.
Daybreakers Develops
Australian filmmakers Michael Spierig and
Peter Spierig told said that they are drafting Daybreakers, a new vampire
film, for Lions Gate. The writing/directing team already has the zombie
movie Undead under their belts, which Lions Gate will release in the United
States this summer.
"[We] just finished the next draft [for Daybreakers]
and are about to deliver it to Lions Gate," the Spierigs said. "Everyone's
very excited about it. The film is much darker and far more serious than
Undead. It's about a world dominated by vampires."
The Spierigs added: "[The vampires]
have tried to continue their lives as normal people. Human beings are on
the brink of extinction, [and] it's just a matter of time before the entire
human population is wiped out. Vampires will suffer an eternity of starvation
and madness if they can't find an alternative to human blood, [but] one
man discovers a solution that will save the vampire race: They must become
human again."
Daybreakers is expected to hit theaters in
2006. Undead is slated for a July release.
Aoki Slices Into Sin City
Devon Aoki, co-star of the upcoming comic-book
film Sin City, said that her directors, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller,
made it easier to perform against green screens, which were later replaced
with computer-generated cityscapes. "The environment that Robert and Frank
created out there was easy," Aoki said in an interview. "It was sort of
seamless and really enjoyable. You're working with actors who are brilliant,
and who are talented, so you start to sort of believe the scene material
and stuff."
Aoki plays a silent assassin named Miho, who
protects a community of prostitutes in the corrupt title metropolis. Rodriguez
and Miller shot the actors mostly against green screens and later filled
in the backgrounds, props and vehicles with black-and-white, noirish computer-generated
imagery.
Aoki said that she occasionally found it difficult
to react to the minimal sets. "All of my scenes were shot with green screens,"
she said. "You show up, and you sort of basically go into the same set
every day, the same stage. You're surrounded by this bright green color,
and it could be sort of difficult to imagine the things that will be surrounding
you once the movie's up on the screen."
But Aoki said that she enjoyed working with
co-star Benicio Del Toro, who plays the villainous cop Jackie Boy, a victim
of Miho's vengeance. "I basically kill, like, half of the people in the
film," Aoki added. "It was scary fun. I'd be doing these [fight] scenes
with Benicio, and he's like, 'Does she have to do this with me sitting
here?' It was great." Sin City, based on Miller's graphic novel series,
opens April 1.
Anderson Developing Deathrace 3000
"The original was so much about decimating
pedestrians that the actual race was almost irrelevant, and I want to restore
that," Paul Anderson said. "Set in 2020, ours is an ultra-violent, no-holds-barred
race with heavily armed Escalades, Ferraris and Aston Martins."
Paul W.S. Anderson will write and direct Paramount's
Deathrace 3000, a remake of the cult Roger Corman film Deathrace 2000.
The trade adds that the deal has sparked Viacom into talks for a companion
videogame.
Anderson, who last directed Alien vs. Predator
and Resident Evil, will join Corman and C/W partners Tom Cruise and Paula
Wagner as producers, as will Anderson's Impact Pictures partner Jeremy
Bolt.
The Paul Bartel-directed original is considered
a B-movie classic, a campy and polemical black comedy that pitted David
Carradine and Sylvester Stallone in a race where drivers accumulated points
for running over pedestrians. Anderson's got a different vision, planning
a mix of Road Warrior and road kill.
Anderson, who wrote and produced the sequel
Resident Evil: Apocalypse, is producing with Bolt and Constantin an adaptation
of the videogame DOA: Dead or Alive, which starts production in six weeks.
Anderson also is writing a third Resident Evil film.
Benioff and Weiss to Write Ender's Game
David Benioff, the writer of the screenplay
for Wolfgang Petersen's 2004 epic Troy, has been signed by Warner Bros.
to pen the script for the movie Ender's Game. Benioff will work with his
writing partner, Dan Weiss, in close cooperation with Petersen, who is
developing Ender's Game with the intent of directing it himself. The screenplay
will be based on Orson Scott Card's novels Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.
Says Card, "Mr. Benioff proved with TROY that
he could adapt a long work to fit the brevity of film, while preserving
what is most powerful and effective in the original."
Any film of Ender's Game will be heavily dependent
on special effects, says Card, "but it's the characters that the audience
must care about for the film to succeed."
"I have every expectation that he and Mr.
Weiss will be able to create a screenplay that will distill the strong
characters and moral dilemmas of the novel into an exciting film that will
justify the huge expense involved in filming it, said Card.”
EPISODE III HAS NEW CHEWIE
Peter Mayhew, who returns to the STAR WARS saga as the
Wookiee Chewbacca in Episode III, said that he will look slightly different
from his incarnations in previous installments. "Chewie is younger in Episode
III, so it meant they had to make a different costume, because Chewie is
now lighter-colored," Mayhew said in an interview. "He's like a puppy that
is one color and changes as he gets older."
Mayhew played the furry co-pilot in the original STAR
WARS trilogy and once again puts on the suit for the last prequel, STAR
WARS III -Revenge of the Sith. "The actual costume itself was no different,
except we've got a 'cool suit' running through it now, so that's wonderful,"
Mayhew said. "But once I get the costume on, that character comes out.
There are no two ways about it. Chewie is one of those characters that
never said a line throughout the whole of the three movies, and this one
just finishes that off nicely. Chewie is a rock star anyway. He's one of
those characters that you either love him or hate him, and most people
love him."
A frequent Star Wars convention guest around the world,
Mayhew said that fans still ask about the legendarily bad '70s television
program, STAR WARS Holiday Special, that revolved around Chewbacca and
his family. "No matter where it is, someone will come up and say, 'Holiday
Special,'” Mayhew said with a laugh. "I usually blow it over and say it
was something we did because we could do it. The mere fact that George
[Lucas] doesn't like it is right, and for me it was just another job. Maybe
if George had just put it out, probably all the fans would have forgotten
about it. But George is the governor, and we do what George wants. If he
wants to put us in a dashiki, it's up to him, and we will do whatever he
wants and be glad of it!"
EPISODE III FANS TAKE CALLS
STAR WARS fans have already begun lining up in Hollywood,
Calif., for Episode III, as they have for the last two prequel films, to
raise money for charity—and this time they're taking calls. The fans, who
began lining up at Grauman's Chinese Theater on April 1, are answering
a public pay phone at (323) 462-9609, the Episode III Liningup.net Web
site reported.
"We've been doing this for the last six years as a fund-raiser
for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation," fan Sameer Bakhda,
29, said. Bakhda, a native of Chicago, added: "It's one last time that
we get to get together and stand on line in Hollywood, ... and hopefully
one last chance for George Lucas to do something good."
The Liningup.net Web site said that it has raised more than $6,200
in pledges for the foundation, a children's charity. Bakhda said about
250 people had already gotten in line for STAR WARS Episode III—REVENGE
OF THE SITH, which doesn't open until May 19.
DAVA’S DELVINGS
A Movie Review by: Dava Sentz
The Cosmic Balance: Heaven and Hell come to Earth
Religion is a sensitive subject for almost everyone. In
my 23 years of life experience, I've come to realize that, when it comes
to social behavior, there are certain things you just don't talk about
in mixed company.
In regards to spiritual faith, people are very opinionated.
No matter how valid the argument, you can never convince your audience
to keep an open mind. Some people believe that there is no afterlife, that
when you die, you're just gone and that's the end of it. Others believe
in reincarnation, that the better your karma in life, the higher you rank
after death. Still, others believe in Heaven and Hell, a universe of your
creation waiting to accept you in your ultimate demise.
But, what if the rulers of these kingdoms made a secret
wager? What if God and the Devil had placed operatives on our planet to
influence humans in a battle of will? These questions are raised
frequently in the Keanu Reeves thriller, Constantine.
Based on Hellblazer, a series of graphic novels published
by DC/Vertigo, John Constantine (Reeves) is a chain smoking, black clothes
wearing, modern day Exorcist. Having attempted suicide as a young man,
he now attempts to "buy his way into Heaven" by ridding his city of Hell's
minions.
Constantine's demeanor is rude and highly cynical. His
nicotine addiction has landed him with terminal lung cancer and time is
running out. Meanwhile, a desperate and grief-stricken detective, Angela
Dodson (Rachel Weisz) will stop at nothing to find out the truth behind
her sister's suicide. Hailing from a strict Catholic background and aware
of his reputation in demonology activity, she aggressively recruits Constantine
to prove that it was not suicide, but murder that killed her identical
twin. In so doing, Angela seeks to prove that her soul is resting in Heaven,
not Hell.
Because I haven't read the Hellblazer comics and have
never been an avid fan of Keanu Reeves, my opinion of this movie might
prove to be less than accurate in the eyes of more action savvy readers.
Constantine is not, by any means, a terrible film. But, with the stream
of comic book heroes making their big screen debuts over recent years,
director Francis Lawrence made what could be considered a classic rookie
mistake. He allowed a series of elaborate special effects and C.G.I. to
carry his story.
Constantine is the kind of dark, big budget spectacle
that has come to be so common in modern cinema. It's Matrix meets Van Helsing
with a hint of Daute's Inferno thrown in. From a visual standpoint, this
is a highly impressive, beautifully made film. It was designed to make
the audience "Oooo" and "Ahhh" in hypnotic wonderment. This goal was achieved
quite well. Though I don't usually look for such cheap, obvious tactics
in a movie, I admit that even I fell under its spell, and couldn't help
but wish I had a pair of 3-D glasses to emphasize the visions in front
of me.
Constantine most certainly has the visual elements needed
to amuse and entertain. What it lacks, unfortunately, is a valid plot line
and a strong leading man. The movie is all show with very little story
and the performance of Keanu Reeves reflects this.
To be perfectly blunt, the man is a weak actor and really
should not be cast in title roles. His talents buy you a good laugh in
comedies. He is attractive enough to woo a pretty lady in a tear jerking
romance. But, in no way should he ever be cast as the trash talking vigilante
hero. The end result is a GQ model trying to be Batman and, like pickles
and ice cream, the combination just doesn't go.
Fortunately, for Keanu, an ensemble of understated talent
surrounded him. I didn't have any strong opinions regarding the supporting
cast. But, it was very refreshing to find that there was no romantic cliché
to steal focus. Rachel Weisz did employ some humorous flirty tactics in
her dialogue, yet it wasn't over the top.
Angela's charms were subtle but alluring, venerable but
tough. In a movie that is basically filled with overblown and overused
images, the last thing you need is another love story to further stupefy
things. It was great to see a woman character in an action film that doesn't
need to be rescued by the muscle bound hunk. This is what Rachel achieved.
But that isn't the only detail that gave Constantine some
redeeming qualities. This film is jammed packed with all the scary monsters
I've come to adore as a horror film fan. Constantine introduces a fairly
new breed of terror, creatures not entirely of the human race, placed on
Earth to do the work of their master.
They are called "Half Breeds", half human being, half-unworldly
spawn. One of these is a part demon named Balthazer, surprisingly portrayed
by former teen idol Gavin Rossdale. Once the lead singer of the English
rock band Bush, Rossdale seemingly took a sabbatical from his musical roots
to pursue acting. Being that I was once a huge fan of Bush, I was naturally
thrilled to discover that he had a semi-major role in Constantine.
His tall, dark, and handsome demeanor made him the perfect
half-breed demon in the physical sense. His skills as an actor, however,
left something to be desired. It wasn't at all a bad performance, but when
you watch him on the big screen, it is clear where his true talents lie.
This ongoing trend of crossing over from music to film
and back again is confusing and very often, not that successful. My advice
to Gavin would be to play to his strengths and return to the studio. Rock
and Roll is a terrible thing to waste.
IMAGINATIVE CINEMA COMING SOON
MUST SEE MOVIES FOR ICS MEMBERS LIKEYOU!
APRIL 1st SIN CITY
Cast: Josh Hartnett (Employee), Marley Shelton (Customer), Mickey Rourke
(Marv), Jamie King (Wendy/Goldie), Bruce Willis (John Hartigan)
Premise: Sin City is a violent city where the police department is
as
corrupt as the streets are deadly. In this movie, we follow three stories,
the central of which is Marv, a tough-as-nails and nearly impossible
to kill
street fighter who goes on a rampage of vengeance when a beautiful
woman,
Goldie (King), he sleeps with for only one night is killed while lying
in
bed with him. Based on a comic/graphic novel.
APRIL 8th THE CAVE
Cast: Morris Chestnut (Buchanan), Eddie Cibrian (Tyler), Kieran Darcy-Smith
(Vince Strode), Cole Hauser (Jack), Brian Steele (Creature)
Premise: A rescue team is sent down into the world's largest cave system
to
try to find the spelunkers who first explored its depths. But when
the
group's escape route is cut off, they are hunted by the monstrous creatures
that live down below
APRIL 8th SAHARA
Premise- Master explorer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) takes on the
adventure of his life when he embarks on a treasure hunt through some of
the most dangerous regions of North Africa. Searching for what locals call
"The Ship of Death", a long lost Civil War battleship filled with coins,
Pitt and his wisecracking sidekick (Steve Zahn) use their wits and clever
heroics to help Doctor Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz) who believes the ship
may be linked to mysterious deaths in the very same area.
APRIL 15th THE AMITYVILLE HORROR
Cast-Jimmy Bennett (Chris Lutz), Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Rachel
Nichols, Chloe Grace Moretz (Missy Lutz), Philip Baker Hall (Father McNamara)
Premise -Can we say REMAKE? A newly married couple move into a house
in NY where a murder has taken place and noone told them when they were
looking at the house. Demons are the rage there.
APRIL 29th THE HITCHIKERS GUIDE TO THE
UNIVERSE
Premise -Arthur Dent wakes up to find out that he gets to travel the
universe with a towel and a friend - Ford Prefect, because Earth is going
to be demolished. What more in a movie do we need? Oh and always
remember – 42.
DVD DVD WHAT IS NEW AND OUT AND ABOUT DVD DVD
WORTHY VOYAGE CUT SHORT
Many fans are upset with the announcement that Star Trek
ENTERPRISE will be cancelled after it completes the 2004-2005 season. With
the exception of NBC's shortsightedness with the original series in the
mid-'60s, this is the shortest run of a Star Trek franchise series. The
cancellation is unjustified; the series was just getting warmed up. It
will be fascinating (no pun intended) to see if the fan base can turn things
around as their parents did in 1968. But for those who wish to preserve
the experience, Paramount Home Entertainment will release Star Trek Enterprise
- The Complete First Season on May 3rd. Seven discs will span 1147 minutes
of content and will carry an SRP of $129.98.
ANOTHER GHOST ANOTHER SHELL ANOTHER COMPLEX
Volume six in the television spin-off of the intriguing
Ghost in the Shell motion pictures, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
will be released by Manga & Bandai Entertainment on May 17th.
As with the previous releases in the series, the presentation
will be in anamorphic video and Dolby Digital 5.1. Supplements will likely
include yet another pair of filmmaker or voice talent interviews, previews,
and those too-cute-for-words, little 30-second epilogues to each episode,
Tachikomatic Days. It took a while to warm up to this re-imagining of the
film series, but with the departure of the Tachikoma, you could become
a fan. Expect an SRP of $24.98
EXPLOITING RENEWED POPULARITY.
The cynic in us will wonder if the timing of Warner Home
Video's Lois & Clark television series on DVD wasn't timed to leverage
Terry Hatcher's renewed popularity. The self-confessed has-been is hot
right now, thanks to her runaway hit Desperate Housewives. The first season
of L&K costars Hatcher and Dean Cain and will be released as a six-disc
package on June 7th. The aspect ratio will be television's 1.33:1 and the
audio will be in stereo. Expect an SRP of $59.98.
REMEMBERING PETER SELLERS
MGM Home Entertainment is going to release three Peter
Sellers films on June 7th. Sellers teams with the droll Terry-Thomas in
a 1957 comedy called The Naked Truth. A more serious crime drama called
Never Let Go has Sellers co-starring with Richard Todd. And the slapstick
flick that teams Sellers with Peter O'Toole, Woody Allen, and Ursula Andress
is What's New Pussycat? All will carry an SRP of $14.95. Each is presented
in 1.66:1, but the MGM press site doesn't specify anamorphic video. All
are in monaural and include the film's theatrical trailer.
farewellsfarewellsfarewells Good bye farewellsfarewellsfarewells
Andre Norton, the “Grand Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy”, author,
poet, editor, whose published works span seven decades, has died at age
93.
Born Alice Mary Norton on February 17, 1912, in Cleveland Ohio. She
wrote more than 130 novels, nearly one hundred short stories, and edited
numerous anthologies in the science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, and western
genres. She is the first woman to be an SFWA Grand Master and to be inducted
in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. She was the first woman
to win the Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy award.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has
announced the formation of the Andre Norton Award for young adult novels.
Her work included such series as the Solar Queen, Crosstime, Time War,
Witch World, The Magic Sequence and Free Traders and such novels as Ralestone
Luck, The Prince Commands, The X Factor, Breed To Come, Here Abide Monsters,
Merlin’s Mirror, Wheel of Stars and Scent of Magic.
Her last complete novel, Three Hands for Scorpio, is to
be released in early 2005. It is the last manuscript she wrote alone. Return
to Quag Keep, a sequel to her Quag Keep from 1979, will be released as
a collaboration in January, 2006
Francis Marion Busby, long time science fiction writer and fan, has
died at age 83.
As F. M.”Buz” Busby he published over 20 novels and collections, including
eight in the universe of Rissa Kerguelen, three in that of Cage A Man,
and another three in the Slow Freight grouping. Among his solo books are
All These Earths, The Breeds of Man, The Singularity Project and Islands
of Tomorrow.
Along with his wife, and others, he published the fanzine, Cry of the
Nameless, which won the Best Fanzine Hugo Award in 1960. He was Toastmaster
of IguanaCon II, the 1978 World Science Fiction Convention and from 1974-1976
he was Vice President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Herb “Jason” Evers, favorite actor of the ICS for his lead role of Dr.
Bill Corter, a surgeon seeking a body for his fiancee's decapitated head
in the 1963 film The Brain That Wouldn't Die, has died. He was 83.
He burst onto the Hollywood scene in 1960 in the western TV series
Wrangler and the movie Pretty Boy Floyd. He played an English professor
in the 1963-64 ABC series Channing, and the elusive missing son James to
Walter Brennan's Will on ABC's The Guns of Will Sonnet. His films included
the green berets and shadow of fear, and ICS hits the illustrated man,
escape from planet of the apes, claws, barracuda and his last film basket
case 2.
THE LAST WARD . . .
By John Ward
Look, up in the sky…it’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s an ellipsis!
It’s spring, and a young man’s thoughts turn once again to baseball…and
for a moment, I can actually dream that the Orioles can challenge the Yankees
and Red Sox…but only for a moment…
It might not be movie-related, but I’ve said a prayer for the
soul of John Paul II…the last time a pope was elected, I was in college…I
still remember the newsroom of the Daily Collegian at Penn State scrambling
to get out the news of not one, but two popes in the space of about 5 weeks…and
does anyone remember the way Francis Ford Coppola managed to tie the last
pope’s death into the plotline of THE GODFATHER PART III?…
My choices for the Five Greatest Newspaper Comic Strips of All
Time: (In no particular order)…Peanuts…For Better or For Worse…Doonesbury…Calvin
and Hobbes…and Prince Valiant… what, you thought I was going to say Apartment
3-G?… I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the May meeting and
the Skipper’s unveiling of the ICS Movie Hall of Fame…Best perk about being
a club member: the ICS Lending Library, overseen by librarian extraordinaire
Joe Plempel…
Currently on my reading table: The Godfather, by Mario
Puzo…The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl…Xombies, by Walter Greatshell…State
of Fear, by Michael Crichton…The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien…and The
Great Movies II, by Roger Ebert…Guilty pleasure that recently found its
way into my shopping cart: Berger’s cookies…I was happy to see the Sunpaper
start running the Fox Trot comic strip, after I championed it in this column
a year ago…now if only they’d get my second message and deep-six Zippy
the Pinhead…
Here’s proof that 2005 will go down in movie history as the Year
of the Remake…the following films are all slated for release sometime before
the end of the year…now, these are remakes, mind you, not sequels – that’s
a whole other can of French-fried worms…check it out: THE AMITYVILLE
HORROR, HOUSE OF WAX, THE LONGEST YARD, BAD NEWS BEARS, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD,
BEWITCHED, WAR OF THE WORLDS, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, THE PINK
PANTHER, OLIVER TWIST, YOURS MINE AND OURS, ALL THE KING’S MEN, FUN WITH
DICK AND JANE, THE PRODUCERS, and KING KONG!!… Yeesh!…Okay, a couple of
caveats: two on the list are remakes of TV shows (which I’m sure
you knew), and one isn’t strictly a remake, but a movie version of a musical
that was based on a previous movie…got all that?…Most intriguing possibilities
on the list: Roman Polanski’s take on Dickens’ OLIVER TWIST, and the high-powered
cast lined up for ALL THE KING’S MEN (Sean Penn, Anthony Hopkins, Jude
Law, etc.)…My vote for most unnecessary remakes – a tie between HOUSE OF
WAX and THE PINK PANTHER and THE LONGEST YARD and – oh, what the hell,
I give up…
And while we’re on the subject of movies (duh), here’s my second
annual “If I Could Only See One Movie a Month” for 2005…April: SIN CITY
(Already seen – it’s fantastic)…May: STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF
THE SITH…June: BATMAN BEGINS…July: FANTASTIC FOUR…August: Wes Craven’s
RED EYE…September: Tony Scott’s DOMINO (Left over from August)…October:
GEORGE ROMERO’S LAND OF THE DEAD…November: HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET
OF FIRE… December: KING KONG…There are a few more coming out this year
that look interesting…aside from a few of the remakes on that list I mentioned
(which I’ll leave to you readers to guess which ones I mean), a few original
titles grab my attention…Sydney Pollack returns to CONDOR thriller mode
30 years later with THE INTERPRETER…MR. AND MRS. SMITH, husband-and-wife
assassins-for-hire played by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie…Sam Mendes’ JARHEAD,
the first film to deal with the war in Iraq, with Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhall…and
HIGH TENSION, which made my Top Ten list for 2004, finally gets a stateside
release in June…it’s one of the most frightening movies I’ve seen in a
long time…
Cheap entertainment: jigsaw puzzles…just don’t get one with big,
dark sections in it…I’ve started collecting comics again, although at a
much slower pace than before…Currently reading New Avengers, Astonishing
X-Men, Ultimates 2, and I’m considering DC’s upcoming All-Star line, which
will kick off with Frank Miller and Jim Lee’s Batman and Robin…I confess
I’ve also started reading manga, which makes my son happy…but it’s only
one title, which should be quite familiar to ICSers: Battle Royale…so
far I’m through Volume 6…there are at least a dozen volumes…if you’re wondering
how they could possibly stretch a 2-hour movie across 1,500 pages of comics,
think of the TV show Lost and its habit of flashbacks for all the characters,
and you might get the picture…
Most recent additions to my DVD rack: THE INCREDIBLES,
HEAT, HOOSIERS, BAMBI, and BEN-HUR (the perfect Easter movie)…Here’s my
second annual “Top Ten Reasons to Watch TV” for 2005: 24, LOST, THE WEST
WING, ER, LAW AND ORDER, LAW AND ORDER/SVU, TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES…Wait,
that’s only seven…too bad NYPD BLUE is gone, or the number would be eight…and
I just noticed that no comedies made the list…EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND is
the chief casualty here, since they moved 24 opposite RAYMOND on Monday
nights, and I can’t be bothered to tape the dang thing on the bedroom VCR…but
I’ll try to tape the finale in May…
So, how many of you have already picked up REVENGE OF THE SITH
action figures?…I can’t laugh, since I walked right past the Star Wars
display at Walmart yesterday and wound up buying a “Coronation Gimli” LOTR
action figure, my 34th…although I think a certain fan in New Mexico has
left me in the dust…right, Tim?…Speaking of LOTR, I just finished Sean
Astin’s biography, There and Back Again…I can’t give it a rave review,
although the inside info on the making of the trilogy is pretty good…I
was put off by Astin’s self-pity routine, which got old very quickly…recommended
only for die-hard fans…
Starting to make plans for our summer vacation trip to London…8
nights, 7/20-7/29…and back in time for the July meeting…Looking forward
to hitting those old bookstores along Charing Cross Road…remember the movie,
84 CHARING CROSS ROAD?…The bookstore in the movie had books crammed into
every conceivable space…It was full of nooks and crannies where people
could disappear and read quietly…that’s for me…Also looking forward to
riding the British Airways London Eye, the world’s tallest ferris wheel…just
like Pierce Brosnan in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH…Other wishes for the trip:
seeing a show in the West End (maybe THE MOUSETRAP again), visiting the
British Museum (for the Rosetta Stone), and riding one of those double
decker buses…also checking out Westminster Abbey…and taking a big pile
of pictures…
More non-movie-related doings: enjoyed a recent daytrip
to DC over spring break…saw the new World War II Memorial…just beautiful…also
saw “The Price of Freedom,” a new exhibit at the American History Museum
tracing America’s involvement in war…from George Washington’s officer’s
uniform (Revolutionary War) all the way to a twisted pair of steel support
beams from the South Tower (War on Terrorism)…fascinating exhibit for history
buffs…I plan to go back with my father on his next visit…
And I think I just realized why I couldn’t come up with 10 things
I liked about TV…I simply don’t watch as much television as I used to…and
I can thank the Internet for that…
That’s it for this month…say goodbye to the ellipsis for another
year…or maybe sooner, if I run dry on ideas again…see you all at the April
meeting.
ICS CALENDER OF EVENTS
APRIL 1st SIN CITY Don’t
be fooled, go see this great movie!!!
.
APRIL 8th THE CAVE
APRIL 8th SAHARA
APRIL 15th THE AMITYVILLE HORROR
APRIL 16th REVELATIONS
a fan produced/filmed Star Wars Movie
Premiering at the Senator
APRIL 29th THE HITCHIKERS GUIDE TO THE
UNIVERSE
APRIL 30th The ICS next meeting will be
held on Saturday at 5:30 P.M –
Hendo is presenting ‘Dr.
Jekyll & Mr. Hyde’ this month!
And a final reminder –
YOUR LAST ICS FILES???
It’s time to renew your dues if you haven’t already. The
Cost is $25 per person or $40 per couple. Family memberships are
available at $25 for the initial family member and $15 each for the second
to nth family member. Unfortunately, unless you renew now, this will
be last ICS Files.
This is a repeat message to make sure you haven’t forgotten. Check with
Regina about your membership if you have a question. ICSClubnewsClubnews
All About Us ClubnewsClubnewsICS
THE BIPOLAR GEEK GENIUS
It was our second consecutive month of presenters awarding prizes
related to their topic, but this time, knowledge, not luck, was the key.
Donna Burke began our evening of Quentin Tarantino Films with
a biography of the man himself. He began as a humble clerk in a video
store, where he was able to indulge his love of films during business hours
(often to his boss’s chagrin as QT liked to put rather inappropriate films
on the store’s screens). He caught his first big break when Harvey
Keitel saw the script for RESERVOIR DOGS. Near that time, he also
got his scripts for TRUE ROMANCE and NATURAL BORN KILLERS made into films
by other directors. At the time, he was hoping to direct TRUE ROMANCE,
but he was yet not a big enough name. All of that changed with a
little film called PULP FICTION. And from there, we all know the
rest of story.
Some things to look for in Tarantino Films? Mexican Standoffs,
Red Apple Cigarettes (because he hates product placements), a character
named Scagnetti and Chevys. He also claims that Danny Bonaduce saved
his life – whilst in a ‘Quentin Detest Fest’ episode of suicidal depression,
he caught an episode of THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY – it was so funny, it inspired
him to continue living.
But, on to the prizes. Donna first devised a quiz to list
character names for Quentin’s most used actors (i.e. David Carradine was
“Bill” in KILL BILL VOLS 1 & 2). Most of us looked at the quiz
and gave up almost immediately… All of us except for Mr. Oscar Pool himself,
John Ward, who answered 99% correctly and walked away with a T-Shirt like
the one worn by John Travolta in PULP FICTION.
Excellent job on the presentation, Donna! We hope
you sign up again sometime before 2010!!
RESERVOIR ZIP
The club voted and RESERVOIR DOGS, the film which put Tarantino
on the map, was the winner. The film is your basic double-cross heist
revenge film, but with lots of pop-culture references, even more blood
and violence and enough salty language to stop all the monsters in THE
HORROR OF PARTY BEACH! But, QT himself was very proud of making a
film with such extremes.
THE HOTEL QUADRILOGY
As an extra bonus feature, we screened the last segment of the
anthology film, FOUR ROOMS with Tim Roth channeling Jerry Lewis as a bellhop.
The segment was THE MAN FROM HOLLYWOOD directed by our subject du jour,
Mr. Tarantino. To quote an IMDB reviewer: “This part of the movie,
with its ridiculous premise (lifted from an old Hitchcock episode, which
it acknowledges out loud), moves along speedily, and the actors take to
it as naturally as any other movies by Q.T. Basically playing himself,
Tarantino is hilarious. If anything, he knows A) how people really act
when they're drunk (i.e. not like Dudley Moore caricatures) B) why people
think he's so obnoxious, like a real-life, fast-talking Jar Jar Binks and
C) how to put some bang in his visual storytelling. It's low-rent Tarantino,
don't get me wrong, but it's also the best part of FOUR ROOMS”. Well
said – and another film to check out in it’s entirety.
AMENDMENT GOT PRESENTMENT AND APPROV-A-MEND-MENT
For the business part of our meeting, we voted on an amendment
to the ICS constitution. Our club's been blessed with a mostly harmonious
membership. This amendment will help to assure that we stay that way. We've
given the Board a formal set of tools to respond to disruptive behaviour.
Should a disciplined person want to take legal action against the ICS,
we have a written procedure and documentation to justify why we acted on
their behavior. The amendment was unanimously approved and will
go into the books as follows:
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
The Imaginative Cinema Society exists to promote fellowship among
those interested in film. If the Board should find that a member’s
behavior significantly violates the spirit of fellowship and unity,
the Board of Directors may take any of the following measures:
VERBAL WARNING: Warn the member to correct their behavior.
WRITTEN WARNING: The warning may be transmitted by conventional
mail, electronic mail or fax.
EXPULSION: The person’s membership would be permanently revoked.
The e expelled member would be asked not to attend any further ICS functions
or to participate on our web forum. The ICS will refund the former
member’s prorated d dues.
SPECIAL JULY GUEST! PHD ZOMBIE EXPERT AND AUTHOR!
On July 30th we have a special guest presenter. We have Dr. Peter
Dendle, an Associate Professor of English from Penn State’s Mont Alto campus.
According to the university’s catalogue, Dr. Dendle’s fields are Old English
language and literature, World Folklore and Zombie Movies and Literature.
Dr. Dendle is the author of the work that’s considered to be the definitive
work on undead movies – The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. He will discuss
zombie films from the early WHITE ZOMBIE days to current films like 28
DAYS LATER and DAWN OF THE DEAD 2004. The presentation couldn’t come
at a better time being that Romero’s LAND OF THE DEAD is due to be released
in October 2005.
And I can’t go on without thanking John Clayton for volunteering
to move his July movie night to December so we could host Dr. Dendle (prompting
another big thanks to John Ward for giving his December night to John C.)
– Thanks, Johns, and thanks Dave Willard for lassoing Dr. Dendle.
THE LIVING DEAD AND THE DOMINO EFFECT
Now, how many of us can handle two zombie months in a row?
Why do I only see 5 hands raised? To prevent Zombie Overload, on
June 25th, we will have another change. Andrew Kent, who was going to be
presenting an evening of Zombie films will now be offering an evening of
Jackie Chan. More info to come later.
And one more thing… Our annual Pizza Night, usually held in July,
will be moved ahead to August, so we will have two special summer meetings
instead of just one.
TSUNAMI RELIEF - $59 IN THE MARCH KITTY!!! THANKS!!!
The ICS is having a pledge drive from now until May to collect funds
to donate to the Save The Children Tsunami relief charity. There
will be a cigar box at the April and May meetings where donations may be
dropped. We are accepting checks made out to “Save the Children”
(put "Tsunami Relief" in the memo line). Your cancelled check is
your receipt if you want to include it as a 2005 charitable donation.
Save the Children told us that they will also try to send individual receipts
to those who send checks. We are also accepting cash in the cigar
box and paypal over the net (to ICSFILM@HOTMAIL.COM). Regina can
provide a receipt for any cash or paypal donations, but we do not know
if the IRS will accept an ICS receipt as proof of a charitable donation.
If you’d like to donate, but cannot attend a meeting, please send checks
payable to “Save the Children”/memo line “Tsunami Relief” to:
Regina Vallerani
1 E Chase St Apt 405
Baltimore, MD 21202
We will hold all donations until after the May meeting. Then,
we will bundle your individual checks and write a check from the ICS checking
acct for cash/paypal donations and send them to Save the Children on behalf
of ICS.
Joe Plempel has generously agreed to match up to $1000 of funds donated
by club members. Thanks, Joe! To date, we have collected
$59, make that $118, for the charity. Thanks Everyone!
HORRORFIND
We are going to participate in the Horrorfind convention
from August 19-21. We'll need folks to staff the table. We will be passing
out a list to see who’s interested in helping out and who can confirm to
a time.
We will also be collecting movies to sell at Horrorfind.
No books or collectible figures or toys, please. Those items are
harder to sell and take up more space. Again, MOVIES ONLY please.
NEWS OF OUR NEXT MEETING
Our next meeting will be held on Saturday April 30th at 5:30
P.M. at the church hall behind the Perry Hall Presbyterian Church located
at 8848 BelAir Road. Take Baltimore Beltway exit 32 north on Belair Road.
Turn left onto Joppa Road. Immediately past the miniature golf course turn
left into the parking lot. If you miss it there are ample turn-around opportunities.
If you get stuck call 443-570-6455. That's Dave Willard’s cell phone. He'll
talk you in.
THE DOCTOR IS IN
And since it’s Dr. Jekyll and not Dr. Who, let’s hope he doesn’t
make house calls (although when Dr. Who shows up, you know there’s gonna
be trouble, so scratch that). Dave Henderson is taking the reigns
this time around and may have a surprise or two up his sleeve. Be
there or be square!
THAI TO TAY AWAKE
For our April late night show!! It’s ONG-BAK, a Thai martial
arts film advertised as “No stunt doubles, no computer images, no strings
attached.” The Plot: When the head of Ong-Bak, the sacred Buddha
of a poor village is stolen, the population is plunged into misery. The
Buddha was the focal point of an anniversary vigil believed to bring rain
to the drought-stricken area. Young Ting is selected by the villagers to
travel to Bangkok and rescue the relic in time for their ceremony. Ting
has an affinity with the statue as he was left on the temple steps as a
baby and raised by monks, who taught him muay thai, but forbade him to
use it in combat. But now he is forced to delve into a seedy underworld
and try to avoid temptation. The film was released theatrically earlier
this year and Steve Vaught has a copy for us.
AND EVEN FURTHER AHEAD
On May 21st, Barry Murphy attempts to answer the question, “Are
They ICS-Worthy?” and we can finally figure out what that darn poll (you
know, the poll that did NOT include MYSTICS IN BALI) was all about!
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MAY MEETING IS NOT THE LAST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH.
2006 CALENDAR NEWS
For 2006, we are trying a new approach with the Calendar theme
– call it Pot Luck. The months and front and back covers are for
sale to members for a fee. If you decide to purchase a month, you
must provide a movie still by the August meeting (nothing objectionable
please – some calendars are kept in places where young, impressionable
children can see them). You will get credit on the calendar for that
month. The Front Cover, and months March, June, September and December
are $15 and are color months. The back cover and remaining months
are $10 each and will be printed in black and white. Here is the
current month status:
JANUARY Dave Willard
FEBRUARY John Ward
MARCH Steve Vaught
APRIL open
MAY open
JUNE Lisa Schilling
JULY open
AUGUST open
SEPTEMBER Andrew Kent
OCTOBER Regina Vallerani
NOVEMBER Jim & Betsy Childs
DECEMBER Masked Auctioneer & Minimum Bid Kid
BACK COVER Sue Feder
YOUR LAST ICS FILES???
It’s time to renew your dues if you haven’t already. The
Cost is $25 per person or $40 per couple. Family memberships are
available at $25 for the initial family member and $15 each for the second
to nth family member. Unfortunately, unless you renew now, this will
be last ICS Files.
Dues can be paid in one of the following 3 ways:
Cash or Check to Regina at a meeting
Mail a check to Regina at:
REGINA VALLERANI
1 E CHASE ST APT 405
BALTIMORE, MD 21202
Via Paypal to ICSFILM@HOTMAIL.COM. There is a Paypal link from
the ICS Website (WWW.ICSFILM.NET).
This is the list of people who have paid their dues. If
you have paid your dues, but are not on this list, please contact Regina
at RVALLER107@HOTMAIL.COM to correct the omission.
Rick Arnold
Joe Auslander
Donna Burke
Betsy Childs
Jim Childs
Linda Conrad
Suzanne Cooper
David Dellman
Sam DiBlasi
Troy Farwell
Sue Feder
Heather Fleming
Tim Fleming
Diane Gervasio
Peggy Gervasio
Ralph Gervasio
Dave Henderson
Andrew Kent
Kelly Klein
Mitch Klein
Mike Laird
Jeanne Matcovich
Barry Murphy
Tom Noll
Robert Ostrosky
Skip Phillips
Joe Plempel
Norman Prentiss
Justin Proveaux
Tom Proveaux
Rick Rieve
Gary Roberson
Ruth Roberson
Lisa Schilling
Mike Schilling
Dava Sentz
Sue Ellen Sherblom
Blake Sherblom-Woodward
Taylor Sherblom-Woodward
Richard Smith
Courtney Spies
Jack Tydings
Regina Vallerani
Teeka Vallerani
Beth Vaught
Steve Vaught
Neil Wagenfer
John Ward
John (son) Ward
John Weber
Dave Willard
Charles Wittig
Tom Woodward
A Special SNEAK PREVIEW from Dave ‘Hendo’ Henderson
I know the calendar says April’s topic will be Hammer Frankensteins
presented by Skip Phillips. There’s been a bit of a change- Skip can’t
make it, so his presentation will be next April. So you’re going to be
treated to my presentation- “The Doctor is In – Jekyll & Hyde in the
Movies”.
Use the words “Jekyll and Hyde” to refer to someone, and
odds are everybody will know your meaning. Even if they have never read
Robert Lewis Stevenson’s novella, even if they have never seen a single
film adaptation of Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll &
Mr. Hyde”, they will probably know what you mean. That you are referring
to a person who shows opposite personalities at different times.
Stevenson wrote his novella in 1886. Actually he wrote
it twice, a second time after his wife trashed his first version. Stevenson,
like many Victorians, was fascinated by the concept of good and evil that
reside in a single person. Men like Freud were exploring the many facets
of a person- leading to Freud’s famous concept of the Id, the Ego, and
the Super Ego.
Stevenson got the inspiration from a dream that he had.
He used the idea of science and medicine as a means of splitting the good
from the evil, having his Dr. Jekyll concoct a potion that could release
his bestial side. Unfortunately in the long run, the drug began to need
to be increased in potency in order to sluff his Hyde self. Worse,
he started turning into Mr. Hyde without the drug. His evil self was asserting
itself over his good side.
Stevenson’s story was a big hit. It was made into a stage
play about two years after publication. In the play Hyde stalks London
in evening dress and top hat. In 1888, when Jack the Ripper made his appearance,
this depiction of Hyde started to merge into the popular image of the Ripper,
too.
Stevenson’s idea of good vs. evil in one person manifested
itself in many forms and many media. For example, Batman creater Bob Kane
admitted that the Jekyll/Hyde scenario was his inspiration for the criminal
Two-Face. One can also see this concept in The Hulk. The notion was also
picked up in the movie “Forbidden Planet”, where Dr. Morbius’s Id is given
form and substance to carry out his primitive rages.
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde has been adapted numerous times.
Sometimes the idea is a straight adaptation. Sometimes the idea is
a twist on the theme. In all cases, the underlying premise, the struggle
of one side to assert itself, has been the paramount driver for the story.
The movies for the night will be:
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: featuring Frederick March. Considered the
“classic” version, March won an Oscar for his portrayal. The only annoying
thing is that they call him “Gee-Kul” instead of “Jek-ill”. March’s Hyde
is a true neanderthal, who gets uglier and meaner with each transformation.
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: featuring Spencer Tracey. Tracey is one of
my favorite actors. He was miscast in this film. Using a minimum amount
of makeup, Tracey just doesn’t work.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: featuring Jack Palance.
A well done version by Dan Curtis, the master of the Gothic Afternoon Soap
Opera Dark Shadows. Shown on TV in the 70s, it did so well that Curtis
hired Palance to play Dracula in his version of Stoker's story.
I, Monster- a rare gem from Amicus Studios. Amicus was a low(er) budget
studio version of Hammer, that often borrowed Peter Cushing and Chris Lee
for their movies. Nowhere near as polished as Hammer, I was amazed to find
this movie was actually out in DVD. For some reason, the names are changed
to Dr. Marlowe and Mr. Blake. Go figure.
Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde: Speaking of Hammer, they made a few movies
based on Stevenson’s novella. This is probably the most well known adaptation,
featuring Ralph Bates and Martine Beswick. Done by Brian Clemens (of Avengers
fame), it is a step above the usual Hammer fare. Instead of turning into
an evil man, Jekyll turns into an evil woman, superbly played by Beswick.
Mary Reilly: A fairly recent version of J&H, told from the point
of view of a servant inside Jekyll’s household (Julia Roberts). John Malkovich
plays an older bearded Dr. Jekyll whose potion makes him a younger, clean
shaven, and attractive Hyde.
Dr. Jekyll & Ms. Hyde: Another variation of the man into woman theme,
with Tim Daly and Sean Young. This is played more as a comedy, and not
a very funny one (IMHO). Ms. Hyde is not evil- but she is a schemer, and
she wants to be the top dog at the company Jekyll works at. But that means
getting rid of Jekyll- permanently.
So there you have April’s cornucopia of movie selections that you will
be voting on. In fact, just email me your votes so that I only have to
bring in one DVD! Just kidding- it’d be silly to vote in advance for a
movie, since the people who are actually there should do the voting. So
I hope you’ll show up for my presentation on ---
The Movies of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.
tv news tv news tv news the glass teat tv news tv news tv news
GOYER CROSSES THRESHOLD
David Goyer, who co-created the CBS SF television pilot
THRESHOLD for CBS, said that the show's premise involves a new kind of
alien invasion. "It's an interesting one-liner," Goyer said. "It has to
do with an alien invasion, but you never see the aliens. It's a very novel
approach to an alien invasion story, because they're invading us through
our DNA. They're bio-forming us. They're altering us."
Goyer said he based the idea of the series on an obscure
scientific fact. "Something like 80 to 90 percent of our DNA is junk DNA,"
he said. "We don't know what it does. And the aliens have figured out a
way to activate it and are slowly, literally, changing our chromosomes.
They're basically, over the course of generations, turning us into them.
Along with that they've got genetic racial memories, things like that,
that they're starting to implant in us."
Goyer will direct the pilot and serves as an executive
producer on the series, alongside Brannon Braga (Star Trek: ENTERPRISE)
and David Heyman (the Harry Potter films). Goyer said he has been involved
in every aspect of the series so far, from writing to casting to editing.
Although CBS has not officially made a commitment to the
series, Goyer is optimistic that the show will be on the network in the
fall. "That's what they say," he said. "You never know for sure until you
do the up-fronts [the yearly event in New York City where the networks
roll out their schedules], but we're just finishing the post on it now.
We'll know for sure in about five weeks."
DE RAVIN DELIVERS ON LOST
"I guess that's yet to be revealed, whether the baby is
normal or not," Emilie de Ravin said. "It seems normal.", Emilie de Ravin
who plays Claire on ABC's hit series LOST, said that she doesn't know whether
her character's new baby will turn out to be good or evil.
De Ravin's character gave birth on the April 6 episode
of the show. To play Claire's new infant, "We've got twins we're working
with," de Ravin said. "They're very cute and very tiny. I think it's definitely
going to add a dynamic to the set, having a baby around."
Until the recent episode, "Do No Harm," the Australian
actress had spent months walking around the LOST set in Hawaii sporting
an ever-expanding pregnancy suit. Actually depicting the child's birth
presented a whole other challenge, she said. "That was an interesting episode
to shoot, not being a mother myself," she said. "Talking to my sisters,
who both have children, and doing all the research I did about this labor
that was obviously looming for Claire since day one, and really getting
into it for the episode, was such a strange thing, because it's such a
gritty, personal thing, giving birth. It's different for every woman in
every situation. I'm really happy with it. It turned out really well."
It helped, de Ravin added, that an obstetrician was on
set. "She was great, guiding along, helping, because we wanted to make
it as realistic and natural as possible for TV,"
For many LOST fans this was a traumatic episode in another
way – one of the main characters died. Boone, played by Ian Sommerholder
died just as the baby was being born and this made for a very interesting
episode twist. He said “I will be missing the friends I have made in that
show, Matthew Fox (Jack) most of all. Sommerholder said that “I didn’t
know it was going to happen until just a few episodes before” His death
was accidental and an important part of the plot. He is inside a crashed
plane calling for help when it slides of a cliff. “It was a tough episode
to shoot for me because I really enjoyed the cast and crew.”
BBC APOLOGIZES TO WHO STAR
The BBC, which earlier reported that DOCTOR WHO star Christopher
Eccleston was leaving the show after the first season, issued an unusual
apology to the actor for mischaracterizing his reasons for departing. The
BBC said that it failed to consult Eccleston before confirming the actor's
departure and that it erroneously attributed statements to the actor that
he was leaving because he feared being typecast and found the show's schedule
grueling.
In fact, the BBC reported, the network broke an agreement
with Eccleston not to reveal that he had planned to film just one season
of the hit show all along. "The BBC regrets not speaking to Christopher
before it responded to the press questions on Wednesday 30 March," the
BBC's head of drama and commissioning, Jane Tranter, said in a statement.
"The BBC further regrets that it falsely attributed a statement to Christopher
and apologizes to him."
The BBC has already ordered up a second season of the
new DOCTOR WHO, which is airing in the United Kingdom to record ratings.
The BBC confirmed that it is in talks with actor David Tennant as a possible
replacement for Eccleston.
ENTERPRISE TALKS DENIED
Organizers of Trek United, the fan fund-raising campaign
to save UPN's canceled STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, are telling fans that they
are in secret discussions with Paramount representatives about keeping
the show alive, and that the reps have left open the possibility the show
may return. But a spokesman for Paramount denied that such talks are taking
place, adding definitively: "That is not true. The decision to end the
show is final."
So what's the truth? "I think it's probably a case of
the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing," Candice McCallie,
the Houston-based spokeswoman for Trek United, said in a separate interview.
"I mean, it's a large company, of course, and we've talked to a couple
of different people there. Now, as far as whatever they're telling you,
my guess is, you know, we've tried to be as open as possible about it.
Until something is signed sealed on the dotted line, they're not going
to say anything different from what they said back in February." McCallie
declined to name the group's Paramount contacts, except to say they were
"people above the producers."
McCallie added: "Just because he doesn't know what is
going on doesn't mean that we haven't talked to someone about the possibility
of the show coming back. ... Obviously, if the possibility wasn't there,
they wouldn't fool with us. "
Trek United has raised nearly $3.14 million in pledges
and contributions from fans eager to finance a fifth season of Enterprise,
and McCallie said that donors are promised their money back if the show
doesn't come back, "except for the 5 percent handling fee to cover the
banks and Paypal and all that kind of stuff."
Some fans have raised concerns about Trek United and its
campaign. McCallie said that she understood such concerns, but added that
the group has been aboveboard in its representations.
“We've been pretty open about the whole entire thing.
Our only goal is to try to get the show back, and we're spending a lot
of time and a lot of money out of pocket, and there's no reason for us
to do that if we can't get the show back, because, obviously, we've got
a legally binding agreement with the contributions. So there is no danger
of our embezzling the money or anything like that."
GUNMEN FORESHADOWED 9/11
Dean Haglund, star of the short-lived THE LONE GUNMEN
TV series on Fox, said that the show's pilot eerily foreshadowed the terrorist
attacks on New York's World Trade Center, though it was shot months before
Sept. 11, 2001. In the pilot, which aired in March 2001, the title characters
prevent a commercial airliner from crashing into the World Trade Center
with barely enough time to spare.
"Conspiracy theorists might say otherwise, but we had
no way of knowing," Haglund recalled. "When 9/11 occurred, and I actually
witnessed those planes crashing into the towers, I was in a state of shock.
We shot that eerily prescient episode eight months before 9/11. Soon afterward,
everyone was carefully viewing episodes of THE LONE GUNMEN to reveal further
prophecies, which was nonsense. For example, I personally don't believe
the government has an army of super-intelligent military chimps. We weren't
the Nostradamus of TV programming."
Haglund played Langly, one of a trio of ubernerds who
investigated paranormal phenomena, in THE LONE GUNMEN, a spinoff of THE
X-FILES. The show's 13 episodes have just been released on DVD.
SHATNER ADMITS IOWA GUILT
William Shatner, who stars in the hoax reality series
INVASION IOWA on Spike TV, said that he felt guilt pulling the wool over
the eyes of the residents of a small Iowa town, who thought the original
STAR TREK star was there to make an SF movie. In fact, the series was designed
to fake the residents out, and there was no movie production in Riverside,
Iowa.
"I felt tremendous guilt," Shatner said. "Every night,
we'd come and spend three hours in front of the camera saying, 'Oh, my
God, I feel so guilty. I cannot believe it. There were actors who cried
out of the pain of lying to them."
Since the hoax was discovered, some Iowans have expressed
displeasure at the stunt.
For his part, Shatner said that he grew close to some
of the townspeople. "There's an old fellow in the coffee shop who took
me out to the grave where his wife was buried, because he had become my
friend," Shatner said. ‘He starts to cry, and I start to cry, and I tell
him I know exactly what it is to lose a wife."
Shatner added: "Everybody became like buddies, and that
was the pain of the last day when we had to tell them it was all a gag."
In the end, Shatner said, the townspeople took it pretty
well. The show also donated about $100,000 to the town of Riverside and
also helped out individual residents financially.
SCI FI UNVEILS REALITY SLATE
SCI FI Channel announced that it was developing a slate
of new shows, including several that stretch the definition of reality
television, building on the success of its hit series Ghost Hunters and
Scare Tactics.
The following project was given the green light for production:
•Master Blasters, a half-hour weekly documentary-style show produced
by First Television, pits teams of amateur rocket scientists against each
other in a race to design, build and launch some bizarre things into orbit,
from rocket-bolstered La-Z-Boys to fuel-injected Mini Coopers.
The following alternative series are in development:
•Gordian, a half-hour weekly animated series from First Television,
depicts a futuristic world where humans and robots live side by side. It
centers on ex-video jockey Jake Gordian and his band of laser-cowboys,
robots, animal freaks and talking body parts.
•Mind Game, an hourlong weekly series produced by Hallock-Healey Entertainment
(Scare Tactics), is a reality competition series in which contestants must
rely on their powers of observation, recall, judgment and intuition to
collect clues and be the first to claim the grand prize. The Mastermind,
a mysterious unseen figure, will guide contestants through a series of
situations that offer signs to advance them toward their goal.
•The Gauntlet, a weekly reality competition produced by Reveille and
Hoegl/Singer, in association with Princess Productions, challenges contestants
to navigate an elaborate, futuristic maze over a 24-hour period, with no
sunlight, no rest and, seemingly, no way out.
•Dallas in Wonderland, a weekly half-hour reality series executive produced
by R.J. Cutler, from Actual Reality Pictures, is hosted by Dallas Campbell,
who undergoes a bizarre set of challenges, from applying to NASA to become
an astronaut to asking the Raelians to clone him.
Previously announced alternative series in development include Monster
Smash, which puts a SCI FI spin on competitive wrestling by introducing
fictitious, genetically engineered monsters into the sport, and Amazing
Screw On Head, an animated series about a robot secret agent charged with
defending President Lincoln against a band of evil villains. The series
is written by Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me) and Mike Mignola (Hellboy), based
on his comic.
movienews movienews Silver Screen movienews movienews
PHILLIPS BACK IN SCI FI IN ISLAND
Ethan Phillips, who played the alien cook
Neelix for seven years on Star Trek: Voyager, said that he's glad to be
back in the sci-fi fold as a clone in Michael Bay's upcoming action thriller
film The Island. "It's nice that I don't have to wear the makeup," Phillips
said during a break in filming last week on the movie's set in Downey,
Calif. "I really appreciate that. I save myself five hours a day of sitting
in a makeup chair."
In The Island, Phillips plays Jones Three-Echo,
one of several "agnates," or human clones, living in a top-secret compound.
He co-stars with Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episode
III—Revenge of the Sith). The Island is "science fiction, but it's more
of a thriller that takes place in the future," Phillips said. "It's not
aliens, and it's not outer space, things like that. It's more like the
evolution of science and what's happening with genetics and things like
that."
Surprisingly, Phillips and McGregor never
talked between takes about their participation in two of sci-fi's biggest
franchises. "I think he knows I was on Star Trek for seven years, and I
know he did two Star Wars movies, and we never really ... talked about
that," Phillips said. "No, that's weird." The Island opens July 22.
No Man's Land Gears Up
Producer Walter F. Parkes said that he and
partner Laurie MacDonald are in pre-production on a new sci-fi thriller
film titled No Man's Land. Parkes (The Island) described the film as War
of the Worlds meets Chinatown. "It's really good, ... because it's kind
of a melding of science fiction and noir cop fiction. Just yesterday, [makeup
guru] Rick Baker just started working on designs for the aliens." Baker
just worked with Parkes and MacDonald on the upcoming horror sequel film
The Ring Two.
Les Bohem, who wrote and executive produced
the television miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, wrote the script
for No Man's Land. No director has yet been attached.
"It takes place in New York City eight years
after ... the alien invasion that we lost," Parkes said in an interview.
"And it imagines New York City kind of like Paris during the Vichy government
[under Nazi occupation during World War II], where we've all sort of just
given up. And there's this race of aliens living there that get all the
good tables, and the shops are kind of collaborating. And there's an incipient
underground movement to take the Earth back."
Parkes added: "The main character is a cop
who lost his wife when the aliens destroyed London, and so he's given up
trying. Just trying to keep his [eye] on his eight square blocks of Manhattan,
his beat. And there's a murder there, and it seems to be the murder of
a human by a 'blue' [an alien]." The movie centers around his murder investigation.
Tarantino Mulls Friday The 13th?
New Line has contacted director Quentin Tarantino
about helming what would be the "ultimate" Friday the 13th movie in the
wake of the success of 2003's Jason vs. Freddy, and Tarantino is reportedly
interested enough to take an initial meeting. The director of Kill Bill
is being asked to write a script for the latest incarnation of the 25-year-old
slasher franchise, which features the antics of hockey-masked Jason Voorhees.
Tarantino's representatives at William Morris confirmed that a meeting
with New Line is on the books, but also cautioned that Tarantino frequently
takes off months, if not years, between projects.
DARK PHOENIX RISING
Dark Phoenix is indeed the big villain in
X3. Not the Sentinels, Mr. Sinister, Dr. Bolivar Trask, or the Hellfire
Club. It was said, however, that it still doesn't make her the main story.
So far this is in line with what Avi Arad has stated.
Also in regards to X3, Halle Berry seems more
open about returning to play Storm - "I have not read the script. All I
asked is that if I come back Storm needs MORE TO DO. So, if they have in
fact written her closer to the comic book, then I'm in ...if not then I'm
out. I hope I'm in though. I love Storm and really want to be a part of
the last film" said the Oscar-winning actress during an online chat.
THE SANDMAN COMETH
Multiple spies at Sony have confirmed that
Thomas Hayden Church will indeed be playing the villain The Sandman. There's
apparently a ton of Sandman conceptual art all over the Spidey-offices.
The character was a prison escapee hiding out at an atomic testing facility
when a explosion goes off. His molecules fuse with sand, giving him essentially
shape shifting ability along with various other skills.
Daybreakers Develops
Australian filmmakers Michael Spierig and
Peter Spierig told said that they are drafting Daybreakers, a new vampire
film, for Lions Gate. The writing/directing team already has the zombie
movie Undead under their belts, which Lions Gate will release in the United
States this summer.
"[We] just finished the next draft [for Daybreakers]
and are about to deliver it to Lions Gate," the Spierigs said. "Everyone's
very excited about it. The film is much darker and far more serious than
Undead. It's about a world dominated by vampires."
The Spierigs added: "[The vampires]
have tried to continue their lives as normal people. Human beings are on
the brink of extinction, [and] it's just a matter of time before the entire
human population is wiped out. Vampires will suffer an eternity of starvation
and madness if they can't find an alternative to human blood, [but] one
man discovers a solution that will save the vampire race: They must become
human again."
Daybreakers is expected to hit theaters in
2006. Undead is slated for a July release.
Aoki Slices Into Sin City
Devon Aoki, co-star of the upcoming comic-book
film Sin City, said that her directors, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller,
made it easier to perform against green screens, which were later replaced
with computer-generated cityscapes. "The environment that Robert and Frank
created out there was easy," Aoki said in an interview. "It was sort of
seamless and really enjoyable. You're working with actors who are brilliant,
and who are talented, so you start to sort of believe the scene material
and stuff."
Aoki plays a silent assassin named Miho, who
protects a community of prostitutes in the corrupt title metropolis. Rodriguez
and Miller shot the actors mostly against green screens and later filled
in the backgrounds, props and vehicles with black-and-white, noirish computer-generated
imagery.
Aoki said that she occasionally found it difficult
to react to the minimal sets. "All of my scenes were shot with green screens,"
she said. "You show up, and you sort of basically go into the same set
every day, the same stage. You're surrounded by this bright green color,
and it could be sort of difficult to imagine the things that will be surrounding
you once the movie's up on the screen."
But Aoki said that she enjoyed working with
co-star Benicio Del Toro, who plays the villainous cop Jackie Boy, a victim
of Miho's vengeance. "I basically kill, like, half of the people in the
film," Aoki added. "It was scary fun. I'd be doing these [fight] scenes
with Benicio, and he's like, 'Does she have to do this with me sitting
here?' It was great." Sin City, based on Miller's graphic novel series,
opens April 1.
Anderson Developing Deathrace 3000
"The original was so much about decimating
pedestrians that the actual race was almost irrelevant, and I want to restore
that," Paul Anderson said. "Set in 2020, ours is an ultra-violent, no-holds-barred
race with heavily armed Escalades, Ferraris and Aston Martins."
Paul W.S. Anderson will write and direct Paramount's
Deathrace 3000, a remake of the cult Roger Corman film Deathrace 2000.
The trade adds that the deal has sparked Viacom into talks for a companion
videogame.
Anderson, who last directed Alien vs. Predator
and Resident Evil, will join Corman and C/W partners Tom Cruise and Paula
Wagner as producers, as will Anderson's Impact Pictures partner Jeremy
Bolt.
The Paul Bartel-directed original is considered
a B-movie classic, a campy and polemical black comedy that pitted David
Carradine and Sylvester Stallone in a race where drivers accumulated points
for running over pedestrians. Anderson's got a different vision, planning
a mix of Road Warrior and road kill.
Anderson, who wrote and produced the sequel
Resident Evil: Apocalypse, is producing with Bolt and Constantin an adaptation
of the videogame DOA: Dead or Alive, which starts production in six weeks.
Anderson also is writing a third Resident Evil film.
Benioff and Weiss to Write Ender's Game
David Benioff, the writer of the screenplay
for Wolfgang Petersen's 2004 epic Troy, has been signed by Warner Bros.
to pen the script for the movie Ender's Game. Benioff will work with his
writing partner, Dan Weiss, in close cooperation with Petersen, who is
developing Ender's Game with the intent of directing it himself. The screenplay
will be based on Orson Scott Card's novels Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.
Says Card, "Mr. Benioff proved with TROY that
he could adapt a long work to fit the brevity of film, while preserving
what is most powerful and effective in the original."
Any film of Ender's Game will be heavily dependent
on special effects, says Card, "but it's the characters that the audience
must care about for the film to succeed."
"I have every expectation that he and Mr.
Weiss will be able to create a screenplay that will distill the strong
characters and moral dilemmas of the novel into an exciting film that will
justify the huge expense involved in filming it, said Card.”
EPISODE III HAS NEW CHEWIE
Peter Mayhew, who returns to the STAR WARS saga as the
Wookiee Chewbacca in Episode III, said that he will look slightly different
from his incarnations in previous installments. "Chewie is younger in Episode
III, so it meant they had to make a different costume, because Chewie is
now lighter-colored," Mayhew said in an interview. "He's like a puppy that
is one color and changes as he gets older."
Mayhew played the furry co-pilot in the original STAR
WARS trilogy and once again puts on the suit for the last prequel, STAR
WARS III -Revenge of the Sith. "The actual costume itself was no different,
except we've got a 'cool suit' running through it now, so that's wonderful,"
Mayhew said. "But once I get the costume on, that character comes out.
There are no two ways about it. Chewie is one of those characters that
never said a line throughout the whole of the three movies, and this one
just finishes that off nicely. Chewie is a rock star anyway. He's one of
those characters that you either love him or hate him, and most people
love him."
A frequent Star Wars convention guest around the world,
Mayhew said that fans still ask about the legendarily bad '70s television
program, STAR WARS Holiday Special, that revolved around Chewbacca and
his family. "No matter where it is, someone will come up and say, 'Holiday
Special,'” Mayhew said with a laugh. "I usually blow it over and say it
was something we did because we could do it. The mere fact that George
[Lucas] doesn't like it is right, and for me it was just another job. Maybe
if George had just put it out, probably all the fans would have forgotten
about it. But George is the governor, and we do what George wants. If he
wants to put us in a dashiki, it's up to him, and we will do whatever he
wants and be glad of it!"
EPISODE III FANS TAKE CALLS
STAR WARS fans have already begun lining up in Hollywood,
Calif., for Episode III, as they have for the last two prequel films, to
raise money for charity—and this time they're taking calls. The fans, who
began lining up at Grauman's Chinese Theater on April 1, are answering
a public pay phone at (323) 462-9609, the Episode III Liningup.net Web
site reported.
"We've been doing this for the last six years as a fund-raiser
for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation," fan Sameer Bakhda,
29, said. Bakhda, a native of Chicago, added: "It's one last time that
we get to get together and stand on line in Hollywood, ... and hopefully
one last chance for George Lucas to do something good."
The Liningup.net Web site said that it has raised more than $6,200
in pledges for the foundation, a children's charity. Bakhda said about
250 people had already gotten in line for STAR WARS Episode III—REVENGE
OF THE SITH, which doesn't open until May 19.
DAVA’S DELVINGS
A Movie Review by: Dava Sentz
The Cosmic Balance: Heaven and Hell come to Earth
Religion is a sensitive subject for almost everyone. In
my 23 years of life experience, I've come to realize that, when it comes
to social behavior, there are certain things you just don't talk about
in mixed company.
In regards to spiritual faith, people are very opinionated.
No matter how valid the argument, you can never convince your audience
to keep an open mind. Some people believe that there is no afterlife, that
when you die, you're just gone and that's the end of it. Others believe
in reincarnation, that the better your karma in life, the higher you rank
after death. Still, others believe in Heaven and Hell, a universe of your
creation waiting to accept you in your ultimate demise.
But, what if the rulers of these kingdoms made a secret
wager? What if God and the Devil had placed operatives on our planet to
influence humans in a battle of will? These questions are raised
frequently in the Keanu Reeves thriller, Constantine.
Based on Hellblazer, a series of graphic novels published
by DC/Vertigo, John Constantine (Reeves) is a chain smoking, black clothes
wearing, modern day Exorcist. Having attempted suicide as a young man,
he now attempts to "buy his way into Heaven" by ridding his city of Hell's
minions.
Constantine's demeanor is rude and highly cynical. His
nicotine addiction has landed him with terminal lung cancer and time is
running out. Meanwhile, a desperate and grief-stricken detective, Angela
Dodson (Rachel Weisz) will stop at nothing to find out the truth behind
her sister's suicide. Hailing from a strict Catholic background and aware
of his reputation in demonology activity, she aggressively recruits Constantine
to prove that it was not suicide, but murder that killed her identical
twin. In so doing, Angela seeks to prove that her soul is resting in Heaven,
not Hell.
Because I haven't read the Hellblazer comics and have
never been an avid fan of Keanu Reeves, my opinion of this movie might
prove to be less than accurate in the eyes of more action savvy readers.
Constantine is not, by any means, a terrible film. But, with the stream
of comic book heroes making their big screen debuts over recent years,
director Francis Lawrence made what could be considered a classic rookie
mistake. He allowed a series of elaborate special effects and C.G.I. to
carry his story.
Constantine is the kind of dark, big budget spectacle
that has come to be so common in modern cinema. It's Matrix meets Van Helsing
with a hint of Daute's Inferno thrown in. From a visual standpoint, this
is a highly impressive, beautifully made film. It was designed to make
the audience "Oooo" and "Ahhh" in hypnotic wonderment. This goal was achieved
quite well. Though I don't usually look for such cheap, obvious tactics
in a movie, I admit that even I fell under its spell, and couldn't help
but wish I had a pair of 3-D glasses to emphasize the visions in front
of me.
Constantine most certainly has the visual elements needed
to amuse and entertain. What it lacks, unfortunately, is a valid plot line
and a strong leading man. The movie is all show with very little story
and the performance of Keanu Reeves reflects this.
To be perfectly blunt, the man is a weak actor and really
should not be cast in title roles. His talents buy you a good laugh in
comedies. He is attractive enough to woo a pretty lady in a tear jerking
romance. But, in no way should he ever be cast as the trash talking vigilante
hero. The end result is a GQ model trying to be Batman and, like pickles
and ice cream, the combination just doesn't go.
Fortunately, for Keanu, an ensemble of understated talent
surrounded him. I didn't have any strong opinions regarding the supporting
cast. But, it was very refreshing to find that there was no romantic cliché
to steal focus. Rachel Weisz did employ some humorous flirty tactics in
her dialogue, yet it wasn't over the top.
Angela's charms were subtle but alluring, venerable but
tough. In a movie that is basically filled with overblown and overused
images, the last thing you need is another love story to further stupefy
things. It was great to see a woman character in an action film that doesn't
need to be rescued by the muscle bound hunk. This is what Rachel achieved.
But that isn't the only detail that gave Constantine some
redeeming qualities. This film is jammed packed with all the scary monsters
I've come to adore as a horror film fan. Constantine introduces a fairly
new breed of terror, creatures not entirely of the human race, placed on
Earth to do the work of their master.
They are called "Half Breeds", half human being, half-unworldly
spawn. One of these is a part demon named Balthazer, surprisingly portrayed
by former teen idol Gavin Rossdale. Once the lead singer of the English
rock band Bush, Rossdale seemingly took a sabbatical from his musical roots
to pursue acting. Being that I was once a huge fan of Bush, I was naturally
thrilled to discover that he had a semi-major role in Constantine.
His tall, dark, and handsome demeanor made him the perfect
half-breed demon in the physical sense. His skills as an actor, however,
left something to be desired. It wasn't at all a bad performance, but when
you watch him on the big screen, it is clear where his true talents lie.
This ongoing trend of crossing over from music to film
and back again is confusing and very often, not that successful. My advice
to Gavin would be to play to his strengths and return to the studio. Rock
and Roll is a terrible thing to waste.
IMAGINATIVE CINEMA COMING SOON
MUST SEE MOVIES FOR ICS MEMBERS LIKEYOU!
APRIL 1st SIN CITY
Cast: Josh Hartnett (Employee), Marley Shelton (Customer), Mickey Rourke
(Marv), Jamie King (Wendy/Goldie), Bruce Willis (John Hartigan)
Premise: Sin City is a violent city where the police department is
as
corrupt as the streets are deadly. In this movie, we follow three stories,
the central of which is Marv, a tough-as-nails and nearly impossible
to kill
street fighter who goes on a rampage of vengeance when a beautiful
woman,
Goldie (King), he sleeps with for only one night is killed while lying
in
bed with him. Based on a comic/graphic novel.
APRIL 8th THE CAVE
Cast: Morris Chestnut (Buchanan), Eddie Cibrian (Tyler), Kieran Darcy-Smith
(Vince Strode), Cole Hauser (Jack), Brian Steele (Creature)
Premise: A rescue team is sent down into the world's largest cave system
to
try to find the spelunkers who first explored its depths. But when
the
group's escape route is cut off, they are hunted by the monstrous creatures
that live down below
APRIL 8th SAHARA
Premise- Master explorer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) takes on the
adventure of his life when he embarks on a treasure hunt through some of
the most dangerous regions of North Africa. Searching for what locals call
"The Ship of Death", a long lost Civil War battleship filled with coins,
Pitt and his wisecracking sidekick (Steve Zahn) use their wits and clever
heroics to help Doctor Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz) who believes the ship
may be linked to mysterious deaths in the very same area.
APRIL 15th THE AMITYVILLE HORROR
Cast-Jimmy Bennett (Chris Lutz), Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Rachel
Nichols, Chloe Grace Moretz (Missy Lutz), Philip Baker Hall (Father McNamara)
Premise -Can we say REMAKE? A newly married couple move into a house
in NY where a murder has taken place and noone told them when they were
looking at the house. Demons are the rage there.
APRIL 29th THE HITCHIKERS GUIDE TO THE
UNIVERSE
Premise -Arthur Dent wakes up to find out that he gets to travel the
universe with a towel and a friend - Ford Prefect, because Earth is going
to be demolished. What more in a movie do we need? Oh and always
remember – 42.
DVD DVD WHAT IS NEW AND OUT AND ABOUT DVD DVD
WORTHY VOYAGE CUT SHORT
Many fans are upset with the announcement that Star Trek
ENTERPRISE will be cancelled after it completes the 2004-2005 season. With
the exception of NBC's shortsightedness with the original series in the
mid-'60s, this is the shortest run of a Star Trek franchise series. The
cancellation is unjustified; the series was just getting warmed up. It
will be fascinating (no pun intended) to see if the fan base can turn things
around as their parents did in 1968. But for those who wish to preserve
the experience, Paramount Home Entertainment will release Star Trek Enterprise
- The Complete First Season on May 3rd. Seven discs will span 1147 minutes
of content and will carry an SRP of $129.98.
ANOTHER GHOST ANOTHER SHELL ANOTHER COMPLEX
Volume six in the television spin-off of the intriguing
Ghost in the Shell motion pictures, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
will be released by Manga & Bandai Entertainment on May 17th.
As with the previous releases in the series, the presentation
will be in anamorphic video and Dolby Digital 5.1. Supplements will likely
include yet another pair of filmmaker or voice talent interviews, previews,
and those too-cute-for-words, little 30-second epilogues to each episode,
Tachikomatic Days. It took a while to warm up to this re-imagining of the
film series, but with the departure of the Tachikoma, you could become
a fan. Expect an SRP of $24.98
EXPLOITING RENEWED POPULARITY.
The cynic in us will wonder if the timing of Warner Home
Video's Lois & Clark television series on DVD wasn't timed to leverage
Terry Hatcher's renewed popularity. The self-confessed has-been is hot
right now, thanks to her runaway hit Desperate Housewives. The first season
of L&K costars Hatcher and Dean Cain and will be released as a six-disc
package on June 7th. The aspect ratio will be television's 1.33:1 and the
audio will be in stereo. Expect an SRP of $59.98.
REMEMBERING PETER SELLERS
MGM Home Entertainment is going to release three Peter
Sellers films on June 7th. Sellers teams with the droll Terry-Thomas in
a 1957 comedy called The Naked Truth. A more serious crime drama called
Never Let Go has Sellers co-starring with Richard Todd. And the slapstick
flick that teams Sellers with Peter O'Toole, Woody Allen, and Ursula Andress
is What's New Pussycat? All will carry an SRP of $14.95. Each is presented
in 1.66:1, but the MGM press site doesn't specify anamorphic video. All
are in monaural and include the film's theatrical trailer.
farewellsfarewellsfarewells Good bye farewellsfarewellsfarewells
Andre Norton, the “Grand Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy”, author,
poet, editor, whose published works span seven decades, has died at age
93.
Born Alice Mary Norton on February 17, 1912, in Cleveland Ohio. She
wrote more than 130 novels, nearly one hundred short stories, and edited
numerous anthologies in the science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, and western
genres. She is the first woman to be an SFWA Grand Master and to be inducted
in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. She was the first woman
to win the Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy award.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has
announced the formation of the Andre Norton Award for young adult novels.
Her work included such series as the Solar Queen, Crosstime, Time War,
Witch World, The Magic Sequence and Free Traders and such novels as Ralestone
Luck, The Prince Commands, The X Factor, Breed To Come, Here Abide Monsters,
Merlin’s Mirror, Wheel of Stars and Scent of Magic.
Her last complete novel, Three Hands for Scorpio, is to
be released in early 2005. It is the last manuscript she wrote alone. Return
to Quag Keep, a sequel to her Quag Keep from 1979, will be released as
a collaboration in January, 2006
Francis Marion Busby, long time science fiction writer and fan, has
died at age 83.
As F. M.”Buz” Busby he published over 20 novels and collections, including
eight in the universe of Rissa Kerguelen, three in that of Cage A Man,
and another three in the Slow Freight grouping. Among his solo books are
All These Earths, The Breeds of Man, The Singularity Project and Islands
of Tomorrow.
Along with his wife, and others, he published the fanzine, Cry of the
Nameless, which won the Best Fanzine Hugo Award in 1960. He was Toastmaster
of IguanaCon II, the 1978 World Science Fiction Convention and from 1974-1976
he was Vice President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Herb “Jason” Evers, favorite actor of the ICS for his lead role of Dr.
Bill Corter, a surgeon seeking a body for his fiancee's decapitated head
in the 1963 film The Brain That Wouldn't Die, has died. He was 83.
He burst onto the Hollywood scene in 1960 in the western TV series
Wrangler and the movie Pretty Boy Floyd. He played an English professor
in the 1963-64 ABC series Channing, and the elusive missing son James to
Walter Brennan's Will on ABC's The Guns of Will Sonnet. His films included
the green berets and shadow of fear, and ICS hits the illustrated man,
escape from planet of the apes, claws, barracuda and his last film basket
case 2.
THE LAST WARD . . .
By John Ward
Look, up in the sky…it’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s an ellipsis!
It’s spring, and a young man’s thoughts turn once again to baseball…and
for a moment, I can actually dream that the Orioles can challenge the Yankees
and Red Sox…but only for a moment…
It might not be movie-related, but I’ve said a prayer for the
soul of John Paul II…the last time a pope was elected, I was in college…I
still remember the newsroom of the Daily Collegian at Penn State scrambling
to get out the news of not one, but two popes in the space of about 5 weeks…and
does anyone remember the way Francis Ford Coppola managed to tie the last
pope’s death into the plotline of THE GODFATHER PART III?…
My choices for the Five Greatest Newspaper Comic Strips of All
Time: (In no particular order)…Peanuts…For Better or For Worse…Doonesbury…Calvin
and Hobbes…and Prince Valiant… what, you thought I was going to say Apartment
3-G?… I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the May meeting and
the Skipper’s unveiling of the ICS Movie Hall of Fame…Best perk about being
a club member: the ICS Lending Library, overseen by librarian extraordinaire
Joe Plempel…
Currently on my reading table: The Godfather, by Mario
Puzo…The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl…Xombies, by Walter Greatshell…State
of Fear, by Michael Crichton…The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien…and The
Great Movies II, by Roger Ebert…Guilty pleasure that recently found its
way into my shopping cart: Berger’s cookies…I was happy to see the Sunpaper
start running the Fox Trot comic strip, after I championed it in this column
a year ago…now if only they’d get my second message and deep-six Zippy
the Pinhead…
Here’s proof that 2005 will go down in movie history as the Year
of the Remake…the following films are all slated for release sometime before
the end of the year…now, these are remakes, mind you, not sequels – that’s
a whole other can of French-fried worms…check it out: THE AMITYVILLE
HORROR, HOUSE OF WAX, THE LONGEST YARD, BAD NEWS BEARS, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD,
BEWITCHED, WAR OF THE WORLDS, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, THE PINK
PANTHER, OLIVER TWIST, YOURS MINE AND OURS, ALL THE KING’S MEN, FUN WITH
DICK AND JANE, THE PRODUCERS, and KING KONG!!… Yeesh!…Okay, a couple of
caveats: two on the list are remakes of TV shows (which I’m sure
you knew), and one isn’t strictly a remake, but a movie version of a musical
that was based on a previous movie…got all that?…Most intriguing possibilities
on the list: Roman Polanski’s take on Dickens’ OLIVER TWIST, and the high-powered
cast lined up for ALL THE KING’S MEN (Sean Penn, Anthony Hopkins, Jude
Law, etc.)…My vote for most unnecessary remakes – a tie between HOUSE OF
WAX and THE PINK PANTHER and THE LONGEST YARD and – oh, what the hell,
I give up…
And while we’re on the subject of movies (duh), here’s my second
annual “If I Could Only See One Movie a Month” for 2005…April: SIN CITY
(Already seen – it’s fantastic)…May: STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF
THE SITH…June: BATMAN BEGINS…July: FANTASTIC FOUR…August: Wes Craven’s
RED EYE…September: Tony Scott’s DOMINO (Left over from August)…October:
GEORGE ROMERO’S LAND OF THE DEAD…November: HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET
OF FIRE… December: KING KONG…There are a few more coming out this year
that look interesting…aside from a few of the remakes on that list I mentioned
(which I’ll leave to you readers to guess which ones I mean), a few original
titles grab my attention…Sydney Pollack returns to CONDOR thriller mode
30 years later with THE INTERPRETER…MR. AND MRS. SMITH, husband-and-wife
assassins-for-hire played by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie…Sam Mendes’ JARHEAD,
the first film to deal with the war in Iraq, with Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhall…and
HIGH TENSION, which made my Top Ten list for 2004, finally gets a stateside
release in June…it’s one of the most frightening movies I’ve seen in a
long time…
Cheap entertainment: jigsaw puzzles…just don’t get one with big,
dark sections in it…I’ve started collecting comics again, although at a
much slower pace than before…Currently reading New Avengers, Astonishing
X-Men, Ultimates 2, and I’m considering DC’s upcoming All-Star line, which
will kick off with Frank Miller and Jim Lee’s Batman and Robin…I confess
I’ve also started reading manga, which makes my son happy…but it’s only
one title, which should be quite familiar to ICSers: Battle Royale…so
far I’m through Volume 6…there are at least a dozen volumes…if you’re wondering
how they could possibly stretch a 2-hour movie across 1,500 pages of comics,
think of the TV show Lost and its habit of flashbacks for all the characters,
and you might get the picture…
Most recent additions to my DVD rack: THE INCREDIBLES,
HEAT, HOOSIERS, BAMBI, and BEN-HUR (the perfect Easter movie)…Here’s my
second annual “Top Ten Reasons to Watch TV” for 2005: 24, LOST, THE WEST
WING, ER, LAW AND ORDER, LAW AND ORDER/SVU, TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES…Wait,
that’s only seven…too bad NYPD BLUE is gone, or the number would be eight…and
I just noticed that no comedies made the list…EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND is
the chief casualty here, since they moved 24 opposite RAYMOND on Monday
nights, and I can’t be bothered to tape the dang thing on the bedroom VCR…but
I’ll try to tape the finale in May…
So, how many of you have already picked up REVENGE OF THE SITH
action figures?…I can’t laugh, since I walked right past the Star Wars
display at Walmart yesterday and wound up buying a “Coronation Gimli” LOTR
action figure, my 34th…although I think a certain fan in New Mexico has
left me in the dust…right, Tim?…Speaking of LOTR, I just finished Sean
Astin’s biography, There and Back Again…I can’t give it a rave review,
although the inside info on the making of the trilogy is pretty good…I
was put off by Astin’s self-pity routine, which got old very quickly…recommended
only for die-hard fans…
Starting to make plans for our summer vacation trip to London…8
nights, 7/20-7/29…and back in time for the July meeting…Looking forward
to hitting those old bookstores along Charing Cross Road…remember the movie,
84 CHARING CROSS ROAD?…The bookstore in the movie had books crammed into
every conceivable space…It was full of nooks and crannies where people
could disappear and read quietly…that’s for me…Also looking forward to
riding the British Airways London Eye, the world’s tallest ferris wheel…just
like Pierce Brosnan in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH…Other wishes for the trip:
seeing a show in the West End (maybe THE MOUSETRAP again), visiting the
British Museum (for the Rosetta Stone), and riding one of those double
decker buses…also checking out Westminster Abbey…and taking a big pile
of pictures…
More non-movie-related doings: enjoyed a recent daytrip
to DC over spring break…saw the new World War II Memorial…just beautiful…also
saw “The Price of Freedom,” a new exhibit at the American History Museum
tracing America’s involvement in war…from George Washington’s officer’s
uniform (Revolutionary War) all the way to a twisted pair of steel support
beams from the South Tower (War on Terrorism)…fascinating exhibit for history
buffs…I plan to go back with my father on his next visit…
And I think I just realized why I couldn’t come up with 10 things
I liked about TV…I simply don’t watch as much television as I used to…and
I can thank the Internet for that…
That’s it for this month…say goodbye to the ellipsis for another
year…or maybe sooner, if I run dry on ideas again…see you all at the April
meeting.
ICS CALENDER OF EVENTS
APRIL 1st SIN CITY Don’t
be fooled, go see this great movie!!!
.
APRIL 8th THE CAVE
APRIL 8th SAHARA
APRIL 15th THE AMITYVILLE HORROR
APRIL 16th REVELATIONS
a fan produced/filmed Star Wars Movie
Premiering at the Senator
APRIL 29th THE HITCHIKERS GUIDE TO THE
UNIVERSE
APRIL 30th The ICS next meeting will be
held on Saturday at 5:30 P.M –
Hendo is presenting ‘Dr.
Jekyll & Mr. Hyde’ this month!
And a final reminder –
YOUR LAST ICS FILES???
It’s time to renew your dues if you haven’t already. The
Cost is $25 per person or $40 per couple. Family memberships are
available at $25 for the initial family member and $15 each for the second
to nth family member. Unfortunately, unless you renew now, this will
be last ICS Files.
This is a repeat message to make sure you haven’t forgotten. Check with
Regina about your membership if you have a question.
