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THE VAUGHTS GET MEDIEVAL ON ICS
Beth and Steve Vaught, who are not only fans of medieval history, but also re-enactors, taught us a thing or two about that period in time and how films often take shortcuts in terms of historical accuracy.  We can all laugh now at films with Henry the Eighth eating the big turkey drumstick…turkeys were not available in England at that time.  And a Knightly Code of Honor?  Doesn’t exist…  In fact, most armored men, received rather undignified injuries as their un-armored bums got the worst of their enemy’s sword.  And what about the lowly squire?  Usually he was wealthier than his knight – armor, weapons, horses, etc. were not cheap.
 Beth and Steve, despite your reservations about the presentation, we think you did an excellent job!  Thanks... and next time bring your armor!
 
ANOTHER CLUB FIRST
The top vote-getting film was the all-time cult classic, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL.  This was the first time that ICS enjoyed the humor of Monty Python.  And surprisingly, no-one wanted to vote “The Knights of the Round Table” as our club song.  “Do the Jellyfish” from THE STING OF DEATH still reigns supreme.
 
SHAUN OF THE DEAD PREMIERE 
Again, courtesy of Steve Vaught, ICS had a late night sneak of SHAUN OF THE DEAD.   The film spoofed Romero’s classic as well more recent zombie flicks.   Everyone who stuck around to watch it enjoyed it immensely.  Catch it in theaters in the upcoming weeks!  Thanks Steve!
 
WELCOME ROBERT OSTROSKY, RICK ARNOLD AND SAM DIBLASI! 
It all began when Joe Plempel started a conversation with these three friends outside of the Charles Theater.  They attended the July meeting and joined in August.   Rick is a fan of DARK SHADOWS, Sam enjoys LOST IN SPACE and Rob is an all-around genre fan.  We welcome you to the club and hope you will enjoy sharing your love of imaginative cinema with us!
 
LIGHT THE NIGHT 
It was really great to see Sue Feder attending a meeting.  Once again, she passed the hat for donations to the Light The Night Walk and we collected over $50.  The walk is important to her because she is a cancer survivor.  We’re all glad to see you again Sue!  Hope you can make pizza night!

NEWS OF OUR NEXT MEETING
 Our next meeting will be held on Saturday September 25th 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.   
 
PIZZA NIGHT COMING SOON!
One of our most popular club events, Annual Pizza Night, is a go for the September 25th meeting.  We should have plenty of plain, pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom to go around.   So, be prepared to nosh and be entertained by…. 

…GHOSTS IN THE MOVIES
  Long-time genre fan Courtney Spies is going to highlight Ghosts in Cinema at the September meeting.  We should have some tough choices as Courtney is bringing in THE (good) HAUNTING, THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE and other classic ghostly flicks.
 

HALLOWEEN POTLUCK
  The October meeting pot luck tradition continues.  It’s always a night of surprising dishes and good food.  The sign up list is below.  If cooking is not your forte, consider helping set-up or clean-up.  Regina is keeping the list, so if you have an update or want to add yourself to a category, email her at RVALLER107@HOTMAIL.COM or see her at the next meeting. 
 

APPETIZERS/CHIPS
Dava
Sam
Regina

SALADS
Joe P.

BREADS
No-one yet

MAIN DISHES
Sue Feder (if she can come)
Hendo – Chicken
Betsy & Jim – Meatballs
Steve Vaught – Suishi
Dave Willard – Casserole 

DESSERTS
Norman – brownies 
Suzanne – cookies 
Andrew

BEVERAGES
Skip P.
Rick Arnold
John Ward
Gary Roberson

SETUP
Dave Willard
Hendo
Regina

CLEAN-UP
Troy
Regina
Dava
Tom and Justin
Dave Willard

NEWS THAT WOULDN’T FIT ANYWHERE ELSE, BUT HAD TO BE SHARED...

Two Muppets named top scientists
   Muppets Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker defeated some top faves like, Dr. Strangelove, Dana Scully of "X Files" fame and Star Trek's Mr. Spock and they are to be voted Britain's favorite screen scientists.
   They beat their closest rival by a margin of 2 to 1 and won 33 percent of the 43,000 votes cast in an Internet poll published in Monday.  
   Spock came in a distance second with 15 percent followed by The Doctor, from Dr Who, who garnered 13 percent. Scully, the only woman in the poll, came in sixth.
   "They are accessible, humorous and occasionally blow each other up," said Roland Jackson, of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). 
   The balding, white-coated Honeydew and flame-haired, bulging-eyed Beaker created an array of crazy gadgets on the popular television show. "They're the kind of scientists you would like to be but never quite dared to," said Alan Slater, a scientist at the University of Exeter in southwestern England.
   The poll, gave the public five weeks to choose their favorite scientist from a shortlist of 10 that included Dr. Evil from the film "Austin Powers," Dr. Frankenstein, Frank N. Furter, of the "Rocky Horror Show Picture Show," Dr. Emmett Brown, of the film "Back to the Future" and Q of James Bond fame.

AND SOME TEAM AMERICA INFO GOODIES.
   A movie coming out in October, this one has some fun factoids attached to it. 
The original premise was revealed by Matt Stone for it to be a scene-by-scene remake of The Day After Tomorrow (the script of which they were given before filming started) using marionettes, and then theatrically release it on the same day (May 28th, 2004). "We thought would have been hilarious but our lawyer convinced us we wouldn't get it released." 
   They want you to remember that this movie is being produced using wooden marionettes, in a style similar to the "super marioination" popularized in the 1960s by kid-friendly TV shows like the one that inspired this year's Thunderbirds. 
   Talking to "Variety," Matt Stone said of that movie, "I hate these new new Hollywood films that are CGI-driven. Trey and I loved that 'Thunderbirds' series because of the artistry of the marionettes. It's amazing that a studio would make a movie out of and take out the only thing that was about the series." 
   Continuing, Stone also said "What we wanted to do was a send-up of these super important huge action movies that Jerry Bruckheimer makes." Stone concluded by saying, "the subtle joke here is that all actors are puppets. This will probably piss off everyone in town, and might well be our swan song." 
   Although Stone referred to his stars in that quote as puppets, most of the cast will indeed be marionettes (manipulated by strings), rather than actual puppets (which are usually manipulated by someone sticking their hand up... their rear). 
   They want to make sure you know it is Not Based Upon: and has nothing to do with the comic book series, "Team America", published by Marvel Comics in the 1980s, which relayed the adventures of a patriotic team of race car drivers who used their various vehicles to fight crime, etc.

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FLASH TO VISIT SMALLVILLE 
   A classic DC Comics hero will make an appearance in the fifth episode of the upcoming fourth season of The WB's Smallville. The Flash, a fast-talking character named Bart Allen (known to comic fans as the grandson of the original Flash) shows up in Smallville with the ability to move with superspeed.
   The episode will also feature the names of other characters who have appeared in the comics as the Flash over the years, including Wally West, Barry Allen and Jay Garrick. Former BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER writer Steve DeKnight wrote the episode, which will air in October
--
FELDMAN MONKEYS AROUND 
   Corey Feldman said that he is providing the voice of a regular character on ABC Family's upcoming animated TV series SUPER ROBOT MONKEY TEAM HYPERFORCE GO! 
   "It's basically Transformers meets Ninja Turtles meets The Powerpuff Girls," Feldman said. "It's this combination of all the great warrior team animated shows of the last 20 years. It's got the core elements of all of them, and yet it's got its own original sparks."
   Feldman added, "And speaking of sparks, that happens to be my character's name, which is Sprx-77. Basically, it's a team of super robot monkeys that are half-robot and half-monkey. They were created, I guess, as some kind of an experiment and ended up being stronger and greater. They each have their own super power, if you will. There's the scientific genius. There's the dumb one who's really good at doing things luckily. Then there's a human kid, Chiro, voiced by Greg Cipes, who is the leader of all the monkeys. And there's a female monkey, and I see that there's probably a love interest brewing between her character and mine”.
   “My character is sort of the Harrison Ford monkey. He's kind of the Han Solo in the group. He's got the smart-ass remark. He's the tough one and the one taking the kid under his wing." SRMTHG!, will also feature the voices of Tom Kenny, Mark Hamill, Wil Wheaton and Clancy Brown, debuts next month on Toon Disney and also as part of ABC Family’s JETIX blocks.

EARTHSEA FAITHFUL 
   Rob Lieberman, director of the upcoming SCI FI Channel original miniseries Earthsea, said that the production tries to be faithful to the Ursula K. Le Guin novels upon which it was based. "We've been very, very honest to the books and tried to capture all the levels of spiritualism, emotional content and metaphorical messages in this," Lieberman said in an interview. "I've tried to ground it in a great deal of reality, and we have things that we find real and familiar, as well as the unfamiliar and the fantastic."
   Based on the first two books in Le Guin's best-selling fantasy trilogy, EARTHSEA stars Shawn Ashmore, Kristin Kreuk, Danny Glover and Isabella Rossellini in a story about a reckless youth, Ged (Ashmore), who discovers that he has magical powers, but who accidentally unleashes a dark power that threatens the world.
   Lieberman said that film deals with one specific conflict. "Throughout the whole piece, I saw it as having a duality of spirituality versus paganism and wizardry, male and female duality," he said. "Kristin's character and Shawn's character, who don't really meet until well into the film, represent two different belief systems in this world, and the only thing that really saves this universe, the Earthsea universe, is the union of those two beliefs."
   Lieberman added that he strove to distinguish EARTHSEA from other successful fantasy franchises, such as LORD OF THE RINGS and HARRY POTTER. 
   "It's so uniquely different in terms of its space," he said. The Earthsea novels are not specific in their description of the various islands that make up the world of Earthsea, he said. "I took the names of all the islands that appeared in the piece, and I spent a day just picking out a font to put on a piece of paper that would define that island, because I was trying to find cultural differences between these islands, so there wouldn't be just a hodgepodge of stuff. And then I wrote an outline of what life was like on that island. Not from the book. Just from what I got from the book and what my impressions were." 
   Danny Glover, one of the stars, said that he sought to ground his character, the master wizard Ogion, in the real world. "So much of what we consider to be the fantasy world resides in our own spirit, in our own hearts and in our own mind," Glover said. "I tried to bring certain values. What's inherent in this story are enormous values and ideals: values around one's use of one's gift and the use of one's gift for the betterment of the world or the values that deal with responsibility. And all those things are important values that go beyond the fantasy world."

BLACK TALKS ABOUT NEW FARSCAPE 
   Claudia Black, who plays alien warrior Aeryn Sun in the upcoming SCI FI Channel four-hour miniseries FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS that she came back to the role she'd played during the four seasons of the series with a new perspective. 
   "Different things were expected of Aeryn this time," Black said. "She was endowed with a different bag of dilemmas. And it wasn't an Aeryn that I recognized. And from the beginning, ... different producers and directors would say, 'This is what we want Aeryn to be. This is who she is.' And so, once I finally sort of worked out taking all that on board and trying to work out what to do with her, she just opened up."
   PEACEKEEPER WARS picks up the story from FARSCAPE’S series finale, in which Black's character agreed to marry astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) just before the two were seemingly killed by an alien ship. Black said that the show's producers, expecting a fifth season, had always intended to bring the couple back. 
   "There was at least another year or two left of that arc of us and the world of FARSCAPE’S," Black said. "For it to have stopped when it did, it brought additional attention to the show when it was canceled. So the miniseries has upped its value in doing another four hours of television based on that momentum. ... There were so many elements of the story that they needed to service for the fans to finish off this particular part of the story arc."
   Now that the show's creators have a chance to tie up loose ends, Black said that they are looking ahead to a possible theatrical film. "They'd always talked about movies," she said. "Doing a miniseries was always just a compromise to finish it off. ... There was a theatrical release in mind."
   Ben Browder, who plays astronaut John Crichton said that it was a little strange at first to step back into the role he played for four seasons, but he got used to it quickly. "There are things which were different about doing the miniseries in terms of the way we did it and what we were doing," he said ‘It was weird up until the point where I put on the leathers and walked on the set and went, 'OK. What are we going to do today?'"
   Browder credited the fans with bringing back the show, which ended with a cliffhanger at the end of season four. "It's all due to the continued fan participation in the process of getting it back on air," he said. "It wasn't as though it was one initial reaction, and it went away. They've actually sustained a campaign and sustained a community, which is based on the show. It's really interesting, the Internet community."
FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS will air on the SCI FI Channel for two nights beginning Oct. 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

ENTERPRISE SEEING GREEN
   "I felt really honored to be on the set that day," said Bobbi Sue Luther, who plays a green Orion slave girl in an upcoming episode of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE .  She added that she had fun bringing back an iconic alien species not seen since the original series. Luther said "And everybody really gave me props because it was the first time in 30 years that they've seen a girl like me. So everyone was really excited about that."
   The race was first introduced in the pilot episode of the original STAR TREK series, "The Cage," and memorably reprised by Yvonne Craig in the later episode "Whom Gods Destroy." Luther said that her character is reminiscent of the Orion slave girls of the past. "The producers wanted the original feel to my character," Luther said. "That kind of animalistic, predatory nature. I feed off of men."
   The landmark episode, titled "Borderland," will also show male Orions for the first time. "Orion males are slave traders," Luther said. "They're green and they're huge and they've got piercings. They're really magnificent-looking creatures. There was The Big Show aka Paul Wight, a wrestler. These guys are six, seven feet tall. They're just enormous. And then you have little me next to them."
   For the role, Luther was airbrushed with multiple coats of green makeup, an arduous process that took nearly five hours. But it was nothing new for the model-turned-actress. "My fiance is a creature effects guy, so he's made me up before," she said. So that was cool. I'm familiar with the process of airbrushing and prosthetics and things like that. I was wigged, I had beauty makeup on and a lot of green makeup on my body. ... But it really was so much fun and I really would do it every single day. It's a little different than just putting on a little foundation, but it's definitely well worth it."
   A relative newcomer to acting, Luther said the cast and crew were very accommodating and made her feel welcome on the set. "I just want to thank all the cast members and crew members who were on the set that day for all their support and the things they taught me and how wonderful it was," she said. "It's not easy being green, but it's really easy being on STAR TREK." 
 

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My Work Is Not Yet Done 
by Thomas Ligotti
Hardback – Mythos Books.
Review By Andrew Kent

   For the past 15 years, Thomas Ligotti has been an undisputed master of the horror short story, despite a lack of commercial success. He recently departed from his normal style of output, and penned his first short novel. 
   In 2002 My Work Is Not Yet Done was unleashed upon the world. Recently, I happened upon this hardback from Mythos Books, and am still reeling from the experience.
   Reading this book was like one mighty exhalation that began on the first page and once concluded had drained all life, joy, and sanity from every last recess of my mind. This is not "scary" horror in the sense that you fear for the safety of some generic protagonist in proximity to some nameless killer. This is Lovecraftian horror in that the world has been laid bare to your eyes for the first time, and all that is revealed is pain, strife, and an indifferent universe blind to the supreme suffering that is existence. My Work Is Not Yet Done is a triptych being composed of the eponymous short novel, and two short stories: "I Have a Special Plan for This World" and "The Nightmare Network." The latter being more a dread-inducing work of sci-fi prose poetry than a horror story.
   The short novel is obviously the centerpiece of this volume, and it delivers enough doom to last you several lifetimes. It is told in the first person by Frank Dominio, an upper-management drone of some nameless corporation in some nameless city. 
   He is almost content to stay exactly where he is on the corporate ladder and not worry about fighting for advancement, but life, his colleagues and the general corporate structure fight against him at every turn. He is also a man possessed of great sensitivity and self-doubt, and these traits are manipulated ruthlessly by his Machiavellian boss.
   Before he knows it, he finds himself being squeezed out of the company and murderous thoughts of revenge begin to consume his every waking thought. Where the story goes from there is constantly unexpected. Ligotti never employs cheap gimmickry to fool you, and yet every time you think you've settled into a rhythm or style of the narrative, it suddenly changes directions on you but without ever losing its original atmosphere or thematic aim. 
   As the story neared its conclusion, I found myself growing increasingly despondent from the growing feeling of dread that started on the first page and never faltered for one instant, yet I was simultaneously so propelled by the inertia of the narrative I could not put it down for a second. It is a story that feels slow and plodding, yet never falters in its relentless drive forward. Nothing short of masterful, and easily the best horror story I have read in many years.
   
   The two short stories do not approach quite the level of the novel, but are fantastic nevertheless. 
   "I Have a Special Plan for This World" resembles the novel in many respects and is a good choice to follow it up in this volume. Once again, it is told in the first person by a man working for a large corporation, and once again it makes chilling work of the orporate structure as a horror device. Ligotti's evocation of decayed urban landscapes paralleled with decayed moral work places is chilling and the stuff of great modern gothic horror. 
   I have never read anything else that can compare to these stories in terms of narrative content, though thematically he is reminiscent of Lovecraft to a strong degree. The last story is an interesting extrapolation of the future of mega-monopolies told through a cut-up of newspaper classifieds, internal memos, and screenplay segments. It is a very interesting piece even if it falls short of the emotional impact of the previous two.
    Thomas Ligotti is undoubtedly an author you have never heard of, and that is a tragedy as he deserves runaway success with the quality of writing that he shows here. This collection is put out by a small press called Mythos Books and is hard to find, but it is well worth the effort. 
   If you are looking for erudite horror fiction that is leaps and bounds above mass market pulp, do yourself a favor and track this book down. I guarantee you haven't read anything this good in a long time.
 
 
 

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Event news event news event news event news event news 
 

October 1-3rd  Cinema Wasteland & Movie Memorabilia Expo
Get that Drive In Movie feeling here.
16mm Movie & Videos all Weekend long –Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Galore! 
Holiday Inn - Strongsville, OH 

October 15-17th : Capclave 2004 
Vienna, VA

October 29-31st : Chiller Theatre 
For the best Halloween Horror – This is the Con to be at this weekend!
East Rutherford, NJ

December 10-12th - Philcon 2004 
Marriott Center City Hotel
Philadelphia, PA

movienewsmovienews  Silver Screen  movienewsmovienews

CLERKS SEQUEL PLANNED
   Kevin Smith is making another convenience store run.  The writer-director of DOGMA, CHASING AMY and JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK has begun work on a sequel to CLERKS, his homemade indie classic from 1994.  The sequel picks up 10 years later.
   "It's about what happens when that lazy, 20-something malaise lasts into your 30s. Those dudes are kind of still mired, not in that same exact situation, but in a place where it's time to actually grow up and do something more than just sit around and dissect pop culture and talk about sex," Smith said. "It's: What happened to these dudes?"
   The sequel — titled THE PASSION OF THE CLERKS — is set to begin shooting in January. Miramax Films, which turned the original into a cult-hit after buying it at the Sundance Film Festival, plans to distribute the follow-up.

CUSACK GOES MARTIAN
   John Cusack is signed on to the upcoming project, THE MARTIAN CHILD.  He will play a science fiction writer who adopts a 7 year old boy who may just be an alien.
   The movie will be written and directed by Menno Meyjes, who previously directed Cusack in MAX (a movie that sparked some controversy as it portrayed a more "human" side of Hitler). Meyjes is taking over from Nick Cassavetes, who was originally set to direct. Cassavetes left because of "creative differences".
    The movie is based on a short story by David Gerrold and will be distributed by New Line.

UNTOUCHABLES PREQUEL IN THE WORKS
   Director Antoine Fuqua (TRAINING DAY) has been tapped to direct the prequel to the 1987 hit THE UNTOUCHABLES, and the screenplay will be written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman (ROUNDERS.) 
   The film is tentatively titled THE UNTOUCHABLES: CAPONE RISING and will follow the early lives of Capone and Irish cop Jimmy Malone (played in the 80s version by Sean Connery.)  Levien said: 
   "The film starts on the eve of Capone's arrival, and while Malone wasn't the most corrupt cop, he operated at a time when every cop was on the take. Once he crosses paths with Capone, he sees a level of violence and criminality that causes him to have a moral awakening."  No casting has yet to be announced.

NARNIA TO THE BIG-SCREEN
   Production has begun in New Zealand on the film adaptation of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE. This is the first of a series of childrens books written by C.S. Lewis. There are seven books in all. 
   Budgeted at over $100 million, it will be distributed by The Walt Disney Studios, and co-fincanced by Walden Media. Andrew Adamson, who just came off of SHREK and SHREK 2 is directing and casting has been completed. 
   Four British actors have been cast as the main children; Georgie Henley, 9, from London, who plays the lead character Lucy; Skandar Keynes, 12, also from London, who plays Edmund; Anna Popplewell, 15, from West Yorkshire, who plays Susan; and William Moseley, 17, from Gloucestershire, who plays the eldest brother Peter. Jim Broadbent of MOULIN ROUGE fame will play the professor. WETA workshop is on board to handle effects. December 9th, 2005 is the expected release date.

XANTH ON DECK
   Hot on the heels of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, Warner Brothers has bought the rights to fantasy author and punmeister Piers Anthony's Xanth books, to start with A Spell For Chameleon. 
   The Xanth series currently numbers a whopping 30 books, putting Tolkien, Lewis and even Robert Jordan to shame. Wolfgang Petersen and David Benioff, the writer and director behind TROY, are set to produce, but they will recruit someone else to write and to direct. 
   Petersen has always had a bit of a weakness for fantasy – fans of THE NEVER-ENDING STORY will remember that he was at the helm. Benioff has been trying to secure the rights to the series for "as long as I can remember," he said. "When THE LORD OF THE RINGS finally got made and THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE got set up, I felt that the Xanth series was the last great one."

WAR IS COMING
   Paramount/Dreamworks has announced a WAR OF THE WORLDS remake which will be directed by Steven Spielberg and star Tom Cruise. 
   Dakota Fanning (MAN ON FIRE) will portray the daughter of Cruise's character in the production, which is being fast-tracked to start shooting in November.  
   WAR OF THE WORLDS, a contemporary adaptation of the 1898 H.G. Wells novel about aliens invading the Earth, is being prepped for a 2005 release. David Koepp wrote the script; Kathleen Kennedy and Cruise's long-time producing partner Paula Wagner will produce.

SERKIS GOES APE
   Actor Andy Serkis stunned his KING KONG co-stars by flying out to Rwanda to spend time with gorillas - to prepare him for his role in the remake. 
   THE LORD OF THE RINGS star is so determined to adopt the right mindset ahead of the big budget Peter Jackson film, he's willing to try anything to method enhance his understanding of the movie. 
   And actress Naomi Watts - who will play Fay Wray, the object of giant gorilla King Kong's desire - is astounded by Serkis' dedication to his work. She says, "He's extraordinary, the amount of research he's done. He brought back incredible tapes of gorilla behavior that we need to get very familiar with."

LOSTBREED
   Several years ago Clive Barker (HELLRAISER, LORD OF ILLUSIONS) had claimed he was working on a special edition director’s cut of NIGHTBREED containing 25 minutes of additional footage which would be seeing release on laser disc. 
   Since that obvsiouly never happened, he was recently asked if there were any plans to make this happen on DVD. He said he wished he could but apparently 20th Century Fox has lost all the extra footage. Lost it, people...  Clive said if the footage is ever uncovered he would still like to make that happen, and he also mentioned he'd like to make a  NIGHTBREED sequel some day.

TEKKEN ANYONE?
   Charles Stone III has been named as the director of the upcoming video-game film adaptation TEKKEN. The best-selling TEKKEN, from Japan's Gaga, takes place during a martial-arts tournament, with the grand prize going to the fighter who can defeat Heihachi Mishima. 
   Stone said that he intends to take the film's martial-arts action sequences in a different direction from such popular movies as THE MATRIX. "One concern of mine is that the fighting be good, because I personally think the fighting in something like THE MATRIX, where a lot of people are like 'Wow,' just doesn't do it for me," Stone said. "I grew up on the Hong Kong films, where fighting is filmed for the choreography of the actual art form, whereas in America we photograph fighting films with long lenses [and] way up close, and then the editing becomes the choreography." TEKKEN is tentatively scheduled for release in 2006.

A BITE INTO SHARK 
   The Columbus Citizens Foundation attacked DreamWorks's upcoming animated SHARK TALE movie as painting an unflattering portrait of Italian-Americans. SHARK TALE centers on a small fish named Oscar (Will Smith), who tangles with the shark Mafia, which includes mob boss Don Lino (Robert De Niro) and Frankie (The Sopranos' Michael Imperioli), the site reported.
   After a recent viewing of SHARK TALE at the Toronto Film Festival, CCF President Lawrence Auriana released a statement saying, "In SHARK TALE  bad guys are identified by ethnicity. They have Italian and Italian-American names, such as Don Lino, Luca, Giuseppe and Gino, and [use] Italian-American phrases of speech and slang, such as 'capeesh,' 'consigliere,' 'maronne' and 'agita.' ... They are creatures of rage and revenge. The movie introduces young minds to the idea that people with Italian names—like millions of Americans across the country—are gangsters ... [and] to associate Italian-Americans with violence and vengefulness."
   Auriana demanded several changes to make the film acceptable before it opens in the U.S.:
•Removing Italian names from characters
•Eliminating Italian and Italian-American phrases and slang
•Removing physical gestures and customs found in Italian and Italian-American culture
   In response, DreamWorks spokesman Andy Spahn told the Reuters news service, "It's a family comedy that pokes fun at a number of film genres. It doesn't demean anyone; there are no negative stereotypes. There is nothing mean-spirited in the film." Just be careful when you are swimming with the sharks…

BALE LIFTS THE BATMAN’S COWL 
   Christian Bale, who stars as Bruce Wayne in the upcoming BATMAN BEGINS movie, said that he's taking a fresh approach to the iconic character, playing him with a feral duality that adds reality to the comic-book mythology. 
   Bale even uses one voice for Wayne and a different, coarser baritone for the caped crusader, who comes into being after Wayne vows to avenge the murders of his parents.
   "I just saw it as a way of him being able to channel the clarity of mind that he must have had as a young boy when he first declared that he would get revenge," Bale said. "It's very difficult to maintain that throughout your life. It becomes a memory, and you know it takes a great deal of energy to maintain that sharpness of emotion. So I just felt that everything about him should become different when he becomes Batman.”
   “You know, everything, the look. The voice. And also see that he's able to have his own life, somewhat when he's Wayne. Because it seemed to me that if he was just going to be Bruce Wayne in a batsuit, first of all, that seemed a little bit ridiculous to me. It would have been as ridiculous as any of us getting into a batsuit and genuinely thinking we could go out on the town and intimidate people.” He continued
   “I think most people would probably laugh, you know? So you have to kind of really go for it in every way. And for me that kind of, you know, involved taking on a slightly beastlike voice, as I hear it."
   As for the newly designed suit, Bale said that it helped him get a feel for the caped crusader, whom he characterizes as "a creature" that is not quite human. "I felt like a panther the first day, you know?" Bale said, referring to the first shooting day he strode onstage in full Batman regalia. 
   "I did feel like some kind of wild animal. I don't know if anybody else was looking at me like that way. I don't know if I appeared quite as ferocious as I felt that I did. But I really felt like everybody was kind of looking at me. And ... it makes you feel, you know, like that, you want to kind of run and jump at people and beat the crap out of them. And ... you know, it just gives you this great neck and this physique that just looks intimidating. It's all kind of aggressive. It's all pointing forward. It's very much like a predator. And that was a thrill, doing that."
   Bale demurred when asked about the suit's comfort. "No, I’m not going to bitch about the suit," he said. Last month Bale was quoted in the British Daily Telegraph saying that the suit was uncomfortable, prompting some of the U.K.-based wardrobe crew to create T-shirts with a joking reference to his quote. "There's a quote from me that some of the people have on the back of their T-shirts that says, 'It's hot, dark, ... sweaty, and it gives me a headache.' Which is absolutely true, but there's nothing more annoying than hearing actors bitch about their work and stuff like that, you know?”
   “I'm playing Batman, for God's sake. That's pretty fantastic. I'm not going to complain about getting a little bit sweaty. And also, they've changed it so much, ... so I hear, from the first movie that they made. And so even though it may not feel like the most comfortable outfit to me, I know that others have had it worse." BATMAN BEGINS, which was on day 126 of a 128-day shoot, also stars Gary Oldman as Lt. James Gordon, Katie Holmes as Rachel, Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane and Ken Watanabe as Ra's Al Ghul. BATMAN BEGINS, from director Christopher Nolan, is slated to open next summer.

DAVA’S DELVINGS

Not Another Fall Movie!
A DVD review by Dava Sentz

   It is the end of summer and the usual string of cinema blockbusters has run its course through the local theaters. Harry Potter has returned to Privet Drive. Shrek is in a land far, far away. And, Spiderman seems to have spun his last web for the season. Now, we come to autumn. And, while the cooler weather is a welcome relief, it is also not without its share of disappointments. Not the least of which is a severe case of 'Back to School' blues and the inevitable drought that is the fall movie schedule. I felt it important to offer an enjoyable DVD alternative, for all us lonely moviegoers, who long for something to do while patiently waiting out this dismal time of year. 
   It so happens that, while at my local video store, I came across a find that is just as unique as it is entertaining and funny. To everyone in search of an anecdote to the thriving boredom of autumn cinema, I give you 2002's ALL I WANT.
   An independent film shot in Vancouver Canada, ALL I WANT depicts the story of 17 year old Jones Dillion, (Elijah Wood) a self described orphan who drops out of college and moves into a small, but charming boarding house. Once Jones settles into his surroundings, his flirty neighbor, Lisa, (played by Mandy Moore) soon takes him under her wing of theatrical allure. As the weeks pass by, Jones and Lisa form a kind of unspoken connection over bottles of wine and meaningful, late night dialogue. Jones is hardly immune to this actress from apartment 2A. 
   There is definitely an attraction to behold. Still, he cannot help but notice a mysterious, raven-haired photographer, (Franka Potente) who also shares the second floor. When the heat between him and Lisa suddenly runs cold, Jones makes a feeble attempt to enter the stranger's world. And, in spite of their violent first meeting, the pair forges an unlikely bond, which eventually turns to something deeper than either of them could have foreseen.
   To those skeptics who will be quick to label this a 'chick' flick, do not despair. For, there is much more to this movie than the sappy dribble of the typical romantic comedy. Jones brings to his new life a wild imagination, (quite common among us aspiring writers.) Through the recesses of his mind, we are able to bear witness to a horrific explosion, a fast motion shoot out, and a heroic rescue attempt by way of the old west. 
   Jones uses this thirst for tall tales and vivid description not only to compose letters to the father he never knew, but also to agitate and annoy the debutante lush he can so happily call his mother. Boasting a colorful blend of fantasy and reality, ALL I WANT puts an eccentric spin on a story of desired love, companionship, and family.
   It may not be a new movie, but it's a sure-fire way to rid yourself of the poison that is currently infecting our nation's theater circuit. Directed by Jeffery Porter, this film makes a wonderful addition to any DVD collection.

IMAGINATIVE CINEMA COMING SOON
MUST SEE MOVIES FOR YOU!

September 17th      SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
Cast: Jude Law (Captain Joseph Sullivan, AKA Sky Captain), Gwyneth Paltrow (Polly Perkins), Angelina Jolie (Captain Franky Cook), Michael Gambon (Editor Morris Paley)
Premise: This adventure set in the 1930s starts as New York City reporter Polly Perkins (Paltrow) investigate why so many famous scientists are starting to be reported missing. Soon, strange flying machines and giant robots threaten the city. But, Captain Joseph Sullivan (Law), AKA Sky Captain, is there to battle the bad guys. Soon, Polly is flying away with Sky Captain to Nepal to find a crazy scientist, Dr. Totenkopf, who apparently wants to destroy the world. When the danger lurks under the waters of the seas, Sky Captain seeks the help of naval adventurer Captain Franky Cook (Jolie), much to the chagrin of Polly...

September 24th     SHAUN OF THE DEAD
Cast: Simon Pegg (Shaun), Kate Ashfield (Liz), Nick Frost (Ed), Lucy Davis(Dianne), Dylan Moran (David), Nicola Cunningham (Mary), Peter Serafinowicz (Pete), Penelope Wilton (Barbara) 
Premise: Shaun's life is stuck in a rut. He's a twenty nine year old who lives with his two best friends Ed and Pete. Shaun's girlfriend Liz is sick of the same old, boring nights and decides to break it off with him. Te following day, Shaun devises a plan to win Liz back, but today, all is not as it seems... unfortunately for Shaun 'The Dead' have risen in London and soon a full Zombie apocalypse has exploded onto the streets. Determined to save his girlfriend and salvage their relationship, Shaun and his pals let nothing stand in their way as they go forth on a zombie killing spree to save the day!

October 1st         SHARK TALE
Cast: (voices) Will Smith (Oscar), Robert De Niro (Don Lino), Renee Zellweger (Angie), Angelina Jolie (Lola), Jack Black (Lenny the Shark), Martin Scorsese (Sykes the Pufferfish), Peter Falk (Don Brizzi)
Premise: This mafia movie, set in the world of saltwater fish, is the story of what happens when the son of the shark boss (De Niro) of a fish crime family is killed (by a dropped anchor), and a bottom-feeder named Oscar (Smith) is found at the scene of the crime. Hoping to win favor with the enemies of the ganglord, the fast-talking hustler poses as the killer known as the "sharkslayer", but soon learns it's a dangerous game in a world where the big fish generally eat the little fish... 

October 15th      TEAM AMERICA WORLD POLICE
Premise: This politcally-minded comedy action adventure tells the story of Team America, superhero-style adventurers who travel the world fighting terrorism and other evils. The story focuses on a typical "action hero" who is recruited to join Team America for a special mission, as a satire of the typical Hollywood action movie, using a combination of wood marionette-driven action sequences and stirring musical numbers. 

farewellsfarewellsfarewells Good bye farewellsfarewellsfarewells

   David Myers, a cinematographer best known for his camera work on landmark concert documentaries such as Woodstock, Elvis on Tour, The Last Waltz and The Grateful Dead Movie, has died. He also filmed the Joe Cocker/Leon Russell rockumentary Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Let the Good Times Roll, Wattstax, Johnny Cash: Live at San Quentin, Cracked Actor: A Film About David Bowie, Bob Dylan's Hard Rain, Joni Mitchell's Shadows and Light, Gospel and Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic.
  In addition, he worked on George Lucas' 1971 futuristic THX 1138 and the 1977 drama Welcome to L.A.; Luis Valdez's Zoot Suit, Neil Young's Human Highway and Journey Through the Past, Bob Dylan's Renaldo and Clara, FM, Roadie and UFOria. 
   “There was nobody who captured the essence of rock 'n' roll and music better than Dave Myers”, said Mark Fishkin, director of the California Film Institute, 
David Myers was 90.
 

   Eugene Roche, a character actor on stage and in film and television for over 40 years, has died at age 75. He played the offbeat detective Luther Gillis in Magnum, P.I. and was Squeaky Clean of the Ajax television commercials. Debuting in film in the 1961 Splendor in the Grass, he also appeared in such movies as they might be giants, slaughterhouse five, cotton comes to harlem, oh god! You devil and executive decision.
   His career in television was much more extensive appearing in series like naked city, hawaii five-0, kojak, streets of san francisco, all in the family, soap, taxi, PERFECT STRANGERS, murder she wrote and star trek:Voyager, as well as numerous made for T.V. movies.
 

   Virginia Grey actress, daughter of director Robert Grey, has died at age 87. She got her start at age 10 as Little Eva in the silent film uncle tom’s cabin and sustained a career for almost fifty years. She appeared in such varied films as the great zigfeld, test pilot, idiot’s delight, the hardy’s hayride, another thin man, the big store, whistling in the dark, mr.and mrs. North, tarzan’s new york adventure, jungle jim, the bullfighter and the lady, jeanne eagles, flower drum song and airport 1970. 
She also was in ICS favorites house of horrors and target earth.
 
 

ACQUANETTA, B-movie actress best known as Lea, The High Priestess in RKO’s tarzan and the leopard woman, has died. 
Born Burnu Acquanetta near Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1920 and raised in Norristown, Pa., she gained success after high school as a model in New York City. Universal signed her and created the role of Paula Dupree, the Ape Woman for her, which she played in Captive Wild Woman and Jungle Woman.  She also appeared in rhythm of the islands, dead man’s eyes, the sword of monte cristo, and lost continent. She was 83.
 

   Frank Thomas, one of the celebrated "Nine Old Men" of Disney animation whose work set the standards by which all character animation is judged, has died just three days after his 92nd birthday. 
   Born in Santa Monica on Sept. 5. 1912, Thomas studied art at Stanford, where he met lifelong friend Ollie Johnston, who would become another of the Nine Old Men. The group got its name from Walt Disney as a play on the term President Franklin D. Roosevelt used to describe the Supreme Court. At the time, the veteran group of animators had barely reached middle age. 
   Thomas' animation included the Seven Dwarfs weeping at the heroine's bier in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Captain Hook dueling with Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp falling in love over a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
He did his first animation for the short Mickey's Elephant in 1936, and later for The Brave Little Tailor. He also worked on pinocchio, bambi, saludos amigos, the three caballeros, cinderella, alice in wonderland, sleeping beauty, 101 dalmatians, the jungle book, robin hood and the rescuers.
   Animation historian John Canemaker said “that Thomas would go down as one of the greatest animators of all time."
 

   Voice-over artist Jackson Beck, perhaps best known for the classic "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!" radio introduction, has died. As the spokesman for such products as Sugar Frosted Flakes, GI Joe, Pepsi, Brawny paper towels, Combat insect killer and Aqua Fresh toothpaste, Beck's voice was ubiquitous to radio and television audiences.
   The son of silent film actor, Max Beck, he not only introduced and narrated the classic Superman radio show, but played various villains and supporting characters, as well, including Beany, the Daily Planet copyboy. He was also the announcer for the TOM CORBETT, SPACE CADET television show and was the voice of Bluto in more than 300 POPEYE cartoons. He later performed voice-over for the Woody Allen features, Take the Money and Run and Radio Days, and was heard on Saturday Night Live. He was 92.

THE LAST WARD . . .
By John Ward

 I enjoy making lists.
 It’s not entirely born out of pleasure, either.  I write things down on Post-Its all the time at work, to the point that I think I should buy stock in 3M.  If I didn’t write the lists down, I’d forget to get a text from the bookroom, or I’d forget to ask a student why he was absent the day before, or I’d forget to attend the after-school seminar on school planning.  Then my students would fail, I’d be out of a job, the school building would be condemned, Western civilization would collapse, and the Orioles would never appear in the World Series again.  So, thank heavens for lists.
 But of course, there’s another reason I like lists.  (Hey, if hauling my ashes out of the workplace fire was the only reason, this column would be over and you’d probably be clicking over to another website by now.)  Lists are quick snapshots of personal likes and dislikes.  They reveal much about their creator without really stating much.  And they’re great for starting arguments.  (So I’m feeling a wee bit testy this month.  Sue me.)
 Regular readers of this column have noticed my taste for list-making before.  The first one, well over a year ago, went something like this:

JOHN WARD’S 5 FAVORITE JIMMY STEWART MOVIES
1.MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
2.IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
3.REAR WINDOW
4.THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
5.SHENANDOAH

An easy list on a topic I felt pretty strongly about.  I’ve been thinking about lists again recently, and thought I’d try my hand at putting some down on paper.  At this point, I only have six or seven topics on hand, and I’m actually hoping the inspiration bug will bite me on the derriere while I’m typing.  This is called “flying by the seat of your pants,” otherwise known as desperation.  There really are no patterns here, other than a rather tentative promise that they’ll all be related to movies, and as close to genre product as possible.  Enjoy, and feel free to talk back (or chime in on the ever-popular forum) with your own ideas.

FIVE BEST MOVIES ABOUT AMERICAN POLITICS (‘Tis the season)
1.MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
2.THE CANDIDATE
3.ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
4.THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
5.THE BEST MAN

FIVE BEST MOVIE THEATER CANDIES
1.Good-n-Plenty
2.Whoppers
3.Milk Duds
4.Goobers
5.Snow-Caps

FIVE BIGGEST MOVIE THEATER COMPLAINTS
1.Commercials before the feature
2.Obnoxiously loud patrons
3.Cell phones
4.Sticky floors
5.People who sit in the seat directly in front of you when there are hundreds of other empties around

FIVE FAVORITE MOVIE MONSTERS
1.King Kong
2.Dracula
3.Frankenstein
4.The Wolf Man
5.Godzilla

FIVE FAVORITE MOVIE LINES
1.“I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man!”
2.“Miss Jean Louise…Miss Jean Louise, stand up.  Your father’s passin’.”
3.“It’s alive!!!  It’s alive!!!!  IT’S ALIVE!!!!!”
4.“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
5.“Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!”

FIVE BEST ZOMBIE (or a close approximation) MOVIES
1.DAWN OF THE DEAD
2.28 DAYS LATER
3.NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
4.SHAUN OF THE DEAD
5.DEAD ALIVE

FIVE CHICK FLICKS I WILL SIT STILL FOR
1.SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE
2.THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT
3.YOU’VE GOT MAIL
4.TO SIR, WITH LOVE
5.WORKING GIRL

FIVE BEST HITCHCOCK BLONDES
1.Grace Kelly
2.Eva Marie Saint
3.Janet Leigh
4.Kim Novak
5.Vera Miles

FIVE FAVORITE JOHN WAYNE MOVIE REGULARS
1.Ben Johnson
2.Ward Bond
3.Strother Martin
4.Bruce Cabot
5.Hank Worden

FIVE FAVORITE “BOO!” MOMENTS
1.The last two minutes of CARRIE
2.The dead fisherman’s sudden appearance to Richard Dreyfuss in JAWS
3.The shark’s sudden appearance to a chumming Roy Scheider in JAWS (See Fave Movie Line no. 4 above)
4.The shower scene in PSYCHO
5.Wilfred Brimley’s sudden last appearance in JOHN CARPENTER’S THE THING

FIVE GREAT (OR GOOD) BLACK-AND-WHITE MOVIES MADE SINCE 1970
1.RAGING BULL
2.YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
3.THE ELEPHANT MAN
4.MANHATTAN
5.THE LAST PICTURE SHOW

FIVE GREAT (OR GOOD) COLOR MOVIES MADE BEFORE 1950
1.THE WIZARD OF OZ
2.PINOCCHIO
3.GONE WITH THE WIND
4.BAMBI
5.FANTASIA

FIVE FAVORITE NON-FRANKENSTEIN BORIS KARLOFF MOVIES
1.THE BODY SNATCHER
2.THE BLACK CAT
3.THE LOST PATROL
4.THE MUMMY
5.TOWER OF LONDON

FIVE FAVORITE NON-DRACULA BELA LUGOSI MOVIES
1.THE BLACK CAT
2.THE PHANTOM SHIP
3.SON OF FRANKENSTEIN
4.THE WOLF MAN
5.THE BODY SNATCHER
 

FIVE BEST MARTIAL ARTS MOVIES
1.ENTER THE DRAGON
2.KILL BILL, VOL. 1 AND 2
3.HERO
4.CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
5.FIST OF LEGEND

TWO GREAT OPENING SCENES FOR SO-SO/MEDIOCRE MOVIES
1.Roger Moore freefalls without a parachute in MOONRAKER
2.The battle on the runaway coach in DRACULA A.D. 1972

FIVE FAVORITE EXAMPLES OF BAD GUYS PLAYING GOOD-GUY ROLES
1.Michael Rooker as Sylvester Stallone’s Mountain Rescue partner in CLIFFHANGER
2.Bruce Dern in Hitchcock’s FAMILY PLOT
3.Willem Dafoe in PLATOON
4.James Woods in DIGGSTOWN
5.Jack Palance in CITY SLICKERS

FIVE FAVORITE EXAMPLES OF GOOD GUYS PLAYING VILLAINS
1.Henry Fonda in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
2.Tom Hanks in ROAD TO PERDITION
3.Tom Cruise in COLLATERAL
4.Burt Lancaster in SEVEN DAYS IN MAY
5.Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in FACE OFF
 

And just to wrap things up…

FIVE GREAT CLOSERS
1.“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
2.“Shut up and deal.”
3.“Nobody’s perfect!”
4.“It was Beauty killed the Beast.”
5.“There’s no place like home.”

ICS CALENDER –the Month in review!

September 17th      SKY CAPTAIN & THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
 

September 22nd     the ICS Editors Birthday
 

September 22nd    First Day of Autumn
 

September 24th     SHAUN OF THE DEAD
 

September 25th    ICS MEETING!
One of our most popular club events, Annual Pizza Night – Pizzas of every imaginable creation is thought up and delivered and eaten by our group.  Fun time is had by all!
 

October 1st         SHARK TALE