So here’s a glimpse of Venom! Link to desktop wallpaper on Sony Pictures site.
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Archive for July, 2006
First Image of Venom
Jul 24
9 of 10 stars
So, I finally got out to see A Scanner Darkly last night. Like I said I would, I drove 2+ hours to Atlanta, where it was playing. I must say, I was (and still am) impressed.
animation
The rotoscoped animation, while beautiful, was subdued and extremely lifelike; unlike Richard Linklater’s previous film Waking Life, which was a constantly shifting mess of a dream, where you never knew what was going to pop out of someone’s ear or mouth or materialize out of thin air. Instead the animation of A Scanner Darkly enhances the dreamlike nature of this film, while staying grounded (to a degree) in a recognizable reality. Linklater tries to make the few special effects part of the overall reality of the film, this way you don’t know what is real and what is not and you’re forced, as the viewer, to make some of your own decisions about what you’re seeing. There was no part in this movie where you go, “Oh that’s CG” or “that’s an effect”, because the whole film is an effect. For the most part, however, the animation is so sublime that there were times where I forgot I was watching an animated film. Then, there are other times where the animation is used to do things that cannot be done in practical photography.
Peter Jackson Strikes Again
Jul 21
When Fellowship of the Ring came out on DVD, I rushed out to purchase it. I was that excited. I was, however, disappointed by the lack of special features on the disc. Later, I found out about an extended edition with more special features than you could shake a Hobbit at. So, that November, I ran out and purchased Fellowship again. So there. I’m that much of a fanboy that I bought the movie twice in the same year. I ended up giving away the not-so-special edition. When The Two Towers and Return of the King came out in the subsequent years, I was more patient. I elected to wait for the extended editions of these films and now I have the whole set. Hooray.
Well, this year King Kong came out on DVD and I was not gonna get tricked into buying this movie twice. So I waited and watched for news of the extended edition. But lo and behold. Nothing. So i reluctantly purchased the version they were billing as the Deluxe edition, with the postproduction diaries on a second disc. All was well, until I realized there was no director’s commentary track. There was no commentary whatsoever. I told myself that not every DVD release can be so special, but in the back of my mind I was feeling the familiar feeling of being screwed. But I kept telling myself that once I purchased the production diaries, I could piece together my own deluxe box set.
Well, this morning all my worst fears were confirmed. Peter Jackson had screwed me… again. That’s really dramatic, sorry. Anyway, I opened my RSS reader to see that King Kong: Deluxe Extended Edition will be released on Nov 14, 2006. In reality, I’m really not upset. I’m glad that this version of the film is coming out. I’m a total film geek and I was actually disappointed by the current DVD.
In truth, my first reaction to the news was one of joy. In fact, I almost shouted “Shazam!” at my desk, but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself at my place of work. So… I guess I’ll be selling or giving away the stripped down version of Kong. But I’ll have another cool box set to add to my Peter Jackson shrine on my DVD shelf.
TMNT Trailer Impressions
Jul 21
“Stoked” isn’t the right word to describe how I feel about the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, but it’s the first one that comes to mind. Perhaps I should be more concerned about the fact that “stoked” is a staple of my vernacular, but I digress. This film is going to be awesome… I hope.
I’ll admit that my first exposure to the turtles was via the silly saturday morning cartoon and the plethora of action figures as a child. When I was 12ish, I picked up a reprint of the Eastman and Laird TMNT Graphic novel. Yeah, the first one. The book that inspired the cartoon and the action figures, the movies and the Pizza Hut TMNT World Tour. That book ruined everything I thought I knew about Ninja Turtles. The turtles in the book behaved like ninja, they killed people. They hid in the dark. They were cut and they bled. I could no longer respect the multicolored “Heroes on the Half Shell” that I saw on TV. From that moment on, it was Eastman and Laird’s vision, or I’d have nothing to do with it.
I say all of that to say that the trailer reminds me of the comic. It’s dark, they’re fast and stealthy and ultimately awe inspiring. Of course, the technicolor headbands are back, but I’ll let that slide if the mood and tone of the comic is present. Check out the trailer for yourself and get excited like I am.
Cowabunga!
Jul 21
The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie teaser is up and it’s freaking sweet. This is a CG animated film. It looks like the look of the comic is there, let’s hope that the feel and mood of the comic is there, too. Check it out!
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