“Life aboard the Death Star appears to have consisted mostly of walking purposefully down endless corridors, and not getting laid. There was very little culture to be found anywhere. However, working on The Death Star meant trading citizenship on your gay-sounding home planet (Tatooine? Seriously?) to live on something called The Death Star.“

Color me excited.

UPDATE: Here’s the quicktime versions.

So the Watchmen movie has been out for a few weeks now. However, I’m sure many of you robots have been thinking of dressing up and acting link Rorschach since the 1980’s. Well with the technology of today that is slowly getting easier and easier. AMC had a really cool article about all the new tech that will allow you to be your own superhero.  Of course they cost and assload so don’t quit your day jobs.

Dr. Cyborg here, just got back from Alex Proyas’ new film “Knowing”. First off I would like to mention that there was absolutely no one else in the theater despite the fact that it is opening weekend, and it isn’t a work day. I can’t say for certain why. I know that Nicolas Cage keeps me from the theater for the most part, but Alex Proyas’ one ups Nicolas Cage in my book. Anyway on with the review.

I would like to get the fact that I liked this movie out of the way, so that when I bitch further on you will know it is merely a compliant and it didn’t ruin the movie.

What I liked the most about this movie, was the film making was always on top of it’s game, whenever something was suppose to be suspenseful, it was. If something was suppose to be creepy, you were creep’d out. I think this is definitely a movie you would want to see in the theater, they really use the surround sound to boost the experience. And the movie delivers in every way it promises by the plot, and they don’t hold the camera away from any of it.

Without giving away any story points, I would like to say that I liked that it crossed so many genres. Most notably thriller mystery and sci-fi. It was refreshing to see that it blended these genres and had you asking questions the whole way without making it feel like a mutant hybrid. I know that using words like thrill-ride and roller coaster make most people reading reviews want to choke, but I think when you look back at where this movie starts and where it takes you, these words definitely apply.

Some of the visuals in this film are some of the best I’ve seen in a while, it told a unique story, and it went places I didn’t expect it to go.

My biggest hang-ups were that it was pretty cheesy at points and it relied to heavily on poor child actors, and Nicolas Cage. Whom I didn’t think gave that good of a performance, I don’t like Nicolas Cage!…..But I think you should go see this movie anyway, it was good. Although not Alex Proyas’ best work, it was still well made and maybe not as stylish as some of his other films, but it still felt like an Alex Proyas movie. I just think he has a bit of trouble casting his front man. That’s all. It also had a good soundtrack.
I am awarding this movie with seven out of a possible ten shiny robots.

Excerpt from the Den of Geek story (which is from the IESB story!):

Singer, who has just come off the back of the promotional work for the Tom Cruise flick Valkyrie, was suspected to be moved off the project, given the underwhelming critical and fan response to his 2006 Superman reboot, Superman Returns. Warner Bros has been cautious since then on how to proceed with the Superman franchise, particularly having sat and watched how the Batman series has been reignited, and talk was of a further reboot, without Singer’s involvement.

However, perhaps with one eye on Singer’s excellent second X-Men movie, IESB has learned that he’s getting the reigns for the next adventure for the Man Of Steel. Brandon Routh too will be returning to don the famous tights.

As with a lot of superhero movies, Superman Returns had mixed reviews at best, but this bot actually enjoyed it. It was a “reboot” of sorts, I felt, and was meant to be the beginning of something new. I knew it was probably going to be a little slow at times like it was as I always assumed, “Okay, this is probably going to be the first of several movies, so be patient.” With that said, Supes better get the chance to punch the fuck out of something! Regardless, I am excited to see what happens with round two with Singer and Routh.

UPDATE: This is directly from the story we pulled this from at Den of Geek:

Update: Silly us. Turns out the report was from exactly a year ago, and not today. Apologies for the confusion caused. We did double check, but clearly missed the digit at the end of the year name. We shall spend the weekend clearly wiping some egg off our faces. An honest, human mistake, and it won’t be happening again.

In the interests of proving just how daft we were, we’ll leave the original story we wrote in tact. Apologies again.

JoBlo.com is reporting that it looks like Natalie Portman may be cast as the female lead in Kenneth Branagh’s Thor.

This news makes me extremely happy.

It seems as though she may be The Enchantress, which makes me even happier, since I love Marvel’s version of Norse Mythology so damned much.  But throw Natalie Portman into the mix?  It’ll be my favorite Marvel movie ever.  Remember how good she was in Star Wars?  Damn, those movies were good.

When I hear things like this, it doubles and triples my confidence in Branagh.  And for those of you still hemming and hawing about Branagh?  May I suggest a double feature? Henry V and Dead Again. If those two movies combined don’t convince about Branagh, there’s something wrong with you.

Our good friend Jeff Vice sent us a heads up: Aint It Cool News has the first look at the Goon movie. Eric Powell has also offered to answer any questions about the film through their site. Go check it out!.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting the following:

The superheroes will take just a little longer to arrive on the scene. Marvel Entertainment said Thursday morning that it was pushing back by a year a pair of key properties in its comic book franchises “Thor” and “Avengers.”

“Thor” will now release on June 17, 2011 (it had previously been scheduled for July 16, 2010), while “Avengers” will hit theaters May 4, 2012 (it had been slotted for July 15, 2011).

Execs did not offer a reason for the deferrals; Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel said only that the move “maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multicharacter ‘The Avengers’ film in 2012.”

…

Had it let the previous dates stand, it would have seen the bunching of two properties (Iron Man and Thor) in 2010 and then three (Captain America, Spider-Man and the multicharacter Avengers) in 2011. Under the new schedule, it will space out the characters more: just one (Iron Man) in 2010, Spider-Man, Thor and Captain America in 2011, and Avengers in 2012.

Of course, anything worth doing is worth doing right, so hopefully the pushbacks mean better quality? Or maybe it’s just them strategically placing their movies for optimum cash? Either way, our wait just got longer. You can check out the full THR.com report via the link above.

I must have missed something pivotal in the DC incorporated office universe because it seems they are not only kicking ass, but tearing that ass open like a proctologist.

Their newest tool to spread those cheeks open goes under the guise of a mild-mannered cartoon for the kids, and only the kids, Wonder Woman.  Little did I know going into viewing this, that three people would be decapitated in the first 5 minutes (each cooler than the last, btw).  Needless to say, I recommend this movie; not only for adults but little kids as well.  If Pencilbot was still in robohigh-school and babysitting my 6 year old bro-ham-bot like back in the day, I’d thoroughly enjoy sitting back with a can of stolen beer and watching this with him.

This depiction of Wonder Woman works on many levels;

1. Battle of the sexes… I love the battle of the sexes.  Especially when males AND females learn a valuable lesson in stereotypes.
2. New angle at Ancient Greek mythos… I’m a geek for that shiz.
3. Her costume makes sense.
4. It’s funny… from little things like Steve Trevor waking up in a crowd of Amazonian women and saying “I haven’t had this dream since I was 13” to him trying to get Diana Prince wasted on tequila shots in a bar called the Rusty Nail.  Things younger kids wouldn’t pick up on in a negative fashion while making it worthwhile spending time in front of the tube with the kids; delivered flawlessly by Nathan Fillion and Keri Russell (Waitress)
5. Busty and un-busty women beating ass… throwing demons through walls, roundhousing Gods in the face and as previously mentioned cutting off the heads of harbingers of death.  Not to worry though, women get their asses beat too; that’s what’s great about this movie, it’s an equal opportunity ass-kicking extravaganza.

Don’t bother renting it, just buy the damn thing.  It’s worth it.  The only thing wrong with this movie is that it leaves you with an insatiable desire to see more and wish it would go on for another 2-3 hours. Here’s a trailer to help convince the weary.

Monitor Tapes for Monday, March 9th 2009

Just to be forewarned, no comic reviews/ cliff notes again this week as I’ve not only not had a chance to read my stack of stuff (of the stuff I did read, New Krypton #1 was good and you should go pick it up, unless you’re Lex Luthor or Jeff Vice) the Lj situation has sucked most of my writing time in addition to Watchmen as well. So staying DC-centric, we’ll dive into discussing a couple of the more sensitive points of Watchmen, and if a similar issue will arise in the future regarding the future film adaptation of Ex Machina. Hopefully I don’t ramble on too much….

It’s the Watchmen’s world baby, we just live in it!

Watchmen fever seems to have gripped the country recently, love it or hate it people are talking about it either way and that’s good. I’m honestly happy that the film has garnered so much attention for it’s self as it brings attention to the original work and also makes for spirited discussions. Now, I expected to hear most “comic” fans to either love it or hate it, but I had no way of speculating the way that some would react when not being familiar with the work.

As you all know, I saw Watchmen on Monday the 9^th along with several media types and Kerry and Co. from the Geek Show Podcast. Now readers probably already know that Sean Means said some things about scenes involving President John F. Kennedy and that lovable rascal known as the Comedian. Referencing the president’s assassination in the film to him seemed crass and exploitative and laid the blame upon the directors head, despite the fact it was in the book called Watchmen (of which he claims to have read, but honestly could have missed it if he skimmed or read cliff notes, but I digress.

Kerry became very passionate about the comments providing his own comments to the incident (in the bathroom of all places), of which you can listen to/ download here-

http://www.thegeekshowpodcast.com

Kerry has in fact apologized for his outburst and he and Sean are cool, having made up. The purpose of this article is not in fact to bash Sean as though I think his review and opinion are valid because he’s a human being with his own life, thoughts, and feelings. But I in no way support his review or comments as I wholeheartedly disagree with him.

Even though I fully back Kerry’s comments, I know it can be a touchy subject for some and debates have gone back and forth regarding it even though I think a more constructive use of energy would be solving the worlds many problems (like Ozymandias, ZING!). I admit to finding this fragment of the film receiving this much attention than any other part in the films opening (such as the “Last Supper” image) or the entire film it’s self (other “historical” figures are assassinated in part of the film). I myself didn’t think much of the scene other than I enjoyed it and understood it’s significance in the film and in an “alternate” history (I swore to myself I wouldn’t use that phrase, dammit!) context as well. Unfortunately though, I think no matter how such a thing is referenced, it’s going to ruffle feathers whether it be regarding the assassination of JFK or even the more recent 9/11 incident still fresh in our minds. Then again if Kennedy somehow survived and went undercover with Abe Lincoln and traveled through time, fighting Nazis and saving the world, maybe it would have been more palatable to those who disagree with the scene.

Just for a counter point to it all I guess, I was on a plane the morning of 9/11 in Connecticut when the shit went down. Now clearly I’m still alive, the plane was evacuated suddenly and without reason, military rushed in and tried to lock-down the airport while removing citizens. Before the evacuation happened, there was rumor and speculation about what happened, but most were saying a plane flew into the towers, of which I thought they were mistaken, maybe a prop plane or single engine smacked into one of the buildings on accident, but there’s no way an large airline passenger plane would.

As it turned out, I war wrong. Not only that, the plain had clearance to take off and almost did. The whole event was pretty surreal, I was jumped by reporters as I left asking my thoughts on the situation (I responded that I had no idea what was going on) as solders yelled at me while trying to retrieve my bags, they eventually stopped when I yelled back (remarkably I didn’t get shot for being slightly off white in skin color I guess) about needing my clothes. I managed to find a ride back to Northampton, MA and later in the evening saw what had happened with the planes (the interview people from earlier had given me a brief on what they knew) as the footage repeated it’s self. It was also slightly eerie walking around Northampton during the day as not many had heard what happened and went about their lives. Now I didn’t know anyone personally on any of those flights that went down so honestly I’ll never know what they went through exactly, but even though it’s a modern tragedy still fresh in our collective conscientiousness we can’t sweep it under the rug and forget due to the pain it caused.

When the movie version of Ex Machina comes out five years from now and includes the 9/11 segment crucial to the story, some people will in fact see it as crass exploitation even though it’s a part of the story. Some people don’t understand that fiction, while it may in fact be simply entertainment for consumption, fiction does in fact carry a greater burden. Fiction (especially Science Fiction) is a filter through where we examine ourselves, whether it be something completely fictional in construct, or tied into historical events giving people a point of reference in their minds to which relate. We’re a people (on the entire planet) that has a history both loaded with grimy ugliness and brilliant beauty, to not take the smooth with the rough is to deny ourselves of truth of our history, our cultures, and ultimately ourselves.

It’s not as if Watchmen has a laugh track going when the Comedian shot Kennedy, the fact remains historical events will forever fall into our fiction simply due to the fact that it’s ours and it effects us in some way. Did I find it crass or exploitative to read Ex Machina when 9/11 was referenced? No I didn’t because I understand the context and the importance of the event in not only the books context, but the real and historical significance to us as a nation of Americans. I don’t think the majority of people can even comprehend acts of violence on such a scale, whether it be a historical figure propelled into historical myth, or murder on a scale of hundreds or thousands, even more so if we’re not actually connected in someway to such events (there’s a difference from viewing something from afar and actually being personally connected to a person who’s part of a tragic end). I almost wonder sometimes if the grief we expel from ourselves over such a thing is sometimes forced and overdone, due to the fact we’ve become desensitized in so many ways just to be able to function day to day on planet earth.

The squid stays in the picture!

On a completely different note, I’ve heard the arguments for the altered ending in the film, but really none for the original ending (though I may not be looking hard enough, even though I know it’s out there) other than my own. I’m OK with the ending, I can live with it and it doesn’t make or break the movie for me. I understand how it’s more palatable to a mainstream audience, but it doesn’t take away the original ending from the book.

Would I have wanted to see the squid? Yes due to how significant it is to the story and character development. Would it have been out of place in the film? No more so than the superheroes themselves or a giant genetically altered lynx wandering around a terrarium somewhere in the Arctic. I’m all for a certain amount of license in comic to film adaptations to make them more realistic and comprehensible, but in the case of the film it “changed things” (as the Joker said) creating a wholly different ending from the book. Is it better or for worse? I don’t know which do you prefer the book a Clockwork Orange or the film adaptation?

Regarding the ending it’s self, it changes elements of the story in the main body only slightly. And only when you seen the film version of the ending can you go back and see things set up for said ending, not unlike the book even though you get somewhere different at the end. With the film ending, even though Dr. Manhattan is possibly the most powerful being in the universe, the ending makes him less omnipotent and almost ineffective in a number of ways. What were inventions that changed society created by Manhattan in the book, end up being Ozymandias’ gifts to humanity as he sets himself up as the great Lex Luthor (though more David Bowie thin white duke and “possibly a homosexual”) against the “Superman” of the film. Unlike Lex though, he truly is a benevolent person in being a leader of men and having man’s best interests at heart. So in a way, though it’s different, the film still manages to maintain parts of the original message in the end, despite the radical departures. I do wonder though if we’ll ever see test footage on the DVD release of ol’ squiddy and what our reactions will be upon seeing it.

Breifly- Regarding the Livejournal situation, it occurred to me that the Lj feed “Comics Should Be Good” associated with CBR (Comic Book Resources) is in fact still posting pages, panels and covers from Marvel and DC comics without any known reprisals (that I’m aware of at least) from Lj or Marvel. Though being connected to CBR as a “legit” comic news source may somehow exclude them, this is all speculation on my part though. To make it DC-centric, still no news to be found on DC’s opinion of the situation at hand. If in fact anyone associated with DC in any way wants to chime in, I’ll gladly throw your two-cents in to next weeks Monitor Tapes.

DC Comics available on 3/11/2009

DC

* ACTION COMICS #875

* BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #27

* BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL #1 (OF 3)

* BOOSTER GOLD #18

* CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #35

* CATWOMAN: THE LONG ROAD HOME

* GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #18

* GREEN LANTERN CORPS #34

* JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL VOL. 4

* THE LOSERS BY JACK KIRBY

* R.E.B.E.L.S. #2

* SCOOBY-DOO #142

* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VOL. 4

* SIMON DARK #18

* SUPER FRIENDS: FOR JUSTICE!

* SUPERMAN/BATMAN #56

* TITANS #11

* TRINITY #41

* WONDER WOMAN: THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

VERTIGO

* DMZ #40

* FABLES #82

* NORTHLANDERS #15

* SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE VOL. 7: THE MIST AND PHANTOM OF THE FAIR

* SCALPED #26

* TRANSMETROPOLITAN VOL. 1: BACK ON THE STREET

* YOUNG LIARS #13

WILDSTORM

* EX MACHINA SPECIAL #4

* GEN 13 #28 Preview Available

* RESIDENT EVIL #1 (OF 6)

* TOP 10 SEASON TWO #4

As always, thanks for reading!