UPDATE: We ran this last week and speculation has indeed born out. Adele! Skyfall!  YES!

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James Bond theme songs have run the gamut from the classic (Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger”) to the gawd-awful (Madonna’s “Die Another Day”), but “” target=”_blank”>rumour has it” that British nouveau-soul-pop diva and winner of ALL teh Grammies in 2011 Adele might be singing the theme for the upcoming Skyfall.

British tabloid The Sun is reporting that Adele has been seen at Abbey Road studios, where the score for Skyfall is currently being recorded. Categorize this under news that “If it isn’t true, it should be…” because I can literally think of no better person to record a Bond song than Adele.

First, I kind of have a crush on her. Plus, I’ve always had a thing for the more classic take on the Bond themes sung by kind of breathy females (Shirley Bassey, Sheryl Crow, Tina Turner, Shirley Manson). And, to be fair, we have had two relatively mediocre Bond themes for the last two Daniel Craig films. And as good of a film as Skyfall appears to be, this could finally be a song worthy of the work Craig has been doing. (Yes, QoS wasn’t as good, but I think Casino Royale could be argued as the best Bond film of all time. Too bad it had to be paired with the second-worst Chris Cornell sung tune ever to grace a movie soundtrack. And,yes, I’m talking about “Live to Rise” which remains the only flaw in Avengers)

Anyway, what if it’s not true? If not Adele, then who? Frankly, the only other people I can think worthy are Radiohead or maybe The Black Keys.

Beyond that, what do you think of Bond Themes? Bests? Worsts? I’ve had long conversations with Bond fans of all stripes that Live and Let Die is both the greatest and the most overrated Bond theme ever. There’s The Living Daylights and View to a Kill if we want to go all 80’s style. Can we all agree Madonna was the worst, just as Die Another Day is easily the worst Bond film of all time? What say you robots?

Steven Spielberg taking on the story of Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation with Daniel Day Lewis in the lead is something I can’t wait to see.

You can’t even tell it’s him in the trailer.

This November can’t come soon enough.

One of the first movies I remember seeing on the big screen was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and it was probably at that moment my lifelong obsession with Spielberg films began.  And now, we all have the chance to see it once again at the theater, so grab your bag of Reese’s Pieces and turn off your cell phone.

The one-day event commemorates the film’s 30^th Anniversary as well as Universal Pictures’ 100^th Anniversary, and it is presented by NCM Fathom Events and TCM.  “TCM Presents ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’ 30^th Anniversary Event” will take place on Wednesday, October 3 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with additional screenings in select theaters at 2:00 p.m.

Since its premiere on June 11, 1982, E.T. has become one of the highest grossest movies of all time, remaining at #4 adjusted for inflation.  Pretty incredible for a film about a little boy and an alien, but the movie obviously spoke to something inside of us.  A need to belong somewhere.  Being lonely and finding a friend.  Learning to interact with those that are different from us.

And I still get chills watching the bike soar in the air against the full moon, with John Williams’ dramatic score adding just the right touch to that particular moment.

In addition to viewing the digitally remastered feature film (and I’m hoping the guns will be back instead of walkie-talkies), fans will see a special taped introduction by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, who will take audiences through the making of this modern classic. They will also discover how Spielberg came up with the idea for E.T. and learn what working on the film was like for the film’s three young stars.

As an added treat, Drew Barrymore, who plays Gertie in the film and who currently co-hosts TCM’s “The Essentials” showcase, shares what the film means to her 30 years later.

Tickets are available now at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com.

Can’t make it to the theater on October 3?  Universal Studios Home Entertainment will celebrate the 30^th anniversary of E.T. The Extra- Terrestrial with the film’s Blu-ray release on Tuesday, October 9. Featuring an all-new, digitally remastered picture, as well as all-new 7.1 surround sound, the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack includes the 1982 theatrical movie, an all-new interview with Spielberg, and “The E.T. Journals,” featuring never-before-seen footage from the set of the film.

You’ll be able to watch E.T. phone home like never before.

When it was first announced that Raiders of the Lost Ark would be released in IMAX, it seemed to be an exclusive for AMC theatres, of which there are none in my area. I was disappointed I wouldn’t be able to partake of this special event.

But, you know, it happens. No one thinks about Salt Lake City when throwing special events. My geographic handicap is my own fault.

I looked through some listings last week, saw that no shows were available in my area, and kept my chin up through the defeat. But I got a call from my brother on Friday morning telling me it was playing locally, and that I’d be a fool to miss it.

He was right, though in his defense, he claims I’m a fool for everything I do or don’t do.

I caught a screening last night and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve never seen Raiders of the Lost Ark on the big screen, and seeing it that way opened up new things in the storytelling I’d never even noticed before, simply because I was watching at home.

One thing I noticed and loved was how stylized the matte paintings were. On the VHS and even DVD versions of the film I’ve watched and re-watched a hundred times, the matte paintings seemed realistically seamless. But on the big screen, they felt much more like the 30s sort of over-stylized matte painting of the era the film was aping. The one painting in particular that stands out is the Pan Am plane that whisks Indy from San Francisco to Nepal. Take a close look at the cars in the background, it almost looks like the painted cover to a Fitzgerald novel.

The sound was crisp and clear and the film contained no changes whatsoever, though I couldn’t detect things like the reflection of the snake. Perhaps a few things were fixed, but it was nothing to the detriment of the film.

Raiders of the Lost Ark stands the test of time as not only the best of the Indiana Jones films, but one of the greatest films ever made. The screenplay is one of the finest and the adventure is nothing short of 100% rollicking.

I mean, honestly, how ballsy does a man have to be to start his own, rogue archeological dig in the middle of a Nazi camp?

Very ballsy.

And every time I watch the film, I catch new notes about the nature of Indy and Marion’s relationship.

It’s a film that keeps giving. And I was able to take my son to see it for the first time, which was thrilling for him. The only other one he’d seen theatrically was Crystal Skull (though he claimed that was still his favorite after seeing Raiders in IMAX…)

It plays until Thursday in IMAX. Make time this week to see it.

You will NOT be disappointed.

If you miss it, the Blu-ray collection drops next week. At Star Wars Celebration VI I was treated to some behind the scenes footage they included on the disc and it was nothing short of amazing. This is a set you want to pick up.

The closing ceremonies at Star Wars Celebration VI were dedicated to the release date announcement for the 3D theatrical releases of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

I was on hand to witness the sizzle reel for both films and I have to say I was pretty well wowed.

We were treated to what felt like five minutes of scenes of Attack of the Clones in 3D on a sharp digital projector and I was blown away. Perhaps it had everything to do with the atmosphere, sitting in a room with a couple of thousand Star Wars geeks will do that to you, but it was stunning. They showed pieces from every major sequence in the film, ending with the battle between Yoda and Dooku, which is still one of the finest moments in Star Wars history.

But, clearly, they saved the best for last.

They showed a large portion of the battle over Coruscant in Revenge of the Sith and I literally couldn’t breath while it was going. The depth and sophistication of that battle set to 3D was enough to make my head spin in all the right ways.

I said when it came out that Phantom Menace was the best post-conversion 3D I’d ever seen, but I was a liar. This stuff is even better.

And I have far less time to wait for them than I would have guessed.

Both films are coming out back to back next fall. Episode II hits theaters September 20, 2013 and Episode III comes October 11, 2013. Which is good news for all of us. Burning through the last of the prequels in one year means we HAVE to be closer to seeing the classic trilogy on the big screen again. After catching The Empire Strikes Back on the same screen at Celebration VI, I’m dying to take my kids to see these movies on the big screen again.

Here’s the official press release:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox have announced the official release dates for the 3D theatrical launch of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Attendees at the closing ceremony for Star Wars Celebration VI, the franchise’s massive fan event, learned that the epic movies that chronicle the rise of the Galactic Empire will be released back-to-back, with Episode II hitting theaters on September 20, 2013 and Episode III arriving soon after on October 11, 2013.

With its deeply detailed worlds and engulfing action, Star Wars is perfectly suited for the immersive 3D theatrical experience. Episode II and III deliver such captivating locales as the gleaming clone hatcheries of rain-swept Kamino, and the fiery lava planet of Mustafar as well as spectacular action sequences like Yoda’s unforgettable debut as a lightsaber duelist, the explosive space and ground battles of the Clone Wars, and the dramatic showdown between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

Supervised by Industrial Light & Magic, the meticulous 3D conversion was undertaken by Prime Focus, the global visual entertainment services company. With their proprietary View-D™ process, Prime Focus transformed Episode II and III into 3D with the utmost respect for the source material, and with a keen eye for both technological consideration and artistic intentions.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first time the names Solid Snake, Big Boss, and Outer Heaven were first heard. Fast forward to today, The Metal Gear Solid franchise is one of the most popular and revered video game franchises in history. Yesterday Konami held an event to celebrate the silver anniversary of the series. At the show Avi Arad, producer of such Marvel movies as Iron Man and the Amazing Spider-Man, along with the games creator Hideo Kojima announced that a Metal Gear Solid movie is in develpment at Columbia Pictures. There wasn’t much else said about the movie, but the announcement to me is exciting enough.

There is no doubt that the guest creating the most buzz at Star Wars Celebration is Ian McDiarmid, perhaps better known to fans as Emperor of the Universe.  This is at least partly due to the fact that he has never attended a Celebration, so fans are clamoring to meet him.

James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the Clone Wars, took to the stage with McDiarmid yesterday to chat and learn a bit more about the man behind the Emperor.   Eager fans filled the seats after standing (or sitting) in line for several hours, and then they were herded like cattle from a holding area to the actual presentation.

Ian McDiarmid first came to the attention of George Lucas after appearing in the play Seduced, and his agent received a call saying that Lucas would like to meet him.  They met and talked briefly, but nothing was said about the films or even the part.  However, Lucas said, “Hey, great nose!” as the meeting concluded.  Soon after, his agent informed him that he had gotten the part.  “Which part?”  The reply:  “The Emperor of the Universe.”

McDiarmid, upon hearing that, imagined his costumes would include a crown and elaborate robes, a wardrobe befitting an intergalactic ruler.  He was more than a little surprised to learn that the Emperor wore only a cowled black robe.  He was shown Clive Revill’s performance in The Empire Strikes Back and was asked to match the voice, but he thought the Emperor resembled a slimy black toad and adjusted his voice to sound more amphibian.  There was always the concern that his voice would be dubbed over after production, though, but when Steven Spielberg saw his performance and said, “Oh my god, you’re so evil!” he knew then that his voice would be safe in the final version.

He acknowledges that he did not have a lot of lines in the film, but he feels they were good lines, and he had a particularly great time saying the word ‘friend,’ since he felt that Palpatine had none.  Even for such a small role in the classic trilogy, he shows a great attention to detail, thinking of who Palpatine is beyond the scenes in the movie.

Some people may not realize that McDiarmid was not the first person cast in the role of Emperor.  Though he did not mention anyone by name, he revealed that a “distinguished British actor” originally had the part but was unable to wear the menacing yellow contact lenses.

Years passed, and he had no contact with Lucas since he was thrown down the Death Star’s chute (“chute shooting, he called it), but Lucas asked to meet with him again, wearing the same shirt, McDiarmid quipped.  He was asked to be in the prequels but was jealous when Christopher Lee received a lightsaber and he did not.  Naturally, he was pleased when he was given his own Sith lightsaber in Revenge of the Sith, though a stunt double and swordmaster performed the more complicated fight scenes.

Interesting to note is that he referred to the opera in that film as a “prawn ballet,” and that very scene between Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin was shown to thunderous applause in the audience.  It’s an excellent scene to watch for the more subtle expressions of McDiarmid, and to see the way his eyes light up just a little when discussing the demise of Darth Plagueis.  The opera was chosen since Lucas felt that too audiences had already seen too much of Palpatine’s office by this point, and he wanted a different location.

McDiarmid was asked if he would like to have any of the powers possessed by the Emperor, and he admitted that a little electricity in his pinkie would be nice to have.  Nothing much, nothing to kill or maim anyone, but a little something.

He also told of the time Liam Neeson approached him after a screening of The Phantom Menace and said, “You’re him!  You never told me!” He was, of course, speaking of McDiarmid’s dual role as Senator Palpatine and Darth Sidious.  The scripts never gave any indication they were going to be portrayed by the same actor, if I recall correctly.

And, as Swank-mo-tron already discussed, McDiarmid made quite a few references to the live-action Star Wars television series.  He joked that Lucas would have to ask him to participate on bended knee, but he would truly hate it if someone else were to portray the Emperor while he was still alive.

When asked if he felt more evil playing the Emperor or the Senator, he chose the Senator, explaining that Senator Palpatine was so recognizable as a contemporary politician.

It was an incredible panel charged with excitement and energy.   I suppose it shouldn’t come as such a surprise that fans love the bad guy, and the Emperor is such a great character, brought to vivid life by McDiarmid’s incredible portrayal of him.

Thomas Edison has quite a reputation for being a jerk. Any fan of Nikola Tesla could tell you a hundred stories of despicable behaviour on Edison’s behalf. But the story of how Edison tried to control the entire film industry is a much lesser known story.

Try this on for size:

Imagine you just purchased a brand new automobile. And imagine that since the company who invented the car developed the method with which you press down the gas pedal. Then, imagine that every time you drove when you engaged that pedal, the company who created the pedal asked you to pay them a nickel because they’d patented the method.

It sounds pretty absurd, right?

Well, that’s pretty much what happened back at the dawn of cinema, only it concerned film cameras. Thomas Edison created a consortium of all the biggest film companies of the day (Vitagraph, Biograph, Essanay and others). They got together under the banner of “The Patents Company.” They owned all of the patents and copyrights relating to the brand new film camera. And if you wanted to make a film, you had to use what was called a Latham Loop to thread the film through the camera so it wouldn’t get chewed up through the gate. A man named Latham came up with that specific method and patented it. Edison and his companies bought the patent (and any others germane to the operation of a camera) and insisted that any one who wanted to film a motion picture had to pay them for every time they used this method, knowing it was impossible to film without it.

The Patents Company (you can see Edison in front, left of center in the cap)

Independent filmmakers of the time had bought their cameras outright (which were very expensive and hard to get), and many of them bristled at the thought of paying any more money to Edison and his men to make a film.

To prevent these rogue independent filmmakers from operating, Edison would send armed thugs and gangsters to bust up the cameras and disrupt productions.

According to Allan Dwan, a classic film director with over 400 films under his director’s belt (he directed The Sands of Iwo Jima, Heidi, and the Douglas Fairbanks 1922 version of Robin Hood), Edison and his men sent their goons to Universal Studios’ New York production facility and tried burning the place down. He related the story to Peter Bogdonavich for the book Who The Devil Made It:

To prevent us from operating, [Edison] employed roughnecks and hard-arm people and gangsters to destroy us. At one time, they raided the Universal facilities in New York–almost burned them down. Two or three people were shot. That was a hoodlum attack–probably a number of gangsters there–and the police were in on it. But in addition to that kind of violence, they sent snipers out with long-range rifles.

Long range rifles?

Yes. You read that right. Long range rifles.

Snipers were hired by the patents company and given missions to destroy the cameras of any film production that didn’t pay their protection fee. Independent filmmakers these days think they have it bad, how do you think filmmakers of today would react if they had to compete with all the normal pressures of filmmaking and have snipers added to the mix?

Film crews took to arming themselves and shooting films in more and more remote areas of the country, hoping to avoid the armed thugs on Edison’s payroll.

This is actually the reason film companies moved west to Hollywood, to get out from under the thumb of Edison and his Patents Men.

It’s important to remember that this was all happening in the early 1900s, and film companies were making one-reelers and transporting their crew and equipment on horse-and-buggies. They were shooting a film or two week, and releasing them across the country to any barn, movie house, or legitimate theatre that had a projector. In 1914, the average ticket price for a movie was a dime, twice that for an adult. Charlie Chaplin hadn’t even yet become a star: his career started with Mack Sennett long after he moved to California to escape Thomas Edison.

The movie industry seems so entrenched in Hollywood and California these days, that it’s hard to imagine what the film industry would look like without Edison driving it west.

Eventually the Supreme Court threw out the legal basis for Edison’s protection racket and the film industry blossomed into the massive, creatively bankrupt construct that we know and love today.

This story is one that’s been on my radar for a long time and I hope you guys find it as interesting as I do. Well, maybe not AS interesting as I have, I’ve written a feature length screenplay set around this idea and an eventual novel, both called The Latham Loop. Check my author website for more details about that when one of them eventually happens.

You can read past History Geek columns here.

I’d hazard a guess that any nerd/geek/what have you worth their salt has seen at least one episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. If not, that’s ok too. It certainly isn’t a pre-requisite to have seen the show to know that making fun of awful movies makes them bearable. That said, MST3k/Rifftrax/Cinematic Titanic are the undisputed kings of “riffing” on movies. The episode of MST3K featuring “Manos: The Hands of Fate” (yes, technically it means Hands: The Hands of Fate) is widely considered one of the best, if not the best episode of the series. So when the Rifftrax crew, consisting of venerable MST alums Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy decided to re-riff this “classic” I was a bit skeptical. Sure, the MST Manos had different riffers, but Mike was still the head writer, so was this going to be a rehash? Based on that, I almost didn’t go to the one-night-only showing. That would have been a huge mistake.

As soon as I entered the theater, I knew I was in for a treat. The cosplayers in Gizmonics Institute jumpsuits and Torgo hats gave off an incredibly geeky Rocky Horror style vibe. In all honesty, I could see myself going to see this movie on weekends with these people and enjoying the hell out of the experience. When the lights went down, we were treated to what we thought were the usual movie-going slides with trivia and such. Instead, we got a very snarky version of same with movie facts like: There is only one result if you Google “Gordy is a better movie than Babe” (we checked. not true, but still funny).

When the show itself started, the three riffers came up (live via film) to podiums by the big screen to introduce themselves and the movie. Since Manos isn’t a very long movie (although it sure feels longer), a couple of shorts were shown first. Welcome Back, Norman was the first, and dealt with a bumbling 70’s guy arriving home from the airport and all of the trials and tribulation that befall him there. At the end of the short, the audience was encouraged to all say Norman’s catchphrase (a low-pitched wail of despair) in unison. I love audience participation in the movie theater, and this was one of my highlights of the night. The second short was At Your Fingertips: Cylinders. It was even more inane and nonsensical than it sounds, but Mike, Kevin, and Bill’s dulcet tones made it bearable. In one last segment before the movie proper started (it was pretty obvious they were trying to delay the inevitable for as long as possible), the crew gave a bit of history about this turdburger of a movie. I actually learned a few things about the movie I wasn’t aware of before, and this knowledge served me well when the movie proper started, as the Rifftrax crew used those factual callbacks to poke fun at the flick itself.

Speaking of the movie and riff therof, I shouldn’t have been worried at all. No riffs were re-used from the MST3K version, and to be honest, I think the new riff is better. With more general and topical references, a wider audience can enjoy the humor as opposed to the sometimes very obscure riffs in the original. One thing I very much enjoyed was how the big screen was utilized. Since Manos is a full frame feature, you got cutaways on the side of the screen showing the three riff-meisters emoting while they did their thing. It showed how much fun they were having, which in turn increased the fun I was having. I will say I think my fellow audience members and I did enjoy a lot of the film’s earlier moments with all of the Texas-centric jokes (Manos was filmed in El Paso), but everyone was floored with such gems as the “Redneck Twilight” sketch. Here’s a small taste of the humor contained within:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MckN7UGFINE

Even when the movie was over, the fun wasn’t, as we were treated to a music video/exclusive footage from the cast of the upcoming sequel Manos: The Search for Valley Lodge. All in all, this was an incredibly fun diversion, and I know I’m going to be buying the inevitable DVD release. If you want to get in on the fun, you can get your tickets now for the next Rifftrax: Live! event in October which will feature the movie Birdemic. If you are a fan of MST3k, Manos, or just making fun in movies in general, head on over to the Rifftrax website where they don’t make movies, but they do make them funny!

I’m VERY glad that the Toy Story characters are finding a life outside the films. And I’m glad that Pixar has brought back the cartoon shorts before the feature tradition.

The last Toy Story short (with Happy Meal toy Buzz?) had me howling with laughter. I don’t expect this one to be any different:

“Partysaurus Rex” features Rex (voiced by Wallace Shawn), the insecure toy T-Rex in the ‘Toy Story’ gang. Rex goes from shrinking violet to sudsy stud when Bonnie brings him into the bath! What follows can only be described as an EPIC bathtub party.

FINDING NEMO 3D & “Partysaurus Rex” Hit Theaters September 14th!