UPDATE: Project was not shelved as previously reported! Click here to read the details!

Comics Alliance and several other sources confirmed today that the Live Action Akira project has been shelved (probably for good).

If you’ve been keeping up with our coverage of the project over the past couple of months, you probably know that most fans were in no way excited for the would-be live action adaptation headed up by Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company.

Honestly, I would have been able to accept a lot if the film was handled well…but where I drew the line was the complete tearing apart of the plot and the fact that they never even thought of consulting the still-alive creator and creative team that worked on the original manga and movie. This adaptation honestly could have been awesome – but the studio made wrong turns at nearly every major decision. The casting rumors (though unconfirmed) were the worst – that damned sparkly vampire from Twilight…ugh!

It was reported that Director Albert Hughes walked away in May and that Keanu Reeves refused the offer to play the leading role of Kaneda. This just confirms to me that the project was so terrible that nobody wanted it anywhere near their names. (In the words of Ted Theodore Logan, this project was “Bogus!”)

More shocking is that creative designer Chris Weston was asked on one of his first days of work to re-design the trademarked red motorcycle. Re-design?!? That’s insane! Has anybody out there noticed that the image of the famous motorcycle is what the movie is most commonly associated with, even after more than 20 years since the film’s release!?

Weston admitted that he was “horrified” and did not want to stray from the original design, but the studio pushed him forward and apparently somewhere in Hollywood there are concept drawings of the new bike. I would be curious to see them but am also pretty glad that they’ll probably never see the light of day.

So, what do you think? What would you have wanted to see in a live action Akira film? (I for one would want a gritty, futuristic Tokyo to fit with Otomo’s inspirational art and imagination.) Sound off in the comments below!

Dinocroc and Supergator have escaped from the Hawaiian genetic research facility where they were created and are threatening to devour the entire tourist industry. Include an undercover investigator, an attractive Fish and Game officer, a hunter known as ‘The Cajun,’ producer Roger Corman, the director of Chopping Mall and David Carradine in one of his last roles and you’ve got the makings of a Syfy movie extravaganza.

I could go on to explain how silly and formulaic Dinocroc vs. Supergator is, but that would only be stating the obvious. You don’t sit down to watch a Roger Corman picture expecting Gone with the Wind. Sometimes you get Rock ‘n’ Roll High School or Death Race 2000 but more often than not you get films that are mildly entertaining but are quickly forgotten. Dinocroc vs. Supergator is more of the later as it combines cheap special effects with sub par acting and a mind numbing plot to create a cinematic experience that is equivalent to the nutritional value of a Pixy Stix. Of course, sometimes you need something utterly sweet to balance out the bitter. I can’t deny that I enjoyed Dinocroc vs. Supergator.

The Blu-ray release looks as good as can be expected from a film with a very limited budget. The picture is often crisp but the CGI effects are blurry and there is a fair amount of noise.

The bonus features are headlined by an audio commentary with Corman and director Jim Wynorski (AKA Jay Andrews). Corman explains his role as producer quite well and Wynorski reveals all as he explains how he made the film. It’s one of the better commentaries that I’ve ever heard as it offers up a wonderful guide on how to make a film on the cheap. They’ve also included the trailer.

Korean director Sang-soo Im shocked audiences with his 2005 film The President’s Last Bang. Censors even went as far as to demand four minutes of  “documentary” footage be cut because it suggested that this work of fiction was actually non-fiction. While that film was a dark comedy focused on the assassination of South Korea’s president Park Chung Hee, The Housemaid turns his gaze towards the hypocrisy of the upper class in his loose remake of Ki-young Kim’s 1960 film.

Do-yeon Jeon stars as Eun-yi, a young woman hired by Hae Ra (pregnant with twins) and Hoon to look after their daughter, Nami. It isn’t long before Eun-yi’s warmth, in direct contrast to Hae Ra’s cold beauty, wins over Nami and piques the interest of Hoon who begins to explore the possibility of having an affair with his new housemaid. Eun-yi is won over by Hoon’s wealth and the glamorous world that he inhabits. The affair quickly escalades but when another maid catches Hoon and Eun-yi having sex the fantasy spirals into a nightmare.

The Housemaid is essentially an art-house soap opera. The performances are quite good, particularly from Jeon, the cinematography has an appealing glossy look and the film’s ending is something that demands to be seen but the characters are rigid and are driven by cliché or whatever will bring about the most dramatic consequence. I believe this is exactly what Im intended as it suggests that the upper class is driven by emotional disconnection and are quite different from the working class Eun-yi. The problem with this choice is that it makes the events that drive the plot extremely predictable. Well, predictable up until Im offers up an ending that is both horrific and wildly over the top.

Bonus features are limited to a theatrical trailer and a short ‘making of’ featurette focuses primarily on Jeon.

Slated to run with the latest Harry Potter flick, someone has already grabbed shaky-cam footage of the teaser. It’s pretty boss, despite the dubious quality. We’ll certainly update when a nice, crisp, HD video comes out. Until then, if you can’t wait, watch it now before WB makes us take it down!

Yeah. I believe the appropriate phrase is “I’m all in.”

This is a spoiler-free guest post by Adam McDonald.

“For neither can live while the other survives …”

It was with this prophecy that the world of Harry Potter was set in motion, and it is in Deathly Hallows Part 2 that it finally comes to fulfillment and ends what can be considered one of the most epic stories ever filmed. Fans of the books and the movies will be very pleased with this final entry into the series, as the film succeeds in capturing the story and spirit of the book, despite some small changes that will bother none but the most hardcore Harry Potter purists. While not a perfect movie, it joins the ranks of summer blockbusters that are both enjoyable to watch while still staying smart, emotionally satisfying and full of enough special effects and destruction to keep a Michael Bay fan happy. The two hours or so you will spend in the theatre rushes by and before you know it, the credits are rolling, and you will find yourself walking outside with a satisfied, yet somewhat sad, smile on your face. It almost seems hard to believe that after all this time, everything has finally come to an end; the world and characters that exist in the Harry Potter universe are so unique and fleshed out, they almost feel like real people, and it makes you wish there was more to come, Whether or not J. K. Rowling follows through on her promise not to write any more Harry Potter stories remains to be seen, but if she never does, at least we will have an excellent movie to conclude one of the most amazing stories ever written.

Deathly Hallows Part 2 is not for the Harry Potter uninitiated; if you don’t know a Muggle from a Mundungus, stay as far away from this film as possible because you will be completely lost from the get go. The movie assumes you are familiar with what has taken place, and spends no time recapping what has happened in the story or Deathly Hallows Part 1. Those who are caught up know that Voldemort has recovered the powerful Elder Wand which he intends to use to finally kill Harry Potter who, with friends Ron and Hermione, are on a desperate quest to hunt down the last of the Horcruxes — magical items that hold the remnants of Voldemort’s soul and the lynchpin to his final downfall. With half of them already destroyed, they must find the final ones or the world is doomed, as Voldemort can not be defeated so long as even one part of his soul survives. With the help of a goblin they rescued from the insane Bellatrix Lestrange, they break into the goblin bank Gringott’s to find one and then make a final journey to Hogwarts where another is rumored to reside. Voldemort learns of this and begins an assault on the wizard school which sets up the final battle between good and evil and between Harry and Voldemort. Granted the story is not nearly as simple as this, and while I’m sure many reading this already know how everything turns out, I would do a disservice to those who are still wondering what the final Horcruxes are, whose side Snape is on, the purpose of the Snitch Dumbledore left behind and if Harry Potter and any of his friends die. If you think you know the answers, you might, but I dare say a few of them will surprise you. One of the joys of watching this movie, is that these questions are answered at a measurable pace, whereas, with the book, I found myself reading so rapidly, I had to go back and re-read sections as I had completely missed certain plot points in my excitement to learn what was going to happen.

The movie succeeds not just on the strength of these beloved characters and plot, but also on the writing, directing and acting. There is never a wasted moment here; no point where you sigh and look at your watch wondering when the next interesting thing will take place — something that occassionally took place in the book, and this is a testament to the work of the writers. The movie sucks you in from the beginning and never gives you time to notice that you’re not a part of what is going on, and just sitting in a theatre watching a movie. The actors also fully embody the characters given to them, and you believe this is how these people would really act in the situations they are put in. It’s quite amazing that all these actors, cast as children in the first movie just because they looked like the characters, have developed their skills so well and hold their own with other seasoned vets such as Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and Gary Oldman. That said, one of my few gripes with this movie is that it has increasingly become the ‘Harry, Ron and Hermione Show’ and never has that been more apparent than here where supporting characters, with only one exception, get relegated to ‘extra’ status. They do a great job with what is given to them (and one gets to say my favorite line in the whole series), but I felt shorted that these people who had such important parts to play were not given the screen time they deserved.

Also, the strongest recommendation I can give is NOT to see this movie in 3D. We were not given a choice as to which version we saw, and I would much rather have watched it the way it was filmed. I am sure the studio will make a lot more money this way, but it really detracts from the experience and, unfortunately unlike Thor, it is much too blurry to watch if you remove your glasses, It is quite obvious the movie was converted as some of the scenes which should have been really cool with this effect, fall flat, and as dark as it already is, you can easily miss out on some things due to the shading of the glasses. It’s a shame they didn’t just release this one the same as they did with Part 1, as the experience is really distracting for the first half of the movie and even in parts of the finale.

As mentioned before, the writers did take some small liberties with the story, and I know this will lead to some complaining by the Harry Potter elitists. Even though I wish they would have left the story ‘as is’ the changes made don’t detract from the story, and if you walk out arguing about “Elder Wand Continuity” you take yourself and fiction much too seriously.

Lastly, while Part 1 ended on what felt like a perfect note, Part 2 jumps into things much too quickly and makes you feel as if you walked into something halfway through. This is really no fault of the movie itself, but due to the fact that you DID indeed do just that. I would much rather have watched Part 1 first and immediately segued into this one, but we know this didn’t happen because very few audiences that I know of would gladly have sat through a five hour movie.

But this is really all a bunch of nit-picking. What you need to know is you will thoroughly enjoy every moment of this movie. It is extremely well done and probably the best movie I have seen all year. Grab your friends and other Harry Potter fanatics and go see it this weekend or when you can actually get tickets for it; just skip out on the 3D offering and watch the superior 2D one.

Before I go into my thoughts- watch it- absorb it:

This trailer has put some of the doubts in my mind at ease… but… in their place, created new ones.  As far as story, character, and image quality, this trailer has got me more than excited for this film… (beside the fact that I see a little bit of story elements from Sahara, which isn’t necessarily bad- because it comes across as the kind of film that would do it right.) The character’s voices and design… spot on. Everyone comes across as they way they were in my head when reading the books. Especially Captain Haddock.

But, there is that small part of my brain that cannot get past the actual animation itself; the character’s movements are stiff – they have NO weight and thus the physics of the universe come across as unnatural, but not in a good “animated film” kind of way. The gravity on Earth comes across as neutrally buoyant and thus nothing seems to fall, settle and slide the way it should… This may work if the world and renderings weren’t done in a very photo-realistic manner, a complaint I have had about this style of film making since I can remember.

The music sounds original- and has that John Williams ‘heroic’ feel to it- but, who’s to say if that is from the actual film or not?

Anyway- besides the animation part of the animation… I am even more excited for this release, you can see Spielberg’s influence in the cinematography, lighting and acting and you can see Jackson’s influence over the imagination of the staging and design… a true dream team! (Now only if they would team up with Pixar, we’d have the perfect movie.)

What do you think?

Superherohype is reporting that it is highly likely those of us heading to see the last Harry Potter film this weekend will be treated with a tease for the next (last?) installment in the current iteration of the Batman franchise.

Their sources indicate that the trailer is 1:33 long, which indicates that it’s much more than a glorified logo and a release date.

They’ve been shooting, so anything is possible. And with the viral department as good as it is for their franchise, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it was material not from the movie but material bridging the last film to this one, much like all of the Harvey Dent campaigning from the last time.

On the other hand, this film is still more than a full year out. Any look we do get will be extremely preliminary. They’ve already released a glimpse of Bane, seeing more of him would be no surprise.

My guess is it will hit the internet sometime next week, whatever it is.

Boy oh boy do I love the horror film [•REC]. My experience with it was a unique one. While working at the comic shop, David, one of the regulars brought in a DVD for me to watch. It didn’t include the case or any description of what the film was, just the DVD. I asked him what it was about. His response was, “Just watch it. I don’t want to spoil it.”

That evening I went home and popped the DVD in. It opens with Ángela Vidal and her cameraman, Pablo. They are covering a local fire station for a documentary. The fire station gets a call to an apartment building. In one of the apartments is a sickly old woman who isn’t responding to anyone. She eerily stands at the end of a dark hallway. After a moment, she bolts down the hallway and violently attacks a police officer. As the crew tries to rush out of the apartment building to get aid, the doors are slammed shut and locked. And a plastic tarp rolls down around the outside of the building.

Yah, pretty awesome way to start a movie. The entire movie was a really fun roller coaster ride. You can imagine how excited I was when they announced the sequel. [•REC] 2 picks up fifteen minutes where the previous movie left off. This time it’s Dr. Owen from the Ministry of Health and the GEO (basically a SWAT team). Very quickly you learn that Dr. Owen isn’t who he seems, and neither is the situation they are stuck in. The GEO team thinks its a simple quarantine due to an airborne disease.

That is really all I want to touch on, because I feel so much of the fun in these movies is the thrill ride. I highly recommend both of them. The “shaky cam” isn’t really all that shaky. The special effects are top notch. And as far as the DVD features, they are outstanding. Hours of wonderful behind the scenes features. Make sure you pick this up when it comes out tomorrow, July 12.

Tristan with LaserBrain Podcast has been working on his independent film, Psychesthenia. He sent over this description of the film:

In a nearly voyeuristic nature, the audience descends into the lives of three young adults preparing to go their separate ways. No sooner than the characters are introduced, they are thrust into a world where the nature of their experience is not what it seems. As psychosis sets in, the conditions of both their existence and relationships are turned upon its head. When perception is reality, who can distinguish what is real from illusions of the mind?

Yup, looks creepy as Hell. I can’t wait to check it out! Stay tuned for more info.

I wasn’t kidding last week about “The Republic Scream”! It appears again in this chapter accompanying a rather gruesome death. More important that the cliffhanger this week is the tried and true serial plot device of a scientist’s revolutionary machine falling into the hands of villainy. Now, when I first saw that it was a resurrection machine, I was a bit off put by how absurd that is, but then I reminded myself that this isn’t exactly Oscar material. Not to mention there are much stranger devices in other serials, such as the electric chair that somehow gives the wheelchair-bound the ability to walk again. Not to get off topic, but this was in a Batman serial, and I gotta wonder if that is how Barbara Gordon is going to get her mobility back. Nevertheless, enjoy chapter 12: Horror on the Highway! Let me tell you though, I live in the DFW metroplex, you haven’t seen horror on the highway until you travel to Dallas during rush hour!

This week’s supplement is the re-release lobby card for this chapter. it has a bit of damage sue to age, but it’s still in very good condition. Enjoy, and as always I’ll be back next week with a new chapter. Until then, head to your local Dunkin’ Donuts and have a Cherry Coolata, and tell ’em Shaz-Bot sent you! Actually don’t, cause no one will know who the heck I am!