Carlmageddon

Man Of Steel teaser flies in

2012-07-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

What more is there to say? Man of Steel looks very interesting from these teasers. However... I don't believe a man can fly... yet. We'll see if that's changed when the full length trailer hits. There isn't much difference between the trailers, except from the voice-over, which features both Kal-El and Clark Kent's father figures.

This one features Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent.

And this one features Russell Crowe as Jor-El.

Is it exciting enough? No, not yet, but I think this is just the first in a long line of hype peices which will build up that excitement until I am bursting for Superman to return. In the meantime, I think I'll go back to watching the incredible blu-ray collection. Man of Steel has Superman 1 and 2 (Donner cut) to live up to, and that's a pretty hefty task.

The Walking Dead season 3 trailer

2012-07-21T05:18:00.001-07:00

This looks ridiculously good, and totally brings in tonnes of elements from the comics wonderfully. If the season does it as well as this trailer seems to then we're in for a treat. Plus, this makes me slightly less worried about the Governor being played by David Morrissey, and gives me excited chills at the Michonne appearance.

If you haven't seen the first two seasons of this incredible show, you must have been living under a rock. Bite the bullet and dive in. It's worth it.

Carlmageddon's Bunker (working title)

2012-06-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

I made a Cafepress shop. It's as simple as that. I had some ideas for some T-Shirt designs and ran with them. One is almost completely a rip-off, the other two are quote based but hopefully more original. Generally this is just stuff I've wanted to have on T-shirts and mugs for ages, and instead of waiting for them to come to me, I figured I'd generate them myself and see if anyone else felt the same!

There are three designs so far, and I've picked a few things I wanted them on. If you want a design on something that isn't there yet, let me know and I'll put it together for you.

Click here for the shop!

Cheers,
Carl

Gangster Squad Trailer hits hard

2012-05-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

Wow. That's all I gotta say. This looks tremendous.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood And Chrome trailer

2012-03-21T03:28:00.001-07:00

No need for words here. Just awesome trailer.

No news on a release date as of yet, but I'll be keeping a close eye on this one.

Firefly Watch: Joss Whedon

2012-03-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about ways to start this blog up again. Joss Whedon made me do it. Link

The Avengers teaser trailer

2011-10-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

A full teaser has been released for one of the biggest films out in 2012 and while I might have missed the original hype, there may be about twenty people out there who haven't seen it and one of them may look at this page. It's shaping up to be great and I can't wait for 27 April 2012 to see it.

John Dies At The End Trailer

2011-09-28T01:10:00.000-07:00

While I was hoping that Don Coscarelli's next film would be the long talked about Bubba Ho-tep prequel, it looks like 'John Dies At The End' is quite promising to say the least. Paul Giamatti was supposed to be involved in the prequel too, playing Elvis' manager, so it's good to see that the connection between him and Coscarelli wasn't misleading. However, what we have here is a brilliant trailer for a film based on the book of the same name by David Wong, and while I haven't read it, the book seems to have a strong following who hail it as being dark and funny. Both are here in this trailer, even if the dark stuff glosses way over the funny stuff, and the film ends up looking great for it. Another film to look forward to in 2012.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance trailer and poster

2011-08-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

The directors of Crank are the heroes of the Ghost Rider film series, as they step into the shoes of a director of much lower calibre, Mark Johnson. While Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are responsible for both of the brilliant Crank films, Johnson was responsible for Daredevil, before being handed the Ghost Rider Job. So before a trailer for the second Ghost Rider outing even appeared, it seemed like the film would turn out a lot better than the first. And now we have proof of just that, as an astoundingly brilliant looking trailer has surfaced online. Here it is (with a rather odd intro from the directors themselves)...

The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra trailer

2011-07-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

When I posted the other day about upcoming animated shows to get excited about, one that I hadn't noticed was one which I've actually been very eager to see, given the strength of it's parent series, Avatar. Quite why the 'Avatar' had been dropped from the name in favour of the much more silly sounding 'The Last Airbender'. Wasn't Aang the last Airbender? There's probably two reasons for this:

1) So as to not further confuse the lack of a connection between the series and the 2009 film 'Avatar' directed by James Cameron. There could also be more to it than that, but who knows?

2) To connect the series to the film series based on 'Avatar: The Last Airbender', which despite absolutely shocking reviews, earned enough to guarantee a sequel.

Whatever the reason, the mini-series had originally been slated for only 12 episodes but will now be a pretty big 26 episodes. Even if it just a one-year affair, that will be another year of brilliant animated, incredible story and characters to die for. If you don't believe me, check out the trailer below.

Some lovely little images I noticed in there:

0:10 - A flying bison. In Avatar, Appa was Aang's bison, and was the only known living one to boot, which sparks interest that this could be a return for characters's from the original series.

0:18 - A Statue of a grown-up looking Aang, looking fairly serious.

0:23 - Korra, clearly stating out as a water bender, leaving her home, with an ominous shadowing of characters in the background. It could bs friends of family, but could it be something more meaningful to fans of Avatar?

0:38 - An array of images showing the more industrialised look of The Legend Of Korra, compared to Avatar's more jungle and ruin based feel.

0:56 - Korra shows off her ability to bend Fire too.

1:13 - A closer looks at Korra's animal fiend named Naga. Something close to a cross between a dog and a polar bear.

1:29 - The fist image of the big bad of the series, Oman.

Doctor Who Series 6 Part 2 trailer

2011-07-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

There are no words than can do this justice, so I won't even bother trying.

3 Animated events to look out for

2011-07-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Keeping up to date with Comic Con when you aren't there is difficult, but when three very interesting looking animated stories come through across one day, it makes you sit up and take notice.

The first is something which was announced quite a while ago, by the name of Black Dynamite. Based on a film of the same name, Black Dynamite is the main character, who is a homage to Shaft and the blaxploitation stars of the 70s. He is joined by friends and enemies to make one of the greatest spoof films ever, but is the move to animation the right one, or should the focus be on the sequel? Well, originally I was more concerned that if they made an animated series, that it could never match the intense wit and off-kilter action scenes from the movie at all. However, with the release of this trailer, my concerns have been singed, as this looks like not only a visual treat, but a hilarious addition to Adult Swim's line-up.

The next is another Film-to-series adaptation which has a good chance of making the transition well. You'll probably all remember Napoleon Dynamite, but you might not have heard that this will be coming to the small screen during the 2001-12 season. So far there have been four clips released through Comic-con, and the feeling of the film is still there in those clips, but what's even better, is that the series looks to invoke the feelings that the best 90s animated series had on their fans. The style of it, for me, seems perfect to capture the feeling of the film, but who knows whether this will be successful until it's air-date? Ahead is one clip for the series, with the other three here, here and here.

Last, but by no means least is a animated film adaptation of Frank Miller's incredible graphic novel Batman: Year One. With a voice cast headed by Benjamin McKenzie as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bryan Cranston as James Gordon, Eliza Dushku as Catwoman and Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Essen, there is no shortage of talent. As for thew look of the film, there now seems to be no reason to worry there either, as the trailer shows just how good it looks.

Bruce Campbell talks about Evil Dead reboot

2011-07-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Bruce Campbell reveals a little more about the Evil Dead reboot/reimagining that has been in the works for the past few years. The bad bit about the details he does give away is that he will not be the star of the film, but a producer. It's a bit of sad news as an Evil Dead film without Bruce Campbell is not an Evil Dead film at all. That said, Sam Raimi did make a brilliant horror film a few years ago by the name of Drag Me To Hell, so he is still on his game, at least. Finding a replacement for Bruce Campbell would be just the beginning in a long line of difficult tasks to get this film being great, but having a good director at the helm is always a good start. Original story at CBSnews.

The Walking Dead Season 2 trailer

2011-07-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

The Walking Dead's first season was so well done it made anticipation for the second one absolutely huge. After only six episodes, the survival of Rick Grimes and his rag-tag group made a huge impact, and was brought brilliantly to television from it's original (and still-thriving) home of comics. So it's good then, that this first full trailer looks pretty damn good. Hopefully though, we can get away from making up some terrible storylines (the gang looking after the old folks) and move more into 'the Governor' story and more from the comics. Word is good on that front, it would seem, but more on that later. Without further ado, the trailer...

Christopher Judge cast in The Dark Knight Rises

2011-07-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I love it's Batman. If there's another thing I love it's Stargate. So, putting someone as awesome as Christopher Judge in the next Batman film is nothing short of awesome news. No word on what part he'll be playing, or even if it will be anything more than a one-liner, but here's hoping. Although I think the last time I saw an old Stargate cast member in a huge film it was a very, very small part. When Paul McGillion of Stargate Atlantis turned up in Star Trek it was for about 10 seconds as a 'Barracks Leader', so considering Judge is in a similar position I don't imagine his part being much bigger than that. Judge tweeted the info yesterday:

@iamchrisjudge I can finally confirm: I have been cast in "The Dark Knight Rises".

In response to fans tweets, Christopher Judge tweeted again a few hours later:

@iamchrisjudge Thank u all for your support!!! I am so lucky! Great gig, great woman, great family, great friends, and fans!!!! luv and peace! Xo

More news on this topic if and when it's released!

The Amazing Spider-man trailer

2011-07-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Without any more words, here is the trailer:

And now some thoughts:

Firstly, I've never liked the idea of rebooting Spider-man since the first in Sam Raimi's trilogy is brilliant, and the second a truly incredible feat. Sure, the third was a little un-even, but the fourth film was looking to come back on track before it all went sour for Raimi when Columbia switched to the reboot route. However, then Marc Webb was attached as director and things started getting interesting.

It was revealed that it was going to be a darker tone, but also that it would more closely follow the comics (in that Pete's getting friendly with Gwen Stacy instead of Mary Jane, and that his web-swinging is not part of his abilities, but something which he creates himself). Then, of course, it seemed much more toward where a good reboot could be.

However, this trailer leaves me wondering, where is the fun? Where is Spider-Man's wit and charm? Why does this trailer seem more like a teen romance than a super-hero film? And the biggest question of all, why is Spider-man doing an ode to Mirror's Edge for the last minute of the trailer? For those of you who don't know of Mirror's Edge or don't believe me, have a look at the trailer for that below. Stunning similarities, eh?

So there are a few things which could work out well for The Amazing Spider-man, but so far the trailer doesn't do much to live up to it's name.

Captain America new poster and trailer

2011-07-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

So a new poster has been released for Captain America which looks awesome, and if you add that to the brilliant trailer which was unleashed onto the internet last week, Captain America could shape up to be one of the best Marvel films in years.

Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol trailer

2011-06-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

So it leaked a few days before the official release, but when it looks like it's going to be just as entertaining as the brilliant (and best in the franchise so far) M:I3 you can't be too picky.

It looks like most of the best parts of that one are back for more. Not only do you have Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg returning, you also have a glimpse of what Mr. Cruise does best. Running. Although I would have liked to have seen Ving Rhames in the trailer just to know he's definitely in it or not, I'm sure that will get cleared up soon.

And then you have the new kids on the block, including Josh Holloway and Jeremy Renner, both of which I am very excited about the inclusion of. I think both could hold their own in a blockbuster, and this will give them both the chance to prove it.

Of course the film also gives us a look at the live-action directorial debut of Brad Bird, famous for Ratatouille, The Incredibles and of course, The Iron Giant. It'll be very interesting to see how he stacks up against Brian De Palma, John Woo and JJ Abrams. Since all three directors have lent their own directing style to the previous films, each film has felt very different, only held together by the inclusion of Cruise and Rhames, so it'll definitely be interesting to see if Brad Bird keeps the tone of M:I3 or adds his own spin. If you'll remember, when JJ Abrams was called on to direct, it was his first live-action film too and the results there were spectacular.

The only thing to be worried about here is the music. While Michael Giacchino is another hold over from M:I3 (and a brilliant one at that) he isn't responsible for the music in the trailer, which is courtesy of Eminem and Pink. It's pretty bad, and hopefully will be one of those end-of-credits pieces of music, but it does feature quite heavily here. Be warned.

Excuses, Excuses...

2011-06-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

So I've been away for about 3 months... and here are what can only be called excuses.

When I and my Fiancée started looking for a place to live, we honestly didn't expect it to be as quick as it was. The words "You can move in at the end of the month" were brilliant to hear, especially for such a lovely, and relatively cheap place. So we were quick to get into action, packing all our worldly possessions (mainly about seven boxes of DVDs and video games in my case) and moving in.

Then when we had moved everything necessary in, it came to the computer, which unfortunately was a shared one with my parents. They would keep it until a new one was bought and delivered, so they were quick to get into action and buy a new computer... from Mesh. Who went into administration (although there website seems to say otherwise). And didn't tell them for ages. So that delayed me getting my computer to my flat for a while.

Then I went on holiday. Yet another delay. And I didn't have a computer table. So another one. Anyway, now I'm home and I have my computer and my computer table and that was this weekend just passed.

So now I can get back to learning more about what I want to do best. Describing what I think about films and television in a way that will inspire others to either steer clear or seek them out.

Let's get to it eh?

Film-a-day: Week 5: 13-19 Feb 2011

2011-03-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

We'll start with a film I watched purely because 65daysofstatic were doing a live re-score of the film at the Glasgow Film Festival. The rest are, as usual, behind the cut.

Silent Running (1972) ***

Silent Running [live re-score by 65daysofstatic] ****

Not that I was, but if I were in any doubt before, now I'm certain. Music can dramatically change the impact of a film and how it's ideas and messages come across. Silent Running by itself is a bit of a strange beast. The story is a little on the perplexing side for one, especially for the rating it was given. Keep in mind that this was given a U for universal in the UK and G for general audiences in the USA. The main character kills three of his crew, two of them are blown up and the other strangled. I had this argument with a friend about whether the message outweighed the reason for ratings, and to be honest I kinda felt like rating this a so low is pretty irresponsible. Still, that has more to do with the BBFC and MPAA, but it does shine a light on where the film has this character.

Bruce Dern does no wrong here as the main man, left at his wits end trying to protect the worlds last forest from everyone else in the universe, who have plans to turn this sanctuary ships into cruise liners. He shines in a film that was built to have one strong main character tell his own story, and the look of the ships is incredibly well done too, especially considering how long ago it came out. However, the plot drifts a lot in the middle when the idea falls to it's basic elements, and the soundtrack is one of the worst I have ever heard. Which is where 65daysofstatic come in. I've never been to a live re-scoring before, but this was definitely a match made in heaven. The band used their post-rock to set the scenes and used their electronic side to ramp up the sci-fi element perfectly, and left me feeling more for the issues at hand than the first viewing ever could. It was a perfect marriage, and I came out wanting that to be the final cut of the film; wanting them to record the re-score and have Universal release it on the films 40th anniversary next year. Who's with me?

After The Cut: The Terminal, Marley And Me, The Cocoanuts, Choke, Paper Heart and The Goods (Live Hard, Sell Hard).

The Terminal (2004) ***

At first glance, I dismissed this film as just a bit of fluff, nothing worth paying any attention to, naff. Of course, learning that it was at least partly based on the true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri who spent 18 years in an airport peaked my interest. What I found was a sweet and heart-warming story that gave us a great insight into a wonderfully rounded character, with a terrible accent. At times, it does talk down to it's audience, which was almost a given from the get go, but it gives a simple story adequate room to breathe. Not to mention the fact that Chi McBride and Diego Luna are both great in their supporting roles, bringing key scenes to life. However, the real star here is Kumar Pallana who is brilliant in every scene, owning his performance brilliantly, and not afraid to be silly it up when necessary, like in the superb dinner scene. However, Catherine Zeta Jones may be mis-cast and it's hard to see Stanley Tucci as a bad guy here, so the film has many varying peaks and troughs.

Marley And Me (2008) **

I love dogs. I'd never been able to have one growing up, as my mum is allergic but have always wanted to have man's best friend to take for walks and play with. So film's that portray dogs in a real light should be perfect for me, right? Apparently, wrong. Marley and Me gives you a real insight into owning a troublesome dog, and the love that comes with it. It takes you through the dogs life through the eyes of the family who own it, and what they learn from it along the way. Blergh. What really happens is they show you how fun it would be to have a dog, and also how annoying it is, and then at the end they have some 'emotional' bollocks. It's overwrought, it didn't make me want a dog any more or less and it was ridiculously un-affecting when it came right down to it. It's not enough, and it is barely enjoyable fluff, which mucks up what could be an entertaining film.

The Cocoanuts (1929) ***

I absolutely love Marx Brother films. I grew up watching them from a very young age and I've now seen twelve of their thirteen films, with only Love Happy left. Having never seen The Cocoanuts before, this was a pretty interesting watch for me. If you forget about the random dance sequences and the five minute long beach sequence at the beginning, this film is a lot better than three stars. As it is the film is just good, as while Groucho, Harpo and Chico are all starting to show their comedy bare bones in their first feature, there are lax performances from other actors throughout the film. However, this is almost forgiveable considering this was in the very early days of 'talkie' cinema, and the film survives (barely) as another fine example of the comedy genius of the Marx Brothers.

Choke (2008) ***

Seeing this film from me, was just about seeing more Sam Rockwell films. He's quite possibly one of the best actors working today, with his work in Moon being an incredible example of just what he is capable of. Here is no difference, and he calmly plays a character with almost no morals whatsoever. Along the way he gets worse and better in different ways and with every turn Rockwell matches the tone, never missing a beat. He has a good supporting cast in Anjelica Huston and Kelly McDonald, who are both superb in their scenes with the leading man. However a few of the sex scenes are needless, as we already have the point that he's a sex addict drummed into us from the beginning. Aside from that it's an enjoyable 90 minutes and is held together quite well, even if the plot does wear thin around the middle.

Paper Heart (2009) ***

Going in, I had some idea that this was part documentary, part fiction so I wasn't shocked when the two stars started dating mid-way through the film. If I hadn't know though, I wouldn't have been convinced, as it's the most contrived thing trying so hard to put the two together. However, if you know it's fiction, it's generally more enjoyable purely because you know they could take it anywhere. Of course, there is another side to this film, and it's one which I deeply enjoyed. Charlyne Yi goes around talking to couples who got together in interesting ways and they tell their stories to camera. The stories are animated in a rudimentary fashion and are made all the more cute for it. To be honest, 90 minutes of that would have been lovely, but as it is a movie of two half's, it suffers a little by going back and forth. Had this been two separate films, it may have worked really well, but as it is it's just enjoyable.

The Goods (2009) ***

I have no idea what critics were moaning about when reviewing this film. Sure, it's not as good as other output from the actors on display but it's not terrible. There's a lot of fun to be had watching The Goods and it comes from a lot of different sources. Jeremy Piven plays the lead rather well and pulls of the salesman motif greatly, while Ving Rhames puts in an unusually funny performance. The team is rounded out by the wonderful David Koechner who is a little underused and a pretty average performance by an actor I've never been convinced by, Kathryn Hahn. From the car dealership, the always underused Ken Jeong is superb, and Craig Robinson is a nice addition as the psycho DJ. However, both James Brolin and Jordana Spiro seem mis-matched for their characters, and the usually great Ed Helms fails to spark. Besides that, it's a very enjoyable film which is tied together nicely by some appearances by Will Ferrell and Kristen Schaal.

Total Films: 34

More soon,
Carl England

Doctor Who series six prequel

2011-03-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a big Doctor Who fan, and I'm damn excited to see the return of the show in April. Before we get there though, Steven Moffat has written a little prequel to the first episode 'The Impossible Astronaut' and here it is in all it's creepy glory. Enjoy...

Film-a-day: Week 4: 6-12 Feb 2011

2011-03-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

More Film-a-day from the past month, kicking off with a double header from the Glasgow Film Festival.

Boy (2010) ****/

This is actually my second time seeing this New Zealand based gem from Taika Waititi, and it was just as good as the first time. I absolutely love all the character and the way they interact with each other, especially in regard to Waititi as Alamein, the Boy in question's father. The relationship between the two is interesting to say the least and gives the film some of it's finest moments, although either of them could hold the film in their own right, which is a great compliment to James Rolleston who played Boy. Not only was this his first acting experience, but he was only picked from a cast of extras when it turned out that their first choice had grown up too much since the casting. He has a wonderful comic timing and is downright perfectly cast, and does an incredible job of playing the lead at such a young age. Boy is an insightful, lovely, funny, sweet, surprising and touching film that should be seen by all. So go see it, egg!

Paul (2011) ****/

My lovely fiancée and I caught this at the festival too, and found it to be a hilariously entertaining film, which adequately filled up my geek quota for the week, as I thought it might. It's puts Simon Pegg and Nick Frost back together again, this time with director Greg Mottola instead of their usual cohort Edgar Wright, and sets them off on a road trip through points of extraterrestrial importance. The relationship between the two is, yet again, wonderful and helps carry the film when it hits the tiniest of dry spells. Don't worry though, they don't last long, and even the highly annoying Kristen Wiig is brilliant here, so something must be going right. The whole film is an utter triumph that solidifies the bond between the two actors as a vital double act that should work together in every second film. Even though separately one is definitely stronger than the other, together they are unbeatable, and this film proves that even without the incredible Wright directing they are still a force to be reckoned with.

After the cut: Mean Girls, Cop Out, Fanboys, The Informant! and Knowing.

Mean Girls (2004) ***/

This was exactly how I should see every film I really enjoy watching. In a cinema with hundreds of other people who like it too. Another film I caught at the film festival, this was pure indulgence, as the 11pm screening rolled just as folks were sipping on their second glass of wine and ready to shout out all of the best lines, and have a good time. Back To The Future was decidedly a better second watch at the cinema, no doubt about it, but Mean Girls still had it's charm brought forth in this audience. If you ever get the chance to revisit your favourite films in their original homes, I highly recommend that you do, as it is an experience to be cherished.

Cop Out (2010) ***

I am a big Kevin Smith fan, so when this came out to bad reviews, I was disappointed. However, I wasn't really expecting much from it either, which is why I waited until it was on DVD to see it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the critics went way overboard, and that Cop Out was in fact good fun. Of course, it's not perfect by any means, in fact, half the time when the film relies on Bruce Willis to bring the goods, it falls flat. But every single time Tracy Morgan gets a line, he relishes the opportunity to crack wise and make a fool of himself, and it works wonders, as the film comes alive. As for the background characters, I could take of leave them, but in the few scenes where Willis is good, he is great. If he had just tried harder, maybe this could have had a sequel.

Fanboys (2008) ***/

What a lovely love letter to all things Star Wars. Four friends band together to break into Skywalker ranch and steal a copy of 'Episode 1: The Phantom Menace', and no matter if it did turn out to be a rubbish film, it was the journey that mattered. To me the original premise sounded a little flat, so it's good that there's a deeper story too. One of the the four friends has cancer and probably won't live to see it in the cinema, and a friend who fell by the wayside comes back to help him achieve his dream. It turns out that not only is it a very fun film filled with homages to being the films and to being a Star Wars fan in general, it's also a heartfelt thank you to Lucas. It doesn't even touch upon the fact that most fans thought The Phantom Menace was terrible, which is nice, since that's all you hear about that film these days. One thing to note, the trailer doesn't ruin all of the funniest bits of the film... instead it shows you the least funniest bits... probably why it didn't make much money, then.

The Informant! (2009) ***

Matt Damon is a bit of a champ. He's tackled being a next generation Bond in the Bourne trilogy, he's done the dramas, and he's even tackled comedy. The Informant is the latter in case you were confused. It's slightly silly, and the character is possibly slightly wackier than he needs to be, but it's an entertaining look at one of those crazy stories that seems to have come from almost nothing. It doesn't come close to what Burn After Reading did for that kind of insanity, but it does show that Damon has the chops to give it a go at least. Not to mention it also has a supporting cast full of champs, unfortunately most of them play the straight men of the intelligence agency's though, so don't expect very comedic performances there.

Knowing (2009) ***/

Another Nicolas Cage film, but this time, he actually manages to keep his cool for a high percentage of the running time. Aside from that, this is actually a really interesting film, which uses the idea that someone has predicted disasters in the future to mask a storyline in which the world is going to end. Both storylines could be films in their own rights, and have been tried to varying degrees of success in the past, but here they neatly tie the two ideas together with a third strand. For me, it's a brilliant example of a mainstream Hollywood film which strays from conventions and I have a personal soft spot for films which do that. While the film may not be perfect, it is damn entertaining, and deserves at least a watch.

Total Films: 27

More soon,
Carl England

Two teasers for Spielberg produced telly

2011-03-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Spielberg has produced not one but two shows set to hit your televisions this year and in the past week they've both had teasers put out. One is a time travel epic called Terra Nova which sends a group of humans from the future, 2149 to be exact, back in time 85 million years in order to 'get it right' this time. It seems like a little too far back to actually change anything of importance, unless they plan on just pressing a reset button on the entire human race. Which is a bit bold. It also doesn't take into account that something is going to wipe all the dinosaurs off the face of the earth... All will inevitably be revealed, I guess.

The other is a chaotic look into the future, which sees the human race battered by an invading alien force and trying to survive further attacks. This one needs less CGI and more human drama I think and thus I'm much more interested in how this one turns out. Falling Skies is the first to appear in June, with Terra Nova starting later in the year.

Captain America full trailer

2011-03-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Holy fuck yes. This is what I'm talking about. This makes all the other comic book films this year look bad. Even ones from Marvel. Keep an eye out for Tony Stark's dad!

Two teaser pics with polar opposite effects

2011-03-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Over the past week or so, two images have hit geek websites everywhere and have been divisive to say the least. I want to chime in with my two cents on the images. Both are from upcoming TV projects that it's fair to say will at least draw a big crowd on opening night. Both are to tease the fans with just a little sip of the forthcoming. However, while one set my geek motor running, the other left me cold.

First up, Ronald D Moore's newest show that isn't a spin of from Battlestar Galactica is 17th Precinct, which is a cop show with a supernatural edge which has been described as 'harry potter for adults'. That last part made me take a step back at first, but finding out not one, not two, but three of my favourite BSG co-stars would make the main cast had me coming straight back for more. About 10 days ago the three came together on set for a group photo, which was later posted on twitter, and I love it. L-R: Tricia Helfer, James Callis and Jamie Bamber.

Source

The other one? Wonder Woman. I'm a big comic book fan, and I was excited about this once upon a time (mainly when Whedon was still involved) but this image has just made me want to forget it ever existed. It's just too shiny... oh, and she's wearing trousers for some reason. I know that's a new look for wonder woman, apparently since last month (how convenient) but I don't recall that previously (happy to be proved wrong though. However, I think that this looks just plain weird and wrong.

Source, and a good article on how silly the whole darn thing is too.