Some clips from Daft Punk’s soundtrack for TRON LEGACY have broken free.  You can listen to them here.

These tracks also appear on the TRON LEGACY webpage.  But here, you can hear them without all the sfx.

You may recognize some of these tracks from the trailers.

Originally posted on The End 107.7 blog by Intern Bryce, they deserve the credit for obtaining the tracks.

Part of why I’m excited about this is because this is the first new Daft Punk in a while.  I’ve been looking forward to hearing more.  I have to say, I really like it.

Click on the mini players below to listen to the tracks.

So what do you think?

Not start a new season, but finish the first season.  Seriously.

I don’t know about you all, but I’m so over this half season per year marketing technique being fed to us by the network brain trust.  It started with HBO and THE SOPRANOS.  Now HBO does it with just about everything, then Sci-Fi gets into the act and starts chopping up BATTLESTAR GALACTICA into itty bitty half seasons that air a whole year apart.

BSG and THE SPORANOS were extended far past their logical expiration dates.  While both shows still had their fans, television had moved on.

Lesser shows would have been forgotten.   Remember ABC and PUSHING DAISIES?  Okay, that was due to the strike, but the long hiatus killed all the momentum the show had, and it was never able to regain it.  They had to start all over.  As a result, one of the best shows on TV met a bitter, premature end.

It’s hard to believe that networks would actually do this on purpose.  Perhaps they feel that heavily promoting the return of a popular show will boost viewership.  Not just a show, but an event, right?  Create a craving.  Create a rare occurrence.  An opportunity.  Like how Pink Floyd started coming out with albums every 4 years, instead of every year.  Like the Olympics or The World Cup.

But how much longer will this continue to work?  At what point will people just start dropping shows?  I guess we’re going to find out because some networks seem to be in love with this technique.

And in CAPRICA’S case, will this work at all?  Last I read, CAPRICA’S ratings were much lower than anticipated.  As I watched, the show seemed to get better and better though.  Momentum seemed assured as long as the quality kept coming.  Well, now it seems we are going to have to start over with CAPRICA.  Most loyal fans will tune in, but casual fans will ask “Oh yeah, what ever happened to that show?  Isn’t 20/20 on tonight?”

So what do you guys think?  Do you mind the long delays?  Does it affect whether or not you remain a loyal viewer?  Do you find something else in the meantime?  What happens when you like that show better?

Syfy press release:

CAPRICA RETURNS TO SYFY IN JANUARY 2011

New York, New York – July 21, 2010 – Syfy has announced the highly-anticipated return of critically-acclaimed series Caprica. The second half of season one premieres in January 2011 (date TBA), and kicks off with a thrilling pace as the citizens of Caprica deal with the chaotic aftermath of the mid-season finale’s harrowing events.

In season 1.5, the once idyllic world of Caprica – as well as life across the colonies – falls prey to an explosive chain reaction of consequences set off by the characters’ many questionable actions in the season’s first half. Tensions rise, power shifts and the line between reality and the virtual world becomes increasingly blurred as everyone struggles to learn – and conquer – the stakes in this volatile setting. As the season races towards its stunning conclusion, events of each episode lay the framework for the inevitable (and brutal) clash between the newly-created Cylon race and their human creators.

An all-new trailer for season 1.5 will premiere at Caprica’s Comic-Con panel on July 23, and before landing on Syfy.com, it will be available exclusively on Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace on Xbox LIVE and Windows PCs through the Zune PC software available for free at www.zune.net. (July 26).

Caprica stars Eric Stoltz (Daniel Graystone), Paula Malcomson (Amanda Graystone), Esai Morales (Joseph Adama), Polly Walker (Sister Clarice Willow), Alessandra Torresani (Zoe Graystone), Magda Apanowicz (Lacy) and Sasha Roiz (Sam Adama).

Caprica is a prequel to the award-winning series Battlestar Galactica. The series is from Universal Cable Productions, and is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Jonas Pate serves as co-executive producer and director.

Universal Cable Productions creates quality content across multiple media platforms for USA, Syfy and other networks. A leader in innovative and critically acclaimed programming, UCP is the studio behind USA’s Royal Pains, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Psych, In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs and Facing Kate, as well as Syfy’s Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Caprica. The studio also produced the long-running series Monk and Battlestar Galactica. UCP is a division of NBC Universal.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 96 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.

(Syfy. Imagine greater.)

Disney released a new trailer for TRON LEGACY today to coincide with their presentation at Comic-Con. I suppose this is the big movie news of the day. And I have to admit that I am really looking forward to seeing this movie. I was a huge fan of the original, but this trailer is leaving me cold.

Check it out for yourself.

“I’m not your father, Sam.”

Boy, that line made me cringe.  So did “Here they come!”  You just can’t say those things in a post-Star Wars sci-fi movie anymore.  You can’t make it sound good.

No, I’m not an angry fanboy pining for the perfect (read flawed memories of…) cinematic past of my youth.  I’m just saying the trailer was kind of flat.  The effects were cool.  The stuff was cool.  It was neat seeing the bikes and the recognizers, and delightfully creepy seeing Jeff Bridges look like he’s 30.  But I couldn’t get past the dialog and the stilted acting.  It was like the Star Wars prequels to me.  All posing and pacing.  Hit the mark, say the line.

“Cut!  Again…  But with more intensity.”  You know?

Also, the Tron world looked too pretty for me.  I liked the dreamlike feeling of the original.  The fakeyness of it actually helped the atmosphere back in the 80′s.  But with today’s technology, we can make everything perfect.  And that’s a problem.  It was perfect…  and that bugged me.

Just because you can make something perfect, doesn’t mean you should.

Okay, I know.  It’s just a trailer.  I should wait until the actual movie comes out before I go on a rant.  I’ll shut up now.

But I would really like to know what you guys think.

I believe we have a lot to talk about.

Due in theaters December 17, 2010, TRON LEGACY stars Jeff Bridges (CRAZY HEART, THE BIG LEBOWSKI), Garrett Hedlund (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS), Olivia Wilde (HOUSE M.D., ALPHA DOG) and Michael Sheen (THE QUEEN, FROST/NIXON)

Director, Joseph Kosinski, remarkably has no previous director credits on the IMDb, but he has directed a couple of notable CGI video game commercials.  You can see them below.

Gears of War: “Mad World”

Halo, “Starry Night”

Is this a risky move on Disney’s part?  Or is it inspired?

Time will tell.

By the way, my deepest apologies for the dreadful Yahoo commercial at the end of the trailer.  They are truly awful and the volume is turned way up on them and you can’t pause it.   As soon as I can find a reliable version not on Yahoo, I’ll change the feed.  Until then, thank you for not screaming and closing the page.

UPDATE:

I’ve included a couple of trailers for the original.

TRON (1982), Official trailer

And the fan made TRON MODERN TRAILER, by DrewboiX. Better quality footage that really showcases the phenomonal design plan of the original.

By the way, my deepest apologies for the dreadful Yahoo commercial at the end of the trailer.  They are truly awful and the volume is turned way up on them and you can’t pause it.   As soon as I can find a reliable version not on Yahoo, I’ll change the feed.  Until then, thank you for not screaming and closing the page.

A couple of months ago I mentioned the upcoming Roger Corman film, SHARKTOPUS. Well, here’s the first trailer. I don’t know about you, but I’m satisfied.

“Greatness comes at a price. It always has.”

Given Corman’s notoriously low budgets, in the case of SHARKTOPUS, the price of greatness is apparently next to nothing.

Jean-Luc Godard once said “All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.”  SHARKTOPUS has girls and guns, except that it’s got machine guns and its got a bunch of girls… in bikinis.

On top of that, you have surf music, bungee jumping snacks and a radio controlled, genetically engineered sea monster that works for the Navy.  What more could anyone want?

Were Godard dead, he’d be spinning in his grave.

My favorite part is about 22 seconds into the trailer.  You see a shark fin on the water… except there’s no shark beneath it.  It’s just fin, skimming the surface.

Maybe it’s on a stick or something?  Who knows?  I just hope this is a sign of things to come from SHARKTOPUS.  It looks so awesomely bad that it just might be a legend in the making.

So mark your calendars, set your DVR’s and alert the neighbors.  SHARKTOPUS turds in the water September 25th on Syfy.

Produced by the immortal Roger Corman, SHARKTOPUS stars Eric Roberts (HEROES, THE EXPENDABLES, THE DARK KNIGHT), was Written by Mike MacLean (DINOCROC VS. SUPERGATOR), and directed by Declan O’Brien (CYCLOPS, MONSTER ARK).

It’s one of the best things Nike has ever done and I’m including all the clothes, shoes and sports gear they make.  This can be called the World Cup’s answer to a Super Bowl ad.  But due to it’s scale, content and production value, WRITE THE FUTURE outdoes any Super Bowl ad I’ve ever seen.

Created by the Dutch ad firm Wieden+Kennedy and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (AMORES PERROS, 21 GRAMS, BABEL), WRITE THE FUTURE comes in at an unusual 3 minutes long. Take a look.

The World Cup is easily the biggest sporting event ever conceived by man. You think the Super Bowl is big? A good Super Bowl rating is about 100 million viewers. Each World Cup match can draw twice that, if not more. And there are 64 matches in a tournament. That’s like 64 Super Bowls in the span of a month. Estimates from the 2006 World Cup put the cumulative viewership at over 26 billion people worldwide.

With so many people watching, it’s easy to understand the pressure that these players are under. Everyone is playing for their country (and an overwhelming majority of them are playing for free). You can be a great soccer player, but if you don’t perform in the World Cup, you’re a nobody.

But if you mess up, it’s even worse.

The ad WRITE THE FUTURE pokes fun at this pressure and presents an exaggerated look at how the fortunes of the players, their countries, and even the world can change on a well timed bicycle kick, a botched pass or a free kick. It’s an exaggeration, yes. But it really isn’t far from reality.

Take Wayne Rooney’s story. A missed pass starts a chain of events that eventually find him destitute, living in a trailer, and staring at a billboard of the Frenchman who stole the ball (and his career) from him. However, when the events are replayed, he takes the ball back from Franck Ribery, and is knighted.

This is only a small exaggeration of what could happen to Wayne Rooney depending on what kind of tournament he has. If he performs poorly, he will be considered a goat. The press will hammer him and the American players will laugh at him. If England wins the World Cup, and Rooney plays well, he seriously could be knighted. Babies could be named after him. Team Spain could crumple and throw newspapers. So it’s not very far from the truth.

WRITE THE FUTURE is a fantastic epic mini movie that tells 4 unique stories in 3 minutes. It stars Didier Drogba, Fabio Cannavaro, Wayne Rooney, Ronaldinho, and Christiano Ronaldo; with cameos from Bobby Solo, Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, Homer Simpson, Gael Garcia Bernal and many of the biggest soccer stars in the world.

By the way, the ad ends with a cut to black on a free kick during a Portugal v. Netherlands match.

Now where have we seen that before?

Oh yeah…

Nike: Take It To The Next Level (2008). Directed by Guy Ritchie

Today Script Frenzy is having a fundraiser for their 30-days, 100-pages screenwriting challenge.  They are looking to raise a mere $10,000.00 to pay for their overhead and staff.

I think we can come up with that.

Script Frenzy is an online writing event that takes place once a year, in which writers are challenged to complete a 100 page screenplay during the 30 days of April.  This year’s frenzy has already begun and it is in full swing.

Script Frenzy does not charge to take part in this event.  It’s free.  But what a writer can get out of just one frenzy is extremely valuable.  They can begin May with a finished script and a network of fellow writers and other industry professionals.  Not to mention the tons of advice and feedback you can get from your peers.

Check it out at scriptfrenzy.org.

If you are a writer, this is fantastic exercise and a great opportunity.  I hope they start doing this more than once a year.  But to do so, they need money.  They need to pay the bills generated by running such an event, thus the April 20 fundraiser.

If you are an emerging writer and can afford a donation to Script Frenzy, please do it.  It’s a great resource for new and undiscovered writers.  If you are an established writer, support those who have yet to catch their break, and keep the frenzy alive.

You can make your donation here.

Script Frenzy is a project of The Office of Letters and Light, a non-profit organization, so your donations are tax deductible.

Here is the fundraiser email I got from Script Frenzy with a special offer for participants:

Hi Scriptwriter!

I hope Script Frenzy 2010 is treating you well.

On April 20, we are attempting to raise $10,000. That’s right. In one single day.

Everyone who contributes on Donation Day will get a web badge proclaiming that fact. (Kind of like one of those “I Voted” stickers, but brighter and made of pixels.)

Then, if (when!) we raise $10,000, everyone who donated to Script Frenzy 2010 (meaning all donations since June 1, 2009) will get a killer sticker.

We’re a nonprofit running a free event and we need love. And by love, I mean money. If everyone donated just $10 we’d be golden! We could pay all our bills, our staff, and develop new features for next year.

If you’ve gotten something out of Script Frenzy, please give something back.

We’ll track our progress on the homepage, Facebook, and Twitter.

Tuesday, April 20 will go down in history. How it goes down is entirely up to you.

Much frenzied love,
Jen
Program Director

So show Script Frenzy some love.

DOG PONY SHOW is not affiliated with Script Frenzy or The Office of Letters and Light in any way, other than the fact that I have signed up for the frenzy.  I am simply doing what I can to help out an organization that I think is doing a good thing for writers all around the world.

This is shaping up to be the CANNONBALL RUN of superhero movies.  According to Mike Fleming at Deadline Hollywood, Joss Whedon, creator of the TV shows BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, FIREFLY and DOLLHOUSE, and director of SERENITY, is in final negotiations to direct THE AVENGERS; Marvel Studios’ ambitious cinematic crossover project scheduled for a 2012 release.  This news has got the fanboy ‘verse whipped up in all manners of hi-larious frenzy.

Don’t get me wrong, I love frenzied fanboys.  Especially the ones that go “Ooh, maybe they can get Eliza Dushku for The Scarlet Witch and NPH for The Vision.”  As if that’s how $150M blockbusters work.  But what’s even better are the multi page talkbacks arguing whether or not Whdeon is the right guy to pull this off, or whether Marvel will restrict him so greatly that Whedon won’t be able to have his way and he’ll leave, or how he will never be able to manage the egos of Robert Downey Jr and Samuel L. Jackson and the whole thing will explode and there will be guts everywhere and…

Please.  Whedon and Marvel have a long and established relationship.  Whedon ‘versed the comic book ASTONISHING X-MEN for years with nary an upbunching from Marvel.  The X-Men are Marvel’s bread and butter, and Whedon had a popular, profitable run with them.  They are obviously happy enough with their relationship that they offered him the job to direct THE AVENGERS.  Marvel knows exactly what they are getting into.  Whedon is a feature film director, a very successful television showrunner and an amazing writer.   If the rumors are true that he’s also making his own pass through Zack Penn’s script, then I don’t see how Marvel could have made a better choice for themselves.

For those who don’t know the backstory, THE AVENGERS is possibly one of the most ambitious film projects attempted in a long time, certainly since LORD OF THE RINGS.  It is also one of the biggest gambles.   THE AVENGERS will be a culmination and collision of at least 5 different recent and upcoming blockbuster movies.

We have already seen two of them; IRON MAN and THE INCREDIBLE HULK.  Yes, Robert Downey Jr. will be playing Iron Man in THE AVENGERS, and Edward Norton may play the Hulk.  IRON MAN 2 is due out in a few weeks and Marvel Studios has CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER starring Chris Evans and THOR with Chris Hemsworth due out next year.  THE AVENGERS will rope the stars of these films into one orgiastic, superhero free-for-all that will be sort of a sequel to all of them.

Not since ALIENS VS. PREDATOR have we seem such an epic cinematic mashup.

Okay, bad example.  But you know what I mean.

THE AVENGERS chronicles the stories of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.  Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Nick Fury, The Hulk and many other high profile superheroes join in the fun to take on epic threats around the world deemed too big for just one hero to handle.

Sort of like The Justice League… but Marvel!

Projected for a 2012 release, THE AVENGERS will feature Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, along with Evans and Hemswoth as Captain America and Thor respectively.  Rumored to also be joining the cast are Edward Norton as The Hulk and Scarlet Johansen as The Black Widow, but nothing is official yet.

Sorry, no Tobey Maguire as Spiderman or Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, those characters are licensed to Sony and Fox.

UPDATE: Pajiba writes that Whedon will also be making a writing pass through the screenplay of THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA (or whatever it’s called these days).  If true, it would appear Marvel is doubling down on the Academy Award nominated writer.  Always a safe bet.

So that’s my take. What’s yours? Is Whedon the right guy for this? Who else would you rather see direct it? Michael Bay? Jean Luc Godard? Corman?

What a fantastic year it has been so far for B-Movie and cult film fans like me.  First, Syfy and their plans to “update” classic fairy tales, then the return of Roger Corman with SHARKTOPUS, Stephen Chow remaking Way of The Dragon…  Wow.

But none of that even comes close to matching the kitschy coolness of the news coming out of Variety…

We all saw this was coming after CLOVERFIELD was released a couple of years ago.

As rumored last year, it would appear that Legendary Pictures is serious about bringing Godzilla back to Hollywood, according to this article in Variety.  No director has been named yet, but we can expect an announcement on that soon.

Here is the press release from Legendary Pictures.

Burbank, CA – March 29, 2010 – Legendary Pictures announced today that they will develop and produce a new film based on Toho Company’s famed GODZILLA character.  Through the terms of the agreement, Legendary Pictures has acquired the rights to produce a movie inspired by Toho’s Godzilla, a franchise the Japanese company created and has nurtured for over fifty years.

Toho’s GODZILLA franchise boasts one of the most widely recognized film creatures worldwide, resulting in a series of books, television programs, video games and more than 25 films worldwide.  Legendary intends to approach the film and its characters in the most authentic manner possible.  The company will, in the near future, announce a filmmaker to helm the film for an intended 2012 release. The film will fall under the company’s co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros.  Toho will distribute the film in Japan.

“Godzilla is one of the world’s most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise,” said Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary. “Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see.  We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has.”

“Godzilla is a signature Japanese character which we have nurtured over the years. It is a great honor to reach an agreement with Legendary Pictures, the parent to many a blockbuster film, and we are delighted in rebooting the character together to realize its much anticipated return by fans from all over the world,” comments Hideyuki Takai, President of Toho Co., Ltd. “We are anxious to find out where Godzilla’s new stomping will take us.”

“Godzilla is emblematic of the kind of branded, event films for which Warner Bros. and our partners at Legendary are best known. We have enjoyed a great deal of success together to date and this newest opportunity represents yet another chance for us to collaborate on a property that is very clearly in their wheelhouse,” said Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

In addition to Legendary, producers on the new film will be Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers. Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will Executive Produce.

Anyone else recognize the name of one of the Japanese producers?  Yoshimitsu Banno.  He was the writer/director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Aka, Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster) which is near the top of my list of all-time classic B-Movie bizarre greatness.

GvH was a unique entry in the Godzilla franchise; from the ecological message, to the Bond-like opening, to kids playing with Godzilla toys in a Godzilla movie (let that sink in for a second), to the Big Guy flying, to the sludge drenched kitten in the acid club, all the way to the “Come on, blow your mind!” scene where Godzilla crashes a rave on Mt. Fuji.

It is a delightful mess and I highly recommend it for those who like truly strange movies.  It really is almost an art film…  Almost.

I am thrilled that Banno will at least be involved in the new film.  I don’t know exactly to what degree, but just the fact that his name is on there intrigues me.

By the way, after Godzilla Vs. Hedorah was released, legendary G-Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka supposedly told Banno that he had ruined the franchise forever and he would never work for Toho ever again.  That’s how good it was.

It would now appear the ban has been lifted.

Here’s the intro to Godzilla vs. Hedorah which is as close Godzilla would ever get to having a Maurice Binder, Bond-like opening title sequence, complete with a singer (Keiko Mari) who bears a curious resemblance to Shirley Bassey. The song is the “Save The Earth” version, rerecorded in English for American audiences.

As I learn more about this project, I’ll pass it along.

In the meantime, what do you think of a new American Godzilla movie?

If you haven’t seen it yet, The LA Times has a great interview with writer-director Christopher Nolan (MEMENTO, THE DARK KNIGHT).  Nolan speaks about his upcoming SUPERMAN project and offers some insights on a possible 3rd BATMAN movie, which would be a sequel to THE DARK KNIGHT.

LA Times Article.

Read more here to see the trailer for INCEPTION, Nolan’s next film, due July 16 2010.

Good news for FRINGE fans.  Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the Fox television  sci-fi procedural has been renewed for a third season.  This show had been on the bubble and nobody could say for certain whether or not the show would be back.  Now it appears that those questions have been answered.

Season 3 is a good threshold for a network sci-fi show.  Not many make it this far.  I suppose the next question is for the freelance TV writers:  Is it safe to spec FRINGE now?  Heck, I just might take a shot at it.

So what do you all think about this show?  Love it?  Hate it?

What would you change or like to see more of?  Sound off.

New episodes begin April 1.  In the meantime, enjoy the gag reel after the break.

FRINGE chronicles the adventures of FBI agent Olivia Dunham, confidence man Peter Bishop and his mad scientist father Walter Bishop as they investigate and attempt to unravel “The Pattern;” a series of clandestine experiments that appear to be the cause of a number of strange, trippy and gruesome occurrences all over the world.  FRINGE was created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci for Bad Robot Productions.