Sunday Mercury - Anorak City

The science behind the movie sequel

2009-11-09T10:29:38Z

Hollywood has grown reliant on film sequels down the years.

And now with the recession in full swing, they're going back to the well more and more (Men in Black 3, Spider-man 4, Big Momma's House 3 etc...).

They're seen as a low risk option rather than coming up with anything original.

But according to The Observer, this risk has gotten even lower thanks to a bunch of mathematicians who have come up with a formula to predict the fortunes of a sequel.

Up until now Hollywood moguls have been choosing which sequel to make purely by the performance of the first film.

But for every cash cow like Transformers 2 there's a disaster in the Speed 2: Cruise Control style.

So a more scientific method is needed.

Professor Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, from the Cass Business School, London, and his team have devised a way to calculate how much money a sequel will make by using factors such as whether key stars are still on board, and how long it has been since the last film.

They studied 101 movie sequels released in North America between 1998 and 2006 to formulate their creation.

And their first prediction is that Twilight: New Moon will be a success (well, duh...) and that it will make $267m in the US.

Not long now to find out if they're right.

You can find more about the wacky world mathematicians live in by visiting our sister blog Weird Science.

Moon: Win Moon on Blu-Ray or DVD

2009-11-08T00:55:29Z

To celebrate the DVD and Blu-Ray release of Sci-Fi sensation 'Moon' on Monday November 16th, we have two copies of the film to give away to two lucky readers. One on DVD, and one on Blu-Ray.

Marking the directorial debut of Duncan Jones, MOON is a gripping sci-fi thriller which stars Sam Rockwell (Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, Frost/Nixon) and features the voice of two-time Academy Award® winner Kevin Spacey.

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the end of his contract with the mining company, Lunar Industries, for whom he has been a faithful employee for three long years. His home has been Sarang, a moon base where he has spent his days alone mining Helium 3, the precious gas that holds the key to solving Earth's energy crisis. Isolated and determined, Sam has followed the rules obediently and his time on the moon has been enlightening but uneventful. He does his job mechanically and spends most of his time dreaming of his imminent return to earth, his wife and young daughter. Finally he will have someone to talk to beyond "Gerty" (Kevin Spacey), the base's well-intentioned, but rather uncomplicated computer.

Two weeks shy of his departure from Sarang, Sam starts seeing and hearing things and when a routine extraction goes horribly wrong, he discovers that Lunar Industries has its own plans for replacing him and that the new recruit is eerily familiar. Now Sam has to confront the discovery that the life he has created may not be his own.

Great local connection with the haunting soundtrack being scored by Clint Mansell. For a taster head over to Clint's MySpace page and check out "Welcome to Lunar Industries"

To win a copy on DVD or Blu-Ray watch the trailer below, and answer this question:

What is the name of the MOON mining station where Sam Bell is based?

Answer by e-mail to: webmaster@sundaymercury.net
Subject line: Moon Competion

Please include:

Answer.
Name.
Address for prize delivery should you win.
Let us know which format you prefer, DVD or Blu-Ray disc.

Terms and conditions:

Email entries are free. Competition closes midnight Friday November 13 2009.
Open to UK residents only.
Two winners, one will receive DVD, one will receive Blu-Ray.
Please allow 28 days for delivery.
Standard Trinity Mirror rules apply see www.trinitymirror-midlands.co.uk/rules

Lost : Does Bob Dylan hold the key to the series six finale?

2009-11-07T21:36:05Z

Lost has carved out a reputation for its great use of music.

(Unlike Flash Forward, which is getting it all so, so wrong every week).

Remember that great scene on the castaway camp beach set to Jeff Buckley's haunting Hallelujah, for example?

Clearly, Lost co-producer Damon Lindelof is a man who knows his music.

So could it be significant when he says that the final season of the show is best matched by one special song?

It's Visions Of Johanna by Bob Dylan.

"There are certain lyrical phrases in that song that are very well-suited to season six," he says cryptically.

Make your own mind up. Turn the page for the lyrics ...

Visions Of Johanna

Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet?
We sit here stranded, though we're all doin' our best to deny it
And Louise holds a handful of rain, temptin' you to defy it
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The country music station plays soft
But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind

In the empty lot where the ladies play blindman's bluff with the key chain
And the all-night girls they whisper of escapades out on the "D" train
We can hear the night watchman click his flashlight
Ask himself if it's him or them that's really insane
Louise, she's all right, she's just near
She's delicate and seems like the mirror
But she just makes it all too concise and too clear
That Johanna's not here
The ghost of 'lectricity howls in the bones of her face
Where these visions of Johanna have now taken my place

Now, little boy lost, he takes himself so seriously
He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously
And when bringing her name up
He speaks of a farewell kiss to me
He's sure got a lotta gall to be so useless and all
Muttering small talk at the wall while I'm in the hall
How can I explain?
Oh, it's so hard to get on
And these visions of Johanna, they kept me up past the dawn

Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial
Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while
But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
You can tell by the way she smiles
See the primitive wallflower freeze
When the jelly-faced women all sneeze
Hear the one with the mustache say, "Jeeze
I can't find my knees"
Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel

The peddler now speaks to the countess who's pretending to care for him
Sayin', "Name me someone that's not a parasite and I'll go out and say a prayer for him"
But like Louise always says
"Ya can't look at much, can ya man?"
As she, herself, prepares for him
And Madonna, she still has not showed
We see this empty cage now corrode
Where her cape of the stage once had flowed
The fiddler, he now steps to the road
He writes ev'rything's been returned which was owed
On the back of the fish truck that loads
While my conscience explodes
The harmonicas play the skeleton keys and the rain
And these visions of Johanna are now all that remain

Lost : it was a big mistake having Charlie kill Ethan

2009-11-07T21:16:50Z

For many Lost fans it was one of the most shocking moments of the saga.

Charlie, coming apart at the seams as he battled his drug habit and hopelessly in love with Claire, finally cracked.

He confronted evil Ethan as he emerged from the forest in pursuit of Claire and mercilessly shot him dead.

Six times, no less.

The episode, titled Homecoming, was surely one of the highlights of Series 1.

Not according to Lost co-producer Damon Lindelof.

He HATES the episode.

"My least favorite episode is this episode that we did the first season called "Homecoming" he says.

"It's when Claire comes back from having been in the jungle for a couple of days after she was abducted by the Others, and Ethan comes after her.

"The back story is Charlie is trying to go straight and he's selling copiers. At the end of the episode, he shoots Ethan.

"I wrote that episode, and it's my least favorite episode of the show ever."

But what about "Stranger in a Strange Land" - the bizarre episode in which nothing much happened apart from Jack getting his tattoos?

That's usually top of the fans'[ hate list.

"I'm surprised by that," says Damon. "I feel like it's unfair to bag on that episode.

"Am I a huge fan of it? No. But at the same time, there were so many different circumstances that led to that episode that needed to be written and so many ideas that didn't work.

"The fact that it all coalesced ... There was a bad casting decision made. There was a bad premise decision made. There was a bad flashback story.

"Just everything that could go wrong did, but I don't think it was because the script of that episode was terrible."

Twilight star Ashley Greene gets spooky in new movie

2009-11-07T21:05:01Z

Twilight star Ashley Greene, who plays Alice in the vampire movie series, has signed up get spooky again.

She's set to appear in a film titled The Apparition, which is being touted as (surprise, surprise) a supernatural thriller.

Ashley has become a fright fan favourite after playing the sister of fanged Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson in Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

Top honour for Lord Of The Rings star

2009-11-06T08:35:46Z

Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen has been honoured for his work in film.

The actor took to the red carpet in Hollywood as the American Film Institute held a special evening in his honour as part of the AFI Festival.

"It's a team sport making movies," Viggo said.

His latest film, The Road, is a post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his son trying to survive by any means possible.

"In this case it's a story about a father and a son and if the son wasn't a great actor and didn't have a great emotional range I wouldn't have done a very good job, I could have only gone so far," he said.

A Peaceful Nights Sleep in a TaunTaun

2009-11-05T12:19:26Z

As much as we all loved the Tauntaun wedding cake from the other day, what we really wanted was to be able to REALLY sleep in the warm, safe haven of our own loyal beasty.

Well dream no more people because the groovy folk over at thinkgeek will soon be shipping Tauntaun sleeping bags to all of you wanna be Jedi, originally conceived as an April Fools stunt, feedback has been so positive that they decided to produce them for real.

Request update on availability from ThinkGeek HERE

Win Season Four DVD of Supernatural

2009-11-04T16:21:08Z

Season three of Supernatural ended on a cliff hanger that could have killed the series more effectively than a Winchester brother offing a paranormal nasty. The evisceration of Dean at the hands, or rather claws, of a Hell hound.

But experience has taught fans that what's dead seldom stays dead in the world of Winchester.

So season four starts with the unexpected return of Dean (Jensen Ackles) from the pit and a reunion with sibling Sam (Jared Padalecki).

However, both bear the scars of the separation, physically in Dean's case in the shape of a hand print where he has quite literally been touched by an angel.

There is plenty of emotional angst as well with both brothers keeping secrets from each other about what they have been up to in their time apart.

Season four moves beyond the monster of the week format and the consequences of their lifelong search for the demon that killed their mother.

Showrunner Eric Kripke goes big picture and reveals that the Winchesters are reluctant pawns in a battle between the forces of light and of darkness that could bring on the
Apocalypse.

New character Castiel (Misha Collins) is introduced and has proved so popular that he's been made a regular in the fifth season. Fan-favourite Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) continues to back up the boys and provide a sarcastic slap upside the head when necessary.

The season's main story arc sees the once devoted brothers pulling apart emotionally from each other.

Further glimpses into their past are offered - and how their differing reactions to their upbringing have shaped them. There's also a look at the lives they might have lead in an angelic-engineered AU.

There are moments of levity among all the portents of doom.

Despite Dean's season one declaration that he doesn't 'do shorts', conniving scriptwriters contrive to not only dress him in lederhosen, but also in 'plum smuggler' gym shorts.

Kripke even throws in a salute to Supernatural's dedicated online followers when Sam and Dean discover that they have their own internet admirers thanks to the prophet Chuck, the unwitting author of the Winchester gospel.

The complete season four comes in a six disc set which was released on Monday.

But three lucky anoraks can win their own free copies that we have to give away.

To enter just name the episode where Sam and Dean discover they have a brother.

Email your answers to WebMaster@Sundaymercury.net together with your name, address and contact telephone number.

Terms and conditions:
Email entries are free. Competition closes midnight Friday November 13 2009. Open to UK residents only. Three winners will each receive the six disc set featuring the complete season four of Supernatural. Please allow 28 days for delivery. Std Trinity Mirror rules apply see www.trinitymirror-midlands.co.uk/rules.

New Avatar trailer released

2009-11-04T15:15:01Z

Here's the new trailer for James Cameron's Avatar sci-fi epic.

Watch for the movie previewing at Midland cinemas on Thursday December 17.

I fell asleep during Flash Forward on Monday

2009-11-04T12:46:34Z

Where do I go from here folks?

I fell asleep during Monday's episode. I stayed awake long enough to see Lost's Charlie Pace doing strange fate related things with that blonde woman at the start.

Is it me or does his new haircut accentuate his rather sticky out ears and make him look like a wing nut.

My main problem with Flash Forward is that I can't even remember one character's name.

Surely after 5? episodes I should be able to?

I should care shouldn't I?

I really don't. I think I am about to give up for good on this rather dull tease of a show.

What The Doctor did next...

2009-11-03T10:43:42Z

The soon-to-be-former Dr Who David Tennant is set to journey across the Atlantic for his next starring role.

He has reportedly signed up to a new pilot of a legal series being developed by NBC in the States.

British talent are the flavour of the month over in Yankyland at the moment after the success Hugh Laurie continues to enjoy in House.

The show is called Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, and it's a comedy drama about a litigator who suffers panic attacks.

What's the twist - well Tennant has to coach clients so that they can represent themselves in the court room.

Sounds suitably wacky, but let's not judge a book by its cover.

Dollhouse on life support

2009-11-02T11:00:29Z

After the news that FlashForward will be lucky to live past its first season, I'm afraid there are fresh fears over the future of Dollhouse.

I'm beginning to feel like the Grim Reaper!

Over in the USA, Fox has pulled Joss Whedon's series from the November schedules as its rating have tanked.

It's going to replace it with reruns of Bones. Good lord!

Fox is planning to dump all the remaining episodes in December like a killer disposing of the body.

While Dollhouse does have its faults (Eliza Dushku is rubbish and there needs to be more laughs), what kind of world are we living in when this gets canned yet Smallville (which I watch with a morbid fascination) is on its ninth season?

Yum Yum Star Wars Tauntaun wedding cake

2009-10-29T12:43:40Z

If only it had been like this in real life for Luke Skywalker, safe and warm inside a splendid confectionary Tauntaun waiting for Han Solo to arrive with some paper plates and a few spare bridesmaids. This is a wedding cake for Star Wars fans to die for.

More Pics & details of this amazing creation over at the Star Wars blog

Sexy Transformers star Megan Fox talks about lesbian kiss and demon possessed killing spree

2009-10-29T10:12:18Z

For the millions of boys who adore her, there's never been a more aptly named film star than Megan Fox.

Often compared - whether she likes it or not - to Angelina Jolie, the actress's sultry looks and acting ability have ensured her star is well and truly on the rise.

After a handful of small roles in films such as Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen and guest appearances in sitcoms including Two And A Half Men, Fox found her breakout role thanks to Transformers in 2007.

It may have taken director Michael Bay and a team of technical wizards thousands of hours to bring the Eighties cartoon robots to the big screen, but if the truth be told, Optimus Prime and co came desperately close to being upstaged by one of the oldest distractions in the book - a hot girl wearing a very short denim skirt.

Mikaela Banes may have been a relatively minor character in the film and its sequel, released earlier this year, but as the story's hero Sam Witwicky and geeks the world over will testify, she's a very important one.

Now it's time for her first starring part. Of course, since Transformers, there's been no shortage of offers for the actress, born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, but nothing that's taken her fancy.

"The scripts I was usually getting offered were not of this calibre," she says of forthcoming Jennifer's Body, in which she plays the titular high school b***h-with-a-difference. The difference, of course, being that she's possessed by a particularly blood-thirsty demon who has a passion for killing boys in her high school.

"The other scripts were for, you know, like the straight-to-DVD films, where my wardrobe would consist of a bikini and that's about it. I was so lucky to get this script from Diablo, she's brilliant. I think everyone feels the same way; lucky to get the opportunity to work with something she's involved in."

The Diablo she talks of is Diablo Cody, the stripper-turned-writer who won an Oscar and a Bafta for her debut screenplay Juno.

That film, about the unplanned pregnancy of a teenager, was praised for its pithy, unique dialogue and blend of internet slang - "honest to blog?" asks one character of Juno when she drops her bombshell - and humorous invention. The phrase "your eggo is preggo" may not be the best way to tell someone they're expecting, but it is certainly memorable.

Jennifer's Body is no different, containing plenty of Cody's trademark language, delivered brilliantly by Fox and her co-star Amanda Seyfried, who plays Jennifer's put-upon best friend and heroine of the piece, Needy. Don't be surprised if the compound 'freaktarded' slips into the popular lexicon of 2010.

For Fox, getting the relationship right between the two best friends was the most important thing to the film. Needy and Jennifer have been friends since "sandbox" after all.

"All of us living together at The Sutton Place [hotel] in Vancouver while filming bred its own bonding experience," she explains. "The more we got to know each other, the more you could bring that natural relationship to screen, I don't think there was ever a sudden moment where we were like 'Yeah, that was really awesome', it was a gradual thing.

"I think we got better at being friends on screen the longer we worked together, the first scene we filmed, we were both really unhappy with and we were really awkward and we didn't feel like it played as though we had known each other our whole lives," she continues.

"We wanted that to be believable and by the end it definitely was."

When the film is released, the lesbian kiss the two friends share will get more than a little attention. While the ins and outs of that particular moment will be debated en masse for some time to come, Megan insists that however it may look on screen, it wasn't the most comfortable of scenes to film.

"It's weird, it's been so sensationalised in the media and the question is always asked by female journalists," she says. "It's bizarre because you'd think it would be the males, but it's not, it's the women that have the perviest questions.

"I just felt it was so awkward and quiet, there was no score underneath it and it is a bit bizarre.

"I would also say it's easier kissing someone who you know doesn't want to kiss you. That's more comfortable than going into a scene with someone you think is anticipating it or is going to enjoy it. That's worse in a work environment," she adds, "but I knew Amanda clearly wasn't excited about it.

"We were both nervous and they cleared the set completely of anyone who didn't absolutely have to be there. We laughed and it was embarrassing and we got through it, but it wasn't the worst thing I did on the shoot.

"It's really not meant to be a gratuitous girl-on-girl scene in the movie, and I think it's a shame it's been so sensationalised thus far in the media, because the movie's so much more original than that."

When the subject shifts to Megan's own school days, and whether it was cathartic for her to kill off a few stereotypes in the film, she says there were no flashbacks to her teenage days.

"I didn't really have a problem with boys in high school," says Megan. "My best friends were the guys. Teenage boys are much more easy-going and friendly and they're not judgemental and they're just sort of easy to figure out and be around and I never had a problem with them.

"So, no, there was no hidden resentment, and there wasn't something manifesting that I wish I could have done in high school.

"Like I say, never had a problem with boys. My problem was with the Jennifers of the world.

"There were actually some evil girls in my school and I went to a Christian high school, go figure," she continues.

"But girls can be really cruel and really awful. There was one Halloween when I was like 15 and everyone knew that was my aspiration in life to become an actress and I lived in Florida and my school was really tiny.

"One of the girls came to school on Halloween in a black leather catsuit and everyone thought maybe she was catwoman, and she was like, 'No, I'm Megan Fox'.

"She was making fun of me because she thought I thought I was really cool because I was going to be an actress, so I was targeted by other girls. I didn't say anything to her, I was really shy. I was really scared."

With her acting career now going stellar, and three new lead roles to work on, foxy Megan can firmly put those days behind her.

Philip K Dick's Letter to Blade Runner Crew

2009-10-27T11:37:26Z

It's always interesting to discover what an author thinks of a movie adaptation of his work (in this case 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'), but author Philip K Dick goes further than providing a simple critique of the Ridley Scott directed movie, he actually takes the opportunity to make a statement on the (then) current state of the Sci-Fi genre as a whole, and what Blade Runner has done to point the way out of a seemingly stale situation, at the same time remaining humble with regards his own role in one of the greatest movies of all time. Read the letter >>HERE<<

PKD's words certainly seems to have become relevant again this year with the success of less mainstream, more thoughtful Sci-Fi movies.

More opinion on the letter over at ScyFiLove