CHRW News and Spoken Word

Nerd Alert! February 17, 2011

2011-02-10T14:29:00.003-05:00

Superbowl Movie Previews, Azzarello & Bermejo's Luthor, Review: The King's Speech...

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This week on Nerd Alert we discuss the plethora of new super bowl promos, which include Thor, Cowboys vs. Aliens, Super 8, Battle: Las Angelas, Transformer: Dark Side of the Moon, and our first look at the new Captain America movie! As well, a few weeks ago we promised to bring you the companion piece to Brian Azzarello’s and Lee Bermejo’s Luthor, so here it is! This week we look at their 2008 comic Joker! And finally, just because the academy says so, we’re finally going to review Tom Hoopers The Kings Speech and let you know if we think the film is worth the hype! Turn on, tune in and nerd out!

Nerd Alert! January 31, 2011

2011-02-02T14:03:00.003-05:00

Superman, Oscar Noms, and Shameless wsg Patrick Barfoot of We Eat Films

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Tonight on Nerd Alert, Patrick Barfoot of the comedy/film website We Eat Films joined us, but don’t worry because this is not a merger. Instead, we talked and laughed about some casting calls for the new Superman film, discussed who our favorite Bond villain was, if Christopher Nolan got snubbed in the best director Oscar nominations, and reviewed the new Showtime series Shameless. Also, our friends at Games Day Podcast cover the new Visceral Games release Dead Space 2. The Man of Steel is to be Henry Cavill, another rising star from across the limey who is best known for his work as Charles Brandon on the Showtime, CBC, and BBC series The Tudors. I have never seen his work on the Tudors, so right now my expectations are nil. I do hope though that he can capture the greatness of Superman and the normalness of Clark Kent, or else we Superman fans are going to have to face yet another mediocre Superman film.

And here are the Oscar nominations As we discussed tonight, and unanimously agreed, we believe that Christopher Nolan was snubbed at the Oscars. Although I am not a huge fan of Inception I do believe that Christopher Nolan should be nominated for at least his visual eye over David O. Russell’s lack of one in The Fighter. Here is my favorite James Bond villain moment.

Tonight on Nerd Alert we talked a lot about the humor that can be found in the TV series Shameless, but I want to clarify that the humor is not a laugh out loud but more of a punk-ass humor. Not a punk in the sense of the Clash or Black Flag, but a punk-ass, someone who is a hoodlum, a vile creature of the streets.

Check out We Eat Film’s facebook page. I enjoyed having Patrick on the show, and we at Nerd Alert hope to continue a friendship with We Eat Films.

From Nick Workman and the boys at Nerd Alert, Turn on, Tune in, and Nerd Out

Nerd Alert! January 24, 2011

2011-01-31T13:04:00.002-05:00

Nerd Alert! Originally broadcast January 24, 2011

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As we said on Nerd Alert last night, Kevin Smith is planning on self-releasing his latest full-length feature, Red State. The general opinion on what Smith is doing has divided the film viewing community. Those against Smith self-releasing the film feel that by self-releasing the film, Smith is only hurting his viewing community because the film might not get as wide-distribution if it were being released by a large distribution company. Those on Smith’s side, and there are many, Smith does have a 1.7 million Twitter following, feel that this is a way for an artist to completely control his product and not have to put up with pressure from studio heads.

Smith’s past film, Cop Out, was an all out disaster. Most film directors would move on from such a disaster and just stay silent. Smith on the other hand does not stay silent about anything. He blogs, tweets, podcasts, and gives lectures on his life, detailing every micro-detail down to what his shits look like. When Cop-Out¬ came out and faced a maelstrom of negative reviews, and ultimately causing Cop-Out to only make 55 million on a 37 million budget, Smith blamed the critics. To sum it all up, Smith believes that critics are the scum of the earth, and compared those giving negative reviews to Cop-Out like picking on a special-needs kid. Smith does not see the place for critics - he feels that if the movies are doing no harm, than critics should let it be.

It seems that part of the self-distribution is a way for Smith to not let critics have a power. Being in charge of his own self-distribution means that if negative reviews are coming out, Smith does not have to pull the plug on distribution, but can continue to run the movie as long as he sees necessary. The problem though, and I hope Smith realizes this, is that critics are still going to comment on his film, and already half the reviews that are coming in out of Sundance are negative. I hope that Smith will know when to pull the plug on Red State when he finally releases it to wide-distribution, so that he doesn’t have to go bankrupt to try and prove to the critics that he is a competent film maker.

Nerd Alert! November 29, 2010

2010-11-30T17:33:00.001-05:00

Origianlly broadcast November 29, 2010

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In today’s modern films, parody can come in two different ways. The first way is more of a tribute. It is usually done by die-hard fans of a certain genre or film who known how to poke fun at their own obsession. The best example of this is Edgar Wright’s 2007 Hot Fuzz, which is a parody of the action film genre. While the film pokes fun at the number of traits that make up action films, it is done in a much more subtle way so that the parody is not in your face, and that it does not get in the way of the plot.

The second kind of parody film that seems to have popped up are those awful, pop culture, topic of the week, insert tagline here movies. I am talking about Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, Vampires Suck, ect. These movies are just bad; they just take whatever is popular, sometimes not even popular but relevant, and make a line out of it. They might reference the Jersey Shore or texting. They are so bad. Their script is basically someone flipping through a People magazine and picking at random celebrity articles.

Sadly, the second kind of parody films seems to get made more often than the first kind. Usually during the summer, a parody film that is parodying whatever was big during that film pops up. It usually does well at the box office, sometimes better than the other films that were released that week. I believe that Vampire Suck made it to number one this summer. Barf. And yet, amazing parody films like Scott Pilgrim can barley bring in a profit. I would very much like to meet the people who support the second kind of parody films and ask them why they like them. I am sure critics would like to meet them as well. I would also like to meet the directors of these films and ask them if they truly believe they are making a good film or if they simply are making the film for cash.

If you like the second kind of parody film, please send us a post on our facebook wall. I would truly like to know what it is about these films that draw in a crowd.

Nerd Alert! - November 22, 2010

2010-11-23T12:19:00.003-05:00

Originally broadcast November 22, 2010

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I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books. They were the only books that I enjoyed reading up until grade 12, which is when I discovered George Orwell’s 1984, and since then I have never stopped reading...

I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books. They were the only books that I enjoyed reading up until grade 12, which is when I discovered George Orwell’s 1984, and since then I have never stopped reading. But Harry Potter was the book that started me on reading, and for that it will always have a special place in my heart. There was just something magical about them – the characters, the world, the politics and the culture, all of it made for a great series that one could become easily engulfed in. I think that is why the Harry Potter series touched so many people across so many generations - it allowed one to become engulfed in a world that actually grew as you progressed through the books. You actually cared for the characters and their world, hoping that the dark forces of Lord Voldemort would not prevail. At times the books could be cheesy and mushy, and at other times it could be dark and serious. No two moods though would ever stretch to the point of annoyance though; instead they would become entwined, creating scenes that were either dark with humor moods, or a mushy scene that reveals a dark secret. J.K. Rowling is not a master in the same sense that James Joyce or William Faulkner are, but that is OK, because she shouldn’t have be. Her books should appeal to people of all generations, adults to kids, and because they do, they have spurned not just young generations onto reading, but also older generations onto reading. Sometimes, for both generations, we do not need the serious literature of the Booker or Nobel Prize - we just need a world that we can become engulfed in. It is in this world that we do not want any intruders, because while this world has been written for us, it is each individually our own. It is because of this individuality that the Harry Potter series can give, is why in the past I have found it very difficult to watch the Harry Potter movies.

Before I saw the 7th Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Death Hallows: Part 1, I had seen the first, second, and forth Harry Potter films. From the three that I had seen before the 7th, I did not like any of them. They just left out too many of the good things that were in the books. Sure, they might have rearranged some of the characters or plot points and taken out some background to save time and pacing, but half the fun of the Harry Potter series was enjoying the background detail, giving the world more depth, allowing one to fully embrace what J.K. Rowling was trying to do. My other problem was that the Harry Potter films were someone else’s vision, not my own. Selfish? Well, a book is selfish -it is one’s own imagination. The author gives you the paint and instruction and you get to pick the brush strokes.

Because I had managed to skip the last two films, I had figured that I would never watch any of the films in the series again. That all changed though when we at Nerd Alert agreed to watch the 7th film.

Going into the film, I intended to hate it. That all changed though from the opening scene. (Spoiler) A heartbreaking scene of Hermione Granger (played by Emma Watson) packing her belongings and erasing the memories of herself from her parent’s memories so that they will not be harmed by the dark forces of Lord Voldemort. This scene alone is perfect. It is very silent, and Watson gives a wonderful performance of showing the pain it must cause her character to do this. The other actors in the film are just as good. They have grown with the film, and that is perfect, because not only has their acting improved, but they have grown in the same way as their characters have; growing up in their own special world, just this one being the world of film instead of magic.

The directing is perfect, with every shot being perfectly framed. The action is wonderful, and same with the effects. It was a smart move to split the 7th book into two films, with the end of part one ending at the right moment: an Empire Strikes Back moment. The splitting of the film allows for more ends to be tied, which is what an 8 part film series needs. There will be nothing forgotten that the movies had previously covered.

I have read from other film critics that the series has become tiresome, but for me it hasn’t. Maybe that is because I was not a diehard fan of the films to begin in with, but this film is beginning to change that. I doubt I will ever like the other films in the series, perhaps part two of the 7th film (which I look forward too), but that is OK, because this film did it all for me, and it deep something better than what most films can do: it allowed me to reenter a world from my past that I miss every day.

Nerd Alert! November 15, 2010

2010-11-19T16:34:00.003-05:00

Originally broadcast November 15, 2010

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If you were listening to this week’s show, then you probably heard when I stumped Matt and Brad when I asked them which of their favorite comic book characters they would like to see in an alternative setting...

If you were listening to this week’s show, then you probably heard when I stumped Matt and Brad when I asked them which of their favorite comic book characters they would like to see in an alternative setting. I touched on this in last week’s blog so I will not go too deep into a discussion on the subject. I do find it to be a very interesting question though, and I would love to hear feedback on it through our Nerd Alert facbook group. And Matt, Brad, and I all agreed after the show that we would like to revisit the question on a later show, provided that we are more prepared and less likely to be stumped.

Talking about The Thing video game got me thinking about video games and movies. It has long been said that there has never been a good video game movie - unless we are talking about a movie that is so bad it is good, i.e. Mortal Kombat. It seems that many movies can be made into decent video games though, such as the Super Star Wars games for the SNES. So why then can a great video game not be made into a great movie? The problem in the past seemed to be that video games and movies were two very different mediums. Often, when a video game would be turned into a movie, the movie would try so hard to keep what makes the video game fun in the movie that it would end up making the movie some kind of bad, camp film. Now though, video games and movies seem to be figuring out how to bridge the two mediums together. That’s not to say that they are still not very much their own medium, it is just that the designers from both mediums have figured out how to borrow and incorporate each other’s visuals into their respected art. Video games are now much better at incorporating cut scenes, which have become so important/elaborate that they now seem to be up quality with some of the best animation films. A good example to check out would be the video game Uncharted 2.

Even though that video games and movies are learning from each other, it still seems to not have solved the problem of bad video game movies. Something I long dreamed for was a Max Payne movie. Max Payne, one of my favorite video games, and probably one of the best narrative structures in a video game always seemed like the perfect video game to movie transfer. Unfortunately, when a Max Payne movie finally was released it was terrible. This was because they altered the story too much. Now I know what you are thinking, I already complained about how film directors keep in too much of the camp feel of video games and should cut them out, but the problem with the Max Payne movie is is that it added the camp feel. Max Payne was a straight forward video game about a cop on a case that is bigger than he ever expected. There was need to add flying demons to it, which is what the film did. Hopefully, someday will be able to figure out video game movies, and figure out what how to do them properly – when to add the campiness and when to take it away.

Video game movies are not going away anytime soon, Prince of Persia was released this summer and Uncharted 2 is in talks. Studios are always looking for their next golden ticket, and video game movies might hold the prize.

Let us know at our Nerd Alert facebook group what you think of video game movies and what you think would be a good video game to movie adaptation.

Turn on, Tune in, Nerd out

-Nick

Nerd Alert! November 8, 2010

2010-11-15T14:13:00.006-05:00

Originally broadcast November 1st, 2010

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Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the Soviets had won the Cold War?

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the Soviets had won the Cold War? Who would be our leader? What would our culture be like? Would Edmonton be Canada’s Gulag? These are all important questions, but none are more important than the question who would our superheroes be?

Russian comic book characters are not entirely new, such as the x-men characters Colossus and Omega Red, but this week on Nerd Alert, we will be looking at an alternative universe in which Superman is not the champion of America, but the champion of the U.S.S.R. The comic is Superman: Red Son, written by Mark Millar, and art done by Dave Johnson and Kilian Plunkett. The comic is a what if comic? in which what if Superman had not crashed his spacecraft into America but into the U.S.S.R. The comic not only features a Superman who champions himself on the virtues of the Mother Land, but also features many D.C. comic book heroes in alternative roles, such as Batman now an anarchist terrorist, and Lois Lane marrying Lex Luthor.

What if concepts are one of my favorite things about comic books. Taking a familiar character and placing him in an unfamiliar realm, or completely altering the character into something that hardly resembles the original. A famous recent what it concept was employed by Marvel a couple years ago when they hired Neil Gaiman to write Marvel 1602. 1602 was a comic book that placed marvel characters in the year 1602. The story follows many familiar Marvel characters such as Daredevil, the fantastic four, and Dr. Strange dealing with the politics of the time. I myself have never read it, but I am more than interested to pick up a copy and see a Dr. Strange who is the English courts magician and physician. If you have read 1602, then stop by the Nerd Alert blog and tell us what you think, and if it is worth picking up, and perhaps we will dedicate a show to it.

I guess for the movie medium, the comic book what if scenario is the remake. Last week’s show, we reviewed Let Me In, the remake of 208 Swedish film Let the Right One In. Now, if you listened to this week’s show, then you would know that both Matt and I loved the movie, and that in fact, I stated that it was better than the original, which I still stand by. A lot of the time I find that remakes are worse than the original, and even if they are not, you can get a lot of scorn from fellow movie fans for declaring that you like the remake more. But I have had enough of that, and I am declaring that if you love the remake of film, then let the movie world know! I would love to hear from some people what their favorite remakes are, and also what their least favorite remakes are.

It seems that Sweden is starting to make its way into the North American movie market. Swedish movies have always been here, but they were usually only shown in Art House cinemas, such as Ingmar Bergman films. But now it seems that with the recent release of Let the Right One In in North America and the Millennium trilogy (the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series), that Sweden could be the next hot market for films. North America seems to be catching on and is starting to now screen the films here for more than Art House audiences, but at the same time they are remaking them, such as Let Me In, and the upcoming English adaptation of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (directed by David Fincher). I would love to hear what people think of Swedish films, stop by the Nerd Alert facebook page.

From Matt, Brad, and me, turn on, tune in, nerd out.

-Nick

Nerd Alert! Zombie Special pt.2

2010-11-10T13:44:00.004-05:00

Originally broadcast November 1, 2010

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BRAAAIIINNS!

Congratulations all! You have survived the zombie apocalypses, thanks in part due to the helpful tips that were provided by our tech n ten segment. But just because the zombie apocalypse has been averted and our Nerd Alert Zombie Emergency program has ended, does not mean that you have to stop listening to Nerd Alert.

This upcoming week we will be reviewing Let Me In, the American remake of the 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In. The film stars Kodi Smith-McPhee as Owen, a shy and very unhappy 12 year-old who is neglected by his divorced parents and is harassed daily by school bullies. One day Owen meets a girl named Abby, played by Chloe Moretz (best known for her role in 2010’s Kick-Ass), and befriends her, only to find out that she is a vampire.

Now, I was a huge fan of the Swedish version Let the Right One In, so I am very interested to see the major changes that have been made. Hopefully, they can fix some of the larger problems that I found with the film. One such problem that I found with the original was that I felt that the ending was a bit rushed; all of sudden the action comes out at you. This normally is not a problem in most films, but Let the Right One In is a very slow film. It is not your typical horror film; instead it is an art house film that has taken horror film tropes. One of my hopes is that the slow art house aspects of the original film are kept consistent in the remake.

The film is also based on a book, one I have not read, but have looked up on Wikipedia. Wikipedia offers a nice summary of the differences between the movie and the book, and from what I read, there are a lot of differences. It will be interesting to see if the remake has incorporated aspects from the book that were left out of the original. There is only one way to find out though, and that is to see the film. The film is playing until Thursday, November 4th, at Western Cinema. So, if you have nothing to do on a Thursday night, or do have something to do but want to blow it off and watch a real vampire film (there will be no glitter in this one), then come watch Let Me In.

This week we did not review a comic book, but do not fret, because there will be one this upcoming week. This upcoming week we will be reviewing book two of Richard Stark’s Parker series, The Outfit. Now for those who have never heard of Richard Stark’s Parker, well, Richard Stark is the pen name of famous crime writer Donald E. Westlake, and Parker is one of his most famous characters. Parker is the kind of hardened criminal who is just as ruthless to his enemies as he is wise to the streets. He is professional in all manners of murder, and his efficiency runs shivers up the spins of those who cross him.

As said, The Outfit is book two of Richard Stark’s Parker series. Comic book artists Darwyn Cooke, a self admitted Westlake fan, took it upon himself to adapt the original Parker books to the comic book medium. Cooke does an amazing job at adapting the books to the comic book medium, with the art work reminding one of the kind of art work that can be found in a 1950s New Yorker magazine. The best part about book two in the series is that for those who have not read it, you can pick it up and jump right in, as each book is a standalone story. I have read both book one and book two, and I have to say, that it is one of the best comic book series that I have ever read, not only for the excellent writing, but also for the detail in the art work. I am interested in what Matt and Brad will have to say about the book, and you should be too! So turn on, tune in, and nerd out at 94.9 CHRW, Monday nights from 7 pm to 8pm.

-Nick

Nerd Alert! Zombie Special pt.1

2010-11-10T13:23:00.008-05:00

Originally broadcast October 25, 2010

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ZOMBIES!

Sadly, for this week the nerd trio was not together. I had been bitten by a flesh eating zombie, and was suffering from stage one zombitus. Luckily though, I had discovered from an old zombie hunter recipe that Nyquil was the best cure for zombitus, so I will be back on next week’s show, though I might have a hunger for the brains of Matt and Brad. The show still went on without me though, and Brad and Matt were joined by reoccurring guest-host Katie V for the first instalment of our Zombie Special, with part 2 occurring next week.

As discussed on the show, the Zombie Walk occurred last week. Now, for those who do not know what a Zombie Walk is and would like to learn more about what a Zombie Walk entails, than I suggest turning to my old friend Wikipedia. If one would like to see what the London Zombie Walk looks like, then just go to our nerd alert facebook page, and you can see the fabulous photos of our very own Brad Bangsboll as he documents the blood-thirsty carnage that London suffered under the October 23rd zombie apocalypse, it will go down in history.

For zombie invasion technology, as discussed by our own Whitney Slightham on Tech n’ Ten, I cannot more highly recommend picking up the Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, son of the famous Mel Brooks (if you have never heard of him, then you have never heard laughter). Most of the advanced technology and tactics that were discussed on Tech n’ Ten can be found in more detail in the Zombie Survival Guide. This book should be picked up as soon as possible, since the London Zombie Walk was only the start of the zombie apocalypse, with the next big zombie event occurring October 31st. Of course, I am talking about the premiere of AMC’s original television series The Walking Dead. As discussed by Matt, Brad, and Katie V, this is the highly anticipated television adaptation of the comic book series The Walking Dead, but you guys already know that since you tuned into this week’s show.

We will be discussing The Walking Dead television series on this upcoming week’s show, also other topics that will be covered include Brad, Matt, and I’s top zombie films (hopefully our lists will not be the same, and if they are, then I will just play devil’s advocate, or zombie advocate?). So tune into this week’s show.

On another topic, we at Nerd Alert would love to hear your guys’ opinions on certain zombie topics, such as: what are your favourite zombie films? Which zombies are better, the fast 28 Days Later, or the slow, lurking Night of the Living Dead zombies? What is the best weapon when facing a zombie, a shotgun, or the classic chainsaw? What is the best homemade zombie make-up recipe?

I will be starting these topics on our Nerd Alert facebook group, and I hope to hear from you guys. You can join our group and post freely your answers to these questions, or start your own topic, and Brad, Matt, and I will do our best to help stimulate conversation. Also, feel freely to ask us any nerd related questions.

From Matt, Brad, I, and CHRW, we hope to hear from you soon, and we thank you for tuning in. Remember, turn on, tune in, nerd out.

-Nick