Entertainment Weekly offers up the first images from the Benicio Del Toro-starring, Joe Johnston-helmed The Wolfman remake. Pretty impressive, but with Rick Baker behind the makeup, I wasn’t too concerned. With the under appreciated Johnston directing and the perfect Del Toro casting, this might actually be pretty good. Course, I thought the same of the disastrous Van Helsing, so initial looks can be deceiving.
The New Wolfman was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
From Publishers Weekly, March 19:
| Quote: |
| The possibility that Borders may one day be for sale has been discussed in publishing circles for several years, but that chance became more likely with the early morning announcement from the bookstore chain that it had hired J.P. Morgan Securities and Merrill Lynch to help it explore strategic alternatives. Those options, Borders said, include the possible sale of the company and/or some of its divisions. Continued… |
This could be terrifying news for the American book industry. What happens if Barnes & Noble buys Borders? Or if Borders is chopped up into smaller companies?
Imagine the megalithic Barnes & Noble tromping throughout the US with no stiff competition? Sure, Amazon offers some resistance but online has yet to replace the neighborhood book store.
What happens if B&N decides to not carry an author or title? With no Borders, publishers will have little recourse.
What’s worse than two gigantic book chains? There being only one…
| Quote: |
| To write books is easy, it requires only pen and ink and the ever-patient paper. To print books is a little more difficult, because genius so often rejoices in illegible handwriting. To read books is more difficult still, because of a tendency to go to sleep. But the most difficult task of all that a mortal man can embark on is to sell a book.
from a poem by Felix Dahn, paraphrased by Sir Stanley Unwin |
(Thanks to Jeff VanderMeer for the link and for offering a unique solution)
Borders Considers Sale was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
The latest issue of The Austin Chronicle contains my feature on the unique internet movie review site, Spill.
| Quote: |
| Like most weeks over the past six years, Martin Thomas, C. Robert Cargill, Chris Cox, and Korey Coleman gather to record their movie discussions. But now, instead of weekly Austin cable-access show The Reel Deal, they bring their act – equal parts critique, comedy troupe, and sideshow – to the Internet as a series of animated shorts under the moniker Spill. |
Animated Opinions was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
[ 
Mood: Silly ]
[ 
Currently: Listening to CBC Radio ]
Somethings I have come across in the last few weeks that I want.
Tim Gunn Talking Bobblehead
So he can tell me to "Make it Work" and to "Carry On".
Top Chef Cookbook
I love cookbooks. I read them like novels. I may never make anything from this book, but it would be fascinating to look at this.
Clock in Terms of Pi
This Pi Clock tells time in radians. Yeah baby!
Diaper Cover – "Scented"
Cause this is funny.
Someday I’ll Demand a Pony – Outfit
Also funny.
In advance of the forthcoming final season, SciFi produced this eight minute recap of BSG.
If you have been watching only on DVD, DO NOT watch this. Talk about your reveals.
What the Frak Is Going On? was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
According to JimHillMedia.com, Pixar is mulling over the prospect of filming the first John Carter of Mars movie, projected as a trilogy, as a live action feature. This would be the first non-animated anything from the award-winning studio. My question is why?
No one makes animated movies like Pixar. Even their lesser films such as Bug’s Life and Cars offer more humanity and better crafted stories than the vast majority of live action movies currently in the cineplex. As demonstrated in The Incredibles, portraying people involved in science fictional concepts is certainly no problem. So why even consider the change?
From JimHill:
| Quote: |
| [S]tudio suits seem to be cooling to the idea of producing movie versions of all seven of C. S. Lewis’s “Narnia” books. [U]nless “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” does truly huge box office once it’s released to theaters in May of this year … Disney & Walden Media (i.e. Mickey’s partner on the “Narnia” film series) will probably still go forward with production of the already-in-development “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” But after that … The Mouse would then mostly likely pull the plug on the rest of the proposed “Narnia” film series. |
That leaves a huge live action hole in the studio schedule starting in 2011.
So who would play a live action John Carter? When the idea of the movie was kicked around in the 80’s and early 90s, Kevin Costner’s name was batted around. While he was an excellent choice back then, at 53 he’s probably a bit long in the tooth now. (Course with the 65 year old Harrison Ford reprising his role as Indiana Jones and the 61 year old Stallone playing both Rocky and Rambo once again, I guess anything is possible.)
Ideally, John Carter should be a Southerner in his early 30s in excellent shape. It better not be Will Smith. While Smith is proving to be a better actor than I thought, John Carter is a SOLDIER FOR THE SOUTH during the CIVIL WAR. Not many black men doing that.
Both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, depending on their abilities to use Southern accents, might be good. As might Mark Walberg. The film will be heavy on action.
Of course as we all know, the truly important role is Dejah Thoris, the Princess of Mars.
Apparently back in the 1970s, another live action version was attempted and even got to the design sketch stage. Sadly, it was never filmed.
Live action John Carter? was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon
[ 
Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Drinking water in preparation for the ultrasound. ]
So I finished the next part of the great Harry Potter re-read. And wow, this book is as good as I remember.
What struck me the most is that you can really see the turn to the darker themes in this book, with the Dementors, Sirius and the whole Buckbeak subplot showing how incompetent the Ministry really is.
Plus this proved to be a nice break from very intense fantasy I am in the middle of right now.
[ 
Mood: Happy ]
[ Currently: Listening to CBC Radio ]
Without getting into too many details, my blood pressure has now gotten into the danger zone and can’t be controlled when I am at work. (Sounds like my dad!) So my doctor has yanked me off work.
I am not quite on bedrest, but I am to take it easy.
Not quite how I planned it, but no battleplan survives first contact with the enemy. So once the report cards are done, more time for TV shows on DVD, writing and books. Oh yeah, and light housework.
If you have any woman who has reproduced a child, give them a big kiss. It ain’t as easy at it looks.
[ 
Mood: Sick ]
[ 
Currently: Watching Daily Show ]
So remember when China got the olympics?
Concerns were raised about their human rights abuses. "Don’t worry!" the pundits said. "China will behave because the eyes of the world will be on them and they don’t want to lose face."
So how do we explain this?
What is clear to me that giving China the Olympics is akin to giving a spolied child a sucker to stop them crying in the store. You are just reinforcing bad behaviour.
This whole thing has just confirmed to me why I won’t be watching the Olympics later on this year. And maybe now I will find the time to send notes to major Olympic sponsors to tell them that I am most likely not going to buy their products given their association with a such a regime.
Going to wash a bad taste out of my mouth.
[ Mood: Silly ]
[ Currently: Listening to CBC Radio ]
So today is March 14, or 3.14, Pi Day. As a math teacher who is teaching the measurement of circles right now, this day is very important. So hopefully at 1:59 today you will stop and calculate the circumference or area of a circle.
Why not send a Pi Day Card?