A Sit Down with Robert Meyer Burnett: Hills Run Red, Free Enterprise 2, and the Greatest Heist Movie You've Never Seen.

When we here at ATF heard that Wondercon was going to be hosting more than one Free Enterprise alum, we got our geek on and set up an interview with the director of the cult classic, Robert Meyer Burnett. Then, he couldn’t go, so we had to make do with Eric McCormack. Once we’d comforted ourselves with the Free Enterprise/Trust Me/Alien Trespass star’s dimples, warm smile and rugged charm, we managed to reschedule with RMB who sat down with us to talk The Hills Run Red (and maybe one or two other things we snuck in there. One or two.). Let the free-flowing geek references wash over you.


For those who missed the Dark Castle presentation last SDCC, The Hills Run Red is a straight to DVD release from Warners that looks as though if it weren’t going straight to DVD, it wouldn’t be going anywhere at all- its R rating is one of the more lengthy and inspired of late. Miss Muse, for the record, is more for gore: I prefer psychological horrors. Although I’m sure the trauma and scarring that will come from witnessing this film, even in its final cut, will prove significant enough.

The Hills Run Red is the harrowing tale of two young DVD documentarians searching for the final work of infamous director Wilson Wyler Concannon, that was allegedly so horrific a depiction of sadism and murder that it was quickly pulled from theaters. Desperate to see the work and unravel the mystery around it, the two set out to interview those who may have lived in the area when it was being made and visit all of its locations, intending to make a documentary from their experience. They enlist the aid of the director’s grown daughter to act as a guide in their search for... The Hills Run Red!

Duhn duhn duhn.

And, one may presume, things go horribly, horribly wrong from there. Fans of the genre, however, may be happily assured that so far as the film’s production team went, things seem to have gone terrifically right.

RMB:It really sort of in a way mirrors the director’s and my journey as people who have been making DVD specials… there’s a weird autobiographical element. It‘s almost like Dave and Rob hit the road. In a way there’s a strange, weird connection to FE, sort of, you know, in that there’s an autobiographical slant to this movie. Which is interesting because we didn’t originate the story, it was brought to us by someone else.

EC: When you did FE, you were going into it with an entire lifetime of love for that genre behind you. You didn’t direct HRR, but you’re certainly more involved than a producer credit implies. Do you think you’re bringing the same level of attention to detail and joy to horror that you did to scifi?

RMB: Yes. I mean, I have to say that The Hills Run Red originated because a company from NY called Fever Dreams brought this project to Ludovico Technique, and was interested in having us get involved and we had to do a pitch. Dave Parker [and I] were working together on the Superman Returns DVD, so it just seemed natural that- he also is a life long horror fan- that he direct and that I produce, because I wanted to produce a movie. And we were going to make this movie for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Sounds like more of a miracle than shooting something in 16 days. Burnett and Parker then brought in friend and The Crow penman David Schow to rework the script, and created a trailer to present Parker’s directorial vision for the film.

RMB: The day we shot it Bryan Singer came down and visited the set… and said ‘Why don’t you take it to Warner Bros.?” And I said, sure, I’ll just knock on the Warner Bros. door and say “Hello, I’m here because my friend suggested I come see you.”

Which actually worked pretty well, apparently. Burnett and Parker met with Diane Nelson and Matt Bierman of Warner Premier, the direct to video department, who were looking to make horror films and liked the script and the teaser trailer for The Hills Run Red. They informed the filmmakers that Warner Premier was embarking on a joint venture with Joel Silver’s genre division Dark Castle, and asked if they’d be interested in making HRR there?

RMB: And Dave and I are like- We would get to make a movie with Joel Silver? The associate producer of The Warriors, the man who produced Streets of Fire, the guy who produced Die Hard, and the Predator movies! Lethal Weapon! That Joel Silver? And Dave and I were like… that would be the coolest thing ever. We’re like... no way is this little movie we’re gonna make going to be a Dark Castle/Warner Premier co-production.

Wrong! After waiting a year for a green light, in April of 2008 Burnett and Parker were told they were going to Bulgaria, where the nights were short and the shoot became necessarily grueling.

RMB: One of the more difficult things about shooting in Bulgaria was we shot in June of 2008. The sun would go down at ten o’clock at night and would be up at 5 o’clock the next morning. So when you have twelve hours of night work to do in eight hours, it’s hard. And to the credit of Roee and Jonathon, they did a great job of planning out the actual production schedule to make sure we maximized the time that we had. And Dave moved very quickly- and the actors did a great job. It’s tough when you’re young, you’re just starting out, and you’re expected to do a lot of work in a very short period of time.

Once the ball was rolling, Burnett said, his job was mostly relegated to the upkeep of morale. Ever the documentarian, however, he did bring along his own HD camera to film the filming in anticipation of DVD extras.

RMB: I think that all-new movies, especially horror and science fiction films, have an audience that more than any other watches special features on DVDs, and I think that you should never short-change your genre audience, but who knows. But again, it costs money. And HRR, for the kind of movie that it is, we’re lucky to get as much as we got.

So what can true horror fans look forward to getting?



RMB: It’s not a sequel, it is an original work that is not based on anything in the Warners library. The film… We may have gone a little far? In terms of making the content- I think that Warner Premier is catering to all audiences, and I think that the idea of really extreme- especially the kind of extreme horror that we had… I think we went too far. We cut down the movie and we got it to where we all liked it. I was so proud of the R rating that we got, for ‘grisly horror images, nudity, sexual situations, torture and drug use’.

EC: And all that after the cut downs!

RMB: Yeah! The version of the movie is quite extreme, it’s quite… fun. I think people will like it.

EC: Sweet mother of God.

As anyone who has ever engaged in a discussion of horror films with me will know, the use of the word ‘fun’ borders on being a hot-button issue in conjuncture with scenes of intense violence, particularly with the sexual slant an abundance of horror films have. In particular, my friends will know that you essentially can’t pay me enough to sit through a slasher movie. I find our country’s preoccupation with lining up teenagers only to watch them be brutally ripped down in unsettlingly creative and gory ways, usually just after watching them in pantomime of graphic sexual acts, to be a symptom of a greater illness- not to harp on how desensitized everyone is, more on how willingly un-empathetic. Skinny just-turned-eighteeners with fake boobs piss me off as much as the next girl, but you’re still witnessing the brutal torture of other human beings. RMB weighed in.

RMB: The thing about horror is, I think more than any other genre it reflects the time in which it was made. When you’re remaking a movie that was made in 1980, as they did with Friday the 13th, the difference [is] in the original Friday the 13th you’re on the side of the teenagers. When they’re killed, it hurts. You don’t want them to necessarily die, and you’re certainly not rooting for the killer. Now the human characters don’t matter, people don’t matter. And I think that’s fundamentally wrong. When you’re making a movie where you’re rooting for people to die I think that that’s a problem. I’ve always considered horror to be one of the most moral of all of the genres of film, because you hope that in the face of this encroaching horror, whether it’s the alien in the movie ALIEN or Freddie Kruger in the first Nightmare on Elm Street, you want your protagonists to defeat this evil. You want them to win! And sure they might have to compromise their own morality at some point, but in the end you want them to win. And I don’t know what it says about our society that people would just rather watch random teenagers get slaughtered by- the killer is the hero! And I understand, Freddie and Jason are the Universal Monsters of our time the way that Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bride of Frankenstein were of their time. The pantheon of killers- Leatherface, Jason, Freddie, Michael Meyers- they’re sort of our version of the Universal monsters, although they don’t really mean anything, they don’t mean as much. And we too have a masked killer, but our masked killer does interesting things… like use a cell phone.

EC: To bludgeon someone to death?

RMB: No, to make a call!

Horror isn’t the only genre to be feeling a resurgence in popularity. In fact, the release of a film baring a title very near and dear to Rob’s heart approacheth. So of course, we asked.

EC: So! Free Enterprise….. 2.

RMB:: The eternal question. I think we have a pretty solid idea. I would like to do the movie. I think Shatner’s interested, and apparently at Wondercon Eric McCormack said he was interested-

Hee hee hee.

RMB: You know, it’s just a question of getting the script to be right. I mean I think if we’re gonna do it, this year would be the perfect year to do it with the new Star Trek movie coming out, and Shatner’s no longer on Boston Legal anymore so there’s time. And everybody wants to see it! I get that question every day, when’s Free Enterprise 2 coming? And it definitely has a following, Eric McCormack even said, I guess, he gets approached a lot about the film. I’d love to direct Free Enterprise 2. The story we have is much different than FE, it’s much bigger, more of a movie-movie. It’s a big road trip. FE is this big self indulgent movie about ourselves, I think FE2 we were trying to write the same characters, but they’re more movie characters as opposed to distillations of ourselves.

And where does this roadtrip go?

RMB:All over the world! They go all over the world. The basic story of the movie is that William Shatner has disappeared, for various reasons, he’s gone. And Mark and Rob need to find him, they each have reasons why, and time is running out. So they realize they don’t know where he’s gone, so they might need the help of a certain third party-

EC: [incriminating hand gesture]

RMB: I can’t! It takes place later in these character’s lives…

EC: I thought it was in college?

RMB: That’s just a flashback, to twenty years ago.

EC: So we could conceivably see the return of Rafer Weigel and Eric McCormack to the roles of Rob and Mark.

RMB: Yes, we have a way around that- look, all things being equal, I would love to make it with them. Why wouldn't you? That would be the most fun. There’s a flashback to when they meet in college, but the movie takes place after FE. It takes place years later and Mark and Rob, the nature of their friendship has changed, they don’t see as much of each other because they have their own lives! People grow up, and get married… FE2 in order to succeed would have to reflect what’s happened in our own lives, to a certain extent.

We’re going to leave you on possibly the geekiest note of the interview, which is The Best Heist Movie You’ve Never Seen.

RMB: At first [William Sadler] was taken aback by our... enthusiasm for him. I was sitting with him and I said you know, there’s another actor that I really like who doesn’t get his due, and the actor’s name is Will Patton… And I said, you know, you should get Walter Hill to make a movie with you and Will Patton, and you guys are brothers and one of you gets out of prison and you’ve been planning this last heist and it goes horribly awry! And Bill Sadler looks at me and goes, you know Will Patton is one of my best friends? And I was like- really? I thought that was really cool, I’d love to make that movie.

We’d love to see that movie. And we’d love to see The Hills Run Red. Or at least we’d love to see it with our hands over our eyes, kind of like, peaking through our fingers, and only looking at the bottom left hand corner of the screen. And when I say we I mean I. But we’d love to see it! And that other movie, too, the sequel one. That’d be cool. So for all the non-squeamish types who thought F13th and My Bloody Valentine just didn’t go far enough, pony up for this sure to be thrilling-and-or-nauseating upcoming release from Warners and Dark Castle. And go buy the director’s cut edition of Free Enterprise while you’re at it for the best damn Chuck Heston impersonation ever. Support our geeks in the industry, so that they might feed our imaginations, our souls, and our habit. What can I say? The ATF ladies like it pure.
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Badass Audio Commercial [Video of the Moment]

Just saw this on Geekologie and had to post immediately. This is a commercial from European electronics makers, Loewe. This commercial is meant to highlight how realistic their audio sounds. And you know, they do a damn good job. I'm not even sure what they are selling (speakers? a tv with built in speakers? anything by them in general?) but I want one!

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Stepping Away - The Final Watchmen Post [Quickish Thought]

So after talking it out with various friends & relatives, here are my final thoughts.

-Watchmen the film was never gonna touch Watchmen the graphic novel, so why pretend it could have? Better to just enjoy the good supplement we now have to the great book.

-I wonder if Snyder is capable of that "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you" ROTK moment, I really do. Someone brought this up last night and it really struck me.

-Was lucky enough to be involved in a discussion of the film with part of the team who adapted the motion comic (aka those who know Watchmen better than any of us) and found it to be EXTREMELY enlightening. Helped me realize even more than I love the movie just for existing and being a cool supplement to have, but that obviously my unending adoration is really for the graphic novel. Which, duh city, I know, but the lines are easily blurred when someone adapts something you love. During this discussion, it became clear just how much was lost in translation, simply because you know, this was a movie, not an HBO mini series. My passion now lies more in getting people to read the graphic novel, less in defending the film.

-Furthermore, said discussion helped me dig deeper into the book and realize many new things. Somehow, I hadn't realized certain things like Chapter 5, Fearful Symmetry, is exactly symmetrical and that the book goes Plot/Character/Plot/Character until chapters 6 and 7, back to back character chapters focused on Rorschach & Nite Owl, respectively, the two who used to be partners, and at that moment, the narrative drive switches from Rorschach to Nite Owl. Obvious probably to everyone reading this, but not to little old me.

-I only hope that the film doesn't cause people to stray away from their love of the book or stop people from reading it. I also hope Watchmen retains its place as the greatest graphic novel of all time. Yes, the reviews for the film are divided, and everywhere you look people are discussing it, but that popularity and lack of universal love for the FILM should take NOTHING away from the greatness of the graphic novel. I hope I hope.

-I encourage you all to reread the graphic novel if you haven't lately. And if you haven't read it and don't think you can read a graphic novel (like my mother) then watch the motion comic. That shit is badass.

Now go here to see what Watchmen would look like directed by Woody Allen, Judd Apatow, Sofia Coppola and more. You won't be disappointed! See full post

Cool Geek Shit Alert! [WANT]

Stumbled across a link to this on @Live_For_Films' Twitter account today,


aaaaand WANT. I followed the link back to the site that made it, Split Reason, and found SO MUCH JOY ALL IN ONE PLACE. Here are some of my favorite items, after the jump

Zombie Day at the Mall

Skynet Development Team

Watchbabies Shirt

Achievement Unlocked Underwear

I'm an Assassin. Shhhhhh.

Snake for President

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Nathan Fillion Is One Of My Husbands

Hopefully you all got to catch Nathan Fillion on Jimmy Kimmel last week, but in case you missed it and his thoughts on Comic Con, Halo 3 and more, I've posted his appearance below. I take pleasure in being one of those people who went up to him at Comic Con (more specifically the EW party) and was like I LOVE YOU. But I was drunk. And hopefully he was too so he never ever remembers. Cause wow that was embarrassing for me. WOOT.



HEART. See full post

They Don't Make Movies Like This Anymore...Really, They Don't [Good Movie Alert!]

After the recent re-interest on all things geek be it fantasy, sci fi or superhero, it's about time we got to properly honoring the science fiction film of the 50s in a new, original way. And don't worry, I'm not talking about The Day The Earth Stood Still remake. No, no. I'm talking about a quality movie. Alien Trespass to be exact, a new film from X-Files vet R.W. Goodwin. It's an honest to god throwback to 50s sci-fi that nails the genre from start to finish. Variety called it a "spoof", but I disagree. It has tongue in cheek humor and plays around with anachronisms, but also completely honors the genre its homaging. All the classic archetypes are in place - the goodie goodie teenagers, the friend in a leather jacket, the scientist, the gorgeous woman who helps our alien hero and so on. And these actors play the style to a tee, committing completely.

Before I go on, it's important to note the conceit surrounding the film, just as fun and clever as the film itself. The idea is that in the 50s, producer Louie Q Goldstone made an epic science fiction picture starring Eric McCormack's grandfather, M. Eric McCormack and it was gonna be huge, some saying it featured the best performance of M. Eric's career. Then due to a dispute, the film was shelved, never to be released. Now, years later, the film canister has been unearthed and the movie will be released for the very first time. Complete with archival interview footage and press, a featurette detailing all of this was screened both at New York Comic Con & Wondercon and is now available online.

More after the jump

This idea, that the film is genuinely from the 50s, pervades throughout the entire film and whole audience experience. It feels completely from that era, through only a slightly modern lens. I've heard the phrase "Retro-Vision" tossed around to describe the movie, and I think that's spot on. . Goodwin’s take is that they simply didn’t make enough of these movies back in the 50s, so he decided to make one more. Watching Alien Trespass is like stepping away for 80 minutes into a universe we just don't get enough of nowadays. And don't be surprised if afterwards you find yourself craving a burger and a shake at whatever 50s themed diner you can find. Cause I did. It was an odd sensation actually.

But back to the film. Set in 1957, ALIEN TRESPASS chronicles a fiery object from space that crashes into a mountaintop in the California desert, bringing the threat of disaster to Earth. McCormack plays a scientist, Ted Lewis, whose body gets taken over by Urp, an otherworldly federal marshal, in attempt to capture an escaped alien (the one eyed dildo we’ve heard so much about) and save the Earth. McCormack is spot on in his portrayal of both the staid scientist & the fish out of water with a mission alien and every scene he’s in is a joy to watch. McCormack definitely provides most of the laughs, due to his excellent comic timing & delivery. Jenni Baird, as Tammy, the heroine waitress, is also a highlight. She nails the acting style while staying completely truthful and I think is an actress to watch. Other highlights include Dan Lauria & Robert Patrick, who genuinely seem as though they are having a great time and nail their roles in the process. The only weak spots in the acting come from the trio of teenagers, Penny, Dick & Cody. Luckily for them, the poor acting seems oddly appropriate. For all I know, the three of them are brilliant actors, pretending to be bad actors. Though something tells me that isn’t the case…

Now I wouldn’t call this movie a barrel of laughs, but that’s not what it’s going for. Any film the humor has is “deliberately inadvertent”, as Goodwin’s called it during the various convention panels, mimicking the humor that comes from classic 50s films when we watch them today. The Day the Earth Stood Still is not a comedy. Neither is Alien Trespass. Any humor there is, is supposed to stem from the fact that the film takes itself completely seriously. It doesn’t even focus on the “bad parts” of 50s science fiction. It simply tells the story from the POV of that era. This is what makes the film feel totally unique and ripe for a cult following.

So who would enjoy this movie most? Fans of classic Science Fiction, for sure. This is who the film is truly made for. It’s a faithful homage, through and through. But anyone, especially those who understand what this film is and where it’s coming from, should also have a great time. It really does feel like going back in time, between the music, the old school effects and moments like Lewis’ wife enticing him to bed, only to cut to them asleep, fully clothed, Lewis in head to toe flannel pajamas. Subtle throwaways like that were some of my favorite moments in the film.

Who wouldn’t enjoy this movie? Those looking for a spoof or a parody or those who don’t know what they are stepping into. This movie is not for everyone, that’s for sure. See, Alien Trespass also mimics older movies in the sense that it isn’t full of quick cuts. The pacing is rather slow and while I don’t mind and see it as an element of the time it’s referencing, I can see it being an issue for some.

Overall, I found this film to be unique, fun, sweet, full of sound stage charm and a delightful 80 minutes at the movies. It’s not for everyone, but is definitely worth seeing.

(Plus between all these convention appearances, I’ve totally fallen for the talent behind the scenes and the passion that Goodwin and his actors have for the film. They’ve been a nice contrast to the McG “Enough of my yammering, I’ll let the movie speak for itself, but only after I yammer a little bit more about how I awesome I am” bit that’s also come out of every recent big convention. Those of you who went to New York Comic Con & Wondercon know exactly what I'm talking about.)

For convention coverage: Alien Trespass at Wondercon & New York Comic Con
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Watchmen Opening Credits Now Online!

Cause I could watch this all day



Which is your favorite moment??

I've seen these 5 times - once at the Watchmen roadshow, twice at various conventions and twice with the movie itself. Never fails to impress me. Be sure to pay attention to the Minutemen on the far right of the last supper photo! <3!

Update: The video's been taken down :(. Hope you got a chance to watch them yesterday! See full post

Better the Second Time - Final Watchmen Thoughts

I had this moment last night during my second viewing of Watchmen where it suddenly dawned on me - I really do love this movie.

The first time I saw it, I felt more of a struggle to love it. Like, I knew the love was there, but I was having a hard time feeling it in my gut and I felt like I needed a disclaimer when discussing how I felt about it.

It's a different story now. Sure, I still get why people are complaining, I just...don't agree. I think reviewers like Anthony Lane & A.O. Scott are being uptight, snooty little bitches (said it) and need to promptly remove the pretentious sticks from up their asses. According to A.O. Scott, here's the type of person who would love Watchmen,

Indeed, the ideal viewer — or reviewer, as the case may be — of the “Watchmen” movie would probably be a mid-’80s college sophomore with a smattering of Nietzsche, an extensive record collection and a comic-book nerd for a roommate. The film’s carefully preserved themes of apocalypse and decay might have proved powerfully unsettling to that anxious undergraduate sitting in his dorm room, listening to “99 Luftballons” and waiting for the world to end or the Berlin Wall to come down.

Um. Not me. In any conceivable way, shape or form. And funny...I loved the movie! Weird. Scott also didn't get the love scene, AT ALL, a scene I found to be one of the most inspired, well played scenes in the film, and COMPLETELY missed the self-referential, satirical elements in the movie. The girls wear those tiny costumes with the heels as a comment on how female superheros always wear tiny costumes with heels! How do you not get that?! And they even refer to how absurd it is in the film! And how does Scott end his review?

Perhaps there is some pleasure to be found in regressing into this belligerent, adolescent state of mind. But maybe it’s better to grow up.

I'm sorry, did you even SEE this movie? Do you realize your final thought is more or less an exchange from the film between Dan & Adrian, Adrian commenting on Dan's belligerent, adolescent state of mind, telling him to grow up? LITERALLY. The film takes care of insulting every aspect you are choosing to insult, Mr. Scott. Your review therefore holds no salt and honestly reads as if instead of seeing the film, you just wrote down your pre-conceived notions and called it a day.

But I'm not gonna spend this whole post bitching about those critics. Though let's all realize that blanket panning this movie in such a small-minded, pretentious way is just as much of a crime (if not more so) as blanket omgeezperfct praising it. And listen. I know this movie isn't perfect. I just don't care.

My final thoughts after the jump. Be warned. Spoilers exist.

Human Connections
So yes. I love this movie. I, unlike a lot of people I suppose, felt a huge connection to the characters, especially Rorschach. I cried when he died both times I saw it and felt an intense panic when he realized he had been set up as Moloch's murderer. When critics say Zach Snyder doesn't get human connections? I just disagree. I absolutely love the Dan/Laurie love story. These two LIT UP in every scene together. True, Malin Ackerman seemed weak in comparison to the great actors up against her, but in every one of her scenes with Patrick Wilson, she suddenly came alive, had truthful moments, and had almost a tangible connection to her scene partner. I thought they were absolutely lovely together. Their love scenes, both the failed attempt and the porn star success, were highlights for me.


The Achievement that is Watchmen
Now for me, the second time is where the film came together. I wasn't nervous about seeing it for the first time or how the people I was seeing it with would react. I noticed new things and just really realized what an achievement this film is. That this truly is the best it could have been. For me, accomplishing that with the kind of love for the material that Snyder has? It's a big deal.

The film was exactly what I wanted. I saw the characters come to life, portrayed brilliantly for the most part and saw scenes that I absolutely love played out right in front of my eyes - everything with Rorschach (especially without his mask), everything between Dan and Laurie, every word the Comedian spoke, Adrian giving his typical super villain speech only to turn it around and say a. duh I wouldn't tell you if you could stop it and b. I'm actually a good guy, you just don't get it. I mean, I loved it. All the right changes were made (mostly) and all the great stuff, the stuff that mattered, that I wanted to see, that fans wanted to see, that should have been there - it was all there.

Snyder chose to direct this movie because he couldn't stand to think about how someone else would bastardize it and he was right. Any other version that was gonna be made would have stripped what was great about the graphic novel and turned it more into something like this with some Eagle Eye (I have a thing against DJ Caruso right now) thrown in. Something that's a fun ride, but not remotely a good movie. Not an ACHIEVEMENT but cut down and chopped up so it would appeal commercially. Watchmen is NOT commercial. It's not an entertain-fest. It's epic. And I love that it works better if you've read the graphic novel cause everyone should read the damn graphic novel.

We should also take a moment to acknowledge the OUTSTANDING feat of casting this thing 90% perfectly in the first place. This can rarely be said of any adaptation. The only adaptations that are cast that well are the new Batman series (BB, TDK) and the Harry Potter series.



At the end of the day, if Watchmen was gonna be a movie, this is the movie it had to be. It HAD to be faithful, it HAD to have the acting talent, it HAD to have someone behind the camera who loves & appreciates the source material. Speaking of which...

Being Faithful to the Source Material
With something like say, Scott Pilgrim, you have an awesome book, but nothing SACRED, so the film won't need to follow the book EXACTLY. In fact, the Pilgrim books leave a lot of room for experimentation. As for The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Hulk, etc. those films weren't based on one particular, specific, scripted arc. They were using these characters to tell a combination of a bunch of stories in the cannon or to tell a totally new one. You can't do that with Watchmen. Few works are as iconic and as sacred as this one is, especially when talking comics. The only way to have done this movie was to stay faithful. I honestly think Watchmen is an anomaly in that respect. Most other works give more room for adaptation and playing around. Watchmen just...isn't that. I mean, even Y: The Last Man and Fables leave room for new and different aspects as long as the important ones are kept in. If the filmed versions are still true to what the books are, what they stand for, the stories they are trying to tell and the themes they focus on, then great. But Watchmen is one that had to be as faithful as possible. And you know, I think Zach pulled it off. Coming away this second time, I LOVED it. And while I think the "fidelity kills a movie" argument actually IS correct a lot of the time, I think it's just irrelevant in this case.

Conclusions
Ultimately, my take on the film will be the minority, I realize. I only hope that you readers can take in my thoughts without being offended or thinking I'm a dumbass and that I can do the same for you. I mean, maybe one day I will think to myself, damn, I wish Watchmen had been done differently, I can see that. I'm sure the emotions I felt during the film (which obviously not everyone felt!) could have gone deeper. But I will admit, I mean, I am that group of people who is just thrilled to see it come alive. I just don't care to criticize it as a film and separate myself from the source material and analyze it as an objective moviegoer. I just don't care to. I got to see Rorschach. In the flesh. And I got to see my husband, otherwise known as Nite Owl, be his sexy, paunchy self and have sex all over the place (or maybe that was my dream last night, HI-O!). And I got to see what life must be like for the Tralfalmadorians* through Dr. Manhattan's white non-existant eyes! I GOT TO SEE THAT HAPPEN. So you know what? I'm happy.

I'll end on this, from Mr. Beaks,

WATCHMEN is far from a perfect film, but it has so much greatness in it that I'm unwilling to issue a definitive judgment until I've seen the director's definitive version. True, some of the flaws will remain (e.g. Malin Ackerman's miscasting, the unconvincing old-age makeup, and the often declamatory dialogue copied straight from the comic), but these are minor infractions when compared to the majesty of the KOYAANISQATSI-scored origin of Dr. Manhattan, Haley's Rorschach, Morgan's Comedian, and those incredible opening credits. This is a stunning achievement. I didn't know if Snyder had an artistic identity of his own after 300, but there is a voice ringing out in his WATCHMEN that doesn't belong to Moore or Gibbons. Hayter and Tse certainly deserve credit for wrangling what was believed to be an unruly text, but the soul of this piece must belong to Snyder.

It's just goddamn amazing that this movie exists at all.

*Please tell me you know what I'm talking about

For a bunch of well done reviews that say what I'm trying to say,
Slashfilm

Film School Rejects

Kurt Loder

Roger Ebert's Second Piece (See, I'm not the only one who needed to write more after a second viewing!)

Mr. Beaks

Update: From Time's Lev Grossman,

Bottom line: this is about knowing what you're getting into. The mistake for newcomers would be to confuse Watchmen the film with Watchmen the graphic novel--to think of the film as a substitute for the book. The two are neither identical nor symmetrical. The film is an homage to the original or perhaps an advertisement for it, but nothing more. It is not it.

Should the fans see Watchmen? The comic has something to say on this question. Are you an idealist like Rorschach, who insists on absolutes, black and white? Or a pragmatist like Ozymandias, who deals in shades of gray? Ozymandias would go. Rorschach wouldn't. The point of the comic is that neither position is perfect or even tenable. But a choice must be made. To quote the master's final words: "I leave it entirely in your hands."

Full piece: Lev Grossman
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How does Hitler feel about Watchmen? [Silly Fun]

Wondering how Hitler reacted when he heard the end of Watchmen the film is different from the end of Watchmen the graphic novel? Well, rest easy, everyone. Here is video footage of how the Fuhrer really feels.

david, this one's for you.



Holly. Effer. I can die happy now.

[Source] See full post

Another Peak at Harry Potter Land!

Oh how I love getting these emails! Even when I forget to post the contents for over a week...

Anyhoo, Harry Potter Land or excuse me, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter aka where my savings is going on 2010 (24 WILL BE THE NEW 7 BY THEN, OKAY?! Oh god did I just say out loud that I will be 24 one day? Terror.) has released another bit of concept art, this time for Dervish & Banges, the Hogsmeade store where Hogwarts students pick up their supplies for school, Quidditch and anything Wizard. Here it is!



I'm pretty sure I'm gonna buy everything in that store. Must save up more moneys than I thought! OMG I hope so bad they have a way of actually sorting you with a sorting hat based on some sort of accurate test and then we get like, a free badge for that house and spend the whole day buying things for our house and for our classes and for EVERYTHING EVER AND AHHHHH I WANNA BE THERE NOW.

For more WWHP concept art, head here and I'll be sure to post anything new as soon as I get it! See full post

Nite Owl Is Their Leader And He Likes To Party Down

As this has already made the rounds on the interwebs, I'm sure you've already seen it. But if not, I present the opening credits to the Watchmen Saturday morning cartoon :)



How happy did that just make you? Brilliant. See full post

Geekery and Tomfoolery: COD4, Celebrity Guest Stars, and Nerding Out with Zach, Josh, and Chris.

If you want to read about the upcoming season of Chuck, you can do so in the comprehensive and awesome post Ms. Muse will be writing, I’m sure. This is not that post. This post is about geek shit, because that’s how we roll. What’s great is, apparently, that’s also how the cast of Chuck rolls. We’ll start with Zach, Josh, And Chris. I was fortunate enough to get to roundtable with Zach, Josh, Chris, Josh, Yvonne and Adam and ask them truly banal questions ranging the gamut from actor-geekery such as ‘do you audition with an accent?’ to the more important things like “COD4 or COD:WaW?”. I also brought up, apparently for the first time in an official setting, the question that certainly burns in our little fan girl minds: What about Y?



EC: So, in Chuck’s room, there’s a massive amount of geekery on display. The Y: The Last Man poster, did you have anything to do [with that]?

Zach: It’s so weird. I had done a film that I had gone to do a signing for at… [House of Secrets] in Burbank and while I was there doing this signing this girl came through and she handed me… Volume 1 of like the compiled- so it was like the first three issues of Y: The Last Man. And she said… ‘I’ve been following this graphic novel since it came out... If they ever made a movie of it I didn’t think anyone would beright for it until I started watching Chuck and I was like, I think this would be you and here it is’ and she just gave it to me and said ‘I hope you like it,’ and so I read it ALL that first night, I was like ‘oh my gosh, this is such an incredible graphic novel and couldn’t wait to get the rest of them. Fortunately on of the guys- one of our grips…had the entire collection so he was like, ‘here you go!” And it just so happens the second season, I go back to work, and there’s Y The Last Man stuff in there and it was so, like, kismet, I couldn’t believe it.

EC: So are you aware of the following online? Where there’s like a big movement where ‘We need to get DJ Caruso to cast Zach Levi in this role‘? It’s like a thing, it’s like an issue.

Chris: I think that’s a great idea.

Zach: I- Thank you.

Fedak then volunteered more Y info. Because we’re not obsessed or anything, it’s cool. Also, the entire time Josh sat there looking generally enthusiastic and adorable. For those who were wondering.

Chris: It’s a great idea. We tried to clear that poster for the first season, but it was only when we were coming back for a second season that we were able to get it up on the wall… Chuck’s bedroom is actually like a clearance nightmare…there’s a number of things, there’s a poster up there called Yakuza Prep, which unfortunately we had to make up…it’s a fusion of a couple things, [mostly] Battle Royale. So we thought, Josh is really obsessed with Y: The Last Man, and there was also that notion of these are all movies in some ways we kind of imagined seeing Chuck in, from Dune to Tron…which is really my obsession with the 80s, and then Y: The Last Man to bring it back [to the present].

NEAT. The boys also talked a bit about travel!

EC: Josh, Zach, you’re both excellent actors. How big of geeks are you in real life, because we can’t tell?

Josh: Gosh.

Zach: Well. We haven’t gotten a compliment like that… ever! We’re pretty big geeks. I’ll just give you a snapshot. The entire flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco consisted nearly entirely of us going through the latest issue of Xbox magazine, discussing the pros and cons of all of the top gamesof last year, this year and coming up, discussing what we liked personally about the two games we are playing currently, Killzone 2 & Halo Wars… and even sitting there last night with Adam and his daughter and Adam’s like, ‘what is a good shooter game? and we’re literally like-

[Zach and Josh together in a chorus of nerdom] “Well, you know, personally, mmmmmnif I had to talk about my top five” –

Zach: This is what we think about – we have answers because we think about what IS the best first person shooter.

Josh: Then a girl walks past and we'll giggle.



EC: So, Call of Duty 4, or Call of Duty: World at War?

Zach: Oh oh oh oh, COD 4. Unfortunately there’s a very – there’s a definitive line between Triarch & Infinity Ward. Triarch tried to implement things that Infinity Ward brought to – I’ve gone to another planet now! – Infinity Ward makes better games. They were the first ones to really kind of put a stamp on the perks and for whatever reason

Josh: And the modern weaponry.

Zach: And the modern weaponry! I don’t mind the throwback weaponry, I just feel like the gameplay is a little wonky.

I expressed our preferences, nay necessity, for RPDs.

Zach: Shooting through walls is fun.

Who do the gents geek about? Dominic Monaghan.

Zach: Geek out!

Chris: What about us just hanging out in the kitchen and just talking, getting stories about Lord of the Rings?

Zach: Oh my gosh, yeah, it was so great and I mean we were just like, tell me more, Mr Monaghan! What was it like working with Frodo and the gang? And what exactly was the hatch about when you opened it up on the island?” It was just Nerdy McNerdison.



Anymore gimmicks? The few that got mentioned were Chuck Live, Chuck underwater, Chuck the musical, Chuck on ice, Chuck unplugged. Then Chris showed his true and deep geek colors by referencing the Whedonverse.

Chris: I think that’s the coolest of genre shows, where you get episodes of Buffy like Hush or the musical episode – just taking an episode and trying to do something different. We did one episode this year, Chuck vs Santa Claus where it was all set inside the Buy More and to do that I think is really fun, it was my favorite episode of the year so far.

They also had a massive group geek-out at a recent table read, which included such talents as Morgan Fairchild, Chevy Chase and, oh boy, Scott Bakula.

Which prompted this:


Because apparently the fact that I was at the convention to begin with didn’t appropriately broadcast my geekness.

The boys talked about conventions!




Josh: And to be thrust into things like this, places like this and coming to these events…the first time we went down to San Diego

Chris: It‘s like an adventure.

Josh: Yeah, and when you’re not used to it, you’re just like, ‘holy cow’. It’s definitely a new world.


EC: So you hadn’t quite crossed the geek line to attending conventions on your own, before?

Zach: We always wanted to!

Josh: We always talked about how we wanted to [go to Comic Con], we just never got a chance to.

Zach: San Diego is farther from Los Angeles than people realize. I mean it’s like a couple hours, it’s not that far, but it’s… traffic and this and that and the other and it’s like, I don’t wanna go, it’s just so far. So we never did. Then we got invited to go. THEN you go!

Here, here, gentlemen. Be seeing you there.

See full post

SUPERHEROES LIVE AMONGST US! volume 1.

superheroes live amongst us!



and as is the case with our first subject, sometimes they even dress / appear as if they've stepped directly off of the pages of a graphic novel. spider-man might save you from a mugging (if only once), but horrifically gifted singer / songwriter antony hegarty of antony and the johnsons fame can save you from the doldrums or the sounds of... less beautiful things, and for that i think he's a marvel property waiting to happen. his 2005 mercury prize-winning sophomore album "i am a bird now" - a peon to transformation, transcendence, identity, family, and other (less abstract) concepts prettttyyyy much changed my life, and his latest LP "the crying light" almost impossibly lives up to its predecessor. his voice appears to be a love it or hate it type o' thing, but if you're too stonewalled by his appearance or transgendered nature to even give his music a chance, you can pretty much leave my life right about now.

he's on tour at the moment (i caught him at town hall in nyc a few days ago and it was kind of like LQ and watchmen but minus all the speed-ramping). here's some video of him playing "fistful of love" in some other city a few days ago. he kind of reminds me of quetzalcoatl... don't ask. anyhoo, enjoy:



oh, and here's a bonus video that... yeah... SUPER-EFFING-HERO.
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Custom Legos are Sexy [WANT]

So it started out with this site & all the badass Watchmen toys/posters/designs/etc they could find. P.S. I'll take the Dr. Manhattan poster & military patch, as well as the mighty muggs and the best one of all, THE RORSCHACH LEGO



To gander at more awesome custom Legos head over to The Big Toy Hut Blog (and don't forget to comment in the Rorschach Lego post that they should definitely make them because...because...because AUGH I WANT ONE) or the Big Toy Hut Store. I think my Number 6, Apollo, Starbuck, Hagrid, Hermione, Snape, Catwoman & Harley Quinn need a new friend. And that friend should be Rorschach. Did I mention I collect geeky Legos & Minimates like it's my job?

NURSE JOKER! LIMITED TIME ONLY! AUGH!



I love toys. TOYS. GEEK. WANT. See full post

Bubastis is my homecat. [mini review]

I wanted to throw up a real quick Watchmen review with my general thoughts on its primary issues before seeing the movie AGAIN in imax AGAIN.

IMAX IMAX IMAX.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS.


The Rape. In the book, it is nine panels long. In those nine panels, the reader is given speech bubbles with uncomfortably detailed sounds in it and the image of a sixteen year old girl, bleeding copiously from the nose and mouth, being held by her outstretched arms face down on the floor. The next nine panels, lined up in mirror images on the opposite page, are the Comedian getting his, but it's those first nine panels that make up the actual attempted rape. They are stark, uncomplicated, brutal. Not the least bit sexy. She claws his face, he beats her up and knocks her to the floor.

"Oh, Eddie, no," she says.

The film doesn't give us this. The film gives us a sequence that is, of course, brutal in and of the fact that it's a rape in progress, that you have a sizable, powerful man beating on Carla Gugino who isn't exactly She-Hulk, and you have the two truly great shots of the sequence: The Comedian picking her up by her neck with the high heels of her boots skidding frantically over the floor as he drags her to the pool table, and the look of injury on her face after she's been thrown down onto it. As we who have read the novel know, the story of the Comedian and the Silk Spectre (both of them) is actually a love story that gets twisted and damaged like everything else that exists in the universe. The fact that she, on some level, did want Eddie, the fact that this is how it's happening, and the fear, guilt and resignation we see in Carla's expression- that was good stuff. However, the scene is much sexier in the movie.

How can attempted rape be sexy? I'm not saying the act is, I'm saying its visual components are. The way he slides his hand down her back, over the lacings and trappings of her costume. It should be abhorrent- I'm sure Snyder meant it to be. But it's not as abhorrent as pushing someone to the ground and tearing their underwear off while they try to breath through the blood that's blocking their nasal passages. Also, there's the pool table. It fetishizes the event. It's too pretty. You'd have to be a sick puppy to think the events on screen are hot (if you cognizantly recognize what it is that's happening, which... it's impossible not to) then, and this is me assuming you don't have rape fantasy issues, it can't be anything but awful. Still, I was expecting it to be much, much harsher. Too much set, too little sound effects- from the actors- took most of the bite out of this scene for me.

Which has wild repercussions for the relationships in the movie. By taking the level of intensity down from this one scene, you automatically make Sally and Eddie and Sally and Laurie and Laurie and Eddie's relationships just that much less tense, that much less charged. Hopefully, people new to the franchise will not find it lacking as I did, will be like "OMGWTF THAT WAS SICK" and feel the years of rage that spiral outward from that single event in ways I didn't, quite. Fingers crossed.

Bubastis. It is going to take a real sharp cookie to catch the "Veidt screws around with genetic engineering" in hour one and match it up with "Veidt has a giant alien tiger" in hour three. I also wonder how many people will then make the follow up correlation, that since he's the smartest man on Earth, and he apparently messes about with genetic engineering, it's no small feat for him to make himself the strongest man on Earth through genetic engineering, or at least strong enough to hurl Eddie Blake through a plate glass window.

Bubastis all on her lonesome, though, that's a problem. Shows up, serves no purpose, gets molecularized. In the book, Bubastis shows up and Rorschach freezes. For whatever reason, Bubastis just freaks him the hell out. We all know Rorschach has pet issues, probably this stems from that, but he literally cannot move. He is frozen by Bubastis's presence. Then, Veidt sicks Bubastis on Dr. Manhattan. The good Doctor stops to acknowledge the futility in sending a weird purple alien tiger against him, and in the moment of his musing gets molecularized along with Bubastis and we all shed a tear.

Not so in the movie. Totally and completely superfluous. Serves no purpose. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that is. Shame, because I effing LOVE Bubastis.

Cheesy Shit is cheesy on purpose. Remember that one time when Watchmen wasn't trying to redefine a genre? Remember when that wasn't the point at all even remotely at all? Remember that one time Moore has lamented the fact that he feels almost single-handedly responsible for the overly gritty, dark, super pseudo-psychological medium that superhero comics turned into in the 80s and 90s? And remember those times he has stated flat out that parts of Watchmen are meant to be satirical?

Costume nipples, Owlship sex, Comedian's disco descent. These things are not incongruous with the tone of the film or the tone of the source material. They are part of the adaptation. Is it overall a serious work, and a serious profiling of the kinds of people who would do this, and their problems? Yes. But it has an element of self awareness. It has to, to show you how naive its characters are. The cheesy bits are part of it.

I think.

Okay, more after I've seen it AGAIN in imax AGAIN. WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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How to Watch the Watchmen - With a Very Open Mind [Review]

Now before I go into some of my thoughts on Watchmen, I wanna draw your attention to this article from Io9. It's basically about how all the bloggers love Watchmen and all the mainstream press hate it. I'd like to think my semi-review somewhat addresses this fact.

See, I acknowledge out right that I can totally see why people will hate this film, I just...choose not to hate it myself. And that's the big difference between the bloggers and the mainstream press. We WANT to love this movie. We stay in it and accept anything strange or cheesy as simply part of the universe. This doesn't make us stupid or incapable of judging something properly. It means, you know what, yeah this movie has its issues, but for me, that's not what the experience about watching Watchmen is about. It's not about ripping it apart and criticizing every little thing and looking for missteps anywhere I can find them. It's about seeing one of the greatest graphic novels in the history of time on film, adapted faithfully, with LOVE, using the right actors & capturing the right tone.

Zack Snyder didn't sell out Watchmen like I suspect DJ Caruso will do with Y: The Last Man or like I suspect most filmmakers of doing with my favorite comics. Snyder CLEARLY loves this material. The film is dripping with affection for the source material. And I think that's a big reason why the fans are reacting the way they are. What reason do we have to hate on it? Who would have done it more justice? Before Snyder had his way with the script, the movie was gonna be under two hours long, ending with Nite Owl crashing his ship into Ozymandias, killing him, and saying some snarky catch phrase. I for one am THRILLED that's not the version we got. So if you wanna be cynical and rip on Watchmen as much as you can - go ahead. It's not gonna change how I feel about the movie or how any other real fan feels about the movie. Cause it's not about love or hate. It's just about having the experience. The unsoiled, faithful experience. At least that's how I feel on the matter.

More after the jump!


So yes, despite all its obvious issues, I loved it. Duh. It's a geek's heaven. Do I see why the mainstream press is hating on it? Sure. Can I see some of my friends deciding to hate it? Of course. Especially ones named david. :)

But here's the thing. You can be in it, or you can be on top of it. And it's just more fun to be in it, experiencing it, letting yourself enjoy the damn thing. I enjoyed every minute of the 2:40 running time, ESPECIALLY the ending (and the opening credits, which I've seen 4 times now, but that's a given). I thought the changes Snyder made worked perfectly. And thank GOD - or Dr. Manhattan ;) - the film was set in 1985 and not modern day, like so many other versions almost were. The changes the translation actually needed were there and were seamless. Once change I wouldn't have made? Give Laurie her cigarettes back!

Getting into a few specifics, seeing actors step into these characters made me realize a lot of things I didn't necessarily get from the graphic novel (But I find it easier to discuss these things in a dialogue. So if you wanna discuss character & philosophy, type away in the comments section and we'll have at it!) Plus, getting to see the humanity in Dr. Manhattan and The Comedian definitely feels like some sort of wish getting fulfilled. And I absolutely LOVED Laurie & Dan's love story and how the actors/characters came alive in their scenes together. I've heard their love scene called the cheesiest in the history of film, but...considering the tone of their first attempt at being intimate, I thought the juxtaposition was perfect. I'm definitely curious to see how that scene is received by fans and non-fans alike, but I LOVE it. The music, the lighting, the dialogue, the NAKED. It made me laugh and cheer and then find myself insanely attracted to Dan Dreiberg all in the span of about 4 seconds.

And I don't care if you hate the movie or not, you can't deny that Patrick Wilson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and ESPECIALLY Jackie Earle Haley embody those characters fully and get them exactly right. Oh man, I effing love Rorschach. And I came away from this film even more head over heels for Dan than I was after reading the graphic novel. Obviously I purchased a Nite Owl figure the next day at the convention.

EruditeChick has some interesting thoughts on the rape scene that I'm sure she'll be happy to discuss as well. The movie takes it in a different direction, focusing more on the fetishism and less on the stark brutality, which sheds a slightly different light on Sally's relationship with Eddie Blake. One that I quite enjoy.

Overall, I loved the film and can't wait to see it again. If you don't like it, I'm eager to hear why and discuss with you (very eager, let's go!), but I strongly encourage you to go into the movie with an open mind and make the decision to stay with it. Then you'll hopefully have the experience I had.
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david's day in brief [Round Up]

observe the twitter mentality (www.twitter.com/poosclouds) already ransacking my motivation to type a series of interconnected sentences. so here is my daily download of sorts, a fond look back at the day that was as filtered through my hairy brain (ew). not all of these thoughts are of the most fan-ish (fanny?) nature, but i was all super jealous for not being at wondercon and want to show the world that i can has my own wondercon... in my MIND. feel free to imagine that noxious end of the show jay leno music playing in the background as you read this.



- is it just me or do the trailers / commercials for "the haunting in connecticut" make you pee just a little bit?

- jimmy fallon premiered and for the most part failed as expected. late night should be a snarky tucking in of sorts, and his jangled nerves and woeful bits (the less said about "lick it for 10," the better) didn't help matters... but it was pleasant enough and he's a reasonably funny fellow... these things take time (the almighty conan's first shows weren't exactly rapturously received) and i'll definitely be tuning in when i can. the roots as house band was a masterstroke but i can't see them staying all that long.

- grizzly bear's third LP "veckatimest" leaked (lead singer ed droste was a sad yet resigned panda over at his twitter ). the leak is a wee bit poopy but the music is obviously majestic. "two weeks," "ready, able", "while you wait for the others," and "foreground" are instantly recognizable barn-burners and the whole thing is gonna sound oodles better on the recordings proper. check it out over at bolachasgratis.baywords.com

- neko case's delovely and haunting LP "middle cyclone" was released today, as was marissa nadler's gorgeous "little hells." buy buy buy!

- i09 has a fascinating little compilation / analysis of early watchmen reactions from two very different communities. some serious food for thought for all fanboys and girls planning on expounding upon the film over the next few days... take a step back and pick your words wisely before diving into that fray - harry knowles has already and inevitably unleashed enough wantonly reckless geek glee for the lot of you. but seriously, i can think of no greater endorsement of a film than an anthony lane pan... sheesh. i'm excited. buy buy buy!

would my beloved cloverfield not have been more frightening if instead of this:



the monster looked like THIS:



- LQ preaches that this week's battlestar was actually pretty good... i sure hope so cause i don't think i'm alone when i say that the past few episodes have been silly-frappy. will watch and report back.

- i like dollhouse! it's like the jimmy fallon of joss whedon shows. is it unfair to think that he wants to hop on the good foot and do the bad thing with eliza dushku? yes. do i think that anyway? super yes. last week's episode was silly town, usa, but i enjoyed the poo out of it. who is alpha??? what is happening??? why is new television airing on a friday night???? so many questions!



- killzone 2 is killzone 2. so far there is only one kind of bad dude (he has a red shiny helmet so i know he's not a good dude) and i shoot at him with bullets from 3 or 4 different guns until he stops shooting me back. but the graphics are cray-cray and it's fun enough even if it's a bit drab and the interior environs are a lot more tense to bop around than the outdoor squares. haven't tried the multiplayer yet, but so far much prefer the mechanics of Resistance.

- go to itunes and buy "this lamb sells condos" by final fantasy. every time you don't do this, a kitten gets its wings... and uses those wings to fly into second storey windows and eat sleeping orphan babies. don't let that happen. See full post

Harvard Hearts Joss Whedon [Event]

Gonna be near Cambridge on April 10th? Don't miss out!

Tickets to see Joss Whedon receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism from Harvard University!

The only other recipients of this award so far are Salman Rushdie and evolutionary biologist, Greg Graffin. So, Joss is in good company.

Some more info on the event,

The ceremony will take place on Friday April 10 at 8pm, in The Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. Preceding the presentation of the award, Mr. Whedon will give a short speech about his life and work as a Humanist. The award ceremony will be followed by a Q&A session with Mr. Whedon, as well as a signing opportunity in the church.

Whedon has a devoted following of fans, including the online web community whedonesque.com. In addition to his art, he has also been active in promoting women's rights through his work with Equality Now, an organization that honored him in 2006.

His speech to that group shows his passionate commitment to the positive values of Humanism.

Click here for ten dollar tickets! See full post

Breaking My Heart [Celebrity Crush of Yesteryear]

Oh, damn you Great White Snark for posting this on your Twitter. Or tweeting about it. Twittering. Tweetering. Twiting. MY HEAD HURTS.

Turns out Mark Hamill was at Wondercon all weekend signing. But...not the good kind of signing. The charge you a lot of money kind of signing. The break my heart in two kind of signing. See, as some of you may know, I was BEYOND obsessed with Star Wars during middle school, when the films were restored and re-released in theaters. The first time I ever saw any Star Wars film was in theaters, at age 11. And they changed my life. Literally molded me into the fangirl I am today.

I bought every action figure, brought them to school, played with them during class, changed my name to Skywalker on my school papers, made various crafts and scrapbooks solely about Star Wars, read all the books, watched all the movies 30 someought times when they came out on video and cried myself to sleep at night because Luke Skywalker wasn't real and I wasn't his daughter. Literally. I also distinctly remember being in class one day in 6th or 7th grade, talking about my love for Star Wars, when someone mentioned something about Luke and Leia being brother and sister. Cue me replying "WHAT?!?!?!!?!?" and tearfully demanding answers when I got home. Whoever that bastard kid was, I still hate you.

The point is, Star Wars changed everything for me, especially Luke Skywalker. I finally got to meet Mark Hamill about 10 years ago at the premiere of The Matrix and he was a sweetheart. I've always loved him and have always been so sad hearing about his accident and the plastic surgery. Always affected me in a very strange and personal way.

So today, when I saw this Tweet? from Great White Snark, I obviously clicked on the link immediately:

Mark Hamill and his insane autograph fee schedule. Apparently, money cannot buy happiness. Or a healthy appearance. http://is.gd/lCVG

What did the link lead to?




AUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHH WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I mean, I know Sci Fi actors can walk away from conventions with wads of cash and I can't begrudge them that, I can't. It's just...you have a hugely successful voiceover career! And people love you! Why why charge 100 dollars and refuse to pose in photos with people?! You're Luke effing Skywalker, you're better than that!

I need to go cry now or something. Or watch Star Wars.

[Photo Source] See full post

The Importance of Ozymandias' Nipples [Wondercon 09]

Finally saw Watchmen Friday night at Wondercon in IMAX.

Before I get into my thoughts in a separate post, here are some bits & pieces from Saturday's Wondercon panel & some exclusive photos.

-July Director's Cut theatrical release (if does well in theaters now) will be 3 hours 10 minutes. Will feature Hollis Mason's death, "a lot more naked blueness" and more

-With Black Freighter intercut, movie will run 3 hours 30 minutes

-Shoot was 106 days long & obviously pretty grueling

-Patrick Wilson (heart) referred to a Batman in line asking a question as his "brother from another mother." Too true, Patrick. Too true.

-In approaching the Ozy costume, Zach wanted to "butch it up", but thought the "nipples kept the spirit" of the original outfit

-Malin Ackerman was "scared shitless" but thrilled that Zack put his faith in her. The hardest part for her was learning to fight. Especially in those heels.

-Jeffrey Dean Morgan is hilarious and wonderful. Someone asked if there was a scene any of them in particular was dreading or looking forward to, to which Morgan joked "Love the rape scene. I simply couldn't get to that fast enough."

-Jackie Earle Haley sent in a homemade audition tape. Inspiration to actors everywhere!!

-Patrick Wilson loves Dan and got teary eyed watching the first scene Rorschach & Dan have together at the Wondercon panel

Cast Introductions - who do you think gets the most applause?

For more on Watchmen scoop from Wondercon, head on over to Io9. We have our review coming up as well as some giveaways and maybe a special surprise...stay tuned.

And for more exclusive photos from the panel head here, to our Flickr page.

See full post

A Classic 50s Tale of a Dildo With An Eye and a Man Who Doesn’t Understand His Erection [Wondercon 09]

Alien Trespass, a film that's become a favorite over here, showed up in full force yesterday at Wondercon, this time to the large crowd they deserve. Accompanying New York Comic Con attendees Dan Lauria & R.W. Goodwin were AT leads, Eric McCormack & Jenni Baird.

We got to see this awesome featurette again & then the panel began. Most of the stuff they chatted about we learned at NYCC, but here are some fun new tidbits.

-The only non 50s story element in the film is that a woman saves the day
-When asked why he returns to Sci-fi in some form time and time again (Free Enterprise, The Andromeda Strain), Eric McCormack explained "My wife is a huge sci-fi fan" and because sci-fi brings with it "the most dedicated fans of any genre" and you know because of that, the film will find its audience
-The movie will open in 24 markets and will expand to more if it does well!
-Eric Mccormack would be down to do a Free Enterprise sequel, but suspects he would get killed off in the opening scene

After the delightful panel, we moved into the press room.

Interviews, sound clips & more photos after the jump!


The round table interviews didn’t just go smoothly- We were in fact met by very enthusiastic people well versed in every aspect of the movie they’d just made. Jenni Baird, who plays feisty outsider and diner waitress Tammy, said she hadn’t been a fan of the genre or had any knowledge of 50s scifi flicks until she’d been given them to watch as research. Stylistically, she performed on film as she would have on stage to achieve the heightened sense of human behavior featured in the films of the time. Since working on the 4400 and, now, Alien Trespass, Baird says she’s now a fan.





Dan Lauria, aside from being an absolute bad ass of a man with enough gravitas to pull comets from their orbits, was obviously passionate about the project’s commitment to authenticity, from cheesy special effects right down to long takes that require actors to learn their lines. He made it absolutely clear that “We are not spoofing fifties movies, we are recreating one.” He also spoke briefly about his work in The Spirit, and the importance of Frank Miller’s illustrated-film technique, saying, “The Spirit is going to be one of those movies where even though it didn’t do well… our business is better for it.”



He also described the monster in perhaps the most colorful terms yet, when asked about the build up to a scene in which he, as Chief Dawson, has a major freaking meltdown at a diner full of confused customers.



The dashing dual protagonist Eric McCormack was- aside from being dashing, warm, charming, funny, dashing, handsome and charming, especially when he kissed my cheek at the end of the interview and no, I probably won’t be washing that side of my face ever again, but it’s fine, because the searing heat of his adorable scruffiness will act as a sterilizing agent for all possible germs or bacteria, natch- forthcoming to the point of sweet, sweet obscenity about the key aspects of his characters’ journeys through the film.



He also admitted to being responsible for the “I had a pipe” line, which, for those of you who don’t know slash are not Jewish, is a derivative of the following joke:


A grandmother brings her grandson to the beach. While he’s playing, he gets swept out to sea by a great wave. The grandmother prays, “Oh, God, please bring my grandson back! I’ll do anything, anything! Just please give him back to me alive and in one piece, please!” Suddenly, the tide turns and a great wave brings the grandson back onto the sand, alive and well. The grandmother looks back up to the sky and says, “He had a hat.”


I love Eric McCormack.


He touched on how he was not a sci fi fan, how the summer of Star Wars was, for him, the summer of Annie Hall, and that his own son knows this well enough to display skepticism at the slightest geek reference.




R.W. Goodwin was as ever a gentleman and an all around cool guy. His feelings on the film are largely covered by our previous stuff- he felt they hadn’t made enough of these charming, earnest films that were equal parts unintentional hilarity and actual scares, and set out to do one himself. If there is one person who understands the importance of a fan base and the power of the internet, it’s R.W.


“We’re a little movie,” he said. “The only way we’re going to make it is if people tell people, that’s the key.”

Well, we’re telling you. Go see the movie. Take in a matinee. Bring your own Sanka. Or a Tang. But go see Alien Trespass, and bring your dad, because he’ll probably effing love it. I know mine will.

P.S. Click here to head to the AT website & become an official fan! And for more photos from the panel click here.
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