Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: Not Only Badass, But Bad For Actual History, Too…

When I first heard about this flick, I very seriously thought it was a total joke. But nope, it’s real and coming sooner than some history buffs would prefer. OK, I’m not up on EVERY oddball comic or popular novel that gets turned into a major (or minor) motion picture, but hey, I’m too busy playing games and writing about them in some form to absorb a bigger pop cultchah fix like I used to. Speaking of pop culture fixes… I’m really not sure why The Hunger Games is getting all this hype when the incredible Battle Royale did it better and more brutally (as in content that was clearly NOT for teens in a nationwide school reading program). Hell, I’d even take a mean and disturbing film version of the ancient Stephen King story The Long Walk over Games’ over-sauced promotional campaign that puts too much emphasis on the wrong elements instead of where it counts.

Yeah, yeah, I’m a total buzz-killer, aren’t I? But hear me out for a bit as I plant my tongue firmly in cheek and “rant” on a bit. You just KNOW that ten to twenty years from now, this damn film will be seen as actual FACT by those short attention span theater kids raised way too dumb to crack open a REAL book. Hell, you won’t even be able to argue a point in favor of the truth because they’ll even have cinematic proof of their own thanks to a few other “documentaries” about past US presidents doing double duty as supernatural slayers. You DID know that FDR got polio from a werewolf and JFK gave Elvis an assist in killing off some evil mummy, right? Laugh now, but If you’ve got young kids at home, I bet they’ll be learning this crap straight from the cloud through through their iPad XXXII implants… OK, let me get my creaky old ass to bed before I get depressed and head for the nearest window instead…

Prometheus Update Double Shot: Wondercon 2012 Trailer + TV Spot

 

More glorious sneak peeks at the upcoming Ridley Scott film plus a link to what looks like the official website. Lovely and a lot of Hmmm, here: It seems that some folks dinking about on the internet still don’t get that this isn’t an Alien “remake” at all or a “direct prequel” to the 1979 film, but I’ll worry less about that crowd unless they stupidly decide that Ridley isn’t worth their idea of “respect” because he’s doing something they can’t easily digest thanks to their own ignorance. And so it goes, I guess (but I really, REALLY wish people were smarter these days. or at least didn’t waste so much time being wrong)…

 

Random Film of the Week: Deadlier Than The Male

(thanks, ohwhatamindblast!)

DTTM_MPOK, I know I haven’t been keeping you guys and gals up to date in terms of this feature, but that’s what happens when one tries the world domination thing – you end up with too much stuff on your plate and some things get dropped. Speaking of world domination and dropping things, this fun to watch James Bond pastiche from 1967 happened to pop into my head as a film I haven’t seen in ages that’s worth tracking down. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it’s great for a laugh or three and some excellent set pieces keep things quite cool. Even better, in terms of all the Bond spoofs on that landed in theaters during the period, it’s one of the more polished efforts.

Granted, Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond is NOT a spy, but an updated version of the classic British detective for the swingin’ 60’s set and thus, sure as heck looks and feels like a fun Bond knockoff. Richard Johnson ably plays Drummond as a Bond not so lite tough guy insurance investigator (that’s longhand for detective for hire) who’s good with his fists, pistols, a snappy quip or two and the ladies (not necessarily in that order). He’s put on the case of a dead oil company executive and soon finds out that there are some sexy female assassins (the drop-dead gorgeous Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina) and a mastermind behind the whole thing to deal with in his particular (albeit Bond-like) manner…

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The Avengers Japanese Trailer #2: Playing Into The “Hey, They Get ALL The Good Stuff!” Stereotype

I got that header quote in an email about the trailer and got a nice chuckle before i went into common sense correction mode. It’s not as if those brief snippets of tease-y galore not seen in the US trailers are going to be cut from the film here. Still, it’s nice to see more bits and pieces of the film and how super it all looks, although I have one gripe that bugs me about almost every recent comic book flick. How come we get to see some heroes without their masks in public acting like it’s no big deal that they’re revealing their true identities? Go watch Spider-Man 2 and 3 for the worst examples of this silliness.

Anyway, I’m pleased as punch otherwise. Hell, I’ll even accept Sam Jackson as Nick Fury after holding out for so long. He sure makes a better Fury than David “Hamburgular” Hasselhoff did, that’s for damn sure…

The Hobbit Production Videos: If These Show Up As Special Features Later, I’ll Be Pissed…

 

I’m only kidding (maybe) but, given all these potential plot spoilers (well, to those who haven’t read the books yet) and ego-powered chest puffing going on from the principals and production team, you’d think the film was all done and already released. Of course, this is the era of “leaked” footage and sneaky on-set photographs, so at least these lengthy clips are not only official issue, but done quite well. Of course, they’ll probably be on the disc versions anyway at some point along with a ton of other features being shot and edited as you read this. I do wonder if these videos clock in as part of the film’s total budget, though…

 

 

More below the jump…

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Prometheus ‘Ted Talk 2023’ Video: What A Tease!

 

It’s actually pretty amazing how well Ridley Scott is playing his hand here, but I still don’t think a lot of folks quite “get” it yet. In setting up Prometheus as NOT an actual “linked” prequel to Alien (it takes place so far back in time that you more than likely won’t see the famous xenomorph some still expect at all) but a trip back to the building of the bookends, there’s a kind of meta brilliance here that makes the TED Talk even more intriguing. It also made me wonder if there will be a third film by Scott just to finish off any loose ends at some point in the near future. All I’ll say is he’s giving Fox a HUGE gift and they’d better not screw it up like they did with the franchise after Alien Resurrection (which had its flaws, but was still a fun flick to watch). June 8 is the date, so mark your calendars, folks. I think this one will have many minds blown by the time the end credits roll…

Holy Kraken! More Wrath of the TItans Commercials Than You Can Shake A Stick At…

Hmmm. Warner Brothers is REALLY pushing this mega-million buck sequel harder than Sisyphus rolling that big rock up some hellish hill. Here’s to hoping they succeed in their efforts. I’m gathering they’re trying to NOT be putting themselves or their film in the same boat as John Carter, which has been getting batted around like a catnip toy by a LOT of cranky fanboys who are judging it based on the Disney name and some odd music choices in the trailer alone. Oh, and too much CG, which seems to be something you can’t get away from even if you tried. Granted, the best indie sci-fi/horror flick from last year, Attack The Block, absolutely nailed it with some excellently scary CG aliens (go check it out if you haven’t yet – it’s quite an awesome little movie), but I guess it’s all about moderation over overkill at the end of the day.

Anyway, onward to more Wrath (but hopefully, not for ruin, ha ha…)

 

 

Want more? Well, prepare your eyeballs and release the Kra… oh, never mind. Three more commercials below the jump – collect ’em all!

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Wrath of the Titans “Oblivion” Trailer: CGI Overload, I Want My Harryhausen Back!

Well, it’s darker, grittier and more action-packed than the recent remake (which was pretty dark, gritty and action-packed to begin with) and yup, folks who loved the first will be all over this one like cats at a sushi bar. Still, for all the awesomely bombastic CGI effects, I still miss that more human touch Ray Harryhausen had with his work on the original (plus his other work from the era). Well, minor complaining aside, it’s nice to see this franchise expanding with a followup flick… although as I noted last year, the third movie’s title is going to be a pain in the neck to come up with. I say go with “War of the Titans” and call it a night…

The Secret World of Arriyetty: The Borrowers, Miyazaki Style

More gorgeous Studio Ghibli goodness? Sure, why not? Thanks to me not paying much attention to Disney’s output for a while (other than keeping a eyebrow raised over John Carter which I really HOPE is good), I completely missed this trailer for the Miyazaki-produced animated film opening tomorrow. It looks mighty impressive from the trailer and I’ll probably catch it once it appears on cable (hey, I’m cheap and don’t go to movies unless I get premiere tickets or it’s something like PROMETHEUS, which demands you see it or else). That said, I’ll always have a bigger attachment to the source material, the great 1952 book by Mary Norton. Go borrow a copy – I think you won’t be disappointed one bit. Just remember to return it at some point or someone will be tearing up floorboards looking for you…

The Amazing Spider-Man (3D) Trailer: A Sticky Reboot, Indeed…

OK, despite some interesting performances and casting, I despised Spider-Man 3, and despite the bank-breaking box office tallies, so did a lot of you out there (from what I’ve read). Apparently, so did a good chunk of the cast who worked on the trilogy, as they’ve been replaced with new blood for this 3D reboot. Well, all that cast tweaking (and a new director) seems to have paid off, as this spectacular-looking trailer someone actually woke me up about so I could post it (grrrr!) shows. Enjoy – I’m going the heck back to bed now, zzzzzzzz….