This article in the Daily Fuhrer terrifies me.
Not because it features lazy journalism to create an absolute non-story ("Anne Diamond decries 18 certificate games for being only suitable for those older than 18") but for one major terrifying factor.
Look at the photograph of her in the article. DO WE REALLY WANT SOME MANNER OF GHOST TELLING US WHAT WE SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING? SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE.
Somebody should complain to the Daily Mail about it.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Pixelmash Movies
After promising I wasn't going to bother again, the urge is increasing to do another Pixelmash movie as it's been more than a year since my last one. In case you don't know what I'm talking about (or simply don't care) all of the past ones can be found here.
The criteria is probably apparent from the ones I done so far; I seem to have subconciously stuck mostly with films made in the eighties - I'm not sure of my reasoning for this. It could be that this was the decade in which I really got into movies, or it could just be that films were better back then. The film has to have a lot of action, or at least some memorable set pieces that everybody remembers about it. Driving Miss Daisy would NOT a good pixelmash make.
Also, despite having done Star Wars Episodes 4 to 6 I refuse to do episodes 1 to 3 - mostly because they were all utter shite.
I've toyed with the idea of Terminator, Predator or even Tron but need some decent inspiration. These things take me a good couple of months and I really need an idea to give me the suitable drive to get it completed - I'm also grateful for any help if anybody wants to contribute.
Meh, just thoughts flying about at the moment. We'll see what develops, if anything at all.
The criteria is probably apparent from the ones I done so far; I seem to have subconciously stuck mostly with films made in the eighties - I'm not sure of my reasoning for this. It could be that this was the decade in which I really got into movies, or it could just be that films were better back then. The film has to have a lot of action, or at least some memorable set pieces that everybody remembers about it. Driving Miss Daisy would NOT a good pixelmash make.
Also, despite having done Star Wars Episodes 4 to 6 I refuse to do episodes 1 to 3 - mostly because they were all utter shite.
I've toyed with the idea of Terminator, Predator or even Tron but need some decent inspiration. These things take me a good couple of months and I really need an idea to give me the suitable drive to get it completed - I'm also grateful for any help if anybody wants to contribute.
Meh, just thoughts flying about at the moment. We'll see what develops, if anything at all.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Just because they put an arty black and white shot on the cover, don't fool yourself into thinking you're reading a book meant for adults
J.K. Pissing Rowling and Harry Bastard Potter.
Clearly upset that she's out of the eye of the media since the release of the final Harry Potter Novel, J.K. Rowling must be climbing up the walls in desperation at the lack of attention she's getting.
Last year, terrified that she would vanish into obscurity now her silly childrens books were finished, we had the "Dumbledore is gay" bullshit. I'm ashamed to say I read the first Harry Potter novel if only to see what all the fuss was about (The answer is "nothing" in case you're even vaguely tempted to put up with what I had to) and certainly at no point in that did I ever suspect Dumbledores true sexuality (unless my copy was missing the chapter in which he conjured up some Erasure albums and hid his copy of "Pride" inside the Wizardy Fucking Times or whatever).
From what I've gleaned from people I know who have read the books, it's all absolute nonsense. Just some crap made up to rekindle interest in the books.
J.K. Rowling has found herself back in the news today, having revealed in an interview that she has had "suicidal thoughts". Well done. Have a prozac-coated banana. This again strikes me as an attempt by the Rowling estate to remind us she's still alive, but even this doesn't annoy me as much as authors retconning their works.
Tomorrow in the news - George Orwell returns from the grave to point out that Winston Smith, hero of 1984, was in fact a military cyborg. "It was fucking obvious", claims Orwell, "All the signs were there. Are you STUPID?"
Clearly upset that she's out of the eye of the media since the release of the final Harry Potter Novel, J.K. Rowling must be climbing up the walls in desperation at the lack of attention she's getting.
Last year, terrified that she would vanish into obscurity now her silly childrens books were finished, we had the "Dumbledore is gay" bullshit. I'm ashamed to say I read the first Harry Potter novel if only to see what all the fuss was about (The answer is "nothing" in case you're even vaguely tempted to put up with what I had to) and certainly at no point in that did I ever suspect Dumbledores true sexuality (unless my copy was missing the chapter in which he conjured up some Erasure albums and hid his copy of "Pride" inside the Wizardy Fucking Times or whatever).
From what I've gleaned from people I know who have read the books, it's all absolute nonsense. Just some crap made up to rekindle interest in the books.
J.K. Rowling has found herself back in the news today, having revealed in an interview that she has had "suicidal thoughts". Well done. Have a prozac-coated banana. This again strikes me as an attempt by the Rowling estate to remind us she's still alive, but even this doesn't annoy me as much as authors retconning their works.
Tomorrow in the news - George Orwell returns from the grave to point out that Winston Smith, hero of 1984, was in fact a military cyborg. "It was fucking obvious", claims Orwell, "All the signs were there. Are you STUPID?"
Saturday, March 08, 2008
I gave up insisting you call them graphic novels when I realised I wasn't ashamed of the fact that they're comics
Inspired to post this by both a drunken conversation held last night and a brief forum discussion yesterday with the ever entertaining Dan Cross (who has one of the most entertaining and readable blogs out there at the moment), let me briefly touch upon Zack "300 is the most heterosexual film out there" Snyders forthcoming epic Watchmen.
Watchmen was a seminal DC mini series from the 1980s, as guilty as The Dark Knight Returns, Maus and Archie meets the Punisher for completely reinventing the genre and making comics for adults again. By this stage though, gentle reader (I nicked that from Stan Lee) as soon as you've read the word comics you'll already have decided whether you're interested in this or not.
Watchmen is an epic tale, grandiose in tale, regarding retired super heroes in a world that no longer needs them dealing with a conspiracy way larger than any of them can appreciate. It's bold, daring, uses narrative techniques previously unseen in comics and truly is (and its a phrase I'm loathe to use, but will nonetheless) a work of art.
Which is why it should NEVER be made into a film.
I truly am of the frame of mind that some things shouldn't be done because they hurt the thing that made them great in the first place. In drunken conversations I'll often (in fact, probably over predictably so) remark how the matrix sequels ruin the original film. Just because something CAN be done (and in this case, it's special effects boffins realising that some of the visual effects in the film are actually achievable now) it doesn't mean that it should.
For one, the film is too detailed and colourful to fit into a single film (unless it had an eight hour running time, and I don't think Hollywood is quite prepared for that). The comic works because of the length - as a reader, we've invested quite a lot into the history and background of the characters we're reading about. To condense this would make Watchmen appear to be just another superhero movie, which is the LAST thing it should be about. It should be about legacy, heroism and that overwhelming eighties fear of nuclear oblivion and NOT about interesting CGI set pieces that turn it into Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Watchmen is now so far along the Hollywood conveyor belt that the publicity machine has now kicked in proper. The first photographs of the sets and costumes have been revealed (I could link to them, but you could just as easily find them yourself. I'm too depressed by them to do it) and by the time it's out it will blend into the other summer blockbusters.
I really hope I'm wrong, but I fear I'm going to sit down and watch another Judge Dredd. I really hope that I'm wrong on this one. It's been known.
Watchmen was a seminal DC mini series from the 1980s, as guilty as The Dark Knight Returns, Maus and Archie meets the Punisher for completely reinventing the genre and making comics for adults again. By this stage though, gentle reader (I nicked that from Stan Lee) as soon as you've read the word comics you'll already have decided whether you're interested in this or not.
Watchmen is an epic tale, grandiose in tale, regarding retired super heroes in a world that no longer needs them dealing with a conspiracy way larger than any of them can appreciate. It's bold, daring, uses narrative techniques previously unseen in comics and truly is (and its a phrase I'm loathe to use, but will nonetheless) a work of art.
Which is why it should NEVER be made into a film.
I truly am of the frame of mind that some things shouldn't be done because they hurt the thing that made them great in the first place. In drunken conversations I'll often (in fact, probably over predictably so) remark how the matrix sequels ruin the original film. Just because something CAN be done (and in this case, it's special effects boffins realising that some of the visual effects in the film are actually achievable now) it doesn't mean that it should.
For one, the film is too detailed and colourful to fit into a single film (unless it had an eight hour running time, and I don't think Hollywood is quite prepared for that). The comic works because of the length - as a reader, we've invested quite a lot into the history and background of the characters we're reading about. To condense this would make Watchmen appear to be just another superhero movie, which is the LAST thing it should be about. It should be about legacy, heroism and that overwhelming eighties fear of nuclear oblivion and NOT about interesting CGI set pieces that turn it into Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Watchmen is now so far along the Hollywood conveyor belt that the publicity machine has now kicked in proper. The first photographs of the sets and costumes have been revealed (I could link to them, but you could just as easily find them yourself. I'm too depressed by them to do it) and by the time it's out it will blend into the other summer blockbusters.
I really hope I'm wrong, but I fear I'm going to sit down and watch another Judge Dredd. I really hope that I'm wrong on this one. It's been known.
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