The Lousypoet

So the trailer for the latest installment of the Twilight movies, New Moon, premiered on MTV last night. If you want to check it out online, you can see the New Moon trailer here.

All I have to say is, crappy acting and crappy special fx do not a good film make.

I’ve read the whole series (you can see my thoughts on Breaking Dawn or my review of the first Twilight film). In general, it was readable but it certainly wasn’t great. I mean, I took issue with the word “saga” applied to Twilight then, and I still do now. I understand that film wise, they have to give some clue to the common viewer that this is a sequel, but really, saga? Oh well. Maybe these will be like Harry Potter and finally get decent at film three. Too bad for Twilight that only leaves one more movie, which frankly was the weakest of the books IMHO. They don’t really have the luxury of increasing quality in the source material like Harry Potter does.

Anyhow, I know a million people are going to see this, and I know a ton of people disagree with my views on it all. So be it. To each their own. But if the film does truly suck, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.

So here’s an interesting rumour. EW.com is floating the story Drew Barrymore will direct Twilight 3. Supposedly they’re looking at a third director because they want the third instalment (Eclipse) to be released all of 6 months after New Moon. This overlapping of production times would mean Chris Weitz, who is directing New Moon, would be unable to do the director duties on the third film. This seems a little off to me. I mean, if Weitz delivers on New Moon, shouldn’t he be given the shot at the third film? I’m guessing that Summit Films is trying to push this series through while people still give a crap. But if they really want a series people will keep coming back to, they should go for quality, not just slap-dash productions. I mean, check out Harry Potter. The films are great movies, regardless of the source material. People keep coming back to the films because they are quality, not just because they’re adaptations of their favourite books. Oh well, I guess it’s a good thing I was never completely in love with this series, cause I predict the films are going to be shite.

Meanwhile, Watchmen continues to get some pretty great reviews. I’m totally pumped for this film. One thing I think is unfair is that it is getting constantly compared to The Dark Knight. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a big Batman fan and I really did like TDK, but really, I don’t think it was as completely perfect as some people make out. Also, remember that Watchmen has the difficult task of being an adaptation. All Dark Knight had to do was be a good Batman story. I know, certain Batman films in the past have proven that it is entirely all too easy to mess up a Batman story, but I still think crafting an original story with a character with such amazingly rich history as Batman is easier than taking something as complex as Watchmen and trying to compress it all into one film.

Some Book News, Neil Gaiman has a new one coming out in March. It is an illustrated kids book with art by Charles Vess. Apparently the words are from something Neil wrote for Tori Amos when she had her baby girl. While I welcome damn near anything new from Mr. Gaiman, I can’t help but think this is Harper striking while the iron’s hot and getting some more kid lit our there under Neil’s name so soon after his Newberry award for The Graveyard Book. Of course, I’ll probably buy it anyway

In some book into movie news, Mania.com wrote this article on a planned Neverending Story remake. Seems Warner Brothers is looking to breath some new life into this series after 25 years. I suppose some spiffy effects and all will be added, but they’re saying that more of the nuances of the book will be explored instead of glossed over like in the first film. Now, I have to admit, I have yet to work my way through the book. With this news, I might just have to see if I can finish the thing.

I haven’t written anything original in what seems like sooooo long. I mean, other than my rant about my job, what have I contributed to this blog lately other than the Word of the Day? And really, we all know that’s just filler so this place has something new on a regular basis.

The odd thing is, I really have wanted to write. Not just my usual obsession with writing the novel that I never will write, but just to throw some words at this blog, to talk, to vent, to do all the things I suppose a normal person would do with their friends. So pardon me while I go on about far too many things….

So I’ve been watching the anime Bleach almost consistently for a few weeks now. I think we hit episode 111 last night! I can’t tell you how much I’ve been enjoying this. It reminds me of the days where we watch Ruroni Kenshin until there was nothing more to see. Or the almost hypnotic compulsion to keep viewing Marmalade Boy or Fushigi Yuugi. I’ve said it so many times, I really do love anime, and it’s just great to get into a series that delivers episode after episode. Bleach has impressed the hell out of me in terms of how it can just keep being excellent and engaging after over 100 episodes! There are so many characters, and each of them is unique and ever increasingly fleshed out. Do yourself a favour and check out this fabulous series!

I recently finished the last of the Night Watch books – titled The Last Watch. I’ll try and get around to writing an actual review of this thing. Maybe today. Anyway, I think what it boils down to is that if you liked the previous 3, you’ll like this one too. But more on that later….

So via the Super Bowl last weekend, we finally got some of our fist glimpses at Transformers 2, GI Joe, and maybe something else, I can’t really remember. I’m in such a lazy mood right now, I’m not really going to bother giving you a link, I’m sure you can find it through a simple search on YouTube. Speaking of which, in checking out the GI Joe Live action trailer, I found this on YouTube, GI Joe Resolute! Apparently Hasbro is looking to release a number of web based episodes that will amount to an hour long show. It’s GI Joe taken to bad ass levels. It’s apparently written by Warren Ellis, a comic writer known for his generally gritty scripts. Gone are the red tracer fire, we’re talking bullets flying and Snake Eyes dicing a bunch of Cobras! The trailer is a cam grab, so the quality is shite, but from what I can tell, they must’ve gotten a pretty serious animation studio involved, cause it looks great! I think I’m actually more hyped to see this than I am about the Live flick!

The Transformers 2 trailer looks ok. I don’t know, it just didn’t get me as hyped as I thought it would. Maybe cause they just flashed so many scenes, there just was no way to get a real feel for how this was going to play out. From what I understand they finally confirmed that the Fallen was indeed a character. Maybe I mentioned that before… meh..

I got this crank call yesterday that kind of freaked me out. At least, I hope it was a crank. But it’s got me serisouly contemplating changing my number and unlisting it. You know, I remember when we were kids and if we cranked someone, it was something childish. This guy asked for me by name, then proceeded to ask if I had raped his daughter! I’m sitting there with my wife and the mother of one of my son’s friends. What the hell?! So I keep cool and start asking how he got this number and he tells me he was told by someone that I had done it and they gave him my number. Now, I know I’ve never done anything like that, so I’m not worried about that, but it just kind of creeped me out. I started thinking how this guy could find me, how if it wasn’t a crank what might it mean? Anyway, I’m trying to just let it go.

So I went into work this week, and it doesn’t seem like much of anything has changed with the whole fall out from that newspaper article I mentioned. I’m hoping that since we were in the 90% bracket that this thing will blow over for us. We’ll see I guess.

I was trolling DeviantArt and it never ceases to amaze me some of the really great work that people post there. I wish I could write more and get it posted over there, maybe more people would read it. Mind you, I’m really lazy there. I never write any comments or anything, which is really how you kind of get noticed. I guess if it were so important to me I would put the work in.

Anyway, this post is just dragging and I’m really getting a clear pic that I’m really just being apathetic, which is boring. Anyhow, I should hopefully return later today with that Last Watch review and maybe something else. Time will tell…

So after only two kicks at the can, Disney decided to pull its money from the Walden Media film versions of The Chronicles of Narnia. Usually, this would mean the series is dead, but here comes Fox to save the day! Though I have to say, given the drivel that Fox has produced, and that they are largely responsible for the death of Eragon as a film franchise, this doesn’t bode too well for this venerable series. However, Voyage of the Dawn Treader is by far a better story than Prince Caspian, so maybe Fox is jumping on at the right time. I suppose we’ll see during Christmas 2010, when they hope to get this one releases.

You can read all the details in Variety’s article here.

Saw this over at Ain’t It Cool News and thought I’d post it here. It’s the teaser poster for the new Transformers live action movie, Revenge of the Fallen.

Now, you might remember I mentioned in an earlier post how it was entirely possible that the Fallen was an actual character as opposed to just Megatron coming back. I’m still not so sure that this is the case, but I thought the poster looked kind of cool

So just four days ago I wrote about the new director of the Twilight Sequel.

So apparently Chris Weitz has got his work cut out for him, as Summit Films has slated New Moon for release next American Thanksgiving (one year after Twilight’s release). Now, I suppose it’s possible that this can be done, but are you really telling me that a quality adaptation can be written, sites scouted, pre-production be done, shooting and then post production including special effects all within one year?! That sounds like a pretty ludicrous schedule to me, especially if we’re looking to have some quality product.

Now, maybe I’m wrong, or maybe the adaptation script is already done. And really, since most of the books take place in Forks, just how much scouting for locations has to be done?

Maybe I’m just out of touch with how long it takes to put a really quality film together. Or maybe Summit just figures they can put whatever shit they want on screen and fans will run like lemmings to see it. Doesn’t sound like a great plan if they want this franchise to go the whole distance with four films.

Anyway, I saw an article on this over at Mania.com. You can read the article here.

So Twilight opened up and did some okay money. But, it appears that it was pretty much tanked by critics, and by many fans as well (if my wife and general Internet chatter is anything to go by…). So I guess it comes as no surprise that a) Due to the money, they will be doing the sequel New Moon, and that b) it will have a different director, namely Chris Weitz, who has directed American Pie, About a Boy, and The Golden Compass.

Now, I’m not sure if American Pie really qualifies this guy, but About a Boy certainly had some excellent emotional story telling, something that the love triangle in New Moon is going to need so it doesn’t get too high on the cheese factor. Secondly, while I was very disappointed by the Golden Compass, it at least had Weitz steeped in special effects, which I understand were somewhat weak in Twilight (I haven’t had a chance to see it myself. You’ll know when I do). The scenes of the witches flying in Compass, and of numerous other effects, were done very well. So I’m hoping Weitz learned some things there that will help boost New Moon. After all, we do need some kick ass werewolf effects here….

So will New Moon be better? I’m not sure. To be honest, while I enjoyed Twilight as a guilty pleasure, the following books didn’t do much for me. Although, New Moon did give use the Volturi, which could be cool. I guess we’ll see in the next few years.

In the meantime, if you’re all skittish about Weitz taking over, head to Stephanie Meyer’s website to read a little note from Weitz about how he won’t screw up the franchise. I wish him well…

SPOILER ALERT!!!

So I finally watched this on DVD. I had been so excited to see this after the previews, but the money and time just didn’t allow me to see it in theatres. Overall, I’d have to say I was disappointed. I don’t have quite the venomous hate on for it like some people I know, and some reviews that I’ve read, but I just don’t understand some of the fundamental choices they made.

For one, why aliens? The other three Indy films had to do with holy relics, why resort to aliens? You can’t tell me that after the Ark, The Elephant, and the Holy Grail, that was it for holy relics. I mean, what about the lance of Longinous? Or some Egyptian treasure? Or, well, hell, just about a thousand other things. I mean, it seems to me like they used aliens just so they could go all stupid big CGI in the ending. And that is not what the Indy films are about.

Secondly, the cheesy sequences that just took you out of the film and made you realise just how silly the whole thing was. With the other Indy films, sure, there was some over the top stuff, but Shia swinging through the trees like Tarzan and then his new friends the monkeys attacking the Russians? WTF!!!!???? And Indy being stuck in a blast zone for a nuke and surviving by hopping in a Fridge? That then gets blown halfway across the desert and gee, the nuke didn’t kill him and neither did the impact? Oh, that just made the whole film seem ludicrous from there.

The film started off promising enough. The sequence in the warehouse felt like something that our beloved Indy would do. But from there, it just got campy and silly. I have to wonder why they waited so long to do another Indiana Jones film, just to turn out this. You’re telling me in all the years Lucas and Spielberg couldn’t figure something better out? I think George has just gone money crazy with Star Wars and he made everyone else money shit crazy with the hopes for a new Indy.

I figured this film would pass the torch the Shia, but after seeing his character and what happened in this movie, I’ve gotta say I hope it doesn’t happen. Shia, stick with giant robots. Indy, stay in the warm happy memories of my childhood.

So I guess this news is a little old, but I feel like posting about it anyway.

The website for the second Evangelion rebuild movie has been relaunched, anouncing the official english language title as You Can (Not) Advance. It also said that the film would be released in early summer 2009, a year later than the first press releases about rebuild had stated.

While the first film apparently deviated little from the series (I still haven’t seen it as there’s been no official english release! Grrrrr…), it appears this second installment is going quite a bit off the path, introducing 2 new evangelions and at least 1 new major character!

You can see a trailer for the film over on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in7xhXyxR8c.

This is the one I’m really excited to see. This is where Evangelion truly begins to deviate from what we know and delivers Anno’s promise of a new version (vision?) of Eva.

It’s funny that at one time I lived for Evangelion. My first true website was an Eva website and virtually all the forums etc that I participated online in were Eva related. There was something exciting about it back then. The story seemed so new, modern, and yet somehow avante-garde. I guess since then, cerebral anime with flawed characters are so common now, that Eva just doesn’t seem as unique as it did back in the 90s. None the less, I am really looking forward to seeing how these films turn out.

Do I need to say anything else? It’s been officially anounced. Rumours at this point say that it will have the older Ghostbusters handing the reigns over to a new crew who will probably carry the bulk of the film.

I’m looking forward to what they come up with.