The Boondock Sons…

Having just wrapped up its third and weakest season, Sons of Anarchy hasn’t jumped the shark yet – but they rode their bikes right up to the edge of the ramp and thought about it. Year three is dominated by two things -- Jax’s obsessive search to locate his kidnapped son Abel, know forever after as “The Wee Bay-beh,” and also by a massive amount of action taking place in Ireland.

Yes, like the Brady family’s Hawaiian vacation, the Sons actually pack up and head to Belfast – sorry, to “BELL-FAHHHHst,” in search of wayward Abel. Or rather, their stunt doubles do, as rather than schlep the cast off to Ireland, we’re witness to some of the most awkward second-unit editing and set dressing in recent memory. Manhole covers convincingly scream out, “Port of Belfast.” Large groups of always-helmeted stunt drivers wearing SAMCRO leathers tool their bikes around the actual Irish countryside, always from a distance, always in a group. When the cast is shot supposedly in Ireland, they’ve tried to find California locations that match Ireland for greenery and tweak the filtering somehow -- it is painfully obvious that we’re still somewhere in Cali – not Kerry.

It would be easy to forgive a little sketchy verisimilitude, but unfortunately it’s combined with some very good actors mounting some very bahd Oyrish Ock-cents. I love Titus Welliver, but as rogue IRA bad guy Jimmy O’Phelan, the incredibly talented Welliver is out of his “dapth.” His Jimmy O runs roughshod over so many “Da’s” and “Fa’ers” it will put you off your Guinness. Deadwood veteran Paula Malcomson (she’ll always be Trixie to me) fairs much better – she was actually born in Belfast – but she has to slog through so many "Wev got to thank aboot the weeee bay-behs!" that it’s hard to stave off the eye-rolling. You will be overwhelmed with Liams and Seans and Brogans by the time that they’re through.

You have to admire any show that tries to be more epic, but when Sons starts to feel more like The Boondock Saints, you want the original vibe of the show back! Regulars Kim Coates as Tig and Scot Tommy Flanagan as Chibs really shine in their supporting roles this year. There’s a terrific cameo early on by none other than Stephen King. But the dynamic lost its way this season. As fantastic and intense as Charlie Hunnam is as Jax, the show needs to return equal face time to Ron Perlman as patriarch Clay, who spent far too much time in the shadows in these episodes.

Just when I was ready to skip St. Patrick’s day and call for a ban on any Amercians ever being cast as Irish again, Sons stepped up and redeemed itself with an absolutely killer season finale that rocked and rocked hard. Supreme kudos to Ally Walker’s slithery agent Stahl, who stole every scene she’s in. But best of all, the writing in the finale really came back to full strength and it felt like some healing had finally begun. The shark had been avoided and Sons was back where it belonged.

It was a long strange trip this season, browther, ent oy fur wan um glahd we’re dohne.

Call off the dogs -- and don't forget to leave a note...

Call off the dogs, because as far as I'm concerned, 127 Hours is the movie of the year. Granted, I haven't seen Inception or The Black Swan yet, but those movies are going to have to get out in the driveway and detail my car in order to impress and rock my soul as hard as Danny Boyle's latest piece of astonishing craftsmanship.

Adapting the true story of Aron Ralston into a feature film was a pretty audacious idea -- which is maybe why Danny Boyle is the perfect choice to take this journey. This is easily Boyle's best move since 28 Days Later -- and I loved Slumdog Millionaire. But this story clearly inspired the hell out of Boyle. More likely awed him. Once you've seen it you'll understand why. The filmmaking on display here is immediate, immersive and totally compelling. At a furious 93 minutes, 127 Hours is a master class in economy, editing and use of sound. Much ink has been spilt about the intensity of being a witness to what Ralston decided he had to do. If that is even remotely keeping you on the fence about seeing this, please believe that the "violence" here is in no way extreme or sensationalized. Given what happened and the courage Aron Ralson found, it's note perfect. Everything serves telling this story in a realistic way, even the brushes with fantasy and delerium that begin to take their toll after the five longest days a man ever endured.

But it would all fall apart and the illusion would turn to powder if it weren't for the phenomenal central performance of James Franco. Gone forever is any reference to "that good looking James Dean guy from Spider-man." Franco will need mantle space very soon, as this is such a mature, open, exposed performance. There's no star puffery, no BS -- it's all real, every facet of man's emotional extremes laid bare -- hubris, ego, terror, tenacity, madness, love...belief -- there are pieces of Aron Ralston we can all relate to, even if we've never climbed anything but a staircase. Franco does superb work here and will now be stealing scripts away from Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

If you love filmmaking, if you love bravery, if extreme stories of survival such as Into Thin Air or The Endurance have ever captured your imagination... you miss this film at your peril. It's the best movie I've seen this year, hands down and I'll be rooting like hell for it come Oscar time.

But when you do see this picture, don't go alone, and if you do...please leave somebody a note.

The beginning of The End...of an era...

Thank you, thank you, visiting relatives, for generously offering to babysit so we had the opportunity to get to the theater and revel in the latest Harry Potter movie. I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve, I feel that these films just keep getting better and more mature and The Deathly Hallows doesn’t disappoint. I think it was a great move on Warner Brothers to split the 7th novel into two films. The Deathly Hallows dares to take its time and focus on character, which fans of the novel are bound to appreciate. There is plenty of smoldering suspense – and lots of novel atmosphere. We don’t even get so much as a glimpse of Hogwarts! We do, however, get our most sustained look at He-Who-Must-Not, who is positively chilling.

The most marvelous things to behold in this wondrous film are the performances of Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe. They have truly grown up and delivery beautifully nuanced performances here, packed with emotion.

Bill Nighy has a great scene early in the film as Minister of Magic. The role of Luna Lovegood’s father, Xenophelius, is somewhat awkwardly cast, which adds a somewhat creepy dynamic that probably wasn’t intended. The ending will have you foaming at the mouth for the final chapter – but one can’t help feeling a little nostalgic knowing this is the last holiday season that will see a Harry Potter film. Every since Goblet of Fire, these stories have just felt so much a part of the winter season. Summer just doesn’t feel like it does them justice. So go and be dazzled, go and be moved. The faithfulness to Rowling’s work is a wonder to behold and the enchantment will prove impossible to resist.

"It's a good day to be dead!"

What kind of champagne do zombies like? Better ask 'em over at AMC, where Halloween's premiere of the Frank Darabont/Andrew Kirkman horror series The Walking Dead delivered AMC's highest original series premiere numbers ever.

How big was it? Season 4 of Mad Men debuted with 2 million viewers. The Walking Dead averaged 5.3 million viewers last night, with a heavy 3.6 million made up of the coveted 18-49 year-old demo, making for... the best series premiere in that demographic for all of cable in 2010!

"It's a good day to be dead," said AMC President Charlie Collier. Reviews were extremely positive across the board. I'll just say that for me, there is this certain type of property where you really love it and just worry to death that someone won't get it and will screw it up. Lord of the Rings, for example. It's something you cherish and you're kind of holding your breath. Well, if you haven't seen The Walking Dead yet, what the hell are you doing reading this?!? It's without a doubt one of the most intense things I've seen in ages. It is just staggeringly well done and Darabont basically shows the rest of the horror world how it's done here. The cinematography in the pilot (Days Gone By) by David Tattersall is remarkable. They keep making choices that favor realism over contrivance, particularly in a wonderful supporting turn by Jericho fave Lennie James that is as human as it gets.

Watch this series!!! This is work that needs to be supported. And if you haven't sampled Kirkman's comics, there are years worth to get crazy with -- he's an amazing talent. My very high expectations were surpassed in ways I am still recovering from. This is the real McCoy and I can't wait for next Sunday night...

Zom-pocalypse NOW!

"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth..."

This Sunday -- Halloween -- brings the debut of a new series I've been eagerly salivating over for ages now -- The Walking Dead. Incredibly, AMC, the network that's given us such critical triumphs as Mad Men and Breaking Bad has had the cojones to turn Robert Kirkman's jaw-dropping comic into their next high profile TV series! I've enjoyed all 78 heart-stopping issues of this comic -- so I've written about the news of this series before and been waiting with baited breath.

But on Sunday the 31st, this baby finally debuts, shepherded into reality by none other than Frank Darabont, the maestro who gave us The Mist, which for my money was the best horror film in ages -- it's such a dream come true. Because if you're thinking this is going to be a nonstop gore-o-rama, you don't know The Walking Dead, as these are character-driven stories, first and foremost, and with both Darabont and Kirkman involved, I just have the feeling were about to witness the birth of something truly special.

Real horror that's not something to be embarrassed of comes along so rarely these days. We're about to see something raw and shocking and true to its source. I absolutely can't wait...

So lock your bloody doors...

No sh!t -- SHERLOCK!!!

Massive cause for celebration with the discovery of the completely stupendous British television series Sherlock, that dares to reimagine Holmes and Watson in 21st century contemporary incarnations. Created by Doctor Who scribes Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis, Sherlock is just fantastic on every level. It seems an idea doomed to failure, but works brilliantly well, a modern world filled with mobile phones and tweets in no way diminishing Holmes' abilities and eccentricities. This Holmes maintains a blog on deductive reasoning and consults for detective Lestrade -- and he needs a roommate! All the glorious tropes are there, 221B, Mrs. Hudson... Moriarty...but rendered in such a fresh way as to seem more true to the original Conan Doyle than any version in ages.

While there was a lot to like about Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, this series (3 90+ minute movie/episodes per season) is premiering on PBS currently and beats other recent versions by a mile, thanks largely to the stupendous casting. Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes is a revelation. And most excitingly, Watson provides most of us our first look at Martin Freeman, recently cast (as last, officially!) as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. This Watson is back from a traumatic tour in Afghanistan, and Freeman seems a perfect choice to embody Baggins the elder.

So on so many levels, this Sherlock is a true eye-opener and cause for great celebration among Conan Doyle fans everywhere. This first season is already available on Amazon but do enjoy them as they air over the remaining two weeks on PBS, Sunday nights. This is an inventive labor of love at the highest level -- you miss it at your peril, Watson!

Astonishment out of nowhere!!!

Highly anticipated fall movies? Hereafter? 127 Hours? Red? FORGET 'EM!!! The most amazing movie out there is one you've probably never heard of, the skeptically titled Monsters. This is one of the best, most inventive no-budget science fiction movies in ages.

Get used to hearing the name of director Gareth Edwards, as this is a case of two man crew using off the shelf software and equipment filming entirely on location -- often with no advance permission (astonishingly, the budget Edwards spent was only $15,000) and it looks like it cost millions. The cinematography, effects, editing (all Edwards) are simply top flight. Mark my words, you'll be hearing about this guy at the helm of a major tentpole studio picture very soon. Mounting a remake of Forbidden Planet? Need someone who can balance effects, suspense and always keep the human element at the forefront? CALL THIS GUY!

You may be tempted to think of this as District 9-inspired -- except Edwards never saw District 9 until after he finished Monsters. Moods attempted with Cloverfield and The Ruins are far surpassed here, with some escalating, seriously effective suspense -- and always unpredictable. So often you hear about a cool sounding Indie movie that has a nifty idea but upon viewing seriously disappoints (hello, Valhalla Rising) -- but Monsters exceeded my wildest expectations. And by no means is that because this is all effects-driven craft. If it was just that, I wouldn't be writing this. No, Monsters continually insists that the characters drive the film. That they be realistic and heartfelt and unpredictable. Just like everything else in this gem of a picture. Every time you think it's going to run off the rails and collapse or veer towards cliche, the movie makes a hard left turn and goes in the opposite direction.

Trust me, you won't see this one coming. Monsters is probably not a movie you've heard much about and I encourage you to keep it that way and charge in blindly. Let it knock you out of your chair.

Monsters opens in theaters next month, but incredibly it's part of a new (Comcast) OnDemand feature where it's available on cable before it's out in theaters! Amazing news for the babysitter-dependent movie fan who can't get to the theater as easily.

Whatever your venue, don't let anything keep you from experiencing this film. Monsters is on its way to bonafide classic status. It's simply an astonishingly inventive picture that never runs out of imagination.

The Omega Glory...

One is advised to tread cautiously when attempting to review a novel like The Passage. You certainly want to intrigue and convince people to dive in, but you don’t want to give anything away, either. So that said, the hole in this bed sheet is going to be awfully small…

It’s been ages since I’ve enjoyed a book this much. Justin Cronin is a new name to me. With a background that includes Pen/Hemingway and Stephen Crane awards, one can’t help but wonder what his tenured tweedy colleagues thought when they learned he’d gone over to the dark reaches of apocalyptic horror. And go over he did. Cronin has delivered a vast, compelling epic – the first of a proposed trilogy – that starts wonderfully small and reels towards no lesser a precipice than the very end of the world as we know it.

The Passage has the DNA of Richard Matheson’s I am Legend in its bones (more Charlton Heston's Omega Man than Will Smith) along with Stephen King’s opus The Stand. 28 Days Later and Let the Right One In may also echo in these hallways. But this is not some hybrid pastiche capitalizing on the current Stephanie Meyer/True Blood wave of renewed interest in things that bite. There’s no pale wallflowers here, no tween-friendly introspection. The Passage evokes what Peter Benchley did in Jaws, taking conventions you thought you knew and freaking you out in new and nightmare-inducing ways.

The events of The Passage will have you turning pages with the same ravenous fervor as the viral hoards within. As visceral and immediate as this read is, you may be taken aback at times by the effortless craft of the writing, the heart of the characters. You sign on for the duration immediately and the path Cronin takes to get there will satisfy and surprise you.

Director Ridley Scott is developing The Passage as a feature film. Let’s just say that Ridley has a lot to work with here. Here’s hoping he delivers the epic saga this book deserves. Make no mistake – I’ll be buried in book II the first day it comes out.

"Machete don't text..."

Danny Trejo looks like Charles Bronson would have if he'd spent a couple of years working out in a prison weight room and then fell into a cement mixer. A former San Quentin inmate turned actor, Trejo's badass charisma inspired Robert Rodriguez to deliver the mother of all Mexploitation faux trailers in Grindhouse, so incredibly cool it just had to be expanded into feature length.

Machete is the most satisfying time I've had at the movies since Avatar. Rodriguez is having the time of his life directing and like his Planet Terror half of Grindhouse, does an uncanny job of shooting and editing in full-blown early-eighties late-seventies style -- a guy completely in love with action movies, Machete is overflowing with references to other pulp movies, from Rolling Thunder to Cool Hand Luke and especially Mr. Majestyk.

Trejo is fantastic and carries the movie with incredible ease and conviction. Make no mistake, the movie is incredibly tongue-in-cheek (at times the tongue may even pierce the cheek), but Trejo is all business and the toughest guy ever to grace a movie screen since Vinnie Jones. He's old school antihero and a force of nature in a hysterical yet satisfyingly insane revenge fantasy. I give you my personal guarantee, you won't see a more gleefully violent movie this year.

Machete immediately gets started in high gear, delivering the best James Bond style origin prologue in ages, introducing Machete's arch-nemesis, Steven Seagal -- when you hear the sound effect Seagal's sword makes, you know you're in for a killer experience.

Michelle Rodriguez is terrific, but it's Jeff Fahey who steals the movie -- Fahey must have somehow travelled back to 1985 to shoot his part, how else to explain that his every freaking pore (and superbly gelled mullet) seem to radiate eighties villainous baddassery? He's fantastic to behold.

The one cringe-inducing part of Machete is the substantial role given to Jessica Alba. Her time onscreen makes for some rough-sledding, to be sure. But the movie moves at such a quick, violent and inventive clip, it's easy as hell to forget about her -- especially when Michelle Rodriguez comes back in the picture.

Machete delivers. If you've been pining for a REAL action movie that remembers when, cut off a slice and pass the peppers.

SONS!

Season two of FX's sensational Sons of Anarchy outlaw biker series exploded onto DVD/Blu-ray shelves yesterday. I called ahead to have my friendly retailer hold a copy for me, and it's a good thing that I did, as there was one lone copy left when I got there: "You're like the 30th person to get this today!"

If you're in withdrawal feeling all caught up on Dexter and waiting for the next go-round of Breaking Bad, this is your series! Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman, leads a fantastic cast of antiheroes. We discovered this series near the end of season 2 last year and promptly went and devoured all of season 1 on disc, getting severely hooked. We actually blew through 3 episodes in a row last night and the quality continues to rock and rock hard. Secrets and dark deeds abound in season 2, with an awesome guest turn from Henry Rollins as a scary white supremist.

If you haven't bit into Sons yet, fair warning -- you will get hooked. It's a terrific pulp saga that is as much of an outlaw as the characters it portrays. Season 3 starts next week, so get hopping! Look for a guest appearance soon by Stephen King, likewise a huge fan of the show!

Eyes-a-poppin!!!

As one of the snooziest summer movie seasons of all time is about to wind down, glimmers of what lies around the corner are starting to emerge! Check out two of the coolest looking trailers to unspool, post Comic-Con...

TRON LEGACY (link)

WOW!!! The Tron design aesthetic is crazy cool. Looks like a true modernization of that old goofiness from the original. If they pull it off, it could be akin to the contrast between the old and new Battlestar Galactica. Positioned right at Christmastime, if the buzz keeps building this could turn out to be a massive IMAX-fuelled hit.

SUCKER PUNCH (link)

Loved what I saw in here. Zak Snyder is a visionary cat and I will happily go on record to say that I think he deserves a medal for what he pulled off with Watchmen. Sucker Punch evoked Terry Gilliam’s Brazil as well as Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and seems completely immersed in surreal retro comic book eyeball drip. Pretty wild!

What say ye?

The unforgivable crime: missing this film...

Every now and then you see something so fresh and well made that it manages to immediately sink its claws into you, leaving no doubt that you're seeing a modern classic. The last time that happened was with the sensational Let the Right One In. It just happened again with A Prophet (Un prophète), the best thing to happen to crime and gangsters since season one of The Sopranos.

A Prophet has the raw vigor of Scorsese's Mean Streets and is such a refreshing lesson in craft and economy, it puts most recent films to shame. The Grand Prix winner at Cannes, A Prophet follows Malik (Tahar Rahim, in virtually every scene) from his first day in a French prison, where survival draws him into the service of an aging Corsican mafia boss, learning all the while, often at extreme peril.

French director Jacques Audiard must be flooded with offers after his work here. While very much an old school tale of hard boiled crime, the movie feels completely fresh and inventive and new. Malik may remind you of young Michael Corleone at times, though it may ultimately be DeNiro's young Vito (from II) whose footsteps he follows the closest.

PLEASE don't let the French subtitles and any lack of familiarity with Arab/Corsican culture keep you from seeing the best mob picture in ages. Imagine a really raw episode of Oz or The Wire blended with Goodfellas and La Femme Nikita era Besson and you'll have an idea of what lies in store. No opportunity is wasted, a lesson that Malik and director Audiard have both clearly mastered. Highly recommended.

Khan-tacular! Trek in the Park 2010: Space Seed!

It's no exaggeration to say that in the middle of its second summer run, Trek in the Park has become a bona fide Portland phenomenon - a tradition that should have a long and happy life!

The brainchild of Atomic Arts and director/Captain Kirk, Adam Rosko, this year finds yet another classic Original Series Star Trek episode performed live and for free in the crowded-to-exploding outdoor setting of Portland's Woodlawn Park.

Kirk, Spock and McCoy are wonderfully played by the same three actors who originated the roles in last year's Amok Time. This year the cast has been joined for Space Seed by the phenomenal Ryan Castro as Khan Noonian Singh, who inhabits the role with exactly the right amounts of genetically superior superman ego and sly Montalban homage. Costumes and props are amazingly accurate, right down to the Botany Bay crew jumpsuits to the Starfleet dress uniforms.

Trek in the Park has a small army of sponsors now, including Bridge City Comics, The Portland Mercury and ...Pabst Blue Ribbon! This is wonderful to see, but be advised, the word is out and so are the crowds.

Make no mistake, miss this production at your own peril. The cast and crew are spectacular and completely embody the phrase "labor of love." The show continues for two more weekends through August 1st, Saturdays and Sundays at 5:00.

As the show is free (you can buy fantastic T-shirts!), you'll want to get your landing party planted in the amphitheater at least two hours before the show to have a prayer of seeing things from up close. My advice, pack up and get there early...and prepare for a fantastic experience.

Here are a few highlights...

More Cheese, Stewardess...

When shag was king, being an airline pilot was the coolest occupation a kid could aspire to. So it may be memories of that childhood icon of the pilot as hero that led us to recently revisit some of the Airport movies.

It might be hard, but if you can put your Airplane! parody goggles on the shelf, it’s fascinating to look at these movies as time-capsules of seventies culture and Hollywood’s endless appetite for sequels.

Little did they know, but Airport (1970) would become the template for the entire burgeoning disaster movie genre. It all began here with pilot Dean Martin, Jacqueline Bisset, Burt Lancaster and George Kennedy as cigar-chomping “Joe Patroni,” who appeared in all four films. Pilot Martin’s affair with Bisset’s stewardess has taken an unexpected turn (for them, if not the audience), someone on the plane has a bomb and Kennedy is determined to make anything mechanical do his bidding: “That's one nice thing about the 707. She can do everything but read." Airport is a classic of the era and was always an event when it aired on TV growing up. By far the classiest, least contrived of the series, it was wildly popular and holds up beautifully.

Things really get hopping in Airport 1975, with Charlton Heston in full-on Omega Man mode, aviator shades and leisure suit safari jacket as “Alan Murdock” – now that is a manly name! You’ve got a singing nun, Hare Krishnas and Linda Blair as a transplant patient. But the real reason to scream is when a mid-air collision requires stewardess Karen Black to fly the plane. “THE STEWARDESS IS FLYING THE PLANE!!!” One of the classic disaster movies, it’s over the top, contains a huge amount of the material mocked in Airplane! but really captures the era and never stops trying to entertain.

Airport ‘77 is a kitchen-sink plot explosion featuring Jack Lemmon, Jimmy Stewart, Christopher Lee (as an ineffectual cuckold! Say it ain’t so!), Brenda Vaccaro and Darren McGavin, blustering around like he just walked in from the set of The Night Stalker. Terrorist/robbers take over the plane, which crashes into an off shore oil rig (not another one!!!) sending the plane plunging into…the Bermuda Triangle!!! – which doesn’t really figure into the plot at all, but hey! The survivors are trapped in the sunken fuselage, à la The Poseidon Adventure, their rescue in the hands of a special group of short-shorts wearing Navy commandos who are evidently based out of Fire Island. Billionaire Stewart’s plane is like a private hotel lobby, with no expense spared – there’s even a blind piano player in the bar! Kept waiting for McGavin to suddenly go all Kolchak on Lee (“Wait a minute, you’re Dracula!!!”), but that never happened. Everything else pretty much did!

The series wraps up with The Concorde…Airport ’79, with Alain Delon, blink-and-you’ll-miss-her Charo, evil Robert Wagner and Jimmie Walker. A seemingly endless sight gag is Martha Raye’s charge for the bathroom, evidently gripped by the worst attack of diarrhea in movie history. Even more nausea inducing is John Davidson’s creepy “tongue-first” kissing style with his Soviet gymnast girlfriend. Shudder…The greatest thing about this movie is the footage of the actual Concorde supersonic plane in flight, which was a pretty spectacular piece of engineering, sadly no longer flying. Which is a shame, considering how amazing the plane apparently was at dodging jet fighters, missiles and performing barrel-roll evasive maneuvers. This time Kennedy takes the controls, because no Frenchman’s gonna out-fly an American! Petroni is all man, bedding hookers in Paris and making with such bon mots as, “They don’t call it the cockpit for nothing.”

If you haven’t seen an Airport movie in a while, and if you love the Seventies, they are pretty fascinating to behold and truly capture the flamboyance of the era. All four films are available in a reasonably priced Terminal pack for added convenience.

And if you ask me, pilots are still some of the coolest guys out there. Whenever I travel, I'm always reassured seeing the seasoned flightcrew up at the controls...so long as its not Karen Black!

When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth...

Back in my February 6th posting I mentioned my unbridled glee at news of Robert Kirkman's killer cult comic The Walking Dead being turned into a new TV series on AMC (Mad Men, Breaking Bad) by none other than Frank freaking Darabont!!!

Well a week ago, this pipe dream began shooting on location. Here's a taste of the kind of mayhem that awaits when this sucker hits AMC in October. Thank you, Frank, thank you!!!

"Attorneys Assemble!!!"

If you've never seen some of the truly staggering, bald-faced overseas knock-offs of licensed American characters, prepare to be amazed!!! You have to travel far and wide to find these hysterically "inspired" gems...

Hot off the presses: The Passage!!!

This book comes out Tuesday and sounds astonishing. Justin Cronin has a literary pedigree that includes the Pen/Hemingway award, the Stephen Crane prize and in The Passage, he’s created an epic story about a virus that nearly destroys the world, turning the infected into ravenous, vampiric “Virals,” who have nothing in common with Stephanie Meyer’s undead.

The first of a three-novel saga about the quest to bring the world back from hell itself, reviews (including an enthusiastic Stephen King) suggest this is that rare work that combines both high literary craftsmanship and visceral, addictive storytelling.

Can’t wait for this one!

Blame the movies!!!

Can you say "Box office poison?" So can everyone else! The numbers are in (adjusted for inflation) and this was the worst Memorial Day at the U.S. box office since 1993 -- the summer of Cliffhanger, Super Mario Brothers, Free Willy and ultimately, Jurassic Park.

Putz (I mean Prince) of Persia and Sex in the City 2 (great title!) were the slim pickings Hollywood offered up this year and neither one could even take first place, losing out to the 4th (and poorest reviewed) chapter in the Shrek franchise. Maybe if you have silk scarves hanging up as window treatments, you might consider these two tentpole features. But in a season traditionally dominated by solid action and clever spectacle, these two turnips fell hard -- great news for the American public as evidently we're a bit more discriminating than we're given credit for! We were offered boring choices and we stayed away. Evidently in the post-Avatar world we're now going to insist on something fresh and interesting and exploding with action. We'll wait for the quality goods -- great news for Splice this weekend and also for next week's The A-Team, as there's very little else on deck as far as big scale action. Should make for a colossal Toy Story 3 opening later this month, as it's such a beloved brand. That box office (and 3-D prices) should help turn the lackluster tide.

What's the take-away lesson? Bad word of mouth kills. Good word of mouth rules.

Terrible news from Middle Earth...

Bureaucracy and the ongoing legal & financial knot that is the already sunk ship of MGM have claimed their saddest victim yet -- Guillermo Del Toro has announced he has decided to leave The Hobbit. He will not be directing these films.

While Peter Jackson remains in place as producer and another director will be sought, this is unbelievably depressing news as there could never be such a perfect and visionary choice to bring these tales to life. Having already invested years of immeasurable creative energy and enthusiasm to the design and writing of these new Tolkien films, the project has continued to be beset with delays due to the beleaguered corpse of co-rights-holder MGM, having only recently announced they were scrapping any and all plans for a new James Bond film. It's now official: MGM is the enemy of genre fans everywhere.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit, I am faced with the hardest decision of my life,” Del Toro said. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director.”

Jackson says he'll meet with New Line and Warner Brothers honchos this week to start looking for a new director, adding: “We feel very sad to see Guillermo leave The Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control – has compromised his commitment to other long term projects. The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most remarkable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complete joy working with him. Guillermo’s strong vision is ingrained into the scripts and designs of these two films, which are extremely fortunate to be blessed with his creative DNA.”

I don't know about you, but I'm heading down to The Green Dragon to drown my sorrows...

What, no Bilbo, James?

Kick-Ass and Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn is preparing a new origin story reboot to some characters in the Marvel Universe with X-Men: First Class. While this new trend of tweenifying all too recent franchises is worrisome -- a new Spider-man, back in high school again?!? -- ya gotta love Vaughn's initial casting: James McAvoy will play Professor X, Charles Xavier!

Fantasy legend Frank Frazetta...RIP

Legendary fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta has passed away, falling to a stroke at age 82. Brooklyn, NY born Frazetta created some of the most iconic fantasy images, single-handedly embodying Conan and Tarzan, frequently contributing to Eerie and Creepy magazines and the occasional one-sheet for Hollywood. In the Sixties, he turned down an offer to play for the New York Giants.

The world of sword and sorcery art is a lot grayer tonight...there will never be another Frank Frazetta...

Super ...D'OH!!!

Okay, got caught up in the buzz, mea culpa!

Turns out Super 8 was not the Cloverfield sequel (though it does appear one is in the works), but rather a Steven Spielberg produced (and heavily influenced) yarn about some kind of alien presence escaping from Area 51, a J.J. Abrams love letter to Spielberg's seventies-era films.

Anyone checking out Iron Man 2 this weekend can see for themselves. Reaction to the trailer has been off-the-charts sensational!

What is Super 8?!

Buzz-meister J.J. Abrams has done it again, as word spreads about his latest secret movie trailer, due to unspool in front of Iron Man 2 beginning Thursday at midnight.
What is this trailer, dubbed “Super 8?” Word has it this may be the Cloverfield sequel, debuting as that movie’s mystery trailer did in front of Transformers.

What we know for certain is that prints of Iron Man 2 arrived with a locked can containing the trailer. The cans can only be opened with an electronic code, which Paramount will email to theater managers Thursday afternoon. How wild is that?!

Is this Cloverfield 2, or something else? One thing’s for sure, Abrams sure knows how to build viral excitement and buzz – and he sure knows how to keep a secret! Stay tuned for more!

Anonymous still rumored to be from Cloverfield 2

Back from hiatus -- The Dark Tower has a new servant...

Sorry for the ridiculously long hiatus -- it's nice to be back!


Exciting news over at Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment, as they've announced plans to adapt Stephen King's seven book opus The Dark Tower. Some of King's cultiest writing, it took 22 years to bring this Sergio Leone-meets-Tolkien saga to its conclusion.

Lost's J.J. Abrams had previously talked about adapting The Dark Tower, but has moved on to other interests. Howard and Imagine are talking about an initial film (or films) then an ongoing TV series, with Akiva Goldsman on board as screenwriter. As frustrating as some of his work has ended up in adaptations such as Lost in Space, Batman and Robin (cough) and I Am Legend, lately Goldsman has been doing some truly fine work over on Fringe and is rumored to be very passionate about The Dark Tower saga.

It's exciting to contemplate Ron Howard leaving the Dan Brown hoo-ha behind and moving into this surreal and mythical canvas. Of future films in development beyond The Hobbit, this project is high up on the list, excitement-wise.