Hollywood

FableForge's Foundlings #20: Lexi Alexander and the PUNISHER

FableForge — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:47:09 +0000

This is not really a foundling, but rather a combination of several things I ran into today.

First, just so that we're on the same page, take a whiff of this:

Alright. So. More people are killed in these 2 minutes, than in the entirety of Rambo IV, and just as gorily if not more. Now that has been established, observe the following rumor courtesy of the always-on-the-scoop, the excellent Latino Review:

Latino Review wrote:

Following up on an earlier article,
one of my contacts deep within the bowels of Hollywood and close to the
Punisher: War Zone project (source will not be named. Sorry!) told me
today that the big fight over the Punisher project is Lionsgate wants a
PG-13 cut to be released.

We already know that Lexi Alexander has allegedly been fired from the film. Her own website
doesn't even mention anything about the Punisher movie anymore. You
would think that even if she were a consultant on the project, she'd be
mentioning this huge comic book movie coming out later this year, but
that isn't the case.

So, there you have it. A Pg-13 movie. The Punisher.

... right.

Latino Review goes on to rightly assume that THE DARK KNIGHT may have sold some Lions Gate people into thinking PG-13 is achievable with comic book characters, but look, there's no blood in THE DARK KNIGHT. Really, there isn't. The joker waves his knife all around a lot of people's faces, but he never actually cuts anybody. And most important of all, the Punisher is not Batman. The Punisher kills people. It's What He Does. For all the excessive blood and testosterone the trailer drips off, that's who the character is. I would never EVER take my kids to see the Punisher, even if its given a PG-13 rating. But here we arrive to the second part of this post, Lexi Alexander. I read some of her bio off Wikipedia and her own page:

Lexi is a German immigrant who started as a martial artist, and came to the City of Angels working as a stunt girl. In 2003, she shot a short film that was so good, she got nominated for an Oscar for it, and that's how she got a career as a movie director. She directed this film, "The Punisher: War Zone". And now the rumor is, that by putting her foot down to keep it an R-Rating, she got canned at Lions Gate. Yup, the studio can fire a director out of her own movie, in post.

And I can't help but feel a range of negative emotions about this. Hers was pretty much a Cinderella story, and obviously reason is on her side, but nevertheless she still gets thrown out to the curb again. Surely, she'll stand back up and find work elsewhere (she's an Oscar nominated Martial Artist!) but it still stings that "the dream" was happening for someone, and it came to such sudden crash. Another Hollywood story, I suppose. And its sad that the film will absolutely bomb as a PG-13 silliness, and people won't know or care enough to fairly apportion the blame.

That, and other news about Frank Miller's THE SPIRIT (another Lion's Gate) bombing at Comicon, makes me fear that the boom-period for comics in film maybe has peaked. Which would be bad news for me. We'll see, I suppose, crossing my fingers.

The trailer doesn't give me a lot of hope:

Man, its dangerous out there. Fast learners, quick adapters.

My strategy for now

FableForge — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:19:54 +0000

There's a lot of thoughts in my head about what the future of entertainment will be, I dont know if I can even put them together here, but I'll try:

Technology changes everything. This is something we discussed with producer Richard Berger on the radio last sunday. The means of production of which Karl Marx once wrote about, are becoming socialized, not through politics like he meant them to, but through technology getting both more powerful and cheaper. It used to be that the dividing line between major productions and indie flicks was the size of the budget. Technology is turning the boardgame upside down: suddenly every John Doe with a desktop can make increasingly nicer-looking films with increasingly cheaper budgets. Soon, the dividing line will be about story. This is a good thing. But like every paradigm shift, it will reset all players to near zero. Bad storytellers who used to bank on the size of their budgets, will fall off the board, while good storytellers who used to dream about having big budgets, will suddenly dream no more. It'll be a slow-mo revolution. The studios are reacting to it by playing it safe: increasing the number of movies based on proven Intellectual Properties (be it other movies, comics, videogames, etc). This will not suffice in the long term. When technology allows people to have a digital Angelina in their desktop, acting at their beck and call like S1M0N3, things will get scary. Then again.. a virtual Angelina in my monitor? I may suddenly become too busy to make movies anymore.
Mixed platforms. This is something else Richard mentioned. The studios are cutting the number of new films per year, and focusing only on huge mega-big-deal projects, but less of them. And these behemot franchises always come with the whole shebang: videogames, comics, toys, lunch boxes, collectibles, etc. Its never just a film anymore. Now its about brands, which come in many platforms, films being just the flagship. Again, the response to the democratizing effect of technology on the unwashed masses, is to go bigger, bigger, bigger to The Fiddler's Green where they may not reach us. Yet :)

Strategy: To make it in this new world that's coming, you need to be a generalist. You need to know about Videogames and Comics too, not just films. You need to be able to think in terms of marketing and branding, not just story.

Concrete steps: Something I'm making right now, and I think it'll prove to be a good move, is this: I'm writing a comic book of my screenplay first, before the screenplay. This is interesting on several fronts:

It forces me to address my biggest weakness as a screenwriter, which is: I write too fucking much. In comic book form, there's only so many letters you can fit in a speech balloon. This is good. This teaches me discipline, forces me to keep a tight pace, and its an amazing filter for things that look good only to me, but the audience would yawn at.
It produces something -visual- you can pitch at studio execs. They can -see- it, before they invest money in it. This counts for something. (See http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...) And later on, if you get green-light, its like a quasi storyboard the whole production team can follow. Here, proof, see the way the director and comic writer understood each other via the pages of the comic. The first 40 minutes of the movie, scene by scene is the same as the comic, panel by panel. Captions, voiceovers, everything:
It helps me get a job later on as a comic book writer. This is the biggest "LP-gets-scratched" moment for some, because the question jumps: "why would an aspiring screenwriter want to write comics!?" Answer: cuz they pay bi-monthly man. A paycheck counts when you have a family, and comics have a bit more stability than movies. Plus, you'd be surprised how related the two skillsets are. Now if I end up making millions someday (heh!) then I'd readjust my priorities, but for now, I need paychecks. Plus, I love comics.

So there, my plan. I'm writing a comic first, then a screenplay, for a movie, which is just the flagship, of a brand that will hopefully include other platforms and other stories, maybe even my wet dream, videogames, and goes who knows where. Everything in my project is designed to accomodate growth, rather than a single story, its a whole rich world where hundreds of stories could be told under the same umbrella. I made a website for it which will be the brand central, and studio people have said it looks good. And in the meanwhile all this happens, I will try to get regular paychecks writing comics.

I've given away my secret plan! Its cuz I wuv you guys. And I'll even share the product of many hours of research, benchmarking and comparison, the easiest product for writers who want to dabble into comics: http://plasq.com/comiclife-win

There!

Lets see what happens people. I just felt like sharing this :)

Marco

I am now represented by Mr. JON BROWN

FableForge — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:53:53 +0000

You know, Jon Brown. Ezequiel's manager. This guy:

http://www.lukeford.net/profiles/pro...

Yup.

He represents me now, as a writer. How did that happen? How did a 30 year old guy who has never set foot on a studio nor a set, who works in something completely unrelated to movies for a living, who's married with three kids and is paying a mortage in another state other than CA, in fact, very fucking FAR away from the City of Angels, how did this guy, and not any of the thousands of single young guns who yearly sell their earthly posessions to go camp somewhere in Santa Monica and devote their every living minute to getting their scripts read by an agent this size... how did -this- guy, and not -them- (at least not yet) get an agent who deals mostly with studio-sized millionarie hollywood productions?

Two reasons:

1.- Because I'm working with a huge producer in a huge project, and this producer called Jon Brown and told him papers shall be signed. That counts for something. And:

2.- Because of Ezequiel, who has been represented by Jon Brown for many years, and put in a good word for me.

But wait, what is the reason behind reason number 1? How did I get this huge producer to work with me in a huge project? Answer: Because Ezequiel introduced us, and Ezequiel works with us in this project; we're doing it together.

And what is the reason behind reason number 2? Why would EZ put in a good word for me, to his manager? Because he thinks I'm good enough. And why is that? Partly because doing stories is my vocation, is my calling in this iteration called life. But greatly because I listened to what he taught me, I listened, and I learned, and I took that raw vocation, and shaped it, sharpened it, got my theory from McKee, and my practice from many EZ projects. Oh, and who introduced me to McKee? I think you get the point by now.

That's what blows my mind a little; the price for all this, all I had to pay for this ticket, was just listen. I just listened to a man who many people dismissed, for their own loss. Sure, I believe some of the things I've done have helped him, but it was never a trade, it was never a quid pro quo agreement; the thing about EZ is, despite having been raised and tempered in one of the harshest, most unforgiving, high-offer-low-demand work markets there is in the world, the guy still teaches for free. 100% for free. All you have to do is listen.

Now look, I'm not saying is easy. See, some of you by now, are probably thinking I'm bragging. And if you think so, then that's exactly how you know you're not listening. That's the filter that many people never got through, and thankfully I did. Lesson number one, that behind everything that sounds like bragging, there's something to be learned. That if you get past that, there's something even deeper just behind, and then something else and then something else; you just have to open your mind and be ready to learn, to put into practice the knowledge given to you, knowledge that was earned from years of experience, from walking the walk. One should never dismiss any content out of hand just because the packaging looks unusual in our world, one must remember Hollywood is an alien planet. Hollywood is like the planet Venus. Beautiful from afar, but it'll melt the flesh off your bones (and then your bones) if you're not prepared.

Anyway, reality check: I'm still living very far away from Hollywood. I still haven't made a dime out of my creative outputs. I'm still capable of making a mistake and nuke it all to hell. So I'm far, far far far from the finish line still; there's much room for me to be humble, most of all there's much room for me to learn. But at the same time, I have to acknowledge now I truly -have- something I did not have before, and is this: if I write a script, someone powerful will read it, and try to sell it. This is a priviledge. For that I'm thankful.

Lets see where it goes from here :)

FableForge's Foundlings #12: Gore Verbinski will direct BIOSHOCK

FableForge — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:52:17 +0000

Well, GTA IV (thats a videogame, in case anyone still thinks videogames are just for kids) sold 500 million dollars in its first week. Thats comparable (actually superior) to nearly any blockbuster hollywood movie you wanna look at. Videogames are the future, and they shall integrate with movies in ways I can only (feverishly) dream about.

But in the meanwhile, we got videogame adaptations. Enter BIOSHOCK. I'm a videogame aficionado, connoisseur, and amateur programmer (made some of the earliest mods back in the day for Duke Nukem 3D) and I've played .. I dont know, hundreds of games. Maybe a thousand. BIOSHOCK, together with PLANESCAPE TORMENT and the original DEUS EX, are the BEST BEST stories ever told in videogame form.... but BIOSHOCK came out in 2007, so the visuals are A-FUCKING-MAZING.

I hesitate to even post a youtube video, because it just Doesn't Do The Thing Justice. The first 15 minutes of this videogame are more thrilling and wonder-inducing than the entire EPISODE I of Star Wars (and I'm a star wars fan!)

Anyway, today they announced tha Gore Verbinski will do the movie adaptation. I'm cautiously optimistic about this. To put it in perspective, if it had been Uwe Boll, I'd be considering the logistics and implications of MURDER instead of writing this blog.

And the actual foundling, is this interview with Gore Verbinski about the movie, from the CutScene, at Variety (http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_s...). Enjoy:

Gore Verbinski talks about directing the Bioshock movie

Lots of people in Hollywood have been itching to make a "Bioshock" movie pretty much since last August, as I wrote on here a few months ago.

Finally, that interest has turned to reality. Universal has struck a
deal with Take-Two to make the "Bioshock" movie. "Pirates of the
Caribbean" helmer Gore Verbinski will direct and produce. "Aviator" and
"Star Trek: Nemesis" screenwriter John Logan will adapt.

If you haven't read it yet, get all the details in my story, which runs in tomorrow's Daily Variety and is already online. There
are a lot of details there about the financial terms, how it's
connected to the "Halo" movie, the key players, how the deal came
together, etc., that I won't repeat here. Seriously, just read it.

For Cut Scene readers, however, I have more. Are you wondering how
Verbsinski is going to treat your beloved "Bioshock?" Why he wanted to
make it into a movie? How much he's collaborating with the game's
creative director Ken Levine? I got on the phone with him today to get
you guys some answers. Enjoy, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Me: How did this come about? What first got you interested in "Bioshock?"

Gore Verbsinski: I was hanging out a lot with Ken
Levine talking about gaming in general and I heard from Ken directly
that they were thinking about making a movie.

Of all the games out there, I think "Bioshock" is the one that's the
most engaging. I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that's
cleverly unveiled to players is brimming with cinematic potential.

Me: It's pretty obvious that the game has some
amazing visuals that might look great in a movie. What about the story?
Do you want to carry that over as well?

GV: Fans of the game will not be disappointed. Of course, it's just like anything else that you
adapt. If you create a film from a game you have to break some of the game's rules and do the best job
you can, because they're completely different. We can’t possibly put 30 hours of
gameplay into a two hour movie. So we have to make some tough choices.

We want to take all the strengths from the property. Of all the games I’ve played,
this is the one that I felt has a really strong narrative.

Me: Given all the effects that might might be involved, do you see this movie being as big and epic as "Pirates of the Caribbean?"

GV: I don’t think it'll be on that scale. Of
course, with "Bioshock" there are no locations I can go to. We have to
build it. We'll cleverly
use matte paintings and all the technology we have to achieve a great
deal of
scale without actually building everything.

It's a much more intimate story than "Pirates." Although its an adventure, it’s a dramatic adventure. I see it more along the
lines of "Blade Runner."

Me: You obviously have a relationship with Ken Levine. How involved do you expect him to be with the film?

GV: Right now I'm talking a lot with John Logan
about it. But Ken and I speak on a regular basis in
terms of what characters we feel are working well and where he feels
things should be different in a movie. This is a great asset to pick
up the phone and call. He has been very open to it. I look forward to
continuing that
relationship.

Me:
The game has some very disturbing moments that present moral choices to
the player in the form of the Little Sisters. How much of that do you
want to present in the film?

GV: I think we'll go right up to the edge with the Little Sisters. I don’t want to soften it to the
point where the core audience feels betrayed. At the same time, the gameplay is completely
different than it will be for an audience watching.

The movie audience’s imagination
is a lot more graphic if you let them imagine it. We'll have to be really clever
with that.

Me: So given that, do you expect the movie would be rated R just as the game was M?

GV: We're prepared to make it an R-rated movie. I
don’t intuitively see it as PG-13. The content and the graphic nature
of the story itself is smarter
than that. It's not for young kids.

The utopian references and the way the characters and world are drawn in that
delightfully inspired Jules Verne and Ayn Rand style places the film in a more elevated
realm. It's the realm of a graphic novel. It has to have that edge.

There's sort of that "Manchurian Candidate" psychological element
in there as well.

Me: So should we expect to see a lot the same settings from the game?

GV: I hope we can take it to the next level. It's one thing that I think probably will change for
the better. But only in the sense that in gameplay, everything's smaller because you have to build it all so players
physically do things like ascend stairs. In a film we have time cuts. So we can make the places
a little more vast and less claustrophobic

Me: Any thoughts on how you'll make the Big Daddys? Will they be CG created or can you make costumes?

GV: We could go either way. Typically when you get
too burdened with
animatronics, it slows down filming, especially knowing what we can do
these days with computers. That being said, there's no substitute
for an actor reacting. It's always a delicate
balance. We'll probably end up with a hybrid.

Me: So is this the next project you'll be working on? When do you anticipate starting?

GV: I'll be starting to work on it immediately as soon as we get a script that's worthy. We'll then move
actively into pre-production. I wouldn’t put a time schedule on it so much as to say I'm jumping in with a
full commitment.

Me: Will you be talking to the folks developing
"Bioshock 2?" Do you see any crossover between the two or are you
focused on the first game?

GV: The only crossover will be ensuring that we don’t do anything destructive to the IP.

Me: Since it's a first person game, we don't get to
know the protagonist that well in the game. What are your thoughts on
the main character of the film?

GV: I think ultimately he has to do with the
concept of free will. We will be designing him on that idea. It will be
a character who adamantly believes he does have free will.

Me: You recently spoke at D.I.C.E. and seem to be
getting very interested in videogames in general. Besides the
"Bioshock" film, are you interested in moving the other direction and
getting more involved in making games?

GV: I’m continually fascinated with videogames as
interactive entertainment: this idea that the audience is the
protagonist. I think there is a whole form
of narrative ready to be born.

It has been fun talking to different designers, going to Blizzard,
meeting Ken. I hope to make it up to Valve. "Portal" is one of my
favorites. For now, it's just
an open dialogue about how far we can push this thing.

FableForge's Foundlings #10: What Just Happened to DeNiro?

FableForge — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:09:24 +0000

From Slate.com's ever relevant blog, HOLLYWOODLAND ( http://www.slate.com/id/2189559/ ) comes this very interesting tale of the twilight of an illustrious career, what it takes to be picked up at Cannes, and the wrath of scorned talent agencies, behold:

Analyze This

How did a Robert De Niro flop get chosen to close Cannes?

By Kim Masters
Updated Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 6:29 PM ET Robert De Niro

Weird: We've
never been to the Cannes Film Festival, which is our loss, no doubt.
But luckily we've already seen this year's closing-night selection, What Just Happened?, which leads us to ask, what did just happen?

We
saw the movie months ago, when it had a much-hyped premiere at
Sundance. Robert Redford was there, and Robert De Niro turned up with
producer Art Linson to introduce the film. In it, De Niro plays a
fictionalized version of Linson—an embattled Hollywood player dealing
with an out-of-control director and star (Bruce Willis puckishly
playing himself) and winding up with a very bad movie.

Expectations
were high that night. The film was directed by Barry Levinson and has a
cast that includes Catherine Keener, Stanley Tucci, John Turturro, and
Sean Penn. But the film fell flat. After its glittering night at
Sundance, it laid there like an overpriced egg—no distributor bought it
from that day to this.

So how does this failed venture turn up at
Cannes? We asked a prominent producer who has nothing to do with the
film to speculate.

The most
amusing bit in the movie, to us, is when De Niro-as-Linson stands in
the shower, his no-longer-firm flesh exposed to the world as he
desperately slathers dye on his hair. That scene would seem to show a
wry awareness that an aging producer (not to mention an aging star)
doesn't appear at his best when struggling to hold back the hands of
time. And that it's quite a challenge, in our culture, to stay graceful
after 50.

But the handling of this film seems like an exercise
in how profoundly all of them—Linson, Levinson, De Niro—don't get that
at all. It was an enormous act of ego to spend the estimated $30
million on this film, another one to take it to Sundance. And now,
Cannes—which is funny because What Just Happened? ends with the Linson character taking his very bad film (where else?) to Cannes. Wag the Dog indeed.

All
this reminded our producer friend of a memo, supposedly created by an
anonymous CAA agent in the wake of De Niro's recent departure from the
agency. This has been pinging around the Hollywood blogosphere for a couple of weeks now, but we pass it along in part:

Why did Bobby leave us?

They promised they could turn back time.

They promised they could get him 20m a picture.

They
promised they could get a release for his "Something happened," a Barry
Levinson show biz pic that's has no market, and Mark Cuban lost a
fortune on.

They promised they could get him the $1m production
fee on every picture he does, that he and his partner put their names
on, and do nothing to earn.

They promised they could convince Hollywood that they should still pay that 1m vig on top of his acting fees.

They
promised him they'd find a respectable release for the Pacino picture
he did last summer, that basically stars two 65 year old guys as
detectives—while the audience is under 35, and has no interest in
seeing.

As I said, they promised him they could turn back time,
and make him 50 again, and relevant, and hot, and interesting to
today's moviegoing audience.

And they probably promised that
they'd find a way to erase the memory of all of America about the
number of god-awful paycheck films he did during the past ten years.

De
Niro had a choice ten or so years ago. He could either go the Nicholson
route—very selective, very particular, protect the brand—or go out
sending himself up in tripe like Analyze This, which made money but
turned him into that "old psycho guy."

And he could have concentrated on quality stuff, but instead wanted to keep funding his little empire in New York. …

Bobby
blames everybody but himself for the way he's squandered his career,
and refused lots of quality pictures because they wouldn't give him
producer credit.

Good luck in the Hotel Business, pal.

Thoughts about Webisodes, and QUARTERLIFE

FableForge — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:09:29 +0000

QUARTERLIFE is a webisodic series about some guys dealing with relationships and stuff. Slate reviewed it once as being "about a bunch of people either crying, starting to cry, or having just cried". I myself talked about it, when I lamented we "missed the boat".

Sorry to crow, but apparently I wasnt entirely crazy, it turns NBC is picking it up to become an honest-to-goodness TV series now, with one difference: the Quarterlife guys just deliver the finished episodes to NBC, NBC doesnt even read the scripts. No other TV Show ever, had enjoyed that kind of creative control.

So, it was interesting to read some thoughts by the creator of Quarterlife that got published today in Slate too: http://www.slate.com/id/2184746/page...

I'm just gonna quote some things I found interesting, but go ahead and read the full article if it strikes thy fancy:

On the state of things in Hollywood (not like I know :) ):

Marshall Herskovitz wrote:

So I went on the Internet. Took a break from television, from movies,
from a career as a highly paid writer/producer/director; took a break
from a business that isn't a business at all but rather a modern
iteration of feudalism. For here in Los Angeles, everyone exists in a
matrix, with those above and below one's own station. You can see it in
the restaurants at lunchtime, in the way the vassals and the knights
bow obsequiously to the earls and the dukes of the business. And, just
as in the days of feudalism, you owe service to the lord above you.
Service and the copyright to everything you create. In return he offers
you protection—offers but never actually gives it—and enough money to
support whatever manors and estates you can afford (an "estate" in Los
Angeles is officially half an acre).

On the coldness of the internet (and here I disagree a lot):

Marshall Herskovitz wrote:

Even the most brilliant accomplishments on the Internet are essentially
cold. Google has changed the world, but you don't snuggle up to it.
YouTube is a giant carnival, filled with freaks and mountebanks, a
place to gawk and laugh and get bored. Certainly not a place to feel
anything. And there's the rub. Because boys and geeks and
engineers—and, by the way, I've spent my life among all three and love
all three—don't naturally select for emotionality (they'd rather play
video games) or exploration of inner life (they'd rather watch porn) or
being in deep relationship with other people (they'd rather build Web
sites till all hours), the Internet is singularly devoid of these
colorations of humanity.

On the state of webisodes in general:

Marshall Herskovitz wrote:

Web series up to now have been somewhat fly-by-night affairs—cheaply
done mysteries, comedies, bikini fests. Some interesting work is out
there, for sure, like The Burg,
but not a lot, and most of it is simply incompetence and ignorance
masquerading as an "Internet style." And until now, no one had tried
anything that would actually engage the emotions of an audience.

On their "niche" market:

Marshall Herskovitz wrote:

And that's what happened. More than 100,000 that first day. We were off
and running. Not the most successful Web premiere in history, but
respectable. And our social network—with half its functionality, a very
leaky boat indeed—went live the same day, and thousands checked us out;
many of them stayed. A week later we had a small community, first in
the hundreds, then in the thousands. What amazed me was that our users
were exactly the people I'd hoped they'd be: aspirational, creative,
thoughtful. We began to see the most remarkable conversations on our
forums: "Why be a writer?" "Dealing with generalized anxiety disorder."
"Being a Christian and an artist in today's society."

On the future of webisodes:

Marshall Herskovitz wrote:

The goal all along with quarterlife has been to prove you can
independently produce high-quality content on the Internet. This is
important, because Hollywood's feudal structure is already penetrating
the digital realm: New duchies and principalities hold sway—Google,
Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft—even as the old kingdoms—TimeWarner, News
Corp., etc.—try to carve up the territory. You may think I've switched
metaphors, from sea to land, but it's the companies that are trying to
do that. No one can own the sea, but the land is easy to delineate. Our
job, all of us, if we care about freedom of information and ideas and
good story-telling, is to keep it all a big ocean where everyone is
free to roam.

My final thoughts..... I see him as competition, never underestimate, learning what I can :)

Ghost Rider, - Hated it.

veenotph — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:02:11 +0000

Sure why not, I'll just publicly post my thoughts about a major motion picture, ranting and raving. This will endear me to Hollywood, and they will come running to hire me. Or I'll piss someone(s) off, and that is it for ever working in Hollywood. Of course, this might never get noticed, but then again, someone will google it, and it will come back to bite me in the ass later.

Ghost Rider. Looked forward to it, wanted to see it. I'm not the hugest fan of Nick Cage, yet I think he is a good actor, and can do some really nice work (I did enjoy National Treasure, he was excellent there.) So I'm pretty sure Nick will deliver.

Sadly I missed it in the theaters, but it arrived via netflix yesterday, and I get to watch it.

What the HELL. There is a great mythology already established with Ghost Rider. Very simple, but no. Let's change it. Why, no reason to. The change wasn't for the better, in fact, it lessened the impact of the characters. Made them less complex than in the comic book, wait is that possible?

Then the script, ughh, a nightmarish hodge podge of other movies. First of all, we spend so much time on the "set up", and while normally I think having the set up is a good thing, here it is just a waste of time, boring, and a snoozer. We don't really learn anything about the characters, and throughout the rest of the film the set up is repeated and explained over and over again anyway. The movie should start with him doing the big jump where he crashes, but doesn't die. There is so much introspection in this film anyway.

Then there is the Mentor - Oh wait, there is the devil (the trickster), and a mentor - So someone has been reading Joseph Campbell (or perhaps the cliff notes of Joseph Campbell's work.)

Lets see then the son of the devil, who is NOT a fallen angel (so he can walk on sacred ground) shows up walking in the desert (and does a "scary" face jump at the camera - why?) Goes to a bar, and kills a bunch of bikers to conjure up three fallen angels who take on the powers of one of the elements each. So it is to be a battle between the devil and the devil's son. Yawn, seen it, seen it done better. The devils confronts his son, but can't fight him, why? Don't know. Because the son (named Blackheart - of course, probably the reason the son hates the father "cause you named me Blackheart - I wanted to be named Jimmy, or James, or William, but no you named me Blackheart - Now I must defeat you." okay, not actually dialog from the movie, but it seems like it belongs, and anyway, hasn't anyone ever heard of changing their name?) And why can't they fight, because "Blackheart" says so. "You can't fight me here" or some other stupidity, I mean they are standing outside a biker bar, is there anyplace on earth more likely to have a fight?

Then the demonic creature who has all the power of the devil, but "none of his weaknesses" spends the rest of the movie walking all over Texas, searching for moved cemetaries, and a hidden demonic contract (which at one point almost smacks him in the head.) Yet can't find it. What is the point of all that evil power, and how are you going to take over the world if you can't find one little contract, and you have to walk around wearing what looks like a cross between a trench coat and a dress (Must have gotten it from the half price bin from Scorsese's "Frankenstein".)

So of course at this point, the devil, 15 years after collecting Johhny Blaze's soul (remember Johnny Blaze - this is his movie), and "watching over him" for 15 years so that he doesn't die, which explains his surviving horrendous motorcycle crashes. Finally the devil calls on Johnny and makes him his "bounty Hunter" - One rider per generation, so I wonder who has been catching the devils bounty lo these 15 years? Oh and what about the previous 150 years as we find out later from the mentor - who it turns out was the last ghost rider, and the first to defy the devil. Amazing isn't it, the devil gives away enough power so that whom he creates can defy the devil, and defeat the devils son. This devil guy, he doesn't sound so bright.

Anyway - The devils offers to free Johnny, if he will just kill Blackheart. Free Johnny from what? Being indestructible, he hasn't exactly been doing the devils bidding for the past 15 years.

Oh, I could go on, and on, and on. The script is a one from column A, one from column B script, stupid use of effects, constantly having the evil creatures have their evilness peek through their human countenance because it would be neat to see (which it isn't as it is overused and unmotivated.) And of course this is a hero's Journey movie so Johnny must struggle to learn how to control his power (all of 60 seconds devoted to that), and the mentor must pass on his knowlege and mission - it was stupid. As they get to the site where the battle will take place the mentor (think of the film SPAWN) and our Hero must change from powerful demonlike creatures to their human selves, why? Is it a battle to keep control of themselves and not become evil? No. It is so the mentor can change to human, and then have an excuse for not joining in the battle by saying, "I could only change that one last time." If that was the case, why didn't you stay in the incredibly superpowered mode, until after the battle. Why change just before? I mean the fate of the earth is to be decided here, and you choose to take a pass?

Oh and of course then there is the battle, "Blackheart" who is stronger than Johnny Blaze (Ghost rider), and imune to his most powerful weapon. He can be slowed down by shotgun blasts, even have his head blown off, and it only takes 10 seconds for his head to grow back. Of course Bullets have ZERO effect on the "the Ghost Rider", none, like don't even make him flinch, but that is okay Blackheart is by far more powerful, so it makes sense that he is affected by shoutgun blasts. And then Blackheart gets his hands on the contract, and becomes suprememly powerful (becareful what you wish for), and now, at this point, he becomes succeptible to Ghost Riders most dangerous weapon. Ghost Rider Wins, hooray, oh wait no it is Johnny blaze, who is only partially Ghost rider, I see, wait no I don't. Where is the inner struggle? Oh that is right, there isn't one.

Ack there is more of course, but really, Great effects, and that is it. Direction for gags, bad script, bad storytelling. Sucky and disappointing movie.

Dawn Drives Hollywood

videowilliams — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:45:01 +0000

The day before I flew home to Australia, Dawn took me on a driving tour of her stomping grounds on Hollywood Boulevard. I photographed the passing parade while we reflected on its history, traded wisecracks and reminisced about the good times we'd enjoyed.

The glamour of those famous intersections may have faded somewhat since their golden days, becoming overgrown with shops and tourist traps, but you can still feel "the fever" if you try...

This is the penultimate section of my US travelogue, and runs directly into the LOOP After Party.

Filmmaker's Notes: Another edited home movie, in the "holiday videos shot out the side of a moving car" style.

LOOP After Party

videowilliams — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 02:56:00 +0000

Here's my coverage of the party that followed Pericles' LOOP premiere at the FAIF Festival two weeks ago in Anaheim, California. Which became a happy reunion for several Karmacritters who'd only met on-line.

It's a chance for you to see the famous Dawn Sandwich (as featured in cici's "I posted some pics of our KC gang" blog), my infamous wandering windsock, and cici in action as a photographer. It also comprises the final chapter of my yet-to-be-edited US Travelogue. I've returned with 14 hours of material from a 6 week coast-to-coast trip, so there's certainly some cutting in my future! One part down, about a dozen more to go...

Filmmaker's notes: This is really just an edited home movie, shot in unusually low light, but I have done the best I can. I put it together in a sweet and sentimental, old-fashioned style 'cos hey, that's how I feel about it. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Slate's Script for the Writer's Strike

FableForge — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:57:09 +0000

Everybody knows the talks between writers and producers didnt go well, and tonight Jay Leno and Letterman are going to go dark, a sign of things to come. Slate.com, which I love, created this amazing outline of the TV series about the writer's strike. Original at:

http://www.slate.com/id/2177386/

Enjoy!:

---------------------------------------

Picket Lines
TV writers script their upcoming strike.
By Justin Peters
Updated Friday, Nov. 2, 2007, at 4:35 PM ET

It's the night before the Writers Guild of America is to begin its long-awaited strike, and a collection of Hollywood's most experienced TV writers have commandeered a back table at Father's Office to hammer out scenarios for what will surely be the most important gig of their careers: plotting a compelling, believable strike that will play well in middle America.

Season 1
Episode 1: Establish the premise. Comedy writer Marty Brownstein has a Harvard degree, a simmering love affair with a cute young grip, and a slovenly roommate who calls himself "The Cheese." But his world is torn asunder when he's forced to take to the picket lines and fight for the thing he holds most dear: DVD residuals. Also establish the villainous conspiracy ("The Industry"), the writing partner ("Max"), and the wacky neighbor (Bollywood).

Episode 3: Marty and his writer buddies have to make 100 protest signs in an hour or else their picket line will be a disaster. Too bad The Cheese huffed all the ink from the permanent markers!

Episode 8: We introduce a new character: a writer from the wrong side of the tracks who has some unorthodox ideas about how to get things done in Hollywood.

Episode 9: The writer turns out to be an alien.

Episode 14: Sweeps-time for a guest star! Jimmy Hoffa Jr. comes to town to show Marty and his buddies how a professional leads a strike. Ends with Hoffa winning a jitterbug marathon at Al's Diner.

Season 2
Episode 8: The picket line is spiced up by an extended lesbian kiss. Meanwhile, Marty gets nervous when he overhears his writing partner talking about "becoming a scab," but it turns out he was only talking about his Halloween costume.

Episode 10: The picket line's flagging morale is boosted by a visit from Santa Claus, who distributes presents: a biography of George Meany for Marty, a remote-controlled car for The Cheese, and pseudonymous jobs writing Spanish soap operas for everyone. Feliz Navidad!

Episode 20: The Cheese puts itching powder in Marty's bed the day before he's scheduled to meet with an Industry official (Powers Boothe) to discuss contract terms. Talks fall apart when Marty uses the official's Mont Blanc as an impromptu back-scratcher.

Episode 21: Powers Boothe turns out to be an alien.

Season 3
Episode 3: Jimmy Hoffa Jr. returns-can he help negotiate a contract and defend his jitterbug title at the same time? He can ... with the help of The Cheese's humanoid robot.

Episode 9: Marty's agent isn't calling, his checks aren't coming in, his mortgage payments are ballooning, and his girlfriend left him to take a job with Joe Francis. But in this very special episode exploring the evils of drink, Marty learns that's no reason for him to spend every night drowning his sorrows in off-brand amaretto.

Episode 14: The Industry sends some strikebreakers to infiltrate the union meetings. Although they're discovered by Marty and his friends, the strikebreakers get their revenge by pitching a reality show based on their exploits (Headbustin') to FOX, which buys 13 episodes for the Thursday night prime-time slot.

Episode 24: In a secret midnight meeting atop the Hollywood sign, Marty and an Industry official are about to come to contract terms but are stopped when a mysterious stranger, shouting, "This is evil," runs and jumps off the sign. Season-ending freeze frame on the body in midair.

Season 4
Episode 1: When the body lands, it turns out to be guest star Evel Knievel, come to lend his support to the writers' efforts. Unfortunately, he lands on Marty's car and ends up in the hospital. Although contract negotiations fall apart in the ensuing confusion, Evel pays Marty 50 bucks to come up with names for his motorcycles.

Episode 9: Musical episode! Marty and friends sing and dance their way through sassed-up versions of labor classics like "Joe Hill," "9 to 5," and "Take This Job and Shove It." They try to take their act on the road to American Idol, but are dubbed "talentless and unnecessary" by a bleary-eyed Paula Abdul.

Episode 14: The Cheese gets married in Vegas ... to a woman he suspects of being an alien. She turns out to be Sandra Bernhard, and she ends up running off with The Cheese's robot.

Episode 24: Series finale! Marty wakes up and discovers it was all just a dream: His girlfriend (Suzanne Pleshette) still loves him, his agent didn't drop him, and he's still got his job on the staff of Cavemen. Then Cavemen gets canceled, and Marty spends the next three years fruitlessly pursuing freelance jobs before deciding to go to NYU for grad school. His first day on campus, the grad student union decides to strike. End with a freeze frame of Marty shrugging comically.

Movie Version
Marty, The Cheese, and a talking whale search for the lost city of Atlantis. In the end, they find that Atlantis was in their hearts all along. With Ian McKellen as Poseidon, lord of the sea.