Today's News: a dame to kill for teases us

Another poster I posted on MS the other day:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/152398/eerste_poster_sin_city_a_dame_to_kill_for

This is about as teasery as a teaser poster can get. You got all the basics you need to titillate the audience about your movie, but next to nothing on what the film itself is about except for those few clues the title provides. There's a captivating visual image to raise the spectator's curiosity, in this case a stylized pair of red lips with cigarette smoke emanating from them against a bleak, dark rainy background. Then there's a title, a long list of cast names (both big shot names and some of less established actors, as well as returning actors and new additions in this sequel's case), a director's credit, or two in this movie's case, and a release date so audiences know when to expect this film to arrive in theaters (subject to change of course: as this movie saw its fair share of pre-production delays, this current release date may also not be wholly safe just yet). What will this movie be about, a viewer not familiar with the previous installment may wonder? Though an ominous lady will be present in a shady town where hardboiled men will fall under her dangrous spell, there's nothing more to go on except for the mental imagery of sin, lust, passion, death and betrayal this particular picture evokes. And since those were more or less the exact ingredients of the first film, this teaser poster seems to have gotten it all right.

This year's Game of Thrones Sinterklaas poem

Wrote another Game of Thrones poem for Sinterklaas this year (as is the tradition), since I gave my sister a copy of Season 2 of that most splendid of quality television dramas. The result, though not as good as last year's attempt - but still a fun rollercoaster of a rhymey read, if I do say so meself - is now available for all to enjoy below:

Ook dit jaar zal Sint jou weder belonen

Met een seizoen van 't Spel der Tronen

Je hebt 't vast al mogen aanschouwen

Maar de Sint wil 't je niet onthouden

Zodat je kunt zien hoe het verder vergaat

Menig koning, huurling en castraat

In hun voortdurende strijd om de macht

Waar een wereldwijd publiek naar smacht

Meneer Stark is zijn hoofd reeds kwijt

Maar diens zoon geeft niet op z'n strijd

Om zijn geliefde vader te vergelden

Op alle moog'lijke slagvelden

Doordrenkt van 't rode Lannister-bloed

De kroon doet hem misschien geen goed

Maar hij is 'n beter mens dan Joffrey

Die sadistische slappe softie

Die heden den IJz'ren Troon bezit

Ook al is hij slechts een stom kind

In bedwang gehouden door zijn oom de Imp

Die gelukkig geeft geen krimp

Als 't joch hoofden wil zien rollen

Want ons aller Tyrion laat zich niet dollen

Behalve door zijn geliefde Shae

Ieders favoriete prostituee

Doch zijn zus koestert snode plannen

Om zijn macht alras uit te bannen

En achter de schermen te regeren

Kan koning Renly dit tij nog keren?

Of verliest hij zelf snel het leven

Als hij in volle vaart afstevent

Op een conflict met zijn broer Stannis

Want ook die schopt een hoop stennis

Dankzij z'n rode feeks Melisandre

Die 's Rijks religie wil veranderen

Naar monotheïsme in plaats van poly

Waarop menigeen zegt 'mooi nie!'

En daarvoor op de brandstapel wordt gegooid

Terwijl Jon, als altijd zeer berooid

Struint door het koude hoge noorden

Ter bescherming van de zuidelijker oorden

Die helegaar geen heil zien

In de sterk vermeende dreiging

Die de White Walkers voor Westeros vormen

Als zij spoedig de Muur bestormen

Tenzij de Night's Watch dit kan voorkomen

Maar oh nee! Jon wordt hen ontnomen

Omdat hij zich een vriendin verschaft

Die hem al snel andere prioriteiten gaf

Zoals te oefenen met zijn man'lijk lid

Waarvoor menig vrouw aan de buis gekluisterd zit

Hopelijk heeft het land meer aan Daenerys

Alleen jammer dat die zo ver is

In 't afgelegen Qarth streek zij neer

Met haar drie draken en haar beer

Die laatste wil eigenlijk wel wat meer

Dan te spelen haar persoonlijke veldheer

Maar als zij belaagd wordt door een usurpator

Dan is Jorah Mormont er direct klaar voor

Zijn beminde Targ-meid te beschermen

In plaats van haar gekweld te zien kermen

Met een mes in haar rug gestoken

Wat zij van Xaro niet aan zag komen

Helaas is hij de enige nie

Die het op haar draken heeft voorzien

Want er is ook nog een snode warlock

Die zich het lot van de beestjes aantrok

En om zijn magie te vergroten

Dany voor het hoofd zal stoten

Door haar d'r kinderen te ontrukken

Zal dit boze plan gaan lukken?

Zal alles goedkomen met al deez' figuren?

Of zullen zij weldra hun lot bezuren

Als dood en verderf hen beschoren is

En het koninkrijk verloren is

Gelukkig komt er aan de strijd geen eind

Want er komen steeds nieuwe personages bij

Om garant te staan voor alle geweld en seks

Dat het publiek zo sterk aantrekt

En garant zal staan dat deze show

Niet snel gecancelled wordt, mooi zo!

See you next year for Season 3, no doubt!

 

Today's Triple News: monsters, apes and cunnilingus

No less than triple news today, another first!:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/152339/eerste_posters_dawn_of_the_planet_of_the_apes

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/152305/nieuwe_poster_nymphomaniac

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/152306/nieuwe_trailer_en_poster_godzilla_online

A lot of posters these last 24 hours. The Holidays are nigh so studios want to promote their upcoming projects more vigorously than usual to make sure all those cinemagoers (and I know from experience there will be lots of them!) will get a glimpse of their product. Except for Lars von Trier, who just wants to shock and amaze everybody, Holidays or no. He certainly succeeds with his latest Nymphomaniac poster, which is even more unsubtely explicit than the previous batch. If we didn't know what to expect from that particular film, we know now. I must say, I find this movie ever more amusing, thanks to its promotional campaign. These daring and original poster concepts are effectively catching my attention, as I know they attract others too. I wonder whether any of these will actually be seen in theaters anywhere, they seem to be so risqué they're only suited for online marketing. Say what you will about a stubborn troublemaker like Von Trier, he certainly knows how to cause a scandal that can only benefit the movie getting noticed. Whether people will go and see it is another matter and whether those that do will actually like it is an even more poignant question. But even if Nymphomaniac fails to be a compelling piece of exploration of human sexuality/erotics, its promotion is a definite success!

The other marketing material I posted is more standard fare. The Apes posters tease, they do little more. You get little new plot information from them other than the return of Caesar and Koba, the addition of two novel ape characters (including a new gorilla), and the fact the shit is about to hit the fan because of their grim look and war paint. Doesn't matter, I was already looking forward to this movie. I liked the previous reboot Rise of the PotA, as well as all the originals (some more than others). However, I'm not going more ape over this film now than I already did.

That said, I am getting more excited over the Godzilla remake. It seems it takes the simple basics of the Japanese originals, introducing a giant mutated dinosaur (?) and pitting him against the military, without bothering with an accompanying plot too much. That's good, because there is little more to Godzilla than that. Sure, there is the warning against nuclear weapons, but that's hardly a new message. And unlike the dreadful 1998 American remake, this Godzilla actually looks like his Japanese counterpart. Though story isn't the most pertinent issue, at least there's some terrific actors present (Gary Oldman. yay!) and a director who knows and respects the subject material (as he demonstrated with his Kaiju hommage guerilla film Monsters). And action doesn't appear to be something this movie lacks. It seems there's little here that can go wrong making this as good a Godzilla film as any of them. Which doesn't mean it will be a masterpiece (nonono!), but it will be good monster-stomping-cities fun, which is all you could hope for in a big G film. Except for the appearance of other creatures to fight Godzilla. I don't see any here, but earlier promotional material ensured us that's thrown in as well.

Today's Column: the end of Provadja as we know it

Another column of mind own had got published on MS, this time dealing with a tragic topic (for me at least):

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/151898/column_het_einde_van_provadja_in_alkmaar

I'm certainly gonna miss Provadja. The relaxed, cinephile atmosphere, the lack of pressure from managers I experience at my real job, the proximity to home, the historic building and most of all the good movies and kind audience. Even when Filmhuis Alkmaar works out in everybody's favor and will open this February, and even if I do resume my previous duties in this new direction, it just won't be the same. I imagine it's much harder for those that lived with and loved Provadja for decades than for me, since I only worked there (as a volunteer too) for nigh 18 months. I'm glad I did though, those were good times. Here's to hoping Filmhuis Alkmaar will prove to be similarly enjoyable, blessed with the same longevity of 43 years (or more). Farewell Provadja!

Today's News: Indy crosses over to the Dark Side

Another newsflash I posted on MS the other day:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/152235/disney_verwerft_rechten_indiana_jones

No real surprise here, since we knew Disney had acquired the rights to all Lucasfilm properties when they took over the company. The exact nature of their influence was unknown until now though. It's interesting Disney made a deal that also works in Paramount's favor, instead of taking it all for itself. This probably has something to do with the fact that Disney won't actually be producing any new Indiana Jones films, but will merely stick to distributing and marketing. So that means Paramount will have to do the hard work which makes Disney all the big bucks, in which case the latter studio will have to cut the former some slack financially if they're to stay on equal terms.

But will this mean the production of Indiana Jones 5, which has been rumoured to be in development for five years now, will soon kick into full gear? Definitely. As we've noticed in the case of Star Wars, Lucasfilm's other major franchise, Disney proved all too eager to start exploiting it pronto. It seems we'll be getting no less than six(!) new Star Wars movies over the next decade, so I'm betting at least one Indy movie is a given and the studio will be announcing a release date soon, as they did with Star Wars Episode VII (as long as J.J. Abrams stays away from this project I'm cool with that!). But will Harrison Ford star as the titular archeologist again? In all honesty, I hope not. Though I agree he's the ultimate and original Indy, I've always envisioned the Indiana Jones persona to be similarly adaptable as, say, the James Bond character. People no doubt viewed the change in actor when Sean Connery quit the 007 role as sacrilege too at first, but some of the following Bond actors proved equally up to the task. Why would the same not be possible in the case of Indy? Do we really need to drag poor old Harrison into this every time? Credibility was already stretched in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in that regard. At the same time, I don't recall so many fans complaining about The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. To my mind, as long as the story, action and fun is well written and perfectly executed, Indiana Jones will survive the departure of Ford just fine. My only fear is that Shia LaBeouf will don the fedora and whip next, and that certainly is not a delightful prospect...

Today's News: He'll be back, both on the movies and on TV

Posted this late last night on MS:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/152233/terminator_komt_terug_op_tv

He'll be back. He keeps saying it far and beyond the point that it has become a oneliner cliché, but he keeps making good on his promise. Even more than we might like. I wish The Sarah Connor Chronicles would come back too, since it ended on quite a cliffhanger (which should be considered a crime against humanity!) and any series that stars both Summer Glau and Lena Headey (and killer cyborgs) is well worth watching. Unfortunately that's not gonna happen and we'll be treated to another Terminator TV-series as well as a new movie, which share the same narrative universe (unlike The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Terminator Salvation which both followed their own timelines). Ever since Marvel created such a successful multimedia empire where everything is connected to everything, even though you might forget it until the studio reminds you of that fact, all the other studios join in on the bandwagon to try their luck with a similar set-up. It comes as no surprise that the Terminator franchise follows this dominant pattern. Whether it will pay off remains to be seen. In fact, the same can be said for Marvel, since they have only debuted a single TV-show so far despite plans for many more, and it hasn't even run a full season yet so there hasn't been that much intertextuality other than the occasional cameo appearance and throwaway line referring to other characters and places from every conceivable corner of the Marvel Universe. The concept of forging interrelated TV and movies is largely new in the way it is done presently (i.e., letting a film franchise and a TV-series exist alongside one another simultaneously instead of one following the other) so even though Marvel seems to reap the benefits, it's really still too early to tell whether it actually works. But neither the Hollywood film industry nor the television networks are known for their patience.

And what could this seminal moment in the original 1984 Terminator movie from which this TV-series is intended to spring be? No specific hints have been dropped so it's all open to speculation. Personally I haven't got a clue. The sex scene maybe? Unlikely, as the new series isn't likely to be picked up by HBO. Maybe it's the scene where Kyle Reese gets killed, in which case he isn't this time around. You never know. Or maybe the Terminator succeeds in his mission and does manage to kill Sarah Connor, resulting in another alternate timeline. Doesn't sound so farfetched. Another thing: will Arnold Schwarzenegger be involved? He's said to join the cast of the new movie, but you'd think the TV medium is sort of "beneath" him (despite the changed social perceptions regarding quality television series). Either way, I hope he's not joining the fun. For some reason people can't separate the Austrian Oak from this franchise, even though The Sarah Connor Chronicles - and to a lesser extent, Terminator Salvation - revealed you can have compelling story telling in the Terminator universe (no matter which timeline) without the signature character that started it all. It's about time we were reminded of that fact again, since the Terminator franchise has so much more to offer than that guy going around chasing and killing people again. I'm okay with the Terminator being back, but let's stop dragging poor Arnold into this all the time.

The Lost World Series 1: Mobile Command Center

Year of release: 1997

Accessories:

-Missile launcher (including missiles)

-Dino damage cab area

-Telescoping crane

-Detachable computer with electronic sounds and lights

-Fold out observation lab

-Eight fence pieces

-Kelly Malcolm figure

(Note: the reviewer is not an expert on vehicles like these, so any incorrect terms, or lack of detail, should be disregarded.)

Description: this play set basically consists of two trailers, which can be attached to one another via the dark leathery thingy (what do you call it?). The overall colour pattern of the trailers is green with asymmetrical beige spots, suggesting camouflage. The wheels are black with grey hub caps. Together, the MCC (standard abbreviation for Mobile Command Center) measures a good 80 centimetres in length. Each trailer comes with its own action features.

The front trailer is the largest of the two and has two pairs of wheels. The front cab area, with the transparent orange window and grey windshields, can be removed as if being torn off by a dinosaur (though the damage doesn’t really appear to be caused by some ferocious creature). On top of this cab area there’s some grey detailing, including radar dish and antenna, adding a bit of a technological look to the trailer. The front trailer comes with a door on each side: a small door on the right (for people to enter and exit), and a larger rectangular door on the left side (for loading cargo and stuff like that). The front trailer is more or less empty on the inside, except for the grey drivers’ seats in the cab area. It’s very handy to store equipment in, including the fence pieces. On the right top side of the front trailer there’s a large white telescoping crane on a scarlet red base. This crane can rotate in a full circle, and can be extended to cover more ground. On the right end of the crane there’s a pair of grey claws, used to clamp equipment or dinosaurs on, in order to move them around. On the left end of this crane there’s a grey basket, basically a lookout station, with a capacity of carrying one human figure. Next to it there’s a large green missile launcher, capable of full rotation like the crane itself. It fires white missiles and should come with three of these.

On the left top side of the front trailer, right next to the cargo door, there’s a hole which can store the computer. It’s basically a white box with a lights section on top that can move in a 90 degree angle. It comes with a pair of lights and produces three different sounds: an alarm caused by pulling on the fences when they’re attached to the trailer, a damage noise produced when removing the cab area, and a third sound made when pressing the button on the left side of the computer. The lights are activated when producing any of these sounds.

The second trailer is a bit shorter and only comes with one pair of wheels. Additionally, it sports a pair of green antennae on the left back end, both identical though one of them positioned somewhat lower so it seems it’s shorter than the other. At the very back end of this trailer there’s another cargo door, similar to the one on the left side of the front trailer. The main feature of this trailer is the observation lab: the right side of the trailer including a part of the roof section can fold out to form the observation lab, complete with a pair of little legs to support it on the ground. When folded out the interior of the trailer is revealed, which is adorned with a large white table with computers and details like cups on top. Additionally, a white operating bench is located right above the right wheel, with room enough for a human figure or a smaller dinosaur.

This play set comes with a total of eight fence pieces, all of them painted in a shiny metallic reddish brown paint job. They can be attached to one another, and the smaller piece of fence can also be attached to the left side of the front trailer, in which case it makes contact with the computer so an alarm is activated when any reptilian vermin tries to break through the fences. The fences can form a protective barrier around one side of the MCC, most logically the right side to protect the observation lab. However, there’s no point on the back end of the second trailer to attach the fences too.

The MCC comes with an exclusive Kelly Malcolm figure, somewhat smaller than the other TLW figures; she’s supposed to be a kid after all. She stands in a mostly neutral pose, and wears a red shirt, dark blue pants and dark grey shoes. She has black hair, and looks very much like the Kelly Malcolm seen in the movie.

Analysis: this is one big play set you don’t want to be missing in your JP collection. It’s very cool and quite detailed, sporting a paint job with an abundance of green and camouflage spots not unlike what was seen on the trailers from the TLW movie. It’s a shame the interior of both trailers is a bit bland and could have used more detailing, but the MCC comes with a variety of features making the overall set worth your while. Though most of them aren’t particularly new, they make for some fine overall playability. I’ll describe them separately for a general overview of this wonderful play set.

-Missile launcher (including missiles): the typical missile launcher seems an obligatory action feature of any vehicle or play set, and the MCC is basically both so naturally it can’t miss one of these. The launcher works properly and fires missiles over a decent distance with enough force to knock most smaller dinosaurs over. It’s also neat to see this particular gun being fully rotatable.

-Dino damage cab area: also an often used action feature. The dino damage of this set isn’t very convincing though: it looks far too artificial, like it’s caused by mechanic disassembly instead of an attack by a nasty predator. However, the fact it’s hooked up to the computer so it produces noise when being removed makes it more original and a decent action option after all.

-Telescoping crane: though the crane works fine, the paint job is pretty ugly, and not very logical considering the overall camouflage look of this play set. The red and white of the crane might as well be a big sign saying ‘Get your human snacks here!’. Another irritating thing about the crane are the claws which are meant to carry stuff: they’re not designed very well, and can’t support things at all, dinosaurs or otherwise. Nothing can really be clasped between the claws without coming loose and falling down. Though the rotating and telescoping aspects of the crane are good, and the extra station for a human figure comes in handy, these few nuisances make it a disappointment.

-Detachable computer with electronic sounds and lights: very fun feature, though it’s a shame only three different sounds can be produced, and one of them is quite annoying. However, they enhance the realism of the action features they’re attached too, and add another level of playability options. The lights are quite strong, especially in the dark.

-Fold out observation lab: a great option, giving us a good look of the inside of the second trailer. The inside could have used more detail though, and like the paint job of the crane, the white colouring displayed here isn’t very appealing. Still, a very neat and useful feature.

-Eight fence pieces: easy to assemble and attach to the trailer. It’s a bit odd they can only be attached to one end of the set though, because now dinosaurs won’t have such a hard time sneaking inside the perimeter on the other end. However, the alarm that goes off when the fence is compromised provides for a good warning, as well as a fun action option.

-Kelly Malcolm figure: a very realistic figure, and a wonderful addition to this set, though Kelly wasn’t the most popular character in the TLW movie. Instead of having her do gymnastics to kill dinosaurs with, she makes a perfect victim for the Bull T-Rex…

Playability: this play set scores quite high on any playability scale. It has loads of good action features, providing for hours of fun. It also has funky sounds and fine lights (when in proper working order of course), and Kelly too enhances options, as do the fences. Another thing that adds to the playability is the fact the electronics are easily removable, so when you feel like playing rough with it you can do so without risking damage to the sounds and lights.

Realism: this trailer play set looks very similar to the trailers seen in the TLW movie. The colouring is not that different, as is the overall shape and size. Some of the details are off though – the trailers seen in the movie did not feature a crane, missile launcher or even fences – but this was obviously done for playability options: it’s a toy after all. And it’s certainly a successful toy version of the trailers from the film. Besides that, the Kelly Malcolm figure is about as movie accurate as any of the human figures from the various toy lines ever got. She sports a similar outfit and paint job, and the head sculpt looks pretty much like Vanessa Lee Chester (back in 1997 that is).

Repaint: no. However, almost all of this play set would be repainted for the JP Chaos Effect toy line, again labelled as Mobile Command Center and sporting some pretty hideous colouring. The only part of this TLW set that wouldn’t get repainted is the Kelly figure.

Overall rating: 10/10. This play set is relatively movie accurate, comes with loads of great action features and is otherwise plain cool. It’s highly recommended, but sadly, not very easy to get. It can prove hard to find, in part due to the fact it didn’t get a worldwide release. It’s difficult to find in MIB condition, and when you find one loose it’s usually incomplete. Competition for MCCs is often pretty intense on Ebay, and prices are almost always quite high. However, it’s a great set and worth the money for any serious collector.