Letting The Cat Out of The Bag (after I swing it up against a tree a few times)

"Bamn's" my first shot into actually creating something that could find an audience (no disrespect to Myspace, friends, family, the student body of Northwestern High School and Montgomery College).

It's a propsed 6 (or 8) part, black and white, comic book, mini-series. Drawn by Jay Payne with assist by David Dean and written by Me. I'm currently wrapping up the first issue and, let me tell you, seeing Jay draw what I write is the best form of masturbation. If you don't beleive me then stay tuned for the future images I'll post.

Long story short, I'm touching up issue #1, Jay's drawing the issue right behind me, copyright will be on it's way, the official page will be up hopefully at summer's end, Issue #2 should be in the works by September, and we are shooting to debut the comic at SPX.

Until a large portion of the book is settled, I'll be eluding to the work but not giving away too much (legal reasons). I will be, however, providing my musings while the series progresses. (revealing more the closer we get to SPX).

The main reason I'm writing this is because A) I'm excited about this and B) one of the more interesting observations spun out of conversation I had with the creative team (if you can call us that).

In a messy spitball session, Dave, Jay, and I started to, finally, formulate some kind of ending for the book. Shortly, while on the thrown, I realized that previously I had always had an ending in mind when I started writing a story. This was the first time that I'd ever started anything without an ending. Hell. Sometimes The end is the first thing I think of.

That was kind of scary and kind of liberating at the same time. Working forward felt more progressive, as opposed, to working backwards.

Then another realization hit me...

One of the things we all agreed on was that the ending to "Bamn" should be upbeat and not a downer. That caused me to reflect on how incredibly hard it is to come up with a "happy ending." Commonly, a happy ending gets labeled as the easy way out. But, honestly, any neatly wrapped finale is a tough task to perform. You are trying to satisfy all your plot points, trying to come to a agreeable climax for your non-existing audience, and find a circular way to execuate a theme that (hopefully) you've carried since the beginnning. It's a massive juggling act. You're serving all your masters at once. Fighting every urge to not say "Fuck it!"

In light of the last Indiana Jones Movie, I'm sure Speilberg is getting alot of flak for catering too much. Yielding plausibility for the sake of a happy ending (protocol for him). But, in all honesty, not going for the happy ending doesn't seem all that hard. You just don't let the characters resolve anything. Don't let them grow. Let them sit there and suffer. It's intriguing but maybe it's as overrated as the happy ending!

Heh.

*snort*

Happy ending.

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Trip to the Well (PG-13)
Starring Harrison Ford, Shia Lebouf, Karen Allen and Cate Blanchett
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Let’s face it. We should be mature enough to admit who the real driving force was behind the success of the Indiana Jones Trilogy. I mean, seriously, George Lucas’ credit as a solo act has dwindled repeatedly since the first Star Wars. Steven Spielberg has become the sorta filmmaking embodiment of fine wine. If he hasn’t gotten better with age then he’s at least refined the taste a bit. George and Steven worked on the films together and Steven is, obviously, diplomatic enough and commercially savvy enough to know that the sound of a film by the two of them is a great marketing ploy.

Seriously, Steven Spielberg made Indiana Jones work (and yes, I include “Temple of Doom” in that generalization. Stop hating). So why did I get that sinking feeling only 20 minutes into “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?” Spielberg’s here, Ford is here, Lucas is (hopefully) sitting in the corner somewhere.

Maybe because it’s misguided by modern sensibilities. Or maybe it’s because it seems way too thoughtful of the Indiana Jones mythos instead of being a reminder of old action serials.

I’m not quite sure why the filmmakers decided to go in the direction they chose. But I sure as hell can speculate. Y’see, in my mind George Lucas is the annoying friend that you feel obligated to invite to a party (if you don’t know what I’m talking about then that person probably is you). You know that if you don’t merge him with the rest of your friends then you’ll seem like a bad person. Steven Spielberg doesn’t want to be the bad guy. In doing so he’s given back one of the keys to the car. Clearly, the lack of story-telling confidence that forced Lucas to step down during “Empire Strikes Back,” “Raiders,” “Temple of Doom,” and “Last Crusade” has been replaced with arrogance because of all those republic credits he scored with the Prequel Trilogy.

Yep. I blame Lucas for this dismal retread. After all dismal retreads are his M.O.

So now that Lucas has equal share, what do we get? Harrison Ford hobbling to beat Soviets at finding an alien skull. His, knife-welding son (yep) Shia Lebouf and, former flame, Marion Ravenwood tag along in a series of plot mechanics that feels like “Tomb Raider” or “The Mummy Returns” instead of an Indiana Jones movie.

Spielberg’s not exempt. We aren’t getting the Spielberg who directed the original trilogy. No, were getting the Steven Spielberg who directed the last 15 minutes of “A.I.” and “Minority Report.” You can almost see the director reaching through the bug tunnel looking for a handle to get him out of this Lucas-spiked room. Honestly, I don’t rag on Spielberg often ,but this is his laziest entry since “Always.”

Astonishing X-Men Animated Comic Book

Marvel's done something quite impressive here. I know the concept of animating comic panels is not to new (Marvel's done it as trailers previously), but the fact that they did an entire issue of Astonishing X-Men is quite cool. Reminds me a bit of MTV's "The Maxx:"

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1541043174/bctid1542695460

Transformers

Transformers
Starring Shai Lebouf and Megan Fox
Directed, appropriately, by Michael Bay
Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman with Steven Speilberg looking over their shoulders.

I’m a man. And as a man, I feel it is my duty to admit when I’ve been defeated. When I’m fighting a losing battle. I would like to imagine that other great men in history have known and will know when to put away the war drums and make peace. Great men like Darth Vader knew it, Malcolm X knew it, Captain America knew it, The Dalai Lama does it on a regular, and Hillary Clinton will never know it.
I’ve been waging a losing battle since last summer against “Transformers: The (other) Movie.” I’ve stood by and watched supporters of my cause drop off like flies. Caching the film in theatres as the summer weeks went by. Then turning around and purchasing it DVD, putting it on their netflix. I had rallied an accomplished group of fellow haters against Transformers.

Why? My reasoning was simple. A Transformers movie that is successful during the blockbuster season will give birth to other 1980s, rehash, live-action Saturday morning cartoon adaptations. I was boycotting for the greater-good. After the travesty of Spider-Man 3, I could not idly stand by and watch Hollywood get all 2-girls-1-cup on another fond adolescent memory.

After all making a Transformers movie work is impossible. It’s not a concept that lends itself to a movie. Taking the concept for what it is cannot support 2 hours and anything additional is unnecessary tinkering. Right?

Well, while not in my right mind, my girlfriend sat me down and made me watch it without telling me what it was at first. Watching the little kid fishing on the moon as the Dreamworks logo came on screen I was more confused. Then it hit me.

“Oh, no.”

But I can be man enough and admit when I am wrong about something. So I say this:
“That shit was okay.”

Transformers belongs in the oddball family of films that is too simple for adults but too crude and violent for kids. It’s like the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie or “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. It exist purely as an expensive exercise of “because we can.” And that’s why it works.

Director, Michael Bay is some sort of idiot-savant in that respect. Just like Pixar films are for the kid in us, and Superhero movies are for the nerd in us, Transformers is for the adolescent teenager in us. Satisfying our violence quotient but not challenging our concepts. Bay directs Transformers like his “Greatest Hits,” he’s quite happy with his destructive nature and it shows. The Transformers (or these things that, kinda, resemble the toys) spend as much time destroying cities as they do saving them (kinda like “Armageddon.”), there are cool cars, and freeway chases with falling vehicles (Remember “Bad Boys 2.”), kissing in golden fields(“Armageddon,” again.), light flare rescues (Remember “The Rock.”), military shootouts (“Pearl Harbor.” Check.), Hans Zimmer and people sweating gold and dirt (All of the above). It’s all here, completely unoriginal, and, quite at home.

Naturally, I have to give credit to, producer, Steven Speilberg, who forms some sort of unholy union between heaven (himself), and his polar opposite from hell (Michael Bay). It’s befuddling --- very Speilbergian (casting, Disney prototype #4509-1229, Shia Lebouf, for starters) and, simultaneously, very Michael Bay (casting, stereotype-wire act, Anothony Anderson as a hacker). Both are adept at milking an audience and somewhere here the two minds converge to create another crowd pleaser.

Iron Man Review

Iron Man (Rated PG-13)
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, and Gwyenth Paltrow
Directed by Jon Favreau

The "they shoulda" is a common term amongst fanboys. It's usually a term reserve specifically for failed sorylines, but most often it is used for movie adaptations of favorite character:
"They shoulda gave Spider-Man his webshooters!"
"They shoulda put Doomsday in SuperMan Returns!"
"They shoulda had the Shi'Ar in X-Men 3."
"They shoulda had more fight scenes in the Hulk."

Oh, it goes on and on. Even, I'm guilty of it:
"They shoulda set the Fantastic Four movie in the 60s."
"They shoulda used two X-Men sequels to tell the "Phoenix" story."
"They shoulda have made The Punisher a 1970s revenge flick homage."
"They shoulda made Ghost Rider more about Johnny Blaze's father and less about Eva Mendes."
"They shoulda used the Danny Elfman theme in BatMan Begins."
You ask any comic book fan, gamer, or sci-fi reader and they'll have a laundry list of "they shouldas" to any movie adaptations. Even the ones they like.

So imagine my surprise when Iron Man, Marvel's first official salvo to regain creative control of their movie projects, is "they shoulda"-less. It is actually quite quintessential.
Marvel's original premise for the character seems to remain quite timely no matter what era and, director, Jon Favreu has more than enough faith in the concepts to let them stand on their own. There is very little tinkering with Stan Lee's original ideas. Re-igniting one of my personal favorite "they shouldas." Which is that Iron Man should be about war profiteering and the

shifting of the moral compass. Favreau gets that and in the process joins a short list of fanboy-friendly filmmakers (but let me tell you, that list is fickle.)

Amongst a plethora of actors that you would want in a movie of this nature but never thought you'd see, Robert Downey Jr., metallically, shines. Downey's quick, wordsmith, wit is all his own and it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the role. He carries a good chunk of the film on his repulsor ray shoulders, allowing, cinephile, Jon Favreau to create (with ILM) the most consistently seamless effects work I've seen in a long time. Seriously, the digital stuff holds up to scrutiny. I know. I was squinting my eyes every time Iron Man went into the air.

The rest of the cast does well with what they have. Terrence Howard's always apologetic; Jim Rhodes is consistently understated (if sometimes pussified) in his performance (a good counter balance to the jet propelled action/adventure. Paltrow is, surprisingly cute and naïve as Pepper Potts, only managing to be annoying in 2 brief bits. And Jeff Bridges, looking more like Kris Kristofferson than "The Dude," manages to create a steely-eyed industrialist partner for Downey and the turns him on a dime with little to-no-effort.
In actuality, Iron Man is an oddity. A Superhero movie for the actors as much as it is for the fans.

"They shoulda" tried this a long time ago.