Archive: November, 2008


Nov. 29, 2008 | 12:17 a.m.

‘The Transporter,’ gay action hero?

Chris Lee writes about film and pop culture for the Los Angeles Times and he sent over this, uh, unexpected take on “Transporter 3,” the action film that opened Wednesday. We may never watch the fire hose scene quite the same way… Alas, the Transporter is gay no more. In the trailer for “Transporter 3,” Jason Statham (in character as the tactiturn commando-turned-courier Frank Martin) is very clearly seen making out with sexy costar Natalya Rudakova –- a stunning development for anyone intimately acquainted with the car-chase-crazy, karate-tastic French-financed action franchise. In 2005, Louis Leterrier, the director of “Transporter 2” (and also credited as “artistic director” of the first “Transporter”) told me he created a gay subtext for the character so as to avoid making a “Steven Seagal kind of movie.” “If you watch the movie and you know he’s ...
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Nov. 28, 2008 | 4:11 p.m.

‘Battlestar Galactica,’ Art Spiegelman and ‘Batman R.I.P.’ in Everyday Hero headlines

A holiday weekend edition of Everyday Hero, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe… Art for Art’s sake: This has been the year of the long-view Art Spiegelman interview, no surprise considering the release of his early-career survey "Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*!" and the retrospective reflex it inspires in journalists. The latest one I’ve seen is by Tom Gatti, and although there is a odd dearth of quotes (maybe Gatti didn’t get much time with the Pulitzer Prize winner?) there are some insightful descriptions of Spiegelman’s long, strange pen-and-ink odyssey, like this one: "More attractive was the countercultural attitude of ‘The East Village Other,’ and Spiegelman approached the editor, who wanted strips about sex and drugs. ‘I knew little about either, so I enrolled at Harpur College, New York State, and set out to find ...
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Nov. 27, 2008 | 2:49 p.m.

And now for something completely different…

"Star Trek" and Monty Python, two great tastes that taste great together… Okay, so it’s not exactly new (it’s been on You Tube for a couple of years) but somehow I didn’t see it until yesterday when I came upon it on Wil Wheaton’s blog. Anyway, like Romulan ale, this one just gets better with time, right? Happy Thanksgiving from Hero Complex and, as always, thanks for reading. – Geoff Boucher MORE RANDOM SILLINESS An interview with the Rancor from "Return of the Jedi"          VIDEO Superhero party from "Saturday Night Live," circa 1979                     VIDEO  Mr. T talks smack to Superman The fanboy vote: Presidential politics with a pop-culture spin                VIDEO  Even Adolf Hitler is mad about the "Harry Potter" postponement   VIDEO Batman’s bad day  ...
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Nov. 26, 2008 | 9:22 p.m.

Harry Potter, ‘Arkham Asylum’ game and Hugh Jackman in Everyday Hero headlines

Today’s edition of Everyday Hero, a roundup of handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe … The magic of Christmas: Muggles, mark your calendars. It’s sad that you can’t spend this holiday season with a new "Harry Potter" film, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a bit of the boy wizard’s magic. Here’s a press release that came over yesterday: "ABC Family continues the holiday cheer with its “Harry Potter” weekend on December 5-7, airing the first four installments of the popular film series as part of the network’s “25 Days of Christmas” programming event. In the world television premiere of the special extended edition of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” viewers will also see deleted scenes not included in the original film version. To add to the magic, ABC Family will also be airing exclusive first looks ...
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Nov. 26, 2008 | 6:51 p.m.

Hugh Hefner and his lady friends on their favorite super heroes

You might recall last week we asked various Playboy Playmates which super powers they would love to have. Strangely some of the women wanted to have the power to read men’s minds (as if one would need magical skills for that). While we were at the mansion, we used our valuable time to probe even deeper, for you, the Hero Complex reader. We asked several  several folks including Hugh Hefner, his (now former-) girlfriends Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkerson, as well as the current Playmate of the Year (Jayde Nicole), and the former Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood who their favorite superhero was. Sorry Greatest American Hero, most of the responses were the traditional DC types you’d expect. – Tony Pierce MORE RANDOM SILLINESS An interview with the Rancor from "Return of the Jedi"          VIDEO ...
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Nov. 25, 2008 | 3:43 p.m.

13 upcoming remakes of Hollywood sci-fi classics

Hollywood, Back to the Future: Top filmmakers have already dipped into the sci-fi vault for 21st century remakes of “The War of the Worlds,” “The Planet of the Apes” and the upcoming “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” so what’s next on the revival list? Plenty. Here’s a list of a dozen remakes and revival projects now at various stages in the studio pipeline. "When Worlds Collide" Steven Spielberg is one of the producers and Stephen Sommers (“The Mummy,” “Van Helsing”), infamous for his “give me more” attitude toward CGI effects, is directing. Like the original 1951 film produced by George Pal, this “Worlds,” due in theaters next year, is about the mad scramble to build a spaceship to save humanity before Earth is destroyed by a rogue planet entering its orbit. The problem comes when there aren’t enough seats ...
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Nov. 24, 2008 | 7:51 p.m.

The Aquaman problem: ‘Neither fish nor fowl…’

EXCLUSIVE: Dan DiDio explains why the confused history of Aquaman put him in danger of being "neither fish nor fowl." This is the second part of my interview in New York with Dan DiDio, the high-energy executive who came to DC Comics in early 2002 from a background in television. He is now senior vice president and executive editor of the DC Universe, meaning he is the guiding hand for the comic books that chronicle the exploits of all the gaudy icons that define DC and its long history. In the first part of the interview, DiDio talked about major new plans for Superman and Batman as well as the resurrection of "Adventure Comics" as a title. This time he talks about a venerable but troubled property from the briny deep… GB: Tell me about the state of the union, ...
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Nov. 24, 2008 | 2:55 p.m.

The Umbrella Academy brings ‘Dallas’ to L.A.

It’s an exciting time here at Hero Complex as we approach our five-month anniversary. We’re getting a lot of new contributors. One of them is Nathan Olivarez-Giles, who has this dispatch… It’s time to put your monocle on: “The Umbrella Academy” is in Los Angeles in a big way. Dark Horse Comics is celebrating the quirky and compelling “Academy” here to mark the release of “The Umbrella Academy: Dallas,” the second installment of the critically acclaimed series. The first issue of the “Dallas” book hits stores Wednesday (Nov. 26), and at 8 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 28), Gerard Way, author of “Academy” and lead singer of My Chemical Romance, will be signing autographs at Southern California’s famous comics landmark Golden Apple (7018 Melrose Ave). Meanwhile, Secret Headquarters (3817 W. Sunset Blvd.), the great comics store and gallery in Silver Lake, ...
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Nov. 24, 2008 | 1:32 p.m.

Mutant movies, ‘Twilight’ and Mortal Kombat vs. DC, all in Everyday Hero headlines

Today’s Everyday Hero report, your handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe … Mutant possibilities: Remember the "X-Men" films? They sure seem like a looong time ago to Marc Graser, apparently, because he suggests that Fox is dragging its feet in getting its valuable mutant brigade back in theaters. To my mind, after Brett Ratner’s lurching, messy finale to the X-trilogy, a bit of a break seemed like a good idea. Anyway, here’s an excerpt from Graser’s piece: "Studios have turned summer into a playground for superheroes at the box office. But the X-Men have quietly been waiting on the Fox lot for their turn to have some fun at the megaplex again. When the studio releases ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ next May, it will be three years since its comicbook franchise last appeared in theaters. Fox is looking to change that, ...
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Nov. 23, 2008 | 4:08 p.m.

Jack Bauer is back

Our favorite television critic, Mary McNamara, has a sparkling and fan-inspiring review of Kiefer Sutherland’s return to time-management in tonight’s two-hour “24″ movie. (This excerpt was carefully combed to remove any spoilers, it provides only brief images and the loosest of plot description): As Season 6 pinballed to a close in spring 2007, even die-hard fans were complaining about repetitive story lines and worn-out love triangles. (Honestly, is there nothing worse than a worn-out love triangle?) “Redemption,” a bridge to next season, which begins Jan. 11, nukes those criticisms. With a narrative that is ambitious and gut-wrenching even by “24″ standards, Jack finds himself in Sangala, Africa, which is on the verge of a military coup of the sort now only too recognizable. (Why he could not have fled to Paris is a question only Jack and his writers can ...
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