Archive: December, 2008

Sorry for the skimpy blog this week! I’m trying to finish up some long pieces for the upcoming 2009 Film Sneaks Issue of the Los Angeles Times and also keep pace with assorted holiday doings. Anyway, here is a two-day edition of Everyday Hero, your roundup of handpicked headlines from the fanboy universe … MAJEL B. RODDENBERRY DIES AT 76: One of the signature faces — and voices — of "Star Trek" through the decades has died. Majel B. Roddenberry, the widow of "Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, died Thursday in Bel-Air after a battle with leukemia. My colleague Dennis McLellan has written a fine obituary, here’s an excerpt: "’She was a valiant lady,’ Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock on ‘Star Trek,’ told The Times. ‘She worked hard, she was straightforward, she was dedicated to ‘Star Trek’ and Gene, and ...

Eddie Murphy as the Riddler and Shia LeBeouf as Robin?  Where do they come up with this stuff? Apparently from the British tabloid The Sun, or more specifically, the gossip section of the Sun — Gordon Smart’s Bizarre. Comments were slowly trickling in, with readers’ reactions generally beginning with statements like, "Oh please God don”t use Eddie!" Not sure which is weirder — that they would run the story expecting the world to jump on board, or that they didn’t expect other sites (such as Cinema Blend) would refute the news with their own sources. Admittedly, Hero Complex has pushed for Angelina Jolie to throw her cowl into the Catwoman discussion, but going off of news from "insider sources," the site also speculated that Rachel Weisz was up for the role. Speculation is fine, it’s even fun, but hopefully it’s ...

I’ve told you before how much I admire "Ex Machina,"  and I wanted to let you know about a fun surprise in the newest issue, No. 40, which hit stands today. (Stop reading now if you don’t want any cats let out of any bags. …) The story, written by Brian K. Vaughan and drawn by Tony Harris, finds Mayor Mitchell Hundred seeking collaborators for an autobiographical project — a graphic-novel account of his first term as the chief executive of New York City. The final few pages of the issue have some guest creators drop by, and they are none other than writer Garth Ennis and artist Jim Lee. Nice! – Geoff Boucher Image credits: Wildstorm/DC Comics

I absolutely loved holiday issues of Marvel Comics when I was a kid. So I thought that today, with eight days left until Christmas and an avalanche of work to do on my desk, I would take a bit of breather from the blog and give you some yuletide comics art, both new and old, to enjoy. Here, for instance, is the cover to "Marvel Adventures Spider-Man" No. 46, which hit stands last week with a great cover by Skott Young:  And here are two especially merry (and menacing) mutant covers from the library. The Santa Claws cover from "Wolverine" No. 49 is by Laurence Campbell from 2006 while Terry Austin drew the 1981 cover for "The Uncanny X-Men" No. 143, a great issue that somehow manages to shoehorn both "Alien" and "Home Alone" into one plot. (It was also ...

It’s already become the fastest-selling book of the year, so it’s no surprise to hear that Warner Bros. is interested in making a movie out of J.K. Rowling’s latest book, “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” a collection of fables set in the (pre-”Harry Potter”) world of wizards and muggles Rowling knows best. The titular Beedle the Bard wrote five tales, each accompanied with commentary from Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts’ now-late headmaster who met his end in the penultimate “Potter” novel, “The Half-Blood Prince.” For those, like myself, who’ve already zipped through the vignettes more than once, it’s hard to imagine crafting a single movie out of any or all of them, however much we’d like to indulge in another big-screen adaptation of Rowling’s magical characters. Each story exists separately from the other, and each averages 10 pages (in a double-spaced, ...

"TURISTAS" REUNION IN "TRON": I’m not sure whether this is an alarming development, but the makers of the  "Tron" revival appear to be fans of "Turistas" — how else should we interpret the fact that two of the female stars from that 2006 bikini bloodfest are the first announced cast for the sci-fi revamp? Borys Kit has this trades announcement story: "Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett are the first to sign on for ‘Tron 2.0,’ the sequel to the 1982 Disney cult classic being directed by Joseph Kosinski. Sean Bailey is producing along with Steven Lisberger, who co-wrote and directed the original film, and Jeff Silver. The original, about a programmer thrust into a computer and forced to fight in games he helped create, is remembered for its sci-fi gladiator-style battles and groundbreaking special effects. The new movie is acting ...

In December of 1977, all I really wanted for Christmas was a lightsaber, just like the ones that the Jedi Knights used in "Star Wars." I did find one waiting for me under the tinsel-covered tree that year but, sadly, instead a fearsome weapon, it was a black flashlight with a flimsy plastic tube stuck on top. The disappointment, even for an 8-year-old, was a bitter one. I’m guessing that the person who spent $240,000 at a Calabasas Hills auction last week to take home the lightsaber prop used by actor Mark Hamill in "Star Wars" possesses a similar childhood memory… and a much bigger bank account. But you don’t need to be a millionaire these days to get your hands on quality fanboy treasures; we live in the golden era of gadgets and geeky totems and if you need ...

As ‘The Crow’ flies: The director that drove Sean Connery to retirement and ensured that Alan Moore would never give Hollywood another chance wants to remake "The Crow." Reporter Michael Fleming has the announcement story in the trades: "Stephen Norrington has signed on to write and direct a reinvention of "The Crow," based on the comic created by James O’Barr. Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media is negotiating with producer Ed Pressman to acquire the film franchise and finance the film. Pressman produced the 1994 Alex Proyas-directed screen transfer, in which rock musician Eric Draven is murdered trying to rescue his girlfriend from thugs, and returns from the dead one year later to exact vengeance. Though the original became a gothic-style hit that grossed nearly $100 million worldwide, it is primarily remembered for a tragic accident in which star Brandon Lee was ...

Welcome to a chilly weekend edition of Everyday Hero, your roundup of handpicked headlines from around the fanboy universe… "Star Wars," conducted: What possible new frontier could be left for George Lucas and his three-decade-old space fantasy epic? Well, going loud and live with orchestral power might do the trick. Jack Malvern has the story in the U.K.: "Lucasfilm has authorised ‘Star Wars: A Musical Journey,’ a retelling of the story that will combine excerpts of the film with live orchestral accompaniment. Diehard fans may dream of Jedi Knights serenading Jabba the Hutt and C-3PO singing ‘Don’t cry for me, R2-D2′ but they are likely to be disappointed. Producers for the show, which will have its world premiere in Britain, emphasised that although actors would be used to narrate the story, it would not be a stage musical. The production, ...

I’ve been a devoted fan of the Showtime series “Dexter” since Day One, but I had some misgivings about this season and its indelicate plot plans: Dexter is a father-to-be, Dexter is getting married, Dexter gets a best friend — for a show that has been so adept in its scalpel moments, I fretted that too many blunt objects were being brought down on the story arc of my favorite vigilante sociopath. So as I watched the season’s penultimate episode last week I smiled and shook my head. They did it again. The cruel complications of Dexter Morgan‘s life have played out with all the usual nuance and, like the blood splatters he studies during his day job (and creates during his night job), it all looks like art when you take a few steps back. The season finale is ...