Blog Archives
School of Geek: Preserving the Continuum – Re-Makes and Re-Boots or Won’t Someone Please Think of the Children?
Context matters in re-boots.
Which came first – Star Wars, Episode I or Star Wars, Episode IV? My apologies to the Jar-Jar lovers, but Lucasfilm Logic dictating that we go with The Phantom Menace really screwed the pooch on this one. It takes the magic away from that huge pivotal moment in The Empire Strikes Back when Darth Vader reveals he is Luke’s father when you’ve known for four movies ahead of time who Anakin Skywalker really was. How did this improve the franchise? It didn’t, and just confused an audience of kids about who were the bad guys and changed the context of how we look at the franchise.
What was better -Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek or J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek re-boot? Maybe old George could’ve taken a lesson out of Abrams’ book and have simply re-written the whole continuum, but the problem here is that you have a whole generation of kids who now discount all of the TOS episodes. It’s not all bad: at least we got to see this iteration of Uhura in her underwear. How did this improve the franchise? Well, at least Abrams paid homage to the effort and talent of all those writers who came before him by stating that they still existed – just in another reality, but he still monkeyed around with the continuum enough that established Star Trek canon is completely buggered.
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Tainted Love for the DC Comics Trinity
Last February I talked about the trinity of DC Comics – Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman – and who their true loves should be. This year I’m going to take a different tact. I’ll be talking about those particularly twisted folks who think they should be their true loves. Yeah, baby, that’s right. I’ll be talking Super-Stalkers after the jump.
Coffee Table Caped Crusader: The Art And Making Of The Dark Knight Trilogy
Growing up, I always ran out to buy movie tie-in novels. Whether it was good, bad or straight down the middle I always wanted to relive most of the movies I saw. Then I got a bit older and moved on from the tie-ins to the coffee table books, the ones that would take you behind the scenes and reveal the artistry that goes into making the movies.
The latest insightful book to come across my desk details one of the greatest trilogies in cinematic history – The Art And Making Of The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Find out more about the book after the jump!
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The Bourne Legacy Rules – Biff Bam Pop’s Box Office Wrap-Up Report
Matt Damon may not be onboard, but audiences still responded in a huge way to the latest entry in the Bourne franchise. Meanwhile, two other new releases posted some excellent number. Here’s how the weekend went down.
As predicted, The Bourne Legacy, starring Jeremy Renner, did great business, grossing $40 million for its opening weekend, beating back middling reviews and the absence of Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne. Not only does the film’s opening number signal the continuing health of the franchise, but it also cements Jeremy Renner as a leading actor that audiences will pay money to see. I wonder how this bodes for a Hawkeye film?
Find out how the rest of the weekend turned out after the jump:
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The Bourne Legacy vs The Campaign vs Hope Springs – Biff Bam Pop’s Box Office Predictions
Three new films are looking to claim dibs on the top spot at the box office this weekend. Will it be a new edition to a solid franchise, a comedy team-up between two big stars or a romantic comedy looking for some summer counter programming success? Here are our predictions:
The Bourne Legacy is the first edition of the increasingly succesful franchise to not feature Matt Damon aka Jason Bourne. In his place is Jeremy Renner as another Treadstone operative but who is equally as badass. Renner may not have the box office clout on his own that Damon possess, but he’s well on his way. Trailers for The Bourne Legacy have received great notices, making clear that this story takes place in the same established Bourne world. Action fans and Avengers fans will likely help make this film a decent sized hit. Look for The Bourne Legacy to debut in the top spot with $40 million.
Find out how the rest of the top five will shape up after the jump.
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Bane Is Back In A New Video!
Well here’s a little bit of video brilliance sure to tickle the funny bone of even the most jaded Dark Knight Rises viewer. Bane is let out of prison after serving 7 years for trying to destroy Gotham. Pretty funny stuff, courtesy of Chris Kattan.
The Dark Knight Rises Above Total Recall – Biff Bam Pop’s Box Office Wrap-Up Report
Two new films debut this weekend but neither could shut down the success of The Dark Knight Rises, which held onto the top spot at the box office for the third weekend in a row. Find out what went down at theatres after the jump!
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Total Recall vs Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Biff Bam Pop’s Box Office Predictions 08/03/2012
This weekend, a sci-fi remake and the third entry in a family friendly franchise look to topple The Dark Knight Rises from the top of the box office. Do either of them have a chance, or will the numbers recall the last few weekends?
Let’s be real – I don’t think anybody has been waiting for a Total Recall remake. The original, a classic, über violent sci-fi flick with Arnold Schwarzenegger, is still well-regarded, even if it did have very little resemblance to its source material, the novel We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Phillip K. Dick. A remake with Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, and Jessica Biel and directed by Len Wiseman was a hard sell for me…and then the trailers started hitting the web. And they look good. I think Total Recall could be a decent hit – not a blockbuster, but it could find an audience that hasn’t particularly been well served with pure science fiction this summer. What the film has going against is none of the leads can really open a film. On that note, I’m predicting a second place showing for Total Recall with $28 million.
Check out the rest of our predictions after the jump!
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