STILL DREAMING
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Happy to report that Inception is a killer movie. In the words of brother Jack ‘it’s a masterclass in intelligent film making’. One of a rare breed that might have actually started with a good idea rather than a marketing plan. That really is living the dream.
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HYPE MACHINE
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I’m not convinced. After watching the new Tron Legacy trailer and now hearing some of Daft Punk’s (supposed) tracks for the film, I’ve started to get that sinking feeling. No doubt it’ll look slick & sexy, what Hollywood blockbuster doesn’t?, but I suspect it will once again be a triumph of style over substance – no surprises there then. But why get Daft Punk in the mix and not actually let them do their thing? It’s early days, and I’ll admit to being a tad over cynical, but I guess it’s in the vain hope that come Christmas I’ll be proved wrong,
Monsters
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This is looking SO dope.
Aliens 3
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(pic via kiel bryant’s insanely good flickr stream)
Aliens 3 seems to be one of those films that always causes ructions (sci-fights, maybe?). I still remember the crushing disappointment of seeing it at the 11 am showing on the day it came out. It was so, so poor. In recent years (especially since the release of the alternative Fincher cut) I’ve often heard it described as a ‘hidden gem’ or a film that’s ripe for re-evaluation. Maybe. But I’m not so sure.
What is clear is that the behind the scenes struggles were the root cause of the films (many) failings. Although vaguely aware of the pre-production pain, I hadn’t realised quite how much till reading this amazingly thorough overview.
The image above is taken from the concept art from one of the scrapped script revisions. In an early version the monastic/futuristic medieval themes which eventually turn up in Fincher’s version are explored in more depth. (More here)
Some people claim this is the long, lost classic Alien3 we should of had. Again, I’m not so sure. I think the problem for me with Alien 3 revisionism in general is it’s hard to get past what a body blow the film ended up being to the franchise. To think of how it could have been just makes it even worse.
My view is echoed in the conclusions of the Aliens 3 overview link from earlier in the post. The films should have followed the plot lines of the Dark Horse graphic novel.
“Alien: Book One” would have been a helluva film.
There be Monsters
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Gareth Edwards‘ Monsters sounds amazing.
Super low budget and selling itself as ‘Lost In Translation meets War of the Worlds, this could be the holy grail: a dark edgy scifi film you can take the mrs to.
Sign me up.
The Gift
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Click Here to watch the short in High Definition on YouTube.
This is dope. Put together by Ridley Scott protege Carl Erik Rinsch, this self funded short is apparently a teaser for a full length feature that Rinsch has in mind. Jokingly described as a mix between 2001, Bladerunner and Doctor Zhivago with a bit of Bourne-style action (I’m not laughing, I’m trying too busy re-arranging my trousers) this could be one to watch out for.
You get the feeling that the District 9 / Children of Men style of ‘realistic’ Sci-fi could bare some incredible leaps for this kind of movie.
Read more (including some sick concept art) at /Film
The official TRON LEGACY trailer
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BOOM!!
First official TRON poster
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Wish they would loose the ‘Disney’ from right above the title, but otherwise….not too shabby.
Interrupted Greatness: The Charles Stepney Story
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Truly, one of the greats.
Mega-City 2
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It’s early days, but apparently there is a new Judge Dredd movie in the works and, more importantly, it’s rumoured to based on an Alex Garland script. Nice!
Could be some long needed cinematic redemption for one of British sci-fi’s unsung heroes.
And let’s face it, neither time nor hollywood has been kind to 2000AD, but there is a wealth of incredible ideas hidden away in there.
I’ve always thought that Halo Jones would make a killer HBO series.
And whilst we are on the subject of 2000AD, here’s a great article on the evolution of the architecture of mega-city-one.
Time for a Prog revival ?
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