Fan Rants

Barely legal… Welcome to Fan Rants Episode 19. This episode was edited rather drunkenly. It was recorded that way too. We talk about some movies. Since there’s not too much happening there, we bust into TV, where we talk about Lost. Due to a quadrennial sporting event, there hasn’t really been much on. Anyway, without further adieu, here is your episode.

Music this week was first from the artist Kudai off the album Shah Mat

The second artist was Fresh Body Shop from the album Make This End

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

As  Joseph Kosinski wraps up production on “Tron Legacy”, he’s started talking about what he wants to do next, and apparently what he wants to do next is a reimaging of the 1979 Disney sci fi classic “The Black Hole”.  In an interview with MTV, he stated that he and screenwriter Travis Beacham (who wrote the upcoming “Clash of the Titans” movie) have “a really strong idea and concept for the film”.  There are a few elements that they want to keep, such as the design of the lost ship, the Cygnus, and the killer red robot named Maximilian, but it sounds like for the most part, they are going to tell a new story.  Kosinski explains, “”This one will be a reimagining. For me, it would be taking ideas and iconic elements that struck me as timeless and cool and preserving them while weaving a new story around them that’s a little more ‘2001.’”  Sounds more like a “reboot” to me, but that’s just splitting hairs.  He continues, “From a conceptual point of view, we know so much more about black holes now, the crazy things that go on as you approach them due to the intense gravitational pull and the effects on time and space. All that could provide us with some really cool film if we embrace it in a hard science way”.  I say go with it!  I like my science hard. 

If you’re not giggling right now, you’re reading the wrong blog.  In fact, if you haven’t been giggling since you first read “Black Hole”…

Anyway, the original 1979 story focused on a lost ship that is found by a deep space exploration vessel right on the even horizon of a massive black hole.  The ship, named the Cygnus, is inhabited by one man, a possibly crazy scientist bent on flying into the black hole, and his legion of robot slaves.  The story was one of “I’m gonna fly into this here black hole, ya see” “no you’re not, mister.  We’re gonna stop you!” “KILL KILL KILL”.  At least I think that’s how they talked back in the 70’s.

It looks like Fox, in an effort to not lose the Daredevil property to Disney, is looking to make another Daredevil movie.  The deal between Marvel and Disney continued any previous rights granted to movie makers as long as it was not an abandoned property (or a property no longer in production).  In other words, it looks like Fox is just trying to keep a hold of the rights.

Reinforcing this point is the fact that they’ve hired David Scarpa to write the script.  “Who?” you ask?  Well look him up on IMDB!  He wrote the screenplay for the 2008 movie “The Day the Earth Stood Still”!!  He also wrote “The Last Castle”!  Aaaand that’s all, at least according to IMDB.  Now I don’t want to be the one to say “oh, this guy is a sh*tty writer”.  Please don’t think that’s what I’m saying.  For all I know this guy might be the “next big thing”.  What I’m saying is that Fox went to what looks to be the least expensive guy they could so the movie could be considered “in production” and they could keep their rights without spending too much money.  I’m betting this movie never gets made, at least not in this current incarnation.  There’s no director attached, no actors, no nothing.  Way to go, Fox.

Here’s the trailer for the new movie “The People vs. George Lucas”, a story based on Mr. Lucas’ affinity for going back and changing what many people (myself included) consider to be a near masterpiece.  We’ve ranted more than once on the podcast about directors revisiting their moveis 20 years later to “make the movie closer to the intended vision” or some such bullcrap. It’s one thing to go back and lightly touch up the effects so they are cleaner. It’s a whole other thing to go back and add scenes and CHANGE scenes (HAN SHOT FIRST, DAMMIT). This movie looks like it’ll be a funny glimpse into that debate.

The movie was just picked to play at the South by Southwest Movie Festival (SXSW) sometime between March 12th and March 20th.  I’m hoping it gets a wider release than just the film festival circuit. I’m sure the creators are too. It sounds like the’ve put in a lot of work. “2 and 1/2 years…63,686 frequent flyer miles… 634 hours of footage…14 TB of drive space… 126 interviews… 719 fan submissions…” Sounds intense. Keep an eye on SXSW’s movie site (pops) for more info. The official site (pops) for the movie is a good source of information too.

Klingon Bird of Prey?

According to NASA, this is a picture of a Klingon Bird of Prey hurtling through space at 11,000 miles per hour.

Or it may be a comet, the result in this case of 2 asteroids colliding. It’s interesting because it’s something that hasn’t been seen before. First there’s the oddly distinct X shape at the beginning of the tail. Then there’s the fact that the comet’s nucleus is OUTSIDE THE TAIL ALL TOGETHER! Normally, a comet’s tail is produced when the nucleus heats up and starts shedding it’s mass, usually engulfing the head in a gaseous cloud. This comet is too far out for that. According to NASA, “P/2010 A2 may have a different origin. It orbits in the warm, inner regions of the asteroid belt where its nearest neighbors are dry rocky bodies lacking volatile materials” which makes it likely that that the debris tail was produce via an impact rather than the normal solar melting way.

Anyway, check out NASA’s site for high rez pictures and bigger words than I care to use.

(via Gizmodo)