Another Christian Bale flick I can't miss.
Christian Bale is just one of those actors who's always in movies that catch my eye. He just has good taste when it comes to picking his roles and manages to keep it fresh, not sticking to one genre or type of character. His next movie out here in North America is Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn.
Before I ramble anymore about this, check out the trailer HERE.
While this movie doesn't hold the initial appeal that some of Bale's recent work has gotten out of me at first glance, such as Christopher Nolan's The Prestige or Harsh Times, it still looks great. I have no doubt that Werner Herzog, a director who deserves an Oscar, has done a great job with this film and that he'll capture the feeling of a prisoner of war perfectly while keeping the Vietnamese viewpoint authentic and true. Herzog also has an eye for landscapes, often deciding to fill his films with minutes of landscape footage. I'm sure that this will really help establish Vietnam as a character in the film.
Now, I've heard that Bale lost a ton of weight for this picture as he did with El Maquinista (The Machinist) and that, as usual, he really committed himself to the role. I've also heard that Steve Zahn (Riding in Cars With Boys) does an EXCELLENT job. I can't wait to see them both in these roles for myself in a month or so.
Speaking of release dates, Rescue Dawn has been out in some theatres for quite some time but releases wide on March 30th, 2007. I'll post a review as soon as I see it.
Cheers.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Rescue Dawn Preview
Monday, February 5, 2007
FILM: Sony names Blu-ray as winner over HD-DVD
Sony's Blu-ray for-the-win?
SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) today realeased a few bits of information hoping to swing the Blu-ray/Toshiba HD-DVD war. Sony says that since the release of their gaming machine, the Playstation 3, Blu-ray Disc has undergone "tremendous growth in consumer adoption."
Sony stated that:
-Blu-ray has outsold HD-DVD in cumulative sales.
-Blu-ray titles outsold HD-DVD titles by more than two-to-one during the first week of January 2007.
-Blu-ray titles outsold HD-DVD titles by more than three-to-one during the second week of January 2007.
While some sites are stating that these tidbits of information declare the winner of the media war, I still believe that it's far from over. First off, Sony didn't release cumulative sales numbers, only the fact that they were selling more. The battle could be neck and neck or it could be a landslide, we're not sure. Second, the other stats released by Sony are VERY specific, and don't mean much when you look at the big picture.
I'm yet to pick sides in the HD-DVD/Blu-ray media war, I'll wait until the dust has settled and pick the victor. Until then I'll sit on the fence.
Cheers.
Friday, February 2, 2007
VIDEO GAMES: Microsoft Lays Down Achievement Law
Microsoft releases new guidelines in an attempt to tighten up achievements.
Recently Realtime Worlds, the developer behind the upcoming Xbox 360 game Crackdown, announced that their free-roam game will ship with only 900 possible achievement points. Some gamers were upset, speculating that the additional 100 Gamerscore would only be available through a priced content download from the Xbox Live Marketplace and that they'd be milked for more cash if they wished to earn the game's complete Gamerscore.
Microsoft decided to take action and release a new set of guidelines in an attempt to bring order back their beloved achievements. Here they are:
1. All retail disc-based games must have a total of 1,000 possible Gamerscore points to be earned. Anyone who purchases the game will be able to earn all 1,000 points without any additional purchases. Although, publishers may release a portion of this gamerscore on the Xbox Live Marketplace but it must be a free download.
2. Publishers may release an additional 250 Gamerscore on top of the standard 1,000 via download from Xbox Live Marketplace. Gamers may be charged for this download, or it may be free, it's up to the game's publisher.
3. Xbox Live Arcade games are very similar but work with lower Gamerscore totals. For example, XBLA games will release with a maximum of 200 Gamerscore points. A possible 50 points can then be downloaded from the Marketplace if the publisher chooses to offer them.
I'm glad that Microsoft is tightening up their Gamerscore policy. With achievement unlocking being as popular as it is, it needed some more moderating. I also hear that they might be planning to reward gamers with higher Gamerscores, this could be a step in that direction.
Cheers.
Ultimate Spider-Man 100 Covers
100 unique covers, all proceeds go to charity.
A few months back Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man 100 hit the shelves of comic book stores all over, celebrating 100 continuous issues with the same creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. To celebrate, Marvel sent out 100 blank Ultimate Spider-Man covers to a vast array of comic book artists, each one given the task of creating their own unique cover to complete the milestone.
Well, Marvel is now planning to auction off all 100 covers at some upcoming comic conventions, and on eBay, with all proceeds going towards The Hero Initiative, a charity that helps comic book creators in need.
Some of these covers are simply amazing and will most likely sell for prices I can't even compute. My favourites have to be Clayton Crain's, Ron Garney's, Todd McFarlane's, and Humberto Ramos'. I also find it quite amusing that Guillermo Del Toro (director of Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) did a cover.
Check out all 100 covers HERE.
Cheers.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
FILM: Knocked Up International Trailer is Hilarious!
Judd Apatow and Seth Rogan strike again!
I was browsing my usual sites today when I stumbled upon the international trailer for Judd Apatow's new movie, Knocked Up. Apatow, who's last film was the hilarious 40 Year Old Virgin, looks like he has another similar hit on his hands here.
The film focuses on Ben, played by Seth Rogan (40 Year Old Virgin), a guy who has impregnated his one night stand (Katherine Heigl). It seems pretty straight forward, and normally I wouldn't care much for this movie, but I really loved 40 Year Old Virgin and have no doubt this will be worth a second look.
Check out the trailer:
Paul Rudd will also act alongside Rogan and Heigl, that should be good.
Cheers.
Spawn #164 Review (Spoilers)
The end of Spawn? My opinion on arguably the most important Spawn comic thus far.
Billed as the "end of Spawn mythology as you know it", Spawn 164 shatters barriers that have been constant throughout Todd Mcfarlane's comic's life on the shelves.
The issue opens up with Al Simmons, in a ghost state, walking towards his old home with intentions of being with Wanda once again. He enters the home to find Wanda in a feud with her current husband Terry who feels as if Wanda hasn't gotten over Al and loves the now-Hellspawn more than her current husband. Wanda admits she still loves Al but reveals the previously unknown truth about their relationship; Al Simmons was a wife beater (and baby killer) yet chose to subconsciously smother his memories of hurting Wanda, instead remembering love and compassion.
Now, I was completely shocked reading this after following Spawn since issue one back in the early 90's. I found Spawn to be such a great comic (at times) because you felt for Al Simmons, a man fighting an impossible battle because of the love for his wife and the desire to one day be with her again. Labelling him a wife beater throws that completely out of the window, creating a much darker character and one that will essentially have to work harder to earn my pity.
The art in the issue, as fans have become accustomed to over the past year, is phenomenal. Philip Tan does an excellent job and the interiors, as well as Brian Haberlin's colours, take on a darker quality than normal to accommodate with the dark twist in the storyline. There is one amazing pin-up towards the end of the issue with Spawn sitting back in his throne, it's pretty sweet and sums up the end of the issue completely.
Some fans of the series have been stating that this twist opens up a huge plot hole in Todd McFarlane's Spawn universe and that it completely destroys the character. I agree, to a point. Sure, it's hard to believe that no one would have used this against Spawn earlier or warned him, saving him a ton of grief but at the same time I think that this will benefit the character. Hopefully we will see a darker and more merciless Spawn in the future.
Cheers.
