The scenes around this moment were the best for me. Awed scientists and tense military gathering for ‘first contact’. After the appearance of Gort, and the ‘unpeeling’ of Klaatu, I started to get bored. The pace was slow and the characters dull. It’s a great story, it just didn’t feel like a great movie. By the time the ‘apocalypse cloud’ showed up, I didn’t care. Big disappointment, same as I am Legend.

2012 might be more dramatic. It’s a doomsday thriller based on the Ancient Mayan calendar which ends on Dec 12th 2012. According to some, Dec 12th is the dawn of a new enlightened age. To others it’s the dawn of Armageddon… queue 2012 the movie with epic natural disasters. If the trailer is anything to go by, the special effects will be impressive.

UK Box Office to 29 June 08

01. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian New Entry

02. Wanted New Entry

03. The Incredible Hulk

04. Adulthood

05. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

06. Sex and the City – The Movie

07. The Edge of love

08. The Happening

09. Superhero Movie

10. Thoda pyaar thoda magic New Entry

“In the film Bond only briefly visits Bolivia, but the decision by the producers to use locations in Chile to represent Bolivia has inflamed local tensions,” the Telegraph reports. “Protest in a Chilean newspaper read: Chile is Chile. We’re not Bolivian Indians. Imperialist British out.”

“I disagree with national territory being used as locations [to represent] other countries,” said the mayor, Carlos Lopez. “Even in a fictional film, unfortunately, friendly, neighbouring countries use decisions like this to make unjustified claims.”

According the Telegraph: “Chileans traditionally look down on the poorer Bolivians and there have been protests about the Bond crew using Bolivian flags and uniforms while filming on the streets of Antofagasta. Bolivian militants clashed with Chilean border guards when filming began…”

No one was hurt during the mayor’s protest, and he was detained for causing a public disorder. Full story

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One of last year’s bizarre but true productions will soon be played out in the UK – an operatic version of Lost Highway, the gritty film noir by David Lynch (released 1997).

According to the TimesOnline: “you might be familiar with one key scene. A charming but psychopathic gangster called Mr Eddy has just brutally kicked a man within an inch of his life for committing an antisocial act. A car mechanic called Pete looks on with some horror. “Sorry about that, Pete,” says the gangster, “but I just can’t stand it when somebody doesn’t obey the rules. That’s one thing I cannot tolerate.” “I can see that,” says the mechanic.

Now imagine those lines being rendered as part of an opera. The gangster is rapping in a rhythmic, jagged, Brech-tian speech-song, leaping from low growls to high-pitched squeaks, while the mechanic responds with a sweet, bel-canto whimper. “You like pornos?” growls the gangster, suddenly changing the subject. “Give you a boner?” “No thank you, sir,” sighs the mechanic, in his prettiest operatic voice.

It’s both terrifying and hilarious, like watching Lynch’s already disorientating film noir being played through a wobbly circus mirror. Welcome to the rehearsal studios of English National Opera…”

The opera was written by Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth. It premiered in her home town of Graz, in 2003, and was performed last year at Miller Theatre in co-production with Columbia University. Lynch gave his full support to the adaption, and the outcome gets a thumbs-up, according to a New York Times review: “The resulting score is enigmatic and labyrinthine, constantly morphing from one thing to the next. Ms. Neuwirth … knows how to bend and twist sound like no other.”

It will interesting to see how the work is received by UK critics. The opera opens on April 4 at the Young Vic. Full story

• Oberlin
• Young Vic
• Lynch biog

Beowulf tops the box office this week, followed by Bee Movie. American Gangster drops to third but it’s had the bulk of critical reviews. Here’s a couple:

PicturePortland@WordPress
I saw American Gangster on Friday night. I’ll start off with the good news- Denzel did a great job with the acting and Russell Crow wasn’t as big of a douche-bag as he normally is. And his accent wasn’t near as hideous as I had heard. Now the bad news. 1) It’s almost three hours long. I must have checked the time at least three times. 2) It’s a good story, in theory, but a major lack of character development leads me to believe that the director spent too much time- literally- building up plot, and not enough time making me fall in love with these guys… more

Top Review on Rotten Tomatoes
At the beginning of Ridley Scott’s American Gangster, Denzel Washington, as ’70s-era New York drug kingpin Frank Lucas, empties a loaded gun into the body of a man who’s begging for his life. The act may seem casual and impulsive, but it’s as resolute and professional as the flourishing of a business card, a flashy introduction along the lines of “Pleased to meet you, won’t you guess my name?” This character, a guy we know we shouldn’t trust, is being played by one of the most charismatic actors in the movies: Whatever he’s selling, there’s going to be a part of us that wants to buy it, even against our better judgment. In those early minutes of American Gangster, Washington offers a promise of salesmanship and showmanship that’s irresistible… more

· Listal – excellent review by MovieManiac126

· Rotten Tomatoes - other reviews of American Gangster
· Yahoo Box Office
· Box Office

Until Leopard came along, Boot Camp was only available as a beta download. It scored over 2 million users with few compatability issues, so its inclusion in Leopard is a real treat, and a compelling attempt to get PC users to cross-over. run Boot Camp you’ll need a G4 or G5 with Intel processor, and the Windows software: XP SP2 or Vista.
Leopard is released on Friday October 26 worldwide. $129 for the single license, $199 for the five-user Family Pack. Recent Mac buyers might only charged $9.95 – see PC World for details, and drop into Apple for specs.

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20 Most Wanted Gadgets

Nintendo Wii tops this week’s most wanted list on CNET. My favourite on the list (pictured above) is the LG Voyager, a gorgeous multi-function mobile with touch-sensitive screen. Just like the iPhone? Even better. The Voyager has a flip-open keypad with screen so it works just like a mini-laptop. Take at look at the demo. The Voyager goes on sale in November.

play

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20 Most Anticipated Movies

According to a recent poll of US movie-goers, the most anticipated movie is India Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. A surprise choice, and a handy reminder of a series that I thought had ended with the Last Crusade. Jones enthusiasts will have to wait until May 2008 for the movie’s release. My number one is the The Dark Knight. Christian Bale was excellent in Batman Begins, and so was Morgan Freeman in his brief appearance as Lucius Fox. “Didn’t you get the memo?”

love this trailier – The Bucket List

01. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
02. The Dark Knight
03. National Treasure: Book of Secrets
04. American Gangster
05. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
06. Iron Man
07. I Am Legend
08. Get Smart
09. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
10. Charlie Wilson’s War
11. Hancock
12. Beowulf
13. The Golden Compass
14. Mamma Mia!
15. The Incredible Hulk
16. Speed Racer
17. Step Brothers
18. Bee Movie
19. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
20. Starship Dave

poll details
fantasy art

Zack Snyder’s production update covers what’s happening so far: the technical teams get on well, the actors are cool, and everyone’s excited about the project. Sounds like a good start. Watchmen is a much anticipated movie in some quarters – i.e. by fans of the dark graphic novel created by Alan Moore and beautifully drawn by Dave Gibbons.

Watchmen the graphic novel is a complex tale of murder and looming destruction, and there are multi-layered characters who each have a story to tell. Zack Synder did a fantastic job with Frank Miller’s 300. It’s a visual treat, and Watchmen the movie is bound to be just as stunning on the eye. But as ever, details from the novel will be lost.

Adaptations are never easy.
In most cases, writers have to streamline – sift out the salient plot-points from the novel to create a workable script. Huge amounts can lost from epic tales like The Iliad or The Lord of the Rings. But in careful hands, much loved characters and stories can come to life with considerable satisfaction.

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1. Zack Synder production update
2. Quick Guide to Watchmen
3. Top 50 Adaptations
4. Watchmen on Time’s Top 100

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Watchmen fan-made trailers

Rating: okay

Rating: okay
spot the Frank Miller error

However stylish, groovy or beautifully drawn, the cover doesn’t always sell the content but it sure helps. The image above, painted by Jim Burns, is my favourite science fiction cover. It depicts the heroine of the story, Tabitha Jute, and one of her many companions. The detail is so acute it’s almost photographic, and it paints Tabitha exactly how I imagine her. Seasons of Plenty is book two in a cracking science fiction trilogy that would be amazing on screen. I’d vote for Regina King as Tabitha or Zoe Saldana.

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Stand Up. A finely rendered print of the original wood carving by James Grashom. The intimate detail is lost when reduced to CD size, and you don’t get the special feature from the original LP: the pop-up in the middle shows a happy hands-out from the band.

The album was UK number one for eight weeks in 1969 and is now a collectors item.

Oh I love Con Air . It’s the best ‘convicts on the run’ movie I’ve ever seen and the humour is delightfully dark. Ving Rhames plays Nathan ‘Diamond Dog’ Jones, and he’s part of an inspired cast. The styling of his character on the poster is iconic and the tagline is perfect: They were deadly on the ground. Now they have wings. ♥

* Jim Burns on Seasons of Plenty
* DK’s personal cover art
* Banned cover art
* Kes

1. Christopher Doyle
2. David Banner
3. Rio-Niterói Bridge
4. Cyber Tweak
5. Bristol Cars

Christopher Doyle, cinematographer, creates visual works of art, as in Hero. An oft used quote from him rings bells with me: “I didn’t start making films until I was 34. But that wasted youth was probably the most valuable asset for what I’m doing now. You see the world, you end up in jail three or four times, you accumulate experience. And it gives you something to say. If you don’t have anything to say then you shouldn’t be making films. It’s got nothing to do with what lens you’re using.”

David Banner, alone and troubled, moves on to the next town. Every episode had the same closing scenes, and they rolled to the strains of Lonely Man, a haunting theme created by the late Joe Harnell. Don’t know it? Listen

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