Ministry of Intrigue

Via /.:

Be still my beating heart!

Due to the enormous pressure and demand from fans, LucasFilm is going to be releasing the original unedited versions of the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Each movie will be released indivdually in a two disc set containing the tainted remastered version (that makes babies cry) as well as the original theatrical edition as a special feature. Which of course means that all the fans that bought the DVD trilogy will have to buy those movies all over again just to get the originals. While there isn’t a price listed yet, I’m relatively sure you’ll be paying for the price of both movies. Why does Lucas hate us?

To top it all off, these DVDs are a limited release, meaning they’ll only be available for purchase between September 12th and December 31st, which is also a shitty move to garner more profit. It is like rubbing salt in our wounds, which are have been inflicted by forcing us to pay for the impure versions all over again. All I have to say is that LucasFilm had better press enough copies to satisfy demand or I will be a very unhappy camper amongst an overwhelming mob of geek rioters.

But, oh the joy! Han shooting first, no Hayden Christensen, and the return of my beloved Ewok song! Yub Nub!

Be aware that the grounds of retail stores will be littered with the bodies of those that try to get the limited release before I do.

You can read about the release here.

Via Warren Ellis:

Here is a trailer for Cthulu: The Movie, with none other than Tori Spelling performing in it. From the looks of the official site, the production appears to be some sort of indie flick. It looks so monumentally bad that I wonder if it is part of some sinister ritual to drive the audience mad so that the Old One’s might consume them utterly.

Please someone tell me this is just an elaborate joke.

You know what the saddest part is? I’ll probably rent it. An acolyte’s duty is never done…

Against my better judgment, I went to go see the movie adaptation of Silent Hill this weekend. While I’ll agree with the guys at Penny Arcade that I should not pretend this was a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, I will say that I enjoyed it. In fact, even with its sad, pathetic little script and the horrible acting inflicted on the audience by star Rahda Mitchell (of Pitch Black fame), I was really enjoying it up until the end.

The movie is just so bizarre and fucked up I couldn’t help but get caught up in its nightmarish vision. It is bizarre, creepy and downright fun, which while I have never played the original game seems to measure up with my friends’ accounts of the experience. Unfortunately, near the end they try to tie it all together with one long monologue of exposition (sin among sins!), which is my most hated cinematic cheap trick. Afterwards the movie just goes completely over the top, which unfortunately ruined the whole atmospheric vibe and resulted in me being less engaged in the movie.

If you liked the game, this movie is definately worth seeing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t pay more than matinee price for it, if that. However, it is a lot of fun if you are into the freaky stuff.

As I stated in the title, this really isn’t a review of the movie, because quite simply the best review for it has already been written. Check out Vern’s review as posted by Moriarty on Aint It Cool News, and it will lay it all out for you.

As usual, my review is being written somewhat late.

This Saturday, I went to go see V for Vendetta at the local IMAX. I have to admit that despite my excitement, I was very worried. I am a big fan of the comic and have read it countless times, and while I knew that some things would change I was unsure of what Hollywood would do with such a story. I knew that Alan Moore, the original author of the comic, had requested to have his name removed from the credits, but also knew that Moore’s frustration with D.C. Comics was a heavy influence in that. Also, after the intestinal scrape of Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions, I didn’t have much faith in the Wachowski brothers.

What a relief!

The film held true to the story in all the best ways. Those ideas that would require clunky exposition in such a medium were carefully adapted, which while changing some of the subplots, effectively rendered the movie much more accessible for an unfamiliar audience. Alterations in the film also served to clear up ambiguities and factual errors in the original script (at the time it was written for comics there was a nuclear war involved as no one knew the true extent of such a war would be). In addition, the movies added thrills and action that propel the story along.

I would love to comment more on specific scenes from the film, but I really don’t want to spoil it for you. I will say that if you loved the comic, you will love the movie, and if you have never read the comic, you will after leaving the theater.

I was also going to use the blogger privilege of being unprofessional and bash a few critics for their obvious lack of research into the source material, but I’ll refrain. After all, good web karma is something I should keep in supply.

In short, go see this film. And if you get a chance where you live, see it on an IMAX screen. You won’t be disappointed.

Seen the movie? Agree/Disagree? Think I am full of it? Leave a comment!

Via Boing Boing and Digg:

Recently, Brad Hunt of the MPAA presented their plans for requiring DRM technology that would effectively close the “analog-hole” to prevent movie piracy. Unexpectedly, the rest of Hollywood showed some reason and reacted very negatively to the proposal. Thank god some folks in Hollywood are using their brains on this one.

Read about it here.

Just about every fan of the creative team of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean has heard of the new movie MirrorMask, and just about every fan waited as impatiently as I for it to reach the theaters. In fact, I was beginning to fear it wouldn’t reach many cinema houses at all. Which is why I was thrilled to discover that it had finally begun playing in Wisconsin, and it was with great anticipation that I sat down to see the film.

MirrorMask takes us on a bizarre surrealistic journey. It is the story of a young girl named Helena (Stephanie Leonidas), whose family runs a circus. As a rebellious child she finds herself in the unusual position of being a child who wishes to run away from the circus and join real life. Shortly after a fight with Helena, her mother (Gina McKee) falls very sick and is hospitalized. It isn’t clear what is wrong with her, but some kind of brain surgery is implied at this point. Helena is racked with guilt and one night upon going to sleep she wakes up in another land populated with creatures from her own drawings, a land where everyone wears a mask. She learns that the land is dying because the Queen of Light (also McKee) has fallen into a comatose state because a magical charm is missing. Teaming up with a traveling juggler named Valentine (Jason Barry), Helena sets out to recover the charm and restore the Queen of Light so that she might return home.

You may read this and feel that this movie seems like standard storybook fare, and you would be right. And you would also be very wrong.

What makes this film so different is McKean’s bizarre, even disturbing visual designs. Helena is stalked by eyeball-spiders, winged cats with man-faces and even stranger creatures at the palace of the Queen of Shadows (McKee again). The movie is simply a treasure to behold and the beauty of the bizarre surroundings Helena and Valentine travel through are almost overwhelming in their strangeness. Here is where the magic of Gaiman’s script comes in, as his skill with language adds a sort of matter-of-fact wonderment to McKean’s dreamscape. There is a beauty to this world that I guess at this point I should just expect from this team of world-builders, yet they surprise me every time.

MirrorMask is not so much a film as it is an experience to immerse yourself in. I will admit that the story is pretty typical, even predictable at points. Often I found myself spending more of my attention at the visual style than I did paying attention to the story which is a very rare thing for me. I found myself really wishing for a stronger tale behind the visual artistry, but for some bizarre reason it didn’t detract much from my enjoyment of the film. This is an entertaining rarity for me, as I truly believe that story is king in any medium.

I do recommend MirrorMask and I heartily encourage you to go see it if it comes anywhere close to you. I caution you though, this movie may not be what you expect, and that if you are not careful, some of McKean’s bizarre creations may haunt your dreams.

Seen the movie? Agree/Disagree? Think I am full of it? Leave a comment!