Oliver Stone’s ‘W’ teaser online

Hm…not sure what to make of this.  After all the talk Oliver Stone’s been doing about this film, I was expecting something else.  Will see it anyway.

Blu-ray too small? Toshiba down but not out?

All I can say is…wow.

On the downside, how fast can those discs spin? To be able to read all those layers, I can’t see these discs reading very fast.

And on a different, but related note, Toshiba is planning on releasing standard DVD players with new upscaling technology.  Current decks can upscale as high as 1080p, but Toshiba claims their tech can make standard-def DVD’s look as good as a true 1080p HD image.  Already, upscaling DVD’s look nice; I remember being wowed at the picture quality of Wedding Crashers (of all movies), the colors and image sharpness in some scenes was amazing.  The article can be read here.

clipped from tech.yahoo.com PCMagazine reported that Pioneer, the Japanese electronics manufacturer, has created a new, 16-layer disc capable of holding 400GBs of data. The disc, which looks the same as a traditional disc, is backwards compatible with Blu-ray technology, meaning that current Blu-ray drives may be able to read these massive discs in the future. What does “16-layer” mean? Think of it like colored, transparent sheets. A typical Blu-ray disc is just one red sheet. Now neatly stack 15 different colored sheets on top. To the untrained eye, it’s just a brown-black mess, but with the right set of glasses, you can see the red color just like you did before. Or you can change it to blue, green, or any other color sheet you stacked on top, without any of the other sheets distorting your view.

Jott = Awesome

Last week I finally signed up for a Twitter account.  I don’t really do much with it, considering I’m not always at my computer, and I don’t always feel like texting my updates. I’ve been going way over my alotted text messages for the month and I need to cut back.

I found out about this website called Jott that allows you to update your Twitter, WordPress, and other accounts from this website.  And, best of all, you can dial a number and through voice-command menus, you can post updates from a phone.  So, if I want to update my Twitter, I can just dial a number, say ‘Twitter’, and then start talking.  Granted, I need to speak very clearly or it won’t register, it usually works very well.  I can also send emails and text messages the same way.  There’s even an iPhone app for all you iPhone users.

You can even set your account up to recieve emails or texts when your RSS or Twitter feeds are updated.  Jott can even be used as a to-do list, among other things.  This website looks like it will be a real time-saver, plus with the new California drive-while-talking laws, I can easily use my hands-free set to update while driving.

So, hopefully this will cut down on my text messaging, as I technically won’t be sending any outgoing texts, only receiving them.  Plus, it’s very convenient to update all of my sites from just one.

‘Caprica’ Teaser Now Online

Been waiting some time for this. The look of the show is definitely not what I was expecting, but that’s OK. As long as the content is as good as Battlestar Galactica, I won’t complain.

clipped from www.tv.com In Battlestar Galactica, creator Ronald D. Moore painted a bleak future for humanity, with a robot uprising bent on extinguishing (or at least making things really difficult for) the human race. But before man made the gun-totin’ toasters, life was rather…jazzy. That’s the look producers have gone for in Caprica, the prequel to Sci Fi Channel’s re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series. The Los Angeles Times has a trailer for Caprica, and in contrast to the space travel and command decks of BSG, Caprica looks decidedly retro–almost an ode to the cigar-smoking, Scotch-swigging era of the 1950s. The trailer teases the show’s main conflict–namely, the rivalry between the Graystones and the Adamas that’s created after advanced robotics (beta Cylons) are used to replace a daughter that has died. At the TCA press tour, Sci Fi execs were still unclear about the approach to the two-hour Caprica pilot, saying it could serve either as a stand-alone movie or as the first episode of a series.

“Batman” Breaks Bank

Wow. That’s a lot of money. I’m surprised that the film was made for less than $200 million, and it looks like it could break $300 million by the end of its theatre run. Hell, I’m even considering watching it in IMAX again, so add another $15 to that total.

clipped from movies.yahoo.com “The Dark Knight” took in a record $155.34 million in its first weekend, topping the previous best of $151.1 million for “Spider-Man 3” in May 2007 and pacing Hollywood to its biggest weekend ever, according to studio estimates Sunday. Factoring in higher admission prices, “Spider-Man 3″ may have sold slightly more tickets than “The Dark Knight.” At 2007’s average price of $6.88, “Spider-Man 3″ sold 21.96 million tickets over opening weekend. Media By Numbers estimates today’s average movie prices at $7.08, which means “The Dark Knight” would have sold 21.94 million tickets. The movie’s release was preceded by months of buzz and speculation over the performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, Batman’s nemesis. Ledger, who died in January from an accidental prescription-drug overdose, played the Joker as a demonic presence, his performance prompting predictions that the role might earn him a posthumous Academy Award nomination.

Review: The Dark Knight – The IMAX Experience

Ever since it came out, I held Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 in the highest of regards.  I considered it the best comic book movie Hollywood’s ever made, even with competition from Sin City and Batman Begins.  The reason why is because of the way Peter Parker views his responsibilities; there’s even a nice scene between him and his aunt that pretty much spells everything out.  What he understands, by the end of the movie, is that there are a select few people that must sacrifice everything they have, and possibly everyone they love, for the greater good.  Parker knows that in order to be what he is destined to be, he must be prepared to lose it all.  Even though the Spider-Man movies are ‘cartoony’, they handle the more mature subtext nicely.  That is why Spider-Man 2 holds the mantle in my personal film collection as the greatest comic book movie ever made.

Until now.

In 2005, Christopher Nolan, along with veteran comic book movie scriptwriter David S. Goyer, took the reins on one of Warner Bros.’ most troubled projects: the continuation of the Batman film franchise.  Deciding on a complete reboot of the series, instead of trying to pick up the pieces Joel Schumacher made, Nolan and Goyer returned to the series’ dark roots, citing many of the Caped Crusader’s earlier graphic novels as a foundation.  Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One,  and Dennis O’Neil and Dick Giordano’s Batman: The Man Who Falls, were among the collection of stories chosen as inspiration for what would eventually be Batman Begins.

The film was well-recieved by both audiences and critics; it’s main selling point the darker and grittier tone of the film, going beyond what was seen in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman.  Fans and critics were eager to see what the cast and crew were going to churn out for the next installment.  Batman Begins was already praised for its mature themes, how could it possibly get any darker?  Simple.  Throw in Batman’s sworn arch-nemesis, someone who is willing to break every rule Batman follows (even if people perceive Batman to follow no rules).

The Dark Knight picks up some time after Batman Begins left off.  Arkham Asylum’s rogues gallery is loose and Batman (Christian Bale), the police, and the District Attorney’s office are all working overtime to capture them all.  One in particular concerns Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), one of Gotham’s last ‘untouchable’ cops.  The Joker (Heath Ledger) has been masterminding a series of daring bank robberies, but there seems to be a connection.  With the help of Gotham’s new D.A., Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), the police raid several banks that are suspected of having mob ties.  Unfortunately, the man that they’re looking for, the one who can help them tie everything together, flees to China.

To make a long story short, the criminals the good guys are after in the beginning are eventual all caught, and the city is thankful.  This poses a problem for the remainder of Gotham’s underworld.  Enter The Joker.  His plan: deal with the problem.  In this case, it happens to be Batman; he’s the only one with no jurisdiction lines to obey, he can punch first, ask questions later, and he answers to no one.  Batman’s the one nabbing the bad guys, the police and the D.A. are there to read their Miranda Rights.  The Joker offers to kill Batman, setting in motion events that will alter the course of the entire city, as well as those of Batman, Gordon, and Dent.

What makes this film brilliant is not the plot.  While I admire the plot, it would be nothing without something pushing it along.  A plot is just a series of events, what a good plot needs is a driving force, something to move everything toward an eventual conclusion.  Even ’slow parts’ of a film have a momentum; we’re being told something about a character or characters.  The Joker is The Dark Knight’s driving force, the unstoppable momentum, the rules by which everyone is going by.

The criminals of Gotham City take all the social rules and throw them out the window.  The Joker takes all the criminal rules, and dices them up.  With him, everything is fair game and nothing is sacred.  This is what makes him such an effective bad guy.  There is no line he won’t cross in order to attain his goals.  The Joker is played brilliantly by Heath Ledger.  In one of his last performances, Ledger gives us a Joker that is truly chilling.  Intelligent.  Violent.  Bold.  Psychotic.  The Joker is all of these.  In fact, I’d throw in fearless as well.  He has absolutely nothing to lose, and he care even less about his enemies, save for one.  Batman.

Batman and the Joker are almost like two halves of the same coin.  They’re both willing to do whatever it takes to ‘win’, they both are shunned by society and even the ‘friends’ they keep they’re like enigmas.  However, the Joker is willing to do away with all the conformities of society, cross every line, break every rule.  Batman doesn’t realize this until it’s too late and the lives of innocent people are put in real danger.  The Joker knows what Batman is capable of, and sees him and the Caped Crusader as being on the same social level.  The Joker says it best himself, when he tells Batman, “You complete me.”

Another thing that wowed me was the film’s use of violence and language.  Basically, there’s nothing here that isn’t more graphic than the first film, but it just feels like there’s more.  The Dark Knight is rated PG-13, due to acts of physical violence, although there’s no blood and no swearing.  Save for a few scenes that involve the Joker and sharp objects, it’s your standard comic book action fare.  What the film has, in spades, is very mature themes dealing with the nature of good and evil, innocent and guilty.  The Joker makes Gordon, Dent, Batman, and Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) reconsider their chosen path.  Is what they’re doing enough to rid Gotham of crime and corruption?  What else can they possibly do?  Batman knows the only other option that’s left: become what it is they’re all fighting, become a true vigilante.  The Joker knows this as well, and he’s willing to risk his own life to show Batman it’s a path he must take.

The Dark Knight exceeds on all fronts.  Even supporting roles like Alfred (Michael Caine) and Lucius (Morgan Freeman) are expanded and given more prominence.  Some may complain the movies is too long, and indeed there was a time when I thought to myself, “Wow, this movie feels long.”  That doesn’t mean that each minute isn’t earned.  The performances, all of them, are spot on.  Unfortunately, Bale’s ‘Batman voice’ sounds more like Bale with a sore throat and a cold this time around, but I can say the maybe Katie Holmes dropping out wasn’t such a bad thing.  Replacing her with Maggie Gyllenhaal was smart, as she brings a sense of fierceness to the role that Holmes lacked in Batman Begins.  Also, there’s something slightly off about Batman’s cowl.  It’s like the lower half of Bale’s face is struggling to burst free.  And another thing about the Batman costume: the new utility belt reminds me of the Michael Keaton Batman, a nice touch.

There’s also much to be said about Lt. Jim Gordon.  He’s been an ally of Batman since the beginning, and he’s willing to ignore his responsibility as a police officer when it comes to handling Batman.  The police are, officially, supposed to arrest the Dark Knight, but they all know the kind of good Batman is doing for all of them.  Gordon understands the symbiotic relationship law enforcement share with the masked hero: they need each other, and Gordon is prepared to do nearly everything, even risk his career and his life, to protect this alliance.  Gary Oldman’s performance here is, to me, just as strong as Heath Ledger’s is.  Oldman bring a sense of world-weariness to the role.  Gordon’s seen much, and done things he may not be proud of, but he does it all to protect his family and his city.  He’s like the middle-man between Batman and Dent, willing to physically take on the bad guys, but do it within the rules of law.

Aaron Eckhart is also great as Harvey Dent.  He’s like the ideal politician; winning everyone’s minds over with rhetoric, but winning their hearts over with results.  Dent is a pitbull, ready to go on the attack whenever there’s an opportunity to take down a criminal, no matter how insignificant this bad guy is to the grand scheme of things.  In The Dark Knight Harvey is referred to as Gotham’s ‘White Knight’, and he is.  Batman acknowledges him as the city’s true savior, someone who doesn’t need a mask to battle evil.  But, pit him against someone like the Joker, and he’s as vulnerable as anyone else.

This is one of the few examples of a sequel exceeding its predecessor.  It belongs among the likes of The Empire Strikes Back, The Wrath of Kahn, and Spider-Man 2 as some of the best sequels of all time.  The Dark Knight also deserves to be ranked among the best, if not the best, comic-book-to-film adaptations ever made.  I believe they should let some more time past between this and the third installment, since this film lays it on thick with dark atmosphere.  People may have a hard time going from this to the next one as it, in my opinion, seems like it’s just too much.  Gotham lies in a state of near-ruin, and the people have nearly lost all hope.  This film showed us what a true villain is, and the third can make us see what a true hero is.

From the darkness, comes the Knight.

10/10

(images from Yahoo!)

The IMAX Experience

I saw this film at the IMAX theatre in San Francisco, the world’s largest digital projection screen in the world.  The last movie I saw here was Zack Snyder’s 300, and I was blown away.  Not necassarily because of the mammoth screen, but because of the sound.  There’s over 10,000 watts of sound being pumped throughout that theatre.  The Dark Knight uses each watt to the max.  Every punch, gunshot, explosion, car engine, even footstep is clearly audible.  It was so loud, at times I thought I heard a speaker or two start to distort.  This film is loud.  Quite possibly louder than 300, and that movie literally shook the seats.

Waiting in line for this was like waiting in line for a Star Wars movie, or Halloween candy.  Lots of people dressed up, a long-ass line, and plenty of smelly nerds.  And I mean S-T-I-N-K-Y; I was wondering if some of the people in line were there for the past few days since they smelled so bad.  Anyway, waiting 3 hours in line was something I kind of miss.  There aren’t too many movies that would make me want to stand in the same spot for 3 or more hours, and I enjoy the atmosphere (smell not withstanding).  These are people that share your same passion, your interests, your joys.  It’s almost ‘fun’ to be a part of it.  Granted, I wasn’t talking up every guy who was dressed up as Batman (I was busy playing some multiplayer DS), I still got some weird sense of enjoyment out of it.  Plus, there were a few girls in line that didn’t look too bad in a Catwoman suit, or a tight-fitting Batman shirt.

However, I think the theatre is still too small for a screen of that size.  They should really build the seating after the IMAX theatre in Virginia Beach, using more stadium-style seating with balconies.  You can’t look at the screen and take everything in, and from a cinematography point-of-view, that can be bad.  I don’t want to have to move my entire head in order to see something.  Also, the opening shot of the film begins with a wide bird’s-eye-view of Gotham.  The cityscape took up the entire screen, however, further into the movie, the aspect ratio was switched to a widescreen 2.35:1 ratio.  It sucks the entire film wasn’t shot in the IMAX format, but maybe for the next movie.

Overall, a nice experience, minus the slightly uncomfortable viewing angle and the smelly comic book geeks.

New Teaser: Terminator Salvation

To be honest, I didn’t even know production on this movie was far along enough to have a teaser made.  It looks sweet.  I am a HUGE fan of the first two, and I did enjoy the third, even if it was just mindless popcorn fluff.  Can’t wait for this one.

It’s a Madworld!!!!

Yes!! Let it begin! LET IT BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(images from Gamespot.com)

clipped from e3.gamespot.com The Wii has a well-earned reputation of being a console for the whole family. That may change somewhat when Madworld gets its Western release in the first quarter of 2009. Madworld is a highly stylized action game which features some of the most extreme scenes of violence possibly ever rendered in pixels. The violence is so over-the-top that it’s almost amusing in its excessiveness. Bodies get split in twain, hearts get ripped out of chests, lamp posts get impaled in heads–and that’s just in the one level that we saw. Madworld employs a unique graphical style where the entire world and characters are rendered in high detailed black and white (and somewhat similar to the art style in a Frank Miller Sin City book and you’ll get the picture). In fact, the only color in the game is the red blood which gushes out of opponents in copious amounts. And did we mention that the main character in the game’s default weapon is a chainsaw?

Book Review: Scar Night (The Deepgate Codex, Book 1)

Alan Campbell’s debut novel is a gritty, blood-soaked fantasy set in a gothic world where angels live among humans, gods plot their revenge, and a city hovers, literally, on the edge of destruction.  Before going into the book itself, I think it’s necessary to go into the well-crafted mythology that is the basis for the story.

Thousands of years ago (possibly longer?), the ruler of Heaven, Ayen, casts out her son Ulcis, the God of Chains, and several of his bretheren.  Ulcis falls to Earth, leaving a massive hole in the ground, the bottom of which is where he now supposedly takes up residence.  He then sends up his Herald, the angel Callis, to preach his word to the humans.  Ulcis needs them to supply souls to restore the ranks of his army; he will then strike back at his mother and retake Heaven, granting humans admission as well.  In order to do this, Ulcis instructs Callis to create a temple where the humans can worship him and send their sacrifices.  The location for this temple: right above the seemingly bottomless pit.  Callis, and the other 99 angels that followed Ulcis, pass the word along to the humans, who not only construct the Temple, but an entire city called Deepgate.

The story follows a few characters, one of the the angel Dill, last of the Battle Archons, the warrior angels that protected Deepgate from her enemies, most notably the Heshette.  The Heshette are desert-dwellers who worship the Goddess Ayen, and are sworn enemies of Deepgate.  Dill is not like his ancestors, he doesn’t know how to fight, fly, or do anything that would be deemed ‘useful’; he’s basically a figurehead for the Church, brought out every once in a while to show the people of Deepgate that their religion is real.  He becomes paired with a young assassin, Rachel Hael, who works for the Spine, the Church’s secretive military wing.  She is basically a glorified babysitter, having not passed all the required tests of the Spine, but still retaining many of their deadly skills.

There’s also another angel, Carnival, who hunts her human prey once a month on a night called Scar Night.  Working for the Church are Presbyter Sypes, the head of the Church, and Adjunct Fogwill, Sypes’ assistant.  There’s also Devon, the Church’s chief Poisoner, and a man named Mr. Nettle, who mourns after the death of his daughter.

Scar Night is rich with history and characters, like any novel, fantasy or otherwise, should be.  Unfortunately, Campbell seems to get so caught up in his characters that he sometimes forgets to move the plot forward.  There are more characters that play major roles in the story, but that’s part of the problem.  I feel like this book is tackling something so broad and epic in scope, that it tries to introduce is to so much, then rush the plot toward the end.  That isn’t to say it’s a bad book; I quite like it and I feel that it’s a great introduction to what could be an incredible series.

The novel is divided into three parts, and as the chapters progress, the intensity slowly builds…up until the last quarter of the book.  All of a sudden, there’s an explosion of action, like a payoff with a buildup that was still building.  A good chunk of the action is reserved for the final part, which is split between two different locations, but I feel that there wasn’t enough action going on in the previous two parts.  I was honestly bored through most of the first part, although the second opens with a very inventive fight inside a giant ball that, not only is it rolling on top of buildings, but is also on fire.  For those that have seen Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest, it’s like the swordfight in the giant wheel, only with a much bigger wheel, and it being lit on fire.

The style in which the book is written is like a mix of old gothic-sounding English mixed with the occasional modern-day slang.  It’s very descriptive, and at times very beautiful.  The city of Deepgate itself is wonderfully detailed.  It’s a city suspended by chains, built on chains, and wrapped in chains.  By some of the description in the book, you could almost smell the rust and corrosion in the air as the city is slowly decaying.  I keep picturing a twisted, macabre version of an industrial 19th-Century England.  Alan Campbell has fully realized this world on paper, and it shows here.

By the time I finished the book, I felt ready for more.  This obviously is the first part of a series (it’s part of the Deepgate Codex), and it feels written as one.  Campbell does a fine job of setting up the characters, even if the plot takes a while to go anywhere.  The sequel, Iron Angel, was released earlier this year, and it’s sitting on my bookshelf right now; I can’t wait to start it.  Despite its flaws, Scar Night is a novel fantasy fans shouldn’t pass up; it’s vivid in the descriptions, rich with characters, and thick with atmosphere.

7.5/10

(image from Amazon.com)

For those really interested in the world of the Deepgate Codex, Alan Campbell has written a novella that acts as the prequel to Scar Night, called Lye Street.  The cheapest I’ve seen it is on Amazon, but the rare limited editions are available on eBay for a considerably higher price.

Nintendo’s E3 Conference

Having been thoroughly addicted to Animal Crossing: Wild World, I can’t containt my excitment for the new Wii game, Animal Crossing: City Folk. Plus, in-game voice chat?!?!?!  I’m lining up now.

Two years ago, I remember watching Shigeru Miyamoto come out in a tuxedo and proceed to use the Wiimote to conduct a virtual orchestra.  Now, we only have to wait until the end of the year for this mini-game music collection.

I know, it’s not enough for the nay-sayers, but I think this solidifies Nintendo’s plans for gaming domination.  These, plus Shaun White’s Snowboarding, a Grand Theft Auto game for the DS, and the upcoming game Conduit prove that Nintendo, in their own way, really is taking care of all their gamers, hardcore and casual.

While I do own an Xbox 360, I’m much more impressed with what Nintendo has done for the gaming industry and bringing this hobby to the masses.  I’m proud to be an early adopter of the Wii and the DS, and I hope Nintendo continues to innovate…and hopefully make their next console graphically on par with Sony and Microsoft.