The Regulators #1
Written by Jeff Loew
Art by George Todorovski
Visionary Comics
Price: $0.99
Release date: April 7, 2010

The Regulators is a new science fiction/thriller story. It takes place on Mars with a very interesting political landscape. I am definitely intrigued and will probably continue reading the series to see what it as all about.

Most first issues run into the problem of over explaining and having to much exposition. I am happy to report that this is not the case in this issue, but rather it jumps right into the story. Although I was a little lost in the story because I was not sure what had happened to lead the characters to this point. I am hoping that this is resolved by a flashback or some sort of explanation of how the universe works and got to be that way. This also led to me not relating to many of the characters because they are not fully fleshed out yet. I can tell that the writing is good so I want to read more but so far I am still a little bit lost. Otherwise the story really seems interesting and I have lots of questions I want answered about the characters and I always love a good science fiction story [...]

Disney’s Tron: Legacy is still eight months away from being released, but the studio is already anxious to get a sequel moving forward.

Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, who wrote the first movie and have worked as writers and executive producers on Lost, have been re-hired to immediately get to work on the follow-up. This is an interesting move, as there is still the chance — despite the major buzz and great trailers we’ve seen — that Tron: Legacy will end up disappointing the masses.

Much like the other news that they’re making Dark Life before the book even comes out, it would seem that Disney is all about taking a few risks these days. This isn’t the worst thing in the world; sometimes in Hollywood risks pay off big time, and you have to tip your cap to rolling the dice now and again. And worst case scenario, they toss the script and move on. Larger disasters have unfolded. [...]

It was a little strange when we were informed that two movies based on Greek mythology were coming — one an adaptation of popular video game God of War; the other being Tarsem Singh‘s War of Gods — with such similar titles. Though the Brett Ratner-directed God of War has since been put to sleep for now, it looks as if they don’t want to take the risk on title confusions among movie-goers.

In a press release put out by Relativity Media, it was announced that War of Gods will now officially be called Immortals. The new title doesn’t sound quite as epic (more like a Highlander sequel), but is effective enough for what they need it to be. Another possible title was Dawn of War.

Also announced in said press release, is that two new actors have joined the cast. John Hurt, who should be familiar to all movie fans for roles in films like Alien, the Hellboy movies, and the Harry Potter franchise (among many, many others), has been cast to play Zeus. Joining him will be Isabel Lucas, who will be playing Athena. Lucas was in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Daybreakers, and will be seen in the remake of Red Dawn. [...]

We’re still patiently awaiting a movie based on the horrific underwater video game, Bioshock, but Walt Disney may be looking to transport us to the ocean’s floor a little sooner.

It’s being reported that director Robert Zemeckis is adding yet another project to his ever-growing to-do list. Zemeckis will take on an adaptation of the Kat Falls novel, Dark Life, which hasn’t even hit bookshelves yet. Buying up rights to books that haven’t come out yet has become another one of Hollywood’s common habits; a rather risky move considering no one knows how the book itself will be received. If this ends up being a big success on page and screen, however, then they all look like geniuses.

Dark Life is set in the near future when real-world issues like global warming have lead to water levels rising past the point of no return, leading to massive devastation and many people moving into new settlements on the ocean floors. Over the years, this has lead to the development of many special abilities in younger kids and teens. [...]

In a WonderCon shocker, current Detective Comics writer Greg Rucka announced during his spotlight panel that he has turned in his last story for DC Comics.

The fan favorite writer was putting out what will no doubt turn out to be a classic run on Detective Comics with artist JH Williams III and I’m sad to see him leave the book, as it was my favorite title DC was putting out.

That being said, I’m happy for Rucka because now he can focus on creator-owned books like Queen and Country and Stumptown.

On Twitter, Rucka commented:

To all who sent kind words: thank you! No bad blood w/ DC; just time to move on.

On his blog, JH Williams III wrote the following message [...]

Positive emotions were high among attendees at Sunday’s WonderCon 2010 Chuck panel featuring Zachary Levi, Josh Gomez, and Adam Baldwin, along with show creator/producers Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz. This was no doubt caused by the Con’s surprise screening of the latest episode a day earlier than its regular prime time air date.

That episode, “Chuck vs. The Other Guy” was originally written as the show’s Season 3 finale, but after the network ordered more than its initial 13-episode run, the team had an option to amend it for the new finale but decided against it after reading the script.

“Essentially we had designed the whole season to get to that point… Chuck and Sarah in Paris,” Fedak said.

“It actually works out great for fans because you get what was designed to be a season finale in the middle of the season and then it’s on us to ramp it back up again, Schwartz said. “So you get twice as much excitement. It’s a win-win.”

Having attended the screening at WonderCon, I can say that I wish I could watch every episode with hundreds of adoring fans. It felt more like I was watching a cult classic I’d never seen than television programing [...]

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Wallace Wolodarsky, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Chase Anderson
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 23, 2010

I’ve never been a big Wes Anderson fan. The films I have seen from the filmmaker have been too quirky for my tastes, the kind of quirk that crosses the line between adorable and just plain weird. Anderson definitely makes the kinds of films where I would deem it mandatory to find out precisely what type of experience you’re in for before seeing them, because if you don’t you could end up thinking someone switched films on you leaving you lost and bewildered. Keeping that in mind, I think Fantastic Mr. Fox just might be my favorite Wes Anderson film to date.

Based on the children’s novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, the story is about Mr. Fox (George Clooney) and how he outwits his farmer neighbors, stealing their food right from under their noses. Anderson stated that he signed on because Roald Dahl was one of his heroes, so he had a strong personal connection in making the film. I’ve not had the pleasure of reading the book, but while doing some research I learned that the story the book covers would amount to the second act of the film. New scenes were apparently added by Anderson to serve for the film’s beginning and end [...]

The San Diego Comic Con is the end-all be-all of yearly movie, TV, and comic book conventions. It’s the convention where the biggest movies show off their newest footage, it’s where major announcements are made, and there is no other better place for one to completely disappear into an ocean of excited fanboys and girls who are buzzing with excitement…and likely dressed as their favorite characters.

Due to this scorching Summer celebration of all things geek, popularity in the convention has constantly grown over the years. It’s gotten to the point where so many people attend every it’s painfully impossible to comfortably attend; hotels are hard to find, lines are infinite, and the many various halls replace oxygen with far more people than capacity would indicate.

With San Diego’s claim to the convention’s set for expiration in 2012, many other locations have began bidding for the right to claim it as their own. And because of the many aforementioned flaws, this has not sounded like the worst idea ever, despite the fact that it would be strange for Comic Con to be held anywhere but its beautiful San Diego home. [...]

New DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee discussed the future of the company’s efforts to bring comics to digital platforms in a panel at this year’s WonderCon event.

On behalf of the company, Lee said they viewed digital comics as a completely different product than the printed versions and as such, they want to play to each product’s strengths. He also offered explanation for why we haven’t seen more crossover to mobile devices in lieu of this week’s release of the iPad.

“I think at the end of the day, I have not seen anything on the digital side that is more compelling to me than a printed comic,” said Lee in response to a fan question at the panel. “I’ll use Blackest Night as an example. You open that up and — I don’t want to spoil anything — but there’s a spread inside that’s just amazing. You cannot replicate it on a device with a smaller screen.”

Ultimately, he said it’s why DC hasn’t jumped head first onto the digital bandwagon the way other companies have, such as competitor Marvel Entertainment, which released their own iPhone/iPad application to coincide with Saturday’s debut of Apple’s iPad tablet device [...]

Robot Chicken and Family Guy were both given a special blessing by George Lucas himself to create special episodes of their show that would spoof the classic Star Wars saga of films. So far, everything we’ve seen of these specials (with at least the third spoof from Family Guy expected) has been hilarious, and it’s clear that when done right, Star Wars spoofs can go on for ever and ever and ever.

The folks over at LucasFilm have come to this realization, and according to reports, have entered into a new deal with Robot Chicken creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich to become creative talents involved in a new comedic animated Star Wars series. Brendan Hay, who writes for The Daily Show, is one of the names brought in to work on the series, and Todd Grimes will be a director. Jennifer Hill (The Backyardians) will be a producer.

The show doesn’t have a set network to air on yet, and this is where some questions arise. It’s great that Green and Senreich will be involved creatively, and Hay is obviously a comedic talent. [...]

The Muppet Show Comic Book #3
Written & Drawn by Roger Langridge
Colors by Digikore Studios
Letters by Deron Bennet
BOOM! Studios
Price: $2.99
Release date: June 3, 2009

The Muppet Show Comic Book #3 wraps up the “On The Road” storyline that covers the first few issues of this ongoing series. After being on the road to raise money to save their theater, Kermit and the Gang quickly get back to work on giving the audience a great show.

But what’s this? Fozzy and Gonzo have not made it back in the time for the night’s performance! Will they make it in time? And what is in this mysterious box addressed to Fozzy Bear? All these questions and more are answered in issue #3!

The Muppet Show Comic Book series has really done a fantastic job of adapting the old series into comic book format with new stories. The format is basically that of the television show in that it gives you different skits and sub stories to accent the main plot, and the clever writing and humor laced throughout the book really accentuates the quirky style that the Muppets have always been able to achieve [...]

Disney’s Hero Squad Ultraheroes #3
Written by Alessandro Ferrari & Ivan Saidenberg
Art by Antonella Dalena & Carlos Edgard Herrero
Colors by Magic Eye Studios & Mickey Clausen
Letters by Deron Bennett
BOOM! Studios
Price: $2.99
Release Date: March 31, 2010

Disney’s Hero Squad Ultraheroes #3 my first time reading any of the new Disney comics from BOOM! Studios, as well as my first time reading any Disney comics in several years. I was interested to see what kind of comics Disney were producing for the younger readers, and I was not disappointed.

In the first story, “Good and Evil,” we see the Duck Avenger (Donald Duck’s superhero identity) track down the Phantom Blot in a sewer. Apparently, the Ultraheroes have been battling Emil Eagle’s Sinister 7 over devices called Ultrapods. The Duck Avenger and Phantom Blot engage in a very interesting and humorous battle over the Ultrapods. The battle will delight kids, as well as any parents or other adult Disney fans with all the counterattacks staged by Duck Avenger and the Phantom Blot.

The main subplot in the story sees Mickey on the trail of Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin. It was cool to read about Mickey Mouse in a story, and I have always loved the concept of the Money Bin [...]

Brothers
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Jim Sheridan
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 23, 2010

Detached in genre but alike in context, director Jim Sheridan’s new film Brothers, a remake of the 2004 Danish film titled Brodre, ironically provokes emotions that ran rampant in his 2003 masterpiece In America. In that film an outsider is welcomed into an Irish-American family and in return he forever changes whatever their prior perspective on life was. Most of Mr. Sheridan’s films show an intense interest with man’s ability to detach himself from the parade of inabilities, setbacks, and tragedies that universally correspond with the orders of humanity. The roadblocks that face most of his characters are appropriate given their specificity in life. How Daniel Day-Lewis’ character in My Left Foot or Djimon Hounsou’s character in In America are able to unshackle themselves from their imprisonment to nature is what makes Sheridan’s films rigid and universally true: Man has a desire to deliberately shun away all the perplexities that nature is bound to, paving a path that can eventually lead to some form of freedom.

In Brothers a man has been emotionally scarred and alienated by the natural causes of war, and has thus been incapable of communicating properly with his wife (Natalie Portman), two children and his brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) [...]

Clash of the Titans
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton
Rated PG-13
Release Date: April 2, 2010

The original Clash of the Titans is a movie I have very fond memories of from when I was a kid. I remember enjoying Medusa, Pegasus, and all the other elements of Greek and Roman mythology, and I used to eat that stuff up when I was younger. And since the original was moderately successful and Hollywood has run out of new ideas, a remake was inevitable.

I’ve got nothing against remakes in general, so I gave this the benefit of the doubt and hoped that the creators could deliver a fun action film with some fantastic beasts. Having seen the original film, I think it is unfair to compare this film to it, because if I did I would really dislike this one. The new film stays close to the original story, but then tries to add elements that end up adding nothing. So, if I look at it as a completely new franchise, does it hold up any better? Sadly, it does not, as this turns out to be just another mediocre action film that is about as faithful to Greek mythology as the Mummy films are to Egyptian mythology, and lacks the fun that made the original so enjoyable [...]

The Walt Disney Company was in full attendance yesterday at WonderCon 2010 in San Francisco, CA, and one of the films they were showing off is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. On hand for the panel was star Jake Gyllenhaal, director Mike Newell, a one Mr. Jerry Bruckheimer (producer, this being his first convention appearance ever), and Jordan Mechner, who created the original video game and is acting as an executive producer on the movie.

The highlight of the panel was, however, the unreleased clips from the film they brought with them to show off, which is what fans always want to see at these conventions. Forget the talk, show off never-before-seen footage, and you’ll win hearts. And we’ve got that footage description right here for you!

A Q&A session was held with the cast and crew, but no bombshells were dropped or anything of that sort. They talked about playing the characters, and how Gyllenhaal did some major Parkour training to prepare, which basically means he learned all of the skills of those city runners who can navigate any obstacle with ease [...]

The Walt Disney Company held multiple movie panels yesterday at WonderCon 2010 in San Francisco, CA, one of which was for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The film is directed by John Turteltaub, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and stars Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Monica Belucci, and Alfred Molina.

Many were pulling double-duty as Bruckheimer was there for both Persia and Apprentice (both of which also star Molina), and Cage, who was there for this and the big draw of the convention, Kick-Ass.

Much like Disney’s other panel, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, this panel showed off a couple of new scenes before jumping into a Q&A session with Baruchel, Cage, Bruckeheimer, and actress Teresa Palmer. See below for our description of the footage.

One thing I personally had absolutely zero clue about, was that this movie is actually based (very loosely) on the segment from the classic (and trippy) Disney animated film, Fantasia. With Fantasia being based on the 1797 poem, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, it all makes sense. The circle of cinematic life [...]

Writer/director Paul W. S. Anderson joined Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter for an exclusive panel at WonderCon 2010 to discuss their recent efforts making Resident Evil: Afterlife — Alice (Jovovich) continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety in a world ravaged by a virus infection that turns its victims into the undead.

But while this may be the fourth film in the franchise, it has plenty of “firsts” — the first in the series to be presented in 3D, the first film not named Avatar to use the three-dimensional technology developed by James Cameron, and also the first zombie film to use Cameron’s tech.

“James Cameron approached us about using the new technology and generously showed us a long portion of Avatar prior to its release. [Essentially] it convinced me that I should use 3D,” Anderson said, further explaining “to shoot and originate in 3D — not as a post process.” [...]

Jackie Earle Haley might not be a name you immediately recognize, but if you’ve seen Watchmen, Rorschach is burned into your skull. After hearing Haley discuss his approach to portraying Freddy Krueger at the A Nightmare on Elm Street panel at this year’s WonderCon, I’m convinced people will remember his name, or at the very least, give a whole new generation of children chronic insomnia.

Haley said initially he had consulted research materials for psychotic murderers to understand the motivation for the character. However, he eventually came to the conclusion that Freddy Krueger is a rare example of a monster within our modern culture.

“It was just such a different energy. I still wanted to embrace his human side [but] it was really an exercise in embracing this monster, this boogieman,” Haley said.

One source he didn’t consult in detail was Robert Englund’s original performance as Krueger, citing it as “daunting” to play a role that has only been done [and done successfully] by one man [...]

Ninja Assassin
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by James McTeigue
Written by Matthew Sand, J. Michael Straczynski
Starring Rain, Naomie Harris, Shô Kosugi, Ben Miles, Anna Sawai
Warner Home Video
Release Date: March 16, 2010

When Ninja Assassin first made its presence known to us, it sounded like it could be one of the more entertaining flicks on its way to our eyes. Sometimes the production process is a long and trying one, however, and when the movie’s release drew near and every single commercial break had a spot advertising it, I found myself personally losing interest at an alarming rate. The movie had gone from an fun and exciting prospect to a title that had seemingly over-done it before it had even hit theaters.

This of course wasn’t the best of set-ups for someone like myself entering into a review of the movie, but it’s been multiple months now since the theatrical run, allowing the persistent advertisement efforts to wear off enough for me to jump in.

Ninja Assassin tells the story of a secret society of ninjas who inherit orphaned children and turn them into the deadliest killers the world has ever seen, paid 100 pounds of gold (or its equivalent over time) to remove people who need removing. [...]

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
Paperbook
By Steve Hockensmith
Quirk Books
Release date: March 23, 2010

Is classic literature your thing? Do you think everything could use a little zombie in it? Well you are in luck, because Quirk Classic have followed up on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, their extremely wild take on Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice, with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls.

Quirk has definitely made itself known for these interesting takes on classic tales, especially Jane Austen books, which they’ve infused with zombies. Let me just start off by saying that this concept could have easily been used to pull in zombie fans with no depth or quality in writing, but author Steve Hockensmith definitely does not take this approach and brings a fresh spin to zombifying a classic tale.

Dawn of the Dreadfuls is a prequel to the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies telling the start of the Bennet’s story. Oscar Bennet, the father of the family, had dealt with the dreadfuls — the zombies — in the past when he was in the order and now the dreadfuls are back and he has to prepare his family for their attacks [...]