Tag: fantasy

Geek of the Week: Cedric Gegel, Creator of Cadia: A World Within

by Deidra Kathleen

Devastated by the loss of their mother, three teenagers discover a mystical realm where they must attempt to work together and overcome evil to return home. (Cadia: A World Within)

What inspired you to write Cadia? How did you come up with the idea?
I was in a musical with Keegan, Carly, and Tanner (our lead actors) and was trying to distract them backstage by coming up with movie plots. They really liked this one, so I took a few months, which became years, to write it out. I was heavily inspired by Harry Potter, Narnia – those mythical tales of hope in the face of darkness. I think those stories need to be told.

What do you want audience members to take away from seeing your film?
I just want the message of hope to go with them. It’s a story that encourages belief in the goodness of people. It’s definitely a film about faith, but one we wanted to keep inclusive to all people. We worked very hard, incidentally, to validate those who might have doubt in their faith journeys. To me, that’s an intrinsic element of faith. The two must coexist. So, in short, I’m hoping people walk away feeling loved and feeling like there is hope. I hope they walk away asking questions – I don’t have all the answers – and having meaningful conversations about what faith looks like in the face of doubt and pain.

How did you go about casting?
Did you already have certain actors in mind whilst writing?
I was definitely involved. One actor that I very much had in mind when writing was Corbin Bernsen in the role of Grandpa George, so I’m sure you can imagine my absolute joy when we signed him on to the film. As for James Phelps, I hadn’t at all thought of him, but when his name came up I instantly realized he was perfect for the role (which, for the record, he was). I always tend to write for certain actors, but that’s more to capture a certain voice or physicality. I feel like it gives my characters a space from which they can grow. We had online submissions and live auditions. I think our cast came from a fairly even mix of both. Some people had been in dozens of films while some had been in none. All of them were superb.

What – if any geeky hobbies do you partake in?
“If any.” Ha. You’re speaking to the Grand Champion of the Pokemon League, the Dragonborn, a pure Hufflepuff, a grey Jedi if there ever was one, the Ringbearer himself! I’m a big gamer. I once beat Pokemon Ruby with six level one hundred Mudkip. Love Skyrim. I played Quidditch in college – I was the captain of our team (for the record, we never lost a single game). I keep two lightsabers on my desk at all times. I just reread Lord of the Rings and fell back in love with Middle Earth. I’ve been told I’m doing my first Dungeons and Dragons session soon. I foresee myself as a bard, since I can’t keep my mouth shut or focus my energy.

James Phelps, Cadia

When did you know you wanted to be in the film industry?
I grew up wanting to perform. I always thought I wanted to be a singer or something, but I actually recently found a paper I wrote in sixth grade where I said that I was going to be an actor and filmmaker, so I guess it was around then. Seems weird to think about that, since I hadn’t even done a musical or anything at that point, but I guess it was in my heart. My parents encouraged us to perform and took us to dance lessons and everything, so it’s just a part of our family’s DNA. My siblings are ridiculously talented – Tori (my older sister) was wonderful at ballet, Salon (my twin sister) got a degree in dance and is also a strong actor, alongside having a great mind for business and working on Cadia as a script supervisor, and Austin (my younger brother) is a crazy good actor and singer. Honestly, he’s better than me. My father is a very funny actor on stage and has a nice baritone/bass voice, and my mother is a really nice alto. I’m really very lucky to have them all and have them be so supportive.

What is your Hogwarts house ?
Good gosh, I’m the dictionary definition of a Hufflepuff. I’m goofy. I’m loyal, sometimes to a fault. I strive to be honest. I love food. My name is Cedric, for heck’s sake. I think my secondary house would be Ravenclaw. I’m not smart enough to be a Slytherin and not dumb enough to be a Gryffindor. Yeah, I said it!

What advice would you give to fellow aspiring fantasy filmmakers?
Tell the story you want to tell. Fantasy means so many things to so many different people… It doesn’t need to have dragons. If it does, sick. I’ll watch it. But it doesn’t need it. To me, the fantasy element comes down more to the memorable characters and the elements of the world you’re creating. In Cadia, we see a world of hope and light and humor and anger and all the things we see in our own world, except these people are unfettered from society’s expectations. They’re free to be honest with themselves. They all legitimately believe in their mission – good or evil. Write the story you want to write. Make the magic you want to. It’s your world, dang it, and if people don’t like it, they can go home. Cadia isn’t to the scale of Narnia or Middle Earth, but it’s pure magic compared to Skia (our world in the Cadia universe).

Where can we see Cadia?
[It’s] currently being negotiated. We should have an answer soon. Keep your eyes open and follow us on social media to stay updated!

Instagram: CadiaFilm
Facebook: CadiaFilm

SDCC 2019: ‘Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light’ Author, Co-Creators Talk Creating A Universe, Working With Stan, And More!

by Mikaela Maxwell

I’ve always been a huge reader, but as life shifts and changes, and commuting takes up more of my day, I found myself not making as much time for it. Then I discovered Audible, and it changed my world! In the couple of years since joining Audible I have listened to almost 50 different titles! A lot while commuting, but also while cleaning, gardening, getting ready in the AM… you get the picture. So naturally my interest was piqued when, shortly before commencing my first SDCC trip, I received an invitation to have an experience and do an interview with the creators of a new Audible Original, Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light!

Photo Credit: Audible

Not only was this an Audible project, but it was also one of the final collaborative projects from the illustrious Stan Lee, in a totally new universe, with totally new characters, created for a totally new format! Needless to say, my interest was extremely piqued. That being said I almost didn’t jump at this opportunity because I didn’t know if I was a good choice for the job. It’s not like it would be my first interview (I interviewed my face off at last years PAX West) but this project just felt so precious and special, and like it needed to be handled with such respect and skill. I wasn’t sure if I could do it justice. However with much support and encouragement from my Geekscape mentor (AKA Derek!), I decided to say yes to this amazing opportunity!

Photo Credit: Me

On Thursday, July 18th, the first Full day of SDCC, I was able to head into the A Trick of Light activation. This was a super neat experience, and I wish everyone was able to try it out. The activation allows you to experience excerpts from the story, narrated by the incredible Yara Shahidi, accompanied by captivating lighting sequences and effects. There are no characters or scenes laid out in front of you, you are required to create the image of the characters through your imagination, but the way light is used inside the activation creates an atmosphere that plunges you directly into the story alongside the characters.

Photo Credit: Audible

The activation kicks off by having you experience the storm that changes the life of one the main characters; through lights, and mirrors, and narration you feel immersed into this character’s experience. You are then lead into, as Ryan so eloquently described, a light labyrinth. Here you find yourself turning corners and coming to dead ends, where there is a cone of sound around you, allowing you to have a private-feeling experience of the narration, while being mesmerized by an accompanying lighting sequence. As you go to leave, you are lead down a hallway, accompanied by Stan Lee’s voice, and I doubt I was the only one to tear up at this point in the experience!

Photo Credit: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Audible
Photo Credit: Audible
Photo Credit: Audible

Saturday hit and that meant it was time for the interview! This was meant to be a round table interview, which means that a group of interviewers sits down (in this case at a literally round table) with the people to be interviewed, and take turns asking questions. My expectation was this would be beneficially because other people would have really smart questions that I would get to hear the answers to, and that it would be extra stressful because I would be feeling self conscious in front of peers. I was very wrong.

As it turned out, during the time slot that I was there, it was myself and one other interviewer, Josias Arebalo with The Comic Syndicate, accompanied by co-creators Luke Lieberman and Ryan Silbert, as well as co-writer Kat Rosenfield. Turns out I needn’t have been nervous at all! Everyone was very nice, and the interview went off without a hitch. Together we asked a few good questions, and more importantly heard a lot of really great explanations about how this project was developed, the process of making it come to life, and how important and exciting it is to have developed it for the Audible platform.

Photo Credit: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Audible

So please take a read and enjoy getting inside the head of these incredibly creative and talented humans!

Josias Arebalo: All right guys, we are here reporting from San Diego Comic-Con 2019. We’re here with some very special guests from Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light. Please feel free to introduce yourselves.

Luke Lieberman: Luke Lieberman. I’m one of the co-creators.

Kat Rosenfield: Kat Rosenfield, author.

Ryan Silbert: Ryan Silbert, co-creator.

JA: And we have another very special guest.

Mikaela Maxwell: I’m Mikaela Maxwell, I’m with Geekscape.

JA: If you guys could please just break down exactly what this experience is and how it came about. Start off with a little bit of everything, that way our listeners can get a better background.

KR: I think we should talk about the book first. This is an Audible Original. One of the most innovative, and one of the last collaborations that Stan [Lee] completed in his lifetime. It’s a totally immersive experience and it’s the story of, I’m gonna keep broad strokes here, two young people who have gifts and whose connection with each other is so powerful that it could save the world or it could destroy it.

JA: Awesome premise already! Since it is one of Stan’s last projects he was working on, how did it grow from there? How did it come about and what was the collaboration process?

LL: I met Stan in the year 2000 when I was a film student at NYU. At that point Stan was very excited about the Internet and what it could mean for us as a tool to communicate ideas, and for people to communicate with each other. Cut to about a decade and a half later, Stan was my mentor so I knew him throughout, but you cut to a decade a decade and a half later and he became much more keenly aware of how that tool was being misused and how the Internet had become a tool for division. Manipulating people’s perception and manipulating people, and how the anonymity of the Internet was causing us to dehumanize each other. This story is very much about finding real connections in a, you know, virtual space. The idea of A Trick Of Light is that all of these digital realities, virtual realities, augmented realities, and just what you see on your phone or on your screen every day, that’s not real. That’s A Trick Of Light.

RS: Just the brass tacks of it: this was a multi year process of working and world building, creating many characters and many story threads, and the foundations of what became Alliances. Then, once the choice was made to introduce the story through A Trick of Light, bringing it out as an Audible Original was something very exciting for all of us, especially Stan, because it allowed us to tell this story and introduce this universe in a really immersive way. These are characters developed for audio, and it allows you then to have a very personal connection and, co-authored with Kat here, it brings you inside the journey of Cameron, Nia, Juaquo and Zoll, and all of the other characters, in a way that really no other format allows. So that’s what was really special for us in terms of how we decided to release the project.

RS: Now in terms of where we’re sitting right now, we are at SDCC at what was a mind blowing experience for the three of us because we walked in here, and it is a completely dark room [with] basically a light labyrinth that brings you inside of the story in a way that I have never, ever, experienced. Truly I wish all the listeners could come step into Fourth Avenue and walk through the A Trick of Light installation because it is mind blowing!

KR: This activation really encapsulates perfectly how gripping it is to be told a story in audio. So many of the other spaces at Comic-Con rely on visual spectacle, in here it’s really just about the story; and it’s about the voice of Yara Shahidi, our incredible narrator.

JA: The writing process for this, how long did it take?

LL: As Ryan was saying, the world building started years ago. We were just building out characters and story threads, and when Stan decided that he wanted to introduce this universe through a long form narrative, then Audible became an opportunity. First of all for Stan I think just working the audio medium it was something he hadn’t done a million times and at that point in his career that got him excited.

RS: Yeah.

KR: He’d never done it, it was completely new!

LL: Right. Exactly. Finding a new storytelling medium for Stan Lee in his 90s…

MM: What an incredible opportunity!

LL: That’s when we took this this universe that was created, and the characters, and started to focus them into a single narrative, which is A Trick of Light, the story that introduces you to the characters in the universe.

RS: The foundations of the Alliances universe come from the question that Stan asks in the intro which is: ‘What is more real? The world we’re born into or the one we create for ourselves?’. You know as fans you wait your whole life to hear Stan ask that ‘what if’ question. Cause we’ve read all of that work, and to hear that it unlocked so many opportunities and potential, to develop Alliances, to introduce Cameron and Nia through Trick of Light. That question is is so meaningful to all three of us and Stan.

JA: How big is the space we are in right now? [For the A Trick of Light SDCC Activation]

LL: Well there is this room, which is where you’re first introduced to it, then there’s a hallway that takes you to a larger space, and then there’s a hallway with Stan’s audio that brings you out.

RS: For listeners [or readers] you walk in and it says here ‘The Great Beyond’, and that’s where you experience the beginnings of the journey of the story. Right, and you go into the great beyond…

LL: The great beyond lies within.

RS: ‘The great beyond lies within’, which is from the book. Each space is developed and each little experiences develop from a piece of the narrative. There are massive audio modules that allow you to focus in on Yara’s terrific performance and the terrific writing of Stan and Kat, and really walk out of this experience with a different understanding of the story in a way.

KR: I just want to add on, because we haven’t actually made this explicit yet, what you’re doing in this activation is that you’re experiencing our main character Cameron’s transformation from an ordinary person into something a little bit superhuman.

LL: Cameron 2.0.

KR: Yeah, Cameron 2.0.

JA: I know you’ve been working on the project for years, but for the activation in general how long did it take to put something like this together?

RS: We don’t know.

LL: We are the wrong people to ask!

RS: We create the world, there are geniuses here that create this world. I think what’s really moving about this installation, not only as people who have worked on the project for so many years, is Stan has such an amazing connection with fans. We’re sitting at this table because he built the fan community basically brick by brick prior to the 60s and then into the 60s with the Marvel Age. You know, through soapboxes and through his talks on campus, and then came connections, and then came the Internet. Prior to that was sending letters around from penpals, through the fan pages. Here it’s great because you get to experience the Stan Lee story with fans. Then on the way out Stan, is no longer with us, but he is present. As you exit the intro plays and it’s very very moving. For us during this part of the experience we really miss him, because this is what he really enjoyed so much, he was a long [time] mentor of Luke’s, and you know this is really special activation experience.

KR: He feels present in this moment, not just because you hear his voice as you leave this experience, but you just see how excited everyone is to share in this story, and we’re so excited, and it really just feels like he’s kind of here.

LL: Also actually when you leave and you’re hearing his voice it just remind me of how excited he was to work. This was a project he was excited about, and you sort of hear it. And Stan’s excitement is contagious, it’s infectious, and it gets all of his collaborators excited, it gets you motivated.

MM: So Alliances is a universe, does that mean there will be other things to come of this?

KR: Well for the moment we are very focused on the release of the Audible Original, we’ve been working on this for a long time and couldn’t talk about it for the longest time because it was all under cloak and dagger and it was super secretive. So you know, we’ll say that universes tend to expand and it would be a little weird if this one didn’t. But right now we’re very focused on A Trick of Light and just getting the fan community excited to be part of this journey and to get in with these characters.

MM: Do you think that this particular Audible Original could expand into VR or something? Because walking through this experience I could totally see sitting at home in like a VR world kind of experiencing the light and sound and stuff all at once.

KR: That is a cool idea.

RS: I think one of the things that’s so beautiful about audio is that, I believe and we all believe because we’re working in it, it is like the most immersive experience. There’s a lot of spectacle to virtual reality, but when it comes down to it 52% of your experience in a film, probably more but let’s just go with 52% percent, is the sound. You forget it because it becomes part of the story, it becomes part of the backdrop, but it is so important. So I think the most immersive way to experience the story would be through audio.

KR: I will say we we have a print edition coming out in September. So you know there’s a lot of raw material here that I think can function really well in any number of mediums.

LL: When we were talking about how [Stan] was excited about the opportunity to do something he hadn’t done before, which was an Audible story, one of the things that got him excited was the idea that his fans would collaborate with him and that they would visualize the story, and that they could be the [Jack] Kirby or the [Steve] Ditko and they would create their own versions of the characters. We didn’t really overly describe the characters because we wanted everyone to be able to sort of visualize their own version of Cameron and Juaquo and Nia… and Zoll… and Six [and another character that I could not make out on the audio]

KR: You just named off every single character!

RS: You just named off every character!

KR: We never talk about Barry, the old man.

LL: Yeah we really should, he is like one of my favourite characters.

MM: Just out of curiosity I feel like I’m noticing a trend of technology and humans kind of intermingling in a way that they haven’t previously, in comics and movies and stuff like that. Do you have any ideas on why that is, why that’s happening at this point in time.

KR: I think it’s happening in real life! [Said simultaneously with one of the guys, to peels of laughter from everybody]

KR: What this story is really reflective of is what it’s like to live right now, in a world where technology influences our lives, where it’s our primary medium for connecting with and communicating with each other. Sometimes it’s even our exclusive medium for knowing somebody. So I think that this story is another way, a different angle, to explore the anxieties and the questions and the concerns that arise from already living in an age where technology is so much a part of our lives. It’s already a part of our identities, you know, you shape this self online. So I think it flows very naturally from something that’s actually happening.

LL: We’re not experts in technology, we’re not scientists or anything, but we did a lot of research to just kind of see where things were at, and what was coming and what was around the corner, to sort of inform the storytelling.

RS: With A Trick of Light, as Luke was saying, we did do real world research, we went up to Cornell, Stanford, the Human Interaction Lab where the Oculus was created and were informed by a lot of the real [technology] that the fantastical was developed off of. But all of Stan’s stories, and I think this is why his stories tend to stand the test of time, they are mythologically based, they’re character based, but they also are set in a world that’s familiar to ours. With [Fantastic Four] or with the Hulk, these are amazing characters that can develop and be set in different kinds of context, but where they were set originally were and things that felt very real like: Spidey swings down Sixth Avenue, Hulk is dealing with the nuclear age. We hadn’t been to space at the point at which Reed Richards [of Fantastic Four] went up there [to space]; Kirby and Stan rendered that from their imagination. So great storytellers, I do think on trend, will notice and be able to set great stories and great characters inside of things that feel familiar to us. And I think that’s something that in this story Kat and Stan achieved.

JA: You know any goal starts with an idea. I’m gonna ask you guys and odd question, but it might be different for each of you as far as the answer goes. What was the most difficult thing about the project to get it to where it is now. Did you find a certain stage where it was like we’re not getting this, or part of the script, or was it more the technological aspects?

LL: The nice thing is that we have a very very experienced storyteller to kind of help. We had a Gandalf guiding us through the path, and it was a team sport. So you know, if you’re bumping up against something maybe Kat has a solution or maybe Ryan has an idea you can throw out. That I think was the benefit of the collaborative process.

KR: Yeah, I will say that when I came on board I expected it to be so much harder than it was. You know I’m coming from a background of writing novels and in my experience that’s always been a very lonely solitary thing. You spend two years just rattling around in your head trying to create something, it’s just you and hopefully you emerge at the end, back into the sun with a manuscript that’s in decent shape. Getting three more brains into the mix I thought would be difficult, you know, to kind of create that mesh. I was like oh my God how is this going to work are you going to be able to see the seems in this narrative where each person contributed something, but it’s not like that at all.

RS: The hardest thing that I bump up against is just getting creeped out every time a certain sequence happens in the Audible Original. I can’t help but hear it and be like ooh super spooky.

KR: What creeps you out?

RS: Well I don’t know, no spoilers here.

LL: Have you met Six? [All laughing]

KR: I have I lived inside his head. [laughing]

RS: Yeah. Creeps me out.

LL: Have you met Zoll?

RS: What do you mean, that happens on Sixth Avenue every day!

JA: For our listeners and audience can you let us know where we can find you, and if you are working on anything that we can get on board with?

LL: I have a mini series out now called Red Sonja: Birth of a She Devil. I also control the Red Sonja franchise so I’m sure you know everything else that’s being done on the publishing side for us!

To learn more about these crazy talented people you can find them on social media at:

Luke Lieberman: @TheRealRedSonja on Twitter

Kat Rosenfield: @KatRosenfield on both Twitter and Instagram

Ryan Silbert: @RyanSilbert on Twitter

And if you are looking for a new listen, or want to get in on the newest Stan Lee endeavour, I highly recommend heading over to Audible right now to get started on Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light!

Photo Credit: Audible

The Black Cauldron (1985) Movie Review

by AnalogJonesTOF

Analog Jones takes on Disney’s black sheep in their The Black Cauldron (1985) VHS Movie Review!

 

Quick Facts
Rated: PG
Released: July 4th, 1985
Runtime: 80 minutes
Budget:$44,000,000 (estimated)
Gross USA: $21,288,692

The Black Cauldron VHS Box | The Black Cauldron (1985) VHS Movie Review

Trailers
A Bug’s Life Teaser Trailer
Meet the Deedles
Kiki’s Delivery Service (Kristen Dunst is the voice actor and Matthew Lawerence)
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World
Lady and the Tramp Coming to Video this fall
Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Only on Video

Trivia

  • it is loosely based on the first two books in The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, a series of five novels that are, in turn, based on Welsh mythology.
  • The first Disney animated movie to not contain any songs, neither performed by characters nor in the background.
  • Known by many as “the film Disney tried to bury,” fans of the fantasy genre and this movie have tried many times to get the deleted footage restored.
  • Suspended from video release for several years, due to its dark content.
  • First full-length Disney animated movie since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to have completed scenes cut before release.
  • Tim Burton, who worked as a Conceptual Artist on this movie, wanted to incorporate minions of the Horned King that were akin to the “facehuggers” from the Alien film franchise. Some samples of his work can be seen on Disney’s 2000 DVD of this movie.
  • This movie is notable for being the first full-length Disney animated movie to incorporate computer graphics imagery (CGI) in its animation. The CGI was utilized for a lot of the special effects, which included the bubbles, a boat, a floating orb of light, the Cauldron, the realistic flames were seen near the end of the movie, and the boat that Taran and his friends used to escape the castle
  • The production of this movie can be traced back to 1971 when Walt Disney Pictures purchased the screen rights to Lloyd Alexander’s “The Chronicles of Prydain.” This movie took over twelve years to make, five years of actual production, and cost over twenty-five million dollars. Over one thousand different hues and colors were used, and thirty-four miles of film stock was utilized.
  • Ralph Bakshi was approached to be involved with this movie in 1979 after the success of his fantasy film Wizards (1977), and his animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1978). He turned it down, believing his style is far too mature for a Disney movie for family entertainment.
  • Various members of Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” as well as Don Bluth, took stabs at making this movie during the 1970s.
  • According to Producer Joe Hale, “When (Jeffrey) Katzenberg first screened the film, he told us to cut it by ten minutes. Roy (Disney) and I got together and found some scenes we could get rid of, that didn’t affect the story that much.” When they ran it again for Jeffrey Katzenberg, and the film finished, he asked Roy Edward Disney, “Is that ten minutes?” When Disney replied, “No, it was only around six minutes.” Katzenberg stated, “I said ten minutes!” Hale continued, “Eventually he cut out about twelve minutes, which really hurt the picture.”
  • Four months before the film’s release, The Samuel Goldwyn Company had released The Care Bears Movie (1985) which was made by the much smaller company Nelvana. It only cost $2 million but made $23 million at the box office. By contrast, The Black Cauldron cost $44 million but only made $21.3 million. This alarmed many Disney animators and raised questions about the future of the department.

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Email us at analogjonestof@gmail.com with any comments or questions!

Geekscape 448: Rolling Crits With Stan Lee’s LA Comic Con’s Keith Tralins!

by Jonathan

Keith Tralins has been a friend and supporter of Geekscape for many years now! As one of the head honchos of Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con, he’s helped Geekscape get guests, be featured every year and partnered with us on many fun and exciting things. And it’s not over! In this episode, we not only talk about some of things in store for you at this year’s Stan Lee’s LA Comic Con, we also talk Keith’s time as one of the top Magic: The Gathering players in the world, his famous uncle and our love of Piers Anthony novels and lots of Dungeons and Dragons (Keith is my DM, after all). Yup! It gets awesomely nerdy this week! Enjoy!

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Geekscape Interview: Writer Director David Lowery Talks Romance With ‘A Ghost Story’

by AllieHanley

Now playing in limited theaters is a film that tells the unexpected tale of a ghost. It’s not spooky and it’s not horror story — rather it’s a romance from writer director Davie Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) who presents a quiet film that takes its time to explore the idea of what happens after you die, and the longing to connect.

Recently deceased, a white-sheeted ghost (Academy Award-winner Casey Affleck) returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife (Academy Award-nominee Rooney Mara), only to find that in his spectral state he has become unstuck in time, and he is forced to watch passively as the life moves forward without him.

Allie Hanley: Your passion project film “Ghost Story” is what seems like a sad story about loss when in actuality it’s a romantic tale about everlasting love. What’s the drive behind writing this piece?

David Lowery: It was a bunch of things actually. All of my movies are a bunch of things. In this case, it was being concerned with big existential questions like my place in the universe, and where do we go after we die, but also very personal intimate things like where are my wife and I going to live next year, and where are we going to move too, and should we even move? It was just a very big confluence of those things, and very personal things going through my own life.

The love story aspect of it, -its funny because I never set out to make love stories and I never set out to write love stories and yet a lot of my movies end up having that. I think that’s partially because I am a very romantic person and I can’t help but gradually turn everything into a love story. I think a lot of that is due to have Casey and Rooney in the story and their fantastic chemistry. A lot of that was not written on the page to the degree they performed it. I think they are very simple and undefined characters in the screen play.

The actors didn’t have a lot to go on but by casting two remarkable actors who had a lot of chemistry together, -a fondness for each other, I knew it would turn into something more than what was written on the page.

Out of that came what is essentially a love story. It starts and ends with the two of them together. I knew it wasn’t there on the page but I knew once we started shooting I was happy for the way it transformed. In the end I was very happy because like I said I am very much a romantic.

David on his two characters and how they are intertwined through time:

In my own life, and probably in your own, there are these things that reoccur. You find yourself either visiting the same places, or watching things happen that repeat, or just weird coincidences in life that feel, that make you feel like there are more things in this universe than meets the eye. I don’t necessarily think that time is cyclical but there are these times, -and I don’t have any particular theory about them, but I do think history repeats itself and time recurs to some degree.

There are parallels throughout history that repeat and I like taking something that is very personal and very meaningful to one person, -and in this case Rooney’s character and the note she leaves, and suggesting that it’s not that personal and that other people have done the same thing. I like the idea that you can go through out history and find it again, and that it’s not as special as it may seem.

And that goes for not just the note that he finds but also his death. It feels like a personally profound experience for him and yet everyone dies. He see the same little girl who meets an untimely end and he realizes that that’s just something that everyone is going to go through. It’s special for us but it is also universal.

I also think that is true of the house. He thinks this house is his, and he is bound to it, and he needs to stay there. Over the course of the movie he finds that that’s not the case. Not one person defines the space and he learns that in fact the right thing to do is to move on. So all of those ideas were ideas that I felt could be better represented if I used time as the galvanizer. So by traveling through time you are able to explore these ideas more clearly, with greater lucidity, and hopefully with a greater sense of more profundity.

Once the audience gets to the 45 minute mark and realizes that the movie is not what they thought it was, that’s when it starts getting good for me. I know some people are disappointed that it goes in that direction, but for me that’s when it comes to life.

David Lowery’s sense of spirituality and the story:

I am not an overtly spiritual person even though I was raised in a devout spiritual home. That’s not a huge part of my life anymore but nonetheless it does affect how I see myself in the universe and how I see the universe, whether you look at the film from that perspective or not. You could look at the film from a very atheistic point of view; Either way you look at it, it’s all about looking at a way to define oneself. Or you could go the other way and look at it as a way to not define oneself. Those questions are very important.

This movie is about a ghost. Anytime you bring up a ghost into a movie it explicitly brings up thoughts of the afterlife and where one goes after one dies. Those are important questions for everyone to answer on their own terms and to consider on their own terms. Also in this movie there are no answers. We are not saying that this is what’s going to happen after you die, or this is where you go, and here’s what you need to do to get there.

However, by engaging in that question about what happens and not giving the answers, it allows us to explore those questions. It gives audiences a chance to think about those questions. For me making this film, it was a way for me to explore all of those themes and ideas, I don’t have the answers for myself. I am still growing as a person and I am still trying to understand what it all means but the process is an important one and for me making this film was a big part of engaging in that process. 

Allie: Can you talk to me about the choice you made behind having the ghost appear simply as the sheet?
David: That was always something that I wanted to do. I had seen photographs, music videos, and even “Beettlejuice” using it. I loved the fact that it’s a very simple image that has become the universal symbol for a ghost. I love that it’s so child-like and naïve to the point that it’s actually a child’s Halloween costume and yet at the same time it represents something so big and complicated.

The idea that a spirit wants to remain in the existence and haunt people can be represented by a sheet with two eyes cut out of it is very interesting to me. I wanted to take that very simple image, and utilize it in a different way. So it was a desire upon my part to use that simple idea and explore it. I liked that there was something sort of funny and goofy about it.

We could lean into that a bit because it is silly when he first sits up in the scene in the hospital and he walks down the hall. It allows the audience to laugh. Culture has allowed it to become funny. If you trace it back in time, the real reason we have that Halloween costume is because of the shrouds that were put over our bodies when they were buried a long time ago. So there is a lot of history and meaning to it that has been set aside in favor of the immediate symbolism. That doesn’t make it any less profound if we can get away with taking this goofy idea and bringing a bit of gravity to it.

“Ghost Story” is now playing in limited distribution.

https://youtu.be/9pOh2ZoUui8

Rating: R (for brief language and a disturbing image)

 

  • Genre: Drama
  • Directed By: David Lowery
  • Written By: David Lowery
  • In Theaters: Jul 7, 2017 limited
  • Runtime: 87 minutes
  • Studio: Ideaman Studios 

Geekscape Exclusive Interview: ‘V,’ ‘Alien Nation,’ ‘Bionic Woman’ creator, Kenneth Johnson talks ‘Man of Legends’

by AllieHanley

Kenneth Johnson’s writing, producing and TV directing resume reads like a best of 70’s and 80’s TV. He’s known for creating the ground-breaking and influential science fiction television miniseries “V, ” as well as producing “The Six Million Dollar Man” and created other iconic Emmy-winning shows such as “The Bionic Woman,” “The Incredible Hulk,” and “Alien Nation.”

Johnson’s “Man Of Legends” is about a man who cannot die. He’s lived for more than 2,000 years and been witness to many of mankind’s achievements and atrocities. His life and those he’s touched is told through the eyes of those who have witnessed his struggle to be a better man in the eyes of the one who cursed him.

After reading an early copy I reached out to the author to discuss his story that hits shelves July 1.

Allie Hanley: I am such a big fan of “V,” “Alien Nation,” “The Bionic Woman” and “Hulk.” It wouldn’t be remiss to say you shaped a good portion of my childhood and teen years with those shows. I even had a bionic woman Barbie doll that went on “dates” with Steve (Six Million Dollar Man) and GI Joe. I named my dog “Max” and wanted him to be on every episode of “The Bionic Woman.”

I was sad when there were no longer any more episodes of “Alien Nation,” -loved the sour milk in lieu of alcohol, and was excited when “V” came back but it just wasn’t on par with yours!

Can you tell me about your new book “Man of Legends?”

Kenneth Johnson: While reading Mark Twain’s “Innocents Abroad” several years ago I came across a reference to my protagonist, which stirred my imagination. When I learned that Percy Shelley had also written poems about him I began some serious research and realized what an amazing tale could be woven together from all the legends about him. I also saw what a tremendous impact he could have had on the last 2000 years of world history (history is another of my passions). How he could have had life-changing encounters not only with Twain and Shelley (plus his wife Mary), but also sparked a young Tuscan boy to create a Renaissance painting, helped Scotsman James Watt to design the steam engine that kick started the Industrial Revolution, helped get Al Capone arrested, introduced the British Earl of Condom to the item that bears his name, inspired Gandhi, Einstein & so many others. …And made some unwitting mistakes that had ripple effects proving how no good deed goes unpunished.

AH: What made you want to tell the story from many perspectives rather than a narrative from Will’s viewpoint?

KJ: Also…having the different voices and speech patterns of the multiple characters telling the story adds a wonderful spice and sparkle to the reading experience — or listening experience to those who get the audio-book. Wait till you hear how they sound — it plays like an intriguing radio drama. Well, a great deal of the book is from Will’s POV. But he wouldn’t have the necessary knowledge to describe the experiences of the other characters whose voices I employed. Also I wanted the readers, like the characters in the novel, to experience my flawed hero Will as a flesh and blood man. Then through what we hear from Will plus Jillian and Father Paul and the love of Will’s life Hanna, we get to peel back the many layers of his story. To learn how he’d been born 20 centuries earlier and made a mistake back then that brought down a curse upon him: though he can suffer the pain of mortal injury he cannot die. And he must continually move forward every three days, unable to go backwards. Thus he’s on a constant quest to understand why this has befallen him, and if redemption is possible.

That’s the theme which drives the novel and threads through each of the characters in the story: trying to discover one’s reason for being.

And in Will’s case to also understand the mysterious sleek young man whom Will has glimpsed many times over the two millennia…who seems so eager to help him… yet is also consummately dangerous.

AH: With so many perspectives and characters was there one that you really loved and why?

KJ: Unfair! That’s like asking, “Who’s your favorite child, Kenny?” Each character is unique and so is his/her perspective on the story. Together with Will they create a rich tapestry ranging from the sharp reporter Jillian (troubled by her own demons),  to a country singer on the skids whom Will jumpstarts, to gritty, streetsy graffiti artist Tito, to five-year-old Maria, orphaned daughter of a prostitute, to Father St. Jacques the ambitious, self-serving French priest who represents Vatican authorities that have been relentlessly pursuing Will for 1600 years. …But I think that Katharine Hepburn-esque Hanna, now 85, who Will saved from drowning in the River Seine in 1937 and who became the love of his life as she traveled with him for a year, and is lovingly reunited with him in the course of the novel, is one who touches me the deepest. She is a sparkplug, a spitfire, a warm, brilliant woman any man would cherish and the romance she has with Will really is one for the ages.

AH: Were you raised religious and how did that play into your story?

KJ: As for me,  my mother went to a Methodist Church and so did I as a kid…mostly because I had a crush on a Judy Witherspoon who went there. As a teen and beyond I found it more interesting to learn about various other religions, beliefs, mythologies and superstitions and realized that almost all of them had caused far more harm than good. — But that the worthwhile kernel at the core of each of them seemed a far simpler concept…which is also touched on in my novel: an Ethic. A way of living right.

AH: There’s a few touching pages in your story that you dedicate to the death of a dog and do they go to heaven. Can you elaborate on that?

KJ: The young college student Nicole is mourning her recently deceased, beloved dog and Will explains why it hurts so much:

Because watching a puppy grow through maturity to old age and death is experiencing the whole life cycle. — Which is a metaphor for what Will has been going through for 2000 years…including seeing his wife and children,

and all the others whom he’s cared for, age and die…while he goes on and on. — That’s why he’s avoided Hanna, as much as he loved her…to save her the pain of seeing him still young.

As for the Great Mysteries, the novel certainly touches on them too. And I personally come down on the side of Will and Hamlet, “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of…”

AH: Your style of writing is easily visualized. It wasn’t hard seeing this as a serialized TV show. Any movement in that direction and or where would you like to see this go?

KJ: Thanks for the compliment. Being first and foremost a director I’m always thinking cinematically. I very much hope to turn the novel into a TV project… ideally a four-hour or so miniseries which would allow more adequate time than a movie to really delve into all the mysterious, entertaining, fun, frightening, hopefully thought-provoking material I’ve been able to weave into the book.

AH: What are you working on now and how can readers follow you?

KJ: There is a KJ Facebook page for the novel, and there’s far more info at www.kennethjohnson.us — particularly about our current efforts to mount a big theatrical movie remake of my original miniseries V, as the first of a movie trilogy.

The Great War Is Here – Watch The New Trailer For ‘Game Of Thrones’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The great war is here.

At least, it will be in a couple of months.

HBO has just debuted an epic new trailer for the upcoming season of Game of Thrones, and while I haven’t actually watched the previous few seasons (I’m still very slowly trying to play catch up), this trailer certainly gets me closer to simply binging my way through.

Game of Thrones returns on July 16th, and I’m sure you all can’t wait. For now, watch the trailer on repeat below, and let us know what you hope to see this July!

Geekscape Film Review: ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’

by AllieHanley

Opening this weekend is “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” which takes the classic tale in new directions for better or worse.

Maybe there is an expectation among some critics and fans for a King Arthur film to have certain aspects of the traditional telling; Themes like magic, romance, and betrayal. Perhaps there is also an expectation to include Merlin, Guenevere, and Lancelot characters which have all played integral parts to the shaping of the Arthurian storyline, but which are all absent from this version.

Does that automatically equate to Richie’s “Legend of the Sword” not being worthy to stand on it’s own?


 

Richie’s hoped up telling is a mix of the fantastical reminiscent of 1981’s “Excalibur” and  Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings,” as well as incorporating Richie’s fast paced style. Think “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels,” and “Snatched.” Take those three elements and mix them all together and you get an attempt that will be received by many as too many elements that don’t necessarily go together.

“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” stars Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) in peak physical form as Arthur. In this version he is no longer the humble squire to his adopted/knighted father but rather a medieval gangster who was raised in a brothel. He’s sharp witted, fast on his feet and has friends named Wet Stick and Back Lack. Far from the classical version.

Crucial to this tale is the villain. The traditional foe of Arthur has always been Mordred. This version’s villain is Arthur’s uncle Vortigern (Jude Law) whose thirst for power supersedes all boundaries of what is sacred. Unfortunately, even with Law’s impeccable ability as an actor, we get a mostly single note, one dimensional villain. There are some early scenes, and one towards the end which almost gives you some hope but its still not enough to flesh out the characters motivations. That’s too bad because I really enjoy seeing Law as a bad guy.

Maybe there is a director’s cut down the line with more scenes that flesh out Vortigern and his all consuming desire to be King. As is, there isn’t much feeling one way or the other for the antagonist.

There is a prologue to the film (just like in Excalibur) where you get to see Arthur’s very early beginnings with his dad King Uther (Eric Bana), Igraine (Poppy Delevingne), as well as Vortigern’s wife and daughter. There was a part of me that wanted to see that movie more than the three acts that followed. Eric Bana was totally impressive and I’d like to see him get more roles in this genre.

Also, the prologue has the largest amount of fantastical elements in comparison to the rest of the film with massive war elephants, balls of super-charged magical energy pounding the defensive forces, and the sinister Mage Mordred (Rob Knighton) behind it all. His costume was excellent, and further more so are all the costumes in the film.  Nothing that resembled those horrible costumes the knights wore in the TV show that got cancelled last week “Emerald City.” Those were the absolute worst I’ve seen in awhile!

The opening sequences of “Legend of the Sword” is nothing less than spectacular and I thought one of the best parts of the film. It’s almost like shooting the film was divided up, and someone else wrote and directed that part, while someone else did other parts of the film, and in the end they put them together.

There are many positives to this film including a resounding sound track composed by Sam Lee and Daniel Pemberton. “The Devil and the Huntsman stands out;”  Click here for a listen. The sequence that shows Arthur growing up also has a fantastic bit of music from Daniel Pemberton, “Growing up Londinium”  hear it here. Too many times the score and sound track are forgotten and in this film they really play an integral part to giving the film this epic feel and I wanted to pay them homage.

Another technical part of the film that was outstanding was the sound editing. I could hear arrows whizzing by, horses running, people out of breath when fighting etc. People are going to say… when you start complimenting those aspects the other parts must suck.

All of the acting including the dialogue between Hunnam and his co-actors was interesting. Jude Law got some juicy moments to be evil, and then there were moments when the dialogue was overly contrived.  Again, did someone write one scene and then hand it over to someone else? The styles didn’t always quite align. Rather than a classic English style, Richie gives his modern gang banger twang injected into Arthur’s confidants but then in another scene you get a more formal English sound. If you are the type to notice, then this could be a love/hate thing.

I am a fan of most of Richie’s work, and just like seeing a Quentin Tarantino film, there is going to be a particular style that not everyone gets or even enjoys and I bet he’s fine with that.

Richie gave an interview online and said he envisions this film to go as far as six films in total. Personally, I would love to see King Arthur and more tales that come after this one however, because there is a lack of singular vision in this first one, the chances of a second one in my mind are 50:50. The American box office can be finicky sometimes while the International could love this film. We’ll know within the first week if it’s popular enough to warrant a sequel. Also, going into week 2 it will be competing with “Alien: Covenant” which shares a good portion of the same demographics.

“Legend of the Sword” is also a bit top heavy with the fantastical elements mostly in the prologue and then the final part of act 3. Again, it’s almost like multiple films, multiple styles meshing into one that doesn’t entirely fit. This is where I envision most critics are going to pound this film. I say most, because I like to write reviews for everyday people who make up most of filmgoers. I’ve seen close to 50 films already this year. How I see a movie and it’s failings isn’t how most of my friends see them. I do my best to wear glasses that many could see through rather than a few.

An aspect that I personally really enjoy in a Guy Richie film is when he likes to speed up a story and do these fast video montages. They are thrilling to watch. However, sometimes as fun as they are they end up moving the story to quick and those scenes that would have given a character more dimension, and gravitas get glazed over. As exciting as Arthurs growing up montage is, it neglects character building that is needed in establishing Arthur as a thinking, feeling, evolving person, and that takes more time than the estimated 3 minutes spent in this version.

Critics are going to beat this film up because the narrative is jumbled sometimes, and the main characters lack dimension. However, it’s a fantasy film where action takes center stage. Richie has fun injecting some new bits and unique storytelling that may be for some, and not others. In the end though, “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” is a fun take on the classical tale. It’s not to be taken too seriously, and rightly so. Going to the movies with your family and friends is about having a good time, and that’s what you’ll get.

“Legend of the Sword” has a few issues that may be deal breakers for discerning film goers. The first one is that the story is just a bit disjointed in style and pacing. You get a lot of bits and parts that are brilliant but you also get a narrative that has too many one dimensional characters. I’ve seen this happen to a lot of fantasy films that have such promise but the special effects and action sequences end up taking over and leaving the story in the dust. I wouldn’t be surprised though if a lot of people forgave this failing and just went with the flow and enjoyed it for it is, a big fantasy with tons of action.

2 1/2 Stars Out Of 5

Rating:
PG-13 (for sequences of violence and action, some suggestive content and brief strong language)

Genre: Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Drama

Directed By: Guy Ritchie

Written By: Joby Harold, Guy Ritchie, Lionel Wigram

In Theaters: May 12, 2017 wide

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

 

 

 

Interview: ‘The Black Witch’s’ Laurie Forest On Her Thrilling Debut Novel

by AllieHanley

There’s a new voice in Fantasy and her name is Laurie Forest. Her first book, “The Black Witch” is arriving on book shelves and online May 2 from HarlequinTEEN. Even though it’s being pitched as young adult, I found great pleasure in reading her work and could easily see older adults enjoying it as well.

It’s a thick 600 page fantasy that reads more like 300 pages. You may find yourself having a hard time putting it down and consequently some late nights. Filled with a mix of traditional characters such as Elves, Witches, Shapeshifters, and Dragons as well as some new ones that make “The Black Witch” a solid entry into the fantasy genre.

The story’s lead character is Elloren Gardner. She is believed to be the heir apparent to her grandmother Carnissa Gardner, the last prophesied Black Witch who drove back enemy forces to save her people during the Realm War. While Elloren looks exactly like her Grandmother she’s shown no evidence of power in a society that prizes magical ability above nearly all else. After being granted the opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an apothecary, Elloren joins her brothers at the prestigious Verpax University. Her educational journey is more than the magic she studies, and the people she meets. It’s about discovering that life and what you were taught to believe is not always the whole story.

photo credit: Beltrami Studios

Allie Hanley: I read an early, uncorrected proof of THE BLACK WITCH and I think I might have seen one error. Your book is 601 pages! Tell me a little about your process in writing.

Laurie Forest: I wrote the first books in the series by writing pretty much every day for a year. Almost without fail. For at least an hour. It was an incredible experience to immerse myself in the story that intensively. One of my favorite writing quotes is “the muse can’t resist a working writer” and I think that’s so true.

AH: Your main character, Elloren Gardner, discovers that the history she was raised with isn’t necessarily the truth. How did that plot point come about and does it reflect anything in today’s world for you?

LF: That plot point came about because I feel it’s very relevant in today’s world. History books can be very subjective. And I think that history, when seen through the lens of a group that views outsiders as “evil” or “lesser,” can be a dangerous thing. We can find examples of this all throughout history and certainly in the world today. I think it’s a very good idea to study history from multiple points of view – and as Professor Kristian tells Elloren, the resulting confusion can be a positive thing. Because the confusion stemming from multiple points of view is better than a simplistic idea of history that demonizes others and can inadvertently promote injustice.

AH: When Elloren gets to school she’s housed with some very unlikely characters, tell me about them?

LF: Tricky question to answer without spoilers (so don’t read past here if you haven’t read the book!). Elloren is thrown in with Ariel and Wynter, two Icarals—winged people who are despised by pretty much everyone in the Western Realm for no sound reason really, save cultural/religious tradition. Both Ariel (a Gardnerian) and Wynter (an Alfsigr Elf) have been deeply impacted by their outcast status, but in very different ways. And Elloren (along with the reader, perhaps) initially sees them as demonic. As that’s what she’s been taught to see.

AH: They say one of the keys to writing a great book is to pretend you are writing it to your biggest fan. Who were you imagining reading this book as you wrote it, and what did you want them to take away from reading it?

LF: Honestly, I wrote the book mainly to entertain and challenge myself Toni Morrison famously said: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” That’s kind of what was going on here. Past that, I’m writing my book for my close friend who has terminal cancer—to entertain her and I have to hurry up and finish the series so she can read it (she has charged me with the task of finishing a rough draft of the entire series this year, and I’m going to do it—because we’re running on borrowed time). She is one of the best people I have ever known and it is my greatest author honor to have been able to give her some reading excitement and pleasure.

AH: You have a wide cast of characters. Is there one in particular that you really love and why?

LF: Right now I’m kind of in love with Ariel Haven—because I feel like she has the heart of a true hero deep inside of her. She’s been broken down by the society she’s been born into, but they haven’t been able to break her completely. Can’t say more without spoilers!

AH: When this is released I anticipate readers will devour it. Have you written part 2 and can you give a small preview of where Elloren is headed?

LF: Book Two is written, as is half of Book Three (and the outline for the entire series). Elloren is headed towards a collision course with her hidden powers. And it will be a pretty dramatic reveal! And she’s a flawed character—so she’s got a steep learning curve ahead of her if she’s going to become strong and heroic in this world (and shed the last vestiges of her people’s destructive ideas). There’s also conflict on the romantic front for poor Elloren 😉 (I read somewhere once that authors should torture their protagonist – Elloren isn’t going to have an easy road, I will say that).

AH: In support of your book, will you be doing a book tour and how can fans find out more?

LF: I’ll be doing a book launch tour from May 2nd – May 18th and bringing news of THE BLACK WITCH all over the country! Very excited. My epic tour schedule can be found on my Facebook page as well as my website.

Geekscape Fantastic Fest Review: ‘A Dark Song’

by AllieHanley

You can bet the team at Fantastic Fest didn’t have to think hard on including Liam Gavin’s “A Dark Song” in their first round of films for this year’s festival which concluded last week in Austin.

“A Dark Song” begins with Sophia (Catherine Howard), who has suffered a tremendous loss. Her child was stolen away and his body never found. Upon discovery of a six month long ritual that may give her the ability to communicate with her presumed dead child, she enlists the help of an occultist (Steve Oram). He seems like a lost cause and a hot mess, but she’s desperate. Her hope is that he can perform the rituals which may lead to her fondest wish being granted; if that truly is what she desires.

Liam Gavin as writer/director, has created a compelling story that at first glance seems predictable, but it’s actually far from that. It’s deep and brooding, filled with quiet moments that give you time to consider. When a lessor director might have opted to tell his story by more obvious means, like big spooky bangs, or visuals that shock, Gavin goes in another direction. His “Dark Song” makes you wonder by not doing the obvious. What follows is a slow-boil horror/thriller that is more dependent upon the unseen for most of the film, and when the timing is right, it delivers.

The film features only four credited actors but mostly plays to just two, in which you never grow bored of watching. They keep doing activities that strangely captivate. Also, most of the film takes place within one confined area, a home where the spell is being conducted, and again, you don’t get bored with it. The film never feels small and confined. The use of the set, the sound and score, as well as the very intriguing actors portrayals keeps you on the edge of your seat. All done to great affect and brilliance from Gavin. It’s still hard to believe this is his first feature film as a writer/director because the choices he makes, and the visual restraint he practices all point to a much more seasoned story-teller. I still want to know who the dark figure with the cigarette was a week later. His film really has the power to linger on in your imagination far after seeing it.

The main qualification of a film to play at “Fantastic Fest” is that as the end credits roll, you should have a sense of saying or feeling that film was fantastic. “A Dark Song” fulfills that requisite magnificently. It’s original in the best way; in that you think you know what the story is about, and where it’s going to go, but it doesn’t. It takes the genre and bends it into new territory within a genre and that makes it unique where so many movies along these lines nowadays are not. Gavin correctly uses light and tone, sound and visuals to evoke a captivating story that is best viewed without much detail from a critic as the discovery of “A Dark Song” is part of what makes it so fantastic.

Rating 4 out of 5

How to see this film: It was released in Ireland a month ago, and is set to play in London Oct. 7th. It doesn’t have a real US release date yet. Better viewed on the big screen, so stay tuned to Geekscape for the release date coming soon.

http://youtu.be/-uIqunGsziA

 

Geekscape Reviews: ‘The Shannara Chronicles’

by Gabriel von Grünbaum

Holy cow—I couldn’t wait, so I’ve started writing this as I’m reviewing this first batch of The Shannara Chronicles episodes to say—you need to be watching this show. January 5th at 10pm (9pm Central) on MTV, you need to be watching The Shannara Chronicles. If you consider yourself at all a fan of fantasy, this is absolutely the show you’ve been waiting for. It has incredible production value that stands up in this post Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones world, extremely cinematic and marvelously impressive for television. Writing, directing and acting are all as equally impressive as the art direction and costume design. In fact, my biggest complaint at this point is that there’s a character whose name sounds like “Al-Anon”—I keep wondering how his meetings are going.

The first time I got to see footage of what they were creating for the show, I literally had to take it—not with a grain of salt—with a boulder of salt. It couldn’t actually look that good, I thought. If it looks that good, the story’s probably terrible, I thought. If the story’s good too, the casting is probably awful, I thought. There had to be a shoe that was going to drop some where. . . So far I’ve yet to see any dropping shoes anywhere.

It’s thousands and thousands of years in the future, like way after Skynet. There are post-apocalyptic dystopian visions like The Hunger Games—this is after that, way after that. The reset button on the world, having long since been pressed, this then is the re-emergence of civilization (with magic!) on Earth. Over the millennia, humans have evolved along different paths becoming elves, gnomes, trolls and so on—oddly, animals like horses and dogs are still just horses and dogs, and relatives like aunts and uncles are occasionally murdered by demons.

Like any fantasy, we pick up right when a great evil is about to be unleashed on the land. Of course, any hope for the future rides on the destinies of certain “chosen ones” that begin their Hero’s Journey by turning it down. Pretty boilerplate—these are the staple elements common to fantasy (and most other stories), so there really are no new concepts in play. Although, the idea that it’s taking place far into the future feels new and is fun to chew on. What really works very well through these first episodes is the fresh telling through interesting and well-constructed characters. Characters that began as interesting creations on the page and continued into some solid performances in cool costumes. And, lest we forget it’s MTV (even as the network is in the midst of redefining itself, again-again), everyone is adorable and/or gorgeous and/or rugged and worthy of being stared at a lot. It’s those characters that are making the show engaging and fun and absolutely worth carving out couch-time for—and the special effects, really good special effects for television. Then there’s the sexy romance angles, the action-packed adventure elements, gorgeously stunning settings and locations. . .

That is to say that I could give you details about the druid warrior with glowing scars, the bleeding tree that locks demons in its leaves or the fun that comes with recognizing some of the ruins of our world in the distant backgrounds and establishing shots—but experiencing all of that and so much more, first-hand, is the real magic and pleasure of watching the show. The plot points are nothing to write home about; it’s the journey getting to those points. I don’t think this is the show that’s going to hook you because you’ll be wondering who gets killed next week and what other shocking secrets will be revealed—I think this is the show that will hook you because in the back of your mind, you’ll kinda sorta believe in magic again for an hour each week. That and the cast is very stare-at-able, as I mentioned before—meaning you can look at them for a long time and your eyes won’t hate you for it.

Judging by these first several episodes, this may literally be the television fantasy adventure I’ve been waiting for since. . . ever. If Hercules and Xena were never really up to snuff for you—if Legend of the Seeker was almost everything you were looking for—The Shannara Chronicles may just be what you’ve been hoping for too.

Here’s some more video to tide you over until it starts:

Horror Movie Night Episode 23: Zardoz

by Saintmort

We hope your god pukes guns and your beef jerky mankini is all shined up, because it’s time to discuss the absolute insanity of ZARDOZ! The guys have mixed feelings about Sean Connery’s boner powers and the questionable decisions made by everyone involved in this production, and need to work through a couple things. Join us in the Vortex for another episode of Horror Movie Night!

Feel free to join in discussion at on our Facebook Group or in the comments below.

Do you have a movie suggestion for us or just want to tell us stories about your experiences with the movies we’ve watched? Send them to us at HMNPodcast@gmail.com

Also subscribe to our podcast on Soundcloud and iTunes

New ‘Dungeons And Dragons’ Movie In The Works At Warner Bros.!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Somehow, all of this slipped past me, but apparently, for some time now Warner Bros., Hasbro, and Sweetpea Entertainment have been in a legal battle regarding the rights to the Dungeons and Dragons franchise (THR has a great write-up about exactly what happened).

Warner Bros. lawyer’s have apparently passed their ‘persuasion’ skill check, as said battle has just ended, and the studio wasted no time at all in announcing a new Dungeons and Dragons film.

The announced, as yet untitled movie already has a script written by Wrath of the Titans scribe David Leslie Johnson, and will be produced by The Lego Movie and How to Train Your Dragon producer Roy Lee.

“We are so excited about bringing the world of Dungeons & Dragons to life on the big screen,” said Greg Silverman, president of creative development and worldwide production at Warner Bros. Pictures. “This is far and away the most well-known brand in fantasy, which is the genre that drives the most passionate film followings. D&D has endless creative possibilities, giving our filmmakers immense opportunities to delight and thrill both fans and moviegoers new to the property.”

Are you down for a Warner Bros. developed Dungeons and Dragons film? Or were you a bigger fan of the lower-budget SyFy entries? Sound out below!

SDCC 2015: ‘The Shannara Chronicles’ Is Set To Rock MTV

by Gabriel von Grünbaum
“It seemed impossible. But then, most wonderful things did until someone accomplished them.”
—  Bek Ohmsford (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Morgawr)

And so it goes with MTV bringing The Shannara Chronicles to cable television in January 2016! It’s a rich and ambitious production that knows it’s entering a post-Game of Thrones TV landscape where expectations are higher than ever for television to rival the production values of films with big budgets. Additionally, keeping with the Game of Thrones comparison, there is a rich tapestry of 25 books and counting from author Terry Brooks’ various series set in the world of Shannara—a post-post-apocalyptic fantasy realm set in the far distant future where magic has resurfaced.

Let’s kick things off with a gander at the Official First Look trailer screened at Comic-Con this year:

Clearly, you’re stoked. I can tell because I’m stoked too. Before we get too far however, it seems that most of us have been pronouncing Shannara wrong all this time—Terry Brooks explains:

This is a case of, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” For years I have insisted readers should pronounce the title in a way that feels natural to them. I have avoided glossaries, insisted majority rules, and watched the larger number of readers pronounce the word SHA-NAR-UH. So when I brought this up in a meeting with the writers, they simply said, “Well, everyone says it SHA-NAR-UH. So we will, too.” End of discussion.

SHANE-AIR-AH? SHAN-ERA? SHH-ANAR-A? Guess we won’t ever know what he actually has in mind unless we’re able to track him down at an official reading or convention.

Sticking with a focus on the show here, if they pull it off well, it’s set to help fill an epic void on television right now that only the afore mentioned Thrones is currently servicing. Before that was Legend of the Seeker, remember that one? For all it’s shortcomings and rough edges, Seeker was the only thing available on television to scratch a very specific itch. Upon its cancellation that fantasy-void felt deeper and darker than ever—until Thrones came along. Holy moly, did it ever come along—with a bang. . . or a chop, or a stab, or a naked. . . Anyway, nothing against Thrones being just what it is—I’m a big fan—but I could use a little more fantasy entertainment with a little more magic to really scratch that itch good. I’m happy to say it’s looking like The Shannara Chronicles is poised to do just that.

Couple quick thoughts on MTV itself: Does no one there remember what the M stands for in MTV? Guess it’s kicking a dead horse to say it’s not “music television” anymore—only bemoaned by those who were alive before 2000 but it still feels like it bears mentioning.

“Between this and Teen Wolf, I guess MTV now stands for ‘Magical Television’!”
—Jonathan London, The Original Geekscapist

Along those lines, one request of the network: Squeezing the latest pop songs into Teen Wolf works fine but please don’t do that for this fantasy set show devoid of Auto-Tune, nightclubs and Coachella. Maybe feature some funky classical-type groups, chamber ensembles or really out there orchestras if you wanna do some music tie-ins. I don’t know—what do you guys think?

Wait!—someone get MTV on the line. Maybe these insane freaks are available:

Geekscape Games reviews ‘Final Fantasy Type-0’ (PS4)

by Megan Haley

For so many years, Final Fantasy had followed the traditional JRPG formula. You take control of a diverse group of characters, fight some monsters, and save the day. Tactics was one of the first games in the series which began to deviate from that norm, expanding the catalogue into turn-based-strategy territory. Then along came the MMOs, then the sequels and remakes, the movies, the music games, etc. With the announcement of the upcoming Dissidia arcade fighting game (which looks amazing by the way), there are seemingly no boundaries for the iconic franchise. With each new installment of a game bearing the Final Fantasy name, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get, so when I sat down with Type-0, I was prepared for anything.

Final Fantasy Type-0 is one of three main series that make up the collective Fabula Nova Crystallis which includes Final Fantasy XIII and XV, along with their sequels and companion games. Much like the Ivallice Alliance, which consisted of the Tactics series, Final Fantasy XII and Vagrant Story, the games all have ties to the same lore, rewarding the diehards with multiple references. Type-0 introduces its place in the lore through a drawn out opening cutscene and a fairly short Mission battle. Unless watching Chocobos die a slow, painful death for 20 minutes is a pastime of yours, it’s a really odd way to kick off your game. Afterwards, you are free to roam around your main base of operations, a training ground/school called Academia. If this sounds familiar, then rest assured, this is as far away from VIII’s Garden as it can get.

FF01

Your party consists of twelve playable characters from Academia’s Elite Class Zero.  Each member of Class Zero has a unique weapon specialty; anything from swords and guns to a Soul Calibur-esque blade-whip that would make Ivy jealous. Each character also has a set of upgradable skills, some of which are latent. These include providing an increase in maximum dodge-roll limits, and some are equip-able abilities, such as unique weapon attacks and different types of magic. Some time into the game, you will be introduced to the Altocrystarium, which can be accessed in Academia or at any time from the options menu. Here, you can trade collected Phantoma collected through battle for magic and special move upgrades. However, be aware that with each stat you upgrade, it will reduce a different stat’s efficiency so you will need to plan upgrades accordingly. Depending on your taste for action, you will likely realize a combat favorite or two.

During random battles and missions, you will take control of the character that you have assigned as your lead (or the first character in the party list if that one dies) plus the next two characters at the top of your party list. After defeating an enemy, you will need to target them to absorb their Phantoma and items, should they be carrying any. You’ll realize pretty quickly that having a character with area magic such as Blizzard will be essential for mowing down low-level random encounters.  One fantastic feature of Type-0’s battle system is the ability to time your attacks for massive damage, often after your enemy performs a powerful attack or spell. I got a real kick out of tactically defeating level 55 Behemoths with characters less than half their level.  If at any time a character is defeated in battle, you can swap them out for another until all of your twelve are used up. There is no real traditional escape option, so make sure you’re as prepared as you can be before heading off to battle.

FF02

Mission battles in towns will allow you to experience an interesting feature of battle within Type-0. Before Mission Battles, you may enable a feature which allows characters with names based on the game’s developers to join your party at random during a Mission. These characters disappear after a set time, which can be extended by defeating enemies, bosses and advancing through the mission. They will also gather SP, which can be used to trade for items back in Academia making their usefulness last beyond developing the game you’re reading about. If you’re more of a lone wolf, you can choose to disable the option if you’d rather go it alone. Though it sounds pretty cool, I found the feature to be a bit intrusive and restricting, although the characters themselves can be quite useful in a tough battle. However, if you happen to be controlling a character you don’t particularly want to play with for extended periods of time, you’re stuck with them until the time-limit runs out and your original playable party member returns to battle.

You’re given a set amount of time to explore the world until Mission Day, which will advance the main story. Talking to NPCs within Academia with a bright green exclamation point over their head or interacting with marked locations will trigger an Event. Events take up 2 hours of your time until Mission Day and will awards an item for completing them. Most of the time, you will usually get some mundane flavor text regarding a no-name NPC you happen to be chatting with. Sometimes, however, these interactions will trigger a short in-game cut-scene including various members of Class Zero. Some of these events are character-specific, and they usually tell you what character you need to trigger the Event.

FF03

Certain marked NPCs will have various Tasks for you to complete. Tasks are usually very straight forward and they don’t take away any time from your Mission Day countdown, unlike Events. Fetch-quest type Tasks can be completed without too much extra hassle, but Tasks where your party is asked to defeat certain enemies or numbers of enemies out in the field require you to use up the game-standard six hours for exploring the over-world in order to complete.

On that subject, here’s a tip that made managing Missions more enjoyable. Every town on the over-world map usually has at least one NPC with a Task for you to complete. However, if you are working on completing a hunting request, it is advisable to complete it before attempting any from townspeople. Towns can also hide unmarked NPCs with a hidden task for you to complete. Sometimes the task will be spread among multiple NPCs, so it’s I’d suggest talking to as many of them as possible. Certain towns also have salesmen who will buy any extra Phantoma off of your party for a pretty fair price, so be sure to remember where you find them!

If you’re a fan of the lore of Fabula Nova Crystallis, make sure to be on the lookout for L’Cie crystals lying around the game. You can turn them into a specific hidden character in a certain town to hear the last words of the L’Cie they belong to. There are more than 40 to collect and they can be found almost anywhere, offering an interesting nod to those who were engrossed by the universe introduced in FFXIII.

FF04

Aside from the main battle system, occasionally you will need to participate in territory wars in the over-world to capture territories and towns from the enemy. Mog’s tips will be essential for completing these scenarios effectively, in addition to tons of patience. This battle system takes away from the flow of gameplay, feeling completely different compared to the normal battle system. It can get a bit a bit frustrating if you don’t like or are not used to the style of gameplay.

Speaking of side modes, Chocobo breeding also makes a return in Type-0. When you visit the Chocobo Ranch through the central portal in Academia, you will eventually be given a sort of “starter set” of Chocobo. From there you can breed by using various types of greens as per the norm where the series mainstays are concerned. Different greens may yield new outcomes of Chocobo with interesting battle and travel specialties, so it’s best to stock up on greens where you can and try different combinations at the ranch every few in-game hours. Don’t worry too much about running out of birds to breed either. They can be found running wild on the over-world map, just waiting to be caught.

Final Fantasy Type-0 has a LOT of content. Like, a lot. Be prepared to spend many an hour at your console of choice searching caves for Task items or defeating wave after wave of random encounter enemies, harvesting rare Phantoma for upgrades. Personally, I felt pretty detached from the story as a whole, but found the battles, Missions and Tasks to be the most enjoyable part of the game. It seems that this installment tried to be a little bit of something for everybody, and no matter how you choose to spend your time in the world of Type-0, it’s definitely worth your 60 bucks.

Final Score- 4.25/5

‘Paul London: Hero Of The Prophecy’ Is The Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Watch

by Jonathan

If you’ve been following Geekscape on Twitter and Facebook (and now on Youtube with GeekscapeTV!), then you’ve no doubt watched the sizzle reel for our Geekscape original series ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’. The idea came from my brother Paul, who thought it would be fun to do something Buck Rogers-ish for one of his wrestling photo shoots. He, Graham Douglas and his former tag partner Brian Kendrick went up to Griffith Park one day and shot some ridiculous promotional photos. When I saw them I thought he had lost his mind. Wrestling fans would never go for this… but geeks just might (I’m pretty sure I was wrong about the wrestling fans, who so far love it, but was right about the geeks!).

Paul London_groupshot_cropped
That’s Graham on the left… as ‘Finnegan’ for the first time!

I suggested to Paul that he get together with William Bibbiani and write up an idea for a webisode script. What William wrote is still one of the favorite things I’ve ever read… but it was too expensive. There was no way we could shoot it. Part of that was my fault. I told them to just go nuts, but as my producing partner Georg Kallert and I started to meet with people about what was now called ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’ it became clear that to make this series properly, with great wrestling and semi-passable 80s effects, it was going to take some money. Several doors were closed in our faces. It was a depressing time.

Ultimately, we decided to shoot the sizzle that you now see below on GeekscapeTV. Georg, William, Paul and I wrote something that we could afford from scratch, something that we could present to TV Networks and show them in a modest way what the show could be, especially the 80s nostalgic tone (and of course… the wrestling!). It wasn’t easy, as William had some hilarious ideas and I had trouble figuring out what we could afford to shoot in 3 days. Finally Paul, Georg, Graham, William and some of our friends (Brian Gilmore, Marisha Ray, Yuri Lowenthal, Nick Gregorio, Jason Trost, Kari Lane and Mr. Doug Jones) spent a few days shooting it after the dungeon/castle set was built and we had found a place in sunny Simi Valley that would work for the exteriors. We had to delay one day from the shoot for a few months due to Doug’s Falling Skies schedule but Doug is literally the sweetest man I’ve ever met in Hollywood (and one of the most talented) so it was definitely worth the wait! And of course, seeing him vaporize Gilmore wasn’t something I was going to compromise! I’d been waiting to see Gilmore killed on screen for years!

Mr. Doug Jones... the sweetest man in Hollywood!
Mr. Doug Jones… the sweetest man in Hollywood!

The days were fun and our love for 80s sci fi and fantasy films helped power us through the long hours (and the summer heat). Finally, after a few months of off and on editing, we arrived at the sizzle trailer that you see below. It’s a pitch piece that we can show people in order to tell them what ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’ could be, a celebration of nostalgia, wrestling and sword & sorcery (which is more popular today with Game of the Thrones and Lord of the Rings as it’s ever been) rolled up into a love letter to my brother Paul, a boy who grew up loving wrestling and achieved his dream of wrestling in the WWE at the age of 22. Now that those years are behind him and he’s off on life’s next adventure, I thought it would be a fun and sincere basis for a big, hilarious space and fantasy opera.

Please, if you enjoyed what you saw here, share ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’ with your friends, family… and even enemies! We want everyone to see what we’ve created in the hopes of keeping all of our childhood dreams and loves alive. That is why it’s so important to us here at Geekscape! And maybe, just maybe, with enough fan support or if it lands on the right set of eyes, the adventure will continue some more!

Bring Home The Action With ‘Accel World’!

by Kari Lane

AccelWorld-Set01-BD

The exciting sci-fi/fantasy anime series, Accel World, is now available on DVD ($44.82) and Blu-ray ($59.97)! The new 2-disc set features 12 episodes and is rated ‘TV-14.’

A special 48-page premium art booklet featuring art and character profiles from this popular series and is also included (only while supplies last) as a special free gift with purchase from select online anime retailers including Right Stuf, Anime Pavilion, and Robert’s Anime Corner Store.

AccelWorld-Set01-GWP-Artbook-Cover

ACCEL WORLD dialogue features include English and Japanese stereo audio, English subtitles, as well as a character art gallery, clean opening and closing segments, and the original Japanese broadcast trailers.

Curious to know what this show is all about? Read on!

In the year 2046, people use portable devices called Neuro-linkers to manage their daily lives in virtual reality networks. But advances in technology haven’t managed to do away with bullies, and 13-year-old Haruyuki Arita finds himself a frequent target. Haruyuki escapes his miserable life in virtual games – until the day Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and a virtual reality called the Accel World.

accelworld2

“ACCEL WORLD is the hottest new anime title to join the VIZ Media home video library and we are very excited to also offer it to buyers with a gorgeous, full-color bonus art booklet that is only available for a limited time through select anime retailers,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Manager, Animation Marketing. “This series blends a highly imaginative online game with real world impact and adds a new twist to one teen’s solution to being bullied. ACCEL WORLD quickly became a fan favorite since VIZ Media debuted it on the same day as its Japanese broadcast and we look forward to the series drawing in new and veteran fans alike with this exciting release that arrives in time for the start of the holiday season.”

For more information on ACCEL WORLD and other animated titles from VIZ Media please visit www.VIZAnime.com/accelworld.

AccelWorld-Set01-GWP-Artbook-Spread

Check out the trailer!

 

My review on the series!

Geekscape Recap: Grimm: “PTZD”

by S.J. Borger

Another solid episode this week, Grimm fans. One that didn’t even feel like an hour (causing us to cry out when the credits rolled “but, we want more!”).

“PTZD” picks up right where last week’s episode left off, with Monroe and Hank chasing Nick’s scent through the woods, while Nick busily begins terrorizing some random family (who luckily have their address right on their mailbox, which proves helpful when Hank calls in for back-up).

avid Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, definitely the worse for the wear(Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
Photo by: Scott Green/NBC
David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, definitely the worse for the wear.

The Beast Within

Hank and Monroe get there right before the Random Family Father can shoot Nick (a totally understandable response since Nick had just bashed his way through the front door). Nick’s super-senses (hinted at last week) are revealed when he catches a vase thrown at his head by Hank (in an effort to distract Nick from hurting the Random Family).

Now, what Nick was actually going to do to the family (eat them? Kill them?) isn’t clear, because last week—and later in this episode—it’s made very clear that even violent Nick was only reacting to clear threat. But a Random Family being threatened certainly raised the stakes, though, because two little girls and a mother are much more sympathetic potential victims then hardened petty criminals in a road house.

Monroe and Hank get Nick to follow them by throwing things at Nick’s head and making noise, and get him out to the barn, where they trap Nick in a stall (using the old weak-floor-in-the-hayloft-as-trap-door trick).

Renard, Juliette and Rosalee show up (Hank having called Renard once they found Nick); they calm down Random Family Father, who comes running out with his gun, and Renard and Hank began the-protect-Nick-cover-up which permeates the rest of the episode by telling Random Family Father that they were in pursuit of patient zero of the recent outbreak (the zombie thing, and good use of last season’s medical ‘explanation’),  Thomas Shirach (the identity the evil brother, Eric, had set up for Nick).

Random Family Father goes back inside after refusing to give up his gun—a plot point that never goes anywhere, despite a two-minute long conversation about it, which was slightly confusing. Usually writers don’t spend that long on an item to then have it go nowhere. Renard, Hank and Monroe go back inside the barn after telling the women to ‘stay outside.’ The blatant sexism made our eyes roll (has anyone else noticed that except for one episode with a visiting cop, and the occasional uniform, ALL the police officers in Portland are apparently men?)

Clearly not happy with the whole getting-locked-in-a-horse-stall. (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
Clearly not happy with the whole getting-locked-in-a-horse-stall. bit.
(Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

Points for Trying, Guys

So the men go in just as Nick breaks free from the stall—but there’s enough time for some repartee between Renard, Hank and Monroe (leading to the best line of the night):

As Renard moves to fight Nick:

Monroe: Not like this, I tried.

They morph into their Wesen shapes. Hank shudders.

Renard: (to Hank): You okay?

Hank: Man, I wish I could do that.

Ha! Awesome. Totally unexpected but somehow perfect for Hank’s character.

The three proceed to get the crap beat out of them by Nick before Juliette—who, along with Rosalee, had come into the barn anyway—stabs him with the crazy needle of de-zombie-fication. Which has three 3-inch long needles and apparently needs to get plunged into the patient’s sternum/stomach area. Not like there’s any important organs there or anything they could puncture…

Nick reacts the way any person would react after being stabbed in the abdomen with three 3-inch needles—he flings Juliette away from him. So now there’s the ‘I hit my girlfriend’ angst we can refer to all season.

The drugs kick in and Nick goes down for the count. Point here: if they knew he was going to be zombie-crazy, why didn’t they bring tranquilizers? We asked this last week, and we ask it again: does Portland not have ANY tranq guns?

They rush Nick back to the Spice shop—noting en route that he’s very cold, and his pulse his very slow—just before the local cops show up. Monroe points out to Renard that someone needs to make sure Prince Eric gets his due.

GRIMM -- "PTZD" Episode 302 -- Pictured: (l-r) Claire Coffee as Adalind Schade, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Stefania Photo by: Scott Green/NBC
GRIMM — “PTZD” Episode 302 — Pictured: (l-r) Claire Coffee as Adalind Schade, Shohreh Aghdashloo as Stefania
Photo by: Scott Green/NBC

Let’s Not Forget the Witch

Back to Europe, Stefenia and Adalind return to Stefenia’s trailer, where the gutted body of Frau Pech still lies on the floor. Stefanie instructs Adalind to place the dead flowers she collected into the now-empty body cavity. Adalind, rebellious but complying, goes to kneel when the flowers fly out and fill the body themselves. Now, says Stefenia, sew up the incision.

At the spice shop, Nick gets a second dose—lancing his spleen, this time—and starts to come to. Juliette and Rosalee act concerned; Renard goes back to the precinct; Monroe and Hank discuss what they’d do to Prince Eric if he was their brother; Nick’s flailing gets alarming and the cuff him to the bed.

In Stefenia’s trailer, Adalind has to cut the thread (so gross, covered in goopy blood thread, that we had to put a picture in) with her teeth. Steam comes out of the body—the process, whatever it is, is working faster than Stefenia thought.

Ew. Ew. Ew.
Ew. Ew. Ew.

Renard gets a text telling him to check the news—where the death of Eric Renard in a tragic car accident is being reported. Since the actor—James Frain—is now on Sleepy Hollow, supposedly this death is a real one.

Back at the Spice Shop, Rosalee is tending to Monroe’s wounds (their light, comfortable-couple banter makes this the second best scene of the night) while Juliette dabs Nicks brow with a cool cloth, we guess. Because an apothecary is so much more qualified to clean deep head wounds than a vet, who we can assume was at least taught how to do real stitches…

Anyway, Nick wakes up, confused, and with no memory of the night before. The gang fills him in, finishing with the small comfort of ‘at least you didn’t kill anyone.’

So, yeah, obviously, someone from his rampage is going to die soon.

Everyone hovers over Nick because they are CONCERNED. Except Renard... Courtesy of NBC Universal
Everyone hovers over Nick because they are CONCERNED. Except Renard…
Courtesy of NBC Universal

More Relatives We Didn’t Know Existed

Renard calls (gets a call from?) someone we assume is related, who is on a train in Europe going on a ‘vacation’ separate from the ‘family.’ And then Wu walks in—sure enough, one of the guys in the fight just died at the hospital. Renard confirms the Thomas Shirach identity as the culprit and asks about security footage.

None, says, Wu, the drive was destroyed.

Wu leaves and Renard pulls out a hard drive—which has the footage on it. Flashback to the night before: when Monroe and Hank went after Nick, Renard went looking for the footage, stealing it and trashing the office.

Renard watches the footage intently, then hides the drive in his desk. To use as blackmail later? We don’t know, but the sense that Renard is an ally only for as long as it is convenient for him is pretty well hinted at.

Nick is freaking out in the Spice Shop, wondering if he’s going to get caught and what defense he can use. None, the gang reasons, not without coming clean about the Wesen and being a Grimm, etc. etc.

Sidenote: Our understanding of current law is that if you can prove you were non compos mentis through no fault of your own—i.e., suffering from a severe neurotoxin injected into you against your will, or even just infected from repeated exposure—then there is no case. Plus, Nick is an outstanding cop with no record. There’s really no way a DA would pursue this case. To not at least bring this up and explain why it wouldn’t work leaves a GAPING hole in the episode, which, judging from how it ends, means Nick’s angst for the season will also have a hole in it.

Juliette takes Nick home; there’s an awkward moment when he comes onto her (“I’d rather not sleep alone,” he says, complete with a slightly-smarmy grin). Considering what they’ve just been through in the past 24 hours (not to mention ALL of last season) it felt odd and didn’t resonate with their relationship. As much as we are not fans of the way this show utilizes Juliette, her and Nick’s relationship was, at one point in season one, maybe, a really nice relationship to watch.

Hank goes back to the station and doesn’t lie to Wu, exactly, but stretches the truth pretty hard when he assures Wu Nick was at the shipyard the night before. Wu tells Hank that one of the victims from the bar died—sending Hank straight to Renard’s office. Renard and Hank agree they need a cover story that Juliette, Rosalee and Renard can tell to the detectives investigating the death.

Hank calls Juliette and tells her a man is dead—can she meet at the Spice shop? And let Nick sleep, he needs it.

So Juliette—who has medical training of a kind—leaves the man who less than eight hours was a red-eyed zombie and had two doses of a drug they weren’t sure of the effects of when it came to Grimms ALL ALONE. Not even a note of where she had gone.

Bitsie Tulloch—the actress who plays Juliette—does her best with this role but it’s just not being utilized well.

Rosalee and Monroe in the Spice Shop. Courtesy of NBC Universal
Rosalee and Monroe in the Spice Shop.
Courtesy of NBC Universal

They’ll Totally Believe It

Juliette arrives at the Spice Shop and her, Hank, Renard, Monroe and Rosalee all agree to cover for Nick. No one mentions the Random Family, only the bar and the security footage there. Which means they never discuss covering for how Hank and Monroe were there, or where they took ‘Shirach.’ Now, police responded to a 911 call to the house which wasn’t immediately linked to the bar brawl but someone should put that together, right?

Anyway, cover story agreed upon, everyone goes their separate ways.

Hank and Renard go back to the precinct, where Hank figures out Renard has the security footage. Confronted, Renard insists it was to keep Nick safe.

Juliette returns home to find Nick cold, with no pulse. As she dials 911, Nick’s color returns (a nice bit of movie magic there) and he wakes up. After he calms Juliette down and agrees to go to a doctor, they both go back to sleep.

GRIMM -- "PTZD" Episode 302 -- Pictured: Sasha Roiz as Captain Renard -- (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
GRIMM — “PTZD” Episode 302 — Pictured: Sasha Roiz as Captain Renard — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

All The Fun Stuff Happens in Europe

Meanwhile, Stefenia and Adalind are having super fun times in the trailer; Stefenia cuts open Frau and a red goo oozes out; Adalind must (with her hands) fill a jar with the goo. Ew.

At the Spice Shop, the detectives show up and question Rosalee. She sticks to the story.

Adalind, back in her hotel and clean for the first time in two episodes, drops a towel (a VERY nicely placed chair covered the R-rated bits) and rubs the goo from Frau on her belly. It’s absorbed, leaving a shape of a skull on her skin. Adalind grins.

The detectives move on to Juliette—and that’s when Nick finds out one of the men he attacked has died. After they leave—Juliette sticking to the story as well—Nick insists on coming clean.

Why Juliette, who KNEW the police were coming, and had enough time to get dressed and make coffee, didn’t tell Nick or get Nick out of the house, or something, I don’t know.

Nick rushes to the precinct intent on confessing; even Hank, telling him that to confess would get all the Scooby gang in trouble, can’t stop him.

Renard receives a call from his mother, who thanks him for killing Prince Eric. O-o-o-o, what plots twists are going to come from that? Just as he hangs up, Nick comes in—apparently the two detectives on the case took longer to get back to the precinct then Nick did—and Renard shows Nick the security footage. The guy that died had come at Nick with a knife—Nick’s violence, while extreme, was somewhat mitigated by the fact that it had been provoked.

Nick, torn, finally decides to keep quiet.

Not from this episode, but here's Nick, looking torn. Photo by: Scott Green/NBC
Not from this episode, but here’s Nick, looking torn.
Photo by: Scott Green/NBC

All’s Well That’s Resolved by the End of The Episode?

The episode cleaned up a lot of loose threads from last season and placed some interesting new factors in play, and for the most part did it well. The angst-y acting (never the show’s strongest spot) should hopefully be on hold for a while as the show goes back to its procedural-of-the-week mode.

Next week on “A Dish Best Served Cold”  it’s blutbaden versus bauerschwein (wolves versus pigs) and it looks like Nick is forced to shoot Monroe!?! Though clever teaser editing may be all that turns out to be.

Next week’s recap will be out later in the week as well, as your friendly writer will be covering BlizzCon all weekend.

http://www.nbc.com/grimm/video/ptzd/n42591/

Geekscape Recap: Grimm: “The Ungrateful Dead”

by S.J. Borger

Ah, Grimm. How we missed you! Welcome back!

Grimm, which premiered on Friday, Oct. 25th—just in time for Halloween—is a great show that not enough people are watching, and if  last night’s episode was any indication, season three could prove to be the best season yet.

The season two finale left our heroes separated; Detective/Grimm Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) is captured by Baron Samedi and the Captain Renard’s evil half-brother Eric (who is a Prince of the mysterious Royal family) and being whisked away to Europe while Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch), Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) are trapped by ‘zombies’ in an container yard.

Where we left our Scooby gang last week. Courtesy of NBC Unviersal
Where we left our Scooby gang last season.
Courtesy of NBC Unviersal

Just UnDead Enough To Be a Problem

Now, we already know the zombies aren’t your typical undead, rather, they are suffering the effects of a poison spit out by the supernatural Wesen, Baron Samedi, which knocks them out, mimicking death. When they awake, they are in a violent, fugue state which results in death if not treated.

So a crowd of just-zombied-enough-to-be-a-hazard people are attacking our loyal Scooby gang, and Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) arrives too late to save Nick—so it’s definitely time to call in the cavalry.

Which Juliette does (the ONLY helpful thing she’s done in the past two seasons, seriously) by calling Nick’s partner, Hank (Russell Hornsby—finally off the crutches). Hank has no questions (it is SO NICE that all our main characters are now sharing information) and immediately pulls in Sergeant Wu (Reggie Lee) to wrangle the posse and head out to the container yard.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Gypsy witch and black-market purveyor Stefania Vaduva Popescu (Shohreh Aghdashloo) finishes ripping the still-beating heart out of Frau Pech (Mary McDonald-Lewis) and seals it in a puzzle box of sorts. She calls in Adalind (Claire Coffee), who has grown on us during season two, and was particularly charming in her I-can’t-believe-I’m-doing-this-why-is-magic-so-dirty attitude this episode. Stefania informs Adalind that if Adalind wishes to have her Hexenbiest powers restored, she will cut off Frau Pech’s hands and feet. With a moue of distaste, Adalind kneels down, blade in hand.

Monroe, Rosalee and Juliette's situation going from bad to worse in episode 2.
Monroe, Rosalee and Juliette’s situation going from bad to worse in episode 2.

How’d you get up there? Why Didn’t You Move the Stairs??

Hank and the cavalry arrive just in time to rescue Rosalee, Monroe and Juliette; the police begin rounding up the zombies and placing them in an empty shipping container (amazingly, an empty shipping container was just right next to where all the zombies were. Handy, that); Renard finds the container where Nick was taken, but before he can search for clues is attacked by zombies himself.

He goes partial-Hexenbiest on them, and dispatches three in short order just as a phone rings—Hank, calling Nick’s phone.

Renard meets up with Hank and the rest of the gang, and they compare notes. Juliette pouts about not finding Nick fast enough (really, has she NO skills?) while the police continue rounding up zombies (has the Portland PD never heard of tranq darts???).

Knowing that Eric wants Nick in Vienna—which means a plane—everybody jumps in Nick’s car and heads to the airport while Hank frantically calls the Airport Police. After discovering there is a plane under Baron Samedi’s name (apparently no need for an alias after you’ve just kidnapped a cop and murdered a bunch of people), Hank directs the airport security to approach with caution and to not let any plane take off.

Rosalee brings up the interesting factoid that no one knows how Nick—a Grimm—will react to the Baron’s poison. Since Nick isn’t exactly normal.

 

GRIMM -- Season: 3 -- Pictured: (l-r) David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt -- (Photo by: Ben Cohen/NBC)
Seriously not normal.
GRIMM — Season: 3 — Pictured: (l-r) David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt — (Photo by: Ben Cohen/NBC)

Airport Police To The Rescue…Oh, Wait…

Well, of course, the airport police show up (just two of them) and immediately separate, one going inside to ‘search’ and the other staying outside to chat with the Baron. So, of course, he gets zapped with the green poison ooze. His screams bring his partner out—and he, following the police procedure of we-can’t-actually-arrest-the-bad-guy-because-then-the-show-will-be-over, runs right past the Baron to his downed partner, and of course, gets slimed/oozed himself.

The plane takes off just as Hank et al get there. Juliette, per her usual function, stomps her foot and screams no, no, no, and then, showing an AMAZING lack of knowledge of police procedure for a women who lives with a cop, demands Renard stop the place. Then she slaps him, because that’s a how a strong woman goes about saving her man—slapping the people who are helping and demanding that they ‘get him back.’

Juliette is reprieved from being told to grow up, stop being a child, and if she has any helpful solutions she is welcome to bring those up (sorry, that’s our fantasy of what Renard was about to say after she slapped him) by Sergeant Chu calling Hank—the zombies are all rounded up, now what do they do?

Well, Rosalee has a handy-dandy antidote they know works, but they need to make more. Renard will check with the FAA to see if the plane logged a flight plan (which even we know private planes don’t have to do…) and everyone heads back to the car—except for Monroe, who points out the two unconscious cops. Since they can’t be treated yet, the cops get thrown into the back of the car for later (we never see them again, but we assume they got cured and went home and had pot roast for dinner).

Nick wakes up, undead and seriously unhappy. Courtesy of NBC Unviersal
Nick wakes up, undead and seriously unhappy.
Courtesy of NBC Unviersal

I’m Not Dead Yet

Cut to the Baron’s plane, where the Baron is drinking bottled water (??) and gloating over the not-quite-dead Grimm in his metal coffin. Now, audience, Rosalee has already told us that a Grimm might react differently, so we know something is going to happen—and sure enough, the coffin starts to rattle.

Then it starts to shake, as Nick punches the steel into new shapes. The Baron, not worried yet, leans over the coffin, and when Nick forces the lid up, the Baron spits more poisonous goo. Nick slumps, the Baron, chuckling, walks away—and then Nick’s eyes open.

He attacks the Baron, and then a hapless co-pilot, which takes the fight into the cockpit—the plane starts to crash.

Back to Europe, where Adalind has dulled her knife hacking off Frau Pech’s hands. Stefania takes her to a lovely field of poppies and throws the lid of the puzzle box into the air, where it hovers, magically, for a moment, before landing.

Handing Adalind a spade made of a human foot (we think), Stefania bids her dig.

Back to the plane; Baron Samedi tries to regain control of Nick by chanting “Obey me, for I am your master.” Which doesn’t work at all. Nick throws him across the cock pit and the plane goes down in the forests of Oregon.

 

Adalind being directed to dig by Stefinia (off screen). Courtesy of NBC Unviersal
Adalind getting her hands dirty for the sake of regaining her powers.

To the Tea Shop!

Meanwhile, Monroe, Rosalee and Juliette are back at the tea and spice shop, debating what to do. Juliette wants to fly to Vienna and get Nick. Monroe agrees with her—though at least he backs his argument up with a few thoughts (1) he doesn’t trust Renard and (2) they could get all of the Wesen Nick’s helped to assist.

Rosalee frets about how to inject the antidote into the dozens of zombie both in time and without getting hurt; Juliette remembers she’s a vet and probably took a chemistry class or two and comes up with the idea of making it into a gas (it takes them an unbelieving LONG time to get to that conclusion…)

Renard, back at the police station, orders his mole in the Royal family to kill Eric when Eric lands; there is a yes-we-already-knew-that bit of ex positional dialogue between Hank and Renard where the importance of saving Nick is again brought up.

At the crash site, a red-eyed, bloody and clearly not himself Nick pulls himself out of the wreckage and stumbles into the woods, leaving behind a dead Baron and two injured pilots.

Back at the container yard, Chu is having all the fun rounding up one-off zombies and putting them into the container. Monroe, Juliette and Rosalee show up with the treatment—Monroe, showing his innate knowledge of tactics, suggest making noise at the not-the-door-end of the container to distract the zombies so that Juliette and Rosalee can throw the antidote in, leading to the best line of the night (courtesy of Monroe), in response to knowing if the treatment worked: “I don’t know, I think it’s kind of like popcorn. You know it’s done with they stop making noise.”

GRIMM -- "The Ungrateful Dead" Episode 301 -- Pictured: (l-r) Bitsie Tulloch as Juliette Silverton, Bree Turner as Rosalee Calvert -- (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
GRIMM — “The Ungrateful Dead” Episode 301 — Pictured: (l-r) Bitsie Tulloch as Juliette Silverton, Bree Turner as Rosalee Calvert — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

Grimm Crash Plane. Grimm Smash!

Back at the precinct, Hank gets the plane-crash call; Nick stumbles out of the woods to find a conveniently placed roadhouse filled with a central-casting assortment of tough characters.

Chu opens the container to find a bunch of confused, bruised and frightened—but cured—people, just as Hank calls Monroe. Juliette, continuing her taking-a-stand-on-things-that-don’t-matter, insists Monroe put it on speaker phone. Hank tells them all that the plane has crashed.

Renard and Hank arrive at the crash site first, to find the Baron’s body but no Nick. Seeing the punch marks on the steel coffin, they realize that they may now be not so much rescuing Nick as rescuing other people from Nick. Hank calls the local police to request any 911 calls get copied to him.

Nick, senses inundated by the noise of the bar, attacks the first guy in his way, and then just keeps going. His senses are super-attuned; he can hear people’s heart as they attack from behind him. Terrified customers flee.

Monroe, Juliette and Rosalee show up at the plane crash just as Hank gets a call about a disturbance at a nearby bar—the whole gang heads out.

The bar owner comes out with a gun; Nick easily disarms him but then lets the guy ran away; seeing himself in the mirror, Nick, with a yell, throws the gun and shatters the mirror.

Renard, Hank, etc., pull up to the roadhouse just as the owner stumbles out; Monroe can smell Nick—it’s him, but different. Juliette offers to help (how?) and Rosalee tells him it’s not really Nick.

GRIMM -- "The Ungrateful Dead" Episode 301 -- Pictured: David Giuntoli as Det. Nick Burkhardt -- (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
Seriously, not really Nick.
GRIMM — “The Ungrateful Dead” Episode 301 — Pictured: David Giuntoli as Det. Nick Burkhardt — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

There’s No Way Their Finishing This In One Episode

They go in and see the damage—no one dead, but a lot hurt. Monroe and Hank head out the back after Nick.

Back to the field of poppies. Adalind finishes digging the hole, then buries the hands, feet and heart in it. Stefania says they will wait, and soon they will know if Adalind has been accepted.

After a moment, a growing circle of dead flowers spreads out from around them, then a green, vaguely skeleton looking form rises from the newly covered hole and is absorbed into Adalind, whose eyes glow green. Stefania tells her she has been accepted—and now she has to collect the dead flowers. Leading to the second best line of the night, Adalind’s snarky, exhausted: “Really?”

Back at the bar, cops pull up as Renard comes out, asking for ambulances, then tells Juliette and Rosalee that Nick has fled, and they have to stop Nick before he kills someone, because there’s no coming back from that.

Monroe gets Nick’s scent in the woods and he and Hank head after him.

Nick comes up to a house with a mom, dad and a little girl just getting home. Oh noes! What if he kills a family??

Here's a non-zombie Nick to look at until next week.
Here’s a non-zombie Nick to look at until next week.

The episode ends with “This Ain’t Over Yet” title and a then a ‘this season Grimm’ sizzle reel (we can’t find it anywhere on line! Google has failed us!) that ends with what looks like Nick shooting Monroe! What? Why?

So a fun, fast, mostly excellent episode to start off the new season. No word on when that rumored second Grimm will show up, though.

Check back next Friday for our recap of episode two: “PTZD.”

The full episode can be watched at Hulu or on NBC.com; new episodes air on NBC on Friday’s at 9 p.m.

If you’re new to Grimm but don’t want to binge-watch two seasons before next Friday, you can download “Grimm: The Essential Guide” from iTunes (it’s free!).

http://www.hulu.com/watch/550304

Season Two Of ‘Walking In Circles’ Premieres August 27th, Watch The Teaser Now!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Fans of the epic fantasy webseries Walking In Circles certainly have something to celebrate today: season two is right around the corner, and a teaser trailer has just been released!

The show’s first season ended back in 2011. We’ve always known that a second season was coming, but it’s infinitely exciting to learn that it’s almost here.

Haven’t seen the series? Walking In Circles is an epic, medieval fantasy web series that follows the exploits of  Krag, The Barbarian Prince, who leads a party of not-so-heroic adventurers on a quest for fame and glory. It features the talents of Eric Radic (Grok, Crisis), Katie Wilson (2012: Ice Age), Adam Rady (1337LoungeLive), Ben Burch (A Brew Hope) amongst an outstanding cast of guest stars including Jolene Kay (Star Trek),  Jennifer Kairis (Warrior Showdown), and Diana Restrepo (Bondjamesbond), Azim Rizk (Power Rangers Megaforce) and Andrew Matthews (Vampire Bats, Bones). The first, eleven episode season can be watched in full here!

Again, the second season’s teaser trailer has just released, and I cannot wait to see more. Take a look at it below, and let us know if you’re looking forward to seeing Walking In Circles return!

Check Out 12 Character Posters From ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 3!

by Derek Kraneveldt

It’s March, and we’re now just a few weeks away from the anticipated return of Game of Thrones. Last week we were treated to an exciting first trailer for the season, and today HBO has released a batch of posters depicting all of our favourite characters… as if we could be any more excited!

 

Check out the posters below, and as always, let us know what you think! Game of Thrones returns on March 31st!

 

GOT10 GOT12 GOT11 GOT9 GOT8 GOT7 GOT6 GOT5 GOT4 GOT3 GOT2 GOT1

 

Hungry for more Game of Thrones? Why not pick up the unofficial cookbook? Look for our review of that one soon!

New Poster And Preview For ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 3!

by Derek Kraneveldt

You’ll have to wait until later this evening to watch the full trailer for Game of Thrones season three, but HBO has released a cool twelve seconds to get you excited! The full trailer will premiere tonight on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and we’ll have it up shortly afterwards!

 

A new poster has also been revealed for the upcoming season (via Entertainment Weekly). It isn’t the most exciting image, but does show one of our favourite television dragons just a little bit older than we last saw it.

 

Check out the image (and trailer for the trailer) below, and let us know what you think! Game of Thrones season three premieres on March 31st.

 

 

GameofThronesSeason3

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ Gets A New Poster

by Derek Kraneveldt

MGM/New Line today released a new poster for the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The poster gives us a peek at a confident looking Bilbo Baggins (portrayed by Martin Freeman) and his weapon of choice, Sting.

The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey is the first part of the Hobbit trilogy of films, and opens on December 14th.

What do you think?

Geekscape Interviews: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

by Molly Mahan

Tuesday, September 11, marked the official Snow White and the Huntsman on DVD and Blu-Ray. Say what you want about the story, the acting, and the mess of celebrity gossip surrounding the film and its potential franchise, but what cannot be denied is that it is a visual and cinematic delight. All of the creatures and landscapes seen in the 127minute feature are fantastic and belong very much in the modern take on classic fairy tales. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with the visual effects supervisor, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, who tells me that working on a project like Snow White and the Huntsman is why you get into visual effects in the first place.

Nicolas-Troyan’s earlier projects, from One Hour Photo to The Weatherman were all very grounded in the real world. But according to him, Snow White and the Huntsman is the kind of project he has been trying to look into for a longtime. “You don’t get into visual effects to stay in the real world, you do this because you want make trolls and dragons and fantastic environments,” he says.

That said, it is without a doubt his background in the making the mundane interesting that got him on board this project. Well, that and director Rupert Sanders, whom Cedric had previously worked with on several commercials. Once he expressed interest in bringing Cedric on, the two began to decide on the kind of the world they wanted to make. After all, it is a fairytale so it has to be fantastic, but they very much wanted to make it for a modern, somewhat jaded audience.

Cedric with Rupert Sanders on set of Snow White and the Huntsman.

“First, we had to figure out the type of film we wanted to do,” Nicolas-Troyan says, “what kind of fairytale we wanted to do. We looked at the original story–the fairytale–and it is actually really short … Obviously we wanted to make it very imaginitive, as it is a fairytale, but we wanted to make it modern for the audience. We wanted to get away from the cliches of how fairytales are told and tell the story in a new way. And then after all that, it is about constructing the world and what the world could be.”

And what kind of world did they want to create? According to Cedric, it was to lay “right between” the fantasy epic of The Lord of the Rings and the historical retellings of Robin Hood. It would not be any kind of pure fantasy like Lord of the Rings. “Once we settled on that, we began creating the creatures.”

Like the setting chosen, the creatures had their limits, too. Although gruesome and literally grounded in earth by the look of it, Cedric says the troll is the most “farfetched in the universe” he created. While it is a fantasy, Cedric wanted to make certain everything was believable for that world. “There’s no fantastic stuff. Every creature we made existed for a reason and within the terms of the world we settled upon.”

Breath mints, however, were not part of his department.

But what about the magic? After all, the very root of the story comes from the idea that the Queen, played masterfully by Charlize Theron, drains the very youth out of the women of the kingdom to remain forever the fairest. “For all the magic for the queen–for Ravenna–we tried to give everything a sort of a look, somewhat of a reasonable kind of world. It’s not realistic, but it is not all over the place.” Everything, trolls and magic proper aside, is very much in the real.

“We took the real world and tweaked it a bit to give it the look. It is very stylish, but it’s not too far out there, like you’re sitting on a massive mushroom,” in reference to the producer’s previous project Alice in Wonderland.

And he’s right. For what Snow White and the Huntsman may lack in story and character development, it truly is an visually interesting world that will delight anyone of any age, no matter their level of creativity and imagination.

Snow White and the Huntsman is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Check Out Some New Photos From ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Warner Brothers yesterday released an iOS app promoting their upcoming film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (iTunes Link).

The free app is a neat experience, letting you learn about characters and explore different facets of Middle Earth. It definitely garners excitement for the upcoming title.

Inside the app were a bunch of new photos. Some look like stills, while some look more like promotional photos. In any case, check them out embedded below!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theatres on December 14.


Amos ‘N’ Anakin: Sci-Fi and Racism in the 21st Century

by Matt Blackwood

The sci-fi genre (including science fiction, fantasy, and horror) has a long history of unofficial equal rights advocacy. As far back as the 18th and 19th century, sci-fi stories like Gulliver’s Travels and The Time Machine subtly touched on topics of racial intolerance and class disparity. The 1950s brought us The Twilight Zone, an anthology of morality plays, many of which dealt with racial injustice. In the 1960s, Star Trek repeatedly championed the civil rights movement, airing television’s first multiracial kiss and producing episodes like “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”, a deft allegory of the consequences of racism. In the late 60s and 70s, George A. Romero put strong black characters in leading roles in his socially conscious zombie films.

A member of the noble race of aliens from "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", seen here next to one of the dirty, inferior race.

So how is it that after two centuries of progressive, forward-thinking literature, racism has begun to pervade sci-fi? Since the turn of the millennium, there have been a few prominent examples of bald racism in the sci-fi world. These may be isolated incidents, but they do have one glaring common aspect: they were all defended by fans. Rather than a public consensus shaming the offenders into apology, which has become the protocol in these situations (see: Michael Richards), in each of these cases fans mounted a counter-argument denying any existence of racism. These have not been good arguments, but they have, like creation “science”, been enough to muddy the waters for those who don’t want to see the truth.

POD RACE WARS

In 1999, the lifetime of anticipation millions of Star Wars fans had built up waiting for Episode I finally ended. And it ended the way every lifetime does: with death. The pristene sense of wonder and joy that was born out of seeing Star Wars for the first time died that day. And out of its ashes grew a bitter cynicism from which society will not recover until the only ones left are the kids who saw the prequels first, carefree and ignorant without a frame of reference for what should have been.

I believe the children are our future. At least, I used to...

On a laundry list of complaints about The Phantom Menace, the use of racism as a storytelling device certainly takes priority. At least three different alien races in the film, in voice, dress, and manner, are indistinguishable from specific racial stereotypes. The Neimoidians, leaders of the Trade Federation, with their large-sleeved robes, bowing, and thick Asian “r” and “l” switching accents are clear corollaries for the Japanese. Watto, a hairy, big-nosed, money-obsessed junk dealer is an overt Semitic caricature. And then there’s Jar Jar Binks and the Gungans, with their definitive Porgy and Bess accents are obviously stand-ins for native Caribbeans. All of these characters are depictions of racial stereotypes, and all of them are bad. The Trade Federation are in league with the Sith, Watto is an unscrupulous slave owner, and Jar Jar is a rude, lazy fool.

"Meesa ashamed of reinforcing negative racial preconceptions."

Some fans refuse to believe these characters are the product of racism. These fans contend that the alien races are original compilations of traits, and racially sensitive people pick out specific traits they associate with races and extrapolate racism that isn’t there. But it isn’t just one trait; it’s the whole package. There’s a reason the Anti-Defamation League hasn’t ever voiced serious concerns about the anti-Semitic undertones of gold-hoarding dragons. Because that is extrapolating association from a single trait. That’s not what they do. No one came to Star Wars looking for racism. They saw it because it smacked them in the face.

There were several offensive characters in Phantom Menace, but this one wins by a nose.

Another common defense is simply to ask why Lucas would put in racist stereotypes. In other words, these fans are demanding the prosecution show motive. Well, the motive is simple and sad: lazy writing. A thoughtful, creative writer will spend time developing characters, but a lazy writer can import easily recognized stereotypes in place of unique characters. Essentially it’s like stealing a stock character from another work of fiction, only this time the fiction is the magical world that racists live in.

Compare the races of Episode I with those of the Lord of the Rings series. J.R.R. Tolkien practically invented what we think of as elves and dwarves not by recontextualizing pre-existing stereotypes but by creating a world and considering how that world’s history and landscape would affect how societies developed. Each race has a specific set of culturally inherent traits, but even if they share any history with or bear any resemblance to real peoples, they don’t stick out as identical with persistent stereotypes. And Tolkien was part of the tradition of promoting racial unity as Gimli the dwarf found friendship with elf Legolas. Of course their common ground was the hunting and killing of a third race, but hey, Orcs are jerks. Even Dr. King said we could judge people by the content of their character.

The ACLU isn't goin' anywhere near this one.

You don’t even have to leave the Star Wars universe to find an example of well-done race introduction. A New Hope‘s Mos Eisley Cantina is full of many different alien races, all distinct and imaginative variations on basic animal features. Their manner and clothing tell us immediately that these creatures are sentient despite reminding no one in any way of any human race or even the human race.

Scum? Sure. Villainy? You bet. Stereotypes? No.

The “shorthand” of racial stereotypes is unnecessary to convey an individual’s personality or even the cultural identity of a recently introduced alien race; good storytellers are able to give us this information through good writing. Lucas clearly used to be a good storyteller, but he got old, tired, and lazy.

REVENGE OF THE APPALLIN’

About a decade after Episode I, sci-fi race relations suffered a very similar setback with episode 2 of the Transformers franchise. We’ll just call Jazz’s breakdancing in the first Transformers a misguided homage. But he was replaced in the second film by the duo of Mudflap and Skids, robots that used rap slang and sounded “street”- one of them even had a gold tooth (I’m not sure which one- the movie Transformers all look alike to me). Once again, we’re talking about lazy writers using offensive stereotypes in place of original characters, but this goes even further. These obvious black analogues are rude, gross, craven, and even, despite presumably having advanced alien CPUs for brains, illiterate. And even this was not universally acknowledged as racism.

Robo-jangles of Cybertron

The defense here was similar to that of The Phantom Menace. Fans who jumped to the film’s defense said, “They’re not black men, they’re robots! They’re not even black robots! How can it be racist?” But racism is more than meets the eye. It doesn’t have to be a black man to be a depiction of a black man. Amos ‘N’ Andy were two white guys in minstrel makeup. The caricature already exists in our culture and can be depicted via cartoon bird, CG robot, cave etching- it’s still making fun of black people.

Note: THIS is blackface. That Billy Crystal Oscars thing was simply using makeup to enhance an unfunny, outdated impersonation. Completely different thing.

FAN BLACKLASH

So are fans racist? Well, yes and no. Obviously there’s nothing inherently racist in sci-fi to promote extra intolerance, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some fans who bring their racism with them. You might think sci-fi’s myriad fables against discrimination would discourage ethnocentrists’ interest, but even in their religions people hear what they want to hear. Sci-fi’s biggest deterrent to racism is its innate intelligence; the often complex rules and sophisticated storylines of new universes tend to naturally repel those of lower intelligence, whom studies have shown are more likely to hold racist beliefs. So sci-fi fandom probably has a slightly lower proportion of racists than the rest of society, but they are there.

Unfortunately, in the Venn diagram of society, the circles of racial intolerance and genre enthusiasm do have some overlap. Two recent examples made me ashamed of my people. The first is the rejection of a black Spider-man. When Sony announced in 2010 that it would reboot the Spidey franchise with a new Peter Parker, a sharp-eyed fan suggested writer/actor Donald Glover for the role. Glover is a smart, funny young actor with a slim, muscular build; he would have been a strong choice for the iconic character. As an excited fan himself, Glover retweeted the idea, causing a flurry of Internet excitement. But not all of the buzz was positive. Hundreds of fans denounced the idea, saying they would never see a movie with a black Spider-man.

Fear of a Black Daily Planet. What? It's Bugle? Crap. That was such a good joke. OK, how about "Parker Brother"?

Some argue that this was not a racially motivated disgust. They argue that die hard fans’ ire is notoriously easy to provoke by adaptations straying from the source material, and that’s a fair point. Fans were also annoyed that John Constantine was played by a brunette American instead of a blond Brit. However, those that tweeted death threats and epithets at Glover were not pre-occupied with comic accuracy, but were clearly a different kind of purist altogether.

The more recent example is also in casting, but this one isn’t merely hypothetical. The Hunger Games movie adaptation broke box office records, but a vocal minority soured the occasion. These readers apparently missed the indication to beloved character Rue’s dark skin in the book and were shocked and disgusted by the decision to cast a young black actress. Naturally, these fans vehemently denied that their outcry was in any way racist. All they said was that they couldn’t see a little black girl as innocent or be upset when a little black girl’s life was in peril, because she’s black. Nothing racist about that.

Where's Kanga, am I right? But no, in all seriousness, this totally made me cry like a baby.

For the most part, I don’t think all that many sci-fi fans out there are racist. The Hunger Games and Spider-man franchises have much larger audiences than most genre works, and a bigger crowd always means a bigger, louder fringe. I don’t even think those who denied the racist elements of Star Wars Episode I and Transformers 2 are themselves racist. I just think they’re in denial. they’re choosing to believe that the things they love so much could not possibly be so flawed. They’re like abused housewives attacking the cops who are trying to protect them. The reality is just too hard to face.

But we have to face it if we are going to move forward. Sweeping this under the rug is not acceptable. The only way we will ever remove racism from sci-fi in specific and society in general is to stop denying that it exists. The first step in recovery is admitting that you have a problem. And right now we do.