Ah, the joy of Spring ... specifically, the joy of looking forward to the movies that come out at the end of Spring. May promises to be a HUGE month, with "Iron Man" opening May 5th, and of course Indy returning to movie screens May 22nd. Since I posted the new Iron Man posters earlier this week, here's the new "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" poster, just released this week by Paramount. Great stuff by veteran poster artist Drew Struzan!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Movie Geekiness: New "Indiana Jones" movie poster
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Movie Geekiness: New "Incredible Hulk" trailer
Here we go again ...
Well, Universal and Marvel are giving us another Hulk movie, and this time it's Edward Norton filling the role of Bruce Banner, brilliant gamma radiation scientist with a hot girlfriend (Liv Tyler) and a SERIOUS anger management problem. Now, I've said this time and again and I will defend it to the end--I didn't think the last Hulk, starring Eric Bana as Banner and Jennifer Connolly (now and forever gorgeous), was that bad. It had a truly ambitious, thoughtful script and strong performances. It was simply mired by some truly silly special effects and a few bad ideas (the gamma-irradiated dogs just don't work as well in the movies as they do in the comics). In the end, the film was doomed by those bad choices and some pacing issues, and was deemed one of Marvel's more costly movie flops of the past ten years.
Now we have this movie, which was announced last year right before San Diego Comic-Con and generated significant buzz through its casting of Norton, another fantastic actor, in the role perhaps defined best by the late Bill Bixby in the '70s TV show. From what can be seen in the trailer, this film actually has quite a bit in common with the old show: Banner in hiding, trying to find a cure for his condition while keeping the rage in check, the eyes going green when the not-so-jolly Green Giant does show up. But for the first time on film really, the script throws the Hulk up against a villain in his same weight class as far as strength, a villain known in the comics as Emil Blonsky, aka the Abomination. The trailer promises that the battle between these two gamma-irradiated tyrants will truly be something to behold ... just imagine a WWE grudge match when both wrestlers can pick up and throw buildings at each other.
What do want to bet, just due to the promise of that kind of carnage, that this movie makes even more bank than Iron Man, which will show up in theaters just one month before?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Movie Geekiness: The final theatrical poster for "Iron Man"
Here are the theatrical posters for this summer's Marvel blockbuster-hopeful, "Iron Man", soon to be appearing in theaters. (Click on either image to see a larger version) Man, if only I had room for one of these in my place now, preferably the first one ... I like it!
"Iron Man" opens May 2nd.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
D&D Creator Gary Gygax, dead at age 69
The Dungeon Master has DMed his last adventure.
Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax passed away earlier today, apparently from a number of health issues that had plagued him since last year. Here's the AP news report:
He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.
Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.
Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.
"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."
It's a strange coincidence that just last weekend my friends and I were playing D&D using a module written for the version of D&D pioneered by Gygax. Now I came into role-playing during the heyday of AD&D, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, apparently long after Gygax had parted ways with game developer TSR, Inc., but his name was still spoken of reverently among those who had been playing for far longer than I. Gygax's work that probably affected me the most was his CBS Saturday morning cartoon series (of course) Dungeons & Dragons, which I loved and hope to pick up someday on DVD (though I've heard watching it now is pretty close to the legal definition of 'torture').
I find myself wondering how the gaming world is taking this news, by and large. Is his name even remembered, except by gamers from the generation before mine? I know my friends and I are aware of his work and contributions, but beyond us, when the games became more about cards and decks and little miniatures? I certainly hope so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
