Also in casting news, Miranda Richardson joins Goblet of Fire as Daily Prophet reporter Rita Skeeter. Ok…she would’ve worked well as the Big Bad for Book V too.
Month: July 2004
His Darko Materials.
“I can do anything I want. And so can you.” So, with or without Frank the Bunny, I went to catch Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut Friday afternoon. While still very enjoyable, a lot of the fun of the film (reviewed earlier here) is in not knowing what exactly you’re in for, so the movie admittedly does lose a step after another viewing. And, like the official website, the Director’s Cut has a Midichlorian problem…elements of the film that are better left unexplained are now laid over with pages from Grandma Death’s time travel tome. As a result, some of the more memorable scenes (particularly the “Mad World” montage at the end) suffer. Still, if you haven’t seen DD (or, like me, saw it only on DVD), it’s a genre-bending marvel that’s definitely worth checking out on the big screen. (The film now also includes the deleted scenes from the DVD, such as the excised Watership Down subplot, and several shots of a 2001-esque eyeball, as seen in the trailer.)
Scaling Back a Dream.
In according with the Dubya Mars timetable, NASA gives up on the ISS. Hmmm. “Publicly, NASA’s international partners have expressed support…Privately, they have voiced the opinion that the United States is not living up to its commitments.“
Rorschach Test.
It’s official…Darren Aronofsky is directing The Watchmen. I’m not sure if The Watchmen is even filmable, but Aronofsky’s a good bet to try.
Oh freddled gruntbuggly…
Also from Comicon, Touchstone previews the Hitchhiker’s Guide teaser. Alas, this is just a write-up…but hopefully it’ll hit the web soon. Update: Don’t panic…it’s here.
Revenge of the Sith
has been announced as the official title of Episode III. Y’know, that’s not half bad, and it’d be nice to think George could get at least one of the first three right.
The L Word.
“Conservatives have ‘been working on redefining the word “liberal” for decades, and turning it into a four-letter word…We don’t want to give up the word. We’ve been losing the fight for the definition.’” Sixteen years after Bush I first hammered it into the ground, the Post examines the status of “liberal” as a GOP epithet (and Dem rallying cry.)
Buck Mills Stipe Rieflin?
R.E.M releases some details about their forthcoming album out in October, which features new drummer Bill Rieflin (formerly of Ministry.) According to Stipe in RS, “‘there’s some stuff on here that’s pretty hard-core, and fairly political.’ The political tracks include a fleshed-out version of the Internet-only release ‘Final Straw,’ which was written prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and ‘I’m Gonna DJ,’ about the 1999 World Trade Organization riots in Seattle…[But] R.E.M. dabble in more than just politics, as Stipe characterizes ‘Leaving New York’ as a love song and ‘Wanderlust’ as a pop song.” Sounds grand.
Crom laughs at your Democrats.
“Girlie men?” Don’t mind the Governor…it’s the ‘Roids talking.
The Burglar and the Voyager.
Drop the Kong…it’s looking increasingly likely that Time Warner will beat out Sony in acquiring MGM, meaning that New Line Cinema would finally secure the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. (!) Also in development on the mythical front right now is a version of The Odyssey more family (and Gods) oriented than the recent Troy…No word on if Sean Bean will reprise Odysseus.